Boca Raton magazine December 2014

holiday fashion finds how to sparkle in style

EurO trAvEl trEAtS iS LOndOn CALLing?

bocamag.com

HIGH-SEASON DINING BOCA’S TOP TABLES

+ 25

the [only] boca raton magazine

power players in boca — who’s shaping the city?

how does it feel? to swim with sharks, to drown in slime ... and much more!

Metamorphosis, an Hermès story

« Zebra Pegasus » silk twill scarf « Faubourg » watch in rose gold set with diamonds Miami Design District 175 North East 40th Street (305) 868-0118 Palm Beach, 240 Worth Avenue (561) 655-6655 Hermes.com

BOCA

RATON

© 2014 Douglas Elliman Real Estate.

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MIAMI

Equal Housing Opportunity.

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MIAMI

BEACH

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AVENTURA

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FORT

LAUDERDALE

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PALM

BEACH

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NEW

YORK

GREAT HOMES MAKE GREAT MEMORIES. FIND YOURS. Douglas Elliman is built on a proud, 100-year tradition of outstanding leadership in real estate. Combining cuttingedge technology, the most comprehensive research and unique market insights that no other company has, our agents have a singular commitment to guiding our clients in making one of life’s most important decisions with absolute confidence.

Leverage the power behind the most powerful name in real estate. Douglas Elliman.

Visit AskElliman.com.

ASKELLIMAN.COM

© D.YURMAN 2014

TOWN CENTER AT BOCA RATON 561 955 1848 DAVIDYURMAN.COM

T H E U LT I M A T E I N T R U E BEACHFRONT LIVING COMING SOON

aubergebeach.com 954.874.8999

Sales by RELATED REALTY in collaboration with FORTUNE DEVELOPMENT SALES

Obtain the property report required by federal law and read it before signing anything. No federal agency has judged the merits or value, if any, of this property. Oral representations cannot be relied upon as correctly stating the representations of the developer. For correct representations, make reference to this brochure and to the documents required by section 718.503, Florida statutes, to be furnished by a developer to a buyer or lessee.

This is not intended to be an offer to sell, or solicitation of an offer to buy, condominium units to residents of CT, ID, NY, NJ and OR, unless registered or exemptions are available, or in any other jurisdiction where prohibited by law, and your eligibility for purchase will depend upon your state of residency. This offering is made only by the Prospectus for the Condominium and no statement should be relied upon if not made in the Prospectus. Developer (as is defined herein below) reserves the right to revise or modify designs and construction specifications. All depictions of appliances, fixtures, counters, soffits, wall coverings, floor coverings, furnishings, closets, and other matters of detail, including, without limitation, items of finish and decoration, are conceptual only and are not necessarily the final finishes and details included with the purchase of a Unit. The managing entities, operators, hotel operators, amenities, resort managers, spas, restaurants, and other features referred to are accurate as of the date of this publication; however, there is no guarantee that these will not change. Dimensions and square footage of the Units are approximate and may vary with actual construction. This Condominium is being developed by PRH Fairwinds, LLC (“Developer�), which has a limited right to use the trademarked names and logos used herein pursuant to a license and marketing agreement. The Related Group, Fortune International Group, and The Fairwinds Group are not, singularly nor jointly, the developer. No real estate broker is authorized to make any representations or other statements regarding the project, and no agreements with, deposits paid to or other arrangements made with any real estate broker are or shall be binding on the Developer. All prices are subject to change. Services and products offered by any spa, resort, concierge, beach club, restaurant, or other vendor are offered for a fee. Consult the Prospectus for the site plan and the location of the Unit you desire. Š 2014, PRH Fairwinds, LLC. All rights reserved. Unless otherwise noted, the content is owned by Developer and the unauthorized reproduction, display or other dissemination constitutes copyright infringement.

Patrimony Perpetual Calendar Hallmark of Geneva, pink-gold case, ultra-slim mechanical movement with automatic winding, calibre 1120 QP, moon phases.

Reference: 43175/000R -9687

Authorized Dealer A. Lange & Söhne • De Bethune • FP Journe • Harry Winston • IWC • Jaeger LeCoultre • Van Cleef & Arpels Mizner Park, Boca Raton, FL • 561.361.2311 • lesbijoux.com

Big Bang Pop Art. A unique model inspired by the famous art movement. Automatic chronograph in 18K yellow gold. Bezel set with 48 pink baguette-cut sapphires. Green rubber and pink alligator-skin strap.

Limited edition of 200 pieces. www.hublot.com •

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Š2014 Porsche Cars North America, Inc. Porsche recommends seat belt usage and observance of all traffic laws at all times. Optional equipment shown is extra.

More people on the edge of more seats Allow us to introduce our next vehicle for pure, visceral excitement. The Panamera. Pure Porsche performance for four. Consider the astounding power of its engine. The seemingly implausible maneuvering. The luxuriously appointed performance seating. Then imagine bringing the same excitement that's won over 28,000 races to more of your friends and family than ever. Porsche. There is no substitute.

The Panamera. Experience pure Porsche performance for four.

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design a n d technology.

radiomir 1940 3 days automatic oro rosso (ref. 573)

PANERAI BOUTIQUE ASPEN - 400 East Hyman Avenue - Tel. 970-544-1868 - aspen@panerai.com BOCA RATON - 318 Plaza Real - Tel. 561-361-6526 - bocaraton@panerai.com NAPLES - Waterside Shops - Tel. 239-598-2221 - naples@panerai.com PALM BEACH - 150 Worth Avenue - Tel. 561-833-8955 - palmbeach@panerai.com Downl oa d the Layar Ap p t o dis c over n ew c on t en t .

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YOU CAN TELL A GOOD WATCH

BY ITS HEART. The most important element of a genuine Armin Strom is the movement. Not only is it where the work begins, it is also at the heart of the design. This means that everybody who checks the time will always see the beauty of the technology. arminstrom.com

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Siemens Group is excited to announce an early construction start at Akoya, the most highly anticipated real estate offering to hit Boca Raton in two decades. Here, every conceivable amenity has been thoughtfully designed for the most demanding including valet, concierge and resident services. Akoya is ideally located on the grounds of one of the Nation’s premier country club communities — Boca West. Undeniably pampered, buyers can immediately take advantage of the club membership and start enjoying Boca West’s unprecedented resort style amenities and over 300,000 sq. ft. of Club facilities. With construction underway, now is the perfect time to choose your residence, secure the best pricing and join a privileged group who will truly have it all. Prices starting at $1,200,000.

561.362.2719 • AkoyaBocaWest.com SALES GALLERY located in the Sports Center at Boca West | 20583 Boca West Drive | Boca Raton, FL 33434 FOUR CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF COURSES • AWARD-WINNING CLUBHOUSE • SPORTS AND AQUATICS CENTER • WORLD-CLASS SPA AND TENNIS • FITNESS AND AEROBICS • SIX DINING VENUES ORAL REPRESENTATIONS CANNOT BE RELIED UPON AS CORRECTLY STATING THE REPRESENTATIONS OF THE DEVELOPER. FOR CORRECT REPRESENTATIONS, MAKE REFERENCE TO THE DOCUMENTS REQUIRED BY SECTION 718.503, FLORIDA STATUTES, TO BE FURNISHED BY A DEVELOPER TO A BUYER OR LESSEE. ALL DIMENSIONS ARE APPROXIMATE. PLANS, MATERIALS AND SPECIFICATIONS ARE SUBJECT TO ARCHITECTURAL, STRUCTURAL AND OTHER REVISIONS AS THEY ARE DEEMED ADVISABLE BY THE DEVELOPER, BUILDER OR ARCHITECT, OR AS MAY BE REQUIRED BY LAW. BOCA WEST COUNTRY CLUB, INC. IS A PRIVATE CLUB. ALL PARTIES WHO INTEND TO PURCHASE REAL PROPERTY LOCATED WITHIN BOCA WEST MUST APPLY TO AND BE APPROVED BY THE CLUB TO OBTAIN A CLUB MEMBERSHIP. ALL PARTIES APPROVED AS AND WHO BECOME CLUB MEMBERS SHALL BE SUBJECT TO AND MUST COMPLY WITH THE CLUB’S ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION, BYLAWS AND RULES AND REGULATIONS.

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a few of them. Treat yourself to a close-up look. For instance

them by hand. Aficionados will appreciate the fact that not all

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THE LUXURY YOU DESERVE, THE LIFESTYLE YOU EXPECT. Seven Bridges in Boca/Delray Beach offers the ultimate in luxury living with gorgeous estate homes, incredible amenities, a lavish clubhouse and world-class tennis facilities by Florida’s top homebuilder, GL Homes. Visit today and see how to start living in luxury at Seven Bridges.

ELEVEN MODELS LOCATED AT THE BRIDGES OPEN DAILY 10AM - 6PM, VISIT TODAY Seven Bridges is located on Lyons Rd. between Clint Moore Rd. and Atlantic Ave. in Delray Beach. (561) 509-5400

Brokers Welcome. Broker must accompany client during client’s initial visit to this community. Both the client and Broker must execute the Developer’s Registration Form on the initial visit. Broker must also execute the Developer’s Broker Participation Agreement. Seven Bridges is being developed and sold by Boynton Beach Associates XXIV, LLLP. Prices and information subject to change without notice. ©20141100-750 10-13-14

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Where Boca Comes

A DOUBLETREE BY HILTON

Experience Boca at its Finest Newly redesigned to appeal to today’s discerning guests, the Waterstone Resort & Marina is the perfect convergence of stylish hospitality and South Florida fun. Relax poolside with the cocktail of your choice or enjoy a variety of watersports from the stunning 270-ft. waterside promenade. Just minutes from the beach and world class shopping, Waterstone Resort & Marina is the quintessential Boca Raton experience.

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Boca’s only on-the-water dining experience whether it’s our magnificent raw bar, our fresh off-the-boat seafood, or our handcrafted cocktails, everything about Boca landing is fresh, fun and so totally Boca.

Casual has never been so memorable Enjoy casual poolside dining with a decidedly local twist. waterstone Bar & Grill combines traditional favorites with a style and local flavor all their own.

This is casual dining at it’s best.

LIFE IS A SMILE H A P P Y S P O R T A U T O M AT I C

78 Royal 78 Royal Palm Palm Place Place • Boca • Boca Raton, Raton, FL FL 561-393-3532 561-393-3532 • www.verdijewelers.com • www.verdijewelers.com

TIMELESS SOPHISTICATION Aquamarine and diamond necklace with detachable components to be worn in variety of ways.

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DECEmbEr 2014, Vol. 34, Issue 7

Put the 19th Street short-rib tacos at Farmer’s Table in Boca Raton on your must-try list during high season. Turn to page 146 for more culinary treats.

features

124

How Does It Feel?

Ever wonder what it’s like to eat fire? To swim with sharks? To have a bucket of green slime dumped on your head? Seven South Florida residents share firsthand accounts of episodes that, in some cases, changed their lives. by emily j. minor

follow the leader

138

wHo PusHes tHe Buttons In Boca?

Thirty years ago, you could tell the players in this town without a scorecard.

Today, the people who help to chart Boca’s course represent a variety of interests and backgrounds. by randy schultz

146

a guIDe to HIgHseason DInIng

The local restaurant scene offers so many delicious options that diners don’t know where to begin. Our food editor sets readers on the right culinary path—one category at a time. by bill citara

156

tHe euro samPler

A recent trek across the pond provides fresh perspective—and plenty of tourist tips—when it comes to classic travel destinations in England, Italy and Spain. by marie speed

[ bocamag.com ]

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85 DECEmbEr 2014 vol. 34, no. 7

departments

68

Mail

xx

111 HoME BasE

If you’re going to raise a glass this holiday season, do it with a sense of style. Here’s how.

Readers comment on articles in recent issues of Boca Raton.

by brad mee

72 Editor’s lEttEr

The staff of Boca Raton never ceases to be humbled by the candor of those who share their personal stories in our pages.

by kevin kaminski

75 HoME town

Celebrate the people, places and events that give our community its identity— including the latest high-season buzz, an entrepreneur making noise with his recent social media venture and three teens looking to make a difference in the lives of others. by stefanie cainto and kevin kaminski

85 sHop talk

75

In this expanded holiday edition, we brighten your fashion world with items that sparkle, inspire you with handbag tips, showcase the latest high-season jewelry— and sit down for an exclusive with famed designer Tamara Mellon on the eve of her Saks Fifth Avenue appearance. by stefanie cainto

99 FEEl Good

It’s the gift that keeps on giving: Treat yourself to some serious pampering at one of South Florida’s top spas. Here’s the lowdown on the area’s hottest treatments.

by lisette hilton

99 111 85

Boca Raton at town centeR Mall, 5800 Glades Rd. 561.393.9100

H.STERN

saks.com

Boca Raton

DECEmbEr 2014 vol. 34, no. 7

departments (cont.)

114

FaceTime

Meet the co-founder of Caridad Center, the talented trio that has been there from the beginning at Kathy’s Gazebo and a teen with a great “Jeopardy” story to tell. by marie speed and john thomason

121 The Boca SpoTlighT

114

177

As part of our feature on the power players in Boca Raton, our “City Watch” blogger offers a commentary on the influence wielded by the town’s city manager.

by randy schultz

163

BackSTage paSS

Our A&E editor highlights five must-see events for December, spotlights a renowned sculptor about to unveil an emotional project and spends time with two local podcasters shining their own light on the state’s oddities.

by john thomason

177 Dining guiDe

Don’t leave home without it—our comprehensive guide to the best restaurants in South Florida, including a review of Boca’s La Nouvelle Maison and a clam chowder Challenge. reviews by bill citara

217 ouT & aBouT

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

by stefanie cainto

237SpeeD BumpS

Enough about the Big Apple already. There are plenty of reasons to savor South Florida during the holidays.

by marie speed

239my Turn

As the author has discovered, the spirit of the holidays is sometimes best viewed through the eyes of children. by john shuff

177 xx

on the cover PhotograPher: Billy Coleman StyliSt: Danny Santiago/artist-management.net MoDel: Gintare Sudziute, Wilhelmina Models/Miami Dog: Giorgio

163 54

[ bocamag.com ]

hair & MakeuP: Virginia Le Fay, Artists at Wilhelmina, Miami loCatioN: 748 Hi-Mount Road, Palm Beach; built by Robert W. Gottfried faShioN: Christian Siriano dress and Edie Parker bag, from Neiman Marcus; brooches, from Mariko; shoes, from Jimmy Choo

217 december 2014

bocamag.com WEb ExTRAS

Check out these bonus items unique to bocamag.com, related to stories in the December issue of Boca Raton or pertaining to events in our area: HOW DOES IT FEEL: For the past decade, residents throughout South Florida have shared stories that range from surreal and uplifting to harrowing as part of Boca Raton’s recurring “How Does It Feel” feature. Check out some of our favorite vignettes by clicking on the Web Extra link on our home page.

MEET MS. MELLON: Boca Raton takes readers behind the scenes at Saks Fifth Avenue at Town Center for this month’s much-anticipated personal appearance by fashion icon Tamara Mellon. We’ll have images from the Dec. 10 event, as well as a report from BocaMagTV. ’TIS THE SEASON: Who’s serving prix-fixe meals on Dec. 31? Where should I go to watch the ball drop? Not to worry.

A&E editor John Thomason and food editor Bill Citara keep readers in the loop this month when it comes to holiday and New Year’s Eve festivities and dining news.

SHOP TILL YOU DROP: Before coming down with a case of retail madness, check in with Stefanie Cainto, who has the lowdown on holiday deals, trunk shows and personal appearances throughout Boca under the Shopping link at bocamag.com.

FOR SHAME, FOR SHAME: It turns out that Camilo Fontecilla and Allison Huntley, the duo that launched the SunShame State (page 170), aren’t the only South Florida residents hosting comedy podcasts. Check out some of the others making us laugh under Web Extras.

WEDDING GUIDE

Are you exchanging vows in 2015?

Don’t forget to check out our comprehensive wedding guide under the Community link at bocamag.com, with detailed resources and information for everything from catering, cake and music to flowers, dresses and venues.

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[ bocamag.com ]

Paul Fisher, gallery owner and animal rights activist, described how it feels to be mauled by a jaguar in the March/April 2013

FIND US ON SOcIal meDIa

Don’t miss Boca Raton on everything from Facebook (facebook. com/bocamag) to Google+ (google.com/+bocamag.com) and Pinterest (pinterest.com/bocamag) for community news, insider tips, beauty trends, fashion inspiration—and even chances to win prizes. Follow us on Twitter (@ bocamag) for restaurant and retail updates, as well as fashion events.

december 2014

CYNTHIA STEFFE Dress with embellished skirt, $350

EXCLUSIVELY OURS

S HOP OU R S TOR E AT M IZ N E R PA R K , BOC A R ATON AND LORDANDTAYLOR .COM

bocamag.com In Case You Missed It No one covers the community more thoroughly than Boca Raton and bocamag. com, the only South Florida magazine website with unique daily content and a dedicated team of reporters. Here are just a few recent highlights from our menu of award-winning digital offerings. tHe dAVinci code

AngelA TAlley

“‘Mall’ and ‘dining’ used to be oxy-type morons, but nowadays shopping centers are trying to shed their reputation for offering nothing but cheap, greasy fast food in giant food troughs … er, courts. One more example [is the recent opening of] DaVinci’s of Boca [at Town Center mall] … Nothing cheap or greasy here.”

—Bill citara, dining link

BocA Goes BowLinG

“It’s hard to tell how much publicity Boca Raton will get from the [inaugural Boca Raton Bowl on Dec. 23], but fortunately the TV audience won’t hear that the teams are playing at ‘GEO Group Stadium’— even if prison and football are looking more and more like related subjects.”

—randy schultz, “city watch” blog under the community link

tHe Green Goddess ApproVes “Did you know that one collard leaf has only 11 calories, takes less time to digest than grains and can help boost your energy? Kudos to the chefs [at Farmer’s Table in Boca] for incorporating collard leaves in their meals and using them as an alternative to grain wraps.”

—Alina Z., dining link

teen in tHe spotLiGHt

“I was teased during elementary school in Boca. There was a lot of exclusion and ridicule. I’ll never know why. Maybe because I was different, musical … One day, some kids asked me to sing for them. I thought, ‘Hey, they’re actually being nice.’

When I started to sing, they all laughed and ran away and called me names. …

Every morning when I walked out the door, my parents would say, ‘Remember: No one has the power to ruin your day.’ It didn’t stick right away, but I finally realized that they were right.”

—Lizzie sider, country singer, community link

Arts GArAGe Hires A LeGend

“The Arts Garage has been a favored jazz joint for locals since its inception, but this summer the venue turned a corner. If expectations are met, its latest hire [legendary jazz promoter Todd Barkan, pictured right] should fully elevate Arts Garage from a great South Florida music venue to one of the pre-eminent music venues in the Southeastern United States.” —John thomason, A&e link

BLoG centrAL: STAy CONNECTED TO THE COMMUNITy WITH OUR TEAM OF BlOGGERS Dining: Bill Citara breaks down the tricounty restaurant scene—from new reviews and dining news to kitchen gossip—every Monday, Tuesday and Friday. Also, on Wednesdays, our “Boca After

58

[ bocamag.com ]

Dark” blogger checks out the local nightlife scene and “The Green Goddess” dishes on healthy eating.

HealtH & Beauty: Lisette Hilton delivers local news from the worlds of exercise and medicine

every Wednesday in her “Fit Life” blog.

SHop: Discover upcoming trunk shows, store openings, money-saving tips and fashion trends Tuesday through Thursday with Stefanie Cainto.

a&e: John Thomason takes readers inside the South Florida arts scene with concert, exhibition and movie reviews, cultural news and special profiles every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Community: Randy Schultz brings a reporter’s eye to Boca and beyond every Tuesday and Thursday with his “City Watch” blog; our in-house team keeps you on top of local events and happenings throughout the week. december 2014

PRES E N T I N G GRE Y G O OS E ® L E M E LON T H E FRU I T OF KI N GS ® PRESEN T Iprecious N G GCavaillon REY GO O SofE France.

LE M E LON The melon Exceptionally sweet and so extraordinarily delicious, said THE FR U I T Okings F K Iare NG S to

have traded royal treasure for a taste .

The precious Cavaillon melon of France. Exceptionally sweet and so extraordinarily delicious, kings are said to have traded royal treasure for a taste .

S I P R E S P O N S I B LY. greygoose.com © 2014 GREY GOOSE, THE GOOSE DEVICE, LE MELON TRADE DRESS AND FLY BEYOND ARE TRADEMARKS. IMPORTED BY GREY GOOSE IMPORTING COMPANY, CORAL GABLES, FL. VODKA 40% ALC. BY VOL.; FLAVORED VODKAS EACH 40% ALC. BY VOL.—DISTILLED FROM GRAIN.

S I P R E S P O N S I B LY. greygoose.com

the [only] boca raton magazine group editor-in-chief

marie speed

editor

kevin kaminski

assistant editor

john thomason

web editor

stefanie cainto senior art director

lori pierino

assistant art directors

mary branch nancy kumpulainen

photographer

eduardo schneider production manager

adrienne mayer

production coordinator

valentine simon

contributing writers

Give The Gift OF LUXURY Everyone deserves a Spa-liday

lisette hilton emily j. minor randy schultz john shuff

contributing photographers

aaron bristol billy coleman adam finkle scot zimmerman

Gift someone special with a complete day of indulgence at the Seagate Spa. Booking any of our decadent massage, facial or body treatments, exclusively featuring Elemis and Sodashi skincare, grants you all-day access to an array of complimentary hotel amenities, including:

david shuff

Hotel Pool • Jacuzzi • Pool Bar Fitness Center • Tranquility Room Steam Room

home editor

The Seagate Spa also features a Vichy shower for body treatments, an exclusive manicure & pedicure suite and a luxurious couples’ spa suite, where guests can relax in their very own retreat.

video production food editor

bill citara

brad mee

group advertising director

tim schwab

senior advertising consultants

georgette evans bruce klein rebecca valenza

advertising consultant

karen jacaruso

JES publishing

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1000 Clint Moore Road, #103 Boca Raton, FL 33487 561/997-8683 (phone), 561/997-8909 (fax) www.bocamag.com magazine@bocamag.com (general queries) Boca Raton magazine is published eight times a year by JES Publishing. The contents of Boca Raton magazine are 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.

december 2014

JES publishing

president/publisher group editor-in-chief controller circulation director customer service

margaret mary shuff marie speed jeanne greenberg david brooks david shuff

JES Publishing produces the following magazines: Boca Raton • Delray Beach • Mizner’s Dream • Worth Avenue • Boca Raton Chamber Annual • Salt Lake • Utah Bride and Groom • Utah Style & Design • The Canyons • Salt Lake Visitors’ Guide

Florida Magazine association 2014 charlie awards charlie award (first place) best overall magazine (Boca Raton) best overall writing (Boca Raton) best overall use of photography (Boca Raton)

silver award best redesign (Boca Raton)

bronze award best overall online presence (Boca Raton) best feature (Boca Raton) best cover (Boca Raton) best custom consumer magazine (Worth Avenue)

2013 charlie awards charlie award (first place) best overall online presence (Boca Raton) best department (Boca Raton)

silver award best overall magazine (Boca Raton) best column (Boca Raton)

bronze award best online video (Boca Raton)

2012 charlie awards charlie award (first place) best overall magazine (Boca Raton) best feature (Delray Beach) best photographic essay (Boca Raton)

silver award best overall online presence (Boca Raton) best use of photography (Boca Raton)

bronze award best in-depth reporting (Boca Raton)

2011 charlie awards charlie award (first place) best new magazine (Delray Beach) best custom publication (Worth Avenue)

bronze award best overall magazine (Boca Raton)

2010 charlie awards charlie award (first place) best overall magazine (Boca Raton) best overall design (Boca Raton)

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december 2014

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

[ 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.

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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. Please submit story queries by e-mail to Kevin Kaminski (kevin@bocamag.com). Due to the large volume of pitches, the editor may not respond to all queries.

[ web queries ] Submit information regarding our website and online calendar to Stefanie Cainto (stefanie@bocamag.com).

[ letters ]

Current elliot Helmut lang isabel benenato Jean Paul gaultier Pas De Calais PeDro garCia riCk owens

roYaL PaLM PLaCE boCa raton 561-367-9600

LaS oLaS Ft. lauDerDale 954-524-2585

[ arts & entertainment ] Where to go, what to do and see throughout South Florida. Please submit information regarding galas, 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 A&E section is three months before publication.

[ 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.

www.DeborahJames.com

GiorGio Brato

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Your thoughts and comments are important to us. All letters to the editor may be edited for style, grammar and length. Send letters to the address listed below, or to Kevin Kaminski (kevin@bocamag.com).

Letter to the Editor Boca Raton magazine 1000 Clint Moore Road, #103 Boca Raton, FL 33487

]

10/6/14 2:40 PM

december 2014

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COME . HEAR .

[ directory ]

DEC21

tHANK yoU For SUBScriBiNG to BOCA RATON MAGAZiNe!

CORELLI + BACH + VIVALDI

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.

JAN11

STRAUSS + SAINT-SAËNS MAHLER/BRITTEN + BEETHOVEN

[ 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 from November to February.

FEB22

PROKOFIEV + MOZART GLASS + BIZET

[ 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.

APR12

BEETHOVEN + HAYDN SCHUMANN

[ 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.

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9/22/14 2:52 PM

Celebrating Our 6th Anniversary!

[ 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.

[ 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.

[ 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.

204 E. Atlantic Ave Delray Beach, FL 33444 561.272.6654

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

Mon-Wed 10am-9pm Thu-Sat 10am-11pm Sunday 11am-8pm

[ 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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10/16/14 3:38 PM

Write: Boca Raton magazine Subscription Department 1000 Clint Moore Road, #103 Boca Raton, FL 33487

december 2014

The future of Breast Cancer treatment is here today

Innovation Meets Surgery Reduce Breast Cancer Treatment from Six Weeks to One Day with e-IORT JFK Medical Center is the first in Palm Beach

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A patient will wake up from surgery and have

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mail City WatCh: Good Excellent piece on the Hyatt Place [coming to] downtown Boca [Randy Schultz’s “City Watch” blog, Sept. 25]. Accurate and informative. One other aspect of the Hyatt brand is the worldwide reservations system.

That system drives a lot of folks who may have heard of Boca Raton and want to see what the city is all about; they are loyal to the Hyatt brand. That brings a lot of people who might stay elsewhere directly to the downtown area as a result of the affinity relationship. This winds up becoming a mini-economic driver as people experience and enjoy downtown and seek to start businesses and live here.

There isn’t much not to like in Boca, but introductions are important.

Glenn Gromann bocamag.com

City WatCh: Bad In school, every student is taught that the press is supposed to report only the facts and

be neutral. This article [“City Watch,” Sept.

23, on Boca’s police and fire union talks] is far from that. There are opinions from city officials wanting to have “significant cuts” to benefits, but not once was the union’s opinion mentioned. Is it because Boca’s pension is already sustainable and their opinion might reflect that?

The city of Boca takes so much pride in being “the best place to live in Florida” that it’s displayed right on the home page of its website. Being the best means having the best, including parks, roads, events, city employees and so on. This foundation will certainly crumble when you take away from the families supporting it. What message does the city send to its employees and the citizens when the mayor and city council act so [unprofessionally]?

I thought [the local press] was done with blaming public servants for all the world’s problems. I stand corrected.

Concerned Citizen bocamag.com

So LonG, LittLe houSe I don’t understand the chef [Chrissy Benoit] that ran the [Little House restaurant in Boynton Beach, which closed this summer, as reported by Bill Citara in his Dining blog].

She’s saying that when business was slow the entire population of Boynton Beach, all the residents and the city agencies were to blame because they only like “Budweiser and fried chicken wings” as she stated in the Palm Beach Post. But, when she made money in the busy season the credit just goes to her and not any of the residents in Boynton Beach who patronized that place? Her statements are foolish. When things are bad everybody else is to blame but her?

Boynton Eats bocamag.com I will miss The Little House and Chrissy Benoit’s great cooking!

Jersey Girl bocamag.com

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10/24/14 2:39 PM

december 2014

EVENTS

Holiday Boat Parade When: Dec. 6 Where: Viewing areas at Red Reef Park and Silver Palm Park What: Expect more than 30 festively decorated boats cruising along the Intracoastal, starting at the C-15 canal and traveling south to Hillsboro Bridge. Admission is free, with the festivities starting around 6:30 p.m.

Swank taBle event When: Dec. 7 Where: Swank Specialty Produce in Loxahatchee Groves What: Enjoy a memorable al fresco experience under the stars as the Swank team revives its popular series from last year. This first event features fresh, gourmet food prepared by top Miami chef Clayton Miller and entertainment

by The Killbillies. Proceeds benefit Adopt-a-Family’s efforts to

rc2gallery_brm1214.indd 1

follow the leader

help homeless families become self-sufficient.

Tickets: $155 Contact: 561/253-1361

GinGerBread Holiday ConCert When: Dec. 7 Where: Boca Raton Resort & Club What: For the 12th year, Lynn University’s Swank Table event

Friends of the Conservatory of Music present an afternoon of holiday cheer featuring seasonal classics performed by the Lynn Philharmonia—and, this year, a special appearance by 9-year-old singing sensation Seanna Pereira. Proceeds help to fund scholarships for deserving conservatory students.

Tickets: Individual tickets are $35.

Contact: Go to lynn.edu/events for more information.

FirSt niGHt When: Dec. 31 Where: Downtown Delray Beach What: Ring in 2015 along Atlantic Avenue with an afternoon and evening of New Year’s Eve festivities, including games of giant Twister, life-size bowling, two fireworks shows (8:30 and 10:30 p.m.), dancing in the street from 6:30 to 11 p.m. with DJ Al Johnson, and live performances by the Mike Mineo Band and Ghaleb.

Contact: Visit 100ftchristmastree.com for more information.

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editor’s letter

[ by kevin kaminski ]

No Holding Back

H

ow Does It Feel” is more than just one of the most famous refrains in rock history, courtesy of Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone.” It’s also the headline to one of Boca Raton’s most popular recurring features over the past eight years, one that speaks to the soul of our award-winning publication.

As our publishers emphasized repeatedly when I interviewed for the editor’s job in early 2006, Boca Raton is about people. Not in the way that Charlton Heston screams at the end of “Soylent Green.” It’s in the way, when we’re at our best, that we reveal the community to our readers—through anecdotes, recollections and candid admissions that lend depth and detail to a portrait. It’s one thing to know a person by his or her job title. It’s another to know the person behind that title.

We debuted “How Does It Feel” (inspired by the classic Esquire feature) in November 2006 with the intent of taking that idea one step further. By bringing a single defining episode in someone’s life into sharp focus, we wanted you to feel something as well.

By the time I settled into the editor’s chair that first year, the wheels of the inaugural “How Does It Feel” had been set in motion. My one contribution to that story involved reaching out to an acquaintance from my sports-writing days.

Joe Zagacki, the longtime radio play-by-play voice for University of Miami football and basketball, had organized a relief mission following Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Shortly after takeoff, the twin-engine Cessna carrying supplies on which he was a passenger crashed into a residential community in Miramar. The pilot and co-pilot died.

Zagacki survived.

“What I remember best is the transition from fear to peacefulness— from being terrified to being resigned that life is over,” he shared.

“When I awoke, the first thing I saw was my watch, which was mangled. The plane had split in half and crashed right through the house.

I went through the plane, through the roof and landed on the kitchen floor. I tried to get up and walk, but my ankle was twisted in the wrong direction. All my ribs were broken; my eye orbit was all busted. …

“I have nightmares all the time. It’s the same nightmares—I’m crashing, or I’m in the house being crashed upon. You just live with it.”

Nearly a decade and some 50 first-person accounts later, Boca Raton remains humbled and deeply honored that so many people have pulled back the curtain on personal episodes that range from laughable to harrowing. We’ve discovered how it feels to sit on death row, to

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win a corn-eating contest, to be fired by Donald Trump, to live as a nudist, to be mauled by a jaguar, to walk on the moon—and countless other experiences.

This month, “How Does It Feel” returns (page 124) with seven new first-person vignettes that, in some cases, have to be read to be believed—at least one of which, not to give too much away, involves gallons of TV’s most celebrated slime.

But that’s not the only signature story in this blockbuster December issue. Boca Raton is proud to be the one consumer magazine in our market that digs below the surface when it comes to matters that affect the community. We have two such pieces in this issue, both courtesy of Randy Schultz, author of the wildly popular “City Watch” blog at bocamag.com. Schultz turns the spotlight on the people and entities currently driving agendas in town (page 138), the perfect primer for those wondering “Who Pushes the Buttons in Boca.” In addition, Schultz takes an analytical look at the influential role being played by our city manager (page 121).

We look forward to bringing you even more of these insightful stories in 2015. In the meantime, from all of us at Boca Raton, have a safe and happy holiday season. Enjoy the issue.

december 2014

Paris

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hometown [ 75 local heroes • 76 boca by the numbers • 78 hot stuff • 80 meet the expert • 82 boca chatter ]

Smells Like Teen Spirit

Kelly Willner

Meet three local students who, through the organizations they founded, prove that it’s better to give than to receive.

Noah Zylberberg age: 16 high school: Junior at Spanish River in Boca Program: Zylberberg’s nonprofit—Youth Advocating Pool Safety (advocatepoolsafety.org)— combines his passion for swimming (he’s on the team at Spanish River) with a desire to prevent the third-leading cause of death in children: drowning.

To that end, he teams with a local doctor and firefighter on a presentation—like the one he’ll give in January at Addison Reserve—aimed at parents and grandparents. Zylberberg, CPR and lifeguard certified, focuses on childproofing homes that have pools and educating adults about how to monitor and protect young swimmers.

Visit bocamag.com to find out where and how you can make a difference this holiday season.

follow the leader

laura sky hermaN age: 18 high school: Senior at Pine Crest in Fort Lauderdale Program: An accomplished ballet dancer, Herman created Bows Art during her freshman year as a way to help those families struggling to cover costs associated with the discipline—from lessons and pointe shoes to dancewear. The Boca resident did so by making and selling the handmade bows worn in ballet buns.

What started as a thoughtful gesture has turned into a difference-making program. Between the money raised from her bows, the bonus contributions from customers, and the classes discounted by her ballet studio in Fort Lauderdale, Herman estimates that Bows Art has made a combined $4,000 difference in the lives of aspiring dancers.

moNica aber age: 17 high school: Junior at Spanish River in Boca Program: Inspired by Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign, Aber launched her own outreach group—Youth Health Alliance (youthhealthalliance. org)—to promote the importance of nutrition and exercise at a young age. A dancer and soccer player as a child, Aber realized early on how diet played a role in her overall fitness. She’s also seen the impact that unhealthy eating habits and poor body image have had on some of her peers over the years. So Aber, currently on the swim team, directs her message at youngsters from pre-K through sixth grade, delivering interactive talks at schools like Advent Lutheran.

[ bocamag.com ]

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home town [ Boca By the NumBers ] What’s the holiday buzz around town? These

numbers tell part of the story for December.

4,000:

Age 9:

Youth will be served at the 12th annual Gingerbread Holiday Concert (Dec. 7 at Boca Raton Resort & Club) when 9-year-old singer Seanna Pereira lends her impressive pipes to an event that raises scholarship funds for students attending the Lynn University Conservatory of Music. Call 561/237-7745 for tickets.

Thanks to Boca-based Spirit of Giving Network and its partnerships with some 35 local nonprofits, this many children (ages 1 to 18) will have smiles on their faces this month due to the organization’s annual Holiday Gift Drive. To make a donation, or to volunteer for one of the Network’s many programs, call 561/385-0144.

15,000 44th Join the procession that starts at Federal Highway and Southeast Eighth Street and heads north to Mizner Park Amphitheater as Boca Raton gets into the spirit of the season on Dec. 3 with the 44th annual Holiday Street Parade.

Expect that many LED bulbs to light up the night Dec. 4 when Delray Beach officials flip the switch on the 100-foot Christmas Tree at Old School Square, kicking off a month of holiday festivities up and down Atlantic Avenue.

33rd annual:

Though it benefits the outstanding programs of the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce, don’t think for a second that there isn’t a competitive undercurrent at the annual Holiday Auction on Dec. 10 at Via Mizner Golf & Country Club—especially when it comes to the silent auction tables. Call 561/395-4433, ext. 233 for details.

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12/23/14

Boca goes prime time on ESPN as part of college football bowl season when teams from the Mid-American Conference and Conference USA square off under the lights at FAU Stadium in the inaugural Boca Raton Bowl. Visit espnevents.com/boca-raton-bowl for ticket information.

11:59 p.m.

Wherever you count down the final seconds of 2014 on Dec. 31, ring in the new year safely! Here’s to a happy and healthy 2015 from everyone at Boca Raton magazine!

december 2014

SAINT ANDREW’S SCHOOL

Developing Students in Mind, Body, and Spirit

Please join us for: Middle/Upper School Combined Open House December 6, 2014 - 10:00 am JK/K Curriculum Night January 8, 2015 - 7:00 pm Saint Andrew’s is introducing a Distinguished Scholar Merit Award Program for 9th Grade students.

Please attend the December Open House for information.

.

.

.

3900 Jog Road Boca Raton, Florida 33434 561.210.2000 www.saintandrews.net

home town [ hot stuff ]

December Buzz

What’s trending this month in and around Boca? Keep these five suggestions in mind as high season begins to heat up.

A DAy in the Life

It may have taken a long and winding road to land in Miami, but a traveling exhibition curated by the Grammy Museum and Fab Four Exhibits is giving fans of the Beatles ample reason to come together in Miami. “Ladies & Gentlemen … The Beatles!”—which runs through Jan. 18 at HistoryMiami (101 W. Flagler St.)—explores the impact that John, Paul, George and Ringo had on American pop culture from 1964 to 1966 and includes some 400 pieces of memorabilia. Visit historymiami.org for more information.

Write On!

BoB Bonis

The Beatles on stage in Kansas City, Sept. 12, 1964

suDs At seA

Our friends at Funky Buddha (which has a popular lounge in Boca) are sailing into uncharted waters—but with plenty of beer in tow. The first-ever Craft Brew Cruise, which departs Fort Lauderdale on March 12 aboard Celebrity Cruises and stops in Nassau and Key West, promises four nights of microbrew-fueled activities—including a pairing dinner and a Duval Street pub crawl. (funkybuddhabrewery.com)

Harbourside Place

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intO the WOODs Harbourside Place, the 10-acre waterfront development that recently debuted in Jupiter, has landed a legendary Tiger. Golf superstar Tiger Woods is the latest South Floridabased athlete to take a swing at the restaurant business. Look for the Woods Jupiter: sports and Dining Club to open its doors in early 2015.

Inspired by the response to last year’s project, Lynn University professor Robert Watson and his son, Alex, are staging a second shortstory competition for local students. The prize? Winners in three categories (grades one to three, four to six, and seven to nine) will have their work featured in Let’s Write Together, Volume 2, published by TriMark Press. Deadline for entries is Jan. 15. Visit letswritetogether. com for details.

the i’s hAve it

The BMW i8 is proof that you can have it both ways. Bridging the worlds of luxury sports car and cuttingedge hybrid technology, the i8 combines a three-cylinder TwinPower Turbo engine with an all-electric motor for a 357-horsepower experience that snags 76 miles per gallon. Starting price: $135,700. Check it out at Braman BMW (2901 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach) and Vista BMW (4401 W. Sample Road, Coconut Creek; 744 N. Federal Highway, Pompano Beach).

BMW i8

december 2014

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home town [ meet the expert ]

Can We Talk?

Dan Hodgeman

imagine the old tin-can telephone—only with thousands of strings. that’s the idea behind a game-changing social media app from a boca entrepreneur who wants to put people on the “spot.”

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■ Find something you’re passionate about.

Then study and learn as much as you can about it. “If you’re passionate about something, don’t let your limited knowledge of that industry get in the way.”

■ Know your weaknesses. Acknowledge what your strengths are, and hire people who are smarter than you in the areas that you are weak.

“Surround yourself with people who can help you succeed.”

■ Network. Often times, Hodgeman hasn’t had to recruit talent for his teams.

Instead, he has connected with people through existing relationships.

■ Don’t get discouraged. “[Just because] someone is unable to see your vision, it [doesn’t mean that] your idea is not worth pursuing.”

december 2014

eduardo schneider

D

an Hodgeman never is one to wait for things to happen. The Boca-based serial entrepreneur has been in the business of creating new business since 1987. To date, he’s launched seven start-ups, and his most recent venture, Voispot, is generating some “next big thing” buzz in social media circles.

Co-founded with Kishore Tipirneni, Voispot is a free voice application that allows users to talk to anyone, anywhere at anytime through a “spot,” a central point where people can join the conversation. Take the anywhere part literally: Tipirneni was in the Serengeti when he had his first Voispot conversation with Hodgeman, who was in North Carolina at the time.

Unlike existing applications, there is no limit to how many people can join a spot—during a test run earlier this year, the company was able to involve more than 10,000 people into a discussion.

The premise behind Voispot, which uses only WiFi or cellular data, is to re-create the kind of socialization that existed lifetimes ago, when people would congregate in public squares and discuss shared interests with complete strangers. In a world where social media makes conversation easy but impersonal, Hodgeman and Tipirneni want to bring back that intimacy.

A spot can be private (invitation by e-mail) or public (accessible through a link), host-controlled or an open forum for discussion. The format of the app is similar to that of a lecture or panel discussion: Up to five people can go “on stage” and converse simultaneously, while the “audience” can come up and ask questions. All the user has to do is click a button to get in line.

Hodgeman foresees Voispot changing the future of online education and celebrity interactions with fans, among other things. Imagine joining a spot with Lady Gaga to talk about her new album, or with LeBron James to discuss the NBA season. Through the Raise Your Vois program, the service can even be a fundraising platform for nonprofits by requiring participants to purchase a ticket before joining a spot.

We asked Hodgeman, based on his successes and failures, to impart some wisdom to aspiring entrepreneurs.

—stefanie cainto

home town [ BOcA chAtter ]

Reality Check

Boca Raton catches up with the locals who shared their firsthand reality TV experiences for a feature in last December’s issue—and asks about their New Year’s resolutions.

Brett Loewenstern “AmericAn idol” [2011] “I’m in my final year at Berklee College of Music [studying songwriting and performance], and it’s been great. I live in Boston with a crazy Jack Russell Terrier, and I couldn’t be happier. My resolution is to become a better version of myself and grow more in my music career.”

Stefanie Kenoyer The Golf chAnnel’s “BiG BreAk” [2013, 2014] “My resolution for 2015 is to remain positive in all circumstances and trust in God’s plan. Oh, and also to plan a fantastic wedding! My fiancé and I have not set a date yet, but it will definitely be sometime this year. It’s always a challenge to find a date that doesn’t conflict with the golf tournaments that I can possibly play in.” [Editor’s note: Kenoyer has been playing on the Symetra Tour, the developmental circuit for the LPGA Tour.]

Alexandra Agro

Derek Butler

“AmericA’s nexT Top model” [2013] “After traveling the world as a model this past year, I [recently] moved back to South Florida.

I’m loving every moment of being close to my amazing family. I’m currently field reporting and producing a new television show for the twenty-something generation, “Here’s to Your Health” with Katherine Schwarzenegger, which will air on TLC in March. … Seeing firsthand how hard the modeling industry is on girls, and the effect it is having on women’s body images, my goal this year is to empower young adults to love themselves, to always be ambitious, and to become the absolute best they can be.”

“feAr fAcTor” [2003] “I’ve [been living with the inflammatory disease] sarcoidosis for the past three years, and it’s in my lungs. My resolution is to beat this disease and get healthy.”

Cara Rosenthal “The AmAzinG rAce” [2009, 2011] “My New Year’s resolution is no resolution! It’s too much pressure.

What do you choose? What’s most important? What aspect of your life requires the most effort? Aaahhh!! I have found it more useful to stick to my ‘no regrets’ mantra. … To be clear: This doesn’t mean that I haven’t made my share of mistakes over the years. I just choose to learn from them—and then focus forward. Always.”

december 2014

Restaurants

Another Broken Egg Cafe Biergarten Boca Breakfast & Lunch Club Casimir Bistro Chops Lobster Bar Cote France Cafe Estia Greek Taverna & Bar Farmhouse Kitchen Fro-Yo Frenzy Giovanni’s Pizzeria Havana Nights Cigar Lounge Holloway’s Irish Pub Ichiyami Buffet & Sushi Juiceateria Lemongrass Asian Bistro Piattini Ristorante Sapori Sapphire Indian Cuisine Saquella Caffe The Coffee Palate The Funky Biscuit Twenty Twenty Grille Wishing Well Irish Pub Yakitori Sake House

This Holiday Season, Get Into The Spirit At Federal Highway, South of Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton

Salons & Spas Advanced Aesthetics & Wellness Back Bay Hair Salon Boca Nails Brazelia Med Spa Green Wave Body Waxing La Mirage Nu Beauty Bar Oasis Men’s Hair Place Oxygen Salon Royal Hair & Spa Royal Palm MedSpa Royal Palm Nails Salon 300 Fashion, Apparel & Fine Jewelry Be-Friend Boutique Consign with a Heart Deborah James D’Vara Jewelers Honey Bee Designz Impressive Fine Jewelry & Gems Ivivva Lucx Boutique Magenta Couture Shop DNA Swimland Swimwear Verdi Jewelers Vicki Soble Couture Art & Design California Closets Design & Style Unlimited Fiat Custom Design Framing Gervis Design Studio Mummaw + Associates NestHome The Place for Kitchens & Baths Yaacov Heller Gallery 22 Specialties & Services Attractitude Art & Coaching Center Bennington Tobacconist Chewy Chic Cloud 9 Adventures Edward Jones Investments Fred Astaire Dance Studio John M Sortino, MD Leon F Gerard, DDS Level 5 Vertical Fitness Level Luxury Real Estate Lifestyles of Lynne Gifts Pure Barre Rod Squad Royal Palm Academy Royal Palm Hearing Aid Center Showtime Dance & Performing Arts South Florida Real Estate Advisors TravelGroup International Truly You Worth Avenue Realty

TM

RO AL PALM PLACE TM

www.royalpalmplace.com

Your Style For Life

TM

[ by stefanie cainto ]

shoptalk

Talk of The Town

The right touch of glitter can turn an ordinary arrival into a stunning, statement-making entrance during a high-season event. look no further than this sexy, long-sleeved beaded dress from aidan Mattox (check with Bloomingdale’s at Town Center for price and availability). Turn the page for ways to add stylish sparkle to your holiday wardrobe.

follow the leader

[ bocamag.com ]

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shop talk [ fashion ]

Go for the Glam

’Tis the season to sparkle. Glitter and glitz, a potential fashion faux pas the rest of the year, finds its way into wardrobes during high season. But make no mistake: Not every item with sequins gets a green light. Here are a few selections that make the grade. [ 1 ] Unmistakable glamour graces this lace Tadashi Shoji gown. The rich auburn color is accented by a floral pattern created from sequin embellishments. ($508, Neiman Marcus, Town Center at Boca Raton)

[1]

[ 2 ] While animal print is often its own statement, Jean-Michel Cazabat adds metallic accents to this leopard glitter pump to give the piece even a little more oomph. ($595, Intermix, Town Center at Boca Raton) [ 3 ] Throw this beaded top over a solid tank for instant holiday cheer. Its sheer fabric gives a modern edge to the otherwise classic piece. ($319, Alene Too, Regency Court at Boca Raton)

[4]

[5]

[ 4 ] Light up the night with these ABS by Allen Schwartz earrings that pack plenty of sparkle. ($35, Bloomingdale’s, Town Center at Boca Raton) [ 5 ] Use this glittery YSL crossbody bag to turn a typical Friday night outfit into a high-season head turner. ($1,390, Yves Saint Laurent, Bal Harbour Shops)

[3]

[2]

SAve The DATe

The eighth-annual Red Cross Beach Bash promises a walk on the wild side, especially given the “What Happens in the Jungle, Stays in the Jungle” theme.

Organizers work with Lilly Pulitzer fashion to stage an event at the Beach Club in Palm Beach that draws young socialites from South Florida, New York, Chicago and beyond. Tickets start at $250. For more information, call 561/650-9133.

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december 2014

MARIO PUCCI BOCA

Beautiful Evening Wear for All Occasions

Regency Court 3003 Yamato Road Boca Raton 561.982.8382/3 mariopucciboca.com

shop talk [ beauty ]

Skin Deep

In the fashion world, winter often means adding a few layers. When it comes to skin care, it’s more about shedding a few. Here are products and services that will have you covered from head to toe this season.

Out With the Old With its soft plastic bristles and microbeads, the Alterna Caviar Clinical Exfoliating Scalp Facial gets rid of excess dirt, oil and flakes that shampoo can’t reach. ($36, Sephora, Town Center at Boca Raton)

Scrubs aren’t the only means of eliminating dead skin cells. Face masks, like this NUDE Advanced Renewal Overnight Repair Mask, also can do the trick. ($48, Sephora, Town Center at Boca Raton)

Your feet may look fabulous in those heels, but do they look good without them?

Scrub away rough patches and calluses with Glow Sugar Scrub, made with brown sugar, primrose, sweet almond, apricot and sunflower oils, among other nature-based ingredients. ($38, Beauty Counter, beautycounter.com)

SkiN-tAStiC tREAtMENtS 1. Buff and hydrate with the Remineralizing Sargasso Body Envelopment. The 80-minute treatment starts with a full-body exfoliating scrub and ends with an oil application—with a mud wrap, and body, scalp and foot massage in between. ($175, SiSpa at Fort Lauderdale Marriott Pompano Beach Resort, Pompano Beach) 2. Set the clock back with a PCA SkiN peel, with strengths varying from superficial to a medium depth, plus several different formulas that are mixed and matched to obtain your desired effect. (Starts at $150, Sanctuary Medical Center, Boca Raton)

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Boca-based clinical aesthetician Cheryl Staurowsky, founder of Skinthoughts.com, weighs in on the importance of exfoliation when it comes to skin care.

Why exfoliate?

Exfoliation, regardless of the time of year, is always important. Dead skin needs to be removed in order for new healthy tissue to come up to the top and avoid cellular buildup, which can make the skin look dull and dry, and unable to absorb product efficiently. hoW often Should you exfoliate?

That’s relative to skin type and skin condition. Exfoliation can be done up to two to three times a week.

What’S the differenCe betWeen SCrubS and peelS? Scrubs are more of an at-home treatment that clients or patients can do themselves. If they want a more aggressive treatment, peels provide much deeper exfoliation. Those treatments are typically recommended for people who need improvement for sun damage, pigment and acne. Cellular buildup is a contributing factor to these skin conditions.

december 2014

Be in the

CENTER of it all!

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SATURDAY/ JAN 17TH/ 7-9PM The Kinected Band thekinected.com

SATURDAY/ JAN 31ST/ 7-9PM JD Danner Band jddanner.com

For more information visit us on the web at www.bocacenter.com or The Shops at Boca Center on Facebook

shop talk [ InspIratIon ] GET THE LOOK:

Event/Gala Handbags

Jelena Lovric may have opened her LoveRich boutique in Delray (2 N.E. Fifth Ave., 561/276-3045), but Boca is never far from her heart.

The young entrepreneur studied fashion merchandising at Lynn University and has launched LoveRich collections at places like Blue Martini at Town Center. The boutique features flirty, contemporary women’s clothing and accessories— including handbags that are perfect for high season.

HIGHLIGHTS: Small with the capability to convert from clutch to cross-body NEutral-colorEd

lauren cecchi rose gold Stretta clutch ($340, loverich Boutique, delray Beach)

lace print de Manta clutch ($540, alexander McQueen, Bal Harbour Shops)

StatEMENt

Q&A

with Lovric

What handbags work best at a nighttime event?

A clutch is an easier kind of bag to take out for the evening or a little shoulder bag when you don’t have to carry too many things, something that can be comfortable yet fashionable.

Judith leiber violin-sided minaudière ($3,996, Saks Fifth avenue, town center at Boca raton)

MiNi

What size works best for evening events?

Go with a size that can fit your necessities … the smaller the better for evening.

How do you pick the right bag for your dress?

You always want your accessories to complement your outfit. If you already have somewhat of a busier printed or beaded dress, then you want to stick to a bag that’s less busy. And vice versa. If your dress is a bit more plain, then I would jazz it up with a bag that has more bling to it or a little more color that will give it that extra pop. If you’re looking for an evening bag that can go with everything, stick to a neutral color and maybe with less embellishment.

ted Baker london Jolene crystal brooch clutch ($150, Bloomingdale’s, town center)

Fashionista party box ($178, Henri Bendel, town center)

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december 2014

n 贸 h s r e G Carpet, Inc.

FINE AREA RUGS | CARPETING HARDWOOD FLOORING | CUSTOM RUGS 1021 S. RogeRS CiRCle, Suite 8, BoCa Raton, Fl 33487 561.994.9917 Serving The Trade For 35 YearS

shop talk [ fashion ] [1]

All That Glitters

[2]

Bedazzle your loved one this holiday season with the gift that keeps on giving.

Where to Buy

[4]

[3]

Tamara Comolli 150 Worth Ave., Palm Beach 561/659-3700 tamaracomolli.com Verdi Jewelers #78 Royal Palm Place, Boca Raton 561/393-3532 verdijewelers.com daVid Yurman Town Center at Boca Raton 6000 Glades Road 561/955-1848 davidyurman.com

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december 2014

[5]

[6]

1. This stunning 18-karat yellow gold dome ring includes 13.67 carats of brilliant-cut diamonds. (price upon request, from Jewels In Time) 2. The Starburst 5 Station necklace recalls the bursts of evening fireworks that illuminated Paris during the travels of David and Sybil Yurman. ($950, from David Yurman) 3. The Boule collection of bracelets, rings and necklaces comes in various 18-karat gold colors with diamonds. (starting at $3,000, from Verdi Jewelers) 4. Add splendor to your holiday fashion with this 7-carat platinum diamond necklace that includes a pendant drop with an additional 2-carat cushion-cut diamond. (price upon request, from Jewels In Time)

5. Bellarri touts its eye-catching pieces as expressions of art—and for good reason. Look no further than these exquisite rings from the Tango collection. ($5,000, from Cristino Fine Jewelry) 6. Let your fingers do the talking with these CV rings in 18-karat gold with diamonds. (starting at $17,170, from Tamara Comolli) 7. These petite pavé mini hoop earrings come in 18-karat gold with diamond and gemstone variations. (starting at $1,050, from David Yurman) 8. This large signature bracelet in 18-karat white gold also features 2.48 carats of pavé diamonds. ($18,400, from Tamara Comolli Fine Jewelry)

[7]

Jewels In TIme 4400 N. Federal Highway, #116, Boca Raton 561/368-1454 jewelsintime.com CrIsTIno FIne Jewelry Mizner Park 421 Plaza Real, Boca Raton 561/210-5222 cristinojewelers.com

follow the leader

[8]

[ bocamag.com ]

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shop talk [ Q & a ] Tamara Mellon

tamara mellon

After a star-making turn at Jimmy Choo, the iconic designer steps out on her own with a brand that isn’t just about the shoes.

J

ust for the record, she still designs heels. It’s just that, in her current fashion incarnation, Tamara Mellon isn’t exactly following in her own footsteps.

The woman heretofore known as the co-founder of Jimmy Choo is taking far greater strides as the head of her namesake luxury brand, which launched late last year. “Putting the needs of the modern woman first,” the line features an array of ready-towear apparel and accessories—from cutout dresses and leather trench coats to animal-print clutches and felt hats. Naturally, the brand also includes edgy pumps, sandals, flats and boots.

But Mellon’s plans don’t end there.

“I have a vision for so many other different categories (think home and fragrance) that my team sort of has to hold me back and hold the reins,” says the 47-year-old mother of one (daughter Araminta). “I have a whole world in my head.”

For now, the focus is on her existing pieces, which are released monthly based on a “buy now, wear now” model. It’s a structure that defies the seasonal runway timeline and is embraced by both her customers and her fashion contemporaries.

Boca Raton spoke with Mellon—in town Dec. 10 for a special event at Saks Fifth Avenue at Town Center—about this latest adventure in an already remarkable career.

—Stefanie Cainto & Kevin KaminSKi

Tamara mellon aT SakS fifTh avenue When: Dec. 10, starting at 7 p.m.

Where: Saks Fifth Avenue, Town Center at Boca Raton WhaT: Saks welcomes designer Tamara Mellon to its store for a much-anticipated private event that will benefit Florence Fuller Child Development Centers. Festivities include a fashion presentation featuring Mellon’s current ready-to-wear and shoe collections. Peggy Henry and Denise Zimmerman will co-host the event.

Why was the time right to start your own line?

I founded Jimmy Choo when I was 27. I got to the point where I had been through quite a bit. Either I was going to stay with Jimmy Choo, and that would be it, or I felt I was young enough to take a risk and do it again. If I waited another five years, that opportunity probably wouldn’t be there.

Were you nervous about launching a namesake line coming on the heels of something that’s so iconic in the fashion world?

It’s always daunting to start something new, but the excitement outweighed the fear of doing it.

TickeT price: $100 conTacT: 561/392-7274, ext. 111

december 2014

Have you found it difficult to distance yourself from Jimmy Choo?

People still get confused. I did have a non-compete—I took a year off in between. I think that now when people look at this brand, they really see a very distinct difference between the two, so hopefully they start identifying me more with [Tamara Mellon].

What’s the difference between a Jimmy Choo woman and a Tamara Mellon woman?

I would say a Tamara Mellon woman is who I am today. It’s a little bit more grown up. She views the world in a very different way …

[The line] is what we call modern luxury. It’s just below luxury, above contemporary.

Is there anything that has challenged you as far as designing a full line of clothing as opposed to thinking specifically about shoes?

I suppose that the challenge for me is probably that I’m not a [follower of trends]. But I’ve always had a

vision for this in my head. I’ve just never executed it; actually, I have so much fun doing this.

What has been the response from your contemporaries in the industry?

Everyone has said to me that they love the business model, and they’re so excited that someone’s pioneering this and breaking ground because it’s really what so many of them want to do and it’s how they see the future.

What will the South Florida woman find particularly appealing about the Tamara Mellon brand?

I think she’s going to love the sense of fun with the product and the color, and the mixing of the color with the ready to wear; it’s very different. And I think she’s going to love being able to buy a dress at $800 and throw it on and look really chic. Also, she’ll like that there’s a sexiness to my look that I think the Florida woman will [appreciate].

Looks on both pages from Tamara Mellon’s fall/winter 2014 collection.

[ bocamag.com ]

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Great Gifts w Mystique of Palm Beach Discover Palm Beach’s best-kept secret since 1978. Mystique specializes in diamond jewelry replicas exquisitely crafted in solid 14-karat gold, 18-karat gold or platinum. Every feature of fine jewelry is captured to perfection, from the brilliance of the gems to the intricacy of the settings. Seeing is believing!

Featured are 14-karat-gold eternity bands starting at $550.

250 Worth Ave., Palm Beach (561) 655-3008 • mystiquegems.com

Deborah James Deborah James continues to bring in the latest trends from Paris to New York. Her taste for luxurious, highquality emerging designers has created a lasting image of the fashion-forward modern woman. With styles for every occasion and a knowledgeable staff, Deborah James ensures that every customer’s shopping experience will be enjoyable and unique.

402 Via De Palmas, Boca Raton • (561) 367-9600 623 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale • (954) 524-2585 deborahjames.com

Boston Proper Velvet cold shoulder rouched top: Boston Proper’s best-selling top in velvet. Comes in red, cobalt blue and black; $39.

Town Center at Boca Raton, 6000 Glades Road, Boca Raton (561) 447-8633 • bostonproper.com

Give & Get Cristino Fine Jewelry Bring on the bling. The Mercedes Brunelli Jewel Collection is the perfect gift this holiday season. Each clutch is handmade and embellished with Swarovski crystals. $175–$495, exclusively at Cristino Fine Jewelry in Mizner Park.

421 South Plaza Real, Boca Raton (561) 210-5222 • cristinojewelers.com

Western Nut Company Near downtown Salt Lake City, this unique store, specializing in delicious gourmet nuts and gorgeous handcrafted gifts since 1966, appeals to all ages with its exceptional snacks, amazing treats and beautiful decor you can buy right off the wall. You won’t find quality like this anywhere else.

434 South 300 West, Salt Lake City, Utah 84101 (800) 825-9912 • westernut.com

Verdi Jewelers Verdi Jewelers of Boca Raton offers the finest collection of unique and original designs.

Verdi’s creations withstand changing trends and are meant to last a lifetime for the classic, chic woman. At Verdi Jewelers, only impeccable is acceptable.

78 Royal Palm Place, Boca Raton (561) 393-3532 • verdijewelers.com

"I enjoy my work and strive to help each individual find the right procedure to recapture a radiant self-image that reinforces their confidence and self-esteem."

– Dr. Vivian Hernandez, MD, FACS

P

INJE

C

P

O

E

T

EX

R

R

EX

RT

TO

E

C RT INJE

Actual patient of Dr. Hernandez

• Board Certified Plastic Surgeon • Dedicated solely to facial procedures for the past decade • Specialist in face, neck, brow and eyelid surgery • Expert injector: facial fillers, volumizers and Botox® • Accredited surgical facility with overnight suite • Trained at Cornell: North Shore University Hospital • Advanced specialized facelift training, two fellowships with renowned surgeons at: -Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital -Baker and Gordon in Miami

DrHernandez.com

561-750-8600

4799 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton

[ by lisette hilton ]

feelgood A luxury spa suite at the Mandarin Oriental, Miami

PamPer Plus

Don’t let holiday stress knock you off your game during high season.

Treat yourself to a rejuvenating or holistic treatment at one of South Florida’s standout spas. We’ve selected a handful of signature options in both categories. Enjoy!

follow the leader

[ bocamag.com ]

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feel good [ fitness ] The Ritual Bath at the Boca Raton Resort & Club

Spa Sampler, Part I

The following four over-the-top rejuvenating treatments are certain to put a bounce in your high-season step.

Eau Spa

What: Face-lifts can be fun. Just ask guests who have experienced Eau Spa’s signature One Love Facial. Referred to as the “RollsRoyce of facials,” it features CACI skin-care technology, which uses crystal-free microdermabrasion to smooth facial contours; micro-currents to lift and sculpt; and LED light to even skin tone. Guests can customize treatments to target hyperpigmentation, pore congestion, fine lines and wrinkles. In fact, One Love allows guests a choice of three facial rejuvenating treatments, including an alpha-beta peel or microdermabrasion. When paired with premium anti-aging skin-care products, the One Love experience will leave you looking noticeably younger.

CoSt: $420 BonuS pampEring: For sheer me-time indulgence, check out the 120-minute version of the Secret Garden massage for $330.

WhErE: 100 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan; 561/533-6000; eauspa.com

Waldorf aStoria Spa at BoCa raton rESort & CluB

What: The renamed Waldorf Astoria Spa carries on the Resort’s tradition of pampering excellence. Take the popular Optimal Release massage. The Thai-inspired treatment features the use of free-flowing, invigorating movements to massage, assist in joint mobilization and improve flexibility. The experience is enhanced with Waldorf Astoria’s new ESPA services. Allnatural ESPA products have no chemical fragrances; they’re infused with natural oils, which take on the character of each treatment.

CoSt: The Waldorf Astoria Spa is open to resort members and guests only. The Optimal Release massage (110 minutes) starts at $295.

BonuS pampEring: The Natura Bissé Min-

100

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eral Massage Ritual starts with an exfoliation, followed by a dual-infusion wrap and, finally, a massage involving therapeutic minerals. All that, plus a complimentary Ritual Bath.

WhErE: 501 E. Camino Real, Boca Raton; 561/3474772; bocaresort.com/play/ waldorf-astoria-spa.html

thE SEagatE Spa

What: It’s called “I Love Delray,” but guests are more likely to be loving the Seagate after this delicious two-plus-hour treatment.

It starts with a 25-minute gentle pineapple body polish and Vichy shower rinse, followed by 50 minutes of organic coconut oil Swedish massage. But that’s just the half of it. For the next 80 minutes, enjoy a decadent hot-stone lower leg and foot massage, plus a warm pineapple-infused bath for the feet and hands, and a warm mask. Naturally, guests also receive a cool piña colada, a coconut macaroon and fresh pineapple skewer.

CoSt: $252 BonuS pampEring: The 8,000-square-foot destination spa also offers a variety of massages, and skin-care and body treatments, featuring Elemis and Sodashi products.

WhErE: 1000 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; 561/665-4950, theseagatehotel.com/spa

thE Spa at mandarin oriEntal, miami

What: Do you have muscle pain or tension?

Escape to the five-star Spa at the Mandarin

for one of its signature treatments: a Thai Herbal Compress Ritual. The therapeutic session involves placing herbal compresses on the body’s most sensitive tension points.

Not only do guests benefit, but so does the environment. To honor those who receive the 90-minute treatment, the Spa commissions a tree to be planted at nearby Everglades National Park.

CoSt: $250 BonuS pampEring: The 50-minute Oriental Essence treatment ($150) involves a powerful body massage that adds the therapeutic benefits of Mandarin Oriental’s signature “Quintessence” custom-blended essential oil.

The massage works on loosening tight muscles, as well as calming the mind and body.

WhErE: 500 Brickell Key Drive, Miami; 305/913-8332, mandarinoriental.com/ Miami/luxury-spa december 2014

MEMBER OF THE ADVANCED NEUROSCIENCE NETWORK

If you spend hours every day dealing with shaking, stiffness, difficulty moving or involuntary muscle spasms due to a movement disorder that prevents you from doing everyday tasks, it’s time to consider another option:

THE COMPREHENSIVE MOVEMENT DISORDERS PROGRAM AT PALM BEACH NEUROSCIENCE INSTITUTE Dr. Arif Dalvi leads the Comprehensive Movement Disorders Program at Palm Beach Neuroscience Institute and is an internationally recognized leader in the medical and surgical treatment of movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor and dystonia.

Now there is no need to travel far from home for the latest treatments. Dr. Dalvi and his team offer individualized treatment plans because each patient’s symptoms are unique.

His team approach means every aspect, from medicines and physical therapy to surgical treatments like Deep Brain Stimulation, is tailored to a patient’s needs.

EXPERIENCE Former Director of the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Program NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, IL Former Director of the Neurology Residency Program University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine Advisory Board Member International Essential Tremor Foundation Member of the International Parkinson Study Group Recipient of the Doctor of Excellence Award Dystonia Medical Research Foundation

To learn more or schedule an appointment,

please call 1.866.654.2362

901 Village Blvd., Suite 702, West Palm Beach 5162 Linton Blvd., Suite 106, Delray Beach

PBNI.com

feel good [ fitness ]

The Breakers’ outdoor spa

Spa Sampler, Part II

These local holistic havens feature treatments that soothe the spirit as well as the body.

Balance Spa

What: The signature Immuno Massage is not only good for simple health maintenance, but it also can relieve that achy feeling that people have before coming down with a cold. To start, the massage therapist applies (to the back and feet) a castor oil hot pack, blended with immune-boosting essential oils of clove, lemon, cinnamon, eucalyptus and rosemary. While the oils work their magic, the massage therapist continues with a full body massage. The warming, therapeutic aroma of the essential oils and the moist heat application creates a healing cocoon and feeling of wellness. coSt: $85 for 60 minutes; $125 for 90 minutes BonuS healing: Balance Spa offers a variety of therapeutic services, including infrared sauna detox sessions, acupuncture and cupping.

Where: 233 S. Federal Highway, Suite 111, Boca Raton; 561/208-8111; balancespaboca.com

Du20 holiStic oaSiS

What: Unblocking or balancing the body’s energy, or chi, with acupuncture has gone on for centuries. But DU20 offers a new twist: cosmetic acupuncture. This signature treatment is designed to help naturally obtain and maintain healthy, younger looking skin. Acupuncture needles are inserted into facial wrinkles, muscle tissue and other points on the body to balance internal disharmonies. Needles on the face are stimulated with or without electrical current creating a natural face-lift and reducing the need for fillers or surgery. The procedure is said to increase collagen production, enhance skin circulation and rebalance the entire body. coSt: $125 for the initial treatment BonuS healing: Don’t confuse DU20 with a standard spa; this holistic, alternative medicine facility incorporates services that restore mind, body and spirit. Take the Floatation Experience, where guests find bliss inside a relaxation tank filled with 200 gallons of heated water—to which 1,000 pounds of Epsom salts are added.

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Where: 103 N.E. Second Ave., Delray Beach; 561/4552147; du20.com

Maui Spa & WellneSS center

What: Named after a town in Maui known for its waterfalls and rainforest, the Hana Experience is a circuit of hydrotherapy, steam, infrared sauna and cold plunge. Hydrotherapy, in the form of a Swiss shower with high-pressure multidirectional water streams, stimulates the nerve endings to jump-start the body’s systems. After the aptly named deluge shower, an infrared sauna warms the body (instead of the surrounding air). This type of energy increases circulation and nourishes damaged tissue.

From there, take a cold dip in the plunge pool to stimulate your system and encourage blood flow throughout your body. One more visit to the steam room, followed by a final cold plunge, helps to eliminate toxins. coSt: $250 for 50 minutes BonuS healing: A 25-minute soak in one of Maui’s copper tubs (with aromatherapy oils, salts, Dead Sea mud and other options) is Maui Spa & Wellness Center

said be an anti-inflammatory measure, good for those with joint problems.

Where: 2100 N.W. Boca Raton Blvd., Boca Raton; 561/395-7733, themauispa.com

the Spa at the BreakerS, palM Beach

What: The Spa offers two signature facials developed by Palm Beach holistic aesthetician Tammy Fender, who is renowned for her custom-blended natural skin-care products and treatments. Expertly customized to fit the client’s skin-care needs, each facial uses products that are 100-percent organic and feature active botanicals, herbs and therapeuticgrade essential oils. These are immediately absorbed on a cellular level to heal and create vibrant healthy skin. The 50-minute Tammy Fender Radiant Facial purifies and restores skin, enhancing its clarity with ingredients the aesthetician applies using Fender’s Pure Living Energy technique. coSt: $150 BonuS healing: The Personal Retreat features a variety of therapeutic massage techniques suited to each guest’s preferences. You choose: 50 to 110 minutes of Personal Retreat pampering, unwinding, relaxing and rejuvenating ($165 to $300).

Where: One S. County Road, Palm Beach, 561/653-6656, spathebreakers.com december 2014

Faces.

It’s what we do ... naturally.

- Rafael C. Cabrera, MD, FACS

• Board Certified Plastic Surgeon • Cornell / NYU School of Medicine • Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital • Four Fully-Accredited Operating Rooms • Private Overnight Suite • Over 15 Years in Private Practice • Specializing in Face / Neck / Eyes • Recognized as a Master Injector

561.393.6400 | 951 NW 13th Street, Suite 4A, Boca Raton, FL | www.pssbocaraton.com

Focused On Your Well-Being Lymphatic tic Decongestive Therapy Our Certified Lymphatic Therapist, with advanced level training, uses leading-edge technology–the electro-lymphatic drainage XP-2 machine–to open the lymphatic pathways throughout the body to ensure all toxins are readily expedited out of your system.

This XP-2 therapy is not only an effective preventative health measure, but also helps relieve many symptoms from various illnesses and conditions. In addition, the treatment: • Stimulates your immune system • Reduces inflammation Electro-lymphatic drainage with XP-2 machine.

• Reduces swelling, including lymphedema & post-surgical • Supports post-mastectomy health by alleviating the need for compression garments • Detoxifies the organs and tissues • Reduces symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome & fibromyalgia • Relieves congestion from asthma, sinus & allergy issues

Call today for an appointment 561.395.1926

Clients appreciate our comfortable environment.

At HoriZen Therapies, our goal is to provide the latest, most effective and valued healing therapies to our clients, and assist them in their quest for optimum health and wellness.

Susan Allen - Owner

2799 N.W. Boca Raton Blvd. Suite 201 • Boca Raton, FL 33431 • 561.395.1926 • www.horizentherapies.com

Devoted to Healing, Defined by Results

expert Diagnosis Progressive treatment Complete Privacy

Photography by Lemore Zausner

Depression, anxiety Bipolar Disorder eating Disorders, addiction, DBt

Raul J. Rodriguez M.D.

The Delray Center Clinical Team

Diplomate, American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology Diplomate, American Board of Addiction Medicine

Delray Center for Healing 888-958-1059 • DelrayCenter.com 403 S.e. 1st St., Delray Beach, fl 33483

PERSONAL ATTENTION AND SUPERIOR RESULTS

Our mission is you.

Dr. William Leone Dr. Leone has helped thousands of people by using a gentle, minimally invasive approach to deliver an exceptional patient experience, faster recovery times and excellent results.

Specializing in Hip and Knee Problems • Total and revision hip replacement • Revision hip surgery for metal toxicity • Minimally invasive computer navigated total knee replacement

• Robotic assisted partial knee replacement • Revision knee replacement • Knee arthroscopy

Experience the Difference Dr. Leone’s practice combines specialized surgical interventions while emphasizing personalized care.

The Leone Center for Orthopedic Care We combine leading-edge technology with good old-fashioned care where the doctor-patient relationship is as important as the treatment.

To learn more, call 954-489-4575 or visit HolyCrossLeoneCenter.com.

SATISFACTION...

DENIED

I

The Coexistence of Eating Disorders and Substance Use

f some is good, more is better and too much is just enough! For a woman struggling with an eating disorder as well as with substance abuse, this is the story of her existence; a hunger unsatisfied.

Too high, too drunk, too thin, too hungry, too full is never ‘too’ enough to disconnect; to numb; to forget. “More,” “faster,” “better,” “now,” is the all-too familiar refrain of the voices inside her head: “If I could only be as free as I felt that first time I got drunk, got high, got thin, then everything would be okay.”

My life would be in order. I could finally be happy. This, we call, “chasing the dragon.”

Both: • are chronic conditions influenced by genetic and environmental stressors

When a woman holds a self-imposed, inelastic rubric for herself that says she must be perfect; must hide pain; must deny her inner self, then there needs to be a disconnection from the self. A disregard for intuition is developed and movement in life becomes mechanical. The cost of this is the soul and the spirit, and so she becomes ostensibly hollow, vacant even, and looks to fill the space. It becomes the perfect storm of deflection from inner conflict.

This battle is between intuition and self-truth versus the disingenuous reinvention of the new self. How does she quiet the thunder of the tempest? She withdraws, numbs, disconnects, broods and gets high. And yes, using her eating disorder rituals is a high.

• are progressive and have potentially fatal outcomes

More people die from an ED (eating disorder) than any other mental health disorder. Women whose ED and SU (substance use) coexist have the highest suicide rate of all psychiatric illnesses.

To over simplify, where there is an ED, there is likely SU. Let’s review some of the commonalities in both ED and SU.

• show chemical brain imbalances • exhibit distortions in thought or perception • prey on those with low self-esteem and depression • may have sexual, emotional and/or physical abuse or neglect • display poor impulse control • have obsessive thoughts and ritualistic behaviors • carry risk of negative consequences

An appreciation of the relationship between ED and SU is established. Until fairly recently, conventional wisdom dictated that each be treated separately, however, both serve as avoidance-based, maladaptive coping and numbing, This then, begs consideration of symptom substitution or cross addiction; if one is taken away, the other is intensified.

Contemporary school of thought teaches that integrated treatment approaches offer the most promise for reducing the risk of this vacillation between the ED and the SU, yet scarcely any dual diagnosis facilities effectively treat both simultaneously. Recovery Center for Women (RCW), a Behavioral Health of the Palm Beaches facility, does. The research supports that the basic tenets for effective treatment are therapies such as, individual, family, group, psychopharmacological, nutrition and holistic therapies. Holism adjuncts traditional therapies at RCW and includes equine therapy, massage,

acupuncture, meditation, guided imagery, aromatherapy, yoga, recreation, art, music, creative writing, qigong, cranial-sacral, and mealtime support. Above any of this, and arguably the most effective part of treatment, is that RCW is a gender-specific unit with a staff of nurturing women where the healing begins as an exchange of spirit and positive energy. This energy begins with empathy and a quiet understanding of the pain and grows to an energetic exchange of spirituality and empowerment. There builds a reciprocity between the healer and the hurting that is founded in the absence of judgment or shame.

Healers give permission to the hurting to give voice to their thoughts, ideas, opinions; to speak; to open their hearts again and to function on purpose and with purpose. The restorative environment models passion in action and realness in real time, one woman to another. Once this alignment of spirituality and knowledge is realized, it is palpable to believe that there is hope.

Anna Ciulla, LMHC, RD, LD is Executive Director of Clinical Services at the Recovery Center for Women.

To learn about the RCW, please visit:

helpforwomen.com

Don’t Let Cataracts Cloud Your Vision!

Cataract is the most common cause of vision loss in people over age 40 and is the principal cause of blindness in the world. Cataracts start off as small and inconspicuous, then gradually your vision becomes cloudy and impaired. There may be many opinions to the causes of Cataracts, but when it comes to treatment, surgery is the best option.

The doctors at the Palm Beach Eye Center can discuss the best surgery options for you. Let these highly trained eye experts restore your vision. After all, there’s still a lot of the world you have to see.

Call us today and schedule an initial consultation or receive a second opinion on your diagnosed eye condition.

About the Palm Beach Eye Center Medical Team All the physicians at The Palm Beach Eye Center are expertly trained in all areas of eye care including advanced procedures requiring the latest technology. From complete eye exams to fitting glasses for your lifestyle, our experts understand the importance of proper eye care. With the recent opening of our Wellington office, our four Palm Beach County locations provide a complete range of comprehensive eye care services including: • Dry Eye Care • Diabetic Eye Care • Cataract Evaluation and Surgery • Macular Degeneration • Laser Vision/Refractive Surgery • Pediatric Ophthalmology • Glaucoma • Retina and Macular Disease • Corneal Disease • Neuro-Ophthalmology • Cosmetic Lid Surgery • Eye Floaters • And all other types of eye care services

Our Team of Eye Care Specialists Jay S. Wallshein M.D. M.A Wayne C. Barish, M.D. Brad D. Simons, MD, PhD, P.A. Paul E. Pataky, M.D. Yissell Sanchez, O.D. Kevin T. Kelly, M.D. Garima Lal, M.D., P.A Krista Rosenberg, M.D.

visit our newest location

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homebase

[ by brad mee ]

Cheers to the holidays

’Tis the season to raise a glass (or two). So why not usher in the holidays with sparkling style? Turn your Champagne celebrations into something memorable by adding dramatic flutes and finely tuned toasts to the festivities. We’ve got you covered from the very first clink.

Mix it Up

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AdAm Finkle

Don’t be predictable by relying on matching stemware. Search secondhand stores, buy from artisans or shop at your favorite tableware boutique to find the perfect glass or two. Before you know it, you’ll have a collection of flutes that will make ringing in any year special. Better still, guests won’t confuse their glasses as the Champagne pours throughout the evening.

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home base How to be a toastmaster

Never Out Of Style

Serving a glass of bubbly makes a celebration out of any occasion. The current trend toward craft cocktails has revived interest in both traditional and new versions of a sparkling classic: the Champagne cocktail.

ClassiC Champagne CoCktail 3 ounces Champagne or sparkling wine 1/3 ounce cognac 2 dashes angostura bitters 1 sugar cube Directions: Place sugar cube in Champagne glass. Saturate with Angostura bitters.

Add Champagne and cognac. Enjoy.

Where to Buy It

Cover all your Champagne and glassware bases at the following Boca-based stores.

ToTal Wine

Sur la Table

CraTe & barrel

Where: The Shops at Boca Center, 5050 Town Center Circle What: Along with a serious selection of bubbly offerings— from prized vintages to more affordable bottles—ask about the Champagne and sparkling wine seminar at the Tasting Table.

Contact: 561/3911281

Where: Mizner Park, 438 Plaza Real What: The store offers signature glassware from the likes of Peugeot, Schott Zwiesel and La Rochère at a variety of price points.

Contact: 561/9537638

Where: Town Center at Boca Raton, 6000 Glades Road What: Single flutes and complete sets are available, not to mention custom Champagne buckets, Champagne stoppers and much more.

Contact: 561/3951060

the art of the pour ■ Chill a bottle of Champagne at least three hours in a refrigerator or 30 minutes on ice (add water to the ice to accelerate the chilling process.)

■ After removing the foil and wire basket from the top, slightly tilt the bottle in one hand and grasp the cork in the other.

■ Hold the cork still and turn the bottle.

The cork should release with a “sigh,” not a “pop.” This technique helps retain the Champagne’s bubbles—as does pouring the sparkling contents gently into the mouth of a tilted glass.

Here are five ways to ensure that guests will talk about your toast for all the right reasons.

Variety is the spice: Provide different types of drinks for toasting. Champagne, sparkling cider and even club soda will provide plenty of bubbles while accommodating adults, abstainers and underagers alike. timing is eVerything: Experts suggest that hosts raise their glass only after everyone is seated at the table—or just before dessert is served. short and sweet: When making a toast, keep it brief. Two or three sentences should do the trick. Any longer, and you risk losing your audience.

Body Blow: When clinking fragile flutes during a toast, tilt the glasses sideways and make contact gently at the bodies of the glasses.

Tapping near the mouth of the pieces can cause them to break or chip; it also puts excess pressure on the stems. circle of trust: In large get-togethers, don’t attempt to clink glasses with everyone during a toast. Clink with those nearby and simply raise your glass in the air while nodding to others out of reach.

december 2014

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facetime [ by john thomason ]

Alan Koolik

I

t was the Double Jeopardy round of the semifinals in this summer’s “Jeopardy!”

Teen Tournament, and Alan Koolik was on fire. The Pine Crest student, 17, was scorching through one of his favorite categories, mathematics. The base 10 logarithm of 10,000? Four. The radius of the circle x squared plus y squared equals 100?

Ten. The name of the x coordinate in Cartesian geometry? The abscissa, of course.

Koolik nearly swept the category on the July 30 broadcast, moments after correctly answering questions—or, in Jeopardy parlance, correctly questioning answers—on everything from Looney Tunes and Greek mythology to the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe.

Speaking to Koolik in his family’s spacious Boca Raton living room, Koolik remembers little of this. “Jeopardy!” is a thinking person’s game that doesn’t leave much time to think.

When asked to recall some his most notable responses, he draws a blank, likening his experience to an athlete being “in the zone.”

“You just have to focus on the questions and on Alex [Trebek’s] voice, and on the buzzer,” he says. “There’s no time to think about anything else. Between the time of the taping and the airing, I remembered nothing—maybe four different clues.”

Like most “Jeopardy!” savants, Koolik has his weak spots, notably pop culture—a category that, not surprisingly, turns up with frequency on Teen Tournament game boards. “I checked the Billboard Top 40 before I left,” he says.

His preparation paid handsome dividends.

Koolik’s victory in this semifinal round was one of four appearances he made on the nationally syndicated game show in a two-week period, a journey that took him all the way to the finals. He nearly captured the entire

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tournament, concluding the final round in a tie against New Jersey’s Jeff Xie—the first such climax in the Teen Tournament since 1996. A single tiebreaker question, on the Civil War, decided the winner; Koolik knew the answer, but Xie buzzed in first with the correct response.

“It’s all in the buzzer,” he says. “But Jeff played an amazing game.”

Koolik still walked away with a $54,200 second-place prize, the culmination of a process that was not easy—one that required patience, knowledge, personality and a bit of luck. For each of the past four years, dur-

“You just have to focus on the questions and on Alex [Trebek’s] voice, and on the buzzer. There’s no time to think about anything else.” ing which time Koolik watched “Jeopardy!” religiously, he had taken a 50-question online test, the opening salvo for potential Teen Tournament competitors. Participants need to answer a certain “magic number” correctly; from there, 300 teenagers meeting that benchmark are randomly selected for a live audition in Los Angeles.

This year, Koolik was one of those 300. The next step involved a written test, not unlike the introductory online quiz, with producers

weeding out inconsistencies. Then came a mock game complete with buzzers and a short personality interview to ensure the final contestants could speak off the cuff and wouldn’t freeze up during the interview segments. Koolik was one of just 15 teens to make the final cut; in total, the monthlong process prompted him to miss about a week of school for the March tapings.

“I think I did a fair job of managing everything,” he says. “‘Jeopardy!’ was definitely in the front of my mind for that month. School took a little bit of a backseat. But I kept up my schoolwork, and the teachers were understanding.”

Indeed, Pine Crest was more than supportive of this high-profile extracurricular activity, hosting a viewing party for the semifinals attended by faculty, administrators and Koolik’s friends and family.

“We were thrilled to be a part of Alan’s quest to become a teen ‘Jeopardy!’ champion,” says Dr. Dana Markham, Pine Crest president. “Alan epitomizes what our students are all about—higher-order thinking skills, persistence and wit.”

Koolik is a senior at Pine Crest, yet there is a loftiness to his demeanor that suggests that he’s already beyond high school, at least mentally, and certainly when it comes to his aspirations. He’s planning on using his winnings on investments and college tuition, and he plans to major in mechanical engineering. When asked about his current grade point average, he says, “I have no idea. I haven’t looked.”

When asked about the biggest challenge of his “Jeopardy!” adventure, he can’t think of one—a pleasant problem for a brilliant young mind that was a buzzer-click away from a national championship. december 2014

eduardo schneider

For A Few mAgicAl summer weeKs, A Pine crest student hAd All the right questions to the Answers.

The Next Alex Trebek?

Alan Koolik’s passion for “Jeopardy!” extends to his community service hours as well. For two months in his junior year, he volunteered at the Milagro Center in Delray Beach, where he brought along his Classroom Jeopardy! set. He created custom questions, played host and waited for the underserved children to buzz in.

He also provided them piano lessons.

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facetime [ by john thomason ]

Connie Berry

M

ost benevolent ideas start small. The American Red Cross, for example, began as a meeting of 15 people.

In the case of the Caridad Clinic, its first home, established in 1992, was decidedly inauspicious: a double-wide trailer in Boynton Beach, in a region overgrown with weeds.

The trailer’s living room contained three dental chairs, and each of the two bedrooms was refurbished as a medical exam room. The “waiting room” was a cluster of plastic chairs on the outdoor patio.

The day the clinic opened—the same weekend, in a cruel twist of fate, that Hurricane Andrew ravaged South Florida—400 uninsured residents appeared, to be treated by two doctors and one dentist.

“These are the same doctors who volunteer all over the world, and they couldn’t believe what they were seeing—people who have never seen a doctor or a dentist, right here in Boynton Beach,” recalls Connie Berry, who was then working as a public schoolteacher for Palm Beach County.

In 1989, Berry joined forces with Caridad Asensio, a fellow teacher who provided social services to the migrant education program, to incorporate the Caridad Clinic as a nonprofit that would meet the health needs of the working poor and their children. Running entirely on volunteerism—from the doctors and dentists who donate their time to angel investors who ensure the clinic can keep its lights on—the Caridad Center (re-branded in 2005) has now been servicing Palm Beach County’s uninsured for a quarter-century.

In its 7,500-square-foot-campus, where it has been housed since 1997, Caridad handles more

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than 26,000 patient visits a year (saving taxpayers an estimated $4.8 million in health-care costs) in addition to its education and outreach efforts.

As the largest free health clinic in the state of Florida, it has earned its distinction as 2013’s Nonprofit Business of the Year, according to South Florida Business Journal. The recent addition of its Vision Van, where ophthalmologists have helped infants and adults correct cataracts and other visual defects, adds another notch on Caridad’s humanitarian belt.

“These volunteers are absolutely amazing,” says Berry, who lives in Lake Worth. “You hear so much negativity about doctors and dentists, like, ‘They talked to me for five minutes.’ Then you meet these [physicians] who are so open to helping people.

That’s what this is all about.”

Caridad Asensio passed away in 2011, but Berry remains active in the organization as co-founder and board chair—though she refuses to keep an office in the clinic’s Boynton Beach complex, which is perpetually short on space. She’s currently ushering a strategic planning period that would expand Caridad’s reach over the next 25 years, possibly into research fields.

“This has gone way beyond Caridad and I,” Berry says. “It’s not me anymore, it’s not her anymore. It has a life of its own.”

eduardo schneider

Co-founder, Caridad Center

Make a Difference

Caridad runs entirely on donations—from money and medical equipment to children’s clothing, canned foods and grocery gift cards.

Visit caridad.org/our-wishlist to lend your support.

december 2014

Choose Oxbridge

When it comes to secondary education in Palm Beach County, you have options. Oxbridge Academy is an independent, co-educational high school situated on a stunning 54-acre campus in West Palm Beach. When you choose Oxbridge, your education includes: -

Rigorous academic programs taught by renowned faculty Award-winning college placement team Hands-on learning and collaborative projects Innovative technology and creative environments Vibrant arts and competitive athletic programs

And, with the daily Boca Express bus, you’re a short ride away from a life-changing educational opportunity. Start your journey with a campus tour.

Sign up at www.oapb.org.

Please join us for an Open House on December 3 at 5:30 pm or call (561) 972-9600 to schedule a personalized tour.

Inspiring a love of learning through inquiry, collaboration, innovation, and discovery.

561-972-9600 3151 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach, FL Oxbridge Academy does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, national origin, or socioeconomic status in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, financial aid program, and athletic and other school-administered programs.

facetime [ by marie speed ]

The Gazebo Trio

The hisTory of renowned Boca resTauranT KaThy’s GazeBo is emBodied in Three of iTs mainsTays, who BrinG a comBined nine decades of experience To your TaBle.

I

t used to be known as the Gazebo Café, but the name was changed to Kathy’s Gazebo Café shortly after its beloved owner—Kathleen Sellas—died in June 1997 after her Range Rover went off I-95 just south of Woolbright Road. Sellas had just left the Gazebo and was driving to her other restaurant in Jupiter when the accident occurred, an event that rolled through the Boca community like an aftershock.

Sellas was the kind of person who wrote a mortgage check if an employee was in a bind, or who bought a needy kid a pair of shoes. She held fundraisers.

“We have ninety percent She pitched in. She treated her regulars. We know them by employees like family. name, we know their habits But most of all, she brought the Gazebo to Boca in 1981— and their likes—that’s one and changed the city’s culinary of the reasons they come landscape forever. back.” —Claudio Pedron Seventeen years after Sellas’ death, and more than 30 years since the restaurant opened, it’s still the city’s apex of fine dining, a throwback to the world of white linen and stemware, French cuisine and solicitous waiters. Food trends have come and gone, from California and fusion to Asian and Andalusian, but Kathy’s Gazebo (4199 N. Federal Highway, 561/395-6033, kathysgazebo.com) stands firm in its adherence to the good old days of fine dining—and exquisite service.

We talked to three people who have been with the restaurant for a collective total of 91 years—“executive” waiter Jose Garcia, who started on day one (he also worked for Sellas in Chicago before that); owner and maître d’ Claudio Pedron, who bought the restaurant from the Sellas estate in 2000; and Miguel Martinez, who started as a pastry chef in 1983 and now runs the entire kitchen. All three seemed surprised that anyone would think it strange they have stayed so long—and all of them, to a person, say they love their jobs.

Here’s a toast to Kathy’s Gazebo—and its enduring faces.

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aaron bristol

Familiarity Breeds Loyalty

From left: Claudio Pedron, Miguel Martinez and Jose Garcia

december 2014

■ Signature dishes: “Dover sole, duck l’orange, rack of lamb.

I still enjoy making them. We also have nice appetizers, like the Gazebo salad, escargot and seafood crepes. The only thing we change are the specials.”

—Miguel Martinez ■ On the menu: “We have not changed the [main] menu since day one—maybe the bay scallops we took off. People are used to certain items; they come here specifically for that item. If we change it, they will not choose us as their preferred restaurant.”

—Claudio Pedron ■ On being a great server: “Some of our customers have been coming here since day one, 34 years ago. The secret to being good at your job is to recognize the customers’ needs before they ask you for anything. I enjoy doing my job.

The moment people come to the front door, I know what they will be drinking and eating.”

—Jose Garcia ■ On why people come back: “They feel very comfortable in this atmosphere. The service makes them come back, and the food is always consistent.

They know that when they [return] they can have the same thing exactly the same way that they had it before. It’s also because a lot of new restaurants have steered away from the classic white-linen tablecloths and silverware.”

—Claudio Pedron

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theBOCAspotlight [ commentary by randy schultz ]

the Seat of Power in Boca Boca hasn’t turned over a new Leif in 15 years. during that time, the city manager has Become more than a fixture; he’s Become an institution. as part of this issue’s feature on the people and entities that drive our local agendas, veteran journalist randy schultz (author of “city watch” at Bocamag.com) examines this unique consolidation of power.

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ho runs Boca Raton? The discussion starts and mostly ends with the most powerful unelected local official in Palm Beach County—a man who also may be more powerful than any elected official.

Leif Ahnell has been Boca’s city manager for 15 years. In addition, Ahnell is director of the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency, which oversees downtown Boca. No other manager in the county has such a dual role, and Ahnell has it in the county’s second-largest city. Delray Beach has a separate CRA director, as do Boynton Beach and West Palm Beach.

Ahnell has no vote on the council. But neither does Mayor Jeri Muoio in West Palm Beach, the county’s only city with a strong-mayor system. Like Muoio, though, Ahnell hires all staff members and shapes the agenda for city council meetings and CRA meetings, when the council serves as the CRA board. Like a strong mayor, Ahnell controls the staff reports and recommendations that shape council votes.

But where Muoio must face the voters next year if she wants a second term, Ahnell rarely faces public criticism from Boca council members. He doesn’t face formal, written evaluations. And unlike West Palm Beach’s strong mayor, Ahnell doesn’t have Leif Ahnell

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theBOCAspotlight to worry about term limits.

Power is different from influence.

Campaign contributors can have influence over council members. So can paid representatives of those with business before the council. Contributors and special pleaders, though, have no vote, and they don’t supervise the staff or set the agenda.

Power rests with the elected council, but the council mostly depends on the staff. Ahnell runs the staff. That’s the case with other city managers, of course, but no other manager has Ahnell’s longevity and assertiveness with the prestige of the city under his control. Also, with the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce much less involved in council elections than it was a decade ago, there are fewer sources of outside potential influence. The police and fire unions tried to gain clout by backing Anthony Majhess for mayor last spring, but Susan Haynie won decisively.

It is left to residents such as Betty Grinnan and Judith Teller Kaye, who started Boca Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility, to push the council on

certain citywide issues. In their case, it’s pensions. Land-use lawyer Charlie Siemon is a regular before the council, but he’s trying to push council members toward approvals for his clients.

What power Ahnell doesn’t have from his job description he has acquired by other means. According to the people interviewed for this story—sources spoke on the condition of anonymity, but each individual has had extensive dealings with the city and the city manager—Ahnell isn’t strong on legal issues.

However, city attorney Diana Grub Frieser fills that void by regularly backing what Ahnell recommends—even though she reports to the council, not the manager. Like Ahnell, Frieser has been on the job for 15 years. She also is the attorney for the CRA. Let’s first stipulate that Ahnell is competent. Boca Raton’s tax rate for 2014-15 is barely above what it was in 2007, as the Great Recession began to bite. Fees have increased, but Ahnell got Boca through the recession with pain, not suffering.

To do that, Ahnell had to lead council members to a smelly pond—

Ahnell rarely faces public criticism from Boca council members.

He doesn’t face formal, written evaluations ... [and he] doesn’t have to worry about term limits.

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reduced library hours, park closings, layoffs—and make them drink. city approved Hyatt Place Boca, whose design is based on help from UrThat took a strong personality. It helps that Ahnell is an accountant by ban Design Associates, council members wondered if that “playbook” training and understands municipal finance. finally would be implemented.

As sources said, though, that strong personality also can make Ahnell Boca Raton asked to discuss these and other issues with Ahnell, but he a micromanager who doesn’t like dissenting opinion from staff. Everywas “not really so inclined” to sit down for an interview, saying that the thing must go through him, which can slow down even basic decisions. magazine “has done nothing but take shots” at him. However, as present During last spring’s goal-setting session, all and past council members—not to mention rescouncil members complained about delays in idents—would agree, legitimate questions about permitting for projects large and small. how our city is run are not “shots” at Ahnell.

The Development Services Department is There’s a saying on Wall Street: Don’t confuse under Ahnell. The former director of that debrains with a bull market. Given its tax base partment, John Hixenbaugh—well-regarded and its appeal for businesses and affluent travTurn to page 138 for when he arrived—resigned last April after just elers, running Boca Raton is much easier than Randy Schultz’s two years. As of early October, the departrunning other cities in the county. comprehensive ment did not have a permanent director.

But as good as things are, Boca can’t afford breakdown of And for all of Boca’s supposed focus on it, to get too satisfied with itself—or too satisthe modern-day downtown marketing is weak, according to fied with the person in whom so much power power players the people Boca Raton interviewed. Is Ahnell rests. in Boca Raton— stretched too thin? He replaced former CRA from our new wave Randy Schultz, longtime editor of the editorial director Jorge Camejo with himself in 2008, in of savvy techies and pages at the Palm Beach Post, brings four decades the middle of the city’s dealings with Urban entrepreneurs to the developers of journalism experience to his role as Boca RaDesign Associates. The firm was creating a changing the face of downtown. ton’s community watchdog. “City Watch” runs downtown “playbook,” which cost nearly $1 Tuesdays and Thursdays at bocamag.com. million and never was implemented. After the

Who Pushes the Buttons in Boca?

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No longer in the slime business, Dave Aizer currently works as a TV host, producer and writer for WSFL.

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How Does It Feel?

Seven people with South Florida connections—from a fire-eating belly dancer to a World War II submarine cook—take readers inside the experiences that have inspired them, changed them, defined them and, in at least one case, slimed them.

As told to Emily J. Minor Photography by Eduardo Schneider (except where noted)

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How Does It Feel? to be tHe KIng oF slIme? DaviD aizer

Former host, NickelodeoN’s slime time live!

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know this sounds ridiculous because I’m a grown man, but I'm not allowed to tell you what is in slime. I had to sign a nondisclosure. As you can imagine, Nickelodeon’s pretty protective.

What I can tell you is that it’s cold and gooey—and, actually, fairly delicious. It tastes a bit like vanilla pudding. You’d be surprised to know what actually goes into it. I’ll just say that it’s a naturally occurring substance found at the center of the universe.

Here’s the other thing: You take a shower, then you take another shower—and two days later you’re still finding slime in your ears, behind your ears, everywhere. It does come out of your clothes, though.

Kids just loved our show. We taped in Orlando, and families would plan their vacations around getting slimed. It was always amazing to me how much a kid would go out of his or her way to get slimed.

They’d wipe themselves off and then want to be slimed again.

The show was total chaos. The bigger the game, the more slime.

The consolation prize was usually a pie in the face, but everyone wanted the slime. Our show actually was named in the Guinness Book of World Records for dumping the most slime at one time. I don’t remember how much, but it was gallons upon gallons.

I was on the show from 1999 to 2007, and I was slimed more times than I can count. The stuff was shot out of cannons. Blasted.

Dumped. There’s something innocent about getting slimed.

Jim Carrey is one I challenge any adult to watch it of many and not laugh. You’re sitting there celebrities minding your own business— to get slimed. and, boom!

We slimed all sorts of celebrities, and they were always good sports. Christina Aguilera. The Backstreet Boys. All the members of NSYNC. We would drop this thing called the Big Shaboozie. That is the actual term.

First it was called the Super Sloppy Slime-off, then it was changed to the Big Shaboozie.

It was the prize for winning the game. The prize.

To this day, people still recognize me as the slime guy.

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photo by todd essicK; visit essicKphoto.com to see more of essicK's underwater worK.

to moDel wItH sHarks?

Kristen KoscielniaK

Artist, teAcher, model And owner, the silk soAp compAny, delrAy BeAch

a

bout 10 years ago, my sister met photographer Todd Essick at an event in Chicago. He had an idea for this underwater modeling project in Key Largo that would celebrate the beauty of women but in a natural setting.

So my sister mentioned to him that I’d been a certified scuba diver since age 16.

Not long after that, I was diving buck naked into the ocean. That’s how it started. Todd and I ended up becoming good friends and doing projects together in the Keys, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas. During that first Key Largo shoot, we worked with some eels and nurse sharks. But by the time we photographed in the Bahamas, we were attracting black-tip and bull sharks, as well as nurse sharks.

To do that, the team on the boat drops bait boxes into the water, two old milk crates tied together and stuffed with frozen fish heads and tails and random pieces. We work with shark wranglers; their job is to make sure there are sharks in the picture and that they’re coming in close enough.

We also work with safety divers, who are normally female. She dives in first. I don’t have any weights on, so I’m like an extra buoy attached to her.

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When you have sharks around you, you can’t kick. That’s a big rule. One model accidentally kicked a shark and did get a small bite on her foot.

Sometimes I’ll hook my legs around the safety diver’s body. If I’m wearing a big dress—we’ve done shots in wedding dresses—they have to hold everything nice and tight. With one wedding dress, we had to clip weights onto the inside of the fabric to keep me from moving with the current.

I go into the water wearing a mask with a regulator. In the weeks leading up to a shoot, I’ll start doing deep-breathing exercises because I can’t hold my breath for long. I’m good for about 30 to 45 seconds.

When we’re at the bottom, they switch me to a different tank that has a really long hose. I still have the mask on at that point.

When I see Todd give me the sign, I take my mask off, wipe the bubbles from my face and take one last breath. At that point, I can’t see clearly at all. I spit out the regulator, and my safety diver pulls it as fast as she can out of the frame. She uses this long stick, like a dowel rod.

Her only job is to make sure I’m OK. Her eyes never come off me.

The first thing I have to do is release a bit of air so I look more relaxed, so I’m not as buoyant. Then I start posing in whatever graceful position he’s trying to achieve. It sounds easy. You think, “Oh, I’m just going down to the bottom, holding my breath, looking all elegant and pretty.” But it’s tiring.

One time, a nurse shark nudged the bait box, and the black tip sharks didn’t like that. It turned into a bit of a frenzy. My safety diver kept getting bumped again and again, but I needed air. I started screaming. She turned around and saw the bubbles flying out of my mouth and handed me my regulator. It shook me up. That was the only really scary moment.

It’s an honor to be able to interact with these animals. For me, the more sharks in the photo, the better. [ bocamag.com ]

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How Does It Feel?

To Hear again Lucia Story

CoChlear implant patient

H

From the Boca Vault How Does It Feel: To be mauled by a jaguar “The cat’s fangs were buried ...

One canine had me at the right cheekbone; the other canine was in the top of my head.”

—Paul Fisher, M/A 2013 issue

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earing loss can lead to some embarrassing situations. One day I was at one of my children’s ball games, and a woman said, “Doesn’t that man have a good head of hair?” I thought she said he was having an affair. I couldn’t understand why she was talking about his private life in front of everyone.

I never wanted people to know that my hearing was fading. Ever since I was a child, I liked being the listener. I never wanted to be the funny girl. You learn when you listen. So when I started losing my hearing, I found myself being the talker; I’ve never been happy in that world. I had to work very hard to listen, and it was exhausting.

It started around 1970. I was a stewardess at the time, and I remember having a really bad cold. That’s what triggered it. I shouldn’t have been flying, but I did. The hearing loss was gradual. I would find myself saying, “Excuse me?” “Pardon me?” But I didn’t want people to know.

We relocated because of my husband’s work in the early 1980s, and I was struggling to regroup in this new setting. He picked up on my depression; I was honest with him and said I need to have an audiogram. Both ears were damaged; eventually, I learned sign language and joined the deaf community.

Along the way, I tried hearing aids. I was working in an office, and if someone started whistling, it would make the aid shriek. I would duck under my desk and take the thing out. Those things were like microphones; they magnified what you could hear—but they weren’t capturing what you couldn’t hear.

We moved to Florida permanently in 2004. My husband was seeing a doctor at the University of Miami; that’s when the light bulb went off. Why don’t I go to UM? We visited the cochlear implant department, and that’s when I met my angels. I come to tears just thinking about those people.

I had cochlear implant surgery in the summer of 2013. I can’t tell you how nervous I was. After the procedure, I woke up in the recovery room and the first thing I remember is someone speaking with a foreign accent. Even when I was young, I had a problem understanding accents. But now I’m hearing these words. I’m really hearing them.

This is a miracle.

Once I got up and the fluids settled, things were still a little slushy. But with some refinements, I started hearing so much more.

Today, I am hearing sentences. I am hearing paragraphs. Oh my gosh, I am hearing discussions. I am hearing birds I haven’t heard for years. I love gardening, and our daughters got me a wind chime. That sound is wonderful.

About a month after the operation, I heard the sound of lettuce tearing. And scissors cutting fabric. It might sound so silly and small. But I used to help my mother with the sewing and cooking at a young age.

Those are sounds from my childhood. To hear them again? I never expected it.

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How Does It Feel?

To be Racially PRofiled Dr. ronalD romear Pediatrician

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was born in Trinidad, and I left there when I was 15. I moved to Silver Springs, Md., in the late 1970s with the sole purpose of continuing my education. People didn’t know where I was from. They looked at me like I was straight out of a Tarzan movie or something. I did not understand black America or white America. I was an enigma to both groups.

The first time I was stopped randomly, I was working as a camp counselor at a YMCA (near Washington, D.C.). I remember it vividly. I was getting off the bus and going to get ice cream. The police stopped me and said to assume the position. Then they walked me over to a squad car, and there was this older white woman inside. Someone had stolen her handbag. She looked at me and shook her head no.

I was a black male with a blue Adidas top on, and that was enough for them to stop me. I was angry. But then you start telling people, and you hear like six other similar stories. And you realize, “This isn’t about Ron Romear. This is just the way it is.”

I knew I had to teach my sons how to survive in this society. You have to give them a skill set. The eldest one, in particular, has been pulled over for driving black. For a while he was driving his mother and father’s car, a BMW, and we made it quite clear: You will be pulled over. [When it happens,] keep your hands on the wheel. No Ebonics. Say yes sir, even if they try to bait you and call you “boy.”

I used to drive to an office in Wellington; that was a common area to be pulled over.

It was always the same. They’d say you were going faster than you really were. A lot of times, I’d leave my stethoscope on the seat; I knew where [the situation] was going because I looked younger than my age.

About two years ago something happened. I was riding my bike with a friend on a Sunday. We both live in the same West Palm Beach neighborhood. I’ve lived there 22 years; he’s lived there maybe 10. We have on our cycling outfits. We have on helmets. It’s the middle of the afternoon, full sunlight. We see a squad car come around, and by the time we pull over, there was another squad car. Two white officers.

They said they got a call about two suspicious bikers. They asked if we had IDs. So I went inside my house, got my ID and handed it to him.

I know I’m in the right. I know I did nothing. But I am angry. This isn’t the ’70s in Maryland. I am a black man in America, and I cannot believe that this is still happening.

If it were two white men [riding their bikes] would they be stopped for their ID? You hear these stories and you start thinking of your sons and you think, “But for the grace of God, that could be them.” Things could grow bad very quickly.

I’m upset that the world has not changed.

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From the Boca Vault How Does It Feel: To rafT To The U.S. from cUba “You would try to sleep between the waves, in five- or six-second intervals. After a couple of days, I started to hallucinate.”

—Roberto Morales, January 2008 issue

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Rosenblatt at the Morikami Museum in west Delray Beach

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How Does It Feel?

To be Lured InTo a TraffIckIng rIng? Katariina rosenblatt

Speaker, author and founder, there iS h.o.p.e. for Me

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grew up in South Florida with a very abusive father, both physically and verbally.

That left me vulnerable. My mom had left my dad, and we were living at this hotel—a nice one, it wasn’t seedy.

That’s where the trafficking ring first saw me. I was at the pool, and they sent this 19-year-old woman, Mary, to befriend me. She was working for a pimp at the hotel. Over the next month, she got me to confide all my needs and wants. I was hungry for a father figure. I didn’t know the difference between safe and unsafe love.

Trafficking in America is a lot of trickery and deceit and false friendships. Mary told me one day we were going to play a game, and that I was going to be the bride. I put on this white jean dress and my mom’s makeup. I met her in the stairwell as she instructed, and she took my hand. I was 13.

She knocked on the door of this room I’d never been to, and there was this man, like 65, overweight, burly, hairy, and with no shirt on. He was wearing gray dress slacks. Mary locked the door behind us. I remember it like it was yesterday. I always tell kids to trust their instincts, and I wish I would have trusted mine.

Mary told him, “Here’s your girl. She’s a virgin.” She was insistent that $550 was my rate.

Girls today tell me they’re lucky to get around $50. The value of innocence has gone down.

I recently spoke at a shelter for runaway youth and explained the difference between prostitution and trafficking. In trafficking, you’re not getting paid. They might give you a nice Coach purse or pay for your nails to get done. But they set up the friendship like you owe them. I’ve done strip club outreach for the last five years, and those girls, most of them have been victims of sexual abuse or trafficking.

I fought back that night in the hotel room and was fortunate to get out of that situation. Mary made me promise not to tell my mom.

Another time, in middle school, my friend invited me to a sleepover; her father was a trafficker and a pedophile, and he was using his daughter to recruit little girls. Men would pay the dad $40 to spend the night with a girl. I escaped by running away when the “enforcer” wasn’t guarding the door. Again, I felt that if I opened my mouth, something bad would happen to my mom. So I kept quiet.

I ended up losing my virginity to rape. I became addicted to cocaine. I was pregnant at 17; he was the son of a Colombian drug dealer. We got married, and he was abusive. I went from one bad situation to the next. I felt useless.

But God had a plan for me. Today, I have a Ph.D. It feels good to tell kids my story.

Florida is third in the nation for human trafficking. They get recruited right on Dixie Highway at the local convenience stores. It’s hard for adults to believe. But for the kids, no. They see it. I have girls who have gone through this three, four times. Once you’ve been a victim of that crime, you can be victimized over and over.

Editor’s note: For more information on the nonprofit There is H.O.P.E. for Me— which provides resources and outreach for survivors and families of domestic violence and human trafficking—visit thereishopeforme.org.

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From the Boca Vault How Does It Feel: To hold a human hearT “The heart is a muscle, so it feels very firm and beefy. It’s like you’re grabbing someone’s bicep after they’ve worked out.”

—Michael Carmichael, M/A 2013 issue

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To EaT FirE? Vanneza RomeRo

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Professional belly dancer

’ve been dancing for 17 years, but I just started fire eating about six years ago [Romero is 31].

There are a lot of belly dancers in South Florida, and the profession is very competitive. So I took it upon myself to learn.

At one point, I actually was working with a fire eater, but she didn’t want to tell me her secrets. So I went on YouTube. There’s all kinds of stuff online showing you how to do it. The first time I tried it, I was in my mother’s garage and still living at home. She had no idea what I was up to.

The important thing to remember is that fire goes up. Always. I have to look upward, and there can’t be any hair or eyeglasses or anything in the way that could light up. Your breathing has to be very controlled. I am actually blowing out, but it looks like I am eating it. Obviously, you can’t put the fire in your mouth; you’d burn yourself. So you get it close, then extinguish it with your breath.

It’s done so quickly that the people are in awe. They don’t catch on.

They have websites that sell all sorts of fire props. They have belts.

They have swords. They have whips. They have staffs. I use wands, and I use this liquid called camping fuel. It burns nicely. I’ve tried all kinds, but it’s the best one. Basically, I soak (the wand) and then shake if off, all the oil.

I was a little scared at the beginning, but now I can transfer the fire with my hand. I can use my tongue. They call it fire breathing, where you cup the fire with your tongue. I guess I’m lucky because I can hold my breath for like 10 seconds, so it’s pretty dramatic.

One of the first times I performed, I did get burned. I had a stage and the waiters and waitresses were walking by, in front and behind. They weren’t respecting my space. One of the waiters walked a little too close to me. It surprised me, and instead of blowing out, I inhaled. I ended up burning my throat. I lost my voice for a whole week. I was lucky I didn’t damage my voice box. It happens. But that’s the only time.

My mom will come watch a performance every once in a while, but she doesn’t really like it. It freaks her out every time.

Editor's note: Romero was photographed at Mazza Mediterranean Cuisine in Pembroke Pines, where she regularly performs.

From the Boca Vault How Does It Feel: To BE A TRANSGENDER MAN “People want to know what’s in my pants. They want to know if I really am what they’re seeing. But being a trans man isn’t about genitals.”

—Tobias Packer, January 2008 issue

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to be a wartIme Cook on a submarIne RobeRt Wayne Wasson

Served on five U.S. navy SUbS between 1943-53

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hey called them fleet submarines. Roosevelt had ordered 20 of them in 1937. They were built to keep up with the (Naval) fleets, if they had to. They were about 311 feet long. The kitchen? It was about 12 feet long by 8 feet wide, small enough that you could mop it with your feet and reach everything.

I had made up my mind that I wanted to be on a submarine after Pearl Harbor, and I wanted to be a cook. Your parents had to sign the papers if you were 16, but I took care of that myself and left in the middle of the night. I was 17 by the time I went to boot camp in 1943.

The Navy is very stubborn. They said I should be a machinist. It took about two weeks for me to convince them. They sent me to school in Chicago to learn cooking and baking.

The first two days at submarine school, you went through a physical, over and above just being in the Navy. That weeded out the group. The last people you spent time with were psychiatrists. There were three or four of them, and they knew about claustrophobia. We’d be out at sea for 90 days at a time. The psychiatrist made the final decision. We used to say that if he decided you were practically 100-percent nuts, then you made it.

At sea, there were two cooks and a baker. I volunteered to be the baker. I made 20 pies every night, and 18 loaves of bread. Big long loaves of bread.

It took practically all night just to fool around with that damn bread. It gets hot in there, I’ll tell ya.

On one side you had the two stoves and the deep fryer. Behind you was the mixing station and the work bench, with all the seasonings and what not. The pots and pans were all hung up. We cooked for about 90 men.

We had good food. Bacon for breakfast. The best beef, for stewing and boiling. But lunch came out of a can. Canned ham. Canned corned beef.

And Spam. Spam was big. You could make anything out of that stuff.

When the sub starts to descend, it’s a funny feeling at first. You grab something, but then you get to the point that you can control your balance in your shoes. You just lean forward a little bit. The first thing you had to do after the dive started was worry about the soup on the stove. We had big towels, and you could reach around and prop the pot up a little, level it out. The soup was doing the same thing the ship was doing.

I spent 10 years at sea. When I look back at those years, I wasn’t a hero. I just went where the submarine went.

Editor’s note: Wasson, 89, says he still enjoys cooking.

From the Boca Vault How Does It Feel: To be an undercover prosTiTuTe “More than 90 percent of the men were married, I'd say. That was very disturbing.”

—Amy Reckleben, January 2009 issue

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> Who Pushes the Buttons in Boca?

Thirty years ago, a handful of influential, concerned citizens doubled as agents of change in Boca. Today, the people and entities that drive agendas and affect our growth represent a variety of interests and backgrounds. Some are easily identifiable.

Others fly under the radar. We asked Randy Schultz, a longtime resident and author of the popular “City Watch” blog at bocamag.com, to help identify Boca’s modern-day power brokers.

By Randy Schultz

HigH-TecH HeavyWeigHTs It has been decades since the glory days of IBM in Boca Raton, when the company employed as many as 10,000 people in the aftermath of designing the first personal computer. Like another South Florida boomand-bust industry—real estate—high-tech can ebb and flow. IBM shrunk to 1,000 employees and finally left.

Yet smaller high-tech firms are starting and thriving in Boca. Drawing them to the area are, among other things, the commerce and research parks at Arvida and Florida Atlantic University, respectively, the absence of a state income tax (a lure for potential employees) and the city’s growing tech-friendly reputation.

“Boca has been discovered as a location for high-tech companies,” says Andrew Duffell, president and CEO of FAU’s Research Park. The facility, which he notes is 80 percent occupied, serves as an incubator for

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companies. “There’s been a pretty significant wave in the last five years. It’s woken a lot of people up.”

The Arvida Park of Commerce is just one part of northwest Boca Raton where companies are setting up. The area is flourishing enough that Gov. Rick Scott made campaign appearances at Boca-based companies, touting the improving economy. Admittedly, none of the companies at this point is close to being an IBM in terms of employees. Most employ fewer than 200. Still, the trend line for many of these firms is up, and perhaps the next IBM is among them.

Here are five people to watch in Boca’s high-tech world, though they are hardly the only ones; other entrepreneurs have brought companies like OpenPeak and Campus Management to the area. Boca Raton isn’t Silicon Valley, but with enough progress, maybe the name Silicon Beach finally will stick.

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1

Cane was a successful high-tech entrepreneur before starting the company that drew the governor for a photoop campaign stop this year. In 2011, a private equity group bought the education software company he co-founded, Blackboard Inc., for $1.6 billion. Analysts have described Modernizing Medicine, based in FAU’s Research Park, as similarly “disruptive,” shaking up medicine instead of higher education. The company’s signature product is the Electronic Medical Assistant, which helps physicians access information online.

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Jamie Doherty, president and CO-fOunder Of r2 unified teChnOlOgies In 2012, the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce named Doherty its Small Business Leader of the Year. This year, Inc. magazine ranked the IT consulting firm, which develops voice and data networks among other services, on its list of the 5,000 fastestgrowing private companies in the U.S. The company’s office is just north of downtown Boca on Federal Highway.

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robert Flippo, CeO Of MObilehelp There’s a lot of South Florida in the management team at this company, which develops and distributes medical alert devices. Flippo holds degrees from the University of South Florida and the University of Miami. Chairman Scott Adams is an FAU grad and former FAU trustee who, in 1995, started a successful Web hosting company. MobileHelp, also in FAU Research Park, received a key investment last May from Stonehenge Growth Equity Partners. The company is ranked 111th on Inc.’s list of the fastest-growing private companies in America, and GrowFL in August cited it as a company to watch.

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Daniel Cane, president, CeO and COfOunder Of MOdernizing MediCine

John DuFFy, CeO and COfOunder Of 3CinteraCtive Not many executives led companies that grew in 2010, as the region and nation emerged from the Great Recession, but Duffy did. 3Cinteractive helps businesses with mobile marketing, and demand took off even while the wider economy still was crawling. Duffy and Mike FitzGibbon started 3Cinteractive in 2005; one of the early investors was Dan Marino, the Miami Dolphins’ Hall of Fame quarterback. Duffy has been active in the South Florida Technology Alliance, which seeks to market Boca Raton and Palm Beach County to other high-tech firms. He has received a Governor’s Innovators in Business Award and an Entrepreneur of the Year Award from Ernest & Young. 3Cinteractive is in the Arvida Park of Commerce.

“boca has been discovered as a location for high-tech companies.”

—andrew duffell, fau research park

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Sam ZietZ, CeO Of tOuChsuite

This year, Inc. ranked TouchSuite—which provides point of service technology for businesses—259th on its list of fastest-growing private companies. That is familiar territory for Zietz and the firm. In 2007, when TouchSuite was called American Bancard, the company also made the Inc. list. Zietz started out as a lawyer before becoming an entrepreneur. He spoke at this year’s TEDxBoca event at FAU about why entrepreneurs “don’t need to fail.” Among other things, he said the person who missed on an idea seven times and then succeeded didn’t necessarily have a better idea. He “leveraged his experience” from the seven failures.

TouchSuite’s headquarters are in northwest Boca Raton.

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The Legends Tour

If anyone doubted that Dick Schmidt still has clout in Boca Raton, that doubt disappeared last January.

FAU was looking for a new president. Jeff Atwater, Florida chief financial officer and a North Palm Beach resident, had called a news conference to announce that he would apply.

Atwater all but implied that he would get the job, having been “approached,” as he put it. Indeed, trustees had contacted him, even though Atwater’s background is banking, not higher education.

Almost immediately, Gov. Rick Scott endorsed Atwater’s candidacy.

Schmidt, whose family is the largest private donor to FAU, was on the search committee. He didn’t like the per- Dick and Barbara Schmidt ception that the search was

The X-FACTors: JOHN KELLY: Hook up Florida Atlantic University’s new president to a generator, and he probably could power Boca for a week before taking a break.

FAU had been in a collegiate holding pattern for more than a year after the departure of Mary Jane Saunders, so Kelly is moving quickly on plans to improve the graduation rate, FAU’s biggest academic problem. At the same time, he is working with Boca Raton to create a university-oriented district in the 20th Street neighborhood east of campus.

Will he succeed at both? And will he finally get a stadium naming-rights deal that FAU students will accept?

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a rigged political game.

Schmidt publicly opposed Atwater, who didn’t make the list of three finalists.

Like other people who have great influence, Schmidt chooses his moments. Given the positive Christine E. Lynn early reaction to John Kelly, whom FAU’s trustees eventually selected, Schmidt’s latest favor to the university could have lasting impact.

It’s been a big year for another Boca Raton civic titan, Christine E. Lynn. Fifteen years after the death of her husband, insurance magnate Eugene Lynn, Christine attended the ground breaking of the Women’s Health & Wellness Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital that bears her name and is scheduled to open next summer.

The hospital created the women’s institute—not far from

Like sports teams, Boca Raton has its X-factors, elements of the city with great potential but whose contributions at this point we only can wonder about.

CANCER TREATMENT CENTERS OF AMERICA: The company, which manages five hospitals, announced in January that it would move its headquarters from suburban Chicago to Boca. The shift means 225 jobs for the city. What will the company, whose headquarters are in Broken Sound, mean for the area in the longer term? More jobs, possibly. After the company’s announcement, Vicinitas Cancer Care—a spinoff—announced that it, too, is moving to Boca, and plans to have 200 positions. What role will these companies play in the community? What will be their effect on cancer services at Boca Raton Regional Hospital?

OFFICE DEPOT: Boca Raton celebrated when the merged Office Depot/OfficeMax announced that the headquarters would stay at the North Military Trail complex and not move to Illinois. And after that? In August, Office Depot reported higher revenue but continuing losses.

In September, the retailer announced that it would shift from the New York Stock Exchange to the technology-heavy Nasdaq. The stock price was rising, but one reason, analysts said, was the rumor that Office Depot and industry leader Staples would merge. Both companies have been closing stores in an effort to compete with Amazon. What is the future of Boca Raton’s one Fortune 500 company?

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the Eugene M. & Christine E. Lynn Cancer Institute—after a $10 million donation Christine made four years ago in honor of Gloria Drummond. More than a halfcentury ago, Drummond led the drive to create the hospital, whose board Christine chairs.

People like Schmidt and Lynn steady a community. The best Old Guards do. Not everyone, of course, has the resources of a Dick Schmidt or a Christine Lynn, but in Boca Raton the contributions can be many and varied.

This year, the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce honored businesswoman and philanthropist Yvonne Boice at its Diamond Award luncheon. Her community work has involved, among others, the Palm Beach Film Festival, Lynn University, Palm Beach State College and the YMCA of Palm Beach County.

Longtime former city council member Susan Whelchel remains someone who can help move things along with a phone call or two. Whelchel served for nearly two decades, ending her career as mayor and leaving this year due to term limits.

Other longtime Boca figures, like land-use/environmental lawyer Charlie Siemon—who has worked tirelessly to put Festival of the Arts on the map—continue to make an impact and influence decisionmaking. Mike Arts, who ran the chamber of commerce for two decades, spends summers out of the city, but to borrow from the wonderful movie “Chinatown,” he still has a few friends in town.

Yvonne Boice

Susan Whelchel

Charlie Siemon

Mike Arts

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in Boca raton, the [philanthropic] contributions can be many and varied.

Taking Care of Business Some businesspeople succeed and then keep to themselves. Others succeed, and then try to make their community better. They don’t mind shaking things up, and their energy can become contagious.

The people on this list fit that description. People like Troy McLellan, who, as president of the Boca Raton chamber, is at the axis of Boca business. Or Lynn University preisdent Kevin Ross, often described as a “thought leader.”

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They are optimistic but never satisfied. By not willing to settle, they make Boca better.

JoHn Crean, general manager, Broken Sound CluB: Much has been written about Crean’s efforts to make the 1,600-home club, which completed a $26 million upgrade last year, environmentally friendly.

That alone would be a major contribution.

Crean, however, strives to make the gated community part of the Boca community.

Since 2007, Broken Sound has hosted the annual Allianz golf tournament on the PGA Champions Tour. Crean also involves himself and the club in efforts to recruit business.

With the nearby Arvida Park of Commerce looking to draw more high-tech firms, Crean’s timing is perfect.

riCk HaYDuk, preSident, BoCa raton reSort & CluB: Tinker with a legend?

Hayduk had the moxie to do that when he took over the 88-year-old resort in January 2013. He has marketed the Waldorf Astoria property to tech-conscious thirty-somethings, seeking to modernize the resort’s image.

He started surfing classes, an amenity that might perplex the ghost of Addison Mizner but has been popular. The new pitch is “luxury with an edge.” Even though the resort recently hosted the Governor’s Conference on Tourism, Hayduk wants to rely less on corporate meetings.

keiTH o’DonneLL, partner, aviSon Young: O’Donnell became part of the Toronto-based commercial real estate services firm in 2012, but he has worked in the industry in this area for decades. One wonders how he has time for business, given all the time he has spent on major civic and comdecember 2014

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munity boards. Commenting on his work with the MedUTech recruitment campaign—which seeks to develop synergy between health-care, education and technology sectors in Boca—he says, “Someone asked me why I put so much time into this initiative. Simple: I want to first give back to a community that has helped me prosper and raise my family.”

ThE PhILANThRoPISTS

Several people in the community manage to effect change through their generous contributions. Here are just a few whose names loom large in Boca.

JAN SAVARICK, president, Boca raton regional Hospital Foundation: What’s in a name?

Plenty, it became clear to Savarick, when she was seeking big money for the hospital. Wealthy snowbirds thought that “Boca Raton Community Hospital” seemed, well, a little smalltown. Savarick and others pushed for a name change, and in 2012 the foundation snagged the $25 million donation from Bernie Marcus—a Home Depot co-founder—that created the neuroscience institute in his name.

Savarick is a charmingly relentless fundraiser, working the boardrooms and the galas and every setting in between.

KELLY SMALLRIDGE, president, Business development Board oF palm BeacH county: She doesn’t live in Boca, but Smallridge spends a lot of time selling the city to employers.

Gov. Rick Scott has said that the first call he took from a business recruiter upon taking office was from Smallridge. She gave him the top three leads the county was pursuing. Smallridge must balance a multitude of interests, and has done so without getting entangled in the sort of conflict that her predecessor did. He involved the board financially in a land deal that depended on putting Scripps Florida at Mecca Farms.

Smallridge, to her credit, has been all business. follow the leader

• The Junior League of Boca raTon: Perhaps the most spirited and motivated organization in town, this collection of more than 700 influential women donates some 25,000 service hours each year and partners with countless nonprofits.

• Bernie Marcus: The former Home Depot CEO’s $25 million grant two years ago led to the Marcus Neuroscience Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital.

• Dick anD BarBara schMiDT, anD chrisTine e. Lynn: In addition to the impact mentioned in “The Legends Tour” section, the Schmidts and Lynn have helped to change the face of health care and education in Boca with their countless donations.

• Louis anD anne green: The couple’s

• BoBBy caMpBeLL: Along with a successful career in business, Campbell is known for giving back to Boca, most recently by funding a new soccer stadium at Lynn University.

• eLaine Johnson WoLD: Never one to seek the spotlight, Wold continues to quietly elevate the community with donations that have led to, among other things, a performing arts center at Lynn.

• Jayne MaLfiTano: In addition to her family’s contributions to the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami, Malfitano has been a Boca leader through her work with various local organizations.

• harvey anD phyLLis sanDLer: Proof of

commitment to the community is epitomized in the Memory and Wellness Center that bears their name at FAU’s College of Nursing.

their community passion is evident in the pavilion that bears their name at the Lynn Cancer Institute.

• JiM anD MarTa BaTMasian: The

• counTess De hoernLe: More than a

longtime Boca residents contribute to numerous causes, including the PROPEL initiative they launched to help disadvantaged youth.

century old, the Countess continues to make a difference through donations that, by some estimates, total more than $40 million.

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JERRY FEDELE, president and CeO, BOCa ratOn regiOnal HOspital: Fedele came to Boca from Pittsburgh in 2008 to effectively rescue what was then a flailing community hospital. He turned the much-beloved institution around, realizing an operations improvement of $60 million over 18 months. Both donor contributions and programs have expanded under Fedele, and the name was changed to Boca Raton Regional Hospital in 2010.

Fedele and his wife, Terry, also have embraced the community—and have been embraced in return. He is active in the chamber and with FAU, among other institutions, and even danced the foxtrot at the 2010 Boca Ballroom Battle.

TIM SNOW, president, geOrge snOw sCHOlarsHip Fund: Snow started the fund in 1982 as a memorial to his late father, a Boca developer and former math teacher who died in 1980. It has since become a favorite charity in Boca and has awarded more than $6 million in scholarships since its inception. It’s also the source of two of the community’s most popular fundraisers and social events: the annual Caribbean Cowboy Ball and the summer Boca Ballroom Battle. Snow is a highly effective fundraiser and likely would earn the tag “Most Popular” if the city had a yearbook.

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ThE DOWNTOWN GaMbLERS Roughly a quarter-century after Mizner Park, Boca Raton is attempting to finally shape the rest of downtown.

These days, it’s hard to find many people who will admit to having opposed Mizner Park. Where once hunched the Boca Raton Mall—a bar, a small movie theater, a dive shop—stands the mixed-use complex that draws people not just from Boca but from the region and beyond, especially for the annual Festival of the Arts.

Still, the political fight over Mizner Park was bruising. It makes more recent debates over downtown projects look like yoga sessions. Nevertheless, the city council’s collective approval of so many residential projects in such a short time in such a small area is a bet that Boca Raton can create a downtown made vibrant by those who live there.

Critics say it won’t happen, even though the develop-

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ers all tout upscale amenities and the downtown scene.

The critics cite Visions 90 and Ordinance 4035 and other measures designed to improve downtown, and they ask, “Where are the results? Where’s the market for all these rentals and condos? If the new tenants are supposed to help the existing restaurants and businesses, why are these projects bringing more restaurants and more retail?”

Supporters—meaning most members of the current city council—respond with projections that the downtown Boca market can handle the demand, even with a rental complex as large as Broadstone North Boca Village (384 units) just 4-plus miles away and with roughly 600 rental units approved for South Federal Highway and Camino Real.

There also are more recent downtown residential projects: Palmetto Place and 200 East, the smaller 5 Palms and rentals at Royal Palm Place. Supporters say these newest projects december 2014

could not have received financing if they didn’t seem credible.

It will take perhaps 10 years, long after council members who approved the projects have been term-limited, to see if Boca’s bet pays off. Will the city get a bustling downtown or a ghost town? Here are the players involved in changing the landscape.

CAMDEN PROPERTY TRUST: The publicly-traded company says it manages roughly 60,000 apartments nationwide.

Among its newest are the 261 units at Camden Boca Raton, which takes up the block between Dixie Highway and Federal Highway and First and Second streets. Of all the new downtown residential projects, the eight-story Camden opened first. Amenities include a two-story party room with contem-

Camden Boca Raton

continued on page 238

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Kelly Coulson

Lobster Benedict from Max's Harvest

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december 2014

Your

table is readY Can’t navigate the local restaurant scene without a program?

Fear not. Our food editor offers primo picks in nine different categories for your dining pleasure.

T

By Bill Citara

here’s no better time to be a diner in and around Boca Raton than now.

Whether fine dining or fun dining, the local restaurant scene has never offered hungry gastronomes more diverse choices. It doesn’t matter if you’re lusting after rice noodles or gnocchi, sushi or sausages, a thick, juicy burger or a slab of luscious foie gras: There’s a restaurant out there whose kitchen is speaking directly to you.

Not all that long ago, this kind of quality and range of restaurants was available only to denizens of a handful of major American cities. But good food has become democratized; you don’t need to dress up and spend a lot of money to dine on fresh, seasonal ingredients prepared with skill and love, and served up in haute, hip or homey settings.

There may not yet be an organic, free-range chicken in every pot, but we’re getting there.

If you haven’t already, put the following restaurants on your must-dine list. Bon appétit!

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MORE nEw aMERican NEW AMERICAN

Eric Baker

MAx’s HArvest

Dennis Max’s cozy, bustling downtown Delray spot was one of the first to laser in on the “fresh, local, seasonal” culinary ethos that has become gospel to chefs and diners alike. Ingredients are sourced from a wealth of area purveyors—organic eggs from Heritage Hen, handmade cheeses from Mozzarita, fresh fish and shellfish from Wild Ocean Seafood, all-natural pork from Palmetto Creek Farms, just to name a few.

In the hands of recently arrived chef Eric Baker, whose résumé includes stints at the restaurants of Daniel Boulud and Jean-Georges Vongerichten, these raw materials show up in dishes like heritage pork belly with miso-apple butter glaze, Florida shrimp agnolotti with salsa verde, and wild salmon with Israeli couscous and horseradish froth.

Contact: 169 N.E. Second Ave., 561/381-9970, maxsharvest.com

Ginger shrimp, 13 American Table

■ 13 aMerican taBle (451 E. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton, 561/409-2061): Contemporary comfort food is the star, along with a long list of craft beers and boutique wines.

■ 32 east (32 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, 561/276-7868): Chef Nick Morfogen reigns supreme at this iconic downtown restaurant.

■ twentY-twentY Grille (141 Via Naranjas, Boca, 561/990-7969): Chef-owner Ron Weisheit delivers inventive and sophisticated cuisine.

STEAK HOUSE Abe & Louie’s

MORE stEak hOusE

Some things never go out of fashion. The classic American steak house, for example. And no steak house is more classic and less concerned with the vagaries of fashion than Abe & Louie’s. Local power brokers and Boca’s see-and-be-seen crowd fill the capacious dining room with its coffered ceiling, acres of dark wood and big comfy booths. They come to chow down on corn-fed, USDA Prime beef, cut into platter-sized steaks and grilled over a mixture of hardwoods.

All the usual steak-house accouterments are here: a selection of sauces, from béarnaise to chimichurri; jumbo lump crab cake and traditional shrimp cocktail; monster baked potato and lobster mac-n-cheese; chopped and Caesar salads. Wash them all down with a perfect vodka martini or a fine Bordeaux from the 600-bottle cellar.

Contact: 2200 Glades Road, Boca Raton, 561/447-0024, abeandlouies.com

Rib-eye, Butcher Block Grill

■ Butcher Block Grill (7000 W. Camino Real, Boca Raton, 561/409-3035): Boca diners are digging the casual ambience, spacious patio and antibiotic and hormone-free beef.

■ cut 432 (432 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, 561/272-9898): The steak house is reimagined as a hip, urban restaurant serving updated classics.

■ Morton’s the steakhouse (5050 Town Center Circle, Boca Raton, 561/392-7724): Along with designer beef and all the usual sides, Morton’s has one of the best happy hours in town.

■ new York PriMe (2350 N.W. Executive Center Drive, Boca Raton, 561/998-3881): Check out our story on page 177.

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Seven-layer chocolate cake

december 2014

MORE FRENCH ■ Bistro Provence (2399 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton, 561/368-2340): The bright, sunny flavors of Provence never go out of style at this longtime local favorite.

■ carPe Diem (110 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, 561/455-2140): It’s traditional and classic French fare with lots of healthy options.

■ casimir Bistro (416 Via de Palmas, Boca, 561/955-6001): Enjoy hearty bistro cooking in a cozy, relaxed setting.

MEET THE RESTAURATEUR Arturo Gismondi

Arturo knows Boca, and Boca knows Arturo. Gismondi grew up in the family restaurant business (think Arturo’s on North Federal Highway) and opened his first Boca spot, Trattoria Romana, in 1993. Two Cannoli Kitchens followed, then Biergarten in 2011. This past June, La Nouvelle Maison, an homage (of sorts) to one of Boca’s most iconic restaurants, La Vieille Maison, opened its doors to rave reviews.

What prompted you to open La nouvelle maison?

I was driving home one night, and I looked at the building [formerly La Vieille Maison]. It had been closed for six years or so, but it was once the best restaurant in South Florida.

People came from all over. I pulled over, got a flashlight and went in.

It was full of beer cans and broken glass. It was so sad. And it hit me: I want to resurrect the tradition, the memories. That was the old house; this is the new.

What’s your key to success?

Outside of the freshest of the fresh [ingredients], great service and great atmosphere? Give the people what they want. When you start [telling customers] what they should be eating their guard is up.

You’re setting yourself up for failure.

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From left: Executive chef Gregory Howell, managing partner Guido Barisone and pastry chef Stephanie Steliga. Above: Lobster salad

FRENCH La NouveLLe MaisoN Fine dining lives at Arturo Gismondi’s handsome, refined paean to classic French cuisine and its long-shuttered but still revered local outpost, La Vieille Maison. As executed by chef Gregory Howell, the menu breathes new life into traditional preparations, whether silken foie gras on brioche French toast with plum gastrique and Marcona almonds, or steak frites with 28-day, dryaged New York strip and pencil-thin fries that are crisp, greaseless perfection. They’re matched by stellar desserts from talented pastry chef Stephanie Steliga. (For a full review, go to page 178.)

Contact: 455 E. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton, 561/338-3003, lnmbocaraton.com

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ASIAN

KaPow! noodle Bar

Kapow!

ITALIAN angelo elia Pizza • Bar • TaPas If you can’t find something you like at Angelo Elia’s smart-looking Italian restaurant, you should probably just stay home and order takeout Chinese. Pizza, pasta, panini, frittati, small plates and larger plates, salads and house-made gelato all hew to the highly evolved simplicity that lies at the heart of true Italian cuisine.

The space itself is sleek and contemporary with its modern furnishings, expanses of white and soft earth tones. The lengthy menu looks to both the comforting past and more exciting present, with stalwarts like lasagna, fritto misto and pizza margherita sharing space with burrata with sun-dried figs and fig balsamic, salmon carpaccio with shaved fennel and orange, and white pizza with taleggio, porcini and truffle oil. And don’t miss the creamy-dreamy gelato in an array of flavors.

Contact: 16950 Jog Road, Delray Beach, 561/381-0037, dangelopizza.com

Nightlife-dining maven Rodney Mayo and partners have brought a young, hip, urban vibe to Mizner Park with their eclectic Asian fusion hot spot. From the roster of inventive cocktails to dishes that nod to such popular Asian-esque restaurants as Momofuku to the giant, graffiti-style mural by local artist Mike “Pooch” Pucciarelli, Kapow! is as trendy as the latest iPhone.

Sip a “Spicy Lover” (tequila, cucumber, lime juice, green Tabasco, cilantro and agave nectar) and nosh your way through the mostly small-plates menu by former Dada chef Caleb Holman—perhaps bulgogi street tacos with Sriracha aïoli or a big plate of pan-seared scallops with green curry sauce. Of course, don’t forget about the noodles, like slow-roasted pork ramen with soft-boiled egg or seared shrimp with udon noodles and kimchi slaw.

Contact: 431 Plaza Real, Boca Raton, 561/3477322, kapownoodlebar.com

Inset: Caleb Holman Dish: Sesame tuna udon noodles

Inset: Angelo Elia Below: The Angelo pizza

MORE ITALIAN Mussels at Mario's

■ Arturo’s (6750 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton, 561/997-7373): Elegant and slightly formal, this is old-school fine dining at its best.

■ MArio’s osteriA (1400 Glades Road, Boca, 561/239-7000): This casual spot offers an extensive menu of well-prepared Italian favorites, pizza and much more.

■ scuolA VecchiA (522 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, 561/865-5923): Terrific thin-crusted pies are made to the strictest Neapolitan standards.

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AAron Bristol

MEET THE CHEF

MORE ASIAN ■ Basilic (200 S. Federal Hightway, Boca Raton, 561/409-4964): This authentic Vietnamese cookery offers multiple variations of the classic soup, pho.

■ Buddha sky Bar (217 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, 561/450-7557): Delray diners love this sexy spot with city views, and expertly prepared sushi and Asian fusion dishes.

■ The sea (16950 Jog Road, Delray, 561/2703569): Check out the encyclopedic menu of panAsian dishes, both traditional and contemporary.

Sushi from The Sea

Zach Bell

Chefs don’t come more respected than Daniel Boulud, and as executive chef at Café Boulud in the tony Brazilian Court hotel, Zach Bell was cooking at the highest level of the South Florida restaurant scene. Bell, 41, first signed on with Boulud in 1998 and moved to South Florida to open the café’s Palm Beach outpost five years later. Today, Bell is creating his own legend as executive chef at Addison Reserve Country Club in Boca Raton. The award-winning chef weighs in on the local dining scene. how has dining in and around Boca changed since you’ve been here?

It’s exploded. It’s gone crazy, especially the last five years— and it’s getting dramatically better. The level of [chef] talent that has come to town has also meant [the arrival] of top sous chefs and restaurant managers—and those people don’t split town when [the celebrity chefs] do. have local diners gotten more sophisticated?

Definitely. People are becoming more aware of what good food is. There are more chefs willing to go out on their own and more people willing to support them.

Where do you see the local scene going?

It’s going in the direction of small places. Not fast casual but places you can get in and out quick, that are more approachable. Everybody is taking the comfort items— donuts, burgers, meatballs—and looking at each item with a more detailed eye: How am I going to make the best meatball? It’s all about good food. It’s not about froufrou and trying to blow people away.

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Local ceviche at El Camino

GASTROPUB Sybarite Pig

Eduardo schnEidEr

Don’t judge this west Boca gem by its obscure strip-mall backdrop. Once inside Daniel Naumko’s labor of beer, sausage and burger love, you’ll feel like you’ve stepped inside one of those hip little dives in San Francisco’s South of Market or New Orleans’ Warehouse District that only the cool foodies know about.

The look is low-budget funky, the vibe is gritty and beercentric, and the food is over-the-top ambitious. Naumko and company take no shortcuts, making their own pork and chicken sausages, duck confit and fromage de tête (aka, headcheese). They slow-roast pork shoulder for the classic Italian porchetta and dish house-made kraut and veggie pickles. And don’t bother looking for Budweiser. The Pig’s beer selection is a connoisseur’s guide to the most rare and interesting bottles.

Contact: 20642 State Road 7, Boca Raton, 561/883-3200, sybaritepig.com

Inset: Daniel Naumko Dish: Duck fat burger

MORE gastROpub

cristina Morgado

Michael Saperstein, Rebel House

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■ Gluttonous Goat (99 S.E. Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton, 561/923-9457): This urban-esque joint augments gastro-fare with Caribbean, Cajun-Creole dishes.

■ the office (201 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, 561/507-7463): This has become a popular corner hang in Delray, a new-fashioned bar-n-grill serving up modern versions of comforting favorites.

■ Rebel house (297 E. Palmetto Park Road, Boca, 561/353-5888): Cutting-edge food and drink mixed with eclectic decor and a big-city vibe makes for a memorable dining experience.

december 2014

MEXICAN El Camino

The trio behind Cut 432 and Park Tavern—Brandon Belluscio, Brian Albe and Anthony Pizzo—has done it again, fusing a Mexican restaurant with a modern American gastropub and upending everything you thought you knew about restaurants serving South of the Border cuisine. El Camino has style to burn, from the enormous mural of skeletons, Frida Kahlo and Emiliano Zapata that wraps around the building’s façade to the dining room with its reclaimed wood tabletops and concrete floor of the garage it once was.

Margaritas go wild with everything from blood orange liqueur to pomegranate mead, while the menu segues from fish tacos and steak fajitas to smoked octopus with roasted jalapeño to squash blossom quesadillas with house-made blue corn tortillas.

Contact: 15 N.E. Second Ave., Delray Beach, 561/8655350, elcaminodelray.com

MORE MEXICAN ■ Cabo Flats (14851 Lyons Road, Delray Beach, 561/499-0378): This bustling spot has Mexican, gringo and modern dining options.

■ RoCCo’s taCos (5250 Town Center Circle, Boca Raton, 561/416-2131): Don’t let the party-hearty ambience fool you; Rocco’s has good Mexican food and, yes, killer margaritas. There’s one slated for Delray’s Atlantic Avenue, as well.

■ UnCle JUlio’s (449 Plaza Real, Boca, 561/3003530): It’s indoor-outdoor dining in Mizner Park with mesquite-grilled and Tex-Mex favorites, not to mention the famed Swirl (half frozen sangria, half frozen margarita).

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MEET THE MIXOLOGY EXPERT Brian alBe

If you’re looking for your granddaddy’s type of restaurant, chances are Brian Albe won’t be within a country mile.

With partners Brandon Belluscio and Anthony Pizzo, the 36-year-old bartender-turned-restaurateur has made a habit of taking familiar concepts and giving them a shot of hip, youthful energy—from the modern steak house, Cut 432, to the upscale-urban Mexican hot spot, El Camino. He brings that same color-outside-the-lines approach to the restaurants’ wine and spirits program.

What do you see people drinking in your restaurants nowadays?

They’re looking for wines that are perceived as better values. They’re still trending toward the typical big California Cabernets, but you’re starting to see them looking to South America and Spain, where you really get value. Beer just keeps growing. Interesting blends from different breweries, lots of barrel-aged beers. IPAs are really strong; people still like ales and lagers. And pumpkin beer is huge right now. People love it.

What about the craft cocktail movement?

That’s full speed ahead.

You mentioned that your customers are starting to move away from the big, fruity California Cabernets. are you helping them along?

Slowly but surely, we’re trying to change people’s minds.

I like to carry Pinot Noirs that are more elegant, have lower alcohol and balanced acidity, and that showcase the fruit. At El Camino, we’re also trying to introduce people to the smokier mezcal. People are definitely willing to experiment more, and we’ve been staying true to it for so long that they’re willing to experiment with us.

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cristina Morgado

Dish: The New Englander burger Below: Gary Rack and Matt Danaher

MORE sEafOOd

SEAFOOD

Racks Fish house + oysteR BaR For an area economically tied to its bay and ocean waters, South Florida has surprisingly few fish houses. So leave it to local restaurant impresario Gary Rack to find a need and fill it with this casual but classy ode to the fish houses of New England and the steam-kettle cookery of New York’s famed Grand Central Oyster Bar. If it swims, sits or scuttles in the sea you’re likely to find it on Racks’ menu, crafted by executive chef Matt Danaher. Virtually every region of the country gets a culinary shoutout—California-style fish tacos, New Orleans’ gumbo and oyster po’ boy, New England clam chowder, Southern shrimp-n-grits. All that, plus a raw bar and terrific seafood and oyster stews from those gleaming, steaming kettles.

Contact: 5 S.E. Second Ave., Delray Beach, 561/450-6718, racksdelray.com

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Brian Birzer

Barbecue shrimp, Truluck's

■ Chops Lobster bar (101 Plaza Real South, Boca Raton, 561/395-2675): It doesn’t get much better than this posh purveyor of steaks, seafood and signature lobster dishes.

■ City Fish Market (7940 Glades Road, Boca, 561/487-1600): This peaceful lakeside spot in west Boca serves up impeccably fresh fish and shellfish— as well as live music Tuesday through Friday.

■ 50 oCean (50 S. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach, 561/278-3364): The only thing better than the stunning ocean views are the inventive seafood dishes with wines to match.

■ truLuCk’s (351 Plaza Real, Boca, 561/3910755): One of the dining jewels of Mizner Park dishes up some of the best crab and lobster in town, along with a mouthwatering selection of broiled and pan-seared fresh fish offerings.

MORE hEalthy ■ Darbster (6299 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton, 561/586-2622): It’s vegan fare gone upscale and stylish.

■ DiG (777 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, 561/2791002): The new owners are offering organic and natural ingredients for vegetarians and carnivores alike.

■ nature’s Way CaFé (20 W. Atlantic Ave., Delray, 561/272-6200): This local outpost of a Florida chain offers a long list of salads, sandwiches and smoothies.

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HEALTHY

Joey Giannuzzi has long been preaching the gospel that good-for-you food also can be good-tasting. At Farmer’s Table, he and partner Mitch Robbins have a spacious, stylish new pulpit, and their flock has been growing ever since the doors opened a little over a year ago.

A difficult location has been no problem for the duo, at least judging by the restaurant’s seemingly endless crowds. Here is where the (carnivorous) lion can lay down with the (vegetarian, even vegan) lamb, and both can walk away satisfied.

The former will devour a meltingly tender braised short rib with red-wine sauce, while the latter will rejoice in a lusty “Buddha Bowl” filled with spiced tofu, udon noodles and a molten gingered egg. Can world peace be far behind?

Contact: 1901 N. Military Trail, Boca Raton, 561/417-5836, farmerstableboca.com follow the leader

GyorGy PaPP

Farmer’s Table

Dish: 19th Street short-rib tacos Inset: Joey Giannuzzi

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Left: Vintage London Inset: The new cosmopolitan skyline

The Euro Sampler Short visits to three of our favorite vacation spots across the pond highlight new experiences for the seasoned traveler.

By Marie Speed

W

ith the Big Sleep of the recession finally over, people are stirring again, dusting off passports, dreaming up new wish lists and booking cruise ships and airlines for new adventures. The stay-cation was so 2008; we are back into the world now, and summer vacations are taking on a whole new dimension.

One of the first destinations to rediscover is Europe—at least a few parts of it—for the savvy traveler who has already “done” Paris and Madrid and Athens and Munich. We recently dropped in on three of our favorite places not long ago—London, Rome and Mallorca—to see what was going on and how they felt the second or third time around.

Here’s our travel update.

London

gen crosby

London holds a special place in my heart given I lived there for two years as a child and then, later, as a college student for a summer. But the London I remember—quaint, very British, very manageable—bears no resemblance to the one that gets all the glossy press now. I remember Sundays in Hyde Park and antique shopping on Portobello Road, buying sweets at the confectioner’s. There were ghost stories and Beatles, Carnaby Street and Mary Quant. Biba was the coolest department store on the planet.

Today, London may be the most sophisticated and international city across the pond, with a skyline I did not recognize. There is the famous follow the leader

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Above: The venerable Floris perfume makers Right: Hackett London

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London Eye as well as the Shard, One Canada Square, Canary Wharf—all skyscrapers dwarfing sweet little Big Ben. Oh, the sights are still worth seeing (the Natural History Museum and the Tower of London never get old), and fish and chips is still a street favorite, but, for the most part, the city is wildly expensive now. It’s also less British, inhabited by people from all over the world. Mayfair, meanwhile, feels like Worth Avenue or Rodeo Drive, with the usual suspects—Prada, Louis Vuitton, Apple—except when you seek out the London stalwarts, the names that began here, the true blue-chip British icons.

First and foremost would be food purveyors Fortnum & Mason on Piccadilly Street, arguably the fanciest and most beautifully appointed food store in the world. Founded in 1701, Fortnum & Mason is where you’d go to pick up a little smoked pheasant and Beluga caviar for your picnic hamper to watch the Henley Regatta. It’s worth the visit to be dazzled by the packaging alone. Rigby & Peller is where the Queen buys her unmentionables and is the tippy-top name in lingerie and “corsetry.” You are fitted here, as it were, and we all know that nothing is better than underwear that fits properly. Burberry on New Bond Street is the trench coat of all trench coats, the origin of the plaid lining that found its way to a million cashmere neck scarves, bags, even rain boots. We suspect even Winnie the Pooh has Burberry something.

Two London experiences that really captured this sort of veddy British quality and Old World service were a visit to Hackett London, an exclusive clothier that will custom-make a shirt for him (oh, why not?)—and a visit to Floris, the oldest English retailer of toiletries, founded in 1730 by Juan Famenias Floris. The Hackett visit makes you fall in love all over again with the vanishing notion of real men’s haberdashery (or least remind the average man to carry a pocket square.) Ordering a custom shirt requires a million decisions, from collar and cuff type to buttons and fit, so indecisive gentlemen might want to sit this one out.

Floris is about 300 years old but has been making perfumes for the aristocracy and the royal family since around 1820; noteworthy customers include Florence Nightingale, Beau Brummell, Mary Shelley and Winston Churchill, but the ancient order book holds pages of famous names. Today, the store is in the same building where it originated. “Many traditional customs still endure today, an example of which is the passing of cash change to customers on a velvet pad; it was considered vulgar in the 18th century to touch another’s december 2014

lodging hand,” says one account of the store. Perhaps the finest way to experience Floris—and bring back the quintessential London experience— is to have a scent made for you. Floris did one for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee; undoubtedly they can capture your essence.

Mallorca I never made it to Mallorca on a previous longago trip to Spain, but that is probably a good thing, as I might still be there now. A recent short visit to the island was spent entirely in the coastal village of Port de Sóller at the Jumeirah Port Sóller Hotel & Spa. And that truly is all one needs to be updated on Spain, at least in my humble (and lazy) opinion.

This little village on one of Spain’s Balearic Islands numbers no more that 12,000 people and is oriented around a horseshoe-shaped harbor, rimmed to the north by the Serra de Tramuntana range. A promenade lined with small shops and cafés parallels the beach, and a vintage tram takes you up and over the steep hill, to the inland town of Sóller.

The Jumeirah Group hotel on the hills above Port de Sóller was a five-star wonder with seven-star views of the Mediterranean. The dazzling blue sea, the cliffs, the quaint harbor below—this is a place you want to breathe in long and deeply, and then throw away the key to your real life. Central to this experience was the food, of course, some of the best on the

entire trip. Everything was fresh and local and simple—the olive oil (better than Italian, sorry, it’s true), the Spanish tapas, the paella prepared tableside at lunch overlooking the sea, the cheeses and olives and orange juice.

Speaking of oranges, one of the fun things you can do if you actually want to leave a) the Sunset Lounge or b) the infinity pool deck, is to go to the local Sóller Cooperativa for a marmalade making class. The area is known for its oranges and marmalade, and it’s just the kind of hands-on “authentic” experience seasoned travelers crave. If you have more time, there is snorkeling at the beach, hiking in the mountains or a walk to the Cap Gros lighthouse.

Or more time spent staring at the Mediterranean with stars in your eyes, which was my choice.

Paella

our trip was hosted by Jumeirah group, a dubai-based international luxury hotel chain and part of dubai Holdings. The hotels have won many awards and are known for their exceptional standards and service. Here are the places we stayed:

london • grosvenor House Apartments On London’s Park Lane and originally built in the 1920s, this über-contemporary property has 130 residences (from studios to five-bedroom penthouses) and caters to luxury travelers visiting London for short stays, as well as long-term residents. (jumeirah.com/gha) • Carlton Tower Jumeirah Carlton Tower, in the heart of Knightsbridge, is within walking distance of Harrod’s and Sloane Square, and close to Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and the Tate Gallery.

Check out the Rib Room, a well-known English restaurant. (jumeirah.com/jct) Port de Sóller

The harbor at Port de Sóller

MAlloRCA • Jumeirah Port Sóller Hotel & Spa (JPS) Built on a cliff overlooking the fishing village of Port de Sóller and surrounded by the Tramuntana mountain range on the northwest coast of Mallorca, this luxury hotel has a rooftop pool and fine dining at Cap Roig restaurant. (jumeirah.com/jps) Villa Borghese

RoME • Jumeirah grand Hotel Via Veneto Jumeirah Grand Hotel Via Veneto, in the heart of Rome on the exclusive via Veneto, offers fine dining at the Magnolia restaurant, an award-winning bar, a stateof-the-art spa and views of the gardens of Villa Borghese. Harry’s Bar is across the street. (jumeirah.com/jvv)

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Dreamliner Notes I’m unabashedly going to plug the dreamy new British Airways Dreamliner for your next trip to Europe. Never mind that Ryan Reynolds was on my flight maybe 3 feet away; there are other stellar features that made this trip both easy as well as luxurious—starting with the miraculous fact that when you have club seats, you can stretch out, lay down and SLEEP on a seat that goes all the way back.

And with little privacy panels so no one has to watch you.

Aside from the famous British Airways panache, the good food and the solicitous service, here are some other dreamy qualities you will enjoy: • Larger windows, fancy dimmer blinds, calculated lighting to coincide with changes in time zones, cleaner cabin air and lower pressure combined with increased humidity designed to reduce jet lag.

But wait, there’s more!

• You will also enjoy personal inflight entertainment touch screens with noise-cancelling headphones, USB sockets, digital equipment with the IFE display screen, a comfy quilt and pillow, and an “amenity” kit of Elemis products—even fuzzy airplane socks.

Most importantly, there is food for days—and it’s good—as well as complimentary bar service. Getting there may now be half the fun.

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Rome Italy may be the European destination Americans return to more often than anywhere else.

Between Tuscany and pasta, this is entirely understandable. On this junket we visited Rome, and I was reminded of the fact that some cities cannot help themselves; they are so saturated with romance and history that visitors get lightheaded, speaking with accents and forgetting who they are entirely. Rome is the poster child for this kind of adult malfunction, turning most of us into Audrey Hepburn or Marcello Mastroianni, and sending us around in circles, as we get happily lost in the ancient city.

Rome the second or third time around is still magical, but the famous sights are more crowded than ever. There is also that pickpocket problem, plus that traffic. Places like the Trevi Fountain are a mob scene, but the Coliseum at night is still haunting. You will never see the Pope at a distance of less than three football fields, but you can still get the best gelato made by man.

There were a couple of things I did that I must recommend. The Vintage Fiat Tour, Via Capo D’Africa 29, is an outfit with a fleet of tiny candy-colored Classic FIAT 500 cars you can hire for an evening tour of Rome. They

come with drivers and a guide (ours was an exuberant actor with a day job at the Vatican) who is hooked up with audio to all the cars, and then you are off and running through the Roman moonlight, stopping at points of interest like the Coliseum, Circus Maximus, Arch Constantine, St. Peter’s, Castel Sant’Angelo, Navona Square and Venice Square. We also buzzed through neighborhoods accompanied by an insider’s eye for detail—and entertaining commentary. You are relieved of the awful tourist burden of slogging from historic place to historic place (you did that when you were 20) in favor of a lighthearted spin through Rome on your own terms, which feels a lot like those expressed in “Roman Holiday.”

A day trip I loved came with another charming guide, Fulvio Fares (fulvio@greeceanditaly. com) who, in keeping with our second-timearound theme, decided to forego the usual sights for a leisurely visit to the hilltop view of the ancient city center square and a peek into St. Ignatius of Loyola, a lesser-known and modest church with stunning late-Baroque art and statuary. We then headed out on the Appian Way, the oldest road in the world, to Aqueduct Park several miles outside the city.

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headed to picnics in the poppy-filled meadows under the arched ruins of the ancient Roman aqueduct.

Our next stop was the one that made all of us feel we were in the epicenter of Italy, or at least the lunchtime epicenter: Ristorante Villa Tor Carbone Sorarosa. This rustic familyowned restaurant in the country rambles outdoors under pines and eucalyptus trees strung with tiny lights. Children ran from table to table, families held court, and we sighed a deep sigh of relief: Spaghetti was not far away.

The restaurant is known for its chicken baked under a brick “al mattone,� the bird pressed almost flat, seasoned and grilled. Of course it was the best chicken in memory, as was the fresh bruschetta on toast, the artichokes steamed Roman-style, the old-fashioned homemade pasta with fresh tomatoes and mushrooms from the garden. Dessert was ricotta cheese and pears, and Chianti played a major role throughout.

It was one of those moments you will never forget, and there were several like that on this whirlwind trip to three countries. Which goes to show you that there is always something new to discover and savor, no matter how many times you may have visited a place. The real adventure is always what you make of it. follow the leader

Clockwise: The vintage Fiat tour, a view of the excavated ancient city center and lunch at Villa Tor Carbone Sorarosa

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Special Event...

You’ll Jump for Joy! Sat., March 7, 2015 at 7:30pm

Daniel Ulbricht, New York City Ballet principal dancer and founder of Stars of American Ballet, brings his troupe of “stars” from New York City Ballet and joins forces with Boca Ballet Theatre to showcase top-notch choreography and performances.

PERFORMANCES

Artistic Directors: Dan Guin & Jane Tyree

EVENTS

The Nutcracker November 28-30

The Sleeping Beauty May 1-3

A Princely Affair October 26

Stars of American Ballet March 7

Summer Repertory August 1-2

Ballet at the Brewery April 10

COMMUNITY PROGRAMS BBT4PD [Parkinson’s]

First Step [at risk youth] College Dance Fair School of Boca Ballet Theatre

Boca Raton’s Ballet Company - bocaballet.org Daniel Ulbricht in “Fancy Free” | Choreography by Jerome Robbins | Photo by Christopher Duggan

Sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Dept. of State, Div. of Cultural Affairs, Florida Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Performances and dates subject to change

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“Klara Kristalova: turning to stone” When: Dec. 2–March 29 Where: Norton Museum of Art, 1451 S. Olive Ave., West Palm Beach About: In sculptor Klara Kristalova’s “Skinny Girl,” a stringy-haired girl with a Pinocchio-esque nose balances on thorny, stiltlike legs. In “Trap,” a young woman gazes out from a cocoon of black tendrils enveloping her in every direction. In “Gray,” a seemingly malicious rabbit perches on a chair, legs crossed, in apparent judgment.

And in “Some Kind of Monster,” a girl sits, black-eyed and mirthless, on a cube, with four dangling legs instead of two. This is just a random sample of the Swedish artist’s surreal mastery of ceramics, which she will showcase at the Norton this season in the latest installment of the museum’s annual “RAW: Recognition of Art by Women” series. With influences ranging from Hans Christian Andersen to Oscar Wilde and vintage DC comics, Kristalova plumbs childhood memories, dreams and nightmares for inspiration, then combines them with myths and fairy tales, blurring the line between innocence and horror. The Norton show marks her first solo museum exhibition outside of Sweden.

Cost: $5–$12 ContACt: 561/832-5196, norton.org

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.

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hotlist abraham in mOtiOn: “pavement” When: Dec. 19–20 Where: Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach About: The “Abraham” in Abraham in Motion refers to Kyle Abraham, a dance phenom who became one of just 24 artists nationwide to receive a MacArthur Fellowship in 2013. Abraham choreographs dance that is rooted in 1990s hip-hop fashion, music and ethos, inspired by everything from civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois to John Singleton’s culture-defining film “Boyz n The Hood.” In his piece “Pavement,” which makes its South Florida premiere at the Kravis, he reimagines Singleton’s movie as a dance work set in the historically black neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, where the legacy of jazz titans and successful small businesses has degenerated into gang violence and crack houses. A history of discrimination, genocide and poverty colors this personal canvas of movement, a sure-to-be highlight of the venue’s “Provocative Entertainment at Kravis” series.

Cost: $28 ContACt: 561/832-7469, kravis.org

Opera @ the WaterfrOnt When: Dec. 13 Where: Meyer Amphitheatre, 104 Datura St., West Palm Beach About: For years, management at Palm Beach Opera had discussed the possibility of staging a free outdoor concert during season.

Last December, those discussions became a reality with the inaugural Opera @ the Waterfront, which drew 2,500 attendees—numbers fit for a pop-music star—to the Meyer Amphitheatre for a free selection of arias and ensembles featuring internationally known vocalists and the company’s orchestra and chorus. The event exceeded expectations and attracted new audiences to the opera; according to marketing director Ceci Dadisman, more than 60 percent of the audience had never attended either a Palm Beach Opera production or a live opera. This year, for the second annual event, Palm Beach Opera’s efforts have been supported by a Knight Foundation arts grant, and the company expects a crowd of 3,000.

The program has not been decided as of this writing, but expect a variety of classics from the opera repertory as well as a smattering of musical-theater numbers.

Cost: Free ContACt: 561/833-7888, pbopera.org

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“A Chorus Line” When: Dec. 5–14 Where: Delray Beach Center for the Arts, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach About: Set amid an audition for a Broadway production, “A Chorus Line” is the ultimate example of musical theater about musical theater, while claiming the title of the sixth-longestrunning show in Broadway history. As 17 dancers vie for a limited number of chorus roles, they’re asked by the choreographer to put all of their guts on the line—and convince him, with more than just their movements, that they belong on his stage. Dreams and memories, love and heartache, venting and healing all coalesce through songs, dance numbers and monologues. It all comes together on a nondescript stage, but when done right, it makes for captivating theater. The Crest Theatre usually presents national tours of shows like this, but in a landmark decision celebrating its 25th anniversary, the venue will co-produce “A Chorus Line,” hiring local professionals under the direction of Kimberly Dawn, who starred in the show on Broadway.

Cost: $45 ContACt: 561/243-7922, delraycenterforthearts.org

EXPERIENCE THE MAGIC OF AMERICA’S #1 HOLIDAY TRADITION! ON SALE NOW!

December 12-14

Broward Center, Ft. Lauderdale

December 27-30

Kravis Center, West Palm Beach

Tickets from $25

877.929.7010 miamicityballet.org

Sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture. Funding for this event is provided in part by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council and Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. Sponsored in Part By The Board Of County Commissioners, The Tourist Development Council And The Cultural Council Of Palm Beach County. A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Division of Consumer Services by calling toll-free (800) 435-7352 within the state. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval or recommendation by the state. MCB registration number: CH1034. Photo: George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker™, Choreography by George Balanchine © The Balanchine Trust; © Lois Greenfield, Art by Nativo.

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backstage pass

hotlist

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Borscht Film Festival When: Dec. 18–21 Where: Various venues in Miami About: It’s doubtful that Robert Redford will turn up for this indiest of all indie film festivals, dubbed “Sundance on psychotropic mushrooms” in a Miami New Times laud. Commissioned by the Borscht Corp., which produces and showcases movies by emerging local artists, this quasi-annual fest will enter its ninth cycle of programming this month. The festival will include screenings of short films (Borscht shorts have later been selected for more than 50 international film festivals), “site-specific” film screenings of made-in-Miami work at special locations, and showings of Miami cult-classic titles. The main draw here is “Scarface Redux,” a crowd-sourced remake of the Brian de Palma gangster saga.

Organizers dissected the original movie into 15-second quadrants, after which each segment was re-shot by different artists in whatever manner they chose, from live action and animation to puppets and LEGO bricks. The result of this schizophrenic, reverent movie mash-up will make its world premiere, free of cost, at the Borscht.

Cost: Various ticket prices, sometimes free ContACt: borschtcorp.com

Ramsey Lewis

“Scarface Redux” is one of the highlights at the Borscht Film Festival.

ramsey lewis: “celeBration!”

When: Dec. 19 Where: Adrienne Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami About: It seems that as long as there was jazz, Ramsey Lewis was playing it. The three-time Grammy-winning composer/ pianist released his first album, “Ramsey Lewis and his Gentlemen of Swing,” way back in 1956. Seven children, 14 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild later, this elder statesman of the 88 keys is still active, releasing his 80th album, “Taking Another Look,” in 2011. For this special, one-off performance at the Arsht, Lewis will perform a selection of holiday compositions, a jazz tradition dating back to the yuletide brass of Louis Armstrong. He’ll be joined on this bill by fellow headliners in their own right: Lisa Fischer, the Rolling Stones’ backup singer par excellence, who was featured in the Oscar-winning documentary “20 Feet From Stardom;” and Gregory Porter, the vocalist whose 2014 release “Liquid Spirit” took home the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Bringing things full circle, the album included a cover of “The ‘In’ Crowd,” which Ramsey Lewis recorded in 1965.

Cost: $25−$150 ContACt: 305/949-6722, arshtcenter.org

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10/22/14 9:11 AM

ARTSINBOCA.ORG This is what you want!

Performances • Events • Exhibitions

THE GREATER BOCA RATON CULTURAL CONSORTIUM, INC.

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backstage pass [ SPOTLIGHT ]

A Walk to Remember

Y

aacov Heller’s earliest art memory dates back to kindergarten, when he crafted an elephant out of clay using his teacher’s kiln. He brought the pachyderm to his Cleveland home and, as Heller recalls, his parents promptly told him to take it back. “[They asked], ‘Where did you steal it from?’ I had to convince them that I made it.”

As prolific as he was prodigious, Heller’s artmaking continued apace, and as a young man in the United States Navy, he began to view it as an enterprise, charging fellow-sailors $25 for portraits of their loved ones, completed on board the USS Forrestal. Sometimes he would be working on six of these paintings at a time.

When the vessel docked in the south of France, he would use the profits to pay a colleague to man his post while he jetted to Paris to visit the Louvre.

An 18-year residency in Israel, beginning in 1972, led to the style of work for which he is most recognized internationally. His bronzecast representations of Biblical narratives in action—the binding of Isaac, Moses with the Ten Commandments, David and Goliath— have wound up in the hands of world leaders from Yitzhak Rabin and Margaret Thatcher to Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.

“I was in the land of the Bible,” Heller explains. “I read the Bible, and I learned these stories, and I visualized them. If I had gone to Spain, I probably would have been doing bullfighters and flamenco dancers.”

This ability to absorb and then immortalize

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his environment, whatever it is, has led to an eclectic career. To the uninitiated, the pieces inside Gallery 22—the combination studio, showroom and gallery he has operated in Royal Palm Place for the past eight years— easily could speak to talents of several different artists. But it’s all Heller: Vibrant paintings of Marilyn Monroe, Superman, James Gandolfini and others pop off the walls alongside semiabstract Lucite sculptures, elaborate Judaica pendants, and secular jewelry patterned in the shape of flowers and animals.

“the only way we’re ever going to have peace is if people tolerate each other.”

Each represents a different period in Heller’s evolution, though now, the 73-year-old says, “I do a little bit of everything. I’ve always got more to do than I have time for. I’ve got things going on every desk.”

But it’s his latest large-scale venture that is garnering the most attention. No stranger to monumental public sculptures (see sidebar), this year Heller embarked on the Walk of Tolerance, a site-specific installation designed to educate, touch and inspire visitors.

Thanks to a commission from Investments Limited, Heller worked with neighboring architect Douglas Mummaw to create a memorial walkway, scheduled for completion by late fall, at the Royal Palm Place canopy between the former Harry’s Designer Jewels and Federal Highway.

Benches inscribed with quotes and information about the atrocities of World War II, Darfur and other 20th-century episodes of intolerance lead up to the installation’s centerpiece, a 14-foot sculpture capped by an LED flame “burning” 24 hours a day.

On its four sides, bronze panels designed

by Heller visualize universal scenes of interfaith unity and the struggle against oppression. One panel depicts children of the world living harmoniously; another shows refugees clad in rags and huddled in desperation.

“It could be symbolic of the Yazidis in Iraq, of the Armenians being pushed out of Armenia by the Ottoman Turks, or the Jews being pushed out of the ghetto,” he says, speaking softly, as if divulging secrets.

Heller, whose parents survived the Holocaust in the Second World War, intends the walkway to outlive all of us, providing a permanent testament to the tragedies we’ve endured and the steps needed to overcome the next one.

“The only way we’re ever going to have peace is if people tolerate each other,” he says. “We have to re-educate people. It’s a mission for me.” december 2014

EDUARDO SCHNEIDER

renowned artist Yaacov Heller delivers a message of tolerance in His new public work.

Yaacov Heller with an early incarnation of the sculpture that will be the centerpiece of his Walk of Tolerance installation.

The piece had not been completed at press time.

Heller’s Greatest Hits

Heller has left his artistic mark on a number of South Florida institutions. Create your own Yaacov Heller sculpture tour at the following locations.

• Mizner Park aMPhitheatre: a bronze likeness of the Count and Countess de Hoernle • Mizner Park Center for the arts: a 7-foot tribute to Florence Keesely, mounted atop a fountain • B’nai torah Congregation in BoCa raton: an 8-foot menorah atop a frescoed mosaic pedestal • MiaMi’s Douglass garDens: a 12-foot Fiddler on the Roof, one of Heller’s signature pieces • MiaMi’s toPPel Center for life enhanCeMent: “Celebration,” his 10-foot sculpture of three dancing musicians

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backstage pass

take5

Camilo Fontecilla and Allison Huntley TwO wITTY PODCASTeRS CeLeBRATe FLORIDA’S STRANGeNeSS.

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Q1

What is the mission of the SunShame State?

Fontecilla: I would say to take what’s so specific and unique and deranged about Florida, and present it in an offbeat, approachable manner that ends up being universal. There’s something about the specificity of the weird stuff that happens in Florida that, when you really start looking at it, every state is a little crazy.

We have a hook, which is that we’re talking local, but we’re also thinking more universal/global in terms of the brand of entertainment that anyone can listen to.

Q2

What is it about Florida that seems to attract these deranged stories in the first place?

Huntley: My theory is that it’s so transient, and such a tourist culture, that people can’t help feeling they’re invincible and immortal when they vacation here.

Fontecilla: The spring break mentality seeps out over the entire year. Seeing so many people living a life of leisure and being scantily clad … if you’re on the other end of the spectrum, it might drive you batty. And of course there’s a lot of medication down here.

Q3

What does each of you bring to this venture that the other doesn’t?

Fontecilla: Apparently, I’m the one who is organized and keeps the show on track, and Allison is the talent, accord-

ing to her. I definitely think I’m more of the straight man, and Allison is more the wild card.

Huntley: I bring color commentary. A certain silliness.

Q4

Which Florida-centric topics turn up most frequently on your show?

Huntley: People love alligators. If I post something on Tumblr, like, ‘This alligator was on somebody’s porch,’ it’ll get 27 notes. That’s something that probably carries across the country. People think we domesticate and raise alligators in Florida. They love that—and Floridians love stuff about the weather. We’ll have a monsoon downpour at 3:30, and at 3:42, the sun’s out.

Fontecilla: I really like crazy mug shots.

I like mug shots where people seem more entertained by the fact that they were arrested than anything else.

Q5

According to an online study, there were more than 115,000 podcasts in 2012, a number that has surely increased.

How do you “make it” in such a cluttered field?

Fontecilla: I think networking is really important so that you build enough of a collective listener base that you can start getting advertiser money. But it depends how you define “making it.” Most podcasts that don’t make it [fail] because they drop off. You’ve got to keep chipping away. You have to give it years. december 2014

EDUARDO SCHNEIDER

T

he humor revolution isn’t happening at the familiar brick-walled comedy clubs, on the safe network sitcoms or on the foundering signals of AM radio stations.

It’s happening on the Internet, in makeshift studios across the globe, free from FCC regulations, advertiser demands and mass-market pandering. Comedy podcasts are where edgy niches thrive.

Case in point: A little over a year ago, Camilo Fontecilla, an adult-education teacher in Broward County and a die-hard podcast enthusiast, wanted to start a podcast focused on life in Florida, in all its headline-grabbing peculiarity. So he advertised for a colleague on Mandy.com, a connections website for entertainment professionals.

That’s how he met Allison Huntley, an actress who travels between New York and her home in Boca Raton. The 26-year-old, with appearances on “The Glades” and “Burn Notice” on her résumé, happened to share the same alt-comedy bent as Fontecilla. Confident their brand of humor would find an audience, the pair launched The SunShame State (soundcloud.com/sunshamestate) in October 2013, recording weekly podcasts from the office of Fontecilla’s Fort Lauderdale house, pausing whenever his pair of barky mutts voice their objections to the world outside.

The hosts’ chemistry is infectious, and their fastmoving programs, which typically run less than an hour, are driven as much by unpredictable diversions as by their intended subjects. A dead-on parody of NPR and a film-noir sketch have appeared alongside discussions of bloodmobiles, STDs in the Villages and, of course, strange crimes. The Onion’s A.V. Club blog reviewed the podcast as “a welcome addition to the online Florida-slag party and a must-listen for locals.” “[Our sensibility is] not overly detached and ironic, but we like to make fun of things, particularly when it comes to living in Florida,” says Fontecilla, 41. “I like to think we put a little bit of affection into it as well.”

“‘Weird Florida’ and [the blog] ‘Florida Man’ come from the outside looking in, like, ‘Oh my god, what is happening in Florida that people are doing bath salts and eating each other’s faces?’

But we live here!” —Allison Huntley

More A&e coverAge At bocAMAg.coM Visit bocamag.com to read about other South Florida comedy podcasts.

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Boca Raton's

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Join Marie and her Nutcracker Prince as they travel through a winter wonderland of dancing snowflakes, Sugar Plum fairies, and an epic battle between heroic toy soldiers and mischievous mice! This lavish performance features elaborate scenery and costumes, set to Tchaikovsky’s magical score. The perfect holiday treat for the entire family! kravis Center, 701 okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach 877/929-7010 (toll free) • miamicityballet.org

Visit bocamag.com/events for more information.

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5

THERESA BERNSTEIN A Century in Art

NEW EXHIBITIONS FOR A NEW SEASON

3

NEW YORK PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE COLLECTION

2 ELLIOTT ERWITT Photographs from the Collection of Richard Coplan and Martin R. Mallinger

4 VIDEO INSTALLATIONS Cory Arcangel, Janet Biggs, Trine Lise Nedreaas, Robin Rhode, Shizuka Yokomizo

5 BRYAN DRURY Terrestrial Visions

All five exhibitions open on November 9, 2014 and close on January 11, 2015.

These exhibitions are generously underwritten by Dr. Nicole Edeiken.

Additional generous support for the Museum is provided by Margaret Blume, Dalia and Duane Stiller, Peg and Lee Greenspon, St. Andrews Country Club and our Members and Donors.

501 PLAZA REAL, MIZNER PARK, BOCA RATON, FL 33432 t. 561.392.2500 f. 561.391.6410 BOCAMUSEUM.ORG

Theresa Bernstein Charlie Parker, 1953, oil on canvas, 20 x 24 in., Martin and Edith Stein Collection; Elliott Erwitt, New York City, 1974, [gelatine silver print, 20 x 24 in.] ©Elliott Erwitt/MAGNUM PHOTOS; Bruce Davidson Brooklyn Gang [Couple by cigarette machine], 1959, vintage gelatin silver print, 8 ½ x 13 in., Bequest of Isadore and Kelly Friedman, 2007.5.77; Cory Arcangel, Drei Klavierstucke op.11, [film still], 2009, color video with sound, dimensions variable, 15:58 minutes, Courtesy of the artist and Team (gallery, inc.); Janet Biggs, Fade to White [film still], 2010, single channel video, 12:28 minutes, Courtesy of the artist, CORNERSMITH, Washington, DC, and Analix Forever, Geneva, Switzerland; Trine Lise Nedreaas, It Takes Two to Tango, [film still], 2002, single channel projection, 1:30 minute DVD loop with sound, life size projection on wall, Courtesy of the artist and Stephan Stoyanov Gallery, New York, NY; Robin Rhode, Pictures Reframed, (still frame). ©Robin Rhode. Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong; Shizuko Yokomizo, Forever (and Again) [film still], 2003, two channel video projection, dimensions variable; Bryan Drury, Bhaktivedanta Vishnu Swami, Hindu, 2014, oil on wood, 9 x 12 in., Private Collection, Courtesy of DEAN PROJECT, Miami, FL.

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diningguide [ 178 la nouvelle maison review • 180 madison’s review • 186 the boca challenge • 194 deconstructing the dish ]

for starters NEW YORK PRIME 2350 Executive Center Drive, Boca Raton, 561/998-3881

G

iven that reservations at Boca’s New York Prime are harder to get than a parking space on Worth Avenue—and have been for almost 20 years—why change what’s manifestly not broken.

To that end, the venerable steak house has changed very little since the restaurant opened in 1996. Sure, they freshen up the decor regularly and add the occasional new dish, like sautéed redfish served with almonds and crabmeat; they’ll even throw in a Wednesday Ladies Night, where guests of the female persuasion can drink for free. But there’s no need to change anything about the roster of USDA Prime, 28-day aged steaks shipped straight from the Chicago stockyards and seared “Pittsburgh style” on special broilers firing at a ferociously hot 1,700 degrees.

And there’s no need to change anything about the selection of fresh fish and fist-sized shrimp, the jumbo lump crab cocktails and 1-pound Idaho potatoes, and the 1,500-bottle wine list strong in California Cabernets and fine French Bordeaux.

So they didn’t.

And that’s just the way diners lucky enough to get reservations like it.

—Bill Citara

IF YOU GO PRICE RANGE: Entrées $23.50 to market price; sides $8–$13 HOURS: Open daily 5–11 p.m.

WEBSITE: newyorkprime.com

Bone-in rib steak Inset: Decadent chocolate cake

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dining guide

Steak frites at La Nouvelle Maison

review LA NOUVELLE MAISON 455 E. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton, 561/338-3003

W

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IF YOU GO PRICE RANGE: Entrées $28–$49 HOURS: Sun.–Thurs. 5:30–10 p.m., Fri.–Sat. 5:30–11 p.m.

WEBSITE: lnmbocaraton.com

and apple rémoulade that improves not only its trio of ingredients but the very notion of rémoulade itself.

If you’re feeling the need to get up from the lap of luxury for a moment, Howell’s treatment of loup de mer (aka, European sea bass) is a light and elegant respite. Fetchingly presented in its own cast-iron ramekin, the dish features two mild-flavored fillets swimming in a brothy, citrusy sauce vierge with assorted veggies, grapefruit segments and tiny Dutch marble potatoes so sweet that they taste candied.

Steak frites is a toss-up. Is the robustly flavorful hunk of 28-day, dry-aged New York steak cooked a perfect medium-rare better than the pencil-thin, twice-fried frites that crackle like antique glass when you bite into them? Or is it the other way around? And what about the obscenely luscious béarnaise or lusty bordelaise sauces served on the side? It’s all too difficult to decide, but your taste buds will thank you for trying.

Save room (if possible) for the sweet treats by the supremely talented Steliga, another

The Inside Story

La Nouvelle Maison offers three dining rooms (four if you count the bar), each with a different look and feel. The front room is spare and contemporary, with tall windows and cool gray colors. The spacious bar, with its glassed-in wine room, has a more casual, urbane ambience, while the rear dining room—dominated by a giant mural by New York artist Mark Kostabi—is cozy and intimate. The long, narrow dining room facing the street has an airy feel and energetic vibe.

Cafe L’Europe alum. Order her tasting platter of desserts, and revel in the ethereal chocolateraspberry soufflé, the lusty brandied cherry clafoutis, homey apple tart, bracing coffeechocolate-praline crémeux and delicate chocolate-hazelnut dacquoise.

So, yes, you can go maison again. And if it’s La Nouvelle Maison, you will.

—Bill Citara

december 2014

EdUArdO SchNEIdEr

ho says you can’t go maison again?

Not Arturo Gismondi, who, with partner Guido Barisone and chef Gregory Howell, has created a stylish homage to one of the most storied maisons in local dining lore, La Vieille Maison. However, their creation, La Nouvelle Maison, is not some cynical exercise in pricy French nostalgia, a culinary sop to the Bentley and Botox set. It’s a fully realized restaurant, delivering the kind of seamless service, ambience and white-glove pampering rarely seen in South Florida.

The food, thanks to Howell, who made his kitchen bones over the stoves of the alsostoried Cafe L’Europe in Palm Beach, is no tired pastiche of stodgy French ubiquities. It is French in spirit, respectfully contemporary in concept and executed with surgical precision.

It too is fully realized, from the unsalted butter that comes with your complimentary baguette and tastes of sweet cream to the palate-boggling array of exquisitely crafted desserts from pastry chef Stephanie Steliga.

The experience begins with a valet taking your car under the restaurant’s porte-cochere, just a few steps from the entrance. No chasing down a parking space and huffing through face-melting humidity or tropical downpours.

You’ll be greeted and seated in one of three handsomely appointed dining rooms (see sidebar). You’ll get a menu and that delicious butter and bread, along with a wine list comprehensive in its high-end French and California bottles yet with plenty of choices to accommodate the bank accounts of mere mortals.

There’s no better introduction to that menu than a starter of Hudson Valley foie gras. If luxury had a physical presence it would be this—a slab of silken-textured duck liver that literally dissolves on your tongue, a regal crown for an eggy slab of brioche French toast. Of course, there’s more, like sweet-tart plum gastrique— slices of caramelized plum with a crumble of Marcona almonds.

A gorgeously presented lobster salad features citrus-poached coins of the tender crustacean fanned over a stellar celery root, fennel

A new addition to Boca Raton, 13 American Table serves New American cuisine with a twist in a casual yet elegant environment.

Mon–Thu: 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm • Fri–Sat: 5:00 pm – 11:00 pm 451 E. Palmetto Park Rd. • Boca Raton, Florida 561.409.2061 • 13americantable-hub.com

dining guide review

The atmosphere inside Madison’s (here and below)

MADISON’S

2006 N.W Executive Center Circle, Boca Raton, 561/994-0808

I

cellent. Prompt, friendly and professional.

None of South Florida’s famed attitude. The personable young staff was ready and willing to please.

Sure, but what about the food?

Well, if you insist. The grilled artichokes are terrific. Three halves, lightly charred on the grill, doused with herb butter and presented

IF YOU GO PRICES: Entrées $14–$35 HOURS: Sun.–Thurs. 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri.–Sat. 11 a.m.–11 p.m.

WEBSITE: madisonsnewyork.com

with a decent rémoulade sauce. Sadly, the “Bang Bang” shrimp merely whimper. Flaccid and greasy, they’re artlessly and unappealingly presented.

Prime rib is more like sub-prime. A thick, rosy slab is gorgeous to look at, yet is rimmed with gray fat and offers neither jus nor flavor. I suspect it was frozen.

Salmon salad has potential, with well-grilled fish and a sweet-tart vinaigrette. If only the kitchen had peeled the Louisville Sluggersized asparagus spears draped over the greens.

The rest of the entrée menu features its share of usual suspects, from baby-back ribs and grilled salmon to pork chops and an offering of “house battered” chicken tenders.

Cheesecake was the dessert version of prime rib. Great to look at, nothing much to taste.

Will the Bermuda Triangle claim yet another victim? Only time will tell.

—Bill Citara

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december 2014

eDuArDO SchNeIDer

n December 1945, five Navy bombers took off from Fort Lauderdale on a training mission, scheduled to fly over an area at the intersection of I-95 and Glades Road known as the Bermuda Triangle. After initial contact, they were never heard from again.

OK, so that’s not really the story of Flight 19. But it is true that the space at 2006 N.W. Executive Center Circle is something of a Bermuda Triangle for restaurants. California Pizza Kitchen, Rascal House, Copper Canyon Grill and Stephané’s all opened and closed with the speed of a falling soufflé.

Now it’s Madison’s turn. The local outpost of a Canadian chain that styles itself a “New York grill and bar” opened a year ago and doubtlessly hopes to last longer than its predecessors. We’ll see.

The handsome space doesn’t look a lot different than when it was Stephané’s. Which is not a bad thing, since Stephané Lang-Willar dropped a wad on the bi-level dining room with its multiple cozy booths, exhibition kitchen and dramatic glassed-in wine cellar.

That’s nice, but what about the food?

Let me first talk about the service. It’s ex-

Parlez-vous Franรงais?

located in the 5 Palms Building

we offer Complimentary Transportation To & From Area Hotels

455 E. Palmetto Park Rd., Boca Raton (561) 338-3003 | LNMbocaraton.com

Private Rooms Available for Large Parties

open for dinner nightly A French Restaurant

dining guide Dining Key

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

n ext sta r sau r a n ts st to r e h e gu ide: n in t rato B o c a l l of Ha r e m fa

palm beach county

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 the popular “Biergarten burger.” • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/395-7462. $

bistro provence—2399 N. Federal High-

boca raton 13 american table —451 E. Palmetto

french revival

this gem of a French restaurant has been around since 2000—and now Bistro offers a cash-only Sunset Menu for $18.50.

Park Road. contemporary american. This cozy, artfully rustic spot is one of the few restaurants in the U.S. that has a Josper oven, a pricy, charcoal-fired grill-oven hybrid that cooks foods quickly at high heat to retain maximum flavor and texture. It works like a charm on chicken, resulting in remarkably crisp skin and tender meat, as well as on fist-sized shrimp you can customize with one of several sauces.

Don’t miss feather-light profiteroles filled with caramel and pumpkin mousse. • Dinner Tues.– Sat. 561/409-2061. $$

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. $$$

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 well-done risotto. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner daily. 561/997-7373. $$$ biergarten—309 Via De Palmas, #90. German/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

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way. 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 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, #239. Italian. The Boca outpost of this national chain 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 or house-made fettuccine with tender shrimp and lobster in a spicy lobster butter sauce, you’ll be one happy diner.

• Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner daily. Brunch Sat.– Sun. 561/392-3777. (Other Palm Beach County locations: The Gardens Mall, 3101 PGA Blvd., 561/622-0491; CityPlace, 550 S. Rosemary Ave., 561/835-1511) $$

butcher block grill—7000 W. Camino Real, #100. Steak house/contemporary american. This casual steak house with a Mediterranean twist and a local, seasonal, sustainable ethos gives the stuffy old-fashioned meatery a swift kick in the sirloin. Beef here is all-natural and grass-fed, delivering big, rich, earthy flavor; the New York strip is 12 ounces of carnivorous pleasure. Seafood, whether raw (tuna crudo) or simply grilled (wild-caught salmon), is palate-

pleasing as well. Don’t miss the fresh mozzarella, made and assembled into a salad at your table. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/409-3035. $$$

the capital grille—6000 Glades Road.

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 char-grilled jumbo prawns with artichoke, arugula, lemon and olive oil. But pay attention to specials like pan-seared snapper and scallops in a spicy, garlicky cherry tomato sauce. • Dinner nightly. 561/338-1703. $$$ the cheesecake factory—5530 Glades Road. american. Oh, the choices! The chain even has a Sunday brunch menu in addition to its main menu, which includes Chinese chicken salad and Cajun jambalaya. Don’t forget about the cheesecakes—from white chocolate and raspberry truffle offerings. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/393-0344. (Other Palm Beach County locations: CityPlace, West Palm Beach, 561/8023838; Downtown at the Gardens, Palm Beach Gardens, 561/776-3711) $$

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 flash-fried and served with drawn butter or sizable Maine specimens stuffed with crab. • Dinner nightly. 561/395-2675. $$$$

december 2014

dining guide 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. $

dorsia—5837 N. Federal Highway. Continental.

The simple pleasures of the table—good food, personable service, comfortable ambience—are what this modestly stylish restaurant is all about.

The menu has a strong Italian bent, evidenced by dishes like a trio of fried zucchini blossoms stuffed with an airy three-cheese mousse, and a cookbook-perfect rendition of veal scaloppine lavished with artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes and a tangy lemon-white wine sauce. • Dinner Tues.–Sun. 561/961-4156. $$

farmer’s table —1901 N. Military Trail.

American. Fresh, natural, sustainable, organic and local is the mantra at this both tasty and health-conscious offering from Mitchell Robbins and Joey Giannuzzi. Menu highlights include flatbreads, slow-braised USDA Prime short rib, and the popular Buddha Bowl, with veggies, udon noodles and shrimp. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner nightly. 561/417-5836. $ 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. $$

the grille on congress —5101 Congress Ave. American. Dishes at this longtime favorite 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. $$

Insider Info

The trick to snagging a lunch table at always-packed Houston’s is to arrive well before noon. Tip No. 2: Order the woodgrilled artichokes.

You can thank us later.

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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. It’s one of the hottest lunch spots in town, hosting business types and power shoppers. 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. $$

josef’s table —5030 Champion Blvd.

Continental. Josef’s touts itself as offering “the slightest dash of nostalgia,” and that’s a good thing. Though the kitchen does have a timid hand with sauces and seasonings, there’s no quibbling about the execution, whether a light, refreshing “tower” of lump crabmeat with mango, cucumber and tomato; rosy-rare double-cut lamb chops with port wine-mint sauce; pan-seared hogfish with orange beurre blanc; or the richly decadent half-moon chocolate tart. • Dinner daily. 561/353-2700. $$$

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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. 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 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. $$$ 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. $$

Buzz BItes I M.E.A.T. in BocA: Carnivores, start your appetites!

M.E.A.T. Eatery & Taproom (980 N. Federal Highway, 561/4192600) is now open. The Boca M.E.A.T. is in the newly opened Cendyn Spaces, a unique office complex for everyone from freelancers to corporations. It’s the creation of partners George Patti and Tom Smith, whose original M.E.A.T. is at Marker 88 in Islamorada and is one of the hippest restaurants in the upper Keys.

The Boca M.E.A.T. boasts a sleeker, more modern look than its Keys parent, with seating both in the restaurant and Cendyn’s lobby.

A dozen or so craft beers on tap are offered from the brick-backed bar, as well as adult milkshakes and microbrewed sodas.

What sets M.E.A.T. apart from the usual run of “fast-casual” restaurants is its emphasis on making everything possible in-house.

Sausages, bacon, chorizo, pastrami and pickled vegetables are just a few. The menu offers a handful of breakfast dishes and a more extensive roster of selections for lunch and dinner, everything from specialty burgers and a half-pound Wagyu beef hot dog to a duck and pickled blueberry sausage and Maine lobster mac-n-cheese.

—Bill CiTArA

la villetta —4351 N. Federal Highway.

Italian. This is a well-edited version of a traditional Italian menu, complete with homemade pastas and other classic dishes. Try the signature whole yellowtail snapper encrusted in sea salt; it’s de-boned right at tableside.

Shrimp diavolo is perfectly scrumptious. • Dinner nightly. (closed Mon. during summer).

561/362-8403. $$ le rivage —450 N.E. 20th St. French. Don’t overlook this small, unassuming bastion of traditional French cookery. That would be a mistake, because the dishes that virtually scream

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dining guide the boca challenge

New England-style clam chowder

I

f there’s a Hall of Fame of iconic American dishes, New England clam chowder is certainly a charter member.

Like many American dishes, it has European antecedents, with the term “chowder” thought to have come from the Latin “calderia,” which means a pot to cook in (“cauldron” in English, “chaudiere” in French). The Pilgrims picked up chowder from Native Americans, though mostly using fin fish instead of clams. It wasn’t until the 1800s that clam chowder became popular in the Northeast, in large part due to the abundance of bivalves and the ease with which they were harvested.

Though New England-style clam chowder—cream or milkbased, sometimes thickened with a roux—is the most familiar, there are several regional variations. Manhattan chowder taste

texture

adds tomatoes to a clear broth. Rhode Island keeps the broth but loses the tomatoes. Long Island chowder combines New England and Manhattan. However you tweak it, the essential ingredients are clams, clam broth, potatoes, onions and often celery and salt pork/bacon.

For this Challenge, we went New England all the way.

(Sorry, New Yorkers, but putting tomatoes in a chowder is just plain wrong.) For the sake of judging, we kept it simple: taste (good clam flavor, fresh and creamy), texture (tender clams and potatoes, thick enough to be hearty but not library paste) and value (it’s clam soup, not steamed lobster). Those scores were averaged to give totals that, while not quite Hall of Fame worthy, certainly do this classic dish proud.

VaLue

—biLL citara tOtaL

the dish

city fish market

Adding bits of cod may seem sacrilegious but no complaints about this textbook chowder, with tender chunks of clam, potato and celery in a silken, cream-enhanced broth that’s neither too thick nor too thin. $7.75/bowl

riggins crabshack

A generous portion and modest price make this chowder a good value, as do plenty of large and small pieces of tender clam. It seems heavily floured, though, resulting in a texture that verges on porridge. $6/bowl

yard hOuse

A slightly gelatinous texture is the only knock on this chowder, which otherwise satisfies with a clammy-creamy broth laced with pieces of properly cooked shellfish, celery and potato. $6.95/bowl

ratings:

fair

City Fish Market: 7940 Glades Road, Boca Raton, 561/487-1600

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good

very good

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

excellent

Yard House: 201 Plaza Real, Boca Raton, 561/417-6124

december 2014

r i s tO r a N t e

For 31 years the family tradition continues...

distiNguished restauraNt Of NOrth america

Authentic itAliAn cuisine New elegaNt OutdOOr PatiO available perfect for After dinner drinks + cigArs

Open daily for dinner and lunch (M-F) and special events for parties of 6-150. Live music nightly.

6750 North Federal Highway, Boca Raton | 561-997-7373 | www.ArturosRestaurant.com

dining guide “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. $$

Mario’s Osteria

maggiano’s —21090 St. Andrews Blvd.

Italian. Do as the Italians do and order familystyle, 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. $$

mario’s osteria—1400 Glades Road.

Italian. This popular spot is swanky in its reincarnation, but the rustic Italian and ItalianAmerican fare keeps with an osteria’s humbler pretensions. Signature dishes like the garlic rolls, lasagna and eggplant “pancakes” 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. $$

Beyond the Pie

Most people go to Nick’s for the pizza, but we have to plug the crispy polenta ($9)—Italian comfort food at its finest.

max’s grille—404 Plaza Real, Mizner Park. Contemporary American. Though its signature California-influenced cookery and “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. $$ morton’s the steakhouse —5050 Town Center Circle. Steak house. There’s seemingly no end to diners’ love of huge slabs of high-quality aged beef, nor to the carnivores who pack the clubby-swanky dining room of this meatery. The star of the beef show is the giant bone-in filet mignon, which trumps with unusually deep and meaty flavor. The side of Grand Marnier soufflé is a cloud of luscious, citrus-y beauty that says while beef may be what’s for dinner, I am what’s for dessert. • Dinner daily. 561/392-7724. $$$ 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 suc-

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crIstINa Morgado

matteo’s —233 S. Federal Highway. Italian.

Hearty Italian and Italian-American 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. $$

culent, 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., #904. 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. $

ninja spinning sushi bar—41 E. Palmetto Park Road. Japanese/sushi. “Whatever floats your boat” isn’t just a saying at this hipster sushi bar. Your sushi really does float on a boat, one of many bouncing along a channel cut into the top of the restaurant’s large, square sushi bar. High notes are the Mexican

roll with tempura shrimp and avocado, and the sneakily fiery jalapeño-laced tuna tartare. If sushi doesn’t float your boat, gingery gyoza and crispy fried shrimp with a drizzle of spicy mayo probably will. • Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner daily.

561/361-8688. $$

pellegrino’s —3360 N. Federal Highway.

Italian. The bold, brash flavors of New Yorkstyle Italian-American cuisine are as in your face as a Manhattan cabbie at this low-key favorite of chef-owner Bobby Pellegrino, nephew to the clan that owns the legendary Rao’s in East Harlem. Pungent smells of garlic, anchovies, tomatoes and peppers fill the air; dishes like the rarely seen spiedini alla Romana, chicken Scarpariello and seafood spaghetti in Fra Diavolo sauce fill your belly. • Dinner Tues.–Sun. 561/368-5520. $$$ p.f. chang’s —1400 Glades Road. Chinese.

There may have been no revolution if Mao had simply eaten at the Boca outpost of P.F. december 2014

Get ready for a season of unforgettable celebrations.

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Our outstanding amenities, customizable facilities and unwavering attention to detail make every event an extraordinary experience. The Seagate’s catering team is looking forward to creating the ideal party, dinner, or meeting in one of our event spaces, whether you select our exquisite hotel ballrooms, the sleek Atlantic Grille or our chic country club, with banqueting for up to 300 guests.

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dining guide 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) $$

piñon grill—6000 Glades Road. Contemporary 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 waffle with raspberry sauce that is the irresistible definition of lusciousness. • Lunch and dinner daily.

Brunch Sat.–Sun. 561/391-7770. $$

racks downtown eatery + tavern—402 Plaza Real. Contemporary Ameri-

We’ll Drink to that

The food is stellar at Tanzy, but so is the selection of fine wines and craft cocktails, including Death

by Chocoate— created with house-made Chocolacello and Italian espresso.

can. 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. 561/3951662. $$

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. $$$ 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

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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 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) $$ sushi ray—5250 Town Center Circle. Japanese/Sushi. Impeccably fresh and exactingly prepared sushi and other Japanese specialties are on display. The Nobu-esque miso sea bass gives a taste of this modern classic at a fraction of the price of the original, while the chef’s sushi assortment offers a generous arrangement of nigiri and maki for a reasonable $20. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner daily. 561/394-9506. $$

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 rosemary-olive oil gelato are luscious and cutting edge. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner daily. Brunch Sat.–Sun. 561/922-6699. $$$

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 (slow-cooked 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 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 ambience, formal service and an extensive wine list to seafood from across the nation, with great and consistent success. Crab is the specialty here and there are

Buzz Bites ii Basilic DeButs: Vietnamese restaurants are something of a rarity in South Florida, which makes it even more surprising that Boca has three of them. Joining La Tre and Cay Da in dishing up the light, flavorful and thoroughly delicious cuisine of Vietnam is Basilic Vietnamese Cuisine (200 S. Federal Highway, Boca Raton).

This new sibling of the Lauderdale-by-the-Sea parent takes over the location once occupied by Kin Noodle Bar and, before that, Boca Burger Bar. The modest venue has gotten a sleek, modern makeover, with an upscale look that features bright white walls, chic drum chandeliers, sexy contemporary furnishings, a small aquarium and brick-accent wall.

The menu includes such Vietnamese staples as cha gio (imperial rolls); lacy crêpe studded with shrimp and pork; several varieties of the classic soup pho; assorted curries, stirfries and noodle dishes; and various incarnations of the alwayspopular (and suddenly trendy) banh mi sandwich.

—Bill Citara 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. $$$

twenty twenty grille —141 Via Naranjas. Contemporary American. You’ve probably licked postage stamps that are larger than Ron and Rhonda Weisheit’s tiny jewel box of a restaurant, but what it lacks in space it more than makes up for in charm, sophistication and imaginative, expertly crafted food.

Virtually everything is made in-house, from the trio of breads that first grace your table to the pasta in a suave dish of tagliatelle with duck and chicken confit. Don’t miss the jerk pork belly and grilled veal strip loin. • Dinner daily.

561/990-7969. $$ 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 december 2014

“The Italian Restaurant on the Beach” –proudly serving you for 20 years!

best ItalIan readers’ choice award 2009, 2012, 2013 best wIne lIst boca raton magazine 2008, 2012 best brunch boca raton magazine 2006, 2012 best oceanfront dInIng readers’ choice award 2005, 2010 wine spectator award of excellence 2003-2014

34 South Ocean Boulevard, Delray Beach • 561-274-9404 • caffelunarosa.com • Now Serving Our Brunch & Dinner Menus 7 Days | Live Entertainment | Valet Parking

/caffelunarosa

dining guide Boca afTer dark

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. $

banana boat

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. $$$

739 E. Ocean Ave., Boynton Beach, 561/732-9400

The lowdown: This venerable spot along the Intracoastal aims to give locals and visitors a real Florida experience. Mission accomplished. Upon entering Banana Boat, guests are hit with a panoramic view of the waterway and passing boats, several of which typically dock at the restaurant.

The beachy vibe is exaggerated even more by the casual atmosphere. Employees are in tank tops and shorts, as are many of the patrons. Everyone’s friendly and talkative and having a good time.

Some quick advice: If you’ve got plans to head over to Banana Boat to toast the weekend, don’t make other late-night plans. Bartenders call Friday night their best night, in part for that very reason. People come in after work for happy hour—and never leave. It doesn’t hurt that there is live entertainment and an energetic crowd.

If you’re into cocktails, try the banana margarita ($5.50), a mix of house tequila and a splash of banana liqueur. It’s tropical without tasting too much like banana, and salty without reminding you too much of a traditional margarita. Don’t look for this on the regular menu; it’s one of the daily specials listed on a menu available at the bar.

Craft beer lovers will find everything from Cigar City and Dogfish available, but wine enthusiasts shouldn’t expect to see a sommelier on site.

noTeworThy: Ladies Night is every Tuesday from 9 to close, with a live DJ keeping the music going until last call. Ladies get two free drinks or shots, and appetizers are half-price for all. Poker player? Check out the weekly Texas Hold’em-style tournaments on Thursdays (starting at 7 p.m. with free buy-ins). Domestic beers are $2, house shots are $4, and you can order off the appetizer menu all night. There’s live music on Friday and Saturday from 7 to 11 p.m.—and complimentary valet parking every day of the week.

—shaina wizov

For more “Boca After Dark” reviews, visit bocamag. com and click on the “Dining” link.

if you Go Hours: Open daily from 11:30 a.m.–1 a.m.

Website: bananaboatboynton.com

cutline

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 300 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. $

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 seafoodfriendly wine list, impeccably fresh fish and shellfish cooked with care and little artifice. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner daily. 561/487-1600. $$

sybarite pig—20642 State Road 7. Contemporary american. A labor of love, pork and beer, everything at the Pig but the coarse-grain mustard is made in-house, from the bread for sandwiches to the eclectic sauces to the variety of terrific sausages. Creamy cotechino, savory duck and subtly spicy “Hellswine” are among the standouts. • Dinner Tues.–Sun. Brunch Sun. 561/8833200. $ tempura house —9858 Clint Moore Road, #C112. 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. $$ villa rosano —9858 Clint Moore Road. Italian. You can be forgiven for imagining yourself in some rustic Italian hill town as the smells of garlic and tomato sauce waft through the air. Start by sopping up the house olive oil with slices of crusty bread, then move on to a stellar version of clams Guazzetto and delicate fillets of sole done a la Francese. • Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner daily. 561/470-0112. $$

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dining guide deconstructing the dish

crab cakes

N

Frank Hawkins, True

othing makes a crab lover crabbier than bad crab cakes. Frank Hawkins does not make bad crab cakes. The Baltimore native and chef-owner of charming little True in Boca Raton (147 S.E. First Ave., 561/417-5100) draws on his own culinary experience and the region’s accumulated expertise in the cooking and serving of its iconic crustacean to turn out crab cakes as deliciously crabby as their consumers are happy to inhale them.

Like most of the country’s great regional dishes, the crab cake is more about quality of its ingredients and the care and precision of their preparation than it is about exacting culinary technique and elaborate presentation. In Hawkins’ hands, sweet-tasting blue crabmeat and a few simple ingredients come together to create a nugget of seafaring goodness whose whole really is greater than the sum of its parts.

Life is too short to be crabby about bad crab cakes.

—Bill Citara

NOTE: For Hawkins’ Maryland-style crab cake recipe, go to Web Extras at bocamag.com.

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[2] Lumpy is good: Hawkins uses a blend of mostly lump and jumbo lump crabmeat in his cakes. Backfin crabmeat is the lowest grade of crab he’ll use, and he advises staying away from any crab graded lower than that. Unless, he says, you want your crab cakes to “taste like cat food.”

[ bocamag.com ]

[3] Be gentle: “Don’t over-handle” your crab cakes, Hawkins says. And mix them with a gentle touch. You don’t want to break up the lumps and turn your cakes into fish-flavored hockey pucks.

[4] Hold the bread: A little bit of bread is good to keep your crab cakes together. A lot of bread, well, not so much. After all, you’re not making sandwiches.

[5] Why fry? Baking your crab cakes rather than frying them is easier, healthier and a lot less messy. It also gives you a lighter cake that hasn’t absorbed any excess frying oil.

[6] Hawkins’ mustard sauce: Mix a half-cup of mayonnaise with 2 tablespoons of yellow mustard, a few drops of Worcestershire sauce and a squeeze of lemon juice. Then get crabby.

eDUArDo scHneIDer

[1] It’s the crab, stupid: Good crab isn’t cheap, so good crab cakes aren’t either. Whether you use canned, freshpicked or cooked, Hawkins says make sure you drain the crab well. He prefers domestic to imported varieties, and says look for crab that’s white, not gray, and in big chunks, not shredded.

december 2014

Cake Garden Bakery & Tea House AN AMERICAN BAKERY WITH EUROPEAN INFLUENCE

Custom cakes for your special events: Birthdays Anniversaries Bar & Bat Mitzvahs Baby Showers Weddings Graduations

7 Days!

Serving Lunch

561-736-8169 • cakegardenandtea.com

1790 N.Congress Ave. #200 • Boynton Beach, FL 33426 Store Hours: Sunday & Monday 10-3 • Tuesday-Saturday 7:30-6

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dining guide T O O J A Y ’ S

boynton beach

C A T E R I N G

bar louie—1500 Gateway Blvd., #100. eclectic. Attempting

Daringly Traditional.

Holiday Catering TooJay’s Signature Sandwich Platter Enjoy any combination of the Triple J, J&J, Italiano, Shrimp Salad, Turkey BLT, Roast Beef, Breast of Turkey or Turkey Avocado.

Served with potato salad, Cole slaw and pickles.

to split the difference between happening bar and American café, Bar Louie in the sprawling Renaissance Commons complex mostly succeeds, offering burgers, pizzas, fish tacos and a variety of salads, all at moderate prices and in truly daunting portions. In South Florida’s world of trendy and expensive bistros, this is a welcome relief. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/853-0090. $

china dumpling—1899-5 N. Congress Ave., #5. chinese. Chinese restaurants in South Florida are routinely maligned, but this modest little strip-center gem holds its own, year after year. Everything is well-prepared, but the dim sum basket is an instant classic. Meanwhile, the pork dumplings and shrimp dumplings are not to be missed. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/737-2782. $ prime catch—700 E. Woolbright Road. Seafood. Waterfront restaurants are few and far between in our neck of the woods, and those with good food are even more rare. Prime Catch, at the foot of the Woolbright bridge on the Intracoastal, is a best-kept secret. The simple pleasures here soar—fullbelly clams, fried sweet and crispy; 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. It’s been called “Nobu North” by some aficionados, and for good reason.

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 3rd & 3rd—301 N.E. Third Ave. Gastropub. John Paul

Since 1981 TooJay’s has been delighting diners and catering to our communities with an exciting and eclectic menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. So whether you are planning a holiday party, family get together, or office celebration, TooJay’s is the perfect partner. With over 30 years experience as restaurant and catering professionals, we bring a lot to the table.

Legendary desserts: carrot cake, black & whites, chocolate Killer Cake.

Boca Raton Polo Shops (561) 241-5903 Regency Court Plaza (561) 997-9911 Glades Plaza (561) 392-4181 Locations also in Coral Springs, Plantation, Boynton Beach and West Palm Beach www.toojays.com

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Kline’s quirky, individualistic, obscurely located little place is one of the most important restaurants in Delray. The menu changes frequently, but hope the evening’s fare includes plump scallops with caramelized mango sauce, stunning delicious roasted cauliflower with Parmesan mousse and bacon, and wicked-good espresso panna cotta on it at your visit. • Dinner Mon.–Sat. 561/303-1939. $$

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. $$$ 50 ocean —50 S. Ocean Blvd. Seafood. The former Upper Deck at Boston’s on the Beach is now the more upscale, seafood-oriented spot. The menu ranges from familiar to slightly more inventive, from a classic lobster bisque and crisp-tender fried clam bellies to rock shrimp pot pie and baked grouper topped with blue crab. The cinnamon-dusted beignets are puffs of amazingly delicate deep-fried air and should not under any circumstances be missed. • Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner daily. Brunch Sun. 561/278-3364. $$

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3200 SOUTH OCEAN B O U L E VA R D I S W H E R E

20 F O R T U N AT E RESIDENTS WILL EXPERIENCE A

1 OF-A-KIND LUXURY LIFESTYLE.

FO R

I N FO R M ATI O N

C A L L

561.202.1172 O R

V I S IT

3200SOUTHOCEAN.COM

3200 South Ocean Boulevard, Highland Beach, FL 33487

ORAL REPRESENTATIONS CANNOT BE RELIED UPON AS CORRECTLY STATING THE REPRESENTATIONS OF THE DEVELOPER. FOR CORRECT REPRESENTATIONS, REFERENCE SHOULD BE MADE TO THE CONTRACT AND THE DOCUMENTS REQUIRED BY SECTION 718.503, FLORIDA STATUTES, TO BE FURNISHED BY A DEVELOPER TO A BUYER OR LESSEE. ALL DIMENSIONS, FEATURES AND SQUARE FOOTAGE ARE APPROXIMATE AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. RENDERINGS AND SITE PLAN ARE ARTIST’S CONCEPT. 6/14

dining guide

HOMEMADE ITALIAN BAKERY

Cosa Duci

TM

Life’s Short...Eat Cookies!

angelo elia pizza • bar • tapas —16950 Jog

Italian Artisan Bakery & Café

Road. Italian. Nothing on the menu of Angelo Elia’s modern, small plates-oriented osteria disappoints, but particularly notable are the meaty fried baby artichokes stuffed with breadcrumbs and speck, delicate chicken-turkey meatballs in Parmesan-enhanced broth, and Cremona pizza with a sweet-salty-earthy-pungent mélange of pears, pancetta, gorgonzola, sun-dried figs and mozzarella. • Lunch Tues.–Sun. Dinner daily. 561/381-0037. $

atlantic grille —1000 E. Atlantic Ave. Seafood/Contemporary American. This posh restaurant in the luxurious Seagate Hotel & Spa is home to a 450-gallon aquarium of tranquil moon jellyfish and a 2,500-gallon shark tank. Savor inventive cuisine that takes the contemporary to the extraordinary. Bold flavors, inspired techniques and the freshest ingredients make every meal a culinary adventure. • Lunch and dinner daily. Brunch Sat.–Sun. 561/665-4900. $$

buddha sky bar—217 E. Atlantic Ave. #3. Pan Asian. Don’t

Come discover a hidden gem filled with pastries, cookies, gelato, espresso, cappuccino, Italian imports, daily lunch menu, wine and an authentic Italian family!

141 NW 20th Street B-21 Boca Raton • 561.393.1201 Baking for a good cause: A portion of our proceeds will benefit research for Multiple Sclerosis.

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miss a meal at this stylish Asia-meets-industrial chic spot with a view of the Delray skyline. Chinese-influenced dim sum is inspired, while rock shrimp tempura and Tokyo beef 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. $$

burt & max’s —9089 W. Atlantic Ave. Contemporary American. Burt Rapoport and Dennis Max have struck gold with their first collaboration in years, bringing an accessible and affordable brand of contemporary comfort food to west Delray. A few dishes from Max’s other eatery, Max’s Grille, have made the trek, like the hearty chopped salad and bacon-wrapped meatloaf. Other dishes are variations on the comfort food theme, from boniato and yuca chips with blue cheese to a stellar truffle-scented wild mushroom pizza. • Dinner daily. Sunday brunch. 561/638-6380. $$$ cabo flats—Delray Marketplace, 14851 Lyons Road.

Chef Paul Collange offers a selection of timeless French classics in a warm and friendly environment, which is sure to delight your senses and your palate.

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 tostadas. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/499-0378. (Other Palm Beach County location: Downtown at the Gardens, 11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Ave., 561/624-0024) $

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.

561/274-9404. $$ 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. $$

Open for Lunch Tuesday to Friday 11:30am-2:00pm • Open for Dinner 7 Days 5:00pm-9:00pm

450 NE 20 St • Shore Centre • Boca Raton • 561-620-0033

www.restaurantlerivage.com

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 crabstuffed 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. Steak house. Hipper decor, a more casual vibe and an inventive take on steak-house

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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 wet-aged beef is appropriately tender and tasty. • Dinner daily. 561/272-9898. $$$

FRESH PASTA | SEAFOOD | MEATS full liquor bar over 20 wines by the glass

dada—52 N. Swinton Ave. Contemporary American. The same provocative, whimsical creativity that spawned Dada the art movement infuses Dada the restaurant, giving it a quirky charm all its own. The comfort food with a moustache menu has its quirky charms too, like shake-n-bake pork chops with sweet-savory butterscotch onions, and a brownie-vanilla ice cream sundae with strips of five-spice powdered bacon.

The wittily decorated 1920s-vintage house-turned-restaurant is, as they say, a trip. • Dinner daily. 561/330-3232 $$ d’angelo trattoria—9 S.E. Seventh Ave. Italian. Don’t go expecting the tired old “Italian” culinary clichés at this wickedly stylish spot. Open your palate to more authentic and exciting Roman-style cuisine, like roasted veal bone marrow with brisk caper-parsley pesto, creamy-dreamy burrata with roasted fava beans and watercress salad, the classic tonnarelli cacio e pepe (“cheese and pepper”) and the best gelato this side of a real Roman trattoria. • Dinner daily. 561/330-1237. $$ deck 84 —840 E. Atlantic Ave. Contemporary 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. $

5837 N. Federal Highway | Boca Raton 33487 561-961-4156 | www.dorsiarestaurant.com dorsia_brm1214.indd 1

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dig—777 E. Atlantic Ave. Contemporary American. Recently

Established in 1981

purchased by a mother-and-daughter team, the vibe here is organic, local and sustainable. Expect dishes ranging from barbecue sea-whistle salmon to lump-crab guacamole. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/279-1002. $$

el camino —15 N.E. Second Ave. Mexican. This sexy, bustling downtown spot is from the trio behind nearby Cut 432 and Park Tavern. Fresh, quality ingredients go into everything from the dusky red chili and tangy tomatillo salsas to the world-class tacos of fish clad in crisp, delicate fried skin and set off by tart pineapple salsa. Cinnamon and sugar-dusted churros are the perfect dessert. And do check out the margaritas, especially the half-and-half blend of smoky mezcal and blanco tequila. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/865-5350. $$

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. • Dinner Tues.–Sat. 561/266-3750. $$

follow the leader

Rediscover a classic.

French Continental

4199 N. Federal Hwy s Boca ratoN s 561.395.6033 s katHysgazeBo.com KathysGazebo2_BRM0914.indd 1

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dining guide 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. $$ house of siam—25 N.E. Second Ave., #16. Thai. The • 7,106 sq. ft. / 5 BR / 6 BA, 2.5 half BA • Custom theater room • Breathtaking nature preserve lake view

• Gourmet kitchen with dual Thermador refrigeration, dual dishwashers, Wolf gas range, wine refrigerator

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Rosalie Ansara Ransara@ipre.com 561-400-5853 10/16/14 12:17 PM

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. 561/3309191. $$

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 Atlantic Avenue—owned

by John Hutchinson (who is 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 housemade 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.

561/865-5774. $$ la cigale —253 S.E. Fifth Ave. Mediterranean. True culinary professionals turn out gently updated and classically oriented dishes notable for the quality of their ingredients and careful preparation. Sweetbreads in chanterelle cream sauce are glorious; a barely grilled artichoke with mustardy remoulade is gloriously simple. Watching your server skillfully debone an impeccably fresh Dover sole is almost as satisfying as eating it. • Dinner Mon.–Sat. 561/265-0600. $$

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 savory bourbon-maple glazed pork belly. • 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. $$ bocamausoleum_brm1214.indd 1 200 [ bocamag.com

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december 2014

BOCA RATON

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© 2014 Douglas Elliman Real Estate. All material presented herein is intended for information purposes only. While, this information is believed to be correct, it is represented subject to errors, omissions, changes or withdrawal without notice. All property information, including, but not limited to square footage, room count, number of bedrooms and the school district in property listings are deemed reliable, but should be verified by your own attorney, architect or zoning expert.

Equal Housing Opportunity.

MAGNIFICENT DIRECT OCEANFRONT PENTHOUSE Highland Beach | $7,900,000 | Modern and expansive 5 bedroom, 5 full and 2 half bath penthouse. Over 6,300 sf of living space, sprawling private rooftop patio with splash pool, 4 car garage spaces and private elevator. Steven Solomon 561.289.3609

OLD WORLD ELEGANCE 5678 Vintage Oaks Circle | Delray Beach | $6,500,000 This exquisite estate sits on 3 lots, one of which is fully buildable and deed-able. Spanning over 16,000 sf, the property boasts 24 ft ceilings with architectural details throughout.

Michael Ledwitz 561.235.3900

MERIDIAN 1 North Ocean Boulevard | Boca Raton | $1,695,000 This gorgeous residence mimics a sensational New York Westside apartment and will take your breath away. New York sleek home in the sky with 3 bedrooms plus office, 3.5 baths and 3,500 sf. Arlene Rampulla 561.901.5365

DOLCEVITA - NEW OCEANFRONT BOUTIQUE BUILDING 155 South Ocean Avenue | Singer Island | $995,000$1,650,000 | Impressive 3 bedroom, 3.5 bath condominiums that live like a single family home.

Chris Cox 561.714.6815 | Jeff Cohen 561.654.7341 Marisela Cotilla 561.413.8262

BEAUTIFUL LES JARDINS RESIDENCE 2345 Northwest 46 Street | Boca Raton | $1,200,000 This rare 4 bedroom, 3 bath, 2 half bath offers a library/ family room designed by Barry Sugarman, mahogany builtins, complete with private yard and pool. Also available for corporate lease. Susan Edens 561.294.3228

FABULOUS EAST BOCA GATED COMMUNITY Trieste | Boca Raton | $995,000 | Ultra high-end finishes abound in this tri-level townhouse built in 2007. 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, 2 car garage and private elevator.

Also offered fully furnished for $1,200,000. Steven Solomon 561.289.3609

HAMPTONS ESTATE AT WOODFIELD COUNTRY CLUB 3210 Harrington Drive | Boca Raton | $775,000 | Stunning 1-story home in desired country club of Woodfield includes 5 bedrooms, 3 baths, marble floors, inviting pool and yard overlooking a beautiful lake. Tali Israel 561.319.1000

SLEEK MODERN DESIGN Boca Grove Country Club | Boca Raton | $770,000 Contemporary one-level home comprises 4 bedrooms, 3 full and 2 half bathrooms, over 5,000 total sf, expansive screened pool and patio with South facing fairway views.

Steven Solomon 561.289.3609

GORGEOUS ARUBA MODEL IN CANYON TRAILS 10557 Cape Delabra Court | Boynton Beach | $419,900 Features a chef’s dream kitchen, stainless steel appliances, double ovens, eat-in kitchen with a beautiful lakefront view and fabulous open great room. Randi Pilato 561.866.8263

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SENADA’S WINTER COLLECTION © 2014 Douglas Elliman Real Estate. All material presented herein is intended for information purposes only. While, this information is believed to be correct, it is represented subject to errors, omissions, changes or withdrawal without notice. All property information, including, but not limited to square footage, room count, number of bedrooms and the school district in property listings are deemed reliable, but should be verified by your own attorney, architect or zoning expert.

Equal Housing Opportunity.

The Bélanger Estate | Delray Beach | $7,395,000 | This Delray Beach gated showpiece estate is a serene hideaway with an extensive palm-fringed outdoor entertainment area.

Designed by renowned Marc Michaels, this newly built Estate is a stylish masterwork with Mediterranean influences. The Estate features an extraordinary 120 ft of Intracoastal Waterway, a private dock and an infinity edge pool. Located in the prominent area of the Delray Beach Historic District, the property is situated only blocks away from the ocean and Atlantic Avenue. Experience Florida living at its best. Web# RX-10045466.

Presidential Place | Boca Raton | $4,195,000 | A spectacular oceanfront four bedroom luxury condominium offers breathtaking views of the ocean and Lake Boca Raton. Ralph Lauren design and an open floorplan make this a very elegant and inviting sun-filled residence. A beautifully finished oceanside cabana completes the offering.

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One Thousand Ocean | Boca Raton | $4,495,000 | An oceanfront villa with the most impeccable modern details sets a new standard for luxury living at the trophy address of One Thousand Ocean, the modernist architectural icon of South Florida. With high ceilings and spacious outdoor living space, Beach Villa 102 is complete with a private plunge pool on the terrace.

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SENADA ADZEM DIRECTOR OF LUXURY SALES | 561.322.8208 444 E Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton www.SenadaAdzemBernard.elliman.com

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THE SANCTUARY OF BOCA RATON Š 2014 Douglas Elliman Real Estate. All material presented herein is intended for information purposes only. While, this information is believed to be correct, it is represented subject to errors, omissions, changes or withdrawal without notice. All property information, Equal Housing Opportunity. including, but not limited to square footage, room count, number of bedrooms and the school district in property listings are deemed reliable, but should be verified by your own attorney, architect or zoning expert.

700 Osprey Point Circle | Boca Raton | $15,500,000 | Opulence abounds from the first glimpse of this architectural masterpiece. Quietly situated on the largest canal in The Sanctuary, complete with a 258Âą foot of protected deep water dockage and 7-bay garage, this stunning 7 bedroom, 8 bathroom, 3 half bath estate boasts nearly 16,000 sf of exquisite craftsmanship. From the gourmet kitchen, large walk-in wine cellar, cantilevered balconies, loggias and outdoor living room to the resort-style pool and immaculate landscaping down to the smallest details that extend to the guest home, no detail has been spared.

Named one of Forbes Top Ten Most Exclusive Communities in the US, The Sanctuary is a small, private enclave of luxurious homes that embodies the spirit of its name at every turn. www.700ospreypointcircle.com

TRACY RODDY REALTOR ASSOCIATE | 954.383.7555 444 E Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton www.TracyRoddy.elliman.com

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dining guide An appetizer sampler from Paradiso

also has scored with his spot in Mizner Park, certainly seems to have the restaurant Midas touch, as evidenced by this updated throwback to classic fish houses. Design, ambience and service hit all the right notes. Oysters are terrific any way you get them; grilled fish and daily specials are excellent. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/450-6718. $$$

sundy house —106 S. Swinton Ave. Contemporary American. It’s fine dining served in arguably the most beautiful restaurant and gardens in Delray. Menus are seasonal and imaginative. Try any of the fresh local fish dishes. • Lunch Tues.–Sat. Brunch Sun. Dinner Tues.–Sun. 561/272-5678. $$

terra fiamma—9169 W. Atlantic Ave. Italian. The pleasures of simple, hearty, well-prepared Italian-American cuisine are front and center at Wendy Rosano’s latest venture. Among the pleasures you should enjoy are delicate, pillow-y veal meatballs in Marsala sauce; lusty chicken Allessandro with mushrooms, spinach and artichoke hearts; and a finely crafted tiramisu that’s as satisfying as it is familiar. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/495-5570. $$ tramonti—119 E. Atlantic Ave. Italian. With its roots in New York’s Angelo’s of Mulberry Street, this venue is always packed. Homemade stuffed manicotti is aromatic and glorious. Tramonti’s platter for two, containing fillet marsala, veal cutlet with prosciutto, fried zucchini and potato croquettes, is terrific. • Dinner daily. 561/272-1944. $$

park tavern—32 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 mustard-barbecue pork belly with Carolina gold cheese rice. Don’t miss the behemoth slab of tender, juicy prime rib for a near-saintly $29—or the decadent soft pretzel bites. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/265-5093. $$

the porch—85 S.E. Sixth Ave. Italian. The concept is simple: fresh, honest, inviting food.

The husband-wife team of Heinrich Lowenberg and Pamela Lomba delivers with classic and creative dishes, alike. Highlights include house-made capellini and the cocoa-dusted tiramisu. • Dinner daily. 561/303-3647. $$

prime —29 S.E Second Ave. Steak/Seafood.

Shaken or Stirred

In a stroke of genius, Racks serves its ice-cold martinis in frosty aluminum martini glasses.

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. $$$

racks fish house & oyster bar—5 S.E. Second Ave. Seafood. Gary Rack, who

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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. $$ vic & angelo’s —290 E. Atlantic Ave. Italian. God is in the details at this upscale trattoria, and he doesn’t miss much. Ingredients like Buffalo mozzarella, house-made pastas and San Marzano tomatoes are first-rate, and execution is spot on. Try the “Old School” meatball to start, then sample the perfectly cooked veal chop. Portions are substantial, so expect leftovers. • Lunch and dinner daily.

561/278-9570. (Other Palm Beach County location: 4520 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens, 844/842-2632) $$$

LAkE worth 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, soulsatisfying Italian cuisine we’ve all come to know and love. Spaghetti Bolognese is a fine version of a Northern Italian classic. • 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 pastic-

Buzz BiteS iii Island HoppIng: Bizaare Avenue Café, long a downtown Lake Worth staple in its rambling 1920s-vintage building, is gone, replaced by The Island (921 Lake Ave., 561/588-4488), a Caribbean-fusion restaurant featuring all manner of tropical drinks and dishes, live music and a laid-back, party-hearty atmosphere.

It’s not just Bizaare that’s gone, the eclectic, found-object decor that was either charming or cluttered (depending on your point of view) is gone too, replaced by an open, airy space done up in light and dark woods and soothing tropical pastels. The tin ceiling and bar are still there, the latter spruced up with wood mosaics that give it a hand-made look.

The menu references almost every Caribbean isle, from jerk shrimp skewers (St. Bart’s) and smoked chicken salad (Dominica) to mofongo with seafood broth and roasted fish (Puerto Rico) and pan-fried grouper (Key West).

Tropical libations range from the classic Mojito and Planter’s Punch to more elaborate concoctions, like Release the Kraken—a blend of Kraken rum, crème de banana, pineapple juice, grenadine, ginger beer and a lime wedge.

The party goes on every night, with live jazz on Mondays, reggae on Sundays and assorted music specials in between.

—BILL CITARA ceria and bar for gelato and espresso. Chef Angelo Romano offers a modern Italian menu.

The Mediterranean salt-crusted branzino is definitely a must-try. Plus, the wine list is a veritable tome. • Lunch and dinner daily.

561/547-2500. $$$

safire asian fusion —817 Lake Ave. PanAsian. 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 tempurafried rock shrimp or calamari cloaked with a lush-fiery “spicy cream sauce.” Expect neighdecember 2014

{ The BesT Real esTaTe Company in Town }

ARI ALBINDER

BROKER/OWNER Mizner Grande Realty, LLC 155 NE Spanish River Blvd Boca Raton, FL 33431 561 702-0413 cell 561 393-7000 office www.MiznerGrandeRealty.com

EDUCATION ▶ Saint Andrews School ▶ Boca Raton ▶ Jacksonville University ▶ B.S. in Marketing

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For more information, call the office at (561) 393-7000, or Ari Albinder, BrokerOwner, on his cell (561) 702-0413. Mizner Grande Realty is located at 155 NE Spanish River Blvd., Boca Raton, FL 33431. Take a Virtual Tour of their Magnificent Properties at www. miznergranderealty.com

with Life threatening illnesses ▶ Multiple Sclerosis ▶ American Heart Association ▶ Boca Raton Children’s Museum ▶ Big Mama’s Team of Life ▶ Make A Wish Foundation

“

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ri Albinder, Broker-Owner, President and Founder of Mizner Grande Realty is a Top Real Estate Broker.

Mizner Grande Realty is Celebrating $1.5 Billion Dollars in Sales and is one of South Florida’s Leading Powerhouse Real Estate firms, specializing in luxury homes and luxury condominium sales in Boca Raton, Highland Beach, Delray Beach, Gulfstream, Hillsboro Mile, Manalapan, Ocean Ridge, Pompano Beach, Lighthouse Point, the Las Olas area and south to Miami Beach. Mizner Grande Realty has negotiated over $1.5 billion dollars in real estate sales in South Florida, and their successful approach to global and international marketing includes exposure in: Mizner’s Dream (the Official Magazine of The Boca Raton Resort and Beach Club), duPont REGISTRY (Around The World to 54 Countries), Homes & Land of the Palm Beaches, Boca/Delray Lifestyle Magazine, Boca Raton Magazine, Delray Beach Magazine, Sun Sentinel (full color),

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dining guide borly service and reasonable prices. • Lunch Tues.–Fri. Dinner Tues.–Sun. 561/588-7768. $

The legendary bar at Ta-boo

LANTANA 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 6 pounds) and are so reasonably priced that getting a taste of one without reservations is highly unlikely. • Dinner nightly.

561/547-9487. $$$

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, pounded chicken breast and roasted rack of lamb. The wine list features great vintages. • Lunch and dinner daily. Outdoor dining. 561/835-1600. $$$ 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). 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. $$$ café l’europe —331 S. County Road. Cur-

They Said It

Ta-boo doesn’t mince words when it comes to reasons, beyond fine dining, for its renown. Right on its website it touts being hailed as the best night spot in the country to “drink, laugh and meet women.”

rent 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. $$$

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. $$$ cucina dell’ arte—257 Royal Poinciana Way. Italian. The wide range of items on the

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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. $$

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. $$

echo —230A Sunrise Ave. Asian. The cuisine reverberates with the tastes of China, Thailand, Japan and Vietnam. The Chinese hot and sour soup is unlike any other, and the sake list is tops. This offsite property of The Breakers is managed with the same flawlessness as the resort. • Dinner nightly (during season).

561/802-4222. $$$

nick & johnnie’s—207 Royal Poinciana

hmf—1 S. County Road. Contemporary American. Beneath the staid, elegant setting of The Breakers, HMF is the Clark Kent of restaurants, dishing an extensive array of exciting, inventive, oh-so-contemporary small plates. Don’t depart without sampling the dreamy warm onion-Parmesan dip with house-made fingerling potato chips, the sexy wild boar empanaditas, chicken albondigas tacos and Korean-style short ribs.

The wine list is encyclopedic. Dinner daily.

561/290-0104. $$

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. • Dinner daily. 561/833-5522. $$

leopard lounge and restaurant— The Chesterfield Palm Beach, 363 Cocoanut Row. American. The restaurant offers excellent

Way. Contemporary American. Expect flavorful, moderately priced California-esque cuisine in a casual setting with affordable wines and young, energetic servers. • 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. 561/655-9752. $$$

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-andbe-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. • Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner nightly.

561/833-3883. $$$ december 2014

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dining guide Benedict Azteca from the brunch menu at Rocco’s Tacos

palm beach gardens 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 herb-and-Dijonmustard rack of lamb, regular menu items like duck with Grand Marnier sauce, and always superlative specials reveal a kitchen with solid grounding in culinary fundamentals. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner daily. 561/627-2662. $$

west palm beach

Coming Soon

Don’t look now, but Rocco’s is expanding its empire. next up: a spot on Atlantic Avenue in Delray (slated for this winter).

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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. $$ 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

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kebab with parsley, onion and spices makes up the delicious Lebanese lamb kefta. • 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 coq au vin and steak tartare. All that, plus guests dining al fresco have views of the Intracoastal Waterway and Centennial Park. • Brunch Sat.–Sun. Lunch and dinner daily. 561/833-5090. $$

as well as upscale variations on the theme and more than 200 tequilas. Tacos feature house-made tortillas and a variety of proteins.

Made-to-order guacamole is a good place to start. • 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) $

table 26°—1700 S. Dixie Highway. contemporary american. Take a quarter-cup of Palm Beach, a tablespoon of Nantucket, a pinch of modern American cookery and a couple gallons of the owners’ savoir faire, and you have Eddie Schmidt’s and Ozzie Medeiros’s spot.

The menu roams the culinary globe for modest contemporary tweaks on classically oriented dishes. Try the fried calamari “Pad Thai.” • Dinner daily. 561/855-2660. $$$

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. $$

coconUt creeK

rocco’s tacos —224 Clematis St. mexican.

nyy steak—Seminole Casino Coconut

Big Time Restaurant Group has crafted a handsome spot that dishes Mexican favorites,

Creek, 5550 N.W. 40th St. steak house. The second incarnation of this New York Yankees-

broward county

december 2014

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dining guide themed restaurant swings for the fences—and connects—with monstrous portions, chic decor and decadent desserts. The signature steaks, dry-aged for 21 days, are a meat lover’s dream; seafood specialties include sautéed sea bass, Maine lobster and Alaskan king crab. Don’t miss the NYY Steak 151 volcano for dessert. • Dinner daily. Brunch Sun. 954/977-6700. $$$$

deerfield beach tamarind asian grill & sushi bar —949 S. Federal Highway. asian. Quiet and soothing, this multicultural venue serves sushi, sashimi, yakitori and wide-ranging Japanese appetizers. • Lunch and dinner daily. 954/4288009. $$

fort lauderdale 15th street fisheries —1900 S.E. 15th St. Seafood. Surrounded by views of the Intracoastal, this Old Florida-style restaurant features seafood and selections for land lovers.

We love the prime rib. • Lunch and dinner daily. 954/763-2777. $$

Master Class

This tried-andtrue Lauderdale star is one of the few spots in South Florida to offer gourmet Mexican/Spanish cuisine.

3030 ocean—Harbor Beach Marriott Resort, 3030 Holiday Drive. american. The menu is heavy on seafood and changes several times a week. We recommend the sautéed Florida red snapper or the indulgent butter-roasted Maine lobster. For dessert, try the popular roasted banana crème brûlée. • Dinner nightly.

954/765-3030. $$$ bistro 17—Renaissance Fort Lauderdale Hotel, 1617 S.E. 17th St. contemporary american. This small, sophisticated restaurant continues to impress with competently presented food. The menu is surprisingly diverse. • Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.

954/626-1748. $$

bistro mezzaluna—1821 S.E. 10th St. italian. The bistro is all Euro-chic decor—mod lighting, abstract paintings. It also has good food, from pastas to steaks and chops and a wide range of fresh seasonal fish and seafood.

Don’t forget the phenomenal wine list. • Lunch and dinner daily. 954/522-6620. $$ bongusto ristorante—5640 N. Federal Highway. italian. This is a well-kept secret, featuring dishes that will meet the standards of those who savor authentic Italian. Involtini capricciosi—tender-rolled veal stuffed with spinach, prosciutto and fontina cheese—is satiating, while the whole yellowtail snapper is an equal delight. • Dinner Tues.–Sat. 954/771-9635. $$

casablanca café —3049 Alhambra St. american, Mediterranean. The restaurant has an “Arabian Nights” feel, with strong Mediterranean influences. Try the peppercorndusted filet mignon with potato croquette, Gorgonzola sauce and roasted pepper and Granny Smith relish. • Lunch and dinner daily.

954/764-3500. $$

casa d’angelo—1201 N. Federal Highway. italian. Many dishes are specials—gnocchi, risotto and scaloppine. The veal chop is grilled and blanketed in a thick layer of Gorgonzola. A delightful pasta entrée is the pappardelle con porcini: thick strips of fresh pasta coated in a light red sauce and bursting with slices of porcini mushrooms. • Dinner nightly. 954/564-1234. $$ chima—2400 E. Las Olas Blvd. Steaks.

The Latin American rodizio-churrascaria concept—all the meat you can eat, brought to your table—is done with high style, fine wines and excellent service. The sausages, filet mignon, pork ribs and lamb chops are very good.

• Dinner daily. 954/712-0581. $$$ eduardo de san angel—2822 E. Commercial Blvd. Mexican. Try master chef Eduardo Pria’s pan-sautéed Florida blue crab and yellow corn cakes. As far as soups go, there’s the pasilla-chile-flavored chicken broth with fresh “epazote” (fried corn tortilla strips, sliced avocado, sour cream and homemade cheese). The pan-seared beef tenderloin filet mignon is sublime. • Dinner Mon.–Sat. 954/772-4731. $$$

emunah café —3558 N. Ocean Blvd.

Kosher, organic. Don’t let the New Age “spirituality” throw you off. Focus on the fresh, organic ingredients that are incorporated into inventive sushi, soups and salads and (mostly) Asian-influenced entrées. • Lunch and dinner Sun.–Thurs. Sat. late evening hours. Closed Fri. 954/561-6411. $

Buzz Bites iv Sapphire ShineS: A chic setting for sophisticated Indian fare is the promise of Sapphire Indian Cuisine (500 Via de Palma, 561/362-2299), which has set up shop in Boca’s Royal Palm Place.

Sapphire is the latest endeavor of restaurateur Raju Brahmbhatt, partner in several successful Indian restaurants in New York and New Jersey, who has turned the space formerly home to Fusionarie into a sleekly contemporary restaurant. Think cool white walls with ornate backlit screens, modern chandeliers and furnishings, white leather booths and a large wall-mounted wine rack offering more than 100 selections.

The lengthy menu draws dishes from regions throughout the Indian subcontinent, with familiar offerings like tandoori lamb and chicken tikka masala sharing space with more adventurous offerings like Hyderabadi murg korma (roasted chicken in saffron-cashew sauce), malai halibut (mace and cardamom-spiked halibut in coconut-ginger sauce) and shrimp balchao (shrimp in a spicy Goan chili masala sauce).

There’s also a full range of rice and vegetarian dishes.

—BILL CITARA

il mulino —1800 E. Sunrise Blvd. italian. This modest, unpretentious Italian restaurant doesn’t attempt to reinvent the culinary wheel. Instead, it dishes up big portions of simple, hearty, flavorful food at extremely reasonable prices. Zuppa de pesce is a wealth of perfectly cooked seafood over linguini in a light tomato-based sauce. • Lunch and dinner daily. 954/524-1800. $

Maxaluna and Max’s Grille and (the former) De La Tierra at Delray’s Sundy House. Now in his own restaurant on Las Olas Boulevard, Vinczencz has evolved. As for the impressive wine list, Johnny V has more than 600 selections.

• Lunch and dinner daily. Outdoor dining.

954/761-7920. $$

Park Blvd. italian. Standouts include crispy calamari in marinara sauce and flavorful veal osso buco. Our conclusion: explosive flavor, attention to all the details and fresh, highquality ingredients. Waiters whisper the night’s specials as if they’re family secrets. • Dinner daily. 954/561-2554. $$

indigo —Riverside Hotel, 620 E. Las Olas Blvd.

Seafood. Enjoy delightful al fresco dining while sampling fresh seafood and exotic specialties.

Dependable choices like ahi tuna are joined by more intriguing seafood dishes; landlubbers will enjoy a selection of steaks and chops. • Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. 954/467-0671. $$

canyon—1818 E. Sunrise Blvd. Southwestern. Billed as a Southwestern café, this twist on

johnny v—625 E. Las Olas Blvd. american.

Johnny Vinczencz made his mark at Boca’s

sea watch—6002 N. Ocean Blvd. Seafood.

For a right-on-the-beach, welcome-to-Florida dining experience, there’s Sea Watch. Decked out in a pervasive nautical theme, this is definitely tourist country, but it’s pretty and on the beach. The perfect entrée for the indecisive: Sea Watch medley, with lobster tail, jumbo shrimp and scallops broiled in butter, garlic and white wine. • Lunch and dinner daily.

954/781-2200. $$

café martorano —3343 E. Oakland

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regional American cuisine offers great meat, poultry and fish dishes with distinctive mixes of lime, cactus and chili peppers in a subtle blend of spices. The adobe ambience is warm and welcoming, with a candlelit glow. • Dinner nightly. 954/765-1950. $$

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december 2014

shula’s on the beach—Sheraton Yankee Trader, 321 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd.

Steaks. This steak house on the beach provides what could be the best ocean view in two counties. Meat is the focus, with a compact menu of all your faves, as well as your new favorite steak, Mary Anne: two mouthwatering 5-ounce filets in a creamy cognac and shallot sauce. • Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. 954/355-4000. $$ sublime —1431 N. Federal Highway.

Vegetarian. Not only does the menu offer an alternative to animal agriculture, the company’s profits support animal welfare. The haute vegetarian cuisine delivers with dishes like mushroom ravioli. • Dinner Tues.–Sun. 954/539-9000. $

sunfish grill—2775 E. Oakland Park Blvd.

Seafood. Think inventive, sophisticated food, the kind that made the original Pompano Beach restaurant a major destination. Its take on tuna tartare is still the gold standard, and you can’t go wrong with entrées like onion-crusted salmon or the grilled Atlantic swordfish. • Dinner Tues.– Sat. 954/561-2004. $$

signature bone-in steaks. The menu includes chops and a diverse array of fresh fish and pasta dishes. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner daily.

954/462-9119. $$

HOllywOOd lola’s on harrison —2032 Harrison St. New American. Chef-owner Michael Wagner reinvigorates quintessentially American dishes with exacting technique and inventive flavor combos. Short ribs braised in Coca-Cola come with indecently rich, tarragon-laced creamed corn. • Dinner Tues.–Sun. 954/927-9851. $$

taverna opa—410 N. Ocean Drive. Greek.

Bring all your friends here and order a million mezes (Greek appetizers). Try the keftedes, Greek meatballs, and the lamb chops or snapper, which is filleted at the table. Don’t be surprised when your waiter pulls you up on the table to dance. • Dinner nightly. 954/9294010. (Also: 270 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, 561/303-3602). $$

lAUdERdAlE-By-THE-SEA

timpano italian chophouse—450

blue moon fish company—4405 W.

E. Las Olas Blvd., #110. Italian. Sink yourself into oversized booths with elegant white tablecloths and prepare to dive into excellent

Tradewinds Ave. Seafood. This is one of the best spots in Broward County for waterside dining. Choose from a raw bar and fish nearly

every which way, as well as daily, seasonal fish specials. • Lunch and dinner daily. Brunch Sun. 954/267-9888. $$$

lIGHTHOUSE POINT le bistro —4626 N. Federal Highway. Modern French. The menu modern and healthy— 98-percent glutin-free, according to chef/owner Andy Trousdale. Check out the prix-fixe menu, which includes pan-roasted duck to beef Wellington. • Dinner Tues.–Sun. 954/946-9240. $$$ seafood world—4602 N. Federal Highway.

Seafood. This seafood market and restaurant, more suited to a pier, offers some of the freshest seafood in the county. Its unpretentious atmosphere is the perfect setting for the superb king crab, Maine lobster, Florida lobster tails and much more. Tangy Key lime pie is a classic finish. • Lunch and dinner Tues.–Sun. 954/942-0740. $$$

POMPANO BEAcH calypso restaurant—460 S. Cypress Road. caribbean. This bright little dining room and bar (beer and wine only) has a Caribbean menu that is flavorful, imaginative—and much more. Calypso offers a spin on island food that includes sumptuous conch dishes, Stamp &

Get Us to the Greek

This Taverna was the original Greek restaurant in the chain— and launched the custom of breaking plates and dancing on tables.

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Inspired by the chateaus of France, Chateau Ami is a luxurious retreat that reflects that moment when inspiration & architecture meet. Created by renowned architect Randall Stofft & Cudmore Builders, Chateau Ami is a masterpiece of design & craftsmanship featuring inlayed onyx, intricately hand-painted ceilings, & crystal chandeliers. Infinity pool flows to the tranquil lake beyond. 2.5 acres of lakefront acreage. $6.899M

Jennifer is an award winning producer in Boca Raton & Delray Beach. Call today!

Jennifer Kilpatrick, Certifed Luxury Home Specialist www.jenkilpatrick.com | 561.573.2573 | jennifer.kilpatrick@corcoran.com The Corcoran Group is a licensed real estate broker.

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Paul Mitchell • DiBi • Joe Blasco • Nioxin • Framesi • Gerda Spillman • L’Oréal

Paul Mitchell • DiBi • Joe Blasco • Nioxin • Framesi • Gerda Spillman • L’Oréal

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“Before you and your staff from Boca Nursing Services started taking care of Helen and I, we existed; now we are living again! Thank you, Rose.”

-Dr. K.D.

dining guide Go Jamaican fish cakes and tasty rotis stuffed with curried chicken, lamb or seafood. • Lunch and dinner Mon.–Fri. 954/942-1633. $

darrel & oliver’s café maxx—2601 E. Atlantic Blvd.

American. The longstanding institution from chef Oliver Saucy is as good now as when it opened in the mid-1980s. The peppered sea scallops appetizer is a must, as is Café Maxx’s cheese plate. Main courses offer complex flavor profiles, such as the sweet-onion-crusted yellowtail snapper on Madeira sauce over mashed potatoes. Parts of the menu change daily. • Dinner nightly. 954/782-0606. $$$

Weston cheese course —1679 Market St. Bistro. Locals love the made-to-order bistro sandwiches on fresh baguettes, daily quiche selections and cheese plates. Favorites include the applewood-smoked bacon with goat cheese brie sandwich.

• Lunch and dinner daily. 954/384-8183. (Other location: Mizner Park, 305 Plaza Real, #1305, Boca Raton, 561/3954354.) $

miAmi-dAde county AventurA bourbon steak—19999 W. Country Club Drive. steaks.

Michael Mina’s elegant steak house in tony Turnberry Isle features impeccable service, an encyclopedic wine list and a roster of USDA Prime Angus, Wagyu and Kobe steaks. Try the feather-light beignets accompanied by cookbook-perfect crème brûlée and chocolate pot du crème. • Dinner Mon.– Sun. 786/279-6600. $$$$

BAl hArBour la goulue —Bal Harbour Shops, 9700 Collins Ave. French.

La Goulue means “the glutton,” and this stylish brasserie offers many excuses for gluttony. Luscious foie gras presented in a green apple for one, opulent lobster risotto under shaved black truffles for a second. • Lunch and dinner daily.

305/865-2181. $$$

Rose Glamoclija, R.N. Owner and Administrator

the palm— 9650 E. Bay Harbor Drive. steaks. The portions are giant, but you’ll surely clear your plate of 3- to 7-pound jumbo Nova Scotia lobster or a tender filet mignon.

S&S cheesecake shipped from the Bronx is pure heaven. • Dinner nightly. 305/868-7256. $$$

It’s The Personal Touch That Makes The Difference

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bizcaya grill—Ritz-Carlton, 3300 S.W. 27th Ave.

Companions Live-Ins Homemakers Speech Therapy Occupational Therapy

Serving Broward, Palm Beach, Martin & St. Lucie Counties 342 E. Palmetto Park Rd., Suites 1 & 2 Boca Raton, FL 33432

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Fax (561) 347-7567

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european-American. The versatile menu features “simply grilled” items. The boldly flavored menu also offers “house specialties,” contemporary takes on bistro fare. • Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. 305/644-4670. $$

corAl gABles caffe abbracci—318 Aragon Ave. italian. The dining room is handsome and understated, a fitting ambience for Miami’s movers and shakers. That’s just part of the draw of Abbracci, though the regional Italian fare has achieved its own status as some of the best in the Gables. You can’t go wrong with the porcini risotto or the pounded veal chop “tricolore.” • Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner nightly. 305/441-0700. $$ december 2014

la palme d’or—The Biltmore, 1200 Anastasia Ave. French. Chef Philippe Ruiz emphasizes modern French fare from the southern regions of France, doing so with classic technique and light-handed manner. The portions are relatively small, encouraging five courses, and guests may design their own custom tastings, with a wide variation in price. • Dinner Tues.– Sat. 305/445-1926, ext. 2400. $$$$

Azul’s surf and turf

ortanique on the mile—278 Miracle Mile. Caribbean. Menu highlights include tropical mango salad, spicy fried calamari salad, Caribbean ahi tuna with wasabi potatoes and jerk-spiced Cornish game hen. • Lunch Mon.– Fri. Dinner nightly. 305/446-7710. $$$

pascal’s on ponce—2611 Ponce de Leon

michael pisarri

Blvd. French. When Pascal Oudin ran the kitchen at the Grand Bay Grand Café, his tropical take on French cuisine earned him national acclaim.

Now, he offers a more streamlined, but still contemporary, French menu. We definitely suggest the sea scallops, which are topped with short ribs and served with truffle sauce. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner Mon.–Sat. 305/444-2024. $$$$

re For mo r u o about heck c , s e servic here: us out

azul—500 Brickell Key Drive. Contemporary american. The kitcheon tricks out its luxuri-

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dining guide ous Asian-European-Contemporary American menu with flashes of “molecular gastronomy.” Look for dishes like brioche-crusted yellowtail snapper with cuttlefish, chorizo brandade and squid ink “charcoal.” While looking out over the stunning expanse of Biscayne Bay from the chic, elegant dining room, look over the equally stunning wine list, which reads like an encyclopedia of the world’s great vintners. • Dinner Mon.–Sat. 305/913-8288. $$$$

Dr. Gail Pezzullo-Burgs, MD

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michael’s genuine food & drink—130 N.E. 40th St. American. At James Beard award-winning chef Michael Schwartz’s unpretentious restaurant, you’ll get plenty of genuine satisfaction from genuinely delicious food, exactingly prepared and simply presented. Wood-roasted double yolk farm egg and crispy pork belly are divine. Surprisingly, all the desserts from rock star pastry chef Hedy Goldsmith aren’t rockstar quality, but dining here is such a genuine pleasure it almost doesn’t matter. • Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner nightly. Brunch Sun. 305/573-5550. $$

Nutrition Therapy Massage Therapy Botox & Dermal Fillers Laser Hair Removal Facials

michy’s —6927 Biscayne Blvd. Contemporary American.

There’s a lot to like about Michy’s. Dishes like creamy truffled polenta with poached egg and bacon are lovely. The wine list is exciting and exceptionally well-chosen, and service is on a level rarely seen in South Florida restaurants. • Dinner Tues.– Sat. 305/759-2001. $$$

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romeo’s café—2257 S.W. Coral Way. Northern Italian.

There is no menu per se. After ascertaining your food allergies and preferences, Romeo will dazzle you with six courses.

We loved the lightly breaded sea bass with lima beans, the risotto with scallops and cilantro, and the penne with capers and porcini mushrooms. Excellent service and a good wine list. • Lunch Tues.–Fri. Dinner Tues.–Sun. Prix fixe six-course menus. 305/859-2228. $$$$ versailles —3555 S.W. Eighth St. Cuban. Versailles has been one of Calle Ocho’s most popular restaurants since 1971. This is good-to-the-last-black-bean Cuban with a menu the size of the Old Testament. It’s also one of the better people-watching spots in town. • Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. 305/444-0240. $

How are we doing?

MIAMI beACh barton g. the restaurant—1427 West Ave. Contemporary American. Barton G., an event impresario with a flair for serious theatrics, has fashioned his unique restaurant with fun and interesting fare. Choices include popcorn shrimp— served with real popcorn in a movie-theater container.

Desserts look like props from “Pee Wee’s Playhouse.”• Dinner nightly. 305/672-8881. $$$

We’d love to get your feedback! Complete our reader survey online using the QR code below or by going to: www.bit.ly/bocasurvey

casa tua—1700 James Ave. Northern Italian. This 1925 Mediterranean Revival property with an oft-changing menu showcases simple, sophisticated ingredients that typify the best of Italian cooking. • Dinner Mon.–Sat. Outdoor dining.

305/673-1010. $$$$

escopazzo —1311 Washington Ave. Italian. Escopazzo is consistently cited as the best Italian restaurant on South Beach—but patrons also dig the health-conscious vibe; the restaurant bills itself as organic, with a raw foods component on the menu. Pasta is the star here, hand-rolled and tossed with far more alluring partners than meatballs or clams—as in pumpkin ravioli with white-truffle cream sauce and pappardelle with buffalo-meat ragoût. • Dinner nightly. 305/674-9450. $$

joe’s stone crab —11 Washington Ave. Seafood. You’re likely to wait a few hours for the privilege of getting a taste of old Florida (not to mention the best stone crabs on the survey1214.indd 1 214 [ bocamag.com

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december 2014

planet). But it’s worth it. Fried oysters, lyonnaise potatoes, creamed spinach and Key lime pie are other specialties. • Lunch Tues.–Sat. Dinner nightly in season. Dinner Wed.–Sun., mid-May–July (Closed Aug., Sept. and half of Oct.). 305/673-0365. $$$

ola at sanctuary—1745 James Ave. Nuevo Latino. Creative ceviches are a signature of chef Douglas Rodriguez, none better than a mix of shellfish with octopus “salami.” Foie gras and fig-stuffed empanadas turn the humble into haute, as does the sublime pork with black-trumpet mojo. • Dinner nightly.

305/695-9125. $$$$ osteria del teatro —1443 Washington Ave. Italian. The exceptional Northern Italian cuisine at this restaurant has been consistently ranked among the best in Miami Beach.

• Dinner nightly. 305/538-7850. $$$ sardinia —1801 Purdy Ave. Italian. The food is exactingly prepared, extraordinarily fresh and always delicious. Whether a selection of high-quality salumi, tube-like macaronis with veal meatballs in a lusty tomato sauce, or superb salt-baked branzino, dishes deliver the kind of soulful satisfaction all the “fusion cuisine” in the world can’t match. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner nightly. 305/531-2228. $$$

re

fo

Be

Ave. Steaks. Cruise ships pass by large picture windows, while a stream of waiters carry thick, juicy, dry-aged steak—filet mignon, prime rib, N.Y. sirloin and rib-eye. Creamed spinach and onion rings are textbook sides. • Lunch and dinner daily. 305/673-2800. $$$$

sushisamba dromo —600 Lincoln Road.

Eclectic. Blend the influence of Japanese immigrants on Peruvian and Brazilian cuisines, add a dollop of Caribbean and a dash of South Florida, and you’ve got exciting and satisfying food. Sushi doesn’t get any more glamorous than when combining ahi with shiso leaf and a slab of foie gras. • Lunch and dinner daily.

Brunch Sat.–Sun. 305/673-5337. $$$ yuca —501 Lincoln Road. Cuban. Young Cuban Yuca still packs them in—mostly because it remains one of the only places on Miami Beach to partake of upscale Cuban cuisine.

There are plenty of old favorites from which to choose—like guava-glazed, barbecued babyback ribs—and they still delight. • Lunch and dinner daily. 305/532-9822. $$

MIaMI LakES shula’s steak house—7601 Miami Lakes Drive. Steaks. The head coach with the most

wins in National Football League history has a very straightforward game plan when it comes to food—large steaks and tasty sides. Classic cuts include a 32-ounce prime rib served on the bone, a 24- or 48-ounce porterhouse and a 16-ounce New York sirloin. 305/820-8102.

(Other location: Alexander Hotel, 5225 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, 305/341-6565.) $$$

South MIaMI two chefs—8287 S. Dixie Highway. Continental american. Owner/chef Jan Jorgensen is Florida’s answer to Wolfgang Puck, putting out exquisite California-style cuisine. The menu changes seasonally. Don’t miss the chocolate and Grand Marnier soufflé. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner Mon.–Sat. 305/663-2100. $$$

SuNNy ISLES timó—17624 Collins Ave. Italian. This stylish spot offers great twists on classic and not-so-classic Italian fare. Favorites include thin-crust pizzas from a wood-burning oven and crispy oysters with pancetta and white beans. A tasting menu is available (wine extra), and desserts feature Italian themes with tropical notes, such as the macadamia nut brittle with gelato, caramelized bananas, pineapple and toasted coconut. • Lunch Mon.– Fri. Dinner nightly. 305/936-1008. $$

check out our complete tri-county dining guide only at bocamag. com.

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Helping you achieve your goals has always been ours Congratulations to Eric S. Glasband for being recognized on the Barron’s Top 1200 in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

For more than 100 years, our clients have been at the center of everything we do. That’s how we measure success — today, and in the years ahead.

To find out more, please contact:

Glasband Stempel & Associates Eric S. Glasband Managing Director - Wealth Management Senior Financial Advisor Portfolio Manager 561.361.3437

Merrill Lynch 5200 Town Center Circle Suite 101 Boca Raton, FL 33486 561.361.3437 www.fa.ml.com/gs

Life’s better when we’re connected® Source: Barron’s magazine, February 20, 2012, February 16, 2013, February 22, 2014, America’s Top 1200 Financial Advisors list. Advisors considered for the “America’s Top 1200 Financial Advisors list” ranking have a minimum of seven years financial services experience and have been employed at their current firm for at least one year. Quantitative and qualitative measures used to determine the Advisor rankings include: client assets, return on assets, client satisfaction/retention, compliance records, and community involvement, among others. Barron’s does not receive compensation from Advisors, participating firms and their affiliates, or the media in exchange for rankings. Barron’s is a trademark of Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Bull Symbol, Merrill Lynch and Life’s better when we’re connected are registered trademarks or trademarks of Bank of America Corporation.

Merrill Lynch Wealth Management makes available products and services offered by Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (“MLPF&S”), a registered broker-dealer and member SIPC, and other subsidiaries of Bank of America Corporation (“BAC”).

Investment products: Are Not FDIC Insured Are Not Bank Guaranteed © 2014 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved.

May Lose Value ARL9MJVW | AD-07-14-0296.A | 471003PM-0414 | 07/2014

out&about

[ by stefanie cainto ]

[1]

Boca’s Ballroom Battle

Where: Boca Raton aBout the event: Eight prominent members of the community danced their way into the hearts of some 750 attendees during the seventh annual Boca’s Ballroom Battle. The event, staged at the Boca Raton Resort & Club, raised more than $220,000 for the George Snow Scholarship Fund. Paula Pianta and Albert Dabbah were the women’s and men’s fundraising champions, each taking home a Mirror Ball Trophy. Fred Astaire Dance Studios in Boca contributed private lessons and professional dancers.

[ 1 ] Michael Gibson and Pam Casanave

follow the leader

More event coverage Visit bocamag.com for photo galleries from social events, store openings, charity fundraisers and other community gatherings in and around Boca Raton. To submit images for Out and About, e-mail appropriate material to people@bocamag.com.

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out&about [3]

[2]

[5]

[4]

boca’s ballroom battle (cont.)

[2] [3] [4] [5]

Sayra Vasquez and Chris Holcomb James Brann and Denise Zimmerman Paula Pianta and Eric Dehant Chris and Yvette Palermo, and Jennifer and Anthony Dardano [ 6 ] Jean-Marc Casanave, Tony Dovolani and Pam Casanave

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[6]

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.

out&about

[8]

[7]

[9]

boca’s ballroom battle (cont.)

[ 10 ]

[ 7 ] Elizabeth Kelley-Grace and Ivan Rivera [ 8 ] Jay DiPietro, Tony Dovolani, and Sharon DiPietro [ 9 ] Dr. Albert Dabbah and Sayra Vasquez [ 10 ] Robert Sweetapple and Ashley Jones [ 11 ] Frank Occhigrossi, Olivia Occhigrossi, Michaela McLean, Paula Pianta and Marie Occhigrossi [ 12 ] Victoria Rixon and AJ Molter

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out&about [2] [1]

[3]

Kravis Center annual lunCheon

Where: West Palm Beach About the event: The Cohen Pavilion was alive with Broadway tunes during the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts’ annual luncheon. Honoring the center’s board of directors, annual trustees and standing committees, the luncheon included a performance from Neil Berg’s 106 Years of Broadway and a recap of the center’s last season.

[ 1 ] Jeri Muoio and Steven Abrams [ 2 ] Judy Mitchell, Jim Mitchell and Lee Wolf [ 3 ] John Jenkins, Cheryl Jones Connor, Orville Lawton, Eunice Locke, Lee Hooks, Vanessa Young, Constance Ward, Zenetta Miller and Anthony Hamlet [ 4 ] Katie Vecellio and Monika Preston [ 5 ] Judy Goodman, Barbara Golden, Lee Bell and Marcie Gorman-Althof

[4]

Corby Kaye’s studio Palm beaCh

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P

l

e

a

s

Year

e

j

o

i

n

u

s

as we celebrate the

Woman

of

the

and pay tribute to

Christine E. Lynn Philanthropist and Community Leader Chair of the Boca Raton Regional Hospital Board of Trustees

at the

53rd Annual Boca Raton Regional Hospital Ball

Proceeds benefit the Christine E. Lynn Women’s Health & Wellness Institute

We will celebrate the expansion of the Christine E. Lynn Women’s Health & Wellness Institute, which will open in Summer 2015 in the beautiful and welcoming new Debbie-Rand Memorial Service League Pavilion This year’s Black-tie Ball honors Christine E. Lynn, a dear friend with the kindest of hearts who embodies the true spirit of philanthropy and has dedicated herself to making a difference in other people’s lives featuring

The The first all-girl band with a hit single, Will You Love Me Tomorrow, and Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Famers

january 17, 2015 6:30 P.m. to 11:30 P.m.

Boca raton resort & cluB Dinner & Dancing, Live Auction $400 per person Tables and Sponsorships available For information on sponsorship opportunities or to reserve tables or tickets, Please contact Kimberly Read at Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation 561-955-4142, kread@brrh.com, or visit https://donate.brrh.com/Ball-2015

out&about [1]

Impact 100 palm Beach county

Where: Boca Raton About the event: Impact 100 awarded $320,000 to five local nonprofit organizations during its Grand Awards Celebration. The charitable fund, made possible by the $1,000 donations of 320 philanthropic women, has presented a combined total of $688,000 to nonprofits in its three-year history.

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Susan Brockway, Susan Duane and Suzy Lanigan Wanda Harrold, Helen Ballerano and Kate Toomey Timolin Cole, Laura Stoltz, Karen Sweetapple and Ann Heilakka Eric Anderson and J.D. Dickenson Kirsten Stanley, Sharon McGuire and Louise Glover

[2]

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Sherry Ferrante PhotograPhy

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december 2014

The Delray Beach Public Library

THANKS

Laugh with the Library, Chapter 9 Sponsors for their Support *

for a Cause Featuring Comedian

PAUL MECURIO Emmy & Peabody Award Winning Comedian

Joseph & Tandy Robinson

John & Amy Crompton

Friday, January 30, 2015 at Delray Beach Marriott Proceeds to benefit the Delray Beach Public Library Children’s Department Expansion

Alexander “Sandy” Simon, Jr.

Ticket Price: $175

To purchase tickets, for sponsorship & advertising opportunities call 561.266.0799 or visit www.delraylibrary.org (must be 21 to attend)

DOORS OP EN 7:30 PM SHOW TIM E 9:00 PM

out&about [1]

Planes and Polo at Palm Beach InternatIonal

Where: Palm Beach About the event: Guests of the International Polo Club indulged in flights of fancy during the club’s Planes and Polo event. The fundraiser, held at the ACP Jets hangar at Palm Beach International Airport, welcomed polo patrons and players to view private planes and helicopters while enjoying hors d’oeuvres and Champagne. Proceeds from the event benefited the Polo Training Foundation.

[ 1 ] Melissa Carden and Kayla Gentile [ 2 ] Suran and Jennifer Wijayawardana [ 3 ] Lori Capozzi and Lori Colburn [ 4 ] Tim Waters, Richard Segerson and Philip Gaucher [ 5 ] Michelle Hall and Jeff Hall

[2]

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lila photo

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EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING

PUBLIC RELATIONS

EVENTS

1045 EAST ATLANTIC AVENUE; SUITE 202 | DELRAY BEACH, FL | 33483 | 954.650.0324 | EXPERIENCEEPIC.COM

[1]

StarS of american Ballet

Where: Boca Raton About the event: More than 800 people filled Countess de Hoernle Theatre at Spanish River High School to watch Boca Ballet Theatre perform alongside New York City Ballet principal dancer Daniel Ulbricht and his Stars of American Ballet troupe. The sold-out show was followed by a benefit dinner at the Seagate Beach Club in Delray Beach.

[ 1 ] Terry Fedele, Holli Rockwell, Elizabeth Dudley, Vanessa Boltz and Pat Thomas [ 2 ] Tiler Peck, Robert Fairchild, Megan Fairchild, Steven Caras, Andrew Veyette, Lauren King and Daniel Ulbricht [ 3 ] Lisa Huertas, Steven Caras and Anka Palitz [2]

[3]

red roSe Gala

Where: Boca Raton About the event: The National Society of Arts and Letters recognized 11 young artists at the signature Red Rose Gala at Royal Palm Yacht and Country Club. All proceeds from the event, attended by more than 200 guests, went to scholarships and competitions hosted by the organization.

[ 4 ] Kevin Ross and Alyce Erickson [ 5 ] Suzanne Holmes, Juan Suarez, Virginia Mims and Wayne Gilmore

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[4]

silvia pangaro

out&about

WinterWonderland HOFFMAN’S CHOCOLATES PRESENTS THE 24TH ANNUAL

NOVEMBER 22 - DECEMBER 30 6:00PM - 10:00PM

• Over 75,000 colorful lights in our beautiful gardens • Take your own photo with Santa and Mrs. Claus • Performances by local musical acts Check Hoffmans.com/Wonderland for specific garden hours, times for Santa photos, musical performance schedule, and our special menorah lighting.

Holiday Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-10pm, Sun 11am-10pm 5190 Lake Worth Road • Greenacres 561-967-2213 • Hoffmans.com

out&about [1]

50 Ocean’s Bites and Brews dinner

Where: Delray Beach About the event: 50 Ocean wrapped up the summer season with a craft-beer pairing dinner featuring Saltwater Brewery. The six-course dinner included dishes like the Florida wadoo crudo, buttermilk fried frog legs and a suckling pig ballotine.

[ 1 ] Kinna Denowitz and Mitch Denowitz [ 2 ] Peter Agardy, Chris Gove, Blake Malatesta, Dustin Jeffers and Marshall Coe [ 3 ] Christine Metzger, Chris Gove and Katelyn Perkins [ 4 ] Kate Pemberton and Paul Reid [ 5 ] Billy Estis and Leah Gensman

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december 2014

Please Join Us

With Keynote Speaker

Taylor Armstrong Star of The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills, New York Times Best Selling Author, Domestic Abuse Survivor And Advocate "Hiding From Reality: My Story Of Love, Loss & Finding The Courage Within"

Monday • February 23, 2015 10:30 am to 1:30 pm Boca Raton Resort & Club Sponsorship Packages With A Variety Of Exciting Benefits Are Available.

Individual Tickets Are $135 And Tables Are Available.

Event Chair Jeannette DeOrchis Now in our 8th year, AVDA's Heart of a Woman Luncheon continues in its tradition of celebrating the strength, courage and determination of women, especially those overcoming domestic abuse. The Heart of a Woman Luncheon is one of AVDA's largest fundraising events of the year.

Proceeds benefit AVDA's programs and services.

For reservations, sponsorship or more information, call 561-265-3797 or visit www.avdaonline.org

out&about [1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

Gala SeaSide Celebration Where: Delray Beach About the event: The Delray Beach Club dance floor was packed for the Greater Boca Raton Estate Planning Council’s end-of-theseason gala. The celebration featured dishes from the club’s executive chef, Jason Miranda, and a live performance from the band Atlantis.

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Jeffrey Tholl PhoTograPhy

[ 1 ] Charlie and Sharon DaBrusco, Seth Marmor and Fran Marmor [ 2 ] Scott and Tatiana Goldberger [ 3 ] Alon Ruschin, Karen Levine and Corey Levine [ 4 ] Paul Roman, Art Samuels, Alan Rosenthal and Lanny Marks [ 5 ] John and Mary Lou Eastham

december 2014

O N W S E R G ANCH R O E G

S U N I O J OR F

TH E A N 2 2 ND NU AL

Caribbean COWBOY BALL PRESENTED BY AQUA-GULF TRANSPORT

January 24th, 2015 - 6:00-11:00 PM Red Reef Park, Boca Raton BENEFITING THE GEORGE SNOW SCHOLARSHIP FUND

Help us to continue to “Help the Leaders of Tomorrow Today”.

New sponsorship opportunities available. Limited individual tickets are $175.

DANCING - AUCTION - DINNER - OPEN BAR For more information, call 561-347-6799 or visit www.scholarship.org.

u t o ? b Y a ou need d n a t u O bocamag.com! where to eat, what to do, how to get there

Instant access to Boca Raton magazine’s independent reviews of the best local restaurants.

Your best resource for daily Boca news, our team of bloggers keeps you in the know.

Don’t forget to find us here too!

BocaratonMagazine

/bocamag

Need something to do? Stay informed about the most popular events in our area.

/bocamag

@bocamag

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@bocamag

Chef Chair Patrick Broadhead, Executive Chef for The Max Group Event Co-Chairs: Alicia Lyons Laufer & Melissa Novak ......................................................

THE SONOMA HOUSE

Februarµ 12t¬, 2015 220 NE 11th St., Boca Raton FL 33432

......................................................

www.JLBR.org

Visit Flavors2015.com Call 561-620-2553 E-mail flavorsofboca@gmail.com

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speedbumps [ by marie speed ]

New York, New York An open letter to those of you who Are hAving the MAnhAttAn holidAy blues

O

K, we’ve been hearing for some 25 years now in Boca Raton—and most of South Florida—how much better things are “up North.” How there’s nothing like New York (and if you never lived there you would never understand), how no one “down here” gets it. How hot and humid it is down here, how there are no seasons, no Broadway and no good bagels, and on and on and on.

I quit responding years ago, but the other Sunday I started hearing it from my own close friends, two women I love like sisters. So now I have to speak up.

But first, please get this picture: It is early fall, that time of year when the light has changed, the mornings are quivery and almost cool, and the sky is so blue you’d swear it was early Technicolor. There we were, driving up A1A, maybe one of the top 10 most beautiful drives in the free world. The ocean, which is turquoise, is on one side, and the Intracoastal, all chopped up in little diamonds of light, is on the other. We drive through a tropical canopy in Manalapan; ospreys and snowy egrets wheel overhead.

“I miss fall,” one says.

“I miss all those off-Broadway plays,” from the other.

“Wading through fallen leaves.”

“I am canceling my New York magazine subscription because it just makes me sad.”

Meanwhile, I am staring straight ahead, white puffy clouds piled high on the horizon, a flash of Bougainvillea in my side mirror. So who inserted Woody Allen into my car? And what was remotely wrong with a Sunday morning destined for homemade corned beef hash at Testa’s in Palm Beach, for God’s sake?

I mean, number one, New York is dirty and most of it is butt-ugly.

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This is no Rome or no London—not even Chicago, when it comes to architecture. There are miles of dark grimy buildings fringed at the bottom with nasty little awnings covered in bad signage. There is the smell of diesel everywhere and loud trucks and honking horns and no trees and people huddled in doorways wrapped in dirty blankets.

“To us, it’s not ugly,” one says.

“If I could live in Manhattan I would move in a second,” the other adds.

I feel myself sighing, remembering how enamored I once was with The City when I went there often for business early in my career. I can still feel my heart pounding as the plane started to descend and you saw Manhattan at night, a gazillion lights, the energy practically lighting up the Eastern seaboard. I recall the windows at Macy’s at Christmas, the ice rink at Rockefeller Center, the pumpernickel raisin bread from Zabar’s, the cabbies when they were from Brooklyn instead of Yemen.

But that was a long time ago, and I can also remember how glad I was to leave each time, how much I had missed the wide open Florida air, the live oaks with Spanish moss, winter days when the light was thin and blue, Mayport shrimp and easy walks to the beach.

That sentiment has only gotten stronger now.

I like that I can do things like drive to a place and park. That flip-flops are on my feet 12 months a year, and that I have no idea what a frosted windshield looks like. I like not having stairs or doormen or cramming myself into a subterranean train to go to work. I like seeing the sun come up and go down, and planting flowers in January and hearing the waves at night when my windows are open.

So, to my two dear transplanted New Yorkers: We are glad you escaped. This column is to remind you why you did.

And happy winter to us all. [ bocamag.com ]

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Pool rendering for The Mark at Cityscape from Ram Realty

continued from page 145

porary design and a yoga room that also allows for virtual spin classes.

JAMES COMPARATO: He and architect Derek Vander Ploeg are behind Tower One Fifty-Five, a 192-unit condo that Boca Raton approved in November 2013. It would replace four small office buildings on East Boca Raton Road, south of the suddenly jumping and fashionable southern end of Mizner Park. It would be nine stories tall, and the developer cut the number of units after a prior approval so he could make them larger. They will range from 700 square feet to 1,700 square feet.

ARCHSTONE/GREYSTAR: This mixed-use project on East Palmetto Park Road has been the most controversial in Boca Raton since Mizner Park, even if it’s much smaller. Neighbors protested that the 378 apartments and 11,000 square feet of stores would overwhelm the area. Other residents worried that Boca Raton would start to look like New York City.

In September, Equity Residential Inc. sold the

property—with its development approvals— to Greystar, the nation’s largest apartment management company. Greystar reportedly wants to build the project, but had not submitted plans by the press time.

RAM REALTY: The company is building The Mark at Cityscape, 208 rental units in the heart of downtown, one block off Federal Highway on Palmetto Park Road. The project will include 18,000 square feet of retail space, 7,500 square feet of that for a restaurant. The chairman of Ram Realty is Peter Cummings, who built the Martin Downs community in famously anti-growth Martin County and now proposes a controversial Walmart on environmentally sensitive land near Zoo Miami. The company bought the 4.5 acres for

$42 million in 2006. Filling the empty block at Federal and Palmetto will be a Hyatt Place Hotel, similar to those in Delray Beach and West Palm Beach, developed by the Kolter Group. The site also includes an existing office building.

December 2014 issue. Vol. 34, No. 7. 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: Savor the Avenue; Tastemakers of Delray; Tastemakers at Mizner; Florida Style and Design; Delray Beach magazine; Boca Raton, South Florida At Its Best; bocamag.com; Florida Table; Boca Raton magazine.

Boca (ISSN0740-2856) is published eight 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: $14.95/8 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.

We Can Save A Child’s Life.

If you would like to give to Caridad Center, please contact Dollene Ewing, Director of Development, at 561-853-1638 or dewing@caridad.org

We are a lifeline when it comes to medical, dental and vision care for the uninsured working poor in Palm Beach County.

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We are staffed by more than 400 volunteer doctors, dentists and outreach professionals.

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Boynton Beach, FL 33472 561-853-1638 www.caridad.org

8/25/14 12:45 PM 10/21/14 9:05 AM

december 2014

my turn

[ by john shuff ]

Holiday Dreams

Here’s How two little girls brougHt real CHristmas magiC baCk.

I

t was a long summer away for me, complicated by some stasis is when they’re asleep—that’s when you get the full measure health issues. Those months in Park City, Utah, away from of their innocence and beauty. It’s at that time that these two whirlmy South Florida base, gave me time to really think about ing dervishes turn into angels. things. There I was house-bound, therapists coming and There’s no question that our granddaughters have reignited the going, spending hours in bed in front of the TV news, which magic of Christmas for me, and for Margaret Mary, who has been swung between new Ebola outbreaks and Middle Eastern in and out of children’s stores all summer long looking for clothes terrorism. Back then, the holiday season to give the girls this Christmas. I know this seemed to belong to everyone else; I could not because she meticulously takes each dress, margaret mary shuff, even begin to look past my own limitations. bathing suit and shorts set out of her shopmadelyn, John shuff But then I started thinking about how ping bag and proudly displays her day’s work and Chloe much I was missing my two grandchildren. to me. She has been stockpiling Christmas This year Chloe Grace and Madelyn Marie presents for months, but the real gift is ours. will be 6 and 5, respectively. They are at the It is because of these two girls that I began stage where they still laugh at my jokes, get willing myself to get better this summer, to wide-eyed about Santa Claus and more often go home, to plunge myself into the season than not, do as I say. When they came along, with my family. These two children have they revamped Christmas for Margaret Mary given us a greater appreciation of what it and I. What had become a string of tired means to be a grandparent, with a new flow holiday parties and crowded shopping malls of energy that emanates from them. (how many times can one man watch “It’s A The sounds and sights of this Christmas Wonderful Life?”) suddenly acquired a life of will live forever in our memories. My old jadits own with these two. They were full of ened cynicism for this time of year will take a ergy. To this day, neither one of them underbackseat to the excitement of the holidays, as stands the meaning of being exhausted. seen through the eyes of Chloe and Madelyn.

Let’s face it: They are newcomers, like little The centerpiece of this particular season will space aliens in full-tilt discovery mode. They are still fascinated by not be on the dining room table but in the two little girls seated at everything around them and are engaged in an ongoing learning that table. We will all be there, and I can already see the joy in their experience as they inspect every inch of their surroundings with faces as they look all around at us—the family that loves them dearthe curiosity of dedicated scientists. The worst news in Chloe and ly and that wants to make this a very special day for them.

Madelyn’s world is running out of ice cream; they don’t know what it I wonder if the girls will ever read this. If they do, I’d like to think feels like to want to give up—they are just getting started. they would someday cherish this experience and share these feelI can see them now, cuddled up with their grandmother, listening ings with their own families. They will see then that they give us so intently to her as she reads, helpfully pointing out and naming the much to be grateful for, which is just about the best part of being a animals and objects on every page. The only other moment of real grandparent.

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