Boca Raton magazine July/August 2013

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THE BOCA 100 Local Year in Review

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July/August 2013, Vol. 33, Issue 4

The debate spin room at Lynn University was buzzing following the final presidential debate— one of the major events on this year’s “Boca 100” list.

features

82

The Boca InTervIew

On the eve of his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, ESPN analyst and former wide receiver Cris Carter weighs in on the state of the NFL—and what it means to belong to his sport’s most exclusive club. by kevin kaminski follow the leader

89

The Boca 100

What left an indelible impression on our community over the past 12 months? Let us count the ways—all 100 of them—as Boca Raton lists the buzz-worthy people, dishes, stories and events that had us talking. by kevin kaminski, cassie morien, marie speed and john thomason

108

aTTack of The PyThons

Some wildlife officials estimate that as many as 100,000 Burmese pythons now call South Florida home. Join Boca Raton in the Everglades for an up-close look at these unwelcome predators. by lisa lucas / photography by alexia fodere [ bocamag.com ]

7

Boynton Beach artist Chan Shepard

51 july/august 2013 vol. 33 no. 4

71

departments

18 Mail

Readers comment on articles in recent issues of Boca Raton.

20

Editor’s lEttEr

There’s no debate about it: Boca put itself on the national map this year. Also, find out how a Snowball made it on our cover.

by kevin kaminski

23

CurrEnts

Boca Raton keeps you connected to South Florida with the latest trends, tips and news in five categories.

23 shop: Be cool this summer in the hottest shades and trendiest accessories.

29 Body: The lowdown on local sports leagues for adults; skin-care tips.

35 hoME: How to brighten your interior world with touches of yellow.

40 travEl: Theme park showdown: Disney vs. Universal; local travel buzz.

51 a&E: Inside Boynton Beach’s thriving arts district; cop/author John Scanlan.

59

Florida taBlE

Put the burgers on the back burner this summer and grill your favorite fish.

Also, check out Trattoria Romana’s Italian spin on the Tequila Sunrise, and see which smoked fish dip stands up to the Boca Challenge.

71 stylE

Spice up your decor with a selection of home accessories perfect for summer.

photography by aaron bristol

76

FaCEs

Meet a saucy Panamanian entertainer who has Boca fashionistas singing her praises, the couple behind our renowned Memory and Wellness Center, and the woman taking center stage at the old Caldwell with her collection of Broadway costumes.

by kevin kaminski, marie speed and john thomason

127 dining guidE

Don’t leave home without it—our comprehensive guide to the best restaurants in South Florida, including new reviews of HMF at The Breakers in Palm Beach and Pellegrino’s in Boca, a few discoveries, Buzz Bites and much more.

147 our town

Spend time with the local people and organizations that make our community so special—including the parents of a deceased Lynn University student who are making a difference in Haiti, the directors of a Boca dance studio celebrating a major anniversary, and a local couple keeping our beaches clean.

by kevin kaminski, cassie morien and john thomason

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[ bocamag.com ]

153 pEoplE

You might just see some familiar faces in our snapshots from talked-about social events in and around Boca Raton.

by cassie morien

159 spEEd BuMps

A Floridian feels like a fish out of water during a recent trek to New England. by marie speed

160 My turn

Five-plus decades after dancing the night away on their first date, the author and his wife approach a golden anniversary celebration. by john shuff

On the cOver PhOtOgraPher: Jason Nuttle art directOr: Lori Pierino StyliSt: Kathleen Ross MOdel: Annie Gustafsson/Elite Model Management, Miami hair & MakeuP: Stephanie Mitchell PhOtO aSSiStant: Tom Brodigan clOthing: Elie Tahari Friva dress, $398, Made Her Think Swarovski crystal hex ring, $230, and Made Her Think brass totem bar bangle, $284, all from Saks Fifth Avenue, Town Center at Boca Raton SPecial thankS tO: McCarthy’s Wildlife Sanctuary, 12943 61st St. N, West Palm Beach, 561/790-2116, mccarthyswildlifesanctuary.com

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bocamag.com Web extras

Check out these bonus items unique to bocamag.com, related to stories in the July/ August issue of Boca Raton or pertaining to area events:

Go behind the scenes of our cover shoot at bocamag.com.

sNaKe CHarMers: Go behind the scenes with Boca Raton’s creative team at McCarthy’s Wildlife Sanctuary and see what it was like working with an 8-foot Burmese python during the cover shoot for the July/ August issue. Click on the “Videos” link for this and other behind-the-scenes footage.

Get tHe PICtUre: Also, click on the “Videos” link for original programming on Bocamag TV—including dating advice from Angela Lutin on “The Naked Truth.”

tHe GreeN GODDess: Join our resident health-food blogger, Alina Z., as she dishes dietary tips, local restaurant news and special recipes every other Wednesday.

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Get Carter: Boca resident Cris Carter enters the Pro Football Hall of Fame this August. We’ll link to his induction speech as part of our Web Extras. tasteMaKers OF DeLraY: Join us on Atlantic Avenue as we sample fare at some of Delray’s top restaurants during this annual event presented by Delray Beach and Boca Raton. Follow the action on Twitter and Instagram with #tastedelray.

Clothing credits: Ralph Lauren Black Label metallic mesh poncho, $1,098, Luxe by Lisa Vogel bikini top, $79, and side bikini bottom, $51, Giles & Brother crystal bead necklace, $330, and Made Her Think brass bangle, $284, all from Saks Fifth Avenue, Town Center at Boca Raton

ENTER TO WIN!

The Boca Minute Video editor Jen Stone puts readers “in the know on where to go” in South Florida with the latest installment of “The Boca Minute,” seen exclusively at bocamag.com.

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Congratulations to Wendy Marvin, who won two tickets to the Tony Bennett concert at Broward Center for the Performing Arts. Also, special congrats to Marjorie Calvert, who snagged a monstrous prize package—an overnight stay at the Boca Raton Resort & Club, use of a JM Lexus car, a one-year subscription to Boca Raton and two tickets to the Boca Bacchanal’s Grand Tasting. Check out our Facebook page this summer for more exclusive giveaways! july/august 2013

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bocamag.com The Naked TruTh featuring Angela Lutin

Angela, I’d love to meet someone successful (and humble) here in Boca.

But I worry that I’m going to feel like I’m being “bought.” Does that make sense?

—Melissa Let me guess—when “Independent Women”

by Destiny’s Child comes on in the club, you are the first one up, singing every word. You’re no princess; you’re more of a queen. And a queen doesn’t need a man to rescue her.

Here’s the problem—it gets lonely sitting on the throne all alone. Good men, yes, even men that might have more money than you, would love to meet a successful, self-sufficient woman. But no man will be attracted to a woman who judges him on financials alone.

I get it. I’ve seen the guys with flashy

cars (and flashy everything else) that don’t appeal to you. They have zero appeal to me as well. Don’t associate that guy with all successful men. The flashy guy might want to “buy” your affection, but he’s not all that’s out there. ... Most successful men have amassed financial rewards. Having (or not having) money doesn’t make the man— character does. A man with character won’t attempt to buy your affection.

That said, if he does offer to buy you a pair of shoes, don’t be an idiot. Take the shoes, and say thank you.

abouT The Naked TruTh

Follow Boca Raton’s popular dating blogger, Angela Lutin, every Thursday at bocamag.com. No topic is off limits for the single mom, television personality (MTV’s “Made;” Bravo’s “Millionaire Matchmaker”), relationship coach and advice columnist, who shoots from the hip about everything from dating in the workplace to problems in the bedroom.

Send your questions to nakedtruth@ bocamag.com.

FoLLow us

bLoG CeNTraL

Stay connected to the community with our team of bloggerS: A&E: John Thomason

DElrAy BEAch:

Shopping:

takes readers inside the arts with concert, exhibition and movie reviews, cultural news and profiles every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Marie Speed reports on news and events in the Delray world.

Discover upcoming trunk shows, store openings, money-saving tips and fashion trends Tuesday through Thursday with Jo Peswani and Cassie Morien.

Dining: Bill Citara breaks down the tri-county restaurant scene—from new reviews to the latest buzz—every Monday, Tuesday and Friday.

12

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community: Health editor Lisette Hilton delivers local news from the worlds of exercise and medicine, and our in-house team keeps you on top of events and happenings in and around Boca throughout the week.

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trAvEl: Visit bocamag.com for local resort news, special deals, international escapes, weekend getaways and other travel updates.

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Boca Raton magazine is published seven times a year

by JES Publishing. The entire contents of Boca Raton magazine is copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the expressed written consent of the publisher.

Boca Raton magazine accepts no responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts and/or photographs and assumes no liability for products or services advertised herein. Boca Raton magazine reserves the right to edit, rewrite or refuse material and is not responsible for products. Please refer to corporate masthead.

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[ directory ] Boca Raton magazine is published seven times a year, with February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October, November and December/January issues. If you have any questions or comments regarding our magazine, call us at 561/997-8683. We’d love to hear from you.

Rose Glamoclija, R.N. Owner and Administrator

[ subscription, copy purchasing and distribution ] For any changes or questions regarding your subscription or to purchase back issues, call subscription services at 855/276-4395. To inquire about distribution points, ask for circulation director David Brooks at 877/553-5363.

It’s The Personal Touch That Makes The Difference

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[ advertising resources ] Take advantage of Boca Raton’s prime advertising space—put your ad dollars to work in the premier publication of South Florida. For more information, contact manager Carey McKearnan (carey@bocamag.com).

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[ custom publishing ] Create a magazine tailored to fit the needs and character of your business/organization. Ideal for promotions, special events, introduction of new services, etc.

Contact Marie Speed (editor@bocamag.com).

[ story queries ] Boca Raton magazine values the concerns and interests of our readers. Story queries for our print version should be submitted by e-mail to Marie Speed (editor@ bocamag.com) or Kevin Kaminski (kevin@bocamag. com). We try to respond to all queries, but due to the large volume that we receive, this may not be possible.

[ web queries ] Submit information regarding our website and online calendar to Cassie Morien (cassie@bocamag.com).

[ letters ] Your thoughts and comments are important to us. All letters to the editor may be edited for style, grammar and length. We reserve the right to withhold any letters deemed inappropriate for publication. Send letters to the address listed below, or to Kevin Kaminski (kevin@ bocamag.com).

Letter to the Editor Boca Raton magazine 5455 N. Federal Highway, Suite M Boca Raton, FL 33487

[ arts & entertainment ] Where to go, what to do and see throughout South Florida. Please submit information regarding fundraisers, art openings, plays, readings, concerts, dance or other performances to A&E editor John Thomason (john.thomason@bocamag.com). Deadline for entries in an upcoming Arts & Entertainment section is three months before publication (e.g., to list an event in July/August, submit info by April 20).

[ dining guide ] Our independent reviews of restaurants in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties. A fine, reliable resource for residents and tourists. For more information, contact Marie Speed or Kevin Kaminski.

[ people ] A photo collage of social gatherings and events in Boca Raton and South Florida. All photos submitted should be identified and accompanied by a brief description of the event (who, what, where, when).

E-mail images to people@bocamag.com.

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july/august 2013

[ directory ] tHANK yoU For SUBScriBiNG to BOCA RATON MAGAZiNe! We appreciate your business, and we want you to get the most from your subscription. This customer guide will help you contact us for all your subscription needs.

Enjoy a three-course dinner $ for two, plus a bottle of wine

33 per person

From our seasonally inspired prix fixe menu, Sun – Thurs*

[ first issue ] Your first issue will be mailed four-to-six weeks after receipt of your order. Subsequent issues will arrive every other month and monthly in November and February.

[ missing or late issues ] Once in a while, production, transportation or the postal service may delay delivery. If you don’t get an issue, or if your magazine is repeatedly late, please call and report your problem to our subscription department at 855/276-4395, or send an e-mail to: subscriptions@bocamag.com.

[ if you have questions about your invoice ... ] If you have already paid your bill and then receive a new bill, here’s what you should do: 1. If you have paid your bill within the past four weeks, ignore the new invoice. (The computer simply has not given your account credit quickly enough.)

2. It’s most likely that your payment and our notice just crossed in the mail; check the date on the notice to see when we mailed it.

3. If you get another bill or renewal notice, call our subscription department at 855/276-4395, or send an e-mail to subscriptions@bocamag.com, and we will straighten out the problem.

[ change of address ] permanent: If you are changing your address, send us your complete old address, complete new address, including ZIP code, and the effective date of the change. You can also leave us a message with your old and new address by calling 855/276-4395. You can also change your address online at bocamag.com. temporary or seasonal: Please send us your complete permanent address, your complete temporary address and the dates that you want your issues forwarded.

Open Daily • Happy Hour 4 – 7 pm Delray’s Best Brunch Sat & Sun 9 am – 2:30 pm For information or reservations: theatlanticgrille.com | 561-665-4900 At The Seagate Hotel 1000 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach

[ back issues ] If you are interested in purchasing any back issues, please call 877/553-5363, ext. 222, indicating the issue date you would like. The cost of each issue including shipping and handling is $9.95.

*Dinner includes a bottle of house wine.

Tax and gratuity are not included.

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[ gift subscriptions ] You’ll find a subscription to Boca Raton magazine makes a thoughtful and useful gift that lasts throughout the year. If you’d like more information about giving a gift subscription, please call our subscription department at 855/276-4395.

[ online subscriptions ] Receive additional savings by subscribing online. Visit bocamag.com for more information.

[ for any of the above services, please contact our subscriptions services department ] Call TOLL FREE: 855/276-4395 E-mail: subscriptions@bocamag.com

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The Boca Minute Be in the know on where to go.

with Jen Stone

Write: Boca Raton magazine Subscription Department 5455 N. Federal Highway, Suite M Boca Raton, FL 33487

Check out bocamag.com/videos for the lowdown on upcoming events and promotions in our area.

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Editor’s notE: Our bocamag.com Q&A with Robert Watson a few months back generated a record number of comments from readers familiar with the director of American Studies at Lynn University and his latest book, Affairs of State. Here is a sampling of the feedback we received.

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I have heard Dr. Watson speak many times. Recently, I attended talks in a couple of libraries and in a residential community theater. Each speech is different but always delightful. I can’t imagine the kind of lengthy research that went into his [new] book. I look forward to the next one.

—Judith Hyman Dr. Watson shows us how to look at history in a new and tantalizing way. He shows us the “human” side of our most respected and most well-known leaders, and, in doing so, he removes the “dryness” that many people [associate] with the study of history. He really makes history fun.

—Sue Spector I have read Affairs of State twice and loved it both times. This is history at its finest.

Professor Watson breathes life into our great presidents as he tells the behind-thescenes stories we didn’t learn in school. I had many favorite stories, but my Academy Award winner is the one about Abe Lincoln and the “lady of the evening” [on which Lincoln] made a lasting impression.

Informative and entertaining reading. I might read it again next month.

—Steve West It’s even better to hear Dr. Watson tell the [historical] tales in person. He is one of the best storytellers today.

—Jon

Cover KuDos The [May/June] covers on the issues [of Boca Raton and Delray Beach] are terrific—a marvelous juxtaposition.

—John Gallo Boca Raton

july/august 2013

Much AppreciAted Thanks so much for the great article [“Just for Kicks,” My Turn, May/June issue of Boca Raton]. I really appreciate it. We all loved it! It was so well written!

—Joe Walsh Boca Raton

Editor’s notE: Joe Walsh is the father of Blair Walsh, the Boca resident and NFL kicker for the Minnesota Vikings, who enjoyed a record-setting rookie season in 2012.

the Write Stuff Renda Writer is the truth. Real man. Real poet. Real friend. If you’re reading [the May/ June Web Extra on Writer at bocamag.com], share this story. Keep evolving, learning and overcoming.

—Kelo

eArly feedbAck The public opening [of Burt & Max’s in Delray Beach] was [in February]. There were a few quirks with the computer/reservation system, but we had a fabulous dinner and a great time. The amphitheater is close, and when it begins having events, the outdoor area of this restaurant will be the place to have a seat.

—Patti bocamag.com

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5/16/13 11:29 AM

fAcebook feedbAck • Jeffrey Adams, Pamela Higgins and Jenna Barker were among those who “liked” our posts from Neiman Marcus at Town Center, as fashion director Ken Downing presented his Spring 2013 runway report.

• Sue Soto, Stacey Schrager and Lynn Melanson were among those readers who “liked” our coverage of the inaugural Tortuga Music Festival in Fort Lauderdale.

• Shirley Bartley correctly guessed that we were staging a Lilly Pulitzer photo shoot in the July/August/September edition of Delray Beach magazine.

• Jackie Schwank, Lori Albanese, Stephanie Franses and SoLita restaurant in Delray Beach were among the many who “liked” the May/June “Super Housewives” cover of Boca Raton magazine.

• Claire Chollet and Kim Pinto were happy to see that Boston Proper opened at Town Center at Boca Raton.

• Allan Baldwin “liked” our review of the Rush concert at BB&T Center in Sunrise. follow the leader

hours: REgEncy couRt

Monday - Saturday 10am - 5Pm

3013 yamato Road, SuitE 20

561.394.0899 | alenetoo.com

Sunday cloSed

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AM [ b o c a m a g5/14/13 . c o m 11:19 ] 19

editor’sletter [ by kevin kaminski ]

Boca’s Triumphant Year

Y

ou couldn’t take two steps inside the gymnasium at Lynn University last October without bumping into a national political figure. Literally.

At one point following the final presidential debate, inside a “spin room” teeming with sound bite-spewing pundits and media from around the world, I turned to find a co-worker—and plowed straight into Arizona senator John McCain, causing him to shoulder-smash his wife, Cindy. I can now tell my children that I’ve interviewed a former president (Bush 41), a former vice-president (Al Gore)—and body-slammed the 2008 Republican nominee for president.

But as fascinating as it was to rub elbows with politicians, it wasn’t half as entertaining as watching Robert Smigel unleash his canine alter ego—Triumph the Insult Comic Dog—on spin alley.

In addition to poking fun at our fair city (“[Debate moderator] Bob Schieffer is 75, or as the residents of Boca Raton call him, ‘middleaged.’”), Triumph hounded dozens of current and former politicos for a piece that would later run on Conan O’Brien’s show. When John Sununu, the somewhat portly former governor of New Hampshire, turned his back on Smigel’s camera team, Triumph shouted, “Just clarify for me: You’re in favor of smaller government—and larger cheeseburgers?”

For those of us fortunate enough to be there, that night was one for Our cover model and Snowball

the ages—and not just because Triumph gave Boca Raton a few sound bites for the video we posted at bocamag. com. The university and the city took a giant leap onto the largest possible stage without missing a single step. Later that evening, members from the Commission on Presidential Debates remarked that Lynn had orchestrated, by far, the most outstanding all-around event of the four election-season debates.

The editor and It was Boca at its best. But Triumph in the debate it was hardly the only local spin room at Lynn story that defined the past 12 months. One of the fascinating offshoots of putting together our annual “Boca 100” feature (page 89) is realizing just how much happens in and around a city that, on its own, covers less than 28 square miles. As you’ll discover, our community has so much of which to be proud—as well as a few moments that will leave readers shaking their heads.

Speaking of head-turners, did you notice anything unusual about the cover of this summer issue of Boca Raton? Unlike some other local publications, Boca Raton does not purchase random stock images for its cover—nor do we use publicity shots of D-list celebrities who have no true connection to the town. Our art department, led

by Lori Pierino and Kathleen Ross, goes above and beyond to create original covers that—whether featuring spot-on fashion or slithering snakes—speak to our audience ... and leave a lasting impression.

In this case, we had plenty of help from Mark McCarthy, founder of McCarthy’s Wildlife Sanctuary in West Palm Beach, who allowed our team—including fearless cover model Annie Gustafsson—to work all afternoon with an 8-foot albino Burmese python named Snowball.

That part of this issue’s python adventure was carefully scripted and supervised. The same can’t be said for Boca’s intrepid investigative reporter, Lisa Lucas, as well as photographer Alexia Fodere. Our female duo followed two of the region’s most prolific snake hunters deep into the wild—staring down all sorts of deadly wildlife along the way—in order to file a riveting story (page 108) on the proliferation of pythons in South Florida, a reality that many experts believe is changing the ecosystem in the Everglades.

Rest assured, there’s plenty more to digest in the following pages.

So curl up (or coil up), enjoy the issue—and have a great summer.

click on the “videos” link at bocamag.com for footage from our cover shoot.

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july/august 2013

What will dazzle you the most?

The ocean views? The beach club?

Or the prices from the $200’s ?

When Related Group unveils a seaside condo, it seems there are always too many attractions to resist.

At Casa Costa, midway between Boca Raton and Palm Beach, you’ll find everything from classic resort amenities to an attended lobby, from your own beach club jitney to a pool deck overlooking yachts on the Intracoastal. And then there are the beautifully finished residences, with one, two and three bedrooms from the $200’s to the $500’s, ready to move in. No wonder it’s so easy to say yes.

Penthouse sales center open daily. From I-95 take Boynton Beach Blvd. east to 450 N. Federal Highway. 561.327.4501. casacostacondos.com

exclusive sales by

We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the nation. We encourage and support an affirmative advertising and marketing program in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin. ORAL REPRESENTATIONS CANNOT BE RELIED UPON AS CORRECTLY STATING THE REPRESENTATIONS OF THE DEVELOPER. FOR CORRECT REPRESENTATIONS, REFERENCE SHOULD BE MADE TO THE DOCUMENTS REQUIRED BY SECTION 718.503, FLORIDA STATUTES, TO BE FURNISHED BY A DEVELOPER TO A BUYER OR LESSEE. Obtain the property report by federal law and read it before signing anything. No federal agency has judged the merits or value, if any, of this property. This offering is made only by the prospectus for the condominium and no statement should be relied upon if not made in the prospectus. This is not an offer to sell, or solicitation of offer to buy, the condominium units in states where such offer or solicitation cannot be made. Prices, Plans and specifications are subject to change without notice.

Palm Beach | worth-avenue.com

currents [ by cassie morien ]

shop Styling for Dollars

Don’t leave money on the table this summer—instead, tuck it (and the rest of your essentials) inside one of the stylish purse and wallet combos available locally. While you’re at it, stay cool with the latest in chic shades.

Photographer: Humberto Vidal Model: Danielle Hamo Stylists: Miriam and Alexandra Greemberg

follow the leader

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currentsSHOP

1

Dynamic Duos Stop playing it safe, ladies. The next time you reach

for your credit card, impress everyone with a powerful purse and wallet combination.

2

3

4

5

1. Marc by Marc Jacobs “Jewel of the Nylon” satchel, $298, and Prada studded “Saffiano” wallet, $595, from Saks Fifth Avenue, Town Center at Boca Raton; 2. Marc by Marc Jacobs “Goodbye Columbus” satchel, $548, and Marc by Marc Jacobs wallet, $178, from Bloomingdale’s, Town Center; 3. Brunello Cucinelli fringe cross body bag, $1,290, and Kate Spade New York “Gold Coast Lacey” wallet, $152, from Neiman Marcus, Town Center; 4. Rebecca Minkoff “Mab” leather tote, $295, and Jimmy Choo glitter wallet, $595, from Saks Fifth Avenue, Town Center; 5. Jason Wu “Jourdan” chain cross body bag, $1,795, and Jimmy Choo “Reese” metallic wallet, $650, from Neiman Marcus, Town Center

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july/august 2013

currentsSHOP

Here Comes tHe sun Shield your eyes from harsh summer rays with these fashionable (and functional) shades.

1976 sunglasses, price upon request, from Edward Beiner, Town Center

Miami sunglasses, price upon request, from Edward Beiner, Town Center

Mariposa sunglasses, $550, from Grove Opticians, The Shops at Boca Center

Roberto Cavalli, $420, from Grove Opticians, The Shops at Boca Center

Backhand sunglasses, $120, from Oakley, Town Center

Frame Your Face Find the perfect pair of glasses for your face with this easy guide.

Square: Oval, owl-eye and butterfly style help soften your face. Avoid square or angular frames.

CirCle: Look for wide, rectangular frames. Sporty styles help add structure to your face.

Oliver Goldsmith “Mint Choc Chip� sunglasses, $440, from Grove Opticians, The Shops at Boca Center

Cavet sunglasses, $150, from Oakley, Town Center

Heart: Look for round or cats-eye shaped frames for your face. Keep an eye out for upswept corners and wide arms.

OblOng: Oversized and wrap style frames look best on you.

Look for aviator styles.

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july/august 2013

jewels in time ShoppeS at the Sanctuary 4400 n. Federal highway, Boca raton, Florida 33431 (1/4 mile south of yamato road, on the east side of the street) (561) 368-1454 ▼ (888) 755-tIMe www.jewelsintime.com

Specializing in fine new & pre-owned timepieces Diamonds ▼ Fashion & estate Jewelry ▼ Buy - Sell - trade not an authorized agent, representative or affiliate of any watch appearing in this advertisement. all watch names, dials & designs appearing in this advertisement are registered trademarks in the u.S.a.

currents [ by lisette hilton ]

Boca Raton Rugby Football Club

body Let’s Play Ball!

follow the leader

Facundo Fabbri

Why should kids have all the fun when it comes to playing organized sports?

Thankfully, Boca features more than its share of recreational and competitive adult athletic leagues in sports ranging from rugby and soccer to softball and kickball.

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currentsBODY

sports center

Boca is a field of dreams for adults of all ages when it comes to fall sports leagues.

South Florida BaSeBall league What: Adult males throughout South Florida, including a team in Boca, play some serious hardball in this pay-toplay league comprised of three divisions—Premier 18+ (for the SFBL’s top eight teams), Senior 18+ and Master 35+. The league, in its 21st year, plays on quality fields (like the one at

Boca’s Lynn University), and runs spring and fall schedules (12 regular-season games, all on Sundays, plus postseason games). Membership is $230; newcomers are assigned to a player pool and then drafted by teams.

ContaCt: Mickey Filippucci, 305/496-2962; playball@sfbl. com Website: sfbl.com

“What most people don’t realize is that baseball is a lifetime sport. I’m 56 and I still play.”

—Mickey Filippucci, South Florida Baseball League

Soccer aSSociation oF Boca raton What: SABR organizes adult leagues that start at the end of February (registration begins this winter); the emphasis here is less about heated competition and more about exercise and fun. Leagues run for 12 weeks; there are eight men’s teams and four women’s teams. Cost is $100 a season. SABR also hosts yearround adult pick-up games for players of various skill levels.

ContaCt: Kevin Clarke (director/adult soccer) at adultleague@sabrsoccer.net Website: bocasoccer.com South Florida Baseball League

WaKa KicKBall What: No longer just the grade school sport you played during recess, kickball has discovered an adult following. The World Adult Kickball Association has Palm Beach County leagues everywhere from our neck of the woods to Palm Beach Gardens.

The Boca league, which kicks off Aug. 9 (games are played at Hillsboro El Rio Park), is for men and women 21 and older.

ContaCt: Michael Luppowitz at MLoop@kickball.com Website: kickball.com/sofl

Boca raton rugBy FootBall cluB What: The international fullcontact sport that has elements of football and soccer actually has a rich Boca heritage, having been played here since the mid-1970s. The men’s league is for adults of all ages and abilities. Cost is $250 a year (or $125 for a half-year). The season starts in September; there are usually three games a month.

ContaCt: 561/706-2989 Website: bocarugby.com

SoFtBall and Flag FootBall What: The city of Boca runs leagues for both sports. Softball starts its new three-month season in September. There’s a coed league and an adult league; cost is $395 for a resident team of 12 or more. Flag football begins in August; cost is $460 for a resident team of about 10.

Individuals can call about joining existing teams. softball: 561/393-7867 football: 561/367-7033 Website: ci.boca-raton.fl.us/ rec/athletics.shtm 30

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july/august 2013

There’s distinguished.

|

Then there’s distinguished.

When it comes to Healthgrades® annual listing of the country’s hospitals with the best overall clinical performance, there’s distinguished…and then there’s distinguished. That’s because at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, we’ve been named by Healthgrades as a Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence™ — nine years in a row. It’s a claim that less than 1% of the nation’s 5,000 hospitals can make.

Boca Raton Regional Hospital. Advancing the boundaries of medicine.

currentsBODY

the skinny on skin How well do you know the largest organ of the human body? Boca-based dermatologists Marta Rendon and Chere Lucas Anthony shed light on skin issues.

Miracle lotions?

The promise of youngerlooking skin certainly sells, but the truth is that there’s no magical cream or lotion.

“Lotions and potions will not give you a face-lift or remove wrinkles,” Rendon says. “At best, they can improve some fine lines and improve the quality of your skin. However, skin-care products are very important for a youthful glow, and they can improve texture and tone of the skin.”

secrets of Youth Preserving young-looking

skin starts with sun protection. “The sun damages our collagen and elastin, and leads to freckles, brown spots, wrinkling and obvious blood vessels, not to mention skin cancer,” Lucas Anthony says.

Tip: To protect your skin from visible sun damage, try topical vitamin C or a daily supplement of Polypodium leucotomos—a type of fern, shown in some studies to reduce sunburn severity. To reverse that sun-damaged look, try a retinoid, a derivative of vitamin A, usually in topical form.

From left: Rendon and Lucas Anthony

fair Warning The great thing about skin is that it shows us when it’s threatened by disease. What are warning signs? Anything that changes, Lucas Anthony says. If a mole or spot changes in color, shape or texture—or if it begins to bleed—see a dermatologist. “Flat moles can be just as concerning as raised moles,” she says. “Also, things that are red, scaly and do not go away within three to four weeks should be seen.”

5 Big Breakthroughs

Meet the DOctOrs

Marta rendon: The internationally renowned dermatologist is founder of the Rendon Center for Dermatology and Aesthetic Medicine.

Chere LuCas anthony: The Dartmouth grad is board certified in dermatology and a member of the Rendon Center team.

ContaCt: Rendon Center, 880 N.W. 13th St., Suite 3C, Boca Raton, 561/529-4667

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Research is pointing to these breakthroughs in skin care and rejuvenation, according to Rendon: retinoids; antioxidants (including vitamin C, red or green tea, etc.); alpha hydroxy acids; peptides and growth factors (to reverse sun damage); and hyaluronic acid (to plump the skin).

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Look for full spectrum UVA and UVB coverage when outside; active ingredients are zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, Rendon says. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, apply a broadspectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 30 to all exposed skin.

DiD You knoW? • Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States.

• Each year there are more new cases of skin cancer than the combined incidents of cancers of the breast, prostate, lung and colon.

• One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime.

july/august 2013

currents [ by brad mee ]

Tip: Yellow is a natural for

a tropical decor. Flamingo Bay wallpaper by Thibaut cheers a traditional dining room with a warm tone and charming pattern.

PhoTo courTesY oF ThiBauT

home Sunny Disposition

Imagine a color that brightens, cheers and excites on contact. That’s yellow. No wonder this Florida favorite is this year’s obsession on fashion runways—and inside chic interiors. follow the leader

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currentsHOME

Room With a hue Yellow elevates and energizes spaces of all styles

in Florida—whether creating a warm, welcoming effect or a pop of bold personality. Here are a few inspired ideas to transform your spaces. suBtLe touCh

talking yellow:

In Palm Beach, a pale yellow warms and cheers the home’s light-filled entry hall without calling attention to itself.

5 Expert Tips [ 1 ] Looking For

Photo courtesy of thibaut

a nEw nEuTraL for your walls? Choose a muted buttery yellow. it instantly creates a warm, unassuming canvas for most any decor.

[ 2 ] YELLows wiTH rEd undErTonEs are warm and tend to be the easiest to incorporate.

Those with blue undertones are much cooler, edgier and should be used judiciously.

Let it FLoW Update your room with draperies.

Loom fabric from Thibaut’s Artisan collection showcases a lively yellow that brightens gray and white with chic results.

[ 3 ] TEsT anY sHadE oF YELLow in a room before committing to it. it’s an ideal color for an active kitchen or airy family room, but, in vivid hues, it can be too lively for a quiet bedroom or lounge.

PeRFeCt PunCh Contained on one wall, vivid yellow paint provides a visual pop to this home’s living room without dominating the contemporary space.

[ 4 ] BEwarE oF THE naTuraL LigHT that floods Florida rooms overlooking lush landscapes. it can produce a greenish cast that can give true yellow a lime-like coloration.

scot ZiMMerMaN

[ 5 ] iF THE idEa

By ContRast The bold mix of vivid yellow cabinetry and ceiling planes against dark navy walls enlivens a Boca family room. Crisp white trim prevents the bold combination from overwhelming the space.

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Light BRight Paired with white trim and furnishings, sunny yellow walls brighten a Boca guest room. The color is repeated on a striped, painted chest with winning results.

oF YELLow waLLs frightens you, choose yellow accessories and small furnishings to complement your decor.

july/august 2013

BRING YOUR WALLS TO LIFE WITH 3D WALL PANELS

Suncoast Stone has one of the largest selections of Pre-Cast molds in South Florida. We also manufacture an incredible range of 3D plaster wall panels.

If you are looking to add elegance and beauty to your home or business, then visit our factory located in Delray Beach one block north of Atlantic Avenue off Congress.

You will be amazed at all the different styles of stone & plaster products we have to offer.

Please call for more information and to receive a free sample.

SUNCOAST STONE WALL DECOR AND FIREPLACES

877.328.8482

SunCoastDecor.com

151 NW, 18th Ave • Delray Beach, FL 33444

An amazing range of Fireplaces, Columns, Balustrades, Fountains, Ceiling & Decorative Moldings.

currentsHOME

Accents and Accessories

Yellow added a shot of sunshine to this year’s top fashion collections.

Here are a few pieces that can deliver the same for your home.

Las Venus Camer chandelier, from ABC Home, Delray Beach Menu candlestick holders, from allmodernoutlet.com

Signal Cycles picnic bike, from Anthropologie, Boca Raton

Yellow Bel Air scoop vase, from Jonathan Adler, jonathanadler.com

Mrs. Godfrey chair, from Jonathan Adler, jonathanadler.com

Yellow makes a bold statement in Michael Kors’ 2013 spring/summer collection.

Sonny bench, from Crate & Barrel, Boca Raton

Oceanside glass tiles, from glasstile.com

The hoTTesT Yellow Benjamin Moore named lemon sorbet color of the year, calling it the perfect transitional color between the midtones and saturated colors seen in today’s home furnishings and the softer, lighter pastels that are emerging for 2013.

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ORBET LEMON S re jamin Moo en B 2019-60 july/august 2013

Selective Single?

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Trust the leader in the industry.

Our clients’ results speak for themselves!

Kelly leary, M.S.

www.MyPrecisionDating.com

RSVP Today For Our Next Event!

Selling out now. Limited seating.

Co-Founder of Precision Dating

Kelly Leary has 20 years in the dating industry and a master’s degree in psychology.

She has been featured on the ABC News, Talk Radio, Palm Beach Post, Vero Beach 32963 Magazine and has a monthly column, “The Single’s Scene.”

PrivaTe anD ConFiDenTial ProFeSSional MaTChMaKing ServiCeS relaTionShiP/DaTe CoaChing anD FeeDbaCK PerSonalizeD STaFF To aSSiST you every STeP oF The way Fully SCreeneD loCal SingleS – ageS 30 To 75 Dinner ParTieS anD oTher exCluSive evenTS

The above photos were taken at our February 28th “Lucky in Love” event. All couples pictured met for the first time... and this mixer hailed a record 136 Matches!!! We hope to see you at our spring event.

Don’t get stuck on a wait list, as many did in February. a live PreCiSion DaTing Pro iS JuST a Phone Call away 7 DayS a weeK To give you More inForMaTion.

Call 561.577.DaTe (3283) or visit www.MyPrecisionDating.com.

currents [ by kevin kaminski ]

travel Battle of the Giants

Magic Kingdom and Islands of Adventure once again will be vying for your summer entertainment dollars. Which amusement park makes the grade in Boca Raton’s showdown?

Turn the page to find out.

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Cinderella castle at Magic Kingdom

july/august 2013

for summer specials at both theme parks, visit bocamag.com.

Disney vs. Universal Just in time for summer: Magic Kingdom and Islands of Adventure go head to head in this amusement park showdown.

Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride in Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom

Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Islands of Adventure

magic kingdom

islands of adventure

signature roller-coaster

Space Mountain still has its share of screaminducing twists and turns, but the venerable indoor ride feels a little long in the tooth compared to some of the great terror tracks around the state. Also, how about some monitors with a little mindless entertainment in the depressingly dark main waiting area?

Puny humans are blasted out of a Gamma Tube at 40 mph just a few seconds after being strapped in to the Incredible Hulk—and it only gets better from there. Expect everything from zero-g drops to a mist tunnel to one of the tallest cobra rolls (110 feet) in coaster history. Now you know how Bruce Banner feels when the rage kicks in.

characters

Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Ariel, Cinderella, Jasmine, Peter Pan, Lilo, Stitch, Buzz Lightyear, Snow White, Tigger, Pooh! There are classic Disney characters everywhere you turn; families can even dine with them at places like the Crystal Palace and Cinderella’s Royal Table.

Marvel characters from Wolverine to Captain America make daily appearances—including a special meet-and-greet area for Spider-Man. But without CGI enhancements to help, a few of the out-of-shape hired guns look like they’re wearing bad Halloween costumes.

movie makeover

Disney doesn’t have an entire section devoted to one movie, but it certainly could have done a bit more with its Pirates of the Caribbean ride in Adventureland. Instead of completely revamping the old Pirates ride, the park threw a few animatronic Jack Sparrows in the mix, along with some creepy mermaids. Yo-ho-hum.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a 20acre masterpiece, an ode to Hogwarts in all its magical splendor—with details, right down to the Butterbeer (more than 5 million have been sold), that have to be seen to be believed. The signature Forbidden Journey may be the best combination of ride/technology in the country.

for the little ones

Disney’s multimillion renovation of Fantasyland is not only doubling its size by 2014, it’s bringing some modern-day relevance to that part of the park with experiences like Journey of the Little Mermaid and an interactive retelling of “Beauty and the Beast,” in addition to the classic characters and rides.

The Dr. Seuss and Toon Lagoon parts of the park— outside of Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls flume ride—so pale in comparison to the Harry Potter experience that they now seem like afterthoughts.

Also, doesn’t the Cat in the Hat come off as a little creepy next to an adorable Flying Dumbo?

The spectacular end-of-the-evening fireworks display remains a sight to behold—with Disney characters narrating the show and Tinker Bell dramatically zip-lining across the park from the top of Cinderella Castle. Food offerings include burgers, chicken nuggets and monstrous turkey legs.

No fireworks. Depending where you are in the park, food offerings include everything from pizza, burgers, salads and fish-n-chips to a selection of ethnic dishes.

Generally speaking, the rides pale in comparison to the more modern technology employed at Islands of Adventure, but there remains something satisfying about a long day at the Kingdom.

The major rides rule, but outside of Harry Potter and the Marvel highlights (including The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man) there’s not quite enough here to keep you from investing in a parkhopper pass and heading next door to Universal.

Magic Kingdom wins by a (Pinocchio’s) nose.

fireworks/ fast food

overall

follow the leader

Winner

[ bocamag.com ]

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currentstravel

An all-encompassing trip to New York can be arranged at Sit In My Seats.

Travel Buzz Plan your summer treks around VIP experiences, staycations and other great South Florida getaways.

aT Your Service: The team at Sit In My Seats, led by founder Lisa Crawford, has built an entire business around customizing one-of-a-kind experiences for its clients—from offering hard-to-snag tickets to major concerts and sporting events to orchestrating unique travel opportunities around the world.

Better still are the times when the Fort Lauderdale-based company can pool its concierge connections. Take the U.S. Open tennis championship in New York, which starts Aug. 26. Sit in My Seats not only can hook you up with tickets, it can create an entire Big Apple itinerary—from luxury accommodations to Broadway tickets to restaurant reservations at the top tables in town. Call 866/798-7328 or visit sitinmyseats.com for more information. eScape To Broward: As part of its Rediscover Florida theme, Bonaventure Resort & Spa in Weston (250 Racquet Club Road, 954/389-3300, bonaventureresortandspa.com) is inviting locals to take advantage of its 23 tropical acres, including two championship golf courses and a 17-court tennis center managed by Hall of Famer Cliff Drysdale.

Summer package highlights include room specials; discounts at aLaya spa, featuring

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30 treatment rooms; and breakfast for two at Banyan, the resort’s casual restaurant.

For more upscale dining, don’t miss awardwinning Ireland’s Steakhouse.

Home SweeT Home: Waldorf Astoria is taking care of locals on either side of the Intracoastal this summer. Both the Boca Raton Resort & Club (501 E. Camino Real, 561/543-1277, bocaresort.com) and its beachside component, the Boca Beach Club (900 S. Ocean Blvd., 888/564-1312, bocabeachclub.com) are offering “Best of Waldorf” packages through Sept. 30. The special includes discounted room rates— and a $50 hotel reward for each night of your visit, to be used on any of the resort’s amenities. Also, check out the Beach Club’s new Surf School by Billabong, with lessons for guests starting at $60.

all aBoard: Booking a cruise this summer? Start your vacation—or end it—in style with help from Acqualina Resort & Spa in Sunny Isles Beach (17875 Collins Ave., 305/918-8000, acqualinaresort.com).

The five-star oceanfront property is offering a pre- and post-cruise package that includes one car transfer to or from ports in Miami or Fort Lauderdale and a $40 body or facial treatment credit at world-renowned ESPA

spa. There’s a minimum two-night stay. Call for room rates.

pamper and plaY: Congratulations to the historic Gasparilla Inn & Club (500 Palm Ave., Boca Grande, 941/964-4500, the-gasparilla-inn.com) for being named in a reader poll as having one of the top hotel spas for the third straight year by Condé Nast Traveler. That’s not the only reason to visit this adorable 137-room property on Florida’s west coast. Through July, the Inn is offering golf enthusiasts a chance to play its stunning Pete Dyedesigned island course as part of a package starting at $345 per night. Ask about the special unlimited golf package, as well.

an epic opporTuniTY: For those in the market for an out-of-town summer shopping getaway, the Epic Hotel (270 Biscayne Blvd. Way, 305/424-5226, epichotel.com) in Miami is your home base.

Through Sept. 30, the ultra-chic 411-room Kimpton property—only 10 minutes from the upscale Village of Merrick Park retail center—has a Shop-n-Drop promotion with rates starting at $299 per night. In addition to 20 percent off treatments at Exhale Spa, guests will receive a welcome drink at Area 31 and a swag bag.

july/august 2013

Youth, Confidence, Vitality Look and FeeL your Best at any age!

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Artist Chan Shepard

a&e

currents [ by john thomason ]

arts

&

e n t e rta i n m e n t

Boynton Gets the Picture

Little by little, Boynton Beach is transforming into a destination— thanks, in no small part, to its suddenly thriving arts district. Turn the page to learn about some of the artists responsible for this hip face-lift.

AAron Bristol

More A&e coverAGe At BocAMAG.coM Visit bocamag.com for all your local A&E coverage, including John Thomason’s Monday breakdown of the upcoming week’s cultural events; movie, concert and theater reviews; interviews with local entertainers—and much more.

currentsa&e

Welcome to Their World To honor the communal spirit found at the Boynton Beach Arts District, Boca Raton introduces three of the artists creating original and inspired work.

Denny ReeD

Denny Reed with her painting “Shaman 2050: A New Evolution”

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The arT: It’s hard to believe that Reed (dennyreed.com) didn’t pick up a paintbrush until 2008, in her mid-50s. In less than five years, she has built up the kind of résumé many talented artists spend decades trying to attain: the coveted status of an emerging artist in Florida and New York, works auctioned at tony galleries for good causes, an installation sold to a restaurant in Bali, another painting to a gallery in Santa Fe. Last year, she was even handpicked for an exhibition in Times Square that saw her panoramic painting “The Gathering” streamed on electronic billboards.

The back sTory: “I just felt the urge,” she says. “It was recommended by a friend to go to the art supply store and pick up some paint and brushes, and the second piece I did came in third internationally in an abstract art competition.”

Much of Reed’s work is abstract while suggesting deeper metaphysical connections; it conjures wispy apparitions, ethereal glimpses of figures and facial portraits materializing through visual static. There’s a reason her pieces seem so interdimensional: She’s a passionate adherent of personal development courses, deep meditation and shamanic rituals. Her works are born, in part, on the information she “receives.”

Before she devoted her career to art, she ran an international seminar business with five locations worldwide, where she focused on emotional connection to the energy around us.

“I’ve always been super-sensitive,” she says.

“I feel like I’ve been guided to work at this level. What my collectors are telling me is that they feel like the paintings resonate a certain energy in their home, and it makes them happy ... that’s my thrill.” july/august 2013

Rick Beau Lieu with his contribution to the “All Florida” juried exhibition at the Boca Raton Museum of Art.

Behind the Re-BRanding There has been viewable art in Boynton Beach’s once-nascent arts district for more than two decades, but you’re forgiven if you didn’t know about it until the past couple of years. It’s during that time that artist Rolando Chang Barrero, the somewhat unintentional figurehead of what is now the Boynton Beach Arts District, moved from South Beach to south Palm Beach County and went to work promoting and re-branding the area.

These days, what once was the sleepy workplace for a handful of artists is colorful and thriving, with motley museum-quality murals painted on warehouse bays, 11 artists renting out space, and popular monthly Thursday night art walks and open-mic nights launched from Barrero’s ActivistArtistA gallery (activistartista.com).

“I organize the open mics, but I’m trying to give ownership to others so they can feel that they are part of the community, that it’s not my event,” says Barrero, 50.

Rick Beau Lieu The arT: At 65, Beau Lieu (neighborhoodgallery.com) is the straightshooting elder statesman of the eclectic Boynton art scene—bespectacled, cleancut, soft-spoken and with a incongruous tattoo on his right arm of a leggy female sailor, inked during his tenure in the U.S. Navy.

Born to a family of Massachusetts steel workers, he’s best known as a sculptor, working largely in abstract stainless steel and polychrome sculptures ranging from 2 feet to 12 feet in height. But he outdid himself with “Victory over Communism, Liberty,” a 40-foot-high, 7-ton sculpture he began in 1989 and completed during the fall of the Berlin Wall.

“It took three years to build it. I used scaffolding, cranes,” he says. “It was a big undertaking.”

Beau Lieu is also known for his series of seven large-scale marine pieces commissioned by the Center for Marine Conservation in Washington, D.C., at the dawn of the 1990s. His lifelike manatee sits in the lobby of Boynton Beach City Hall, and others were built and showcased in conjunction with fundraisers for a children’s museum and dolphin research.

The back sTory: If Rolando Barrero (see sidebar) is the current father of the Boynton Beach Arts District, Beau Lieu is follow the leader

the grandfather, birthing it more than 25 years ago with his Neighborhood Gallery of Boynton Beach. At the time, he was the only artist in an industrial cluster of rubbishstrewn auto-repair shops.

“I was trying to put a sign up at the end of the street to let people know I was down here,” Beau Lieu recalls. “The people who ran the roads kept taking the signs down and throwing them on the ground. I went to the city and inquired about how I could get a sign in the corner. ... Eventually, I got the council members and the mayor to come down here and look over the area, and the mayor helped get it sanctioned.”

chan ShepaRd The arT: His oeuvre is nothing if not eclectic.

On the Art District’s bay doors, Shepard (chanimalart.com) has spray-painted some of its most impressive large-scale murals—of dead musicians, of St. Lazarus and of a Cuban woman chomping a cigar, the latter two referencing Santeria rituals. In his gallery, you can see skateboards painted and reshaped to resemble sharks and demonic figures with outstretched tongues and endless teeth.

Yet, just below them, is a striking oil painting of a placid seascape—and, when he’s not creating mischief-filled murals and cultish phantasmagorias, he can be hired to paint at children’s birthday parties.

The back sTory: “When I was in sixth grade, I decided that I wanted to be an artist when I grew up,” he recalls. “I felt that anybody who was ever amazing at anything started doing it when they were young, like 5.

I thought, what have I been doing since I was that young? Art stood out. So I kept it at.”

Shepard became serious about pursuing his dream at age 16, when he started airbrushing. He took a job at Jerry’s Artarama supply store in West Palm Beach, where he met a lot of people who—shockingly, to him—were full-time and paid artists.

“I started doing side jobs,” he says, “because some people were like, ‘I want to have an oil painting done, but I have no idea how to do an oil painting.’ And I’d be like, ‘I could do it.’ They’d say, ‘OK, how much do you charge?’ And I had no idea about pricing.

I was charging like $50 to do a job that would take me three weeks to do!”

Word of mouth spread quickly, and now Shepard, 29, has built up a reputation as one of the area’s most versatile artists and businessmen: Ninety percent of his work is commissions these days.

Visit bocamag.com to learn about nancy nolen and michael Kupillas, two more top talents in the boynton beach arts district.

[ bocamag.com ]

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the HOT list festival repertory theatre

through July 21

Where: Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton Details: The Kravis and Broward centers may be dead as King Tut this summer, but FAU is picking up the cultural slack with an expanded program of its annual Festival Repertory Theatre. This year, the university’s theater department is staging three productions, running jointly in the department’s two auditoriums: “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” Stephen Sondheim’s Tony-winning farce set in ancient Rome; “The Man Who Came to Dinner,” the 1930s comedy about an outspoken radio host whose dinner date with a factory owner leads to dramatic developments; and “Side by Side by Sondheim,” a beloved musical revue of the titular composer’s best songs. tickets: $20 contact: 800/564-9539, fauevents.com

adam ant Where: Grand Central, 697 N. Miami Ave., Miami about: English New Waver Adam Ant is the rock world’s irascible dandy, a bipolar impresario of fashion and fornication who thrived during MTV’s video heyday with such ’80s hits as “Stand and Deliver” and “Strip.” In recent years, he has emerged from a lengthy hibernation from the music world, marred by public bouts of violence attributed to his unstable mental state. But he’s rebounded like a champion, and last year’s long-awaited reunion tour, which visited Seminole Casino in Coconut Creek, proved to be an electrifying concert. He’s back this summer to support a ridiculously titled new album, “Adam Ant is the Blueblack Hussar in Marrying the Gunner’s Daughter,” his first since 1995. cost: $25 contact: 305/377-2277, grandcentralmiami.com

Adam Ant

aug.

8

July

7–28 palm beach chamber music festival

Where: Delray Beach Center for the Arts, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach Details: One of Palm Beach County’s most cherished nonprofits, the Palm Beach Chamber Music Festival is now of legal drinking age, celebrating its 21st year with a monthlong stretch of concerts in Delray Beach’s Crest Theatre. The four programs will feature music by Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms and others, followed by “Meet the Musicians” Q&A sessions. They’ll have plenty to say about this process; clarinetist Michael Forte, flautist Karen Dixon and bassoonist Michael Ellert are among the organization’s board members, ensuring that the art always will be paramount in whatever decisions they make. tickets: $25 each concert or $85 for four contact: 800/330-6874, pbcmf.org

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july/august 2013

“Create” Where: Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real, Boca Raton July 29– About: In its new exhibition, the Sept. 22 museum explores a subset of the “Is it art?” debate by asking, “Is it outsider art?”

The term has undergone a few thorny revisions over the years, originally coined to describe art created outside the establishment, such as by patients of insane asylums. As developmental disabilities have become more manageable, more artists who suffer from them are showcasing extraordinary abilities. “Create” presents the work of 20 such artists with mental or physical disabilities. The works are stunning and the stories behind them are inspiring; let the dialogue begin.

Cost: $8–$15 ContACt: 561/392-2500, bocamuseum.org

From “Create”

Justin Timberlake

aug. 16

Slava’S SnowShow

July 31– aug. 25

Where: Adrienne Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Slava’s Miami Snowshow About: Cosmo Kramer is decidedly not in the demographic group of “Slava’s Snowshow.” But for those of us without a preternatural fear of clowns, this ambitious production looks to be one of this year’s most exciting theatrical tours. Conceived in the 1990s by famed Russian clown (and Cirque du Soleil alum) Slava Palunin, the 90-minute experience channels its creator’s influences, Marcel Marceau and Charlie Chaplin, with a budget for live spectacle that neither of those performers enjoyed in their lifetimes. Snow, streamers, confetti and giant inflatable balls will rain down on the audience in this mix of Cirque, the Blue Man Group and kabuki theater.

Cost: $25–$75 ContACt: 305/949-6722, arshtcenter.org

follow the leader

legendS of the Summer: JuStin timberlake and Jay Z Where: Sun Life Stadium, 347 Don Shula Drive, Miami About: South Florida is one of just 13 regions visited on this special summer tour featuring two music titans, with Sun Life closing out a jaunt that also includes such iconic venues as Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park. Jay-Z, whom Rolling Stone recently ranked among the top 100 artists of all time, doesn’t have a new album to hawk, but he’ll roll out his greatest hits alongside Timberlake, whose new album “The 20/20 Experience,” his first in six years, debuted as the No. 1 album in the country. In a world in which smoking is increasingly shunned, this tour will include a haven for puffers: a smoking room complete with a professional cigar roller selected by Mr. Beyonce Knowles himself.

Cost: $39.50–$275 ContACt: 305/943-8000, sunlifestadium.com, ticketmaster.com

[ bocamag.com ]

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currentsa&e

John Scanlan

LocaL author, poLice officer

Q1

Why did you decide to write this book?

I was always interested in true-crime stuff, but in order to do that, you’ve got to have a significant budget and a lot of time; I had neither.

So I thought, maybe I could write a novel.

When I came up with the idea, it was almost like a perfect storm: My wife went back to work, and she and my daughters would go to bed around 8:30 or 9 on Monday and Tuesday

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nights. I didn’t want to go to bed and was just left alone, so I figured I’d give it a shot.

Q2

Does writing offer an escape from the stresses of your job?

Absolutely. Even though you’re still thinking like a police officer and you’re not really escaping, it takes your mind off of reality for a little bit and lets you be more creative than your typical police report.

aaron bristol

W

hat do a Boca raton child with strawberry-blonde hair, a creepy ex-convict from Davie who looks like alfred hitchcock, and a coral Gables surgeon with a dark secret have in common? they were all creations of John Scanlan, a patrolman and crisis prevention officer in the town of palm Beach, for his debut novel, Of Guilt and Innocence. released in January, the book delves into the psyches of panicked parents, empathetic police officers, antisocial child molesters and suave psychopaths, with everyone converging around the disappearance of a 5-year-old girl from an affluent Boca community. it was a procedure that required Scanlan, at times, to crawl into the headspace of his day-to-day enemies. “in police work, when you get called to a crime scene, your goal is to find out who did it as quickly as possible,” says Scanlan, 32. “When writing, i knew from the beginning who did it. i would catch myself writing toward giving it away. i had to step away from the police role and think more like a criminal, because i had to think of how to cover this person’s tracks as opposed to uncovering them. i had to work in reverse.”

Scanlan writes with the methodical, matter-of-fact precision of a policeman dispatching information, though as he reveals to Boca Raton, the writing process packed an emotional wallop. So far, it’s paid off, with the book twice topping the monthly best-seller list of its boutique publisher, Sunbury press (it’s available at Delray’s Murder on the Beach and amazon.com, among other retailers).

Q3

Was it difficult for you, as a father of two daughters, to write about the abduction of a child?

Yes. I knew I would have to put myself in that position to depict the emotions that the father would go through. I came to the realization that even though I’m a police officer, you really have no idea what you would do in that [situation]. I would be emotionally drained after writing, and I just

wanted to spend some time with my daughters to reinforce the fact that it wasn’t real.

Q4

Do you plan on writing more books?

Yes. I’m just finishing up my second manuscript, and I’m hoping it can be out by the end of the year. I’ve got ideas for several more. As long as I have an audience who enjoys the books, I’d like to keep putting them out there.

Q5

What lessons from this will you take to your next book?

Patience. When I finished this manuscript, I was so excited that I started sending it to publishers when it clearly was not ready. Everybody tells you that you only get that one chance to make a first impression, and I probably shot myself in the foot with about 10 different publishers because it wasn’t ready. So, with the second one, I’m really taking my time. I want it to be perfect.

july/august 2013

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[ 60 seafood on the grill 62 the boca challenge 63 the big drink ]

floridatable [ by bill citara ]

Fish on the Barbie

For most home cooks, there’s nothing scarier. Not walking a tightrope over a vat of boiling peanut oil. Not cooking dinner for Gordon Ramsay on national TV. Nothing is more daunting than grilling fish. Dial down your fear factor this summer with tips from a bona fide grill master.

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floridatable

Secrets of Grilling Fish

With fresh fare, the right equipment and a little practice, even the most timid home cook can grill seafood with confidence. That said, a few expert tips can’t hurt. So we asked Matthew Danaher, executive chef for Gary Rack’s restaurants (Racks Downtown Eatery + Tavern in Mizner Park, Table 42 in downtown Boca, and Racks Fish House + Oyster Bar in downtown Delray), to weigh in.

PRODUCT ›› The most important part of grill-

ing fish is ... the fish. “It all starts with quality,” Danaher says. “[Fish] should look fresh and smell fresh.” ›› Fish should be glistening but not slimy. ›› Look for white bulging eyeballs, not red and sunken. Also, look for bright red gills.

PREP ›› “Season your fish at the last sec-

ond,” he says. “You don’t want the salt to draw out moisture.” ›› At the Fish House, the cooks coat the fish with a mix of olive oil and fresh herbs before grilling. (See recipe)

COOKING ›› “You have to clean your grill,”

Danaher says. Heat it up to carbonize any food remnants, and then scrape off the debris. Season the grill with the oil of your choice. ›› Make sure the grill is medium-hot and the fish is seasoned. ›› Start cooking with fish at the back of the grill (or whatever is the hottest part), then reduce the heat or move the fish to where the temperature is lower to finish cooking. ›› “Don’t flip it too often.” Let the fish form a crust before flipping; twice per side is plenty. And baste with seasoning once or twice during cooking. ›› Cook until the fish is opaque, about four or five minutes per side for a 1-inch-thick fillet.

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›› Purchase a fish spatula. “A hamburger spatula just tears fish up,” Danaher says.

Traditional stainless-steel fish spatula, $15, from Williams-Sonoma, Town Center at Boca Raton

july/august 2013

how to clean a fish Daniel thomas adeimy, manager of Pop’s Fish Market in Deerfield Beach (see sidebar below for address), takes readers through the process step by step.

[ 1 ] Beginners should always leave the head on the fish to use it as a guide. [ 2 ] Make an initial cut behind the pectoral fin, slicing toward the belly.

RACKS FISH HOUSE SEASONING BLEND Recipe couRtesy of Matthew DanaheR, executive chef, Racks fish house + oysteR BaR, 5 s.e. seconD ave., DelRay Beach 561/450-6718

4 ounces extra-virgin olive oil Juice of one lemon 1 teaspoon chopped parsley 1 teaspoon chives 1 teaspoon thyme 1 teaspoon chervil Few grinds of black pepper Salt to taste

[ 3 ] Bring the knife back toward the head. Your knife is going to rest on the backbone. [ 4 ] Slice all the way down the backbone with your knife. [ 5 ] There is a set of five or six pin bones that attach the entire fillet to the backbone. Take your knife and pop those without breaking the ribs. [ 6 ] Take your fillet and lay it back over the knife, then slide your knife a little bit at a time, using the head as a guide all the way through the fish until the fillet is completely separated from the fish. (Keep your hand on top toward the head so you don’t cut yourself). [ 7 ] Discard the inner organs and bones, and rinse the fish.

PreParation: Combine all ingredients and stir to blend. Baste fish before, during and after cooking.

Where to Buy Fresh Fish

What’s on your summer grilling menu? Sea bass? Snapper?

Tuna? The following local establishments in and around Boca have a variety of seafood treats. pop’s fish MaRket: 131 W. Hillsboro Blvd., Deerfield Beach, 954/427-1331 olD Dixie seafooD: 7000 N. Dixie Highway, Boca Raton, 561/988-0866 whole fooDs MaRket: 1400 Glades Road, Boca Raton, 561/447-0000 the fResh MaRket: 100 W. Camino Real, Boca Raton, 561/338-2444

follow the leader

captain fRank’s seafooD MaRket: 435 W. Boynton Beach Blvd., Boynton Beach, 561/732-3663 the Boys faRMeRs MaRket: 14378 S. Miliary Trail, Delray Beach, 561/496-0810 Joseph’s classic MaRket: The Shops at Boca Center, 5250 Town Center Circle, Boca Raton, 561/347-2314

[ bocamag.com ]

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floridatable the boca challenge

smoked fish dip F

lorida is sun and sand, the Gulf and the ocean, sunsets and hurricanes, and alligators and smoked fish dip.

Fish dip?

Absolutely.

Like Key lime pie, fish sandwiches and big platters of stone crab with mustard sauce, this deceptively simple mix of smoked fish (mullet, amberjack and marlin are some of the most common), cream cheese and/or mayonnaise and seasonings says Florida as clearly as another botched election.

Now that summer is here in all its face-melting heat and humidity, it seemed just the right time to throw down a challenge of this iconic Florida dish. Judging criteria proved as simple as smoked fish dip itself: flavor (a balance of smoke, seafood and seasonings), texture (creamy but not slimy), stuff (crackers, veggies and other accompaniments) and value, all added up and averaged to come up with a final score.

We may fumble our share of elections, but we do smoked fish dip like nobody’s business.

—BiLL ciTARA

FLAVOR

TEXTURE

STUFF

VALUE

TOTAL

ThE BLUE AnchOR

If you like your smoked fish dip heavy on the taste of smoked fish, this slightly sweet, assertively spicy version isn’t for you. It did have varied and generous accompaniments, though. $10

GRUmpy GROUpER

Very creamy—almost a puree— and intensely smoky; this one is pretty hard to stop eating, especially if you add slices of the accompanying pickled jalapeños. $8.

J&J SEAFOOd

Very rich and not for the dietinclined, but this dip tasted the most homemade. A smallish portion of lightly smoked fish with a delicate flavor and great chunky/ creamy texture. $10

OLd diXiE SEAFOOd

The dictionary definition of Florida fish dip, finely textured and aggressively smoky marlin that still lets you taste the fish without tasting fishy. $7.50

n/A

RiGGinS cRABhOUSE

ratings:

n/A

fair

The Blue Anchor: 804 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, 561/272-7272

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Made fresh in-house, this mix of tuna and mahi has the least smoke and strongest fish flavor; dense and rather dry, it nonetheless grows on you with each bite. $7.45

[ bocamag.com ]

good

Grumpy Grouper: 224 N. Third St., Lantana, 561/547-5171

very good

J&J Seafood Bar and Grill: 634 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, 561/272-3390

excellent

Old dixie Seafood: 7000 N. Dixie Highway, Boca Raton, 561/988-0866

Riggins crabhouse: 607 Ridge Road, Lantana, 561/586-3000

july/august 2013

big drink the

Recipe couRtesy of fRanco Meloni, BaR ManageR, tRattoRia RoMana, 499 e. palMetto paRk Road, Boca Raton, 561/393-6715

1.5 ounce I-Spirit Italian vodka 1.5 ounce Tuaca 1 ounce Punzone Originalle Organic (blood orange vodka liqueur) 1 ounce Natalie’s orange juice Splash of grenadine Maraschino cherry and orange twist PreParation: Chill martini glass.

Combine first four ingredients with ice in cocktail shaker. Shake to blend. Strain into martini glass, add splash of grenadine.

Garnish with cherry and twist.

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The Back STory At Trattoria Romana, bar manager and mixological maven franco Meloni takes as much care with the sourcing and preparation of cocktails at the restaurant’s rustic-elegant Bar Sorana as the chefs do with its finely crafted Italian cuisine.

Take Meloni’s version of the classic Tequila Sunrise. It substitutes tequila with a rare Italian vodka—I-Spirit—which Meloni spent more than a year finagling importation to South Florida. Made from a proprietary blend of grains and grapes, it’s distilled five times and blended with pure spring water from the Dolomite mountains in Northern Italy.

Another relative rarity is added to the mix—Punzone Originalle, a vodka-based liqueur infused with sangria made from Sangiovese grapes and blood orange juice.

As for the orange juice, it’s the remarkably fresh-tasting product of Fort Pierce-based Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Co. Put them all together with a few other tweaks, and you can almost see the sun rising over the Eternal City.

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AARON BRISTOl

SORANA SUNRISE MARTINI

VIP

tIckets

$3e0Aug. 1

on sal

TasTemakers u

P

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 6:30-9:30 P.M.

? Two nights of food, wine, cocktails and entertainment featuring > /

mizner park boca raton a modern american bistro

Mizner Park's extraordinary collection of TASTEMAKERS

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A progressive food & cocktail tasting event you won’t want to miss!

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 6:30-9:30 P.M. Taste it all in one evening, or make it a two-night experience. (one tasting/pairing per restaurant)

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2 013 TA S T E MAK E R S The cheese cOurse The Dubliner jAzziz KAPOw! nOODle bAr KArmA sushi sTeAKbAr mAx’s Grille

VIP TICKETS $30 Available August 1.

Purchase at participating Tastemaker restaurants, or online at www.miznerpark.com.

>

rAcKs DOwnTOwn eATerY + TAVern TAnzY ArTisinAl iTAliAn TrulucK’s SEAFOOD, STEAK & CRAB HOUSE uncle juliO’s Fine mexicAn FOOD VillAGiO

.

VIP TICKETS INCLUDE • Two nights of tasting & entertainment • Three monThs of exclusive offers at Mizner Park restaurants from August 1 to October 31, 2013

w w w. mi z ne r park .co m • w w w.b o camag.co m

*Must present Tastemaker VIP booklet; redeemable only at Mizner Park; no cash value; cannot be combined with other offers or discounts; non-transferable; expires 10/31/2013

the Cheese Course

jazziz nightlife

561/395-4354, thecheesecourse.com

561/300-0730, jazziznightlife.com

the dubliner 561/620-2540, dublinerboca.com

t asti ng

SHEPHERD’S PIE, GUINNESS MAC AND CHEESE

ITALIAN ARTISANAL CHEESE COURSE

Pairing

Exclusive Offer

>

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free GlAss of house wine*

Traditional Irish favorites served with Irish Soda Bread & butter

Served on Kobocha Squash Risotto

Pairing

Pairing

A delicious combination of Guinness and cider

Barrel-aged gin, honeycrisp shrub, local honey and sparkling wine

Exclusive Offer

Newton's Cure

>

?

20% off entire check*

With purchase of a cheese course, bistro sandwich or salad

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Butter Poached Maine LoBster

Special Black Velvet

Award-Winning Italian Wines

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t asting

t asting

20% off entire check*

With purchase of entrée, not to be combined with any other discounts or offers

.

/

Exclusive Offer

>

With purchase of entrée

.

/

*Must present Tastemaker VIP booklet; redeemable only at Mizner Park; no cash value; cannot be combined with other offers or discounts; non-transferable; expires 10/31/2013

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KaPow!

max's grille

561/347-7322, kapownoodlebar.com

561/368-0080, maxsgrille.com

noodle bar

Karma sushi steakbar

561/361-3999, karmasushisteakbar.com

t asting

t asting

Bánh mì Vietnamese Baguette

ChiCken Pot StiCkerS

Slow-cooked pulled pork, buttery spicy aioli, cilantro, pickled carrots, daikon & jalapeño

Pairing

Pairing

Spicy Lover

Sanguigno Jalapeño Margarita

Sasyr

Partida Reposado tequila, cucumber, lime juice, Tabasco green sauce, cilantro, organic agave nectar

Tanteo tequila, Bacardi limon, Grand marnier, fresh limes & blood oranges

super Tuscan, Tuscany, italy

>

?

Exclusive Offer

Exclusive Offer

>

?

Cannot be combined with any other promotions

With purchase of an entrée

With purchase of an entrée

.

/

Exclusive Offer

>

10% off enTiRe check*

comPlimenTaRy desseRT*

15% off enTiRe check*

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Shrimp CeviChe

Baby marinated shrimp with lime juice, chillies, onions, tomatoes and avocado topped with crispy plantain chips

Pan fried with garlic chili dipping sauce, spicy mustard

Pairing

?

t asting

.

/

*Must present Tastemaker VIP booklet; redeemable only at Mizner Park; no cash value; cannot be combined with other offers or discounts; non-transferable; expires 10/31/2013

.

truluck's

racks

downtown eatery + tavern

seafood, steak & crab house

561/395-1662, racksboca.com

561/ 391-0755, trulucks.com

tanzy

artisinal italian 561/922-6699, tanzyrestaurant.com

t asti ng

t asting

t asting

Ahi TunA TAcos

Housemade meatball and Garlic crostini’s

FRESH PACIFIC STONE CRAB

Jalapeño, radish, apple, whipped avocado

Pairing

Pairing rain honey mango melon vodka, triple sec, splash of lime juice, tang rim

Exclusive Offer

POEMA CAVA

Crisp, clean and elegant with citrus notes and lovely dry minerality

housemade passion fruit purée, fresh mint and basil, housemade coriander syrup, hand-crafted Boca loca

>

?

>

?

Exclusive Offer

Complimentary Bottle of wine*

With purchase of an entrée

.

/

Exclusive Offer

>

Join us for Date night, 7 nights a week

Complimentary Dessert*

With purchase of 2 entrées, 4 p.m.–6 p.m., Monday–Friday

/

Pairing

Pineapple Mint Illegalito Mojito Italiano

Retail Therapy

?

Savor the sweet, firm meat of this stone crab from the coast of the Baja Peninsula

Tender combination of pork, beef, and veal slow roasted in our signature passata di pomodoro sauce, topped with whipped ricotta

.

/

Choose soup or salad, entrée and shared dessert for $39 per person

*Must present Tastemaker VIP booklet; redeemable only at Mizner Park; no cash value; cannot be combined with other offers or discounts; non-transferable; expires 10/31/2013

.

uncle julio's

FINE MEXICAN FOOD

Connect. Shop. Save.

561/300-3530, unclejulios.com

is Social!

P

villagio

Join “The Club”

561/447-2257, villagiorestaurants.com

t asting

t asting

Shrimp and mango guacamole

BEEF CARPACCIO

exclusive Promotions . uPcoming event alerts

?

Thin slices of cured filet mignon topped with mixed greens and Parmesan cheese, drizzled with lemon vinaigrette

Diced mango, jalapeño and red bell peppers folded into our fresh guacamole and topped with chilidusted jumbo shrimp

Win a $5,000 Shopping Spree

>

4 times a year + no fee to join.

Visit www.miznerpark.com to enroll in the club.

/

.

/ ShoPMiznerPark

Pairing

Pairing

Spiced Mango Passion Margarita

Dolce Vita, a very smooth golden pale Italian beer

1800 reposado tequila, mango passion purée, lime juice with fresh cilantro, jalapeño sliver & chili lime spice rim

?

Exclusive Offer

>

?

Exclusive Offer

/ MiznerPark

>

15% DIscount off entIre meal*

complImentary Dessert sampler*

#TasteofBoca #MiznerPark

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With purchase of entrée, not to be combined with any other discounts or offers

With purchase of an entrée

/

/ ShoPMiznerPark

Birra Dolce Vita

.

/

.

*Must present Tastemaker VIP booklet; redeemable only at Mizner Park; no cash value; cannot be combined with other offers or discounts; non-transferable; expires 10/31/2013

Bring it On HOme

style

Give your interior a summer makeover with a fresh selection of inspired accessories.

PHOtOgraPHy By AAron Bristol

Silver table, $199, from Tradewinds Home & Garden, Boca Raton; Julia Knight Pomer Lilly bowl, $65, Julia Knight Hibiscus bowl (green), $65, Julia Knight Peony bowl (saffron), $145, Julia Knight rectangular peony tray, $75, orange flower napkin rings, $8 each, yellow napkin ring, $8, and green napkins, $15, all from The Regency Collection, Regency Court at Woodfield, Boca Raton; silver candle holder, $39.95, and orange candle, $19.95, from Z Gallerie, Mizner Park, Boca Raton

Raspberry Moroccan side table, $369, from Ethan Allen, Boca Raton; orange wood salad bowl, $74, blue glass napkin rings, $6 each, and green napkin, price upon request, all from The Regency Collection; silk flowers, $4.25 each, from Tradewinds Home & Garden; turquoise tray, $139 (for set of two), and small Ann Gish rainbow Koi pillow, $209, from Brown’s Interior Design, Boca Raton; dinner plate, $6.95, salad plate, $5.95, lemon lantern, $14.95, pink lantern, $7.95, and blue votive, $4.95, all from Z Gallerie

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[ bocamag.com ]

july/august 2013

Tray with stand, $286, and L. Warren bowl, $35 small, $80 large, from Spruce Home & Garden, Mizner Park, Boca Raton; wooden vase, $419 (for set of two), from Brown’s Interior Design, Boca Raton; assorted flowers, $4.25–$10.95 each, assorted natural balls, $39.95, and bird cage candle holder, $159, all from Tradewinds Home & Garden; candles, small $14.95, large $19.95, wood place mat, $22.95, and succulent ball, $19.95, all from Z Gallerie

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style

[ bocamag.com ]

73

style

Small butterfly hanging ball, $49, large butterfly ball, $108, aqua throw, $92, and flower diffuser, $30, all from Spruce Home & Garden; white West Indies tray, $599, from Ethan Allen; beaded place mat, $29.95, flower napkin ring holder, $5.95, sea foam napkin, $5.95, silver goblet, $12.95 each, and marine candle, $19.95, all from Z Gallerie; turquoise plate, $36 small, $65 large, from The Regency Collection

Styled by: Lori Pierino and Kathleen Ross 74

[ bocamag.com ]

july/august 2013

76

[ bocamag.com ]

july/august 2013

faces

a few minutes with the people who help define south florida

Marilynn Wick Owner, COstume wOrld

T

AAron Bristol

here was never any doubt in Marilynn Wick’s mind that the show must go on, which is undoubtedly one of the reasons why she bought the Caldwell Theatre this spring, a deal that had been in the works for a year. Wick, owner of Costume World and the Costume World Broadway Collection, the world’s largest collection of costumes from the American theater, has always been fearless when it comes to new “adventures.” The Caldwell, which will be known as the Wick Theatre and Museum, is just the latest in a lifetime of calculated gambles.

A small-town farm girl who grew up in Sugar Grove, Pa., Wick and her two young daughters moved to Boca Raton in 1972 to be near her ex-husband and the girls’ father. Back then, she had dabbled in teaching and real estate, but she ended up starting a window-cleaning company specializing in high-rise buildings, which were just then starting to sprout all over the region. The venture was a huge success, but it paled in comparison to what Santa Claus would bring a few years later.

“It was the winter of 1976, and the kids wanted to do something for the holidays to earn a little pocket money,” she recalls. They decided to make a Santa Claus suit (on the kitchen table) and posted a one-line ad in the local paper offering it for rent.

“The phone rang off the wall,” Wick says.

“I instantly saw the need for it. I went to visit the only guy in the business; [he] worked out of his house in Fort Lauderdale. I kept thinking, ‘Look at all the occasions we could

left: wick with costumes from “my fair lady” right: dress from “la Cage aux folles”

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have,’ and then I started thinking maybe I should start a little store—a costume store— and put a little line in the Yellow Pages.”

That’s how Costume World, now in Deerfield Beach at Federal Highway and 10th Avenue, got its start. There are stores now in Pittsburgh, Dallas and Austin, Texas.

It’s a business that Wick found fascinating from the start.

“No one ever comes into a costume shop mad,” she says. “No one comes to Costume World unless they have a special occasion.

Every day there is something you have never thought of before—somebody wants to be Paul Revere, or somebody comes in and says, ‘I’m a detective and I have to change my disguise.’ Or ‘I’m a burn patient and need that special theatrical makeup to cover this up.’ Every year we do about five knights in shining armor because somebody is going to propose—and that’s how they are going to do it.”

Wick is not immune to the lure of dressing up; she’s been known to show up at cocktail parties dressed as a flapper, or on a first-class flight to Buffalo as the Easter bunny. She once spent a night out on the town in Pittsburgh with her store employees in a cozy Smurf costume because she had left her winter coat at home.

Still, it’s the Broadway Collection that seems dearest to Wick’s heart—and the inspiration for her buying the Caldwell. The collection is now housed in a nondescript office park in Pompano Beach, nondescript until you walk in the door.

The Broadway Collection begins with a red-carpeted lobby flanked by costumed mannequins and Broadway memorabilia.

“Hello, Dolly!” is blasting out of hidden speakers; massive double doors loom ahead, to be opened only when it is time. And Marilynn Wick will tell you when it is time.

At exactly 11 a.m., a lavishly costumed young woman flings open the doors for a tour (which includes lunch) of a massive warehouse festooned with theatrical backdrops and jammed with thousands of costumes arranged by the Broadway plays they were made for. “The King and I” is displayed in a tableau with a mannequin in Yul Brynner’s glittering pajamas, Gertrude Lawrence’s voluminous [ bocamag.com ]

77

Marilynn’s World Favorite costuMe: “The black and white Ascot costumes from ‘My Fair Lady.’”

DeFinition oF success: “Setting your goals and accomplishing them. I love to wake up every day and feel great about going to work; to me, that is a gift.”

HoW sHe Works: “When I see the adventure of something I really like, I go for it. … I do things pretty quickly, and most of the time they are the right things to do.”

Best BroaDWay tHeater proDuctions (costuMes): “My Fair Lady,” “La Cage aux Folles,” “Funny Girl”

ball gown sailing next to him. A little farther back, mannequins in black and white from the Ascot scene of the original production of “My Fair Lady” stand at attention. And it goes on: Dick Tracy’s yellow trench coat, “The Sound of Music,” “Into the Woods,” “42nd Street,” “Camelot.”

You name it—the dazzling history of Broadway theater is here, and it will be moved to the Wick Theatre this fall.

Kim Wick, one of Marilynn’s daughters, who is vice president of the company and director of the museum, says the new space will involve “cosmetic changes” and renovation to the theater and two lobbies— along with some more serious overhauls.

“We will have a full kitchen, so we will do tapas and cappuccinos and desserts,” Kim says. “And the back, which is almost 10,000 square feet, will be the new home of the Broadway Collection,” with a backstage/ insider tour-like feel, including a Tavern on the Green luncheon with artifacts from the original Tavern that Costume World bought at auction in 2010.

Wick knows she’s taken on something big in buying the Caldwell. But it’s a dream she believes in, and the culmination of 40some years on the periphery of Broadway.

“I am kind of fearless,” she says. “To me, [buying the theater] is taking a bad deal and making it good. We are walking in and giving that theater life.”

—marie speed

above and below left: Assorted pieces from “The King and I” Below: Costumes from “The Sound of Music”

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[ bocamag.com ]

july/august 2013

Louis and Anne Green

faces

Founders, Louis and anne Green memory and WeLLness CenTer

O

ne of the first things you notice when you enter the Louis and Anne Green Memory and Wellness Center, part of the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing at Florida Atlantic University, is the amount of art on the walls. They aren’t mass-marketed prints with inspirational axioms purchased from a large distributor but original acrylics and watercolors painted by the center’s residents.

There are palm tree-lined vistas, still-lifes of fruit and flowers, and maritime seascapes, completed by, in many cases, amateurs who have never picked up paintbrushes—and who suffer from Alzheimer’s and other memory diseases. They are framed testaments to the center’s ability to unlock talent and exercise the brain, just part of the reason why it’s one of the nation’s top memory and wellness centers.

“It’s such a pretty experience, visually,” says Patti Max, a sponsor of the center who recently enlisted its services for her mother, who showed early stages of Alzheimer’s. “And that makes a difference, right from the onset. If you’re entering a building and it’s decrepit

■ anne: I met Lou when he came down to fish with my first husband. We were staying at the Ocean Reef Club. I thought Lou was a janitor, or a mate. I saw this guy come up and he had these khaki shorts like a mate would wear, and a shirt hanging open, and he was sweaty. He just came off the boat and said, ‘Hi, I’m Lou Green!’ I thought, Oh no. I’ve got to be with you for a week!

Thirty-one years later, he still wears the same pants.

AAron Bristol

■ Lou: We just try to make the world a little better. Very simply. One of our proud accomplishments is that our children are taking up the same philosophy and following along.

Anne and Louis Green at the May groundbreaking ceremony for the extension to the Memory and Wellness Center at FAU.

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and old, you feel like you’re entering an old person’s home.”

Not at this center. The 9,000-square-foot complex recently became the only adult day center in Florida to be designated a “specialized Alzheimer’s services center,” ensuring that it meets the strictest regulations when caring for its more than 130 tenants. In May, the center broke ground on a 5,000-square-foot extension.

For Louis Green, a retired real estate developer, and wife Anne, the center they helped build with a matching grant from the state of Florida is the latest in an extensive philanthropic portfolio that began in their previous community in Cincinnati and continued when they moved to Boca Raton in 1984. Lynn University, Boca Raton Regional Hospital, the Tri County Humane Society and others have all benefited from their generosity, which, as they share with Boca Raton, is in their blood.

Slice o f

—John Thomason

Life

■ anne: Somebody came up to Lou years ago, and she said, “I can give more than you gave for this.” And Lou said, “Great. I’ll tell you what— you write the check, I’ll rip my name off it, and you put your name right up there.” … This is not for us. It’s for the people.

■ Lou: Today doesn’t remotely resemble Boca Raton 30 years ago. There were two tall buildings in town, and the only restaurant open on Monday night then was Denny’s.

■ anne: I live by the prayer of Saint Francis: “It’s in giving that we receive.” It’s always been what Lou and I have thought, even with our children and our home, and other things that are not charitable. It’s in giving of yourself, not necessarily financial things or material things. For me, that has meant a great deal in my life.

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faces Giving Back

AAron Bristol

Cordoba performs in Panama, in part, to raise money for her foundation, which seeks to empower abused, abandoned and impoverished children in Central and South America. She plans to buy a house in her home city of La Paz de Chame that, by next summer, will become a school for music.

“We’re going to have computers, books, educational items for the kids, and we’ll bring in motivational speakers,” she says. “I want to help give these children a better life.”

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july/august 2013

Jossie Cordoba

Singer-Songwriter; owner, SequinS B

O

f all the women’s clothing stores in Boca Raton, only one has the potential to erupt, at a moment’s notice, into a Spanish-language variety show. This is what can happen when the owner—especially one who has topped the Latin Billboard charts—takes requests.

Since launching Sequins B in late 2012, Jossie Cordoba has seamlessly meshed the two worlds she knows best. The self-described “girl from the jungle of Panama” has been known, on a given day, to advise customers how to dress sexy one minute—and dance the bachata with them the next. Recently, she drew more than 100 customers and fans to a miniconcert staged on the street outside her quaint store at Royal Palm Place.

“They want to come in and dance with me; they ask me to sing them a song,” Cordoba says in an endearing, Charo-esque accent. “They love my energy. I’m trying to bring some life to Boca Raton.”

The pride of the Chame district, a sparsely populated region some 35 miles south of Panama City, certainly knows a thing or two about life—and living it to the fullest. For as long as she can remember, Cordoba wanted to be a performer like her mother, a folklore singer of some renown in Panama. But not just any performer.

“I wanted to be famous,” she says. “I wanted the attention, the costumes!”

At age 18, she left Central America with $300, a backpack, a pocket translator, and dreams of a career like Latin sensation Selena. Getting there, however, would not be an overnight proposition. Cordoba moved to Fort Lauderdale and lived with a family that employed her as a nanny; on weekends, she babysat for other couples in the neighborhood. In less than two years, Cordoba saved $22,000, which she kept in a cookie can.

With investment help from a neighborhood woman and her soon-to-be boyfriend, Cordoba parlayed her nanny windfall into her first business—a lingerie store in Lauderdale-by-theSea. The success of that venture (she paid off her investors in six months) gave her the capital to purchase a large inventory of baby clothes from a recently widowed store owner, who was selling the merchandise at roughly $2 per item. Cordoba charged quadruple the price (and higher)—and made a killing.

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“I’d have people calling me all day long,” she says. “I sold at flea markets, I went everywhere selling these baby clothes. ... I was 24, and I had money that I never dreamed about.”

With the means to fund her true aspiration, Cordoba threw herself into her music career. She self-produced her first of six CDs, “A Mover el Esqueleto” in 2003, sold it out of her trunk, played local shows and gradually built a following. But after a fairy-tale beginning to her South Florida story, Cordoba was dealt her share of reality checks.

“I met evil people in the music industry,” says Cordoba, who has lived in Boca on and off for the past decade. “They took my money. Corporate [types] would tell my manager that they needed $100,000 to promote my music. They’d promise something and not deliver.

“I had a guy who told me several times that he would introduce me to Emilio and Gloria Estefan. One time, he rented a room at a hotel for the meeting. I understand body language.

I told him, ‘Listen, I’m not here for you to get in my pants.’ ...

You have to go through a lot of dark places to get where you need to get in music. But along the way, I became tough.”

Cordoba hired interns to help spread the word about her music, created her own database, did her own publicity and continued releasing CDs every few years—through her own publishing company. Her signature sound (she calls it a fusion of Latin pop) combined with her sensual stage persona ultimately connected with audiences in Central and South America.

Cordoba’s 2006 release, “Tequila y Ron” would lead to a nomination as Best New Artist at the Latin Grammys. And the official video for “Arrepentida,” off her most recent CD, “Todo lo que Siento,” has amassed nearly 200,000 YouTube views. She plans on performing upward of 70 shows this year in support of the CD. Along the way, Cordoba has become a hero and an inspiration in her home country; there’s even been a play about her life and a televised concert attended by the president of Panama.

“I lost everything [at one point] in my music career,” she says. “Millions. But, now, I’m content because I’m making people happy. Jossie is back in business.”

—Kevin KaminSKi [ bocamag.com ]

81

By the Numbers

Here are just a few of the statistical reasons why Cris Carter is being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this August.

SeaSonS: 16 ToTal recepTionS: 1,101 (4th in NFL history) ToTal yardS: 13,899 (9th in NFL history) ToTal TouchdownS: 130 (4th in NFL history) pro BowlS: 8 in addiTion: Carter had eight consecutive 1,000-yard seasons (1993-2000) and five straight seasons with at least 10 touchdown receptions (1995-99).

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the BOCA interview [ by kevin kaminski ]

The Wait is Over

For Boca resident and nFL receiving great Cris Carter, the road to redemption cuLminates in his Long overdue enshrinement in the pro FootBaLL haLL oF Fame.

H

e called it the happiest day of his life, and it showed. For someone who is never at a loss for words in his capacity as a studio analyst for ESPN’s NFL coverage, Cris Carter needed time last February to articulate what it meant to learn, after six years of eligibility, that he would be joining the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The tears flowed at the official press conference announcing the Class of 2013 (Carter is joined by Bill Parcells, Warren Sapp, Jonathan Ogden, Larry Allen, Curley Culp and Dave Robinson), and later during TV and radio interviews. Expect similar emotion Aug. 3, when Carter’s son, Duron, presents his father for induction in Canton, Ohio.

As one of the league’s most prolific wide receivers admits, such sentiment speaks to far more than a Hall pass. Three years into his pro career, Carter showed more signs of becoming a cautionary tale than one of only eight players in NFL history with more than 1,000 receptions. He was battling addiction to alcohol and drugs, and it cost him his job prior to the 1990 season when then-Philadelphia Eagles coach Buddy Ryan bounced Carter from the roster.

Enter the Minnesota Vikings, who took a chance on Carter, claiming him off waivers for a meager $100. The former Ohio State standout would reward the Vikings’ faith by overcoming his dependency and rededicating himself to the sport. By 1993, Carter would make the first of his eight Pro Bowls.

It was about this time that he also discovered Boca Raton through his agent and accountant; Carter has lived here with wife Melanie (the couple also has a daughter) for the better part of 20 years. You’re apt to catch him riding around Mizner Park on his motorcycle, or dining at one of his favorite restaurants (like New York Prime or Max’s Grille).

The Vikings’ all-time leading receiver and a member of the NFL’s AllDecade Team for the 1990s took time to speak with Boca Raton about the Hall of Fame, league headlines and more.

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You were as emotional as anY candidate in recent memorY after learning You had made the hall of fame. what was it about that moment that provoked such a strong reaction?

Mine wasn’t necessarily the route you would diagram for kids to take, but it was my story.

When you achieve something that you don’t even have goals for in your life, it’s a tremendous honor. Who can say they deserve that?

I didn’t have a preconceived idea about how I should feel. But I was very, very happy.

To know that you’re one of the greatest football players ever, and now you’re being enshrined in the Hall of Fame, it was a humbling moment. You feel like you’re not worthy. To be in that rare air ... it’s just awesome.

Young plaYers must talk to You about the route You took. what do You share with them about the period in philadelphia that nearlY cost You Your career?

I tell them the truth. I try to tell them what the league presents and what you can become, even though you might not think you will. You need to know yourself, and you need to have a plan—about your time, about your money. People have to teach you how to be a pro. What happened in Philadelphia slowed down my career, and it was very, very painful. I’m fortunate it didn’t end my career. [ bocamag.com ]

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the BOCA interview I’ve spoken at the NFL’s rookie symposium about 10 times now. The number one thing I tell them is to take advantage of this opportunity. This is your lottery ticket.

Cash it in. Don’t throw it in the trash. Don’t disregard it and put it on the shelf. Guard it with your life, and utilize all the benefits that come with being an NFL player.

As A plAyer, you could chAt it up with the best of them. did thAt ever cost you on the field?

Not much. You live and learn. I grew up playing basketball, so you get into more trash talking there. But it’s also in my personality to have some fun on the field. It was never personal, so my mouth, on the field, never really got me into trouble. whAt About your cAndor on the Air? hAve current plAyers tAken issue with things you’ve sAid on rAdio or television?

Sure, guys will say things to me. But that’s part of the job. No one wants to be criticized. If someone [is critical about] your magazine or your work in the magazine, you probably wouldn’t like it either. But, at the end of the day, you need to look at it and see if there’s any truth there.

I don’t launch personal attacks on people, and I don’t have hidden agendas. The things I say, I truly believe.

Players aren’t going to be happy with anyone criticizing them. I don’t care who you are or what kind of experience you have. Even if a Hall of Famer is doing the criticizing, players don’t like it. lAst yeAr, while discussing the bounty scAndAl involving the new orleAns sAints, you Admitted thAt you plAced bounties on defensive plAyers during your cAreer. Any fAllout from thAt? I didn’t receive any backlash; people were just surprised that someone might do that. But it’s a matter of protection. In the NFL, there are things you have to do to protect certain offensive players on your team who are running the football and throwing the football—because they can’t protect themselves. hAve you given Any thought to coAching?

I’ve helped coach at St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale the last eight years [Note: Carter coached his son there when he was in high school]. I used to coach youth foot84

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ball with the Boca Jets when my family was younger. I train a lot of high school kids, college kids and pro wide receivers. That’s my coaching fix, right there.

Carter during his playing days with the Vikings

whAt distinguishes A greAt wideout in A wAy thAt the numbers don’t AlwAys reveAl? I think it’s hard in today’s game, since everyone throws the ball, to be great without the numbers. So you have to post some statistics; that shows consistency.

But the number one thing, to me, is the effect you have on your team and on the game.

What effect do you have on a defense as far as what they can and can’t do [because of your ability]?

I was always most proud of my consistency, being out there week-in and week-out.

I didn’t miss many games, I was there for my teammates.

And I consistently put up solid games and strong seasons.

That’s what it’s all about. who is the best wide receiver in the leAgue right now?

Calvin Johnson (of the Detroit Lions). He’s the most complete, the most dominant.

He has a rare size/speed combination; he’s very focused, very intense and a hard worker. If you’re picking one wide receiver right now, you’re taking Calvin Johnson. who wAs the toughest defensive bAck you ever fAced?

Deion Sanders. He was the most complete player at that position. He had that speed/ strength combination off the bump and run; it was so hard to get open on him. He gave you no space. And even if you did make a good move, he had such quickness that he could recover. do you think the success of the spreAd offense And quArterbAcks like wAshington’s robert griffin iii is A trend, or is thAt the future of the leAgue?

For the most part, as far as good quarterbacks coming out of college being runners

or passers, you’re going to have more throwers. There will always be room in the game for a kid with unique skills. But, as you see with RG III right now, he’s hurt. So I don’t think the NFL wants to see their quarterbacks running even more than they’re already running.

[Running quarterbacks] have to learn how to protect themselves. If you can do things to help out the offense, that’s fine, but you have to be smart. becAuse of the emphAsis on plAyer sAfety And chAnges to the rules, is pro footbAll in dAnger of losing some of its luster?

The game is changing; they’re protecting players more. But I don’t see any chance the game will go away. It’s too popular, there’s too much money involved and people love it.

Players will play, parents will continue to sign their kids up. But we owe it to the public to make the game safer—and also to parents and younger players so that kids learn safety at an early age. It’s not an NFL problem; it’s a football problem. july/august 2013

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Boca

100 the

Think about how much has happened around here of late. Presidential debate? Check.

National accolades for Boca residents?

Check. Locals setting NFL records? You bet. But that’s not the half of it. Boca Raton presents its annual list of 100* items that captured our attention over the past 12 months.

By Kevin KaminsKi, Cassie morien, marie speed and John Thomason * NOTE: items are noT numbered in order of significance.

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Boca 100 [ 2 ] Is It too Late to RetRact?

[ 1 ] No DebatINg It

Political pundits can agree to disagree on the impact the third and final presidential debate had on the 2012 election, but there’s no arguing when it comes to the impact that the Event of the Year had on host Lynn University, Boca Raton and Palm Beach County. Data released in January showed that the debate: u Had a $13.1 million economic impact on the county, including $1.7 million in elevated spending by local residents and a 22-percent increase in bed taxes.

Lest anyone think that South Florida glided through election season without drawing national headlines for one of its hanging chad-like episodes, think again. Republican candidate Mitt Romney made his famous “47 percent” comment—the one that was videotaped by a bartender on the catering staff—during a $50,000-a-plate fundraiser last May at the home of Boca resident and Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Marc Leder.

click on the “videos” link at bocamag.com and revisit our debate night coverage.

u Generated 33,208 total news stories. u Drew 59.2 million TV viewers.

Inside the media room on debate night

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july/august 2013

Keste pizza from Scuola Vecchia

tya tiempetch

Dessert bento box from Buddha Sky Bar

[ 3-12 ] Dishes of the Year

Boca Raton food editor Bill Citara lists the 10 expertly prepared appetizers, entrĂŠes and desserts that most impressed him during the past 12 months of local dining.

DISH

RESTAURANT

House-made cotechino sausage with lentils, Parmesan and Frantoio olive oil

Sybarite Pig, Boca Raton

Octopus with sun-dried tomato tapenade, chorizo and parsley

The Grove, Delray Beach

Warm onion and Parmesan dip with house-made fingerling potato chips

HMF, Palm Beach

Steak tartare with crispy egg yolk, black truffle and grilled bread

Buccan, Palm Beach

Keste pizza

Scuola Vecchia, Delray Beach

Tuna foie gras sliders

Imoto, Palm Beach

Dessert bento box (chocolate lava cake, ginger ice cream, green tea cigar with raspberry mousseline, yuzu marshmallow, fresh fruit)

Buddha Sky Bar, Delray Beach

22-ounce dry-aged USDA Prime Certified Angus rib-eye

Red, the Steakhouse, Boca Raton

Maple-bourbon-glazed heritage pork belly with mustard greens, cornbread and green tomato jam

Max’s Harvest, Delray Beach

Lemon ricotta-stuffed squash blossoms with Madeira-glazed shallots and balsamic reduction

Tanzy, Boca Raton

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the

Boca 100 four-session event included presentations

by Boca entrepreneurs Daniel Cane (founder of Modernizing Medicine) and eighth-grader Rebecca Zerbo (Positive Pocket).

[ 16-21 ] Let

theRe Be Rock

Blair Walsh

[ 13-14 ] Boca Rocks the NFL

[ 15 ] teD comes to towN

Two rookies with Boca-based backgrounds, both selected in the sixth round of the 2012 draft by their respective teams, made NFL headlines last season. u Blair Walsh: After a confidence-rattling senior season at the University of Georgia, the young kicker joined the Minnesota Vikings and made league history by connecting on all 10 of his field-goal attempts of 50 yards or longer. He also led the NFL in field goals made with 35 (out of 38 attempts). u Alfred Morris: The 5-foot9, 218-pound running back out of FAU helped to lead the Washington Redskins to the NFC East title by barreling his way to a team-record 1,613 yards to go with 13 touchdowns. Morris, who finished second in the NFL in rushing, had seven games of 100 or more yards, averaging 4.8 yards per carry.

Delray Beach joined the prestigious numbers of cities worldwide to host its very own all-day TEDx affair, an independently curated festival of ideas produced under license with the global TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference. The

These six shows, all reviewed by our team at bocamag.com, were the cream of the concert crop over the past 12 months. u Eddie Vedder (two nights), Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Fort Lauderdale u The Joy Formidable, Culture Room, Fort Lauderdale u The Who (playing “Quadrophenia” in its entirety), BB&T Center, Sunrise u Public Image Ltd., Grand Central, Miami u Built to Spill, Culture Room, Fort Lauderdale u Rush, BB&T Center, Sunrise

[ 22 ] DeLRay oN the map Rand-McNally recognized Delray Beach last summer as “Most Fun Small Town in America”—however, a stellar campaign spearheaded by Stephanie Immelman and Sarah Martin of the Delray Beach Marketing Cooperative certainly didn’t hurt.

Daniel Cane

Rebecca Zerbo

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july/august 2013

Dennis Max

[ 23 ] Now You See Him, Now You DoN’t Dennis Max was busy empire-building a couple of years ago, but he has quietly withdrawn from most of the partnerships he forged during that period. Frank & Dino’s? Not so amore.

Assaggio Del Forno? Finito.

And the Mexican? A standoff, with Max exiting soon after it opened. Can we cite “creative differences” or whatever the equivalent is in the culinary world? What’s left?

Mainstay Max’s Grille; Max’s Harvest, his farm-to-table masterpiece in Delray Beach; Burt & Max’s in west Delray; and a soon-to-be-unveiled fast-casual, farm-fresh concept called Max’s Fresh.

Stay tuned.

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[ 24-26 ] tHRee StRiKeS AND SHe’S out

For all of the positives that emerged from the Boca campus of Florida Atlantic, the university and president Mary Jane Saunders dealt with so many serious—and, at times, self-inflicted— public relations nightmares that Saunders eventually resigned in May. u What’s in a name: GEO Group, a for-profit prison company based in Boca and with a controversial past, pays $6 million for naming rights to FAU’s football stadium, prompting some to dub it “Owlcatraz.” Student and public backlash is so severe that GEO Group withdraws its sponsorship. u Holy controversy! An intercultural communications instructor, Deandre Poole, is placed on administrative leave after an in-class lesson turns scandalous. Poole has students write “Jesus” on a piece of paper and asks them to stomp on it, an exercise meant to illustrate the power of words. One student refuses, setting off a storm that results in everything from an organized protest march by Mary Jane Saunders members of the Church of All Nations to threats on Poole’s life. u Conspiracy theory, part II: After drawing national attention for a personal blog post that questioned “whether the Sandy Hook shooting ever took place,” James Tracy, an associate professor of communications at FAU, weighed in on the Boston Marathon bombing, suggesting that the “event closely resembles a mass-casualty drill” and that “photographic evidence suggests the possibility of play actors.”

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Boca 100

[ 27 ] Taking Her role in STride

Lourdes Lopez proved more than capable of inheriting the Miami City Ballet season programmed by outgoing executive director Edward Villella. The company made national news for its Program III, which featured a world premiere from famed avant-garde choreographer Alexei Ratmansky. But the three opening numbers, all by Balanchine with music from Ravel, Bizet and Tchaikovsky, proved just as transfixing, if not more so.

Lourdes Lopez

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july/august 2013

[ 28 ] Kissing babies Every time we turn around someone is rumored to be running for mayor. Susan Haynie has all but ordered her gavel, and rumor has it Peter Baronoff is asking for votes. People have speculated

that Al Zucaro may even be in the hunt, but he says no for now. Still, he is becoming ever more visible through his Boca Tribune gig.

[ 29 ] Full Court Press People love a good mall food

court—and they’re about to get one as Town Center rounds out its offerings this year with the addition of Butcher & the Burger, an upscale and delish gourmet burger place; Dandelion Grill, with an emphasis on natural meats and homemade food; and El Jefe

Luchador, a fresh gourmet spin on the traditional Mexican street-style taqueria. Three more reasons to hit the mall (like we needed them).

[ 30-34 ] What’s in store?

u A 19,000 square-foot H&M will open in West Palm Beach’s CityPlace this fall, offering affordable on-trend collections for men, women and children. u Seattle-based Sur La Table has been a hit since opening in Mizner Park. In addition to offering gourmet cookware and cutlery, the store hosts weekly cooking classes. u The Container Store debuted at Town Center at Boca Raton, bringing 55 jobs and more than 10,000 tidy products to our community. It’s listed as one of Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For,” boasting a less than 10 percent turnover rate. u Leading catalog and online retailer Boston Proper opened a beautiful boutique in Town Center. Designed with fashion and technology in mind, the store features stacked video screens facing the mall’s interior and a touch-screen table for online shopping. u Lord & Taylor is slated to open at Mizner Park this September, settling into the 80,000-square-foot space previously occupied by Robb & Stucky. Founded in 1826, the department store promises personal shopping service for the busy buyer.

Boston Proper

Sur La Table

The Container Store

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Boca 100 [ 35 ] Ode tO JOy Former Palm Beach Post reporter Susan SpencerWendel was diagnosed with ALS two years ago and elected to write a book about her decision to “live with joy” in the time she had left.

Based on sample columns published in the Post, she was given a seven-figure book deal and then a movie deal. The book, which she typed with her thumb on an iPhone, was No. 3 on The New York Times bestseller list weeks after it was published.

Susan Spencer-Wendel and husband John

[ 37 ] the Wheel deAl

[ 36 ] ScOre One fOr the ArtS

a colorful hand-made sign reading, “Don’t stop the music!” She was just one of the supporters of the Arts Garage who rallied at Delray Beach City Hall in February when a competing offer from the Kanner and Pintaluga law firm threatened to oust the beloved venue from its Pineapple Grove space. Bolstered by more than 1,700 signatories defending it on a change.org poll, the Garage ultimately won the war.

The city commission decided in April to keep the Garage in its current spot—provided it raises funds to purchase the space over the next two years.

It’s hard to say no to an adorable little girl holding

Tristan Nunez

To say that Tristan Nunez has a checkered past would be an understatement, at least in racing terms. The Boca resident, just 17, took the checkered flag an astonishing 11 times during his rookie 2012 season in the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda Series, becoming the youngest sports-car champion in history. Along the way, he set seven different track records.

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july/august 2013

[ 38 ] Down on The Farm

The “farm dinner” concept took off locally with a vengeance this year at Swank Farm in Loxahatchee. A year ago, hydroponic organic farmers Jodi and Darrin Swank started Swank Table, a field-to-table event that packed people in and benefited local charities. This year, four farm dinners (all sold out) were hosted by the Swanks and big-time chefs like Chris Miracolo, Lindsay Autry and Michael Schwartz. They were flawlessly executed, brimming with charm—and utterly delicious.

[ 39 ] no SquaTTing Zone

[ 40 ] reaDing never geTS olD

After two months of living the Boca life—and gaining international attention—as a modern-day squatter, Andre Barbosa finally was shown the door of the $2.5 million local home in which he had been residing. The 23-yearold Brazilian moved into the foreclosed house after filing an “adverse possession” claim, but Bank of America reclaimed the property in February.

Happy birthday to the Delray Beach Public Library, which turned 100 this spring. What started in 1913 with hardback donations by 40 local women is now a community treasure with hundreds of thousands of books and resources.

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The Swank Farms team in its element

Betty Grinnan and Judith Teller-Kaye, continued to apply pressure to city leaders to take on the “unfunded actuarial liability of the police and firefighters’ retirement system”—a long-winded name for the escalating pension benefits that are threatening to bankrupt many cites and counties throughout the

nation. A recent newsletter by the duo noted that, over the last year, the city’s required contribution to the police and firefighters’ pension plan has increased by almost $1 million—to a whopping $13.2 million. Is the movement gaining momentum? We think so. The longer the city stalls, the louder the protests.

[ 41 ] where There’S Smoke The Boca Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility, championed by local activists

From left: Judith Teller-Kaye and Betty Grinnan

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Boca 100

[ 42-50 ] Where Are They NoW?

Boca Raton catches up with nine influential power players who, in years past, might have been part of any Boca 100 list. where he was managing director even during his Caldwell tenure. He also has done some freelance directing for Palm Beach Dramaworks’ summer concert productions.

Steve ASt then: He spent six years as president of Boca Raton Resort & Club, overseeing the launch of Boca Beach Club and other advancements to the property.

Now: In January, he relocated with his wife and two children to become managing director at the Boulders, a Waldorf Astoria resort in north Scottsdale.

then: The senior curator at the Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens retired this year after 35 years with the celebrated Japanese museum.

Now: Gregersen visits Japan, spends more time with his family and is finishing a book manuscript on the history of the Yamato Colony, to be turned over to the Morikami.

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emily lilly then: The educator-turnedspecial events guru retired

Dorothy PAtterSoN then: After joining the Delray Beach Historical Society in 1990, she quickly became the passionate go-to voice for the city’s rich history. She left her post as DBHS archivist in December.

Now: Retirement has been good to Patterson; she’s taken Spanish and painting lessons and enjoyed vacations in California, the Bay Islands and Mexico.

tom GreGerSeN

Clive CholertoN then: The former artistic director at the Caldwell took the theater in an acclaimed and edgier direction until bankruptcy cut its 2011-2012 season short.

Now: He has since plunged full-time into the financial planning firm United Capitol,

from her position as Boca Raton’s top events coordinator in spring 2012, leaving behind an 18-year legacy that includes the Holiday Boat Parade, the Tree Lighting Ceremony, the Spring Fling and her pride and joy, the Boca Raton Green Market.

Now: She hasn’t slowed down at all, managing green markets in Boca and Deerfield Beach, contributing to nonprofits and starting up her own special events company.

mArk militello then: One of South Florida’s original “Mango Gang” members who took Miami’s culinary scene by storm in the 1980s, the renowned chef launched several eponymous restaurants in South Florida that became casualties of the economic downturn.

Now: These days, he advises 75 Main, the celebrated restaurant/lounge in Delray Beach, while running Syntuitive MJM, a restaurant consulting company.

howArD SChNelleNburGer then: The coach who put football on the map at FAU in 1998 brought bowl victories and a new stadium to the university during his 13 seasons. He stepped down in 2011.

july/august 2013

Amadéus Leopold

Now: FAU retained him as its first-ever Ambassador at Large, tasked to help raise funds for the athletic department. He has enjoyed many high-profile speaking engagements, and he coached the annual Texas vs. the Nation game at Allen, Texas in February.

ALLEN wEsT

EDwARD ViLLELLA Then: The George Balanchine protégé spent 23 years at the helm of Miami City Ballet before his controversial early retirement in 2012.

Now: He moved to a brownstone in New York City this past January, where he teaches master classes at the School of American Ballet.

He continues to stage ballets across the nation, including a revival of Balanchine’s “Prodigal Son” for the Cincinnati Ballet.

Then: The Republican congressman represented Palm Beach County in Florida’s 22nd Congressional District for two years, becoming a darling of the Tea Party movement before losing a contentious reelection bid last November.

Now: He remains an outspoken conservative firebrand, dispersing leftover campaign funds to his nonprofit foundation, an organization aimed at inspiring the next generation of conservative leaders among minority and veteran communities. This spring, Fox News announced that West would be joining the network as a contributor.

visit the july/august “web extras” at bocamag.com for more “where are they Now?” updates, as well as boNus items from this year’s “boca 100” feature.

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[ 51 ] Festival to RemembeR At first it looked like a lineup of relative unknowns—until we looked a little closer. This year’s Festival of the Arts Boca was arguably the best one yet, with wide-ranging performances from the eccentric virtuoso violinist Amadéus Leopold to the Peking Acrobats, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, singer/actress Audra McDonald and more. In short, it was a stellar 10-day wonderland of art and literature in Mizner Park.

We are already looking ahead to what next year will bring.

[ 52-53 ]

GReat News at the GRove Boca Grove Golf and Tennis Club took home major honors in two different arenas: u The U.S. Professional Tennis Association named Richard Centerbar, director of tennis at the Grove for the past 28 years, as its 2013 Florida Pro of the Year. Centerbar was selected from more than 1,600 tennis professionals around the state. u The American Culinary Federation’s Palm Beach County chapter honored Dominick Laudia, executive chef, as its 2012 “Chef of the Year.” It marked the second time in his culinary career that Laudia captured the prestigious honor.

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Boca 100 [ 57 ] donkey kong Is vIndIcated The main gallery at the Boca Raton Museum of Art resounded with bleeps and bloops, chubby plumbers and billowing flowers, hungry ghosts and speedy hedgehogs for a few months last fall when it welcomed “The Art of Video Games.” Surprisingly, this studious exhibition wasn’t just kids’ stuff—the play room was fun, but the exhibit really connected when it justified the artistry of the games’ makers.

[ 58-60 ]

FasHIon Buzz The student track winners from Stadson Technology

[ 54 ] It Pays to Innovate The continued growth of the Business Plan Competition at FAU is not just an inspiration to young, aspiring entrepreneurs.

Business titans, like Home Depot co-founder (and Boca resident) Bernie Marcus, who spoke at the 2013 event, have given it their stamp of approval. This spring, two first-place teams walked away with prizes totaling $55,216.

In the Entrepreneur Track, Aspire Analytics claimed the top spot for a software tool that enables college and high school administrators to identify students at risk of dropping out of online classes. On the Student side of the tracks, Stadson Technology won for its patent-pending software suite, HelpN, that “bridges the gap between users and emergency personnel on campus.”

[ 55 ] RIdIng HIgH The Palm Beach County Convention and Visitors Bureau 100

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John Wash

Delray Marketplace, features an 85-foot-by-55-foot IMAX screen with incredibly invasive (but in a good way) 3D technology, along with a “Frank Digital Extreme” auditorium—complete with 128 audio streams. Not to be outdone, the Cinemark Palace in Boca upped its own game with the addition of an enormous “Extreme Digital” screen best viewed from its posh upper deck.

honored International Polo Club Palm Beach and its president, John Wash, in May with the 2013 Providencia Award. The accolade recognizes the impact that the club has had on the local tourism industry.

u By spring, we were already hearing about strapless silhouettes in heavier, dark fabrics for fall. u Designers also are hot on animal prints, layering leopard, zebra and giraffe patterns to create one wild look. u Get chic with rebellious “punk plaid” patterns, mixed with jeans and heels.

Roberto Cavalli

[ 56 ] BIg scReen Bonanza Our part of the county continues to be at the forefront of the luxury cinema movement (think iPic Theaters at Mizner Park). Frank Theaters CineBowl & Grille, a multiplex/bowling alley/ restaurant hybrid anchoring

Frank Theaters CineBowl & Grille

july/august 2013

[ 61 ] Play Time After a 2011-2012 season rife with closings, recent theater news has been more promising with the launch of a handful of new companies: Outré Theatre Company, which produced a pair of edgy works at the Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center; The Theatre at Arts Garage, which celebrated its first full season of provocative recent plays; Island City Stage, the gaycentric company that rose from the ashes of Fort Lauderdale’s Rising Action Theatre and is now better than ever; and Miami Theater Center, which burst onto the scene last winter with a groundbreaking take on a Chekhov classic. Meanwhile, it was a banner year for the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, which took home eight Carbonell awards at the annual ceremony this past April honoring the best in South Florida theater.

From left: Artistic director Skye Whitcomb and managing director Nori Tecosky of Outré Theatre Company

[ 62 ] in Good Hands Never one to stop looking for ways to serve the community’s less fortunate, Boca Helping Hands launched Café Esperanza, an initiative that will provide job training and education for the area’s unemployed as part of an actual catering department.

[ 63 ] THe sHow musT Go on Costume World’s dynamo owner Marilynn Wick (see Faces, page 76) bought the shuttered Caldwell Theater to house her Broadway Collection Museum as well as stage theater productions.

Renovations are expected to cost upward of $500,000 and be completed by this fall.

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Boca 100

Scott Harris

[ 64 ] It Pays to

Count CalorIes Scott Harris and Olga Kuzenkov launched DeliverLean in 2011, a Boca-based company that delivers portion-controlled healthy meals; already, it’s up to 20,000 meals a month.

Next year, the company will expand to Miami.

[ 65 ] annIe’s Hall at tHe norton The Norton Museum of Art

purchased 42 images from acclaimed portrait photographer Annie Leibovitz, making it the collector of more Leibovitz works than any museum in the United States.

Attendance boomed for the Norton’s exhibition of the indelible photographs, highlighted by a gracious and playful appearance from the artist herself.

[ 66 ] tHree CHeers for amy Boca resident Amy Madill spanned the globe last season in her role as a Miami Dolphins cheerleader. She was one of two cover girls on the 2013 cheerleader swimsuit calendar, which was shot in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. In late September, she and three other cheerleaders entertained U.S. soldiers at several bases in Afghanistan; Madill, part of the squad since 2008, has done multiple military tours during her tenure with the Dolphins, visiting more than 10 countries.

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BoCa events tHat never DIsaPPoInt u The Boating & Beach Bash for People with Disabilities: Director Jay Van Vechten’s inspiring event continues to expand its reach; more than 5,000 attendees, including people with physical and learning disabilities, as well as military veterans, brought Spanish River Park to life in March.

Amy Madill

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Eliana Girard

[ 71-72 ] loCal talent Gets real Two Palm Beach County entertainers claimed titles on network reality shows. u Eliana Girard: The West Palm Beach resident and former Dreyfoos School of the Arts student became the first ballet performer in show history to claim the $125,000 top prize as favorite female dancer on Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance!” u Cassadee Pope: The Wellington High School grad and singer/ songwriter captured Season 3 of NBC’s hit show, “The Voice.” Pope is opening this summer for Rascal Flatts on a tour that stopped in West Palm Beach in June.

u Boca’s Ballroom Battle: Beth Osborne and Richard Pollock took home the top prizes at last year’s popular “Dancing With the Stars”-like competition, which raised $290,000 for the George Snow Scholarship Fund. Boca Raton group editor Marie Speed will be among the participants putting their best feet forward at this August’s big event. u The Allianz Championship: Just when you think this senior golf tournament has exhausted its best storylines, another dramatic Sunday unfolds at the Old Course at Broken Sound.

This year, Rocco Mediate, one day after shooting a courserecord 61, needed a birdie putt on 18 to win his Champions Tour debut. u Stand Among Friends: The third annual Emb(race) fundraising event at FAU drew more than 800 attendees, who ran, walked, strolled and rolled in wheelchairs and handcycles. Supporters raised nearly $120,000 for the nonprofit that provides educational services and business resources to those with physical and cognitive disabilities.

july/august 2013

[ 73 ]

AmphitheAter 2.0 One night there may be a Grammy-winning rock band at Mizner Park Amphitheater; the next, a live sing-a-long to a screening of “The Muppet Movie.” One week in February alone featured a Chinese New Year celebration, a free performance from the Florida Youth Orchestra, and another free show from the Boca Raton Symphonia.

Under the city’s stewardship, the amphitheater is now an “open venue,” meaning that it works with multiple promoters, large and small, contributing greatly to the breadth of its entertainment.

The amphitheater welcomed 109,000 guests in 2012 for its 70 events, up from 46 performances in 2010.

[ 74-75 ]

hipster Dining Comes to BoCA

Ninja Spinning Sushi Bar

u As its name implies, Ninja Spinning Sushi Bar features a sushi bar encircled by a revolving “conveyor belt” of floating dishes. Sushi rolls, sashimi and dim sum bob along on color-coded plates, and diners retrieve whatever they want. And how about those T-shirts, with sayings like: “Miso Hot,” “Wassup My Ninja” and “Wanna Roll?” u Over at Rebel House, the boys from Charm City Burgers and El Jefe Luchador are dishing up wacky yummies like grilled corn with Pecorino Romano and chili-garlic aioli, pork belly tater tots with pepper ketchup, and foie gras French toast with vanilla brioche in a warehouse-meetsurban lounge setting.

[ 76-78 ] Designer AppeArAnCes

Boca’s high-end fashion market drew several big names to our backyard.

Stella McCartney

visit our “shopping” blog at bocamag.com.

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u Stella McCartney, designer extraordinaire and daughter of that guy who played with The Beatles, attended a private event at Town Center’s Saks Fifth Avenue in celebration of her new store within a store. u The colorful and “Happy Chic” Jonathan Adler paid a visit to Neiman Marcus to showcase his 300-plus piece accessory line and meet with shoppers. u Ken Downing, VP and fashion director of Neiman Marcus, was in town to dish on fall 2013 trends and tips.

Downing also styled a runway show for select shoppers.

Note: Check out bocamag.com for stories on all three—and a video with McCartney.

Jonathan Adler

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the

Boca 100 [ 79 ] Burt Bags a Big One

The mastermind behind some of our area’s favorite restaurants—from Deck 84 to Henry’s—received one of the ultimate community compliments from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Kudos to Burt Rapoport for receiving the 2013 Community Excellence award, which honors one business each year that has “found success in the eyes of the community.”

Burt Rapoport

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[ 80 ]

street sense Started by local surfer buddies Stephen Murray, Travis Gleason and Ryan Spaargaren, the Delray Downtowner offers free rides The Delray Downtowner on electric (and eco-friendly) carts. have a superior quality of beef, Pedestrians can hop on a especially now when it seems passing cart if there’s room, some steak houses (you know or they can call for pickup who you are) aren’t serving the from anywhere in downtown quality of beef they used to,” Delray and surrounding explains our food critic, Bill neighborhoods.

Citara. “[Other steak houses [ ] I’ve been to] in the past year We’re seeinG red char their steaks to the point So who needs another steak that you have to break through house? If it’s one like Red, The a crust of bitter, acrid carbon to Steakhouse, which debuted get at the meat. Red cooks its in the Wyndham Garden steaks perfectly.”

Hotel, we say we do. “They

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A Prime offering at Red, The Steakhouse

Dolphins punter Brandon Fields with Sephora Dubreuze

[ 82-86 ] Gifts that

Keep on GivinG

As always, Boca was in the news when it came to benevolent gestures. Here are just some of the donations and scholarships that made headlines. u Members of Miami Dolphins surprised Boca Community High School senior Sephora Dubreuze, whose mother has been ill since she was young, with a $5,000 Sun Life Rising Star scholarship. Sun Life also donated $50,000 to Dubreuze’s supporting nonprofit, American Association of Caregiving Youth. u Best-selling author James Patterson established a scholarship fund in his name with a $60,000 gift to FAU’s College of Education. The fund will provide scholarships to eight students pursuing teaching degrees, with an emphasis on reading education. u Boca resident and LPGA golfer Morgan Pressel once again honored Boca Raton Regional Hospital with a gift from her foundation that created a Center for Cancer Genetics at the Eugene M. & Christine E. Lynn Cancer Institute. u Morton Levitt, chair of FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine’s Integrated Medical Science Department, and wife Cindy announced a $3 million gift to endow scholarships for medical students. u Forty-five high school seniors put their talent to the test at Digital Media Arts College’s annual two-round art competition. The Boca-based college awarded more than $100,000 in scholarships, including the top prize of a full undergraduate scholarship valued at $70,000, won by Spanish River senior Christina Philipp.

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the

Boca 100

[ 87-96 ] Strange but true

Tortuga festival on Fort Lauderdale Beach

The Sunshine State’s reputation as the country’s capital of weird, wild, twisted and inexplicable crimes received plenty of surreal support from South Florida. The following 10 incidents all happened since last September.

But was it delivered in 30 minutes or less? A 346-pound resident of Vero Beach was sentenced to 12 months probation after punching a Domino’s driver in the face for failing to bring his garlic knots. The man claimed he just wanted his money back.

Mother of the year: Boca Raton police pulled over a Delray Beach woman for a routine traffic stop and found her infant sitting next to a bottle of vodka—and holding a marijuana grinder.

Aunt of the year: Boynton Beach police arrested a woman for alleged abuses to her 17-yearold niece. The teen told officers that she was forced to kneel on a metal cheese grater for six hours after her aunt learned that she skipped school.

Reason No. 37 why it might be time to quit: Police arrested a 57-year-old Delray Beach man after he allegedly stabbed a nurse at Delray Medical Center. The man, upset after the nurse explained that smoking was not allowed in the hospital, pulled a pen from his pocket and plunged it into her cheek.

Joan Crawford approves this message: A naked FAU student attempted to break into the home of a 52-year-old Boca man by pounding his window with a fire extinguisher. The man confronted the student, who sprayed him with the extinguisher. The homeowner then wrestled the student to the ground—and bound his wrists and arms with a wire shirt hanger until police arrived.

Heat of the moment: A 53-year-old Boynton Beach man was arrested for having sex on a Manalapan beach after skinny-dipping with his 34-year-old companion. The man, still naked when officers approached, said he knew it was illegal, “but one thing led to another.”

Magic’s biggest secrets revealed: Highland Beach police were initially stumped after twice pulling over a speeding car and finding no one inside. They later figured out that the culprit, a 28-year-old west Boca man, had crawled through the backseat and was hiding in the trunk.

Maybe coconut enhances the flavor: Boca Raton police charged a 27-year-old man with aggravated battery after initially finding him in the middle of the street chanting and holding a coconut over his head. Later, they would discover that the man had bitten off his brotherin-law’s finger.

On the bright side, no cavities: A man arrested in Hollywood for performing dentistry without a license faced a second charge when one of his patients, a 47-year-old woman, accused him of kissing her behind as part of treating her toothache.

Fatal fear factor: According to the medical examiner’s report, a West Palm Beach man choked to death during a bug-eating contest at a Deerfield Beach reptile store when the cockroaches and worms on which he was gorging clogged his windpipe.

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[ 97 ] MuSIC FeStS aMPLIFIeD South Florida has expanded its musical footprint to be the major festival destination it always should have been. The Tortuga Music Festival launched in April with a roots-flavored event on Fort Lauderdale Beach; Miami’s electronic-centric Ultra Music Festival expanded to a second weekend and drew a record 330,000 fans for its 15th annual event; and Miami Gardens’ Jazz in the Gardens festival also shattered previous attendance records, drawing 63,000 jazz lovers to Sun Life Stadium. West Palm Beach’s SunFest, meanwhile, offered its best lineup in years this spring—with acts from Life in Color to The Smashing Pumpkins to Kendrick Lamar. Music promoters, take note. july/august 2013

Christine E. Lynn

[ 98 ] it’s time to Air it out

[ 99 ] AsiAn invAsion

[ 100 ] richly

We were blown away by the surge of blow-dry salons in South Florida. Boca welcomed Blow and Go and SoBlo, and FlyDry Blowdry Bar added a Palm Beach store in addition to its Delray Beach location. No cuts or color here. These special salons strictly focus on washing and styling your luscious locks—perfect for the woman on the go.

This year saw a proliferation of Asian restaurants and noodle bars, and the growing trend toward Asian comfort food, with dishes like chicken and dumplings, fried chicken, ribs and sandwiches all getting an Asian spin. Our new favorite places? Imoto in Palm Beach, Thai Shokun in west Lake Worth and Buddha Sky Bar in Delray Beach.

Congratulations to Christine E. Lynn, Boca Raton’s renowned philanthropist, who was recognized in May by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations with the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor. The award celebrates individuals like Lynn, originally from Norway, who not only have honored their ethnic heritage but who

DeserveD honor

have contributed greatly to the American way of life. Certainly, few have contributed as much to Boca as Lynn, whose name has become synonymous with game-changing community impact in areas ranging from education and nursing to health care and medical research.

Peking duck tacos from Imoto

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A Burmese python tries to hide in the brush of the Everglades.

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Mammoth Burmese pythons are literally eating up scenery in the Florida Everglades and changing a delicate ecosystem in the process. Or are they?

By Lisa Lucas Photography by Alexia Fodere

I

t’s an overcast, early spring morning as Ruben Ramirez and George Brana jump into their gold pickup truck and head into a southern section of the Florida Everglades. The truck winds its way for miles through a maze of narrow dirt roads until finally reaching a path blocked by a locked chain-link gate.

Brana jumps out and opens the gate with a key given to him by the South Florida Water Management Department when he and Ramirez obtained their hunting permits.

They drive through the gate, and Brana climbs onto the truck bed to begin scouting.

“The hardest part is finding them, not catching them,” Brana says of this day’s intended target. “But you have to be alert at all times. There are water moccasins, coral snakes and rattlesnakes out here. One bite from one of them, and you’re gone.”

Ironically, unlike the three venomous varieties Brana referenced, the snake at the top of the Everglades’ Most Wanted List—and the object of today’s hunt—isn’t

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poisonous at all. Moreover, it’s not even indigenous to the area. The Burmese python, native to Southeast Asia and capable of reaching adult lengths of nearly 18 feet, is simply a cold-blooded killer. One that, depending on which expert you ask, is wreaking all kinds of havoc in South Florida’s subtropical wetlands.

If they had their way, Brana and Ramirez—Miami natives, childhood friends and python hunters for the past 20 years— would be on the case full-time, scouring the brush for slithering creatures that some believe are altering the ecosystem in the Everglades. But, for now, no government entity is paying for such a service.

So Ramirez, founder of Florida Python Hunters and a licensed hunter with the Florida Wildlife Commission, and Brana (also licensed) go out on their own (and at their own expense), searching for monstrous carnivores that have devoured everything in the Everglades from deer and bobcats to raccoons and even alligators.

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Ruben Ramirez, founder of Florida Python Hunters, gets up close with the catch of the day.

O

n this day, both men are wearing knee-high hard-tipped boots, jeans and matching long-sleeved orange T-shirts, which makes them easier to spot when deep in the brush.

Oddly, neither man is wearing gloves nor holding a weapon. And neither seems the least bit nervous. Brana does mention that Miami has the biggest anti-venom center in the country—but, in the same breath, he notes that they would never get here in time.

“So watch your step,” he says to a firsttime “hunter.”

Just then, a 6-foot alligator slides off the bank of a canal, only a few feet away, and makes a loud splashing sound. In light of Brana’s list of lethal dangers hiding in the mist, the sight of the alligator is almost comforting. At least you can see the enemy.

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For the next two hours, Ramirez and Brana split up. Ramirez, obsessed with carnivorous reptiles since he was attacked by a corn snake as a child (“Love at first bite,” he says), meticulously combs through every inch of brush along the canal levees, sending several large gators into the water and a flock of ducks into the air.

“When it’s cold, the snakes come out onto the rocks or ground to warm themselves, like recharging their batteries so they can hunt at night,” Ramirez says. “In season, mango trees drop their fruit, which attracts rats. That attracts pythons.”

Brana sets off through dense, dry marsh toward a wetland lake. Dry cattails and brush crunch loudly under foot, and branches come from nowhere, slapping faces and arms. Each touch and sound sets

off silent alarms that make the hearts of the novices in this group race with anticipation.

Brana spots a trail in the straw ground cover and, like an Indian tracker, begins to follow it. But before he can get very far, Ramirez calls.

He’s found a python.

An Elusive Problem Each year, more than a million visitors explore Everglades National Park, hiking the wetlands, boating through the swamps, and photographing the beautiful flora and fauna of the ecosystem, one of the world’s largest.

The Everglades’ 1.5 million acres are home to nearly 70 endangered species as well as some 350 species of birds, 300 species of fresh and saltwater fish, 40 species of mammals and 50 species of reptiles. july/august 2013

How DiD THey GeT Here?

Pythons were first discovered in the Everglades in 1979, according to researchers at the University of Florida, becoming an established species by the late 1990s. It seems hardly possible that such a relative newcomer could threaten such a thriving expanse of natural splendor. If nothing else, pythons have captured our attention, propelling everyone from activists and scientists to television networks and government workers to explore the situation.

Thus far, however, the findings are anything but conclusive.

Various reports estimate that there are anywhere from 10,000 to 100,000 pythons in the Everglades. Some experts say that it’s impossible to place a figure on the number of pythons, let alone assess their direct impact on such known trends as declining mammal and bird populations.

One of those experts is Chuck Collins, regional director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), who says there’s no way to know for certain how many pythons are in the Everglades— not until further research and data is collected. The one thing Collins is certain about is that Burmese pythons “don’t belong here in Florida.”

“Alligators are predators, but they are part of the ecosystem—and they do belong here,” Collins says. “[Pythons] threaten the fragile ecosystem. Once they reach a certain size, they are at the top of the food chain.

They’ll eat anything and everything.”

FWC commissioner “Alligator” Ron Bergeron—a Davie businessman, philanthropist and fifth-generation Gladesman—has been involved with the region’s restoration for 20 years. While he recognizes that other issues plague the Everglades’ welfare, he also sees pythons as a real and serious threat.

“They are destroying my backyard where my ancestors and I grew up,” Bergeron says.

“Pythons are dangerous because of their ability to camouflage so well. They are hunting ‘opportunists,’ who let their food come to them. ... They are capable of destroying our entire ecosystem.”

The problem is that no one, at least to this point, can produce definitive numbers or quantify the correlation between the python population and native species decline.

A January 2012 article in PNAS (Proceedfollow the leader

Some might recall the urban myth that sewers in New York City were teeming with alligators because people who bought them as pets later flushed them down the toilets.

Did South Florida pet owners elevate myth to reality by dumping Burmese pythons—which are native to Southeast Asia and, ironically, endangered there—in the Florida Everglades?

Well, not entirely. Experts do blame pet owners for releasing unwanted snakes and other non-native species into the Everglades, but the real culprit seems to be the pet industry in general.

A 20-year study by Kenneth Krysko, herpetology collection manager at the Florida Museum of Natural History on the campus of UF, found that 137 non-native species—from Nile monitor lizards to Cuban tree frogs—were introduced to Florida between 1863 and 2010. The number one cause? The pet trade.

According to the FWC, world travel, the Internet and international mail are among the leading methods by which exotic species enter the United States. However, the FWC notes, “the greatest pathway by which non-native fish and wildlife species find their way into Florida’s habitats is through escape or release by pet owners.”

For other experts, Hurricane Andrew is to blame for the proliferation of Burmese pythons in the Everglades.

“During Andrew, many exotic pet breeding grounds were destroyed,” FWC commissioner Ron Bergeron says. “The pythons got loose and were drawn to the neighboring Everglades because [it is] similar to their native environment.”

Python hunter George Brana agrees that the breeding farms “kicked off” the python population boom.

“The Everglades is a perfect habitat for pythons,” Brana says. “The climate is tropical, there was plenty of food, and they acclimated quickly and reproduced.

“It’s pretty unlikely that someone released a female python [in one part of the Everglades], someone else released a male, and over millions of acres they somehow met, mated and started a colony.”

FWC commissioner Ron Bergeron [ bocamag.com ]

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George Brana (left) also has been catching snakes since his youth.

Long and Short of It

Here are some basic statistics and facts regarding Burmese pythons found in the Everglades.

AverAge life spAn: 15 to 25 years AverAge size: 8 feet to 18 feet Weight: Up to 200+ pounds Diet: Small to mid-sized mammals, amphibians, reptiles and birds hoW they kill: By constriction, coiling around and suffocating prey reproDuction: Females can lay up to 100 eggs, which they incubate for two to three months.

DiD you knoW: Though primarily land dwellers, Burmese pythons can stay underwater for up to 30 minutes.

—Source: National Geographic

Carli Segelson, FWC public information officer, shows off a new friend during a python event at Miami Metro Zoo.

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ings of National Academy of Sciences), authored by 11 eco-experts, made the case that Burmese pythons have eaten so many small mammals in the Everglades that populations of rabbits and foxes have disappeared—and that the numbers of raccoons, opossums and bobcats have dropped as much as 99 percent. The conclusion?

“Numerous lines of evidence implicate introduced Burmese pythons as the primary cause of dramatic declines of several species of once-abundant mammals.”

The researchers based their findings mostly on the number of animal encounters (both alive and roadkill) while traveling more than 40,000 miles throughout the park (at night) between 2003 and 2011. Those results were compared to results of a similar study, in the same areas, conducted in 199697—before Burmese pythons had become an established species in the park.

“The magnitude of these declines underscores the apparent incredible density of pythons in Everglades National Park,” said lead author Michael Dorcas in a 2012 CNN interview. He also noted that there could be other explanations for the decline, such as “climate change, disease, hydrological management, or factors like competition for shared prey, such as rabbits, which are [a staple for foxes and bobcats].”

Carli Segelson, public information officer for the FWC, agrees that the python population may not be the only factor affecting july/august 2013

Ramirez and Brana bring home a 10-foot Burmese python.

In Case oF a sIghTIng the native species decline. Water levels, for example, were higher in 1996, forcing more mammals to higher ground—where they were easier to count. “Until we get more scientific evidence from the necropsies of captured pythons,” Segelson says, “we can’t put an accurate number on it.”

The Killing Fields With no natural enemy in the Everglades, it’s up to man to somehow wrap its arms around the python problem.

In 2012, the FWC put the Burmese python on the “prohibited species” list, and in 2013 they were listed as “conditional species.” This means that it’s against the law for anyone in Florida to acquire or possess, transport, import or trade a Burmese python (or for anyone to bring one into the state)—unless they owned it before July 2010 or if they have a federal permit and are licensed. follow the leader

The FWC, in conjunction with the University of Florida, also sponsored a much-publicized “Python Challenge” in January. More than 1,600 amateur and professional python hunters entered the monthlong competition, which awarded cash prizes for catching the most pythons and for catching the longest python. Pythons had to be dead before they were turned over to the FWC; many amateurs used guns to shoot the snakes in the head, as suggested by the online tutorial that registrants were required to take.

Ramirez captured the grand prize ($1,500) in the permit holder’s division, bagging 18 pythons. A first-time hunter, Brian Barrows of Fort Myers, won the amateur competition with six kills. The longest python captured measured 14 feet, 3 inches.

Although only 68 pythons total were caught, many associated with the event felt the challenge was a success. All but one of

To report a python sighting—or to learn how to identify invasive species of all kinds—go to ivegot1.org or call 888/483-4681.

For more information on Burmese pythons and other invasive species visit myfwc.com.

the captured snakes were shipped to UF’s Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center; the largest male was implanted with transmitters and released into the wild so that wildlife officials, hopefully, can find breeding females.

The event “raised awareness [regarding the] python problem and the consequences of releasing exotic pets into the wild,” according to the FWC’s Collins, who added that the commission plans on hosting another challenge in a few years.

“We saved taxpayers money. It was a creative way to help control the animals, and it will yield us a treasure trove of research data.”

However, not everyone agreed. According [ bocamag.com ]

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Dead snakes from the recent “python challenge” were transported to the University of Florida’s research center in Davie.

Shocking Snake StorieS

Burmese pythons have made their share of jaw-dropping headlines in Florida.

September 2005: Everglades National Park releases a nowfamous image of a 13-foot Burmese that devoured an alligator, causing its midsection to explode. A later theory suggests that a second gator may have battled the python after the meal, causing the snake to burst.

July 2009: An 8-foot albino Burmese escapes its pet cage at a home in Oxford, some 50 miles north of Orlando, and strangles and kills a 2-year-old girl in her crib.

OctOber 2011: Contractors come across a nearly 16-foot Burmese python on an island outside of Everglades National Park.

The snake, which has a 44-inch girth in its midsection, is killed; a necropsy shows that the python has swallowed a 76-pound deer. mAy 2013: A former Burmese python pet owner spots one while driving in rural Miami that ends up measuring 18 feet, 8 inches (and weighing 128 pounds)—the longest python ever captured in Florida. The prior record, established nine months earlier, involved a python measuring 17 feet, 7 inches—and carrying 87 eggs.

A University of Florida researcher begins a necropsy.

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july/august 2013

Michael Peters

WaNT To HuNT PyTHoNs? The FWC allows Burmese python hunting yearround, as long as hunters obtain a permit and follow the rules.

According to official guidelines: “Applicants must be Florida residents, possess a digital camera and GPS unit, and have experience capturing wild snakes, handling aggressive snakes and working in remote areas. [Hunters must] file trip reports with the FWC within 36 hours. .... Snakes can be captured by hand, with nets or snares, or with firearms on some properties. Pythons may be euthanized on-site by humane methods, taken to a veterinary office for euthanizing by a veterinarian, or dropped off live at several approved facilities.”

Rules also stipulate that permit holders “can sell the hide and meat, thus providing a type of compensation.” It’s noted that heavy levels of mercury have been found in Burmese pythons, which are not recommended for human consumption.

For more information, visit myfwc.com/ license/wildlife/nonnative-species/python-permit-program.

to Michael Peters, a contractor who’s been hunting pythons for the past decade, the challenge “was a terrible idea,” more spectacle than fact-finding mission.

“They let a bunch of clueless idiots pay $25, gave them a T-shirt and let them loose in the Everglades,” Peters says. “They are not out there to protect the Everglades.

They just want to party and kill stuff. So a lot of native snakes got killed.”

Don’t tell the man who received the corpses that killing the snakes didn’t serve a purpose. According to Frank Mazzotti, a biologist at UF who is heading the Burmese python research project, the challenge will yield considerable information and valuable pieces to the Everglades puzzle.

“The question we have to answer is how is the disappearance of mammals related to the increase in pythons,” Mazzotti says.

“We have to look at water patterns, human presence and agricultural developmental changes in the Everglades and figure out how to separate the factors. The data we are going to get from these snakes is going to go a long way in helping us identify the pythons’ habits.” follow the leader

In the lab, Mazzotti and his team perform a necropsy on each python, meticulously analyzing every bit of data, especially feces, reproductive organs, eggs and stomach content. The process is painstaking, but Mazzotti is convinced that, with patience and diligence, the end will justify the means.

“By analyzing their diet, we can figure out where they are and what they are eating,” Mazzotti says. “These snakes are ambush hunters that hang out on the edge of the water, so mammals, birds, reptiles are all potential prey.”

Not all of Mazzotti’s work is inside the lab. He has placed radio-tracking devices on several male pythons, and he goes on weekly “tracking” expeditions. During mating season, the males will lead researchers to females; sometimes they find snakes in a “mating ball,” where several males are attempting to mate with one female.

“So far, we’ve captured about 30 pythons using the trackers,” Mazzotti says. “Usually males are captured more than females because they are more active and cover more ground. But they are stealthy and very hard to find.”

He notes that pythons reproduce in large quantities, with females laying as many as 90, perhaps even 100 eggs, at a time.

Mazzotti is asked to estimate how many pythons he believes are in the Everglades.

He smiles and says, “I’d rather be purposely vague than definitively wrong.”

The Never-ending Hunt Back on the levee, Brana joins Ramirez, who is holding a 10-foot Burmese python. He allows the snake to wrap itself around him before gently uncoiling it, placing it back on the ground and heading back to the truck for his canvas bags. You might think the snake would slither quickly away; instead it slides slowly under some dead brush and within an instant is almost invisible. It makes no attempt to escape, perhaps because it thinks no one can see it.

“The thing that makes pythons so dangerous is their ability to camouflage themselves.

She was right here,” Ramirez says, kicking at a patch of dry brush on the side of the path.

“I practically stepped on her, and I might continued on page 158 [ bocamag.com ]

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Congratulations!

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Visit 18 restaurants in downtown Delray Beach and sample delicious food paired with wine, beer or a cocktail. Buy your dining passport for access to these special tastings and drink pairings, which are available only during the exclusive two-night event. Plus, use it as often as you like for 3 months (July 1–Sept. 30) of dining deals before and after the event. One dollar ($1) from each passport sold will be donated to the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum.

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Purchase a passport for $30 cash at any of the participating restaurants listed in this section (while supplies last). $1 from each passport sold will be donated to the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum.

Q: wHat do I receIve? a: 18 tastes and 3 montHs of dInIng promotIons

Your passport entitles you to complimentary tastings and wine, beer or cocktails during the Tastemakers of Delray event, Thursday, Aug. 8 and Friday, Aug. 9. In addition, you’ll receive fabulous foodie promotions at participating restaurants starting July 1 and running through Sept. 30.

Q: wHere can I park? a: parkIng garages

The city’s biggest parking garage is in Pineapple Grove, at the corner of Northeast Second Avenue and Northeast First Street. Parking will be $5. There are many other free parking lots and valet spots throughout downtown. Check out downtowndelraybeach.com/events for details and maps.

Q: How do I get around? a: sHuttLe servIce or waLk

Downtown Delray Beach is a walkable town, and all the restaurants are located within 14 blocks. There is also free shuttle service on Atlantic Avenue from First Avenue to the beach with seven convenient stops from 4:30 to 10 p.m.

Q: How do I sHare tHIs event wItH a frIend? a: vIa onLIne or socIaL medIa

Log onto bocamag.com or downtowndelraybeach.com/events to share the link with your friends and family. You also can check Boca Raton and Delray Beach magazine’s Facebook pages for updates. Remind your friends that passports are limited, so they need to stop by the participating restaurants to purchase them!

Contact the Downtown Development Authority for more information: 561/243-1077.

twitter: @ bocamag Facebook.com/bocamag

special advertising section | tastemakers of delray beach

50 Ocean

Floor-to-ceiling windows offering Delray’s most breathtaking ocean views, coupled with Chef Blake Malatesta’s delightful seafood-inspired menu await you at 50 Ocean. Indulge your culinary senses, or just enjoy a classic cocktail sitting at the most beautiful bar on the beach!

tasting

Lobster Gazpacho

Brulé Bistro

Cabana El Rey

A chic and casual bistro tucked away in the Pineapple Grove district of Delray Beach serving modern American cuisine, artisan wines, craft beers and hand-crafted cocktails.

Serving quality Nuevo Latino Fare since 1994. A meal at Cabana transports diners to an island vacation.

tasting tasting Seared Diver Scallop

with truffled parsnip puree and shiitake pea relish

fresh Maine lobster, cucumber melon salad, essence of gazpacho and blood-orange patron foam

pairing

pairing

Cedilla Açai Caipirinha

the caipirinha, the national drink of brazil, is made here with leblon cachaca and the first true açai liqueur, cedilla, an all-natural product made with 100-percent organic berries from the amazon rainforest

pairing

Honey Jack Lemonade

Honey Jack daniels shaken with fresh lemon juice and mint

passport dining special

complimentary appetizer

witH purcHase of 2 luncHes and 2 beverages (liMit 1 per table) Use your Tastemakers Passport as often as you would like for the offer above July 1 – September 30, 2013.

50 S. Ocean Blvd.

561/278-3364 • 50ocean.com

Anticuchos

marinated skirt steak skewers topped with a rocoto and red onion salsa

Baileyana Chardonnay

with exotic pineapples and guavas; new oak and lees aging add richer notes of buttered toast and cream

passport dining special

passport dining special

15% off entire check

10% off any food purchase

sundays only

Use your Tastemakers Passport as often as you would like for the offer above July 1 – September 30, 2013.

200 N.E. Second Ave. 561/274-2046 • brulebistro.com special advertising section | tastemakers of delray beach

alcoHol not included

Use your Tastemakers Passport as often as you would like for the offer above July 1 – September 30, 2013.

105 E. Atlantic Ave. 561/274-9090 • cabanarestaurant.com

Caffé Luna Rosa

Casa di Pepe

Caffé Luna Rosa is the oldest Italian restaurant in Delray Beach. Luna Rosa offers an oceanview dining experience where great food and a great environment come together.

Casa di Pepe in Delray’s Pineapple Grove district serves up fresh classic Italian dishes. Just off Atlantic Avenue, come join us in our dining room or outside patio for a beautiful evening out where you are treated like family.

Deck 84

Deck 84 was voted Boca Raton magazine’s Best Waterfront Dining and Best Bar Food for 2013. Deck 84 is Delray Beach’s favorite waterfront dining destination.

tasting tasting

Florida Lobster and Crab Bisque

homemade bisque with fresh lump crab and florida lobster tail meat finished with cream and sherry

tasting Bruschetta Fresca

a combination of local grown tomatoes and basil with a hint of crushed garlic and olive oil, all topped on a crusty toasted baguette with parmesan cheese

pairing

Ahi Tuna Ceviche

with coconut-lime marinade, avocado, mango, Bermuda onion, habanero and crispy lotus root

Dark n’ Stormy

pairing

Mount gay Black Barrel rum, ginger beer and fresh lime

pairing

Cupcake Riesling a medium-bodied riesling with a nice lingering fruit flavor making it a spot-on choice for lobster and crab dishes; foodfriendly wine

Frescobaldi Rémole Toscana reveals red and dark fruit lifted by black pepper spices and liquorice—a classic wine for all dishes

passport dining special

passport dining special

passport dining special

free bottle of wine

buy 1 entrée, get 2nd entrée 50% off

half off bottles of wine

with purchase of 2 entreés; 2 free Bottles with purchase of 4 entreés; house choice; sun.-thu.; not valid on holidays

Monday-thursday; not valid with any other offer; one per taBle

Use your Tastemakers Passport as often as you would like for the offer above July 1 – September 30, 2013.

Use your Tastemakers Passport as often as you would like for the offer above July 1 – September 30, 2013.

34 S. Ocean Blvd.

561/274-9404 • caffelunarosa.com

189 N.E. Second Ave. • 561/279-7371 casadipepeofdelray.com

Monday-thursday

Use your Tastemakers Passport as often as you would like for the offer above July 1 – September 30, 2013.

special advertising section | tastemakers of delray beach

840 E. Atlantic Ave. 561/665-8484 • deck84.com

DIG

El Patron

DIG (doing it green) is Delray Beach’s only organic restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. With seating in our courtyard and all-natural beef, chicken and sustainable fish, DIG is a great dining destination. Come experience “Organic on Atlantic.”

If you’re looking for good times and tasty Mexican cuisine, you’ve come to the right place. At El Patron we offer authentic Mexican cuisine served in a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere. Our tequila bar serves over 140 different quality tequilas.

tasting

tasting Lamb Lollipops

with tzatziki sauce and date salad or a vegan option

pairing Organic Screwdriver

Mama’s Pork Carnitas Tacos with arugula, chihuahua cheese, pico de gallo and pickled onion

HiWay Burger

We are committed to providing our customers with a smile and friendly service as well as “Simply Good Always Fresh” burgers, shakes and fries. We have created a bright, fun, enjoyable environment with enthusiastic staff and management team here to serve you.

For your convenience, we offer online ordering at hiwayburger.com.

tasting

that are fresh and never frozen with delicious potato buns, top quality iceberg lettuce, plump ripe tomatoes and real allamerican cheese

pairing Anderra Carmenere, Chile, Baron Philippe de Rothschild

with organic orange juice and organic rain vodka or a virgin screwdriver

100% All-Beef Patties

pairing

black currant and blackberry aromas open up to reveal bright strawberry and cherry notes, and a subtle spicy character

Shakes

made with the freshest all natural dairy products

passport dining special

passport dining special

passport dining special

$5 off lunch or dinner

$5 off dinner

10% off entire check of $5 or more

Use your Tastemakers Passport as often as you would like for the offer above July 1 – September 30, 2013.

Use your Tastemakers Passport as often as you would like for the offer above July 1 – September 30, 2013.

1122 E. Atlantic Ave. 561/330-3181 • elpatrondelray.com

12 S.E. Fifth Ave. 561/243-6430 • hiwayburger.com

with purchase of a beverage

with purchase of a beverage Use your Tastemakers Passport as often as you would like for the offer above July 1 – September 30, 2013.

777 E. Atlantic Ave. 561/279-1002 • digdelray.com

special advertising section | tastemakers of delray beach

Lemongrass

Lemongrass Delray Beach has been the place to go for Thai, Japanese sushi and Vietnamese since opening. The eclectic expansive menu will have you coming back multiple times to see how one little kitchen can put out so much.

With all rolls and dishes made to order, the chefs can create just about anything to your liking. The notable wine and sake list provides the perfect pairing to any entrée. Zagat 2004–2008: Excellent; Sun-Sentinel: Top 10 Asian Restaurants in Florida; Florida Trend: Best New 20 Restaurants in South Florida.

tasting

Off the Ave

Off the Ave Food & Spirits is one of Delray Beach’s favorite local hangouts, located just “Off the Ave” on South Federal Highway. Our pizza and sandwiches are the best in town. We provide a great local atmosphere suitable for people of all ages, whether on the way to the beach or a night out on the town.

tasting

Authentic New York-Style Pizza

made with the freshest all-natural ingredients and imported cheeses

The Office

The Office on Atlantic Avenue in Delray pairs your favorite comfort foods with unique modifications, keeping your taste buds wanting more.

Offering a huge selection of delicious food and tasty beverages, The Office sets the perfect vintage-meets-chic atmosphere for any kind of gathering.

tasting Fancy Fried Green Tomatoes with spiced shrimp, cheddar cheese, crispy serrano bits and green onion aioli

pairing

pairing

Sushi Assortment

pairing Saketini

Harpoon UFO White

passport dining special

passport dining special

10% off entire check

$5 off purchase of $20 or more

not valid for sunset menu, happy hour special, email/text promotions and coupons Use your Tastemakers Passport as often as you would like for the offer above July 1 – September 30, 2013.

420 E. Atlantic Ave. 561/278-5050 • lemongrassasianbistro.com

Magic Hat #9

light, crisp, refreshing ufo White follows in the tradition of spiced wheat beers that have been brewed in Belgium for over 300 years

a sort of dry, crisp, refreshing, not quite pale ale, #9 is really impossible to describe because there’s never been anything else quite like it. 5.1% aBv

passport dining special

15% off lunch or dinner

may not Be comBined With any other offers

sunday-thursday; excludes Bar seating

Use your Tastemakers Passport as often as you would like for the offer above July 1 – September 30, 2013.

19 S.E. Fifth Ave. 561/450-6768 offtheavedelray.com

Use your Tastemakers Passport as often as you would like for the offer above July 1 – September 30, 2013.

201 E. Atlantic Ave. 561/276-3600 • theofficedelray.com

special advertising section | tastemakers of delray beach

Orange Leaf

SoLita

America’s Frozen Yogurt

Italian Restaurant and The Parlor Lounge

Orange Leaf is a self-serve, choose-your-own-toppings frozen yogurt shop where customers are the master of their own dessert.

We’ve got more than 16 flavors to choose from and plenty of outdoor seating for those warm summer nights. Come by today and see why we’re America’s Frozen Yogurt.

SoLita Italian restaurant offers delectable Italian specialties, exotic culinary cocktails, and a sizzling latenight atmosphere. From happy hour to after dark, it’s the perfect place for an intimate date, dining with friends or hosting a fabulous dinner party.

tasting

tasting

SoLita Signature House Made Meatball

Sundy House

Dine indoors or al fresco amid paradise at the award-winning Sundy House, overlooking one acre of lush, tropical gardens. Inspired by the seasons, Executive Chef Lindsay Autry infuses her special brand of Southern soulfulness into her innovative, culinary creations.

tasting

served with San Marzano tomato sauce, fresh basil and ricotta cheese

Frozen Yogurt

Black-eyed Pea and Orzo Greek Salad with vine ripe tomatoes, feta and house-pickled vegetables

pairing

pairing

Las Rocas

Housemade Italian Sangria

deep pink color offering a fragrant bouquet of strawberry, cherry and rhubarb leading to a medium-bodied, fleshy wine with tons of flavor, excellent depth and a vibrant personality

made with a delicious variety of selected red wines, fresh seasonal fruit including strawberries, oranges, pineapple and blueberries mixed with a variety of flavorful fruit liqueurs

paSSporT dining Special

paSSporT dining Special

paSSporT dining Special

10% off your purchase

15% off enTire check

free glass of house wine or champagne

Sunday-ThurSday. May noT be coMbined wiTh any oTher offerS or proMoTionS

wiTh The purchaSe of an appeTizer; Valid for lunch and dinner; noT aVailable aT bar or wiTh any proMoTional MenuS; liMiT one per paSSporT

Use your Tastemakers Passport as often as you would like for the offer above July 1 – September 30, 2013.

Use your Tastemakers Passport as often as you would like for the offer above July 1 – September 30, 2013.

25 N.E. Second Ave. 561/899-0888 • solitaitalian.com

106 S. Swinton Ave. 561/272-5678 • sundyhouse.com

of a cup of yogurT. May noT be coMbined wiTh oTher offerS Use your Tastemakers Passport as often as you would like for the offer above July 1 – September 30, 2013.

418 E. Atlantic Ave. 561/894-8230 • orangeleafyogurt.com

special advertising section | tastemakers of delray beach

SWIG Wine Bar

Vic & Angelo’s

Sip wine in the Grove, sit outside and enjoy wine from all over the world paired with exciting Mediterranean small plates with a focus on Italian cuisine brought to you from Executive Chef Antonio. Live music Thursdays 6-9:30 p.m. Pets welcome.

Want to know what classic Italian tastes like? Vic & Angelo’s is the answer. Using our coal oven that heats to 1,200 degrees, Vic & Angelo’s offers delicious menu items such as the infamous giant Kobe beef meatballs, handmade fresh mozzarella, cold antipasto plate and a variety of handmade pastas.

tasting

Ziree

Ziree Thai & Sushi is the place to experience the art of eating well.

Quality food and service in an elegant Zen atmosphere creates the finest dining experience.

tasting Steamed Dumpling

stuffed with chicken and shrimp, bamboo shoots, water chestnut, and shitake mushroom served with house special sauce

Fagottini al Tartufo

homemade pasta filled with whipped black and white truffle butter in a truffle cream sauce, garnished with shaved truffle

tasting

Four Cheese Pear Tortelloni

with truffle cream sauce

pairing

pairing

Centonze Grillo

100% sicilian grillo— light yellow in color with greenish reflections, aromas of pleasant citrus and mediterranean herb notes, has a supple, long finish

Lychee Saketini

passport dining special

passport dining special

15% off dinner

$69.95 dinner for two

tuesday-saturday 5-11 p.m.

with a bottle of house wine

Use your Tastemakers Passport as often as you would like for the offer above July 1 – September 30, 2013.

passport dining special

15% off entire check

not valid for takeout or gift certificate purchase; can’t be combined with any other offers

Use your Tastemakers Passport as often as you would like for the offer above July 1 – September 30, 2013.

145 N.E. 4th Ave. • 561/243-2004 crepesbythesea.com

290 E. Atlantic Ave. 561/278-9570 • vicandangelos.com

Use your Tastemakers Passport as often as you would like for the offer above July 1 – September 30, 2013.

401 W. Atlantic Ave., 561/276-6549 • zireethai.com

special advertising section | tastemakers of delray beach

1

1

Ziree Thai & SuShi 401 W. Atlantic Ave.

2

Sundy houSe 106 S. Swinton Ave.

3

Cabana el rey 105 E. Atlantic Ave.

4

brulé biSTro 200 N.E. 2nd Ave.

5

CaSa di pepe 189 N.E. 2nd Ave.

6

SoliTa delray 25 N.E. 2nd Ave.

9

7

The offiCe 201 E. Atlantic Ave.

N.E. 5th Ave.

8

viC & angelo’S 290 E. Atlantic Ave.

9

SWig Wine bar 145 N.E. 4th Ave.

10

orange leaf 418 E. Atlantic Ave.

11

lemongraSS 420 E. Atlantic Ave.

12

hiWay burger 12 S.E. 5th Ave.

13

off The ave 19 S.E. 5th Ave.

14

dig 777 E. Atlantic Ave.

15

deCk 84 840 E. Atlantic Ave.

16

el paTron 1122 E. Atlantic Ave.

17

Caffé luna roSa 34 S. Ocean Blvd.

18

50 oCean 50 S. Ocean Blvd.

N.W. 1st Ave.

Swinton Avenue

Swinton Avenue

S.E. 1st Ave.

N.E. 1st Ave.

3

Pineapple Grove Way

7

8

5

6

R ai lr oa

S.E. 3rd Ave.

N.E. 4th Ave.

S.E. 4th Ave.

11

12 13

I nt r a c

Seabreeze Avenue

18

Marriott 10 N. Ocean Blvd.

17

Ocean

At l a n t i

Boule

c Ocean $5.00 parking garage

vard S

t at e R

oad A1

A

shuttle bus stop (last pick up at the

Marriott to parking garage will be 10:00pm)

special advertising section | tastemakers of delray beach

BEACH DRIVE

Salina Ave.

Sea Spray Avenue

Andrews Avenue

Waterway Lane

16

ay

Vista Del Mar Drive

Bronson Ave.

Wat e r w

Thomas St.

Palm Ave.

oastal Lowry Street

Miramar Street

INGRAHAM AVENUE

Gleason Street

ATLANTIC AVENUE

ne D rive

N.E. 4th St.

Way

15

M cFar le

N.E. 3rd St.

N.E. 1st Ct.

M ar in e

N.E. 7th Ave.

14

Palm Square

N.E. 3rd Ave.

d Ave .

N.E. 6th Ave.

N.E. 1st St.

S.E. 7th Ave.

N.E. 2nd Ave.

N.E. 2nd St.

S.E. 6th Ave.

ATLANTIC AVENUE

S.E. 1st St.

S.E. 2nd St.

10

4

N.E. 2nd St.

S.E. 2nd Ave.

Old School Square Parking Garage

N.E. 4th St.

N.E. 3rd St.

Federspiel Parking Garage

S.E. 5th Ave.

N.E. 4th St.

2

N.W. 2nd Ave.

N.E. 3rd St.

S.W. 1st Ave.

N.W. 2nd St.

S.W. 2nd Ave.

N.W. 4th Ave.

N.W. 3rd Ave.

ATLANTIC AVENUE

S.W. 2nd St.

S.W. 3rd Ave.

Martin Luther King Blvd.

N.W. 1st St.

S.W. 4th Ave.

S.W. 1st St.

S.W. 5th Ave.

Use your passport at any of these Tastemakers locations:

N.W. 6th Ave.

S.W. 6th Ave.

Boca Raton’s

insider advertising • promotions • events

Aug. 28

Back to School DayS at Boca center excluSive event with Dr. DarDano Join Dr. Anthony N. Dardano on August 28 at The Addison as he wraps up his participation in the Boca Ballroom Battle. Enjoy lunch and learn about the latest advancements in cosmetic surgery and aesthetics that Dr. Dardano can provide. Please RSVP to reserve your seat.

951 n.w. 13th St., Suite 4D, Boca raton 561/361-0065 • drdardano.com

caSa coSta conDominium

Casa Costa is a luxury condominium located on the picturesque Intracoastal in Boynton Beach. Casa Costa provides an outstanding resort amenity package including a fitness facility, two pools, two private beach clubs and a Jitney service. One-, two- and three-bedroom townhouses range from $150s to mid-$500s.

450 n. Federal highway, Ph-5, Boynton Beach 561/404-5821 • casacostacondos.com

Panera Bread at Boca Center will be hosting a back-toschool character breakfast in early August featuring fun and creative activities to get those little minds ready for school!

Details will be released on bocacenter.com/events and The Shops at Boca Center on Facebook for this and other family-friendly events this summer at Boca Center.

5050 town center circle, Suite 201, Boca raton 561/361-9804 • bocacenter.com/events

the marcuS neuroScience inStitute Boca Raton Regional Hospital is using a $25 million grant from the Marcus Foundation to create the Marcus Neuroscience Institute on the hospital's main campus.

Scheduled for completion in spring of 2014, the Institute will serve as a new, state-of-the-art nexus of care for neurological and neurosurgical patients in South Florida.

800 meadows road, Boca raton 561/955-7100 • brrh.com

Visit bocamag.com/events for more information.

dining south fla.

guide

[ 128 ] [ 130 ] [ 132 ] [ 134 ] [ 136 ] [ 140 ] [ 142 ] [ 144 ]

HMF review pellegrino’s review burger wars buzz bites only in delray neigHborHood pick only in boca discovery

Wild salmon yakitori

HMF

aaron bristol

The Breakers in Palm Beach scores with a restaurant that delivers inventive, hip and contemporary small-plate offerings. Check out food editor Bill Citara’s review on the following page.

stars next to restaurants in the guide: Boca raton Hall of famer

follow the leader

[ bocamag.com ]

127

dining

guide

review

HMF

1 S. County Road, Palm Beach, 561/290-0104

128

[ bocamag.com ]

AAron bristol

H

MF is the Clark Kent of Save some props for the restaurants. kitchen crew, however, which You’re sitting in the executes the eclectic, extensive posh Adam Tihany-designed (and quite affordable) menu space in the historic Breakers re- with aplomb. You can practically sort, an icon of Old Palm Beach, close your eyes and point at the where the atmosphere is so menu and find something good staid it’s almost reverential and to eat, but I’d suggest beginning opulence flows like liquid gold with HMF’s terrific warm onion over every available surface. and Parmesan dip, a tuxedo-clad Then you open the menu ... reimagining of a 1950s standby, and what is this?! to be scooped by tissue-thin finWild boar empanaditas and gerling potato chips.

Korean-style short ribs? Lamb Then, perhaps, some finger meatballs with Spanish molé and food—like the wild boar empawild salmon yakitori? Pumpkin naditas, pillows of golden-brown praline bread puddough with a faintly ding and buttergamy filling and scotch panna cotta? sweet-smoky-spicy IF YOU GO It’s as if the mildsauce. Or salmon mannered reporter yakitori, cubes PrIce ranGe: for the Daily Planet of vibrantly redEntrées $9.50–$29 suddenly ripped off orange fish glazed credIt cards: his Ralph Lauren with sweetened All major cards sweater to reveal soy sauce and HOUrs: Daily 5 the shredded vinexpertly grilled. Or p.m.–1 a.m. tage T-shirt of … the surprisingly Super-foodieman. delicate chicken How can you not albondigas tacos, a love that? I do. pair of crisp, diminutive tortiCosseted in luxury’s minkllas encasing thumbnail-sized lined lap, you can taste your way chicken meatballs with shredded through contemporary small cabbage, salsa fresca and queso plates inspired by hip cafés, fresco. Give them a squeeze of culture-bending food trucks lime, and they sing with flavor. and inventive young chefs from The sushi bar dispenses all around the country, all gilded by manner of nigiri, maki, tiraditos a roster of cocktails and a wine and tatakis. Typically, wackylist to make connoisseurs weep maki is not my bag, but I’ll make (see sidebar), served up by goran exception for the stellar HMF geous women in scrumptious Roll—crispy tempura-fried little black dresses. Note to manshrimp, cucumber, tobiko and agement: Whoever came up with rice wrapped in gossamer rice this concept deserves a raise and paper, sliced and presented like a a promotion. Now. collection of edible jewels.

Service contributes to the ambience at HMF.

Looking for something more substantial? Try the meatballs, this time of lamb, swimming in a fruity-chocolate-y molé sauce with strips of roasted red pepper.

Or how about the Korean-style short ribs, tender and just fatty enough to ramp up the unctuousness, their flavor enhanced by sweet soy marinade.

If you have any appetite left, reserve it for the luscious pumpkin praline bread pudding, which comes with crunchy pecans and a ramekin of silken crème anglaise. The irresistible butterscotch panna cotta, despite its awkward presentation in a cocktail glass, gives new and delectable meaning to “cooked cream,” albeit tricked out with caramelized pineapple, coconut chips and candied macadamia nuts.

I may not be Super-foodieman but I can tell you one thing: I’d leap tall buildings in a single bound for another meal at HMF.

Wine Time With some 12,000 bottles from which to choose, HMF’s wine list makes even an encyclopedic menu look like cliff notes.

Assembled by The Breakers’ master sommeliers—Virginia Philip and Juan Gomez—it’s notable as much for its roster of less-familiar gems as its high-priced trophy wines. The bythe-glass selection is one of the most exciting in South Florida, with such personal favorites as the Pazo de Boucina Albarino, King Estate Vin Gris and MacRostie Pinot Noir.

—Bill Citara

july/august 2013

dining

guide

review

PELLEGRINO’S

3360 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton, 561/368-5520

Spaghettia alla misto pesce

Take spiedini alla Romana, the world’s most wicked grilled cheese sandwich. It’s layers of bread and mozzarella sautéed to golden-molten lusciousness, then doused with a pungent sauce of lemon, capers and anchovies that leaves your breath perfumed with the flavors of Southern Italy.

Caesar salad is a bit timid, but chicken Scarpariello is as in-your-face as a Manhattan cabbie, with bone-in chicken, Owner Bobby Pellegrino

Italian sausage and pickled cherry peppers in a puckery sauce that’s as irresistible as it is garlicky (and sneakily fiery). Copious amounts of the stinking rose also enliven spaghettia alla misto pesce, strands of al dente noodles entwined around small shrimp, calamari rings and slices of scungilli (a conch-like mollusk) in a mildly spicy Fra Diavolo sauce.

For dessert, it’s hard to resist tiramisu, which may be a trifle soggy but is immaculately fresh and as big, bold and brashly flavorful as almost everything else on Pellegrino’s menu. And no, I don’t gotta problem wit dat.

—Bill Citara

IF YOU GO PrIce ranGe: Entrées from $16–$38 credIt cards: All major cards HOUrs: Tues.–Thurs. 5–10 p.m., Fri.–Sat. 5–11 p.m., Sun. 4–10 p.m.

Closed Monday.

130

[ bocamag.com ]

july/august 2013

cRIStINa mORGadO

S

outh Florida is New York’s vacation home, so we know the Big Apple.

Bold, brash, brusque. A city that grabs life by the throat and shakes it. You gotta problem wit dat?

Uh, not me. Especially not with the city’s Italian-American restaurants, which have roots that go back to the Italian immigrants who landed in New York at the turn of the 20th century. Rao’s, for example, where the combination of Italian sensibilities, American ingredients and New York ’tude turned the modest East Harlem spot into a legendary Red Sauce Joint of the Stars.

If you’re not a Somebody with a capital “S,” you’ll sooner pass your liver through the eye of a needle than get a table at Rao’s. You can, however, get a taste of that New York experience right here in Boca at Pellegrino’s, where Bobby Pellegrino— nephew to the Rao’s-owning Pellegrino clan—serves up New York-style ItalianAmerican cuisine with all the bold, brash flavors your taste buds could ask for.

Dining Key $ Inexpensive: Under $17 $$ Moderate: $18–$35 $$$ Expensive: $36–$50 $$$$ Very Expensive: $50 +

palm beach county boca raton abe & louie’s —2200 W. Glades Road.

Steaks. This outpost of the Boston steak house cooks up slabs of well-aged, USDA Prime beef like nobody’s business. Two of the best are the bone-in ribeye and New York sirloin. Start with a crab cocktail, but don’t neglect side dishes like steamed spinach and hash browns. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner nightly. Brunch Sun. 561/447-0024. $$$

specialty, and roasted duck is excellent too. • Dinner nightly. 561/368-2340. $$

bonefish grill—21069 Powerline Road.

Seafood. Market-fresh seafood is the cornerstone—like Chilean sea bass prepared over a wood-burning grill and served with sweet Rhea’s topping (crabmeat, sautéed spinach and a signature lime, tomato and garlic sauce.)

• Dinner nightly. 561/483-4949. (Other Palm Beach County locations: 1880 N. Congress Ave., Boynton Beach, 561/732-9142; 9897 Lake Worth Road, Lake Worth, 561/965-2663; 11658 U.S. Highway 1, North Palm Beach, 561/799-2965) $$ brio tuscan grille—5050 Town Center Circle. Italian. The Boca outpost of this national chain of 100-plus restaurants does what it set out to do—dish up big portions of well-made, easily accessible Italian-esque fare at a reasonable price. If you’re looking for bruschetta piled with fresh cheeses and vegetables, house-made fettuccine with tender shrimp and lobster in a spicy lobster butter sauce, and a creditable version of the classic tiramisu, you’ll be one happy diner. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner daily. Brunch Sat.–Sun. 561/392-3777. $$

arturo’s ristorante —6750 N. Federal Highway. Italian. Arturo’s quiet, comfortable dining room; slightly formal, rigorously professional service; and carefully crafted Italian dishes never go out of style.

You’ll be tempted to make a meal of the array of delectable antipasti from the antipasti cart, but try to leave room for main courses like giant shrimp with tomatoes, cannellini beans, rosemary and an exceptionally welldone risotto. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner daily.

561/997-7373. $$$

the capital grille—6000 Glades Road.

biergarten—309 Via De Palmas. German/

caruso ristorante—187 S.E. Mizner Blvd.

pub. Part vaguely German beer garden, part all-American sports bar, this rustic eatery offers menus that channel both, as well as an excellent selection of two-dozen beers on tap and the same number by the bottle. The food is basic and designed to go well with suds, like the giant pretzel with a trio of dipping sauces and an upscale burger featuring Florida Wagyu beef, knockwurst, cheddar cheese and more. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/395-7462. $

Italian. Former Chicago chef-restaurateurs Lillo and Gina Teodosi bring big-city dining to town. The ambience is welcoming, the service rigorously professional and the food is so lovingly prepared it makes even the most familiar dishes special. Among them: a farm-fresh caprese salad, giant truffle-perfumed veal chop and zabaglione that’s made to order. The light, feathery, delicate gnocchi are merely the best in South Florida. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner daily.

561/367-7488. $$$

bistro provence —2399 N. Federal Highway. French. With the convivial ambience and hearty good food of an authentic Parisian bistro, this inviting, unpretentious restaurant deserves its local popularity. Mussels are a follow the leader

Steaks. This is one of more than three dozen restaurants in a national chain, but the Boca Grille treats you like a regular at your neighborhood restaurant. Steaks, dry-aged if not Prime, are flavorful and cooked with precision, while starters from Wagyu beef carpaccio to a lighter version of the hardy chopped salad are nicely done too.

Parmesan truffle fries are crispy sticks of potato heaven; chocolate-espresso cake a study in shameless, and luscious, decadence. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner daily. 561/368-1077. $$$

casa d’angelo—171 E. Palmetto Park Road. Italian. Angelo Elia’s impeccable Italian restaurant is a delight, from the stylish room to the suave service to the expansive wine list, not

to mention food that’s by turn elegant, hearty, bold, subtle and always delicious. Dishes off the regular menu make excellent choices, like fat prawns wrapped in pancetta and grilled. But pay attention to specials like pan-seared snapper and scallops in a spicy, garlicky cherry tomato sauce. • Dinner nightly. 561/338-1703. $$$

the cheesecake factory—5530 Glades Road. american. Oh, the choices! The chain even has a Sunday brunch menu in addition to its main menu, which includes Chinese chicken salad and Cajun jambalaya. Don’t forget about the cheesecakes—from white chocolate and raspberry truffle offerings. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/393-0344. (Other Palm Beach County locations: CityPlace, West Palm Beach, 561/802-3838; Downtown at the Gardens, Palm Beach Gardens, 561/776-3711) $$

chops lobster bar—101 Plaza Real S., Royal Palm Place. Steak, seafood. Steaks are aged USDA Prime—tender, flavorful and perfectly cooked under a 1,700-degree broiler. There’s all manner of fish and shellfish, but you’re here for the lobster, whether giant Australian tails flashfried and served with drawn butter or sizable Maine specimens stuffed with crab. • Dinner nightly. 561/395-2675. $$$$ cuban café—3350 N.W. Boca Raton Blvd. cuban. Diners pack this traditional Cuban restaurant for lunch specials that start at $7.95, including slow-roasted pork served with white rice and black beans. Other highlights include the Cuban sandwich and (on the dinner menu only) lechón asado. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner Mon.–Sat. 561/750-8860. $ gary woo asian bistro—3400 N. Federal Highway. chinese. Everything about this popular restaurant is restrained—the ambience, the decor, the presentations. And the food can be that way, as well. Still, the ingredients and preparation are first-rate. Try the duck spring rolls to start, and then enjoy steak kew or Grand Marnier prawns. • Lunch Mon., Wed.–Fri. Dinner Wed.–Mon. 561/368-8803. $$

grand lux cafe —Town Center at Boca Raton. american. The Cheesecake Factory’s sister brand is an upscale take on the original formula, with an atmosphere inspired by the great cafes of Europe. The menu offers a range of international flavors, and the specialty baked-to-order desserts are always a big hit. • Lunch and dinner daily; breakfast on Saturday and Sunday. 561/392-2141. $$ [ bocamag.com ]

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the grille on congress —5101 Congress Ave. American. Dishes range from tasty chicken dishes and main-plate salads to seafood options like pistachio-crusted snapper or simply grilled yellowfin tuna. • Lunch Mon.– Fri. Dinner Mon.–Sat. 561/912-9800. $$ houston’s—1900 N.W. Executive Center Circle. American. With rustic features like butcher-block tables and comfy padded leather booths, Houston’s has created a “nonchain” feel, although there are more than 40 nationwide.

The menu is straightforward—big burgers on sweet egg buns, Caesar salad, roasted chicken, filet mignon—but it’s not lacking in ingenuity. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/998-0550. $$

Burger WarS Forget yesterday’s fast-food joints; these burger palaces take patties to new heights.

Charm City Burger Company 1136 E. Hillsboro Blvd., Deerfield Beach, 954/531-0300 Recent renovations give diners more room to chow down on Charm’s premium steak burgers, which come “styled” in a handful of ways. Looking for a little heat? Their “Volcano Style” burger is pepper-crusted and topped with jalapeños, pepper jack cheese and volcano sauce. Save room for their hand-cut sweet potato fries, beerbattered onion rings and crispy tater tots.

SmaShBurger 1729 S. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach, 561/767-3960 It looks like a fast food place—only nicer— but the comparison stops there. Smash gets its name from the way it is cooked— “smashed’ and then seared to lock in juices. And we believe them. You can’t beat the flavor, the size, the price point and the integrity of this burger. We like the choice of artisan buns, the special Smash sauce and the thoughtful beer pairings.

ButCher and the Burger 6000 Glades Road, Boca Raton, 561/416-5554 This new addition to Town Center offers beef patties—as well as turkey, pork, lentils, Key West shrimp, bison and

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salmon. (On occasion you might be able to snag a wild boar, ostrich or duck burger.)

And that’s just the meat. There are plenty of other options, including pretzel bread buns. Special feature: You can purchase raw patties and specialty meats if you want to cook them at home.

BurgerFi 6 S. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach, 561/278-9590 This beachside burger shop won over our taste buds with its B.A.D. (Breakfast All Day) burger (beef, American cheese, bacon dripping with maple syrup, a fried egg and hash browns) and their VegFi (veggie) wrapped in lettuce. The restaurant also prides itself on its green initiative, with earth-friendly furnishings, including chairs made from recycled bottles and tables crafted from compressed recycled wood.

Shake ShaCk 1400 Glades Road, Boca Raton, 561/923-0847 Shake Shack began in 2004 as a modernday roadside kiosk in New York City, but it has spread across seven states and four countries—including at University Commons. This stylish burger house offers addictive patties, crinkle-cut fries, flat-top hot dogs and a creative variety of shakes and custards, not to mention the apparel it sells: An infant bodysuit reads “If crying, insert burger.” Who knew this hip, Bocafied burger shack would also offer sound parenting advice?

—CASSIe morIen And john thomASon

jake’s stone crab—514 Via de Palmas, Royal Palm Place. Seafood. Jake’s has made a name for itself with delicious claws and excellent service. Crusty hash browns and nutmegflavored creamed spinach are fine accompaniments. Lobster and filet mignon surf-n-turf comes generously adorned. • Dinner daily.

561/347-1055. $$$ josephine’s—5751 N. Federal Highway.

Italian. Tradition trumps trendy, and comfort outweighs chic at this Boca favorite. The ambience is quiet and stately but not stuffy, and the menu is full of hearty dishes to soothe the savage appetite, like three-cheese eggplant rollatini and chicken scarpariello. • Dinner nightly, except Tues. 561/988-0668. $$

kapow noodle bar—431 Plaza Real.

Pan-Asian. This wickedly stylish Asian-inspired gastropub delivers a delicious and inventive punch to the taste buds. Among the hardest hitters are green tea-cured salmon with micro and fried basil and longan berries stuffed with yuzu kosho gelee, and cheesecake springrolls with a nothing-exceeds-like-excess banana caramel dipping sauce. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/347-7322. $ kathy’s gazebo café —4199 N. Federal Highway. Continental. This local stalwart smoothly rolls along with its signature blend of French and Continental dishes.

The ornate, formal dining room and equally formal service are anomalies these days but are comforting nonetheless. Classic dishes like creamy lobster bisque, house-made duck paté, broiled salmon with sauce béarnaise and dreamy chocolate mousse are as satisfying as ever. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner Mon.– Sat. 561/395-6033. $$$ july/august 2013

kee grill—17940 N. Military Trail. American. The attraction here is carefully prepared food that is satisfying, flavorful and reasonably priced. The fist-sized crab cake is a good place to start, followed by sea bass with a soy-ginger-sesame glaze. • Dinner nightly. 561/995-5044. $$$

la rosa nautica—515 N.E. 20th St. Peruvian.

Expect no ambience, no pretensions, low prices and food that satisfies on a very high level. Good starters include antichuchos, chunks of grilled beef heart, and causa, a terrine-like layering of mashed potatoes and chicken salad. Ceviche and the lomo saltado are among the best in South Florida. • Lunch daily. Dinner Tues.– Sun. 561/296-1413. $$ la tre—249 E. Palmetto Park Road. Vietnamese. For almost two decades, this elegant little spot has been celebrating the delicate, sophisticated flavors and textures of traditional and contemporary Vietnamese cuisine. A house signature, shrimp tossed with coriander curry pesto, is an inspired riff on Vietnamese classics.

Service and wines match the refinement of the

cuisine. • Dinner nightly. 561/392-4568. $$

la villetta—4351 N. Federal Highway. Italian. This is a well-edited version of a traditional Italian menu, complete with homemade pastas. Try the signature whole yellowtail snapper encrusted in sea salt, deboned tableside. Shrimp diavolo is perfectly scrumptious.

• Dinner nightly. (closed Mon. during summer). 561/362-8403. $$

overlook this small, unassuming bastion of traditional French cookery. That would be a mistake, because the dishes that virtually scream “creativity” can’t compare to the quiet pleasures served here—like cool, soothing vichyssoise, delicate fillet of sole with nutty brown butter sauce or perfectly executed crème brûlee. Good food presented without artifice at a fair price never goes out of fashion. • Lunch Tues.–Fri. Dinner nightly. 561/620-0033. $$

legal sea foods—6000 Glades Road. Sea-

maggiano’s—21090 St. Andrews Blvd. Ital-

food. This faux-New England-ish seafooder in Town Center mall satisfies with a roster of fresh fish and shellfish, well prepared and competently served by an earnest young staff. The signature clam chowder is made in corporate kitchens but is still better than most, while crab cakes chock-full of sweet-tasting crab and hardly any binders have even fewer equals.

There’s a selection of DIY fish and sauces too.

And for dessert, what else but Boston cream pie?

• Lunch and dinner daily. 561/447-2112. $$

ian. It’s the neighborhood spot where families congregate for great food and a good time. Do as the Italians do and order family-style, sit back and watch the endless amounts of gorgeous foods grace your table. In this manner, you receive two appetizers, two salads, two pastas, two entrées, two vegetables and two desserts. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/361-8244. $$

le rivage—450 N.E. 20th St. French. Don’t

mario’s osteria—1400 Glades Road. Italian.

This popular spot is swanky in its reincarnation, but the rustic Italian and Italian-American fare keeps with an osteria’s humbler pretensions.

Town Center in Boca Raton • 561.447.2112

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Signature dishes like the garlic rolls, lasagna and eggplant “pancakes”—basically deconstructed eggplant Parm—are on the new menu, as are posh veal osso buco ravioli in truffle cream sauce and thick, juicy rib-eye served “arrabiata” style. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/239-7000. $$

matteo’s—233 S. Federal Highway. Italian.

Matteo’s brand of hearty Italian and ItalianAmerican food, served in giant “family style” portions, needs no reinventing. Though there is no shortage of local restaurants cooking in that genre, it’s the details of preparation and service that make Matteo’s stand out. Baked clams are a good place to start, as is the reliable chopped salad. Linguini frutti di mare is one of the best in town. • Dinner daily. 561/392-0773. $$ max’s grille—404 Plaza Real, Mizner Park. Contemporary American. Though its signature California-influenced cookery and

Buzz Bites i return engagement: More than 30 years after opening their first South Florida restaurant together, Burt Rapoport and Dennis Max have launched Burt & Max’s (9089 W. Atlantic Ave., 561/638-6380) in the Delray Marketplace retail and entertainment complex.

With culinary inspiration from Max’s Grille in Mizner Park, B&M’s menu focuses on small and sharing plates, as well as items coming out of the restaurant’s wood-fired pizza oven. Look for dishes like short rib empanadas, blackened mahi sandwich, grilled Creekstone Farms New York strip, and Southern fried chicken and waffles.

The look is cozy and rustic with touches of whimsy. The earth-toned dining room is bisected by long rows of booths, with an exhibition kitchen and tile-faced pizza oven on one side and a 32-foot bar made of a single slab of cypress wood on the other. There’s extensive use of wood all around, plus an entry area paved with “tiles” made from pennies— and a wall featuring photographs of rock stars from Joplin to Jagger.

You may not be able to get a Piece of My Heart, but you certainly can get Satisfaction.

—BIll CItArA

“American bistro” ambience are no longer furiously trendy, this stylish restaurant is as popular as ever due to consistently tasty and well-prepared food. Dishes run haute to homey, from seared-raw tuna to meatloaf wrapped with bacon. And don’t miss the luscious crème brûlée pie for dessert. • Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Brunch Sat.–Sun. 561/368-0080. $$

had simply eaten at P.F. Chang’s—the portions are large enough to feed the masses—and the exquisite tastes in each dish could soothe any tyrant. We particularly like the steamed fish of the day, as well as the Szechuan-style asparagus.

• Lunch and dinner daily. 561/393-3722. (Other Palm Beach County location: 3101 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens, 561/691-1610) $$

morton’s the steakhouse—5050 Town

piñon grill—6000 Glades Road. Contem-

Center Circle. Steak house. There’s seemingly no end to diners’ love of huge slabs of high-quality aged beef, nor to the carnivores who pack the clubby-swanky dining room of this meatery. The star of the beef show is the giant bone-in filet mignon, which trumps with unusually deep and meaty flavor. The side of Grand Marnier soufflé is a cloud of luscious, citrus-y beauty that says while beef may be what’s for dinner, I am what’s for dessert. • Dinner daily. 561/392-7724. $$$

porary American. The menu seemingly lists every recent trendy dish to come out of modern American restaurant kitchens, but Piñon succeeds with spot-on execution, mammoth portions and reasonable prices. Try the grilled artichokes with a zippy Southwestern-style rémoulade, a pair of giant crab cakes with more of that good rémoulade or a chocolate-peanut butter pie that is the irresistible definition of lusciousness. • Lunch and dinner daily. Brunch Sat.–Sun. 561/391-7770. $$

new york prime—2350 N.W. Executive Center Drive. Steak house. This wildly popular Boca meatery packs them in with swift, professional service, classy supper club ambience and an extensive wine list. And, of course, the beef—all USDA Prime, cooked to tender and juicy lusciousness over ferocious heat. The bone-in rib-eye is especially succulent, but don’t neglect the New York strip or steak-house classics like oysters Rockefeller, garlicky spinach and crusty hash browns. • Dinner daily. 561/998-3881. $$$$ nick’s new haven-style pizzeria—2240 N.W. 19th St. Italian. Cross Naples (thin, blistered crust, judicious toppings) with Connecticut (fresh clams and no tomato sauce), and you’ve got a pretty good idea of the pies coming out Nick Laudano’s custom-made ovens. The “white clam” pizza with garlic and bacon is killer-good; Caesar salad and tiramisu are much better than the usual pizzeria fare. • Lunch and dinner daily.

561/368-2900. $

ovenella—499 S. Federal Highway. Italian.

Fernando Davila’s modestly stylish ristorante promises “a new take on Italian classics.”

Pizzas from the oak-fired oven are a joy, and vegetarian lasagna is good enough to make the meat version obsolete. Don’t miss one of the inventive cocktails, like a sweet-smoky-salty bacon-maple old fashioned. • Lunch Mon.– Fri. Dinner daily. 561/395-1455. $$ p.f. chang’s—1400 Glades Road. Chinese.

There may have been no revolution if Mao

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racks downtown eatery + tavern—402 Plaza Real. Contemporary American. Though the menu generally falls under the heading of modern American comfort food, that can mean anything from elegant presentations like the jaw-dropping lobster cobb salad to homier offerings like burgers and pizza, fiery Buffalo-style calamari, succulent chicken roasted in the wood-fired oven and an uptown version of everyone’s campfire favorite, s’mores. • Lunch and dinner daily.

561/395-1662. $$

raffaele —508 Via De Palmas. Italian.

The simplicity of true Italian cuisine is on display—from sea-sweet lump crab and earthy-tasting green beans lightly dressed with lemon juice and olive oil to squid-ink tagliolini with delicate tomato sauce and shellfish. Oven-roasted quail wrapped in pancetta and stuffed with sausage, pine nuts and raisins is exquisite. • Dinner Tues.–Sun. 561/392-1110. $$ red the steakhouse—1901 N. Military Trail. Steak house. While it does provide the level of comfort, luxury and beef-centric cuisine affluent carnivores demand, Red does so with a lighter, fresher and more casual touch. It also serves some of the best—and best cooked— steaks in town. Try the succulent, gum-tender steak tartare. Meat not on your menu? Gulf shrimp in a seductive white wine-garlic-Dijon butter sauce will have you lapping up every last drop. Do the giant donut holes for dessert. • Dinner daily. 561/353-9139. $$$ july/august 2013

renzo’s of boca—5999 N. Federal Highway.

Italian. The buzzword is fresh at Renzo’s. Fish is prepared daily oreganata or Livornese style, sautéed in white wine with lemon and capers or grilled. Homemade pasta is artfully seasoned, and Renzo’s tomato sauce is ethereal. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner nightly. 561/994-3495. $$

ristorante sapori—301 Via de Palmas, Royal Palm Place. Italian. Sapori features fresh fish, veal and chicken dishes imbued with subtle flavors. The grilled Italian branzino, the veal chop Milan and the zuppa di pesce served over linguine are especially tasty, and the pasta (all 17 kinds!) is available in full and half orders, with your choice of 15 zesty sauces. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner nightly. 561/367-9779. $$ ristorante saporissimo—366 E. Palmetto Park Road. Tuscan. This little restaurant is making culinary magic. Here, a taste of Italy is brought to life with rabbit cacciatorá (Tuscany style), veal ossobuco, homemade pasta with wild boar sausage, and a tasty rack of venison.

Homemade desserts, including tiramisu, panna cotta and zuppa ingles, will take your breath away. Service is out of this world. • Dinner nightly. Outdoor dining. 561/750-2333. $$$

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rosso italia—1901 N. Military Trail. Italian.

This sleek spot is as sexy as Isabella Rosselini in a black dress. The menu mixes a handful of hoary old standbys with more modern interpretations, offering everything from fried calamari and veal Parmesan to Neapolitan-style pizzas with the characteristic thin, crispy-chewy crust (try the fiery Calabrese). Cannoli filled with a silken Nutella-mascarpone blend is the way to go for dessert. • Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. 561/353-9139. $$ ruth’s chris steak house—225 N.E. Mizner Blvd. Steaks. This is a refreshing departure from the ambience common to many steak houses; the room is comfortable, and conversation is possible. Naturally, we come here for the steak (they are sublime), but the lobster and fish are great. All your favorite sides are here, too.

• Dinner nightly. 561/392-6746. (Other Palm Beach County locations: 661 U.S. Highway 1, North Palm Beach, 561/863-0660; CityPlace, West Palm Beach, 561/514-3544) $$$

seasons 52—2300 Executive Center Drive.

Contemporary American. The food—seasonal ingredients, simply and healthfully prepared, accompanied by interesting wines—is firstrate, from salmon roasted on a cedar plank follow the leader

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to desserts served in oversized shot glasses. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/998-9952. (Other Palm Beach County location: 11611 Ellison Wilson Road, Palm Beach Gardens, 561/6255852) $$

stéphane’s—2006 NW Executive Center Circle. French. Stéphane Lang-Willar’s contemporary brasserie dishes both French and American classics in a stunningly beautiful space that fairly purrs with big-city sophistica-

tion. Gallic specialties include perfect takes on salad Lyonnaise and bouillabaisse, as well as lustfully meaty and tender prime rib with fully loaded baked potato. Check out the innovative iPad wine list and sinful trio of crème brûlées for dessert. • Lunch Mon–Fri. Dinner daily. Brunch Sat.–Sun. 561/893-8838. $$

are on display. The Nobu-esque miso sea bass gives a taste of this modern classic at a fraction of the price of the original, while the chef’s sushi assortment offers a generous arrangement of nigiri and maki for a easonable $20. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner daily. 561/394-9506. $$

sushi ray—5250 Town Center Circle. Japa-

contemporary Amer-Italian osteria with pizza describes Gary Rack’s reborn Coal Mine Pizza.

The menu is compact but offers mix-and-match opportunities done with great attention to detail—like irresistible honey balsamic chicken wings with grilled onions and blue cheese; and linguine in deliriously rich and creamy pesto. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/826-2625. $$

nese/Sushi. Impeccably fresh and exactingly prepared sushi and other Japanese specialties

ONLY IN DELRAY

table 42—399 S.E. Mizner Blvd. Italian. A

tanzy—301 Plaza Real. Italian. Part of the swanky iPic Theater complex (though it does not service the theater), this handsome spot relies on quality ingredients and careful preparation instead of culinary special effects and car chases.

The Parma Bar, a sort of sushi bar for meat and cheese fanatics, also does terrific ricotta-stuffed fried squash blossoms. Pan-seared branzino and massive bone-in veal chop are excellent, and the ethereal rosemary beignets with rosemaryolive oil gelato are luscious and cutting edge. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner daily. Brunch Sat.–Sun. 561/922-6699. $$$

BuDDhA SkY BAR

217 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, 561/450-7557

A

s good as the rooftop view of Atlantic Avenue is from a window seat at Buddha Sky Bar, it doesn’t hold an imperial foo dog candle to the endless parade of Asian-fusion visuals happening tableside.

Credit chef Tony Torres for creating an imaginative mix of sushi, dim sum, and robata- (think slow-grilled skewers of food) and wok-based dishes as appealing to the eye as they are satisfying to the palette.

It’s no wonder that Sky Bar recently became the only Delray restaurant to earn a place on Open Tables’ 100 Top Hot Spots in the U.S, a coveted diners’ choice honor.

The restaurant, which recently celebrated two years near the railroad tracks in downtown Delray, now encompasses three floors and 10,000 square feet—giving locals even more opportunities to revel in Torres’ masterful

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spin on Asian cuisine, which, interestingly enough, draws on his love of Italian cooking techniques.

For starters, don’t miss the jaw-dropping Red Dragon Roll (with tempura lobster plated along with the sushi), the baked scallop (including blue crab, Parmesan, yuzu and tobiko) or any of the steamed, pan-seared or deep-fried dim sum.

Entrées—which range from $13 for chicken teriyaki skewers to $65 for a full order of Peking duck—don’t come any better than kimchee-glazed sea bass that literally melts in your mouth.

Do yourself a favor and ask for Gus, who brings a heavy dose of New York to his Sky Bar waiter duties (“The seafood shu mai? Fugetaboutit. You’re gonna love it.”). His menu recommendations, however, couldn’t be more spot-on.

—KevIn KaMInSKI

taverna kyma—6298 N. Federal Highway.

Greek/Mediterranean. Few present Greek cuisine better. Expertly prepared dishes cover the spectrum of Mediterranean cuisine, from cold appetizers (dolmades; grape leaves stuffed with rice and herbs) to hot starters (spanakopita, baked phyllo with spinach and feta cheese) to mouthwatering entrées like lamb shank (slowcooked in a tomato sauce and served on a bed of orzo), massive stuffed peppers or kebobs.

• Lunch and dinner daily. 561/994-2828. $$ trattoria romana—499 E. Palmetto Park Road. Italian. This local mainstay does Italian classics and its own lengthy list of ambitious specials with unusual skill and aplomb. The cozy dining room is a welcome respite from the outside world, and service is at a level not always seen in local eateries. Pay attention to the daily specials, especially if it includes impeccably done langostini oreganata and the restaurant’s signature jumbo shrimp saltimbocca. • Dinner daily. 561/393-6715. $$$ truluck’s—351 Plaza Real. Seafood. This stylish and sophisticated Mizner Park restaurant applies the steak house formula of classy, clubby july/august 2013

ambience, formal service and an extensive wine list to seafood from across the nation, generally with success. Crab is the specialty here and there are myriad versions—stone, Dungeness, Alaskan, soft-shell and more. Crispy soft-shells stuffed with crab and andouille are very good, if served without a drizzle of ketchup-y sauce on top. • Dinner nightly. 561/391-0755. $$$

uncle julio’s—449 Plaza Real, Mizner Park.

Mexican. Taking Tex-Mex cuisine gently upscale with better-quality ingredients and more skillful preparation, this colorful eatery offers more than the usual suspects. You can get frog’s legs and quail, as well as beef and chicken fajitas, and one of the only palatable tamales around. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/300-3530. $

uncle tai’s—5250 Town Center Circle.

Chinese. In an area with more cookie-cutter Chinese restaurants than cookies, Uncle Tai’s stands out for the elegance of its decor, the professionalism of its service and its careful preparation of familiar and less-familiar dishes.

The “specialties” section of the menu has exciting dishes, like the Hunan vegetable pie, finely minced veggies sandwiched between sheets of crispy bean curd skin, and Hunan-style lamb, whose seared and succulent meat shows off the kitchen’s skill in the use of wok qi. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/368-8806. $$$ villagio italian eatery—344 Plaza Real.

Italian. The classic Italian comfort food at this Mizner Park establishment is served with flair and great attention to detail. The reasonably priced menu—with generous portions—includes all your favorites (veal Parmesan, Caesar salad) and some outstanding seafood dishes (Maine lobster with shrimp, mussels and clams on linguine). There is a full wine list and ample people-watching given the prime outdoor seating. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561-447-2257. $$

vino—114 N.E. Second St. Wine Bar/Italian.

An impressive wine list of some 250 bottles (all available by the glass) offers a multitude of choices, especially among Italian and California reds. The menu of “Italian tapas” includes breaded and fried artichoke hearts, and ravishing ricotta and fig-stuffed ravioli with prosciutto, balsamic syrup and brown butter. • Dinner Tues.–Sat. 561/869-0030. $

vivo partenza—1450 N. Federal Highway.

Italian. On the heartier side of the menu is an appetizer of three giant meatballs in a wellmade San Marzano tomato sauce that could follow the leader

easily serve as an entrée. More delicate fare includes a brilliantly prepared salmon. Do the zabaglione with fresh berries for dessert. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner nightly. 561-750-2120. $$

West BoCa city fish market—7940 Glades Road. seafood. A multimillion-dollar remodel of the old Pete’s has turned it into an elegant seafood house with a lengthy seafood-friendly wine list, impeccably fresh fish and shellfish cooked with care and little artifice. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner daily. 561/487-1600. $$

phuket thai restaurant —Palms Plaza, 22191 Powerline Road. thai. It’s nothing to look at—just another little restaurant in another west Boca strip shopping center. But appearances can be deceiving; this restaurant serves excellent and authentic Thai cuisine in a cozy and unpretentious atmosphere. • Lunch Mon.– Fri. Dinner nightly. 561/447-8863. $$ tempura house —9858 Clint Moore Road, #C-112. Japanese, asian. Dark wood, rice paper and tiles fill the space. An appetizer portion of Age Natsu, fried eggplant, is a consummate Japanese delicacy. Don’t miss the ITET roll with shrimp tempura and avocado, topped with spicy mayo, tempura flakes and eel sauce.

• Lunch and dinner daily. 561/883-6088. $$ villa rosano—9858 Clint Moore Road. Italian. You can be forgiven for imagining yourself in some rustic Italian hill town as the smells of garlic and tomato sauce waft through the air.

Start by sopping up the house olive oil with slices of crusty bread, then move on to a stellar version of clams Guazzetto and delicate fillets of sole done a la Francese. • Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner daily. 561/470-0112. $$

Boynton BeaCh bar louie —1500 Gateway Blvd. eclectic.

Attempting to split the difference between happening bar and American café, Bar Louie mostly succeeds, offering burgers, pizzas, fish tacos and a variety of salads, all at moderate prices and in truly daunting portions. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/853-0090. $ china dumpling—1899-5 N. Congress Ave. Chinese. The dim sum basket is an absolute must-try. A choice of signature steamed dumplings are likewise spot on. The steak kew is delicious, and the clay pot casseroles are enticing. •

Lunch and dinner daily. 561/737-2782. $

prime catch—700 E. Woolbright Road. seafood. Simple pleasures soar—full-belly clams, fried sweet and crispy, or a perfectly grilled piece of mahi or bouillabaisse overflowing with tender fish. Don’t miss one of the best Key lime pies around. • Lunch and dinner daily, Sunday brunch. 561/737-8822. $$ sushi simon—1614 S. Federal Highway.

Japanese. Local sushi-philes jam the narrow dining room for such impeccable nigirizushi as hamachi and uni (Thursdays), as well as more elaborate dishes like snapper Morimoto and tuna tartare. Creative, elaborate rolls are a specialty. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/731-1819. $$

delray BeaCh 32 east —32 E. Atlantic Ave. Contemporary american. At a time when chefs and restaurants seem to be constantly shouting their own praises, Nick Morfogen and 32 East go quietly about their way of serving thoughtfully conceived, finely crafted dishes with a minimum of fuss and artifice. The menu changes daily, but recent examples of Morfogen’s culinary expertise include plump scallops given an elegant bouillabaisse treatment and fork-tender venison with a terrific Asiago-fig risotto. When the food is this good, you don’t need to shout. • Dinner daily.

561/276-7868. $$$ 50 ocean—50 S. Ocean Blvd. seafood. The

former Upper Deck at Boston’s on the Beach is now the more upscale, seafood-oriented spot. The menu ranges from familiar to slightly more inventive, from a classic lobster bisque and crisp-tender fried clam bellies to duck confit egg rolls and well-executed potatocrusted grouper. The cinnamon-dusted beignets are puffs of amazingly delicate deep-fried air and should not under any circumstances be missed. • Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner daily.

Brunch Sun. 561/278-3364. $$

75 main—270 E. Atlantic Ave. Contemporary american. After a rocky start, this Atlantic Avenue sibling of Zach Erdem’s celebrity magnet Southampton parent is the equal of any restaurant in town, thanks mostly to the work of chefturned-restaurant doctor Mark Militello. The food is less about breaking new culinary ground than being really delicious—whether grilled artichoke with frothy lemon beurre blanc, immaculately fresh tuna tartare, or salmon with a [ bocamag.com ]

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subtly tart-sweet balsamic-honey glaze. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/243-7975. $$$

atlantic grille —1000 E. Atlantic Ave. Seafood-Contemporary American. This posh restaurant in the luxurious Seagate Hotel & Spa mines quality ingredients for maximum flavor. A light, chunky gazpacho with soothing cucumber cream is perfect warm-weather dining. It’s also hard to resist the gum-tender meat ringed by a silken potato purée. The butterscotch-white chocolate bread pudding with rum crème anglaise (an occasional special) is pure wickedness. • Lunch and dinner daily. Brunch Sat.–Sun. 561/665-4900. $$ buddha sky bar—217 E. Atlantic Ave. Pan Asian. Don’t miss a meal at this stylish Asiameets-industrial chic spot with a view of the Delray skyline. Chinese-influenced dim sum is inspired, while rock shrimp tempura and Wagyu tenderloin skewers with twin chimichurri sauces touch the heart and the taste buds. Veggie fried rice is exemplary thanks to the kitchen’s application of wok chi. • Dinner daily. 561/450-7557. $$

cabana el rey—105 E. Atlantic Ave. Cuban tropical. Little Havana is alive and well in Delray Beach. The menu is a palette-pleasing trav-

Buzz Bites i i dorsia here in boca: A “modern Continental restaurant” might seem like something of an oxymoron, but not to Chris Lanza.

The former New York restaurateur is the man behind DORSiA (5837 N. Federal Highway, 561/961-4156), which took over the Boca space once home to Basil Garden. The restaurant, both in appearance and cuisine, channels the cozy elegance of those old-time Continental eateries, with big chandeliers, comfy leather barstools and long banquettes.

As for the food, it’s classic with a twist, ranging from sweet potato gnocchi with brown butter, walnuts and sage to veal scallopini with artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes to salmon with smoked salmon-horseradish crust and beurre blanc. The prices are reasonable too, a smart move no matter how you slice it.

elogue. Mariquitas (fried banana chips) are a xxxxxxxxx tasty way to start your meal. For dinner, seafood paella is a winner, with mussels, shrimp, conch, octopus, scallops and clams. And the churrasco is terrific. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/2749090. $$

caffé luna rosa—34 S. Ocean Blvd. Italian. This favorite is always lively, and alfresco dining is the preferred mode. Entrée choices are enticing, but we went with the penne alla vodka with pancetta, tomato and basil.

Also delicious was the costoletta di vitello, a center-cut 14-ounce veal chop lightly breaded and served either Milanese or parmigiana.

For dessert, you can’t go wrong with the cheesecake imported from the Carnegie Deli.

• Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. 561/2749404. $$

casa di pepe —189 N.E. Second Ave. Italian. A welcoming staff, familiar Italian dishes done right and moderate prices define this cozy spot with a spacious outdoor patio.

• Dinner Mon.–Sat. 561/279-7371. $$

city oyster—213 E. Atlantic Ave. Seafood.

This stylish mainstay of Big Time Restaurant Group serves up reasonably priced seafood that never disappoints, such as crab-stuffed shrimp with jalapeño cheddar grits, bacon, shiitake mushrooms and warm vinaigrette. • Lunch Mon.–Sun. Dinner nightly. Outdoor dining.

561/272-0220. $$

cut 432—432 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach.

Steak house. Hipper decor, a more casual vibe and an inventive take on steak-house favorites make this sleek restaurant just different enough to be interesting. Starters such as ceviche (prepared Peruvian style) and ultrarich oysters Rockefeller are first-rate, while the wetaged beef is appropriately tender and tasty. • Dinner daily. 561/272-9898. $$$

d’angelo trattoria—9 S.E. Seventh Ave. Italian. Don’t go expecting the tired old “Italian” culinary clichés at Angelo Elia’s wickedly stylish trattoria. Instead, open your palate to more authentic and exciting Roman-style cuisine, like roasted veal bone marrow with brisk caper-parsley pesto, creamy-dreamy burrata with roasted fava beans and watercress salad, the classic tonnarelli cacio e pepe (“cheese and pepper”) and the best gelato this side of a real Roman trattoria.

• Dinner daily. 561/330-1237. $$

—BIll CItArA

deck 84—840 E. Atlantic Ave. Contemporary 138

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American. Burt Rapoport’s ode to laid-back tropical dining is like a day at the beach without getting sand between your toes. Though the restaurant is casual, the kitchen takes its food seriously, whether the steallar flatbreads, the thick and juicy 10-ounce special blend burger or homey apple cobbler. And the waterfront location just seems to make everything taste better. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Brunch Sat.–Sun. Dinner daily.

561/665-8484. $

dig—777 E. Atlantic Ave. Contemporary American. This organic-healthy-sustainable eatery is all about “Doing It Green” with dishes like plump pan-seared diver scallops with pineapple-mango salsa. The different greens mixes at the salad bar are crisp and pristinely fresh. • Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner daily. 561/279-1002. $$ fifth avenue grill—821 S. Federal Highway.

American. Since 1989, this upscale tavern has been a Delray favorite. The straightforward menu focuses on entrées, especially the famed Allen Brothers beef; choose from numerous cuts and preparations—and add a lobster tail for good measure. • Lunch and dinner daily.

561/265-0122. $$ greek bistro—1832 S. Federal Highway.

Greek. Flaky, overstuffed spanikopita and light and delicate beef meatballs should be at the top of your appetizer list, and though entrées don’t always reach those heights, both a long-braised lamb shank and grilled whole snapper are certainly satisfying. And the baklava is great. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/266-8976. $

the grove —187 N.E. Second Ave. Contemporary American. Chef-partner Michael Haycook and chef Meghan O’Neal change their menu biweekly, turning out dishes exhilarating in their freshness, creativity and elegant simplicity. An appetizer of octopus with sun-dried tomato tapenade is merely terrific, as are rosy slices of gum-tender duck with cauliflower gratin and nickel-sized coins of crisp-chewy shiitake mushroom. • Dinner Tues.–Sat. 561/266-3750. $$ henry’s—16850 Jog Road. American. This casual, unpretentious restaurant from Burt Rapoport in the west part of town never fails to delight diners. Expect attentive service and crisp execution of everything—from meat loaf, burgers and fried chicken to flatbreads and hefty composed salads. • Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner nightly. 561/638-1949. $$ july/august 2013

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house of siam—25 N.E. Second Ave. Thai.

The normally riotous flavors of Thai cuisine are muted at this family-friendly downtown spot, but that seems to suit diners just fine.

Dishes, well-prepared and generously portioned, include steamed chicken and shrimp dumplings with sweet soy dipping sauce and crisp-fried duck breast in a very mild red curry sauce. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner daily.

561/330-9191. $$ il girasole —1911 S. Federal Highway.

Northern Italian. This South Florida classic is not trendy, but it offers a level of comfort and consistency that has been bringing people back for 30 years. The food is fine hearty Italian, with excellent service. Try the veal Kristy or the frogs legs. • Dinner Tues.–Sun. 561/272-3566. $$ j&j seafood bar & grill—634 E. Atlantic Ave. Seafood. This local favorite on the Avenue—owned by John Hutchinson (also the chef) and wife Tina—serves up everything from burgers and wraps to a menu brimming

with seafood options. Don’t forget to inquire about the stunning array of 10 specials—every night. • Lunch and dinner Tues.–Sun. 561/272-3390. $$

jimmy’s bistro —9 S. Swinton Ave. Eclectic. Best bets are a lovely salad of ripe tomatoes and fresh, milky house-made mozzarella; a rich, elegant version of lusty Cajun etouffee; and caramelized bananas in puff pastry with silken vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. • Dinner daily. 561/8655774. $$

la cigale —253 S.E. Fifth Ave. Mediterranean. True professionals turn out gently updated and classically oriented dishes notable for the quality of their ingredients and careful preparation. Sweetbreads in chanterelle cream sauce are glorious; a barely grilled artichoke with mustardy remoulade is gloriously simple. Watching your server skillfully debone an impeccably fresh Dover sole is almost as satisfying as eating it. • Dinner Mon.–Sat. 561/265-0600. $$

neighborhood pick

Bäd Ragaz Hall & BieRgaRten 1417 S. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach, 561/336-3297

W

hat started out as a massive and spectacularly ugly apartment complex at the corner at Woolbright and Federal Highway in Boynton Beach, Las Ventanas, is slowly becoming a neighborhood dining draw. It started with Tsunami subs, a modest but brilliant sub shop. Then came Sweetwater Grill, a very good cocktail lounge and tapas place.

Now, Bäd Ragaz Hall & Biergarten joins the street-level string of storefronts.

For starters, this is not your German uncle’s beer garden. Think fancy brew house-meets-South Beach, and you’re getting close. Sleek communal tables occupy one section and white padded booths curve along the walls. A massive gleaming white bar is center stage—with a huge contemporary white chandelier. The space would be cavernous if it were not so well designed, with a vibe that screams fill-meup-with-people-who-get-great-beer-andreally-good-food.

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The menu is ambitious, European and offers everything from small plates to entreés to grill items, salads, appetizers, charcuterie, you name it. There are 24 beers on tap, 50 bottled beers and three specialty beers available on tap in private VIP booths. (We are not kidding.)

It would take several visits to work your way through the menu, but first impressions are promising. Big hits are the large Munich pretzel, a super-sized vehicle for designer mustard; the nine kinds of wurst; the burrata plate with marinated artichokes; and the polenta. You can pretty much get everything from a steamed mussels pot to steak tartare to Vienna schnitzel and beef bourguignon. All washed down with great beers of the world. Or anything else you want.

Times are a-changing in Boynton; the neighborhood just got a little more interesting.

—MArIE SPEEd

lemongrass bistro —420 E. Atlantic Ave. Pan-Asian. Casually hip ambience, friendly service, moderate prices and a blend of sushi and nouveau pan-Asian fare make this a popular destination. The quality of its seafood and care in its preparation are what gives Lemongrass its edge. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/278-5050. (Other Palm Beach County locations: 101 Plaza Real S., Boca Raton, 561/544-8181; 1880 N. Congress Ave., Boynton Beach, 561/733-1344). $ max’s harvest —169 N.E. Second Ave. Contemporary American. Dennis Max, instrumental in bringing the chef and ingredient-driven ethos of California cuisine to South Florida in the 1980s, is again at the forefront of the fresh, local, seasonal culinary movement. Max’s Harvest soars with dishes like plump Cedar Key clams with house-made tasso, savory bourbon-maple glazed pork belly, and crispy-skinned wild sockeye salmon with yuzu-truffle vinaigrette. • Dinner daily.

Brunch Sat.–Sun. 561/381-9970. $$ the office —201 E. Atlantic Ave. Contemporary American. Your office is nothing like this eclectic gastropub, unless your office sports more than two dozen craft beers on tap and a menu that flits from burgers and fries to mussels. Don’t miss the restaurant’s winning take on the thick, juicy Prime beef burger and simply wicked maple-frosted donuts with bacon bits and two dipping sauces. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/276-3600. $$

park tavern—9 S.E. Second Ave. Contemporary American. The guys from Cut 432 have done it again with this hip, casual modern American tavern. The menu is tightly focused and tightly executed, whether Maryland crab cake featuring fat chunks of succulent crab or crisply sautéed pork belly with apricot mostarda. Don’t miss the behemoth slab of tender, juicy prime rib for a near-saintly $29. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/265-5093. $$

prime—110 E. Atlantic Ave. Steak/Seafood.

Prime is aptly named for its heart of the action location, classy neo-supper club decor, extensive wine list and roster of designer steaks.

Starters and desserts fare better than entrées, especially plump, crabby Maryland-style crab cakes and indecently luscious chocolate bread pudding. Service is a strong suit too, so with a bit of work this good-looking restaurant will fully live up to its name. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/865-5845. $$$ july/august 2013

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sundy house—106 S. Swinton Ave. Contemporary American. “Top Chef” Lindsay Autry and pastry chef Sarah Sype have transformed the Sundy House menu into a “soulful” blend of Mediterranean flavors and Southern comfort food—served in arguably the most beautiful restaurant and gardens in Delray.

Menus are seasonal and imaginative. Try the crispy whole branzini, the roasted bone marrow or any of the fresh local fish dishes. • Lunch Tues.–Sat. Brunch Sun. Dinner Tues.–Sun. 561/272-5678. $$

tramonti—119 E. Atlantic Ave. Italian. With its roots in New York’s Angelo’s of Mulberry

ONLY IN BOCA

Street, this venue is always packed. Homemade stuffed manicotti is aromatic and glorious. Tramonti’s platter for two, containing fillet marsala, veal cutlet with prosciutto, fried zucchini and potato croquettes, is terrific. • Dinner daily. 561/272-1944. $$

tryst—4 E. Atlantic Ave. Eclectic. It’s tough to beat this hotspot with the lovely outdoor patio, well-chosen selection of artisan beers and not-the-usual-suspect wines, and an eclectic “gastropub” menu of small and large plates.

Try the crisp-fried rock shrimp with chipotlemayonnaise sauce. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner nightly. 561/921-0201. $$

cristina Morgado

union—8 E. Atlantic Ave. Pan-Asian. This purveyor of “Asian comfort food” has brought in wacky-maki expert Candyfish Gourmet Sushi as a restaurant-within-a-restaurant. Saltand-pepper calamari, pot stickers with panang curry sauce and “volcano” chicken wings are well-prepared. Candyfish’s sushi rolls blend all manner of fish and shellfish with cream cheese, fruits and veggies. • Dinner Tues.–Sat. 561/330-4236. $$

Tri-tip duck fat burger at Sybarite Pig

SYBArIte PIg

20642 State Road 7, Boca Raton, 561/883-3200

i

f you weren’t already a sybarite pig before walking into Daniel Naumko’s postage stamp-sized west Boca eatery, you will be after pigging out on his juicy, succulent, boldly spiced sausages, meats and sides. A labor of love, pork and beer, the Pig may well be the coolest, hippest restaurant in all of Palm Beach County, a place where Naumko makes everything but the oink (and the coarsegrain mustard) in-house. He also pours an eclectic mix of small-production craft beers worthy of a master sommelier.

Vegetarians and dieters probably will spontaneously combust at the sight of the Pig’s meat-centric menu, but lovers of pork

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vic & angelo’s—290 E. Atlantic Ave. Italian.

God is in the details at this upscale trattoria, and He doesn’t miss much, including stellar service and an outstanding wine menu.

Ingredients like Buffalo mozzarella, housemade pastas and San Marzano tomatoes are first-rate, and execution is spot on. Try the “Old School” meatball to start, the whole-wheat tagliatelle with garlic and chili-infused olive oil and the perfectly cooked veal chop. Portions are substantial. • Lunch and dinner daily.

561/278-9570. $$$ LAkE worth

in general—and house-made sausages in particular (available as a sandwich or “meat board”)—will have all their carnivorous desires deliciously requited.

Among the highlights: creamy cotechino sausage served on a bed of spicy lentils and veggies; savory duck sausage with tangy burnt miso sauce; Caribbean-spiced “Hellswine” sausage with the plush texture of Cajun boudin; wicked-good Korean-style short ribs; and lusciously fatty Italian porchetta.

Finish with a square of dense-intense chocolate-ancho chili brownie, and you’ll be oinking with delight.

—BILL CItArA

couco pazzo—915-917 Lake Ave. Italian.

Despite the name, there’s nothing crazy about the cooking at this homey eatery. It’s the hearty, soul-satisfying Italian cuisine we’ve all come to know and love. Spaghetti Bolognese is a fine version of a Northern Italian classic; house-smoked mozzarella—breaded, fried and presented with a tangy tomato-basil fondue—is equally tasty.

• Dinner nightly. (Tues.–Sun. during summer).

561/585-0320. $$ paradiso ristorante—625 Lucerne Ave. Italian. A Tomasz Rut mural dominates the main dining room, and there is also a pasticceria and bar for gelato and espresso.

Chef Angelo Romano offers a modern Italian july/august 2013

Buzz Bites iii Adios, Amigo: Well, that was quick. “That” being Dennis Max’s and Fred Stampone’s stints as partners in The Mexican (133 S.E. Mizner Blvd., 561/300-5280), the artsy south-of-theborder eatery in Boca’s Royal Palm Place. The usual reason: “philosophical differences.” The Mexican will continue under the ownership of (now) sole owner Mitch Kaminski, while Max and Stampone get to work on a new project, a chain of fast-casual, farm-to-table restaurants to be called Max’s Fresh.

—BILL CITArA

menu. The Mediterranean sea bass branzino is definitely a must-try. Plus, the wine list is a veritable tome. • Lunch and dinner daily.

561/547-2500. $$$

buccan—350 S. County Road. Contemporary American. Casual elegance of Palm Beach meets modern culinary sensibilities of Miami at the first independent restaurant by chef Clay Conley. The design offers both intimate and energetic dining areas, while the menu is by turn familiar (wood-grilled burgers) and more adventurous (truffled steak tartare with crispy egg yolk, squid ink orrechiette). But they’re all good. Dinner daily.

561/833-3450. $$ café boulud—The Brazilian Court, 301 Australian Ave. French with American flair.

This hotel restaurant gives Palm Beach a taste of Daniel Boulud’s world-class cuisine inspired by his four muses. The chef oversees a menu encompassing classics, simple fare, seasonal offerings and dishes from around the world. Dining is in the courtyard (not available during summer), the elegant lounge or the sophisticated dining room. • Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. 561/655-6060. $$$

Asian. This stylish little restaurant offers food that gently marries East and West, plus a roster of more traditional Thai dishes and inventive sushi rolls. Menu standouts include tempura-fried rock shrimp or calamari cloaked with a lushfiery “spicy cream sauce.” Expect neighborly service and reasonable prices. • Lunch Tues.–Fri. Dinner Tues.–Sun. 561/588-7768. $

café l’europe —331 S. County Road. Current international. A Palm Beach standard, the café has long been known for its peerless beauty, the piano player, the chilled martinis and the delicious Champagne and caviar bar. Try one of its sophisticated classics like Wiener schnitzel with herbed spaetzle, grilled veal chop and flavorful pastas. • Lunch Tues.–Fri. Dinner nightly (closed Mon. during summer). 561/655-4020. $$$

LANTANA

cha cha’s—150 Worth Ave. Latin/Tapas. A

safire asian fusion—817 Lake Ave. Pan-

the station house—233 Lantana Road.

Seafood. If you’re hungry for Maine lobster, plucked live out of giant tanks and cooked to order, this modest replica of a 1920s train station is the place to go. Lobsters come in all sizes (up to 8 pounds) and are so reasonably priced that getting a taste of one without reservations is highly unlikely. • Dinner nightly. 561/547-9487.

(Other location: 1544 S.E. Third Court, Deerfield Beach, 954/420-9314) $$$

PALM BEACH bice—313 Worth Ave. Italian. Bice continues to hold the title of favorite spot on the island. The venerable restaurant offers a marvelous array of risottos and fresh pastas and classic dishes like veal chop Milanese, sautéed chicken breast and stuffed rack of lamb. The wine list features great vintages. • Lunch and dinner daily. Outdoor dining. 561/835-1600. $$$

variety of small plates, from Mexican tacos and Argentine empanadas to Spanish potatoes make up the menu of this elegant yet casual panLatin eatery. The best dishes—crusty-creamy papas bravas, savory shrimp and scallion crêpe, buttery cauliflower and fennel gratin, and indecently luscious dulce de leche pot du crème— will make your taste buds do a happy dance.

• Dinner Mon.–Sat. 561/833-8800. $$

chez jean-pierre —132 N. County Road.

French. Sumptuous cuisine, attentive servers and a see-and-be-seen crowd are hallmarks of one of the island’s premier restaurants. Indulgences include scrambled eggs with caviar and the Dover sole meunière filleted tableside. When your waiter suggests profiterolles au chocolat or hazelnut soufflé, say, mais oui!

• Dinner Mon.–Sat. 561/833-1171. $$$

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discovery

Taj

201 S.E. 15th Terrace, Deerfield Beach, 954/427-0423

O

ften, it seems like the area’s most authentic ethnic restaurants are also some of the region’s best-kept secrets, obscured in strip malls and surviving with little advertising. Such is the case with Taj, a best-kept secret in Deerfield Beach’s Cove shopping center for the past nine years, slowly accruing an enviable reputation for fine Indian dining.

Stellar reviews have lured foodies into its warm and comforting ambience, with white-tableclothed booths, wood-paneled folding screens, sculptures of Hindu deities and a soundtrack of Indian music.

Take a long, hard look at the menu of moderately priced Indian specialties, most of them standard Indian-menu fare, but prepared from scratch, and with love, from the tandoor oven. The restaurant offers buffet dining in the afternoons and table service at night; a recent evening visit began with complimentary papadum, perfectly crisped and hard to put down.

As an appetizer, the vegetable samosas ($4.95 for two), stuffed with piping-hot potato but surprisingly light on other vegetables, arrived with a sharp, filling flavor burst even without the sweet and spicy dips they were served with. They are best enjoyed with tandoori bread, like the cheese naan ($5.95).

As a main course, the lamb vindaloo ($16.95) is an unassailable option when prepared as exquisitely as it is here. A spoon could break apart the soft and tender lamb, served with spiced potatoes over a metric ton of basmati rice. A mild but satisfying and generous serving of rice pudding ($4.50) finished the meal with crunchy almonds and green cardamom.

Just before leaving, I heard another couple tell their server that “We’ve come here a few times, and every time we come here, it’s even better.” Come join the club of the few of us who are in on the secret.

—John ThomAson

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menu and the great quality of Cucina’s cuisine, combined with its fine service, ensures a fun place for a casual yet delectable meal—not to mention being a vantage point for spotting local celebs. • Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.

Outdoor dining. 561/655-0770. $$

echo—230A Sunrise Ave. Asian. The cuisine reverberates with the tastes of China, Thailand, Japan and Vietnam. Crispy jumbo shrimp with soybean plum sauce is delectable, the Chinese hot and sour soup is unlike any other, and the Mongolian beef tenderloin is perfection. Sake list is also tops. This offsite property of The Breakers is managed with the same flawlessness as the resort. • Dinner nightly (during season). 561/802-4222. $$$ imoto —350 S. County Road. Asian Fusion/ Tapas. Clay Conley’s “little sister” (the translation of Imoto from Japanese) is next to his always-bustling Buccan. Imoto turns out Japanese-inspired small plates with big-city sophistication, like witty Peking duck tacos and decadent tuna and foie gras sliders.

Sushi selection is limited but immaculately fresh. The mille-crêpe cake is 20 layers of lacy, mango-sauced goodness. • Dinner daily.

561/833-5522. $$ leopard lounge and restaurant — The Chesterfield Palm Beach, 363 Cocoanut Row. American. The restaurant offers excellent food in a glamorous and intimate club-like atmosphere. In fact, it’s advisable to make early reservations if a quiet dinner is the objective; the place becomes a late-night cocktail spot after 9. The menu is equally decadent. • Breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner daily. 561/659-5800. $$

nick & johnnie’s—207 Royal Poinciana Way. Contemporary American. Expect flavorful, moderately priced California-esque cuisine in a casual setting with affordable wines and young, energetic servers. Try the short-rib or jerk chicken quesadillas as appetizers, and don’t miss the four-cheese tortellini as a main course.

• Lunch and dinner Mon.–Sat. Breakfast Sun. 561/655-3319. $$

renato’s —87 Via Mizner. Italian with continental flair. This most romantic hideaway is buzzing in season and quietly charming all year long with Italian classics and a Floridian twist—like the sautéed black grouper in a fresh tomato and pernod broth with fennel and black olives and the wildflower-honey-

glazed salmon fillet with crab and corn flan.

• Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner nightly. 561/6559752. $$$

the restaurant — Four Seasons Resort, 2800 South Ocean Blvd. Contemporary American. With casual, yet refined ambience, this is the premier dining venue at Four Seasons Palm Beach. Savor fresh Atlantic seafood in a contemporary setting complemented by innovative cocktails. Don’t miss the mouthwatering dessert selections. Live entertainment on Saturday nights. • Dinner Mon.–Sun. 561/533-3750. $$$$

ta-boó —2221 Worth Ave. American. This self-described “American bistro” is less typical “American” restaurant or classical French “bistro” than it is posh-casual refuge for the see-and-be-seen crowd in and around Palm Beach. The eclectic menu offers everything from roasted duck with orange blossom honey-ginger sauce to dry-aged steaks and an assortment of pizzas. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/835-3500. $$

trevini ristorante —290 Sunset Ave. Italian. Maitre d’ Carla Minervini is your entrée to a warm experience, complemented by a stately but comfortable room and excellent food. We love the crispy fillet of herbcrusted sole in a rich, buttery sauce and the veal scallopini in a lemon caper Chardonnay sauce. • Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner nightly.

561/833-3883. $$$

pAlm beACh gArdens cabo flats—11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Ave. mexican. Mexican cuisine often has more personas than Madonna. This highly stylized cantina adds another—that of California’s Chicano culture. All your favorite Mexican dishes are there, as well as enormous margaritas, but also niftier items like the terrific tuna ceviche in “tomatillo broth.” • Lunch and dinner daily.

561/624-0024. $ café chardonnay—4533 PGA Blvd.

Contemporary American. This longtime stalwart never rests on its laurels. Instead, it continues to dish finely crafted American/ Continental fare with enough inventiveness to keep things interesting. The popular herband-Dijon-mustard rack of lamb, regular menu items like duck with Grand Marnier sauce, and always superlative specials reveal a kitchen with solid grounding in culinary july/august 2013

fundamentals. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner daily. 561/627-2662. $$

WELLINGTON pangea bistro —10140 W. Forest Hill Blvd. Contemporary American. Add culinary influences from the tropics, Europe, Asia and Latin America to a trio of chefs from the Four Seasons Palm Beach, plus one Venezuelan designer-turned-restaurateur, and the result is this smartly modern bistro that’s bringing a real sense of gastronomic adventure to Wellington. Every dish sports an element that will tickle your taste buds, whether crunchy Asian slaw on ahi poke flatbread or beguiling lemongrass-kaffir lime vinaigrette with a slab of various blackened fish. • Lunch and dinner Mon.–Sat. (Dinner only during summer months) 561/793-9394. $$ WEsT pALm bEACh b.b. king’s blues club —550 S. Rosemary Ave. American. The restaurant at this club-dining spot won’t leave you singing the blues, but it will leave you wishing for more than a spoonful of the lusty flavors of its Southern/New Orleans cuisine. Punch up the flavors of pan-fried catfish and shrimp with jambalaya sauce and chicken-fried chicken on a bed of mac ’n’ cheese, and you could let the good times roll. Buffalo wings, fried pickle chips and luscious banana bread pudding are good bets. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/4208600. $

Buzz Bites iv Heaven can’t wait: Seven months after being forced out of the Palm Beach location it occupied for much of its 60 years in business, Hamburger Heaven (1 N. Clematis St., 561/655-5277) has reopened across the Intracoastal in downtown West Palm Beach. The new location is bigger and grander than its old spot; it features a dessert bar, breakfast-lunch counter and killer water views. The menu has all the old favorites, from omelets, sandwiches and burgers to homemade milkshakes, cakes and pies.

—bILL CITArA

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cabana las palmas—533 Clematis St. Nuevo Latino. With its bold, vibrant decor and flavors, this colorful restaurant is a treat for the palette and palate. Must-orders include mariquitas, thin, crispy plantain slices that are the irresistible Cuban answer to potato chips; cookbook-perfect ceviche of shrimp, octopus and calamari that shows how chili heat can be both fiery and subtle; and the signature “Coco Cabana,” a habanero and coconut milk-infused curry with a wealth of veggies, tubers and fat, succulent shrimp. • Lunch and dinner daily.

561/833-4773. $$

café centro —2409 N. Dixie Highway.

Italian. There are many things to like about this modest little osteria—the unpretentious ambience, piano nightly after 7 p.m., the fine service, the robust portions and relatively modest prices. And, of course, the simple, satisfying Italian cuisine. The kitchen breathes new life into hoary old fried calamari, gives fettucine con pollo a surprisingly delicate herbed cream sauce, gilds snowy fillets of grouper with a soulful Livornese. • Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner daily. 561/514-4070. $$

china beach bistro —409 Northwood Road. Chinese. South Florida may not be a hotbed of fine Chinese cuisine, but anyone who loves the incredibly diverse, sophisticated food of the Middle Kingdom should be fired up about this chic restaurant. From exquisite dim sum (like steamed chicken and mushroom dumplings perfumed with kaffir lime leaf ) to a superb version of Peking duck with impossibly crisp skin, tender meat and house-made pancakes, the food here is a revelation. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner Mon.–Sat. 561/833-4242. $

fuku—215 Clematis St. pan-Asian. In Japanese, the name means “good fortune”; the most fortunate among you will sample a special of thin-sliced raw scallop that you cook at your table on a hot river stone after first dunking the fish in shoyu. There’s also a commendable version of rock shrimp tempura and a pretty presentation of gado-gado, an Indonesian mixed-veggie salad with a sweetish peanut sauce for dipping. • Lunch and dinner Mon.–Sat. 561/659-3858. $$

leila —120 S. Dixie Highway. mediterranean. Flowing drapes and industrial lighting complete the exotic decor in this Middle Eastern hit. Sensational hummus is

a must-try. Lamb kebab with parsley, onion and spices makes up the delicious Lebanese lamb kefta. Take your Turkish coffee to the patio for an arguileh (water pipe) experience. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner Mon.–Sun. 561/659-7373. $$

marcello’s la sirena—6316 S. Dixie Highway. Italian. You’re in for a treat if the pasta of the day is prepared with what might be the best Bolognese sauce ever. Another top choice is the chicken breast, pounded thin and filled with fontina and prosciutto. • Dinner Mon.–Sat. (closed Memorial Day–Labor Day).

561/585-3128. $$

pistache—101 N. Clematis St. French.

Pistache doesn’t just look like a French bistro, it cooks like one. The menu includes such bistro specialties as mussels mariniere, coq au vin and steak tartare. • Brunch Sat.–Sun. Lunch and dinner daily. 561/833-5090. $$ rhythm café—3800 S. Dixie Highway. Casual American. Once a diner, the interior is eclectic with plenty of kitsch. The crab cakes are famous here, and the tapas are equally delightful.

Homemade ice cream and the chocolate chip cookies defy comparison. • Dinner Tues.–Sun. 561/833-3406. $$

rocco’s tacos—224 Clematis St. mexican.

Big Time Restaurant Group has crafted a handsome spot that dishes Mexican favorites, as well as upscale variations on the theme and some 150 tequilas. Tacos feature house-made tortillas and a variety of proteins. Made-to-order guacamole is a good place to start, perhaps followed by a grilled yellowtail (an occasional special) with mango-pineapple salsa. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner nightly. 561/650-1001. (Other Palm Beach County locations: 5250 Town Center Circle, Boca Raton, 561/416-2133; 5090 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens, 561/623-0127) $ top of the point—777 S. Flagler Drive. Contemporary American. The food is not only good but surprisingly adventurous, and the service is exceptional at this Intracoastal spot. Though there are plenty of steaks for the more conservative of palate and edgier offerings, like smoky grilled octopus with “Catalan salad.” • Dinner Tues.–Sat. 561/832-2424. $$$ see our complete tricounty dining guide at bocamag.com.

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The Occhigrossi Family

Boca’s Presents

ckelman

Mark Bro

Gary Collins

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Ballroom Battle Friday, August 16 th at 6pm Hosted at The Boca Raton Resort & Club

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Tickets start at $150, Tables start at $1,500. for more information, call (561) 347-6799 or visit www.scholarship.org.

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Pam Casanave

also SPONSORED BY

Jan Savarick

OurTown celebrating people from all walks of life who make our community proud

Where TO DOnaTe

For more information on the orphanage in GrandGoâve and the foundation established in Britney Gengel’s name, visit belikebrit.org.

Britney Gengel in Haiti, January 2010

In The name Of The DaughTer Three hours before the earthquake that claimed the life of her daughter—and hundreds of thousands of other victims— Cherylann Gengel received a text that, unbeknownst to her, would ultimately save lives in Haiti.

“I can honestly say that something happened to Britney before the earthquake,” Cherylann says of her daughter, one of six Lynn University representatives (four follow the leader

students and two faculty) who died Jan. 12, 2010 while on a humanitarian mission in Haiti. “She was so touched by the children—and so upset by what she saw. ...

“This was Brit’s last wish: to build an orphanage.”

This past Jan. 21, on what would have been Britney’s 23rd birthday, an orphanage in Grand-Goâve, Haiti—a 19,000-squarefoot facility that’s not only built in her name

but is shaped like the letter “B”—accepted its first child. By this spring, 19 true orphans and abandoned children had found a new home thanks to the inspired work of Cherylann Gengel and husband Len. The Massachusetts residents, who chronicled their journey in a recently released book, spoke to Boca Raton about realizing their daughter’s dream.

MORE ON THE GENGELS >>

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OurTown In Their Own Words

Len and Cherylann Gengel Authors, HeartacHe and Hope in Haiti

SeedS of deSpair The post-earthquake chaos in Haiti led to misinformation back home; at one point, the Gengels were told by a Lynn representative that Britney was safe and on a helicopter to Port-au-Prince—only to learn that wasn’t true. In the end, it took 33 days for the Gengels to recover their daughter’s body.

Len: “For us, it was unfathomable to lose your daughter twice in 48 hours. But, at the same time, we needed a place to put this pain, heartache, suffering and love. ... Brit had given us a gift [with her text message].”

CheryLAnn: “We talked to organizations around the world trying to get information.

How do you build an orphanage in Haiti?

One guy told us it would only cost $20,000. At the time, we were worried about raising that much. If anyone had told us then that we were going to have to raise $2 million ...”

from the Ground up

“They love us so much, and everyone is so happy. They love what they have, and they work so hard to get nowhere, yet they are all so appreciative. I want to move here and start an orphanage myself.”

Cherylann and Len Gengel at a book signing in Boca.

CreatinG a LeGaCy

There is room at the orphanage for 66 children Len, who retired this year after 30 years as a (33 boys, 33 girls); it will be their home for as home builder, has made more than 40 trips to long as they need it.

—Text from Britney to Cherylann, Len: I raised my kids [the Gengels have two sons] Haiti from Boston over the past two years to Jan. 12, 2010, with the Vince Lombardi quote. Everyone gets oversee the mammoth and complex project. By three hours before the earthquake knocked down in life; it’s how you get up that this summer, the Gengels will have upward of defines you. This was the knockout of knockouts.

50 staffers at the orphanage and more than 20 ... But we believe that Brit’s orphanage is built on children.

Len: “We’ve taken the impossible, and we’ve done it. I don’t mean faith, hope and love. Those three words are on Brit’s gravestone.”

CheryLAnn: “Our concern now is to make sure it succeeds. that to boast. But we built an earthquake-proof building in Haiti.

Brit’s name is on it. Our names are on it. And every dollar that ... We taught the Haitians how to build correctly. Along the way, we people have given to us, we value. They could have given to other created economy every which way we turned in a country with 80 organizations; they chose us. We’re honored by that.” percent unemployment.”

CheryLAnn: “People show up every day wanting to give us their Len: “I’m at peace when I’m in Haiti. The indignity there is so great children—not because they don’t love them. Because they do love that, from my perspective, we give the Haitian people hope. ... them. They can’t feed them. ... Our first child’s name is Kerbins. His We’re making the lives of the children so much better. Maybe, we’re mother died during childbirth; his father died in an accident. He was raising the next generation of leaders in Haiti.” being raised by an aunt who already had four children.”

Len: “Was this in our retirement plan? Not really. ... We Web extra raised $1.4 million and put $600,000 of our own money For a complete transcript of Boca Raton’s interview with the into the building. ... As I tease my wife, ‘I built you a place Gengels, visit boCAmAg.Com. in the Caribbean; you can winter down there.’”

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july/august 2013

Boca Dance Studio

B

y the time Jo-D Meacham and Melanie Gibbs purchased Boca Dance Studio in 2004, these native Floridians already had achieved a career’s worth of accomplishments. As professional dancers, their résumés included working with Meryl Streep, Dick Clark, Bill Gates, the Beach Boys and other celebrities. They performed for crowds of 20 to 20,000, traveling the world and sacrificing sleep for their art.

“We performed at the 1996 Olympics and at [Atlanta’s] Fernbank Museum,” Gibbs recalls.

“We’d perform at the Fernbank for IBM, and then we’d fly down to Orlando to do a Tupperware industrial. We’d rehearse there for a day and do the industrial for 10,000 people in this arena—for Tupperware! We’d look at each other like, is this our life? Then we’d turn around and go to Atlanta for the Olympics.

“When you’re 21 and 25, you can do that. Now we’d turn into pumpkins.”

Today, Gibbs and Meacham are a little bit older but no less dedicated to dance. When they took over Boca Dance Studio—tucked inside the Shoppes at Village Pointe—it already had garnered a strong reputation in the community. Founded in 1983 by Cindy Ivanoski, the studio recently celebrated its 30th anniversary with a major recital in May. During their nine-year tenure, Gibbs and Meacham have boosted the Studio’s enrollment from 164 kids to more than 350, while also hosting popular adult dance classes. Some students stay in the program from age 3 until they graduate high school; alumni of their classes have started their own esteemed companies, joined touring companies in Italy, danced for NFL teams and attended Ivy League schools.

Meacham and Gibbs shared some of the keys to their success with Boca Raton.

Behind the Business

Melanie Gibbs with her students

MeachaM: “The first thing we did was open up all the blinds.

I remember sitting in the front room and hearing this mother walk by and go, ‘Oh, that’s a dance studio! I had no idea.’ We tell everybody all the time that dance is a performing art. You’re not a sculptor. You’re not sitting in a studio somewhere isolated.

That’s why we do what we do— to show it.”

Gibbs: “Ninety-five percent of

our business is from word-ofmouth referrals. To me, that means we have a good name in the community.”

MeachaM: “Unfortunately, there are children whose parents get divorced or pass away, and they have the greatest losses, but they don’t stop coming to dance when that happens. As a matter of fact, they come more. This group seems to sense what the weakness and hurt is.”

Gibbs: “We were lucky to

have bought into a business that had established a lot of goodwill. I think the biggest accomplishment is being financially viable after 30 years as a small business in a state that is not always friendly to small business. We’re lucky to be in a good plaza and a wonderful city.”

MeachaM: “If you’re going into this business just to be a competitive dynamo and to kick everybody’s butt, that doesn’t work. ... I don’t think you’re going to create fine young [people].

That’s always been our goal: to create young women, and men, who go out and are stronger human beings as a result of being in the dance room.” follow the leader

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OurTown Hometown Heroes

Failing grade

How did Boca Raton’s South Inlet Park fare on a recent Sea Angels clean? Not too well. It received a grade 4 out of 10. Here are some of the findings.

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27 bags, paper and plastic 526 small 85 rope/strapping bands plastic pieces 2 tent spikes 21 beverage bottles 1 broom top 20 straws/stirrers

july/august 2013

Robyn and Mike Halasz

Boca Bargains

CheCk out these three great finds—only in our baCkyard.

Keeping our shores clean is only part of the mission of these beach watchdogs.

M

any of us have our little OCD avoiding latex gloves, recycling and even quirks. Some of us wash our upcycling, which turns waste into surprishands far too frequently, othingly lovely artworks. ers triple-check the locks in They began to arrange monthly cleanups our homes and cars. Robyn Halasz looks at beachside parks from Boca Raton to for other people’s garbage. Everywhere.

Jupiter and catalog their findings down to In November 2010, Robyn and husband the most precise details—information that Mike started Sea Angels, a nonprofit dedicatthen goes to the cities or counties responed to removing litter from Palm Beach Counsible for park maintenance. At a cleanup at ty’s beaches—and to educating locals on Jupiter’s Carlin Park earlier this year, for inthe dangers that litter causes to the marine stance, they found 804 pieces of Styrofoam, ecosystem. But their passion doesn’t stop 72 cigarette butts, 32 food wrappers, a light at the shoreline: Before sitting down for an bulb and a sealed package of hot dogs. At interview with Boca Raton, Robyn previous cleans, they’ve collected IV spotted a discarded lighter on kits, syringes with the needles the short walk from her car intact, and used diapers. to a park bench in Ocean “I won’t walk the beach Ridge’s Ocean Inlet Park. without flip-flops,” “I just noticed a cap Robyn says. “I’m now For more information over there, and it’s used to finding needles about the organization and driving me crazy,” she and shotgun shells. In beach cleaning events, visit says. “I can spot [trash] Manalapan, somebody seaangels.org or from the road. It beleft a rat trap with a freshcall 561/846-1351. comes an obsession.” ly killed rat.”

As they say, somebody’s The Sea Angels’ dedicagotta do it. Robyn and Mike, tion has yielded some encourwho have been partners for 21 aging results. The organization, years, having been doing it for nearly a which consists of a staff of six plus an decade, long before they incorporated Sea average of 50 to 60 volunteers during highAngels. The deteriorating conditions at season cleanups, has won four awards Ocean Inlet Park, their favorite beach, profrom local towns and organizations, and its vided the impetus. actions prompted the removal of plastic“I think there’s not enough awareness,” bags dispensers from three area beaches Mike says. “In the schools, there is no man(their studies found that the bags only condate for litter education. We grew up in tributed more litter). a time where you had public-service anRobyn’s favorite day involved finding a nouncements on television about Woodsy seagull whose legs had become wrapped the owl, Keep America Beautiful, the crying in monofilament fishing line. She called an Indian. When you grow up in [that] enviexpert volunteer to remove the line, which, ronment, I think you have a little more apRobyn learned, saved the seagull from perpreciation for your surroundings.” manent circulation loss in its legs.

Early on, the Halaszes joined cleanup “I don’t do this for me,” she says. “I do it groups in the area, but they were disapbecause it needs to be done. I want people pointed by the lack of eco-awareness: out there knowing that they can make a Cleanup teams were using nonbiodegraddifference. It only takes one person to get able plastic garbage bags, which only polout there.” lute landfills later on. So Mike and Robyn And with that, Robyn Halasz gets up founded Sea Angels on passionate green and removes the bottle cap that has been principles—collecting garbage in reusable bothering her for the past hour ... just as a buckets (they store about 150 at home), curious duck approaches it.

Join the Sea Angels

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sea turtle release PriCe: $17 for general admission Where: Gumbo Limbo (1801 N. Ocean Blvd., Boca Raton, 561/ 544-8605) What’s the deal? During select weeknights from mid-July through midSeptember, head to Gumbo Limbo for a chance to see baby sea turtles make their journey to the ocean. Tickets to attend this rare event sell out quickly, so reserve your time in advance.

summer fliCks PriCe: $1 Where: Willow Theatre (300 S. Military Trail, Boca Raton, 561/347-3948) What’s the deal? For just four quarters, enjoy popcorn and drink— and a summer movie! On Thursday, July 18, watch “Skyfall” at the Willow Theatre. The movie begins at 6:30 p.m., and seating is limited. Call to purchase tickets in advance.

free CaPoeira Classes PriCe: Free Where: Sanborn Square (72 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton, 561/393-7040) What’s the deal? Every Saturday in July and August, come to Sanborn Square for a free Brazilian martial arts class (presented by Cia do Axé Dance Studio) that combines music and dance. Classes begin at 10:30 a.m.

Ages 12 and older are welcome.

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magazines by Jes publishing >> 561-997-8683 >> bocamag.com >> sales@bocamag.com

11/19/12

2:13 PM

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CLU B

Boca Raton

spotlights the most exciting

events in the tri-county area

[1]

Savor the avenue

Where: Delray Beach about the event: More than 1,000 guests feasted at South Florida’s longest dining table during the fifth annual Savor the Avenue spectacular, hosted by Boca Raton and Delray Beach magazines, along with the Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority. Twenty participating restaurants prepared specialty menus featuring four-course meals (with wine). The extended table stretched as far as the eye could see along Atlantic Avenue—from Swinton Avenue all the way down to Fifth Avenue. [ 1 ] Guests toast at the start of Savor the Avenue.

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people [2]

Savor the avenue (cont.)

The ResTauRanTs: Savor the Avenue showcased 20 local restaurants—32 East, 50 Ocean, Buddha Sky Bar, Cabana el Rey, Caffé Luna Rosa, City Oyster & Sushi Bar, Cut 432, Linda Bean Perfect Maine, Max’s Harvest, Park Tavern, Prime, Rack’s Fish House & Oyster Bar, Salt 7, Solita Delray, Sundy House, The Office, Tramonti, Tryst, Union and Vic & Angelo’s.

[ 2 ] Lindsay Autry [ 3 ] Kim Franklin and Lori Bardales [ 4 ] (sitting) Peggy and Rick Doepper, (standing) Robert and Gwen Neuman [ 5 ] John Shuff, Margaret Mary Shuff, Marjorie Ferrer, Carey McKearnan and Mark Gold [ 6 ] Laura Simon and Sven Mautner

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[6]

july/august 2013

The SponSorS: Special thanks to our Savor the Avenue sponsors: Mercedes-Benz of Delray Beach, Atlas Party Rental, Waste Management and Delray Garden Center. Office Depot Foundation was the beneficiary of the event.

[7]

[ 7 ] Kathleen Ross, Dawn McCormick, Diane Franco, Nilsa McKinney and Marie Speed [ 8 ] Clare Moloney and Charles Andrews [ 9 ] Warren Roy, Nicholas Koutrakos and Daniel Alberttis [ 10 ] Melissa Hartling and Doug Camozzit [ 11 ] Guests lounge at Solita’s street installment

[8] [9]

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people Caribbean Cowboy ball

[1]

Where: Boca Raton About the event: The George Snow Scholarship Fund hosted its 20th annual Caribbean Cowboy Ball and Auction at Boca Raton’s Red Reef Park, attracting more than 525 “cowpokes” for a “foot-stompin’ good time.” Attendees enjoyed a buffet dinner from Outback Steakhouse, as well as live music, line-dancing lessons, live and silent auctions, and fireworks. The event raised more than $134,000 for the George Snow Scholarship Fund, which has awarded millions of dollars in educational grants to local students.

[ 1 ] Bobby Browne and Tracy Guasto [ 2 ] (back row) Frank Castronova, Jess Sowards, Judy Sowards and Brian Twist; (front row) Peggy Castronova, Susan Fedele, Jim Fedele and Sarah Twist [ 3 ] Kevin Ross and Phoebe Chapman [ 4 ] Fred and Ingrid Fulmer, and Mike Arts [ 5 ] Jackie Lauren and Gene Esnes [2]

[3]

[4]

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july/august 2013

[6]

[ 6 ] Erin Mumford, Sue Posey, Linda Tome, Sharon Batte, Sandra Boonenberg, Lauren Kresse, Gina Tayem, Elena Tayem, Hader Zaki, Helen Masterson, Pam Perrin, Savi Snow, Suzanne Bower and Linda Gove [ 7 ] Sharon and Jay DiPietro, and Diane Bijolle [ 8 ] Shelagh and Scott Adams, and Marta and Jim Batmasian [ 9 ] Tom and Kathy LaSalle [ 10 ] Howard and Diana Goldstein, Maria Salvachio, Rick Coffin, Peter Baronoff, Jan Gee, John Marks, Jim O’Neill, JoAnne Williams and Carmel Pasquale

[7]

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continued from page 115

have if I hadn’t seen the shine on her skin.

“It’s such an adrenaline rush when you see one, I can’t even explain it. They are such beautiful creatures; it’s a shame that they are so invasive.”

Ramirez and Brana say that during the monthlong challenge, they spent hours filling out reports and forms with data about their catches—including longitude and latitude of location, weather conditions, time of day, etc. Ramirez, who is in the steel business, and Brana, who has a truck delivery company, both would like nothing more than to devote their careers to python hunting.

“They should be paying people with experience to find the pythons,” Ramirez says. “We do this because we love being

out here, but it costs a lot for fuel and time.

If we got paid for this, we would bring in truckloads [of snakes]. Not to mention the amount of data we could provide.”

At one point, there was talk of a bounty system for each python caught, but officials worried that smugglers and breeders would pass off their snakes as Everglades captures, just for the money. Collins says that part of the objective of the Python Challenge was to gauge the impact of providing incentives to permit holders.

“We would love to be able to hire people to hunt the pythons, but it costs money,” Collins says. “And like a lot of other government agencies today, we are having funding problems.”

With the catch safely double-bagged in the back of the truck, Ramirez pulls over for one last bit of business. He reaches into a

Our very own Marie Speed will be dancing in

container and pulls out a 2-foot corn snake that he caught earlier in the day.

He holds it by its head and gives it a little kiss. Just before he releases it back into the wild, the corn snake snips at his thumb. It’s love at last bite.

Well, at least for today.

July/August 2013 issue. Vol. 33, No. 4. The following are trademarks in the state of Florida of JES Publishing Corp., and any use of these trademarks without the express written consent of JES Publishing Corp. is strictly prohibited: Florida Funshine and Florida Style. Boca (ISSN0740-2856) is published seven times a year (September/October, November, December/ January, February, March/April, May/June and July/August)

by JES Publishing Corp. Editorial, advertising and administrative offices: 5455 N. Federal Highway, Suite M, Boca Raton, FL, 33487. Telephone: 561/997-8683. Please address all editorial and advertising correspondence to the above address.

Periodicals postage paid at Boca Raton, Fla., and additional mailing offices. Subscriptions: $14.95/7 issues, $19.95/14 issues. Single copy $5.95. No whole or part of the content may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission of Boca magazine, excepting individually copyrighted articles and photographs. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Boca magazine, P.O. Box 820, Boca Raton, FL 33429-9943.

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speedbumps [ by marie speed ]

The New England Effect

A trip to the colonies offers the ultimAte south floridA reAlity check.

O

ne of the worst things you could be called in our household when I was growing up was “provincial.” Those were people who had never been anywhere, who had narrow minds and used TV trays, who were Ugly Americans overseas, and who probably kept their money under their mattresses.

My parents prided themselves on being educated and sophisticated people of the world—even later, when that world became considerably smaller.

I bring this up because it recently dawned on me that I might have become hopelessly provincial. That I have lived here too long, that I do not get out enough, that I have forgotten whatever French I used to know, that I have become the person my parents would have loathed.

This is all because I went to New England for a few days.

I should have known when I started packing that trouble lie ahead. It was already summertime here, but I had been told to bring a sweater. Like everyone has sweaters lying around. Even a light jacket, they suggested. Sure, I said, knowing full well I have not had a jacket, light or otherwise, in about 15 years. My sweaters date from the 1980s and are Norwegian with little reindeer marching across the chest. In fact, I remember when I had to buy a winter coat for a business trip about 10 years ago. I could only find one—and I mean one—in the entire city of Boca Raton, at Nordstrom.

Living in South Florida does this to you. Who has winter shoes? Warm socks? In fact, who even wears shoes half the time? And living at the beach has only made things worse.

Although I try to be presentable at work, the second I come home all bets are off. Really old cargo shorts, possibly the most unattractive article of clothing a woman can own, are usually paired with a faded Gators T-shirt, preferably one referencing Steve Spurrier in some way. Flipflops are for the feet, if the feet have an inclination to wear shoes. That’s just called casual in my neck of the woods; I have neighbors who have skipped this transitional phase altogether now and go straight to pajamas after work.

We are never cold and avoid much scheduling, unless it involves dinner reservations. We drift through tiki bars follow the leader

or swat away Burmese pythons, or search out really good fish tacos. We are useless tropical layabouts, making sunsets a cause to gather, learning how to open beers with our iphones, watching The Weather Channel for fun.

This was not the case in New England.

In New England, everyone was jacketed, belted, socked and booted. They wanted to walk everywhere, even after I explained to them what valet parking was. They laughed at a 40-degree high and marveled at my ability to locate a dive bar near the water on sheer instinct alone. They had houses made of brick, tidy gardens bobbing with daffodils and tulips, statues of mariners and great Colonial pioneers. There were no Coppertone billboards or Arabian casinos, or giant towers painted like mouse ears.

I was, literally, a fish out of water, a woman with last summer’s tan, wearing sunglasses in the rain and confused about what season we were in. I admired them, I really did, but I realized I was suddenly an outcast in this real American world of elm trees and cobblestone and Quaker houses.

I was Tom Hanks when he got off the island, the kid raised by wolves, the woman from South Florida.

So I am home now, unpacked, suitcases put away. The temperature is inching up toward the high 80s, there was an easterly breeze off the ocean this morning, a full pink moon last night.

I know I should feel remorseful that I have been here so long. That I have limited myself to this strange and sandy limestone peninsula, that I only have sandals in my closet.

But I do not.

Not now, not this summer, not ever. [ bocamag.com ]

159

For Better or For Worse

The author and his bride on their wedding day

How a blind date evolved into a 50-year-old marriage

I

n October 1959, I met the girl that I would marry. I didn’t realize at the time because, at age 19, I wasn’t exactly in the market for a wife. Instead, I was a gangly sophomore at Notre Dame licking my chops for a good time. So when a friend told me that I’d been fixed up with a freshman from St. Mary’s for the Victory Dance after the Notre Dame-Purdue game, I was both excited and apprehensive. I knew blind dates could be grim—like buying distressed merchandise with a no-return policy—but back then there was no speed dating or meeting for coffee; a blind date meant you were stuck for hours with whomever showed up. Still, I was hoping for the best.

I remember the ritual I went through getting ready; I wanted to make a great first impression. So after the game, I shined my shoes, put on my blue suit with my favorite red tie, liberally splashed Aqua Velva on my face and neck, slapped on some pit grease, looked in the mirror to make a final inspection and then headed off to St. Mary’s to pick up Margaret Mary Scanlan.

I don’t recall being nervous as I hurried up the steps outside Holy Cross Hall. Rather, I was curious about the person [ by john shuff ] I would meet. How would she look? Would we have anything in common to talk about? Did she like to dance? If she didn’t like what she saw, would she bolt?

My thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a nun who looked me over from top to bottom—like standing at inspection in the military—before asking me my name and that of the person I was there to pick up. After the formalities (I had passed muster), she instructed me to sit with the other sheep huddled near her desk waiting for their “Loretta Youngs” to make their appearances.

The wait seemed to take forever, but then the door opened and

myturn

160

[ bocamag.com ]

my date entered the room, stopping in front of me. I went numb.

She was radiant. She was tiny—5 feet, 2 inches—in a perfectly fitted hunter green sheath dress. Her smile was dazzling. Her big blue-green eyes were engaging, and her softly coiffed dark hair reminded me of a Clairol ad.

I took her hand after we were introduced, led her down the steps away from the hallowed halls of Holy Cross Hall and grabbed a cab to the Notre Dame campus. We danced all night to the Les Elgart Orchestra and talked about our families. She was from Blue Island, Ill., on Chicago’s South Side, her dad was a dentist and she had a brother, Jim, six years younger.

At 11 p.m. the band promptly signed off; both schools had a midnight curfew. Arriving back at St. Mary’s, I walked Margaret Mary up to the door and, without reservation, leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. It was my way of saying thanks for a terrific evening, and I hope you feel the same way. It was the nicest evening I had ever had with a girl.

We dated for the next four years and were married on Aug. 10, 1963, on Marg’s 22nd birthday.

What started with a simple kiss on the forehead after a blind date has evolved into a marriage of 50 years. I look at our long relationship with great pride in not only what we have accomplished as a couple, but also as the parents of two children who have given us both great happiness. And then there’s the fact of my MS, which I have had for almost 40 of the 50 years of our marriage. Maybe it’s that particular element in our married life that has made me see how Marg really meant her marriage vows when she said she would take me “for better or for worse, in sickness and in health.”

It’s been five decades that have not been easy—but they have been marked by a foundation of good communication and compromise. It is this bedrock of commitment that I couldn’t have foreseen that autumn night so long ago when a tiny girl in a green dress walked into a room—and into my heart forever.

july/august 2013

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