Delray Beach magazine Feb. 2014

Mexican Soul Food • FlaMe dancerS • Garlic FeSt

[

your town, your magazine

]

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[ your town - your magazine ]

contents [ february 2014 ] 25 30

42 editor’s letter [ 16 ]

up close [ 38 ]

on the avenue [ 19 ]

love stories [ 42 ]

In the real world, February is another word for depressing; in Delray, the party is just starting.

By Marie Speed

It’s the season of love—on the tennis courts and off—so hit the tennis tournament, sip a little rosé at Café Boulud, shop for romance or try out the brand-new outlet mall just up the road. Between a nonstop concert and entertainment schedule and a full-tilt Delray social season, February is full of diversionary tactics.

By Stefanie Cainto, Bill Citara & John thoMaSon

style [ 30 ]

Bright, sparkly fashion jewelry hits the sweet spot this winter. photography By aaron BriStol

dine [ 34 ]

El Camino promises to be another hit el grande for the trio who owns Cut 432 and Park Tavern.

By Bill Citara

play [ 36 ]

A community leader from one of Delray’s longtime families speaks out and a troupe of five entertainers makes its mark by playing with fire.

By John thoMaSon

Five couples share their tales of romance—and why they think they have the real thing.

By eMily J. Minor

business [ 50 ]

Jeff Rubin doesn’t sugarcoat the appeal of his blockbuster candy store business.

By riCh pollaCk

out & about [ 52 ]

The holidays just keep rolling in Delray Beach; here’s who was spotted here and there.

By Stefanie Cainto

dining guide [ 71 ]

Our city’s only review-driven dining guide.

Oh, go on and slip on those dancing shoes—it’s time you learned how to rumba.

By Marie Speed

my turn [ 80 ]

The author’s list of everyday grievances.

By John Shuff

26 8

delray beach magazine

february

[m a g a z i n e]

group editor-in-chief marie speed editor kevin kaminski assistant editor john thomason web editor stefanie cainto events coordinator sarah frank senior art director lori pierino art director nancy kumpulainen photographer aaron bristol production manager adrienne mayer contributing writers bill citara, emily j. minor, rich pollack, john shuff franktheatres_dbm0214.indd 1

12/12/13 10:26 AM

contributing photographer cristina morgado sales director mark gold, mark@bocamag.com senior integrated media sales manager georgette evans, georgette@bocamag.com national account manager tim schwab, tim@bocamag.com director of special publications bruce klein jr., brucek@bocamag.com special projects manager gail eagle, gail@bocamag.com account manager matthew krane, matt@bocamag.com

JES publishing 561/997-8683 (ph) 561/997-8909 (fax) bocamag.com editor@bocamag.com (editorial)

Delray Beach magazine is published six times a year by JES Publishing. The entire contents of Delray Beach magazine are copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the expressed written consent of the publisher. Delray Beach magazine accepts no responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts and/or photographs and assumes no liability for products or services advertised herein. Delray Beach magazine reserves the right to edit, rewrite or refuse material and is not responsible for products. Please refer to corporate masthead.

10

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delray beach magazine

12/17/13 10:07 AM

february

AUTO, MOTORCYCLE, BOAT, UMBRELLA & MORE

Serving all of South Florida

With over 100 locations state-wide, we insure over half a million customers and have been serving Floridians like you since 1991.

DelrayBeach.GreatFlorida.com 142 SE 6th Ave, Suite B Delray Beach, FL 33483 561-665-6577 DelrayBeach@GreatFlorida.com Each office is independently owned and operated.

JES publishing

president/publisher

margaret mary shuff group editor-in-chief

marie speed

controller

jeanne greenberg

circulation director

david brooks

subscription services

david shuff

JES publishing

5455 N. Federal Highway, Suite M Boca Raton, FL 33487 561/997-8683 bocamag.com

publishers of Boca Raton Delray Beach Mizner’s Dream Worth Avenue Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce Annual Salt Lake Utah Bride and Groom Utah Style & Design / O.C. Tanner nomad_dbm1013.indd 1

12/16/13 12:24 PM

2013 Charlie awards Florida Magazine assoCiation charlie award (first place) best overall online presence (Boca Raton) best department (Boca Raton)

P E R F E C T LY P R E PA R E D MEDITERRANEAN LUNCH / DINNER E V E N T S / PA RT I E S S E AT I N G 20 - 8 0 G U E S T S

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 feature (Delray Beach) best overall magazine (Boca Raton) best photographic essay (Boca Raton)

silver award

best 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 magazine (Worth Avenue)

bronze award

3 P R I VAT E D I N I N G S A L O N S

+ T H E M A I N SA LO N

best overall magazine (Boca Raton)

2010 Charlie awards charlie award (first place)

best overall magazine (Boca Raton) best overall design (Boca Raton) best overall use of photography (Florida Table)

2009 Charlie awards charlie award (first place)

Located 2 Traffic Lights South of

best overall magazine (Boca Raton) best overall design (Boca Raton) best feature (Boca Raton)

Atlantic Avenue On U.S. 1

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february

ServiceS directory Delray Beach magazine is published six times a year, with December/January, February, March/April, May/June, July/ August/September and October/November 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.

[ advertising resources ]

Take advantage of Delray Beach’s prime advertising space—put your ad dollars to work in the premier publication of South Florida. For more information, contact Mark Gold (mark@bocamag.com).

[ custom publishing ]

Create a magazine tailored to fit the needs and character of your business/organization. Ideal for promotions, special events, introduction of new services and/or locations, etc. Contact Marie Speed (editor@bocamag.com).

[ story queries/web queries ]

Delray Beach magazine values the concerns and interests of our readers. Story queries for the print version of Delray Beach should be submitted by e-mail to Marie Speed (editor@bocamag.com) or Kevin Kaminski (kevin@ bocamag.com). Submit information/queries regarding our website to Marie Speed (editor@bocamag.com). We try to respond to all queries; but due to the large volume that we receive, this may not be possible.

[ letters ]

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

[ calendar ]

Where to go, what to do and see in Delray Beach. Please submit information regarding fundraisers, art openings, plays, readings, concerts, dance or other performances to editor Marie Speed (editor@bocamag.com). Deadline for entries in an upcoming calendar section is three months before publication (e.g., to list an event in July/August, submit info by April 20).

[ dining guide ]

Our independent reviews of restaurants in Delray Beach.

A fine, reliable resource for residents and tourists. For more information, contact Marie Speed.

[ out & about ]

A photo collage of social gatherings and events in Delray Beach. All photos submitted should be clearly identified and accompanied by a brief description of the event (who, what, where, when); photos will not be returned. E-mail images to people@bocamag.com. Or mail photos to: “Out & About” Delray Beach magazine 5455 N. Federal Highway, Suite M Boca Raton, FL 33487

february

thecolonyhotel_dbmmj12.indd Colony Hotel.indd 1 1 thecolonyhotel_dbmso11.indd 1

12/4/13 9/20/10 10:55 4:31 PM AM 7/27/11 10:42 AM

Woodland Fabrics

We’re more than fabrics...

• WindoW Fashions • shutters • Bedding • shades & Blinds • upholstery • Wallpaper

325 NE 5th Ave. • Delray Beach, FL 33483 (561)-278-9700 • woodlandfabrics.com Scan with your smartphone to join our mailing list! woodlandfabrics_dbm1013.indd 1

12/16/13 12:22 PM

delray beach magazine

13

[ letters ] A few comments from Delray beach fAns …

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from r. scott morrison, Jr., Delray Beach and santa fe, n.m.: “Learning From the Past” (Delray Beach, Oct.-Nov.) was most informative and reminded me, in a small, comparable way, of the disabilities I incurred starting with my Legg-Perthes disease as a 6-year-old child. The disease was cured through motionless occupancy of a bed with a cast from the tip of my toe around my right leg and my entire chest up to my armpits for two years. When it was removed, I had a leg cast from the hip to the ankle, and I had the audacity to ride my friend’s scooter down my driveway with the cast, and the result was hitting a car and breaking the other leg. My poor mother.

Not withstanding this and subsequent hip surgeries resulting in declined mobility, I was able to obtain my Eagle Scout recognition with 72 merit badges and earn a swimming scholarship from San Mateo High in California to Michigan State University.

I share your sentiments exactly; in both our regards, perhaps we were made stronger, certainly with the help of God’s will and his blessing. from Greg malfitano, Boca raton: “Learning From The Past” prompted this note. I can’t tell you how much I admire you and the courage and determination you have shown over the years. from stuart silver, Boca raton: I am writing you today to commend you on your commentary in the October/ November issue of Delray Beach magazine.

The last paragraph was compelling, impactful and inspiring. Your story and the message is so important to so many.

My knowledge of those with spinal cord injuries, coupled with recent experiences in working with agencies who serve those with special needs and their families, has given me great perspective and a desire to face challenges that might have seemed difficult, if not insurmountable, in the past.

Thank you for sharing your insights.

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february

[ events ] Don’t-Miss EvEnts February norton MusEuM of Art GAlA

WhAt: A grand opening of “To Jane, Love Andy: Warhol’s First Superstar, honoring Jane Holzer.”

Cocktail reception, dinner and wine auction.

Proceeds benefit museum’s exhibitions and public programs.

WhEn: Feb. 1, 7 p.m. to midnight WhErE: Norton Museum of Art, 1451 S. Olive Ave., West Palm Beach ContACt: norton.org, 561/832-5196

“soMEWhErE ovEr thE rAinboW”

WhAt: The Cleveland Clinic Florida Ball. This annual “black tie and ruby slipper” affair at The Mar-a-Lago Club benefits the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic in West Palm Beach, Weston, Palm Beach Gardens and Parkland. All proceeds

dbcenterforarts_dbm0214.indd 1

february

from the event will remain in Florida to enhance and advance the clinic’s premier medical programs and services.

WhEn: Feb. 8, 7 to 11 p.m.

WhErE: The Mar-a-Lago Club, 1100 S. Ocean Blvd., Palm Beach ContACt: Cleveland Clinic Florida Philanthropy Institute, clevelandclinic.org/ giving, CCFBall@ccf.org

thE DElrAy bEACh opEn by thE vEnEtiAn® lAs vEGAs

WhAt: 10-day tennis tournament featuring Andy Roddick and doubles team the Bryan Brothers.

WhEn: Feb. 14 to 23 WhErE: Delray Beach Stadium & Tennis Center, 201 W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach ContACt: yellowtennisball.com, 561/330-6000

Make sure to sign up on our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter for the latest Delray-related news and events.

Drop us a line!

Delray Beach wants to hear from you!

Please direct all mail to editor@bocamag. com or send to Delray Beach magazine, 5455 N. Federal Highway, Suite M, Boca Raton, FL 33487.

12/12/13 2:19 PM

delray beach magazine

15

[ editor’s letter ]

By Marie Speed

love stories

February in Delray turns winter on its ear.

F

ebruary has always gotten a bad rap. The holidays are over, no one cares about President’s Day, and you’ve already broken every single one of your New Year’s resolutions, especially the one about Häagen-Dazs. Even the moon is bleak; February has the “Ice Moon” or, worse, “The Moon of the Dark Red Calf,” according to ancient Native Americans. Columnist and author Anna Quindlen went so far as to write that February is “a suitable month for dying.”

I say, not so fast. February may be gray and cold and deadly if you live in Buffalo, but down here, we have fresh strawberries, for starters. And honeybells and tomatoes and stone crabs. And what about Valentine’s Day? That was obviously completely invented to offset all the mid-winter gloom up north. (Not that we need stinking Valentine’s Day; it’s pretty frisky here all year round.)

And in that spirit, in this issue we elevate frisky to full-on love stories—five of them—just to warm you up even more. Writer Emily Minor went on a quest to find people who will make you believe again in the power of love—sort of the narrative equivalent of a five-week-old puppy. In these days of real housewives and Kardashians, who doesn’t need a reminder that good and decent loving people still exist?

This month we also take a look at El Camino, the latest hit restaurant by the triple threat of Brandon Belluscio, Brian Albe and Anthony Pizzo (owners of Cut 432 and Park Tavern). We taste some good rosés, flirt with the idea of ballroom dancing and discover a candy store that is irresistible, among other stories. In short, there is nothing remotely cold or bleak about this mid-winter month—or this issue of your hometown magazine. Snuggle up and enjoy it.

5 (MORE) things i lOvE abOut DElRay bEach: 1. When an osprey with a fish in its talons wings over I-95 during morning rush hour 2. Blow-dry salons 3. Making your own Bloody Mary at Deck 84 4. Picking your own tomatoes at Bedner’s 5. Marie Nofsinger belting one out

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i

tennis

inside: • hot list • cheers • great finds • calendar

[ 20 ] [ 25 ] [ 26 ] [ 28 ]

on the avenue News aNd Notes from delray beach

love in the time of garlic

february

“Mr. Garlic” Tom Johnston with Marley Fennell GeorGia Handy

February is the month of love in Delray—on and off the tennis court with the Delray Open, with the ultimate in tribal love-rock with “Hair” and just about a million other goings-on, including the venerable Garlic Fest. The rest of America may be singing the midwinter blues, but Delray is just getting the party started.

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on the avenue hot list

how sweet it is February in Delray is jam-packed with delightful diversions.

By s t e fa n i e c a i n to

Sparkling and Sweet

Put down that soda. West Palm Beach-based Onli has a lineup of sparkling drinks that rivals your favorite fizzy beverage. Onli has partnered with local chefs to produce seven light, refreshing flavors that use natural sweeteners and fruit extracts. Combinations range from hibiscus pomegranate aronia to the unexpected flavor of espresso Swiss hazelnut. Grab a bottle at Publix or find the closest retailer at onlibeverages.com/where-is-onli. (onlibeverages.com)

fashionable treats

Treat your valentine to something a little more special than a box of chocolates.

Cupcake Couture Sweet Boutique’s fabulous cupcakes, made from scratch daily, are sure to satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth. There’s Apple Kors, made with Granny Smith apples, walnuts, spices and caramel; Cocoa Chanel, a chocolate cupcake frosted with vanilla buttercream and topped with petite white chocolate curls; Limey Pulitzer, made with fresh Key limes; and 17 more mouthwatering flavors for you and your sweetheart to enjoy. Cupcakes are packaged in two sizes: petite, which comes individually or in a four-pack, and the oversized vogue.

(328 E. Atlantic Ave., 561/276-2334)

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shop till you drop

Say hello to half-a-million square feet of outlet shopping space, brought to you by Palm Beach Outlets. Palm Beach County residents have been buzzing about this outdoor mall since last summer, when the store list announcements slowly started trickling out. The shopping development, set to open this month, will include shops like Swarovski, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Men’s Wearhouse and Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH. It’s just off the Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard exit on Interstate 95, replacing the old Palm Beach Mall. (1801 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd., West Palm Beach, palmbeachoutlets.com) An artist rendering of Palm Beach Outlets

sweat it out Admit it—getting to the gym isn’t always easy. But you might change your mind about skipping that workout once you try PūrCycle, Delray’s first fully dedicated indoor cycling studio.

Its boutique-like setting, up-to-date cycling equipment and wireless heart rate monitoring system will have you wondering why working out was ever a struggle. Using a heart rate strap, the tracking system records your performance statistics—either privately through e-mail or on a display screen that also tracks other riders in class—so you can see your progress and push yourself even further. For more information or to sign up for a class, visit pur-cycle.com. (101 S.E. Second Ave., 561/901-7746)

inaugural florida youth dance gala

Mauricio Canete

february

Forty of Florida’s most talented dancers will come together for the inaugural Florida Youth Dance Gala, where they will perform alongside Miami City Ballet’s Carlos Miguel Guerra and Jennifer Kronenberg. The gala, a professional outlet for young dancers to showcase their talent, was founded by Mauricio Canete, a former ballet dancer who has performed as far away as China and Malaysia.

The event will be hosted at Palm Beach State College’s Duncan Theatre (4200 S. Congress Ave., Lake Worth) on Feb. 8 at 7:30 p.m. (floridayouthdancegala.com, 561/352-9572)

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on the avenue hot list

the truck stops here in West palm beach county

Head over to Wellington Amphitheater Park every Thursday night from 5 to 9:30 p.m. for the wheel deal when it comes to

dining experiences. The Food Truck Invasion is a weekly event that never fails to draw a great crowd. The hungry masses line up for rich and varied menu offerings that include everything from HipPOP’s glutenfree, kosher gelato made

david Willson

in a micro-creamery in Dania to the perfect slow-cooked barbecue and grilled meat from DR Smokehouse. To find other Food Truck Invasion locations, visit foodtruckinvasion.com.

(12150 Forest Hill Blvd., Wellington)

Age: 62 Who he is: Cartoonist/columnist for the Palm Beach Daily News What he does: Adds perspective to news stories in an entertaining way

After two decades of being the Palm Beach Daily News’ resident cartoonist, David Willson put together a book amassing more than 120 editorial cartoons about Palm Beach County that comments not only on the area but on the nature of human beings and society.

Billionaires and Butterfly Ballots, a 20-Year Palm Beach “Cartoonspective,” is organized in a narrative manner and divided into categories like “Scandals in Sandals” and “Island Survival Skills.”

Throughout the book, Willson threads in commentary—sometimes a sentence long, sometimes a paragraph—that offers insight into the background of the cartoon.

The result is a comical collection that makes for a perfect addition to your coffee table.

You can purchase Willson’s book for $19.95 at palmbeachcartoons. com or at amazon. com.

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delray beach magazine

IT ALL STARTS IN BOCA Rocco Mediate

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on the avenue cheers

a rosé by any other name Forget that awful 1990s blush and discover the real (and vibrant) rosé.

By Bill citar a

F

ace it, there’s something ineffably sexy about pink wine.

If big, brawny red wines say manly, and light, delicate white wines feminine, then pink wines say … well, you know.

Perhaps it’s the color, which ranges

café Boulud

301 Australian Ave., Palm Beach 561/655-6060 cafeboulud.com/palmbeach from the brilliant golden-pink of a sunset to the deep, vibrant tones of a perfect rose petal. Or perhaps it’s the flavor profile, which seduces you with the aromas of ripe berries, then satisfies with a clean, crisp acidity? Or maybe it’s something else entirely. Really, who cares?

What we do care about is that in a month that celebrates romance, there’s no better time to turn our attention to the wine that celebrates romance. To make the most of that attention, we asked an expert: Mariya Kovacheva, sommelier of the tres elegant (not to mention thoroughly romantic) Café Boulud. Her recommendations should definitely put a little sex appeal in your wine glass. After all, she says, “On a special occasion like Valentine’s Day, you need to go beyond and choose something unique, something special, and indulge yourself.”

Hear, hear.

Domaine de la Croix 2012 “Irresistfebruary

ible” ($18). This mélange of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah and Tibouren is “a very traditional Provençal blend,” Kovacheva says.

“It’s light and easy drinking, with a nice minerality and very delicate red fruit flavors—strawberry and raspberry and floral notes.” Though you could pair it with lighter dishes, “This wine is great on its own because it’s so light and enjoyable.”

Domaine de Marquiliani 2012 Rosé de Sciaccarellu ($22). From the island of Corsica, an “up-and-coming region” whose wine-making tradition goes back hundreds of years, this rosé comes from “a very small estate,” she says, one known as much for its excellent olive oil as its wines. It’s “very light and dry,” with pronounced mineral flavors and a “very round texture.” “I’d drink it on its own, but it would also be terrific with seafood dishes.”

Robert Sinskey Vineyards, 2012 Vin Gris of Pinot Noir ($29). California’s acclaimed Carneros region is the birthplace of this wine, made from organic, biodynamically grown grapes. “It’s definitely berry-driven,” Kovacheva says, showing off “cherry and tea leaf notes, red flowers and a touch of earthiness.” Though “not as full as the Bandol,” it can pair well with dishes with “stronger flavors, like salmon or risotto with mushrooms.”

Chateau Pradeaux 2012 Bandol Rosé ($36). Though the Bandol region is “usually more famous for reds,” Kovacheva says, “This estate makes a terrific rosé,

Mariya Kovacheva

probably one of the most powerful in France.” It’s a blend of Cinsault and Mourvedre, and tastes of “dark raspberries and Bing cherries and aromatic wild strawberries. I think it’s exceptional.” You can “pair it with dishes with more intensity: veal, chicken, bouillabaisse, cioppino.”

Ruinart NV Brut Rosé ($75). The specialty of France’s oldest Champagne house, founded in 1729, may be Blanc de Blancs, but this blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir is also “exceptional,” Kovacheva says. “Light, floral and fruity, definitely mineral-driven,” it’s one of the few rosés that would actually play well with dessert—say, wild berry vacherin (a meringue-based confection) or, wait for it … white chocolate. delray beach magazine

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on the avenue great finds Heart-shaped massage bars, $8, thesilksoapco.com

Britto™ teapot, $69.99, Bed, Bath & Beyond

Apothecary candle, $24, Francesca’s

Swarovski-decorated music box, $195, Just Hearts

love tokens

Shakespeare’s Love Sonnets, $18.95, Barnes & Noble

Stir things up this Valentine’s Day with a few gifts from the heart.

Sex Bomb bath bomb, $6.96, Lush Cosmetics

Art glass vase, $80, Pier 1 Imports

Oleg Cassini crystal diamond goblet, $39.99 for set of two, Bed, Bath & Beyond

BARNES & NOBLE: 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton, 561/544-0809 FRANCESCA’S: 9173 Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, 561/499-1526 BED, BATH & BEYOND: 14824 S. Military Trail, Delray Beach, 561/499-4175 JUST HEARTS: 537 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, 561/265-7277 PIER 1 IMPORTS: 2975 S. Federal Highway, Delray Beach, 561/265-2978 LUSH COSMETICS: 3107 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens, 561/627-9700

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delray beach magazine

february

THIS VALENTINES DAY...

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L VE

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on the avenue calendar

The Top 5

There are activities to keep us occupied every day of high season—without having to leave our favorite city.

[5]

[4]

“The Harimaya Bridge” screening and lecture

Elizabeth Smart

When: Feb. 21 Where: Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, 4000 Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach About: Filmmaker Aaron Woolfolk may have been born in Oakland, Calif., but he’s Japanese at heart.

A veteran of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme, Woolfolk has taught English in rural Japan and shot a number of short films there, and he returned to the Kochi Prefecture for his 2009 feature-film debut “The Harimaya Bridge.”

Co-starring Danny Glover and Peter Coyote, the film follows an African-American father’s first visit to Japan after the death of his estranged son, who had fallen in love with a Japanese girl. Secrets are unlocked, prejudices are explored and many tears are shed in an award-winning drama that the Los Angeles Times called a “consciousnessraising accomplishment.” Woolfolk, who has the distinction of being the first black director to shoot a feature in Japan, will lead a discussion after the screening.

Cost: $7−$10 Contact: 561/495-0233, morikami.org

When: Feb. 14 Where: Delray Beach Center for the Arts, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach About: As a 14-year-old girl, Elizabeth Smart became a most unwitting public figure. Abducted from her Salt Lake City bedroom and held in horrific, abusive captivity for nine months in the early 2000s, Smart’s case riveted the nation—acting as sad red meat for the tabloid media. But in the number of years since her rescue, Smart has emerged as a model advocate for child-abduction cases, speaking in Washington, D.C., after the signing of the Adam Walsh act and eventually forming a nonprofit dedicated to educating children about violent and sexual crimes. Now, she’s ready to share everything from her ordeal and recovery; her speaking tour, which includes lectures at 2 and 5:30 p.m. in the Crest Theatre, arrives months after the publication of her autobiography, My Story.

Cost: $30–$45 Contact: 561/243-7922, delraycenterforthearts.org

[3] “Fighting Over Beverly”

When: Feb. 28–March 23 Where: Arts Garage, 180 N.E. First St., Delray Beach About: A year after producing Israel Horovitz’s “Gloucester Blue,” the Theatre at Arts Garage continues the long-running relationship between the playwright and local artistic director Lou Tyrrell, a relationship that extends beyond Tyrrell’s previous company, Florida Stage. “Fighting Over Beverly,” Horovitz’s latest, is a romantic triangle, set in his beloved Gloucester, among three 70-plusyear-olds: An English war bride from the Second World War, her current fisherman-husband, and the Brit whose heart she broke 53 years earlier.

Though Beverly now has two romantic options and decades’ worth of stirred-up emotional cobwebs, Tyrrell says the play “is about her taking control of her own life and not being subject to a man and a husband. So the issues of independence and life and love, especially from that point of view, are going to land very specifically for theatergoers that are that age.”

Cost: $30–$45 Contact: 561/450-6357, artsgarage.org

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february

on and off the avenue more events on tap this february in Delray beach:

from left: a still from “the hariyama bridge,” elizabeth smart, the Delray beach Garlic festival and the Delray beach open

georgia handy photography

alese & Morton pechter/pechter photo

“Contemporary Japanese Street Fashion”: This exhibition will showcase the trends and styles popular in Japan today, including gyaru, yankee, lolita and rockabilly, now through Feb. 23 at Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens. 561/495-0233, morikami.org

[2]

[1]

Delray Beach Garlic Festival

Delray Beach Open

When: Feb. 7–9 Where: Old School Square, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach About: Allium sativum, the plant we call garlic, has been around for an awfully long time: Its origins trace back to 4,000 B.C. in Central Asia.

Great thinkers like Hippocrates and Galen have advocated its use in treating parasites and respiratory problems, and the aromatic cloves have even been traded as currency. For 15 years now, the Delray Beach Garlic Festival has found its own uses for garlic, with its fearless chefs concocting dishes like Argentinean Garlic BBQ, Garlic Fest crab cakes and garlic ice cream. This month’s event, dubbed “the best stinkin’ party in town,” will feature the return of the Garlic Chef Competition, the Cloves and Vines Wine Garden, and Gourmet Alley, where visitors can experiment with numerous garlic-tinged entrées.

As for the live music, the main stage headliners will be ’90s rockers Collective Soul (Friday), recently reuinted rock act Dispatch (Saturday) and U2 and Bruce Springsteen tribute acts (Sunday).

Cost: $10–$15 per day Contact: 561/279-0907, dbgarlicfest.com

When: Feb. 14–23 Where: Delray Beach Tennis Center, 201 W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach About: For its 21st birthday, the former Delray Beach International Tennis Championships decided it was time for a rebranding. As of this year, the world’s only combined ATP World Tour (the world’s top young players) and ATP Champions Tour (the retired legends) has truncated its name to the Delray Beach Open and taken on a major sponsor, The Venetian, the five-diamond Las Vegas resort. For the first time, the tournaments are timed around a holiday weekend: Love as well as fuzzy yellow balls will be in the air on the event’s opening night (Valentine’s Day), with other activities planned throughout the week. Andy Roddick, who made his professional debut at age 17 in Delray Beach, returns for his first Champions Tour tournament, joining Aaron Krickstein, Goran Ivanisevic and Jan-Michael Gambill. World Tour athletes include top players John Isner and Tommy Haas. As usual, expect gala parties and live music from local bands in between sets.

Cost: $40–$250 Contact: 561/330-6000, yellowtennisball.com

“You Can’t Take It With You:” An émigré Russian duchess, an out-of-work ballet instructor, a young Trotskyite and a provocative romance novelist are a few of the wacky characters in this Pulitzer Prizewinning comedy by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart at Delray Beach Playhouse (Feb. 1-16). 561/2721281, delraybeachplayhouse.com South Florida Symphony Orchestra: In a program titled “Double Speak & Hidden Meanings,” acclaimed pianist Christopher Taylor will join the symphony to perform Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto, No. 3, at Delray Beach Center for the Arts (Feb. 3). 561/243-7922, delraycenterforthearts.org Peter and Will Anderson: This saxophone-playing jazz duo has performed with Wynton Marsalis; its latest album is “The Music of the Soprano Masters.”

Catch them at the Arts Garage (Feb. 7, 8 p.m.).

561/450-6357, artsgarage.org Stephanie J. Block: Cabaret performance from this star of Broadway’s “Wicked,” “Anything Goes” and “9 to 5: The Musical,” at Delray Beach Center for the Arts (Feb. 10-11, 8 p.m.). 561/243-7922, delraycenterforthearts.org “Call Me Madam!”: A tribute to Ethel Merman, the so-called “First Lady of Musical Theater,” includes songs such as “I Got Rhythm,” and “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” at Delray Beach Playhouse (Feb 10-19). 561/2721281, delraybeachplayhouse.com “Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical”: The revival of this iconic musical about the 1960s counterculture won Tony and Drama Desk Awards in 2008; see it at Delray Beach Center for the Arts (Feb. 14-16). 561/243-7922, delraycenterforthearts.org Johnny Rawls: The 61-year-old blues singer, songwriter and guitarist has been plying his Southern blues style for decades, with 10 Blues Music Award nominations to his credit. At Arts Garage (Feb. 15, 8 p.m.). 561/450-6357, artsgarage.org “An Evening With Sam Harris”: The Broadway talent, with a résumé including “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Pippin,” will read from and discuss his newly released story-and-essay collection, “Ham: Slices of Life,” at Delray Beach Center for the Arts (Feb. 19, 8 p.m.).

561/243-7922, delraycenterforthearts.org Dick Hyman: The jazz pianist, arranger and composer has accrued more than 100 albums to his name in more than a half-century in the music business. At Arts Garage (Feb. 21, 8 p.m.). 561/450-6357, artsgarage.org

february

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Waves ring and sterling silver, cabochon facetted chalcedony ring, from Furst; orange rhinestone clip-on earrings and blue rhinestone and stone ring, from Sequin; multicolor ring with pearl, from Isabel Wolfe

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february

[style ]

sweet treats

Put a little sparkle on your Valentine this month.

PhotograPhy by aaron bristol Macaroons and candy provided by Le Macaron.

Silver nuggets necklace, from Isabel Wolfe; Blue Druzy pendant on mesh necklace and Echo of the Dreamer seaside pink shell earrings, from Unique Boutique; cuff from Furst.

february

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GET THE LOOK IN DELRAY FURST: 123 N.E. Second Ave., 561/272-6422, furstshop.us UNIqUE BOUTIqUE: 204 E. Atlantic Ave., uniqueboutiquejewelry.com SEqUIN DELRAY BEAcH: 445 E. Atlantic Ave., 561/243-9373 ISABEL WOLFE: 16950 Jog Road, 561/270-7301, isabelwolfe.com

Faceted blue quartz pendant and matching ring by Julez Bryant, from Unique Boutique; blue rhinestone bracelet, from Sequin; silver bracelet, from Isabel Wolfe.

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[style ]

Colorful lucite bangles and Echo of the Dreamer carnelian, pink tourmaline, pearls and sugilite stone bracelet, from Unique Boutique; sterling silver cabochon green tourmaline ring from Furst; Badgley Mischka pin, from Sequin.

Art Director/stylist: Lori Pierino, nancy KumPuLainen speciAl thAnks to le MAcAron: 520 e. atLantic ave., DeLray Beach, 561/266-3860

february

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[ dine ]

By Bill Citar a

el camino E

The newest gig from a hip trio of restaurateurs is Mexican soul food.

l Camino is not your grandfather’s Mexican restaurant. It’s not your father’s Mexican restaurant. It’s probably not even your neighbor’s Mexican restaurant.

El Camino Mexican Soul Food & Tequila Bar is the latest venture of three of the smartest guys in

El CaMiNO

15 N.E. Second Ave. Delray Beach 561/265-5093

Partners Brandon Belluscio, Brian albe and anthony Pizzo

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february

Why Mexican, Part i

“Mexican cuisine is beautiful.

I love the love the Mexican people put into their food. Everybody I’ve spoken to doing research for the restaurant was so proud of their culture. I feel honored to be a part of it.”—Anthony Pizzo

Why Mexican, Part ii

“We felt there Was a void for that kind of restaurant in delray. The amazing thingcutline was that people were so excited about it. They kept asking, ‘When are you going to open, when are you going to open?’ Of all the restaurants we’ve opened, people have been more excited about this one than any of them.”—Brian Albe

itching to Scratch

“[We’re Making] everything froM the first ingredient to the last ingredient—including the tortillas. It’s a total scratch kitchen. We’re using local farms, we’re bringing in whole pigs; we use the whole animal from tail to nose. It’s a true farm-fresh restaurant.”—Anthony Pizzo

Wine, not Whine

“the Wine prograM is really cool.

Everything is $9 a glass and $36 a bottle. There will be a total of 28 offerings—14 whites and 14 reds—wines specifically from regions of South America. I thought by pricing wines [like that], it gives people the option to experiment a little more, try something they’re not

the local restaurant business—Brian Albe, Brandon Belluscio and Anthony Pizzo—who kicked the stuffy, clubby old steak house in the shins with Cut 432, following it up with their take on the contemporary American pub, Park Tavern. Now they’re aiming their hip, young guns at the cuisine of Mexico, a country with a long and distinguished culinary heritage all too often trampled by restaurants whose food is mostly cook-by-numbers filler to facilitate the peddling of overpriced margaritas.

What the trio has done is as common-sensible as it is rare: Take the same fresh-local-seasonal ethos that’s become the country’s new culinary mantra, add a heaping helping of a skilled chef ’s el camino’s interior

february

used to without sticker shock. That’s what it’s all about for me, trying to get people to do something different.”—Brian Albe

But Will they get it?

“We have a really good reputation at Cut [432] and Park [Tavern], so I think it will be easier for us to come across as opposed to someone else trying to do an upscale Mexican restaurant. That being said, our price point isn’t crazy. We’re still going to make sure [prices] stay as reasonable as possible. A lot of our products cost a little bit more, but I think the final product is something people will pick up right away and will separate us from maybe another Mexican restaurant.”—Anthony Pizzo

creative aesthetic and exacting technique, garnish with a dollop of youthful, contemporary cool and apply vigorously to previously uninspiring notions of what constitutes a Mexican restaurant.

What all that means is that the façade of the 1939-vintage former garage on Northeast Second Avenue is wrapped top to bottom in a colorful, sprawling mural starring Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata by Miami artist Ruben Ubiera.

It means an artsy, industrial-style dining room that preserves the original concrete floor, 38-foot barrel ceiling and giant garage door openings, which are fitted with sliding glass doors that open the restaurant to the street. It means tables made from lumber pulled down from the building’s false ceiling and chandeliers made from reclaimed pulley systems.

In your mouth it means a roster of craft beers, including Mexican Standoff, a brew made solely for the restaurant by Due South Brewing Co. of Boynton Beach, plus a wide selection of artisan and boutique tequilas and an innovative (and affordable) wine program. It means a menu from chef Pizzo that features pork from Palmetto Creek Farms in the tamale and greens from Swank Specialty Produce in the tostada, organic Murray Farms chicken in the enchilada and tacos ranging from classic carnitas to crisp pork belly with crushed peanuts, kimchi and plum jam.

The idea, Pizzo says, is “regional Mexican, a little bit lighter, a little bit more professional, as if your Mexican mother went to culinary school.”

Can we get an “Ole!”? delray beach magazine

35

[ play ]

By marie speed

dance lessons

Yes, you can star in your show—and log in some healthy exercise along the way.

I

pam Casanave and aJ molter

36

delray beach magazine

n the Pilates-grinding, bike-pedaling, pure barre-grunting world of working out, the notion of ballroom dancing may seem a little quaint. But with the smashing success of “Dancing with Stars,” among other things, the renewed interest in learning to dance has resulted in a whole new legion of people who swear by dancing as a combination of physical exercise and therapy.

“What happens here is hard to get in a lot of places,” says Jean-Marc Casanave, owner of Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Boca Raton. “When you go to the gym and you’re working out, your mind is still running with work, family, your everyday life. When you come here and are engaged in dancing and someone is teaching you, you can check out. You are engaging your mind Fred AstAire dAnce studio and your body. And BocA rAton the music—it’s all very 151 S.E. Mizner Blvd., Suite 16A therapeutic.”

Royal Palm Place Jean-Marc knows Boca Raton what he’s talking about; 561/391-8591 his grandfather, Charles Lawrence Casanave, started the Fred Astaire Dance Studio franchise in New York in 1946—with Fred Astaire, who actually trained the first group of dance instructors himself. The studio was an immediate hit and became a family legacy. Casanave and his wife, Pam, also a longtime dancer and dance teacher, were part owners in four franchises in North Carolina before they moved to Boca Raton in 2004, opening their present studio.

“I always wanted to be in the franchise business,” Jean-Marc says. “My uncles told me I had to learn the dance business too—dancing, taking part in february

Left, Pam and Jean-Marc Casanave; below, Pam with James Brann

Notes from the teachers: Hardest tHing for students to overcome: “Their own doubts and fears.” on starting out: “Everyone says, ‘Oh, I am the worst dancer you’ve ever had.’ No one thinks that anyone can possibly be as uncomfortable as they are.” on tHe difference between men and women: “Men will do the same step over and over again and drill. They will be methodical. Women are, ‘Turn me, turn me, turn me.’

It’s a different dynamic.” wHat people say after a few lessons: “Why did I wait so long?” on tHeir results: “There are three national competitions every year, and Fred Astaire Boca Raton has been the top studio in every national competition we have attended. Which is huge. We are proud of what we’ve done.”

competitions and showcases. I started in 1985—as a dance teacher. I grew up learning to dance,” he says.

Today the sunny studio in Royal Palm Place in Boca Raton is one of the top studios in the nation and operates under what Pam calls a new generation of dance studio owners, with an emphasis on manners, and attention to the customer dance experience.

“Jean-Marc changed a lot of stereotypes about the dance business, and what the students experienced at the school.” Pam says. “We kept the traditions that people really like. There is a sense of professionalism, of ladies and gentlemen.

[In a sense], it’s very old school—we have kept the good stuff.” Pam says. “We used to call each other ‘Mr.’ and ‘Miss.’ Teachers wore coats and february

ties, girls were required to wear pantyhose, high heels and a dress—every day. Wearing pants to work was unheard of.”

Although today’s studio is much more relaxed than the old days, the focus is on teaching someone how to dance—not one dance, not dance lessons, the Casanaves stress, but how to dance.

You can learn it all at the studio, from the six major dances—foxtrot, waltz, tango, rumba, swing and cha-cha—to some South Florida faves like salsa and samba. Jean-Marc says the average person can get going after “a handful of lessons,” and the studio also encourages students to attend the group classes, held five times a week.

They say most people walk in thinking they have

two left feet, and end up wondering why they waited so long to start dancing. And, in the process, the exercise pays off.

“It’s good clean fun,” Jean-Marc says. “A lot of people lose weight, and go off diabetic medicine.

Balance improves, posture improves, it’s social outlet. It gives people confidence.”

And then there’s the dancing.

“No matter what you do or your walk in life, when you come to us it’s a level playing field,” Jean-Marc says. “It doesn’t matter if you’re successful or you’re the boss; here, you are a person who doesn’t know how to dance, and it is our job to make you comfortable, to get you out of your head and show you that dancing is walking to music.” delray beach magazine

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a

what’s in a name?

If you see a Philosofire on the street, it would behoove you to address them by their proper stage name. All but Doug Graham have performance noms de guerre: Kole Burke: Koleskies eduardo Carneiro: Pyromancer Ed Kira hays: Roslin Atreides Richard Olmedo: Phantom Fire Zoe Renee: Kitty Flames

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aaron bristol

Clockwise from top: Richard Olmedo, Eduardo Carneiro, Doug Graham, Kole Burke, Carneiro again, and Zoe Renee

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[ up close ]

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by John Thomason

the philosofires Six talented “spinners” are making a name for themselves by playing with fire.

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t about 8:45 on a Thursday night this past October, six costumed fire dancers began a performance in front of the spray-painted bay doors of the Boynton Beach Arts District (B-BAD). With Halloween just around the corner, they danced to a mix of seasonal favorites that started with the “Ghostbusters” theme. One by one, they took to the concrete, fighting gusts of wind with flaming staffs, fans, poi (round nunchuk-like tools) and a hula hoop with six torches.

Each brought his or her own style to the performance, which resembled the induction ceremony of a hip cult, or perhaps a reunion of Mai-Kai refugees.

Doug Graham, dressed in German lederhosen, swung his poi with effortless speed, creating swirling circles until the flames extinguished themselves. Eduardo Carneiro was slower and more methodical, a trance artist shrouded in a scary gas mask—his homage to “Dr. Who.” His performance would merge with that of the group’s lone belly dancer, Kira Hays, whose red skirt became the cape to Carneiro’s bull in a fiery Paso Doble.

Kole Burke, whose Day of the Dead costume included half her face painted as a chalk-white skeleton, balanced her flaming staff like a gymnast and brought a theatricality to her performance that betrayed her background in performing arts.

Eventually they all performed together in a combustible climax.

By day, most of these local twentysomethings are students, or they slave away in far less dramatic office or retail jobs as warranty assistants, Home Depot employees or temps. But on select nights since June 2013, they have pooled their talents together as the fire-spinning sextet Philosofires, a project that started on a whim at the Boynton Beach Arts District.

“Rolando [Chang Barrero, organizer of B-BAD’s events] had asked me to come and perform at one of his shows,” says Hays, the belly dancer. “I was dating Ed [Carneiro] at the time, and he had volunteered to spin fire. Originally, we were going to have a half-hour set, which was going to be fine: I’d pick out a few february

songs to dance to, he’d pick out a few songs to spin to, no big deal. But then Rolando gave us an hour. I looked at him and said, ‘We need more people.’”

So they called some fire-spinning acquaintances—it’s a small but thriving subculture—and performed their first show together at B-BAD’s June art walk.

“Everybody came up to us afterward and said, ‘Oh my god, you guys are so cool, this is so awesome, do you do this all the time?’” recalls Hays. “And we said, ‘No, this was a fluke.’ And then we all looked at each other and said, ‘Let’s do it.’”

The name came from a brainstorming session at Carneiro’s home shortly after that inaugural gig. Suggestions like Fire Fairies, Up in Flames and Pyromancers were bandied about before Burke’s contribution, Philosofires, won out. They’ve been performing monthly at B-BAD’s art walks ever since, and so far it’s all been for gratis. But the Philosofires are seeking paying gigs, including some outside of Palm Beach County.

Leadership decisions are made democratically, but the promotional materials fall under the purview of creative director—and flaming hoop dancer—Zoe Renee, a rockabilly chick with six tattoos, scarlet hair propped up in victory rolls and small metal studs in both cheeks, like permanent dimples. She was late for our interview, due to “a wardrobe mishap. I lost my original poison ivy top and had to remake one.”

When asked what the secret is to avoid being burned by their tools, Renee quickly replied, “You do get burned. It’s really more of a tolerance thing than a ‘not getting burned’ thing. If you practice a lot, you’ll be OK.” “Ultimately, even when you do get burned, it’s not a severe burn,” adds Graham. “At least not in most cases. It goes away in a couple of days.”

That said, it takes a certain amount of bravery, recklessness and athletic prowess to spin fire—not necessarily attributes that spring to mind when you consider that, as Carneiro says, “most of us are major nerds and geeks” who are fond of renaissance fairs and who grew up on Dungeons & Dragons.

Perhaps the Philosofires are a real-life extension of these worlds of fantasy. For an hour’s performance, at least, they’re a bit like characters from other worlds— and they’re the hottest thing around.

The Philosofires are a real-life extension of these worlds of fantasy.

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[ up close ]

s

by John Thomason

sandy simon After a debilitating injury, this elder statesman of a pioneer family lives to tell another Delray story.

S

andy Simon is filled with stories. He probably has more stories than a skyscraper. Get him started, and he won’t stop.

He can talk to you about his status as a scion in one of Delray Beach’s pioneer families, which arrived here via Lebanon in 1912. He can talk about his father Alexander, a produce broker who befriended Yamato Colony steward George Morikami and housed and fed him for months after Dec. 7, 1941, when Japanese were shunned on the American homeland.

He can talk about one of his earliest jobs out of college, armed with an architecture degree from Georgia Tech University, where he managed the development of a resort on the Bahamian island of Exuma. “I wore a beard before it was chic,” he says. (He would go on to build Atlantic Plaza, at 777 E. Atlantic.)

And he can talk about his prized fact-finding mission to the Middle East during the lead-up to the Camp David Accords, at the request of the State Department. He was one of four ArabAmerican civilians asked to tour the region. “We met with the highest officials of the United States and of Arab countries—emirs, kings, ministers of all kinds,” Simon recalls. He’s currently writing a book about the Accords, in hopes that it will bring the United States and the Arab world closer together.

It won’t be Simon’s first book. He has published a three-part historical romance as well as Remembering … A History of Florida’s South Palm Beach County 1894-1998, a comprehensive coffee-table catalog of the past century’s major players, events and institutions in Boca, Delray and Boynton. In it, the author weaves his personal history in with the larger narrative of a county whose population ballooned from 500, in 1900, to well over a million by 2000.

In other words, when it comes to life in Delray Beach then and now, Simon and his family have been some of the city’s most vital trumpeters. The irony is that, by medical odds, he shouldn’t even be alive to tell Delray’s stories.

On Nov. 28, 1993, a month after whitewater canoeing in Utah and 11 days after returning from a trip to Japan, Simon, who had just turned 56, awoke from an afternoon nap in his Delray Beach home and fell out of his bed. His

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entire left side was numb. He tried twice, unsuccessfully, to stand up. He called his brother, Roy, who advised him to dial 911. Soon enough, the EMTs showed up. “[The doctors] told my family that if the bleeding didn’t stop in 30 minutes, I would surely die. Most hemorrhagic strokes cause death eventually,” he says.

“They said if I didn’t die, which they expected, I would never walk again, talk again, use my left side again or make a decision again. They had a minister there for last rites. It felt terrifying.”

Simon soon fell into a two-week coma, followed by three months of rehabilitation at Delray Medical Center. On his third day of rehab, he nearly died again due to fluid penetration in his brain and was saved by diuretics. In all, he’s endured some 28 therapies.

“After my stroke, I had lost 45 percent of my brain cells, so I’m a half-wit,” Simon says. He can joke about it now, but at the time, it took steadfast resolve to defeat the odds. He healed, literally, one step at a time. He picked up painting, which the doctors recommended to boost his endorphins, and writing, though it would be years before he could compose a paragraph.

“I was determined not to live in a fetal position in a rest home,” he says. He would later turn his stroke recovery into another book, A Stroke of Genius, and these days he lectures about it on cruise ships and at hospitals. He had to leave a few Delray civic boards during his recovery—at one time, he was on 12 of them—but these days he’s on three boards, and his name remains important to Delray’s legacy; his niece, Laura, is an associate director of the Downtown Development Authority.

When you listen to Simon speak, the remnants of his stroke have all but vanished from his vocal chords—and his passion for Delray remains a top priority.

“I come from an honest, hardworking, determined, educated family,” he says. “Education, church, family and community are the issues we live by.

We are not driven by massive profits; we never have been. My family is very proud to be considered part of the pioneering families—and are proud to preserve the historic integrity of this town.”

Simon and his family have been some of the city’s most vital trumpeters.

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simon unplugged sandy simon is a nice guy, but he has plenty of opinions about the town his family helped create, and not all of them are pleasing to the establishment—especially regarding a certain controversial development:

aaron bristol

“What I have had problems with are some of the politicians who make decisions to go from point A to point B without having any idea what point B is going to look like. And with the recent approval of the Atlantic Crossroads, I think it’s a terrific project but not on that corner. I think it’s going to be a big problem for Delray.”

cutline

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All you need is . . .

aaron bristol

By Emily J. Minor

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Five area couples share what it’s like to make the leap—and hang on for better or for worse.

S

Christine DiroCCo anD Bert Burlingame

he chose Rome because, why not?

“It was on my bucket list, and it’s the eternal city of love,” says Christine DiRocco, 48, who married Bert Burlingame there this past October. “The whole day was really about us.”

And who wouldn’t want a wedding day like that? No caterers. No exhausted flower girls.

No drunken Aunt Agnes. Just two people—and maybe a few insistent sisters—together, in love, in Europe’s most romantic city.

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“I could hear her laugh, and I loved the way it sounded.”

But, we digress. (Mainly because the Rome part was just way too cool to keep quiet for long.) The love story of DiRocco and Burlingame, 47, is one of those love stories that didn’t start out as a love story at all.

They were friends first.

They worked together at The Breakers Palm Beach. And work it was. She handled all the event and catering details; he handled all the audiovisual services. Powerful, detail-oriented people have their conventions at the Breakers, so the two of them were constantly on deadline, pulling things together on the fly, yakking up a storm as they went. “We ended up really clicking as colleagues because we work the same way,” she says.

DiRocco left in 2004 to take a job at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, followed by the Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach and Burlingame stayed behind, eventually starting his own business.

West Palm Beach is a small town, and they’d run in to each other here and there. A few times it was at a sports get-together, where they rabidly followed competing teams—she’s a New England Patriots girl; he loves the Buffalo Bills.

But love is love, and before you knew it they were together, in the real sense. “We’d be necking, and it was like, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe we’re doing this,’” she remembers.

Burlingame was just as smitten, and just as sure, eventually proposing in January 2013. He’d been carrying the ring around for months, waiting for the right moment. And the right moment was?

She was sick with shingles, covered with blisters, crying because she was hideous.

Burlingame whipped out the diamond and said, “Christine Marie DiRocco, will you marry me?”

And she did. In Rome. The locals congratulating them, quite heartily, wherever they went that day. “It was perfect,” says DiRocco, a statement that validates the wisdom of sage mothers everywhere.

Good things really do come to those who wait.

And wait. And wait.

Ilana JacquelIne and RIchaRd danko

The first time she saw a picture of him—back in the Myspace days—she “thought he was dropdead gorgeous.”

As for him? Richard “RJ” Danko loved Ilana Jacqueline’s laugh, which he heard as a buddy 44

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talked to her on the phone on the way back from a road trip to Orlando. Danko was so immediately taken with his friend’s friend, he openly eavesdropped.

“I could hear her laugh, and I loved the way it sounded,” he remembers now.

Years later, they’re still young. He’s 24, and she’s 23. But Jacqueline and her fiancé have a rather startling handle on life, even though they’re carting plenty of baggage.

Diagnosed with primary immune deficiency disease as a teenager, Jacqueline has an immune system that doesn’t much like her. PIDD, of which there are some 150 forms according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, affects the body’s own ability to fight infections; the symptoms can be frustratingly varied. Headache. Stomachache. Sinus infections. These stubborn infections can take root in the intestines, spine, lungs, brain—you name it.

Of course, handling any chronic illness is a tough family affair. He worries about her. She never feels 100 percent. But there they are, young and adorable, giggling with us over the phone one Saturday morning. She’s in her jammies, she confesses, and he’s bringing up a load of laundry.

Engaged since May, they’re going to see a matinee later, assuming she feels good all day long. If not?

They’ll just hang.

“I am so grateful he is putting up with me,” says Jacqueline, who has carved an impressive niche as a freelance writer and blogger, working hard when she can and resting when she can’t. (All without a college degree.) “I hear from people all the time on my blog that it’s terrible getting people to understand them. RJ has always been very understanding.”

And they’re not new to this. They’ve been together since she was 17 and he was 18. “A lot of people would probably take a look at the relationship and think, ‘There’s no way I could do that,’” says Danko, a pharmaceutical research scientist who pampers Jacqueline with quiet time and easy-to-eat foods when she’s having a “flare-up.”

“But when you love somebody you make sacrifices,” he says. “You make exceptions.”

Their parentally mandated engagement party was Nov. 30, and there’s no wedding date yet. But the venue? “We’re thinking the Spanish River Library,” she says, “because we both love to read.”

We warned you: They’re adorable. february

Šjack levy photography

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“She was such a kid.

I thought she was really cute.”

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Instincts are good. After all, that’s how Joan Waitkevicz (above left) met Shirley Herman (right).

Married in Massachusetts three years ago, the lesbian couple has been together 40 years.

And they still like each other—a whole lot.

“It was 1973, and we were both living in Manhattan,” says Waitkevicz, a doctor of internal medicine who was doing her residency in the Bronx at the time. Waitkevicz was involved with the city’s counterculture movement when she got an invitation from the Lesbian Feminist Liberation for a discussion group. She doesn’t recall the subject, but she went. Plus, there was going to be dancing.

“I’d been having these feelings about women so I said, ‘Gee. Let’s go meet some lesbians,’” Waitkevicz says.

And there she was, across the room, adorable, funny, brash Shirley Herman. Herman was an accountant with an anything-but-boring personality, and Waitkevicz noticed her immediately. As it turned out, Waitkevicz went home with another woman that night.

But fast-forward about seven months, when Waitkevicz went to a local gay bar, trying to mend a wounded heart. “And there was the woman I had seen across the room,” she remembers. “I headed gaily forward for her, and that was that.”

“She was such a kid,” Herman says now. “I thought she was really cute.”

Indeed, these two seem to have the corner on cuteness. They dote. They quibble. They laugh.

Herman needs a pen; Waitkevicz finds her one.

Waitkevicz tries to gain the attention of the crowd—both of them are involved in the Democratic Women’s Club of Palm Beach County—and Herman encourages the group to pipe down.

But even in hippie-happy 1973 Manhattan, it took conviction, bravery and love to hold onto a gay relationship like theirs. When Waitkevicz was a young physician, a lesbian could barely find a place to get a routine Pap smear. Gay men were routinely beaten up. And same-sex couples weren’t exactly invited to the White House.

“There are things that happened to our friends,” says Waitkevicz, referring to blatant discrimination and physical attacks.

Waitkevicz, 68, and Herman, 72, have been liberal activists all their adult lives, determined to work for fairness and equality on a broad range of issues. Today, the West Palm Beach retirees consider their loving marriage a reflection of the activism that brought them together 40plus years ago.

“The most amazing thing is that we can identify ourselves as lesbians,” Herman says, “and there’s almost no reaction.” february

aaron bristol

Joan Waitkevicz and Shirley herman

Paulette and GreG Burdick

She’s a former school board member who’s now a Palm Beach County commissioner. He’s a successful family and probate attorney with an after-hours penchant for charity work through his music. They’re busy as all get-out, always checking their calendars to make life work.

That’s how power couples do things.

His No. 1 complaint after 34 years of marriage?

“She works so hard, I hardly ever get to see her,” he says.

Paulette and Greg Burdick are both 62, and he’s clearly the romantic, at least from the outside looking in. The first time he saw Paulette—circa 1975, from across the room—he was smitten. “I don’t know what happened to me,” he says now.

“I was knocked over.” It was a warm, breezy night and they sat outside and talked for hours. When he went home, he stayed up and wrote a poem about her. About them, really. He called it “Sun and Moon.”

Like a fairy tale come true, written just for me, written just for you The girl from Chicopee, Mass., remembers that night a little differently. She was sitting with a girlfriend, and her friend was talking about guys. “Here came Gregory and a friend of his, and she never saw him coming,” says Paulette, who “hopped up” to introduce herself before her friend could.

A local boy, born and raised in West Palm Beach, Greg Burdick and his big noisy family took her right in.

And that was that.

They’ve been together since, side by side for everything from childbirth to home decorating to re-election campaigns. Although she’s almost always dealing with some delicate political issue, she says she hardly ever brings work home— even if her day was full of the kind of stress and posturing that often makes up a public official’s day. They have one grown son, a granddaughter who hung the moon, and they say they’ve always worked well together. Except yard work, when he lugs the garden hose over delicate plantings to water something else. “I’ve got to admit that’s true,” he says.

They love kayaking, listening to live music, ballroom dancing. He plays mandolin and guitar in a local band. And in terms of lifelong selfsufficiency, there’s something good about having a power wife who’s always on the run. “I became more of a shopper and a food preparer,” he says, laughing. “That part of my life certainly changed.”

Maybe he’ll write a poem. february

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february

Bill and Helen ely

They’ve been married 74 years.

It was 1939. FDR was president, and World War II was just heating up. He was a farm boy from Green County, Pa., a poor kid who would go on to West Point and launch a 33-year Army career. She was an Army girl, living wherever her dad was stationed, a bright, fun young lady who loved to play tennis and golf.

At 100, she still likes to swing a club at the range. “It’s silly, really,” she says.

Except it’s not.

We probably should be writing a book about the Elys. There are so many crevices to explore. Her charity work.

His days as a three-star general. All the moves. All the Army rules. All that time apart.

The hardest years were the war years, they both agree, when she was home with small children, working with other wives to keep things running smoothly. When she and a friend decided they’d manage the Little League team in town, a reporter for the local newspaper came out and wrote a story. The ladies called a practice and had the boys shag balls.

They’ve paid 19 cents for gasoline and 3 cents for a stamp and 62 cents for a gallon of milk, delivered fresh to

february

the door. It’s hard to imagine all the changes they’ve seen, from medicines to cars to how to put extra time on the parking meter. At 102, Bill Ely says the one thing that’s a real stumper is social media and technology. They’re both healthy for their age. He has trouble walking because of neuropathy in his legs. (He golfed well into his 90s, and remains a legend at Quail Ridge Country Club.) She’s a tad arthritic.

But there’s a rhythm to their life that is happy and grateful and lovely.

Especially this next part.

They still work on their relationship, these two. Even after 74 years.

There is still challenge and compromise—and love. Always love. “Isn’t she something?” he says, smiling.

Indeed, a few months ago they moved from their apartment at Abbey Delray South into a room in the facility’s supported living wing.

One room.

“It’s taken some getting used to,” she says. “It hasn’t been easy.”

So when things get too stuffy, he relaxes in his easy chair, reads the paper, does some writing.

And Helen Ely? She takes her walker and makes a beeline for the outdoor garden, where she herself planted impatiens last month.

“Isn’t she something?” he says, smiling.

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[ business roundup ]

By Rich Pollack

how sweet it is two delRay Beach locations at the inteRsection of attitude and fun IT’SUGAR Downtown Delray Beach 250 E. Atlantic Ave. 561/278-6772 itsugar.com Hours: Monday through Thursday: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m. to midnight IT’SUGAR Delray Marketplace 9169 W. Atlantic Ave., No. 112 561/865-2018 itsugar.com Hours: Monday through Wednesday: 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Thursday: 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m. to midnight Sunday: 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

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O

fficially, Jeff Rubin is a golden boy in the retail candy industry, having founded IT’SUGAR, a chain of sweets emporiums that has grown to 50 stores with annual sales of more than $60 million in just seven years. The reality, however, is that Rubin is in the fun business, and nowhere is that more obvious than on his business card, and of course, in his stores—including two in the Delray Beach area.

Although he is founder and CEO of this rapidly growing Deerfield Beach-based international chain—with a marketing strategy aimed at doing for candy what Victoria’s Secret has done for underwear—Rubin’s business card lists his title as Chief Gummy Bear. And he will tell you that one of his all-time business idols, is entertainment legend Walt Disney.

“I’m just entertaining people in a different way,” Rubin says. “I’m going to put a smile on your face.”

A Highland Beach resident who lives just a few miles from IT’SUGAR’s new downtown Delray Beach store, Rubin’s world is about breaking the candy mold and introducing new concepts in the sweets business. Sure, you’ll find everything you’d expect to find in a candy store, from bins of bulk candy you can purchase by the ounce or the pound to traditional candy bars. But you’ll also find novelty gifts, such as candy underwear for adults, Hello Kitty T-shirts, lunchboxes and stuffed “Ted” teddy bears. There are also novelty items for candy lovers, from Marilyn Monroe candy to the Sugarpova line created by tennis star Maria Sharapova.

Often you’ll see items that actually flaunt the store’s irreverence. Like the photo on the box of rock candy of a little boy in the dentist’s chair,

and the fact that toothbrushes are often given away at grand openings. Read the ingredients on a candy bar, and you’ll see that it proudly proclaims it’s made with all artificial flavors.

“This is the next evolution of the candy store,” Rubin says, as he strolls through the downtown store. “The whole store is tongue-in-cheek, and the country has really accepted the fun nature of it.”

On any given day, you’re likely to find a wide variety of customers browsing through the two IT’SUGAR stores in the Delray Beach area.

There’s the wide-eyed little girl with the “I Love Candy” T-shirt peering into the brightly lit store, or the older couple who may be just browsing after dinner at a nearby restaurant, or the parents with two infants in a stroller, all four of whom seem to be eyeing the selection of giant lollypops.

“This truly is a candy store for all ages,” says Michael McNary, manager of the downtown Delray Beach store. “We have candy here that you won’t find anywhere else,” like the chocolatecovered gummy bears or the “world’s largest” jawbreaker.

For Rubin, a self-proclaimed candy man who sold sweets from the end of his Michigan driveway as a kid, IT’SUGAR is just the latest innovation in the family’s longtime candy businesses.

He and his family operated Bulk Candy Stores in the 1980s and 1990s, and in 1995 he created FAO Schweetz, inside FAO Schwarz toy stores. He also partnered with Ralph Lauren’s daughter, Dylan, to create New York’s Dylan’s Candy Bar. Today, his focus is on continuing to build the thriving IT’SUGAR brand into an even more successful business.

“Our bottom line,” he says, “may be the healthiest thing in the store.” february

aaron bristol

The king of candy, Jeff Rubin, brings his brand to Delray Beach.

Jeff Rubin

Candy Rx by the oCCasion, CouRtesy of the Chief Gummy beaR: To Boost Your Mood: IT’SUGAR’s giant candy, from large boxes of Nerds to big packages of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups or an oversized Hershey bar. Everyone loves big packages.

To Say I’m Sorry: Chocolate-covered gummy bears in a box or in bulk. You can’t beat that for a combo.

To Share with a Best Friend: The IT’SUGAR BFF Chocolate Bar For Valentine’s Day: Chocolate roses always fit the bill.

To Take to the Office: A five-pound “bear” keg of gummy bears. It gets the party going, and there’s no need for a designated driver.

To Celebrate Getting Your Braces Off: Anything with caramel in it, or, of course, jawbreakers.

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Get Down to Business Lunch WHERE: Palm Beach ABOUT THE EVENT: More than 70 guests gathered at Del Frisco’s Grille in Palm Beach for Easter Seals Florida’s Get Down To Business Lunch. The event included an introduction to Jen and Adam Gottlieb, the family ambassadors of the Easter Seals, a nonprofit organization that helps children and adults with disabilities.

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Christina D’Elousa and Monte Lambert Beth Walton and Adam Werner Cari Rentas and Ida Abedon Jennifer and Adam Gottlieb James Meany, Keith Spina and Judge Moss

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8 [ 6 ] Justin Hoysradt and Jennifer Hampton [ 7 ] Liz Griffin and Ed Lunsford [ 8 ] Neil Merin and Shuly Oletzky [ 9 ] Tami Augen and Rick Rhodes [10] Tammy O’Rourke and Ally Moss

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WHERE: West Palm Beach ABOUT THE EVENT: The United Way of Palm Beach County welcomed guests for a hearty breakfast at the Kravis Center to kick off its fundraising season. More than 300 people came to support the organization’s cause and impact on the community. Using fundraising money, United Way works with local organizations to improve education, employment and health care in the area it serves.

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John Flanigan and Art Menor Jay Shearouse, Jeri Muoio, Laurie George and Don Kiselewski Kelly Nelson White, Jack Rice, Erica Zingone Whitfield and Chrissy Cassata Alyson Seligman and Michelle Gonzalez Kelly Cavaleri, Judy Joffe and Kacy Marshall Harvey Oyer, Jeff Perlman, Jon Levinson and Dr. Dennis Gallon

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Delray Bash WHERE: Delray Beach ABOUT THE EVENT: Old School Square Park provided the backdrop for the annual Delray Bash, benefiting the American Lung Association. The community mingled over food samplings, wine, beer and cocktails, while enjoying live music from a local band. [ 1 ] Jean Longenecker, Kent Longenecker, Lea Tate, Nick Chillemi and Kristin Longenecker [ 2 ] Eddy and Helaine Cantor

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Halloween Costume Party WHERE: Delray Beach ABOUT THE EVENT: Mummies, skeletons and spider webs were among The Seagate Hotel and Spa’s frightening decorations as it prepared for its fifth annual Halloween Costume Party. Attendees celebrated the spooky holiday at the Atlantic Grille, located on the hotel’s first floor, with live entertainment and a costume contest that awarded winners with hotel, spa and dining prizes. [ 3 ] Gordon Dunham and Francesca Coviello as Wayne and Garth [ 4 ] Stephanie Schiessler, Vincent Coulas and Erin Wheeler as nerds [ 5 ] Orson Whitfield as The Invisible Man

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[ out & about ] The Franklin Ribbon Cutting WHERE: Delray Beach ABOUT THE EVENT: Delray Beach celebrated the grand opening of The Franklin, luxury apartments west of Federal Highway and north of Linton Boulevard. Guests took a first-hand look at the complex’s clubhouse and amenities, while welcoming the Franklin staff to the Delray community.

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Alissa, Brandon, Natalie, Drew and Mimi Barta Caroline Pokorny and Ashley Malnove Gregg Weiss and Kimberly Bentkover Carrie Bollella and Sarah Aversano Beth Thompson, Derrick Cranor and Amanda Zinsmeyer

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n e g r Le

e v o c s i D

legendsradio.com

Sinatra Damone Bennett Jones Fitzgerald Tyrell Stewart Francis Krall Martin Cole Clooney Como Connick Callaway Maye Pizzarelli TormĂŠ Basie James

A Dick Robinson Entertainment Station

Delray Beach's

insider

Photo: Alese & Mort Pechter

advertising • promotions • events

DElray BEach opEn

The 2014 Delray Beach Open by The Venetian® Las Vegas delivers the full-fan entertainment experience. The tournament kicks off on Valentine’s Day and Presidents weekend and runs through February 23. This year, competing celebrity Andy Roddick will make his ATP Champions Tour debut; the tournament also features the Bryan Brothers, winners of 15 Grand Slam doubles titles. Attend the world’s only 10-day combined ATP World Tour & ATP Champions Tour event that hosts over 50,000 spectators enjoying daily and nightly promotions, parties and amateur tennis events throughout the week.

Delray Beach stadium & tennis center 201 W. Atlantic Ave. • Delray Beach • 561/998-1995 • yellowtennisball.com

it’sugar

luxury with an EDgE at Boca raton rEsort & cluB

Specialty candy and gift retailer IT’SUGAR has expanded its empire to east Delray. This marks the 12th store opening for IT’SUGAR in Florida. This 2,027-square-foot location serves as a playground for the South Florida area, introducing them to the delightfully wicked world that is IT’SUGAR. 250 E. atlantic ave., Delray Beach 561/278-6772 • itsugar.com

Boca Raton Resort & Club is extending its Pink Rink through February 18. A tribute to the historic pink resort, the pink ice skating rink features open skating, lessons & skating shows. Coming soon: The resort further enhances a staycation experience with a new Flowrider and Splash Pad popping up this spring.

501 E. camino real, Boca raton 888/543-1277 • bocaresort.com

Visit bocamag.com/events for more information.

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Savor

the

Avenue ~Reserve Your Seat~ Thursday, March 27, 2014 Mark your calendars for a memorable evening of dining under the stars—and down the double yellow line of famed Atlantic Avenue—at the food and wine event of the year. Join hundreds of guests—and an estimated 16 of Downtown Delray’s finest restaurants—at Florida’s longest dining table, one that runs more than five blocks. Savor the Avenue reservations are made with the restaurants directly beginning February 1, 2014. This is the event you don’t want to miss.

For more information, visit bocamag.com or downtowndelraybeach.com or call 561/243-1077.

Sponsored by:

event Details Where & When

Location: Downtown Delray Beach on East Atlantic Avenue from Swinton Avenue to East Fifth Avenue (U.S. 1) Date: Thursday, March 27, 2014 Rain Date: Friday, March 28, 2014 Time: 5:30–9 p.m.

Event Charity: Restaurants will donate $2 for every attendee at their restaurant to the Delray Beach Shore Beautification project.

reserve Your seat

Review the restaurant listings within this section. Each restaurant will be serving a specially designed fourcourse dinner paired with complimentary wines. The menus are available only online at bocamag.com or downtownderlaybeach.com/savor-and-tastemakers or at the restaurant. Contact the restaurant of choice to make your reservation. Seating is limited. Guests must be 21 or older. Last day to reserve seating is Thursday, March 20, 2014.

hoW to CheCk in

Arrive the evening of March 27 and make your way to the restaurant location on East Atlantic Avenue. Each restaurants’ tables will be set near their physical location. Check in with the host/hostess to receive your Savor the Avenue bracelet. Show the bracelet to receive a complimentary cocktail at your restaurant at 5:30 p.m.

raffle prize

Local artist Patricia “Pati” Maguire has generously offered her painting of Savor the Avenue 2013 (pictured) as a raffle prize. She will be onsite the evening of March 27 to sign posters of the painting, which will be on sale for $20.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Delray Beach Shore Beautification project.

Greet, toast & Dine!

5:30–6:15 p.m.—After checking in, enjoy a complimentary drink during the welcome reception provided by each participating restaurant. Locate your seats at Florida’s longest dining table, and prepare to enjoy a beautiful night!

6 p.m.—Seating begins.

6:15 p.m.—Welcome comments, Grand Toast, Table Decor Contest Winner announcement, raffle drawing 6:30–9 p.m.—Four-course dinner to be served with donated custom adult-beverage pairings Attire—Downtown Delray Beach evening casual

parkinG

Public parking lots and garage parking are available, as well as some valet locations. Atlantic Avenue will be closed during the event. Side streets will remain open for vehicle access. Visit downtowndelraybeach.com/parking for more parking information.

Old School Square Parking Garage: Northeast First Street and Northeast First Avenue ($5.00 for the evening) Robert Federspiel Garage: Southeast First Aveune

32 east Chef Nick Morfogen changes his menu daily to accommodate only the freshest local and seasonal ingredients. 32 East has a neighborhood bistro ambience, offering a fine dining experience in a comfortable setting. There is a street-side terrace providing an outdoor dining option, along with our lively, full-service bar and lower- and upper-level dining rooms.

32 E. Atlantic Ave. / 561-276-7868 / 32east.com

50 ocean Located above the iconic sports bar, Boston’s on the Beach, 50 Ocean features a sophisticated, Old Florida atmosphere, panoramic ocean views, and exquisite cuisine with exciting local influences, presented by a knowledgeable and seasoned staff. Awardwinning chef Blake Malatesta is a master talent at creating unique dishes, offsetting different textures and custom sauces in his signature dishes of seafood and meats.

50 S. Ocean Blvd. (A1A) / 561-278-3364 / 50ocean.com

cabana el rey caffé luna rosa

Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence 2013 ZAGAT 2013: For Miami flavors “without the drive,” Latin lovers in Delray and West Palm head to these “ festive,” “ fun spots” for “perfectly spiced” Nuevo fare, “real mojitos” and “top-notch sangria,” all at “reasonable” prices; “alfresco people-watching” and a strong “singles scene” are standouts at the more popular Delray locale.

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

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

34 S. Ocean Blvd. / 561-274-9404 / caffelunarosa.com

city oyster & sushi bar

Featuring fresh seafood delivered and prepared daily, City Oyster has a full sushi bar and a rotating selection of fresh oysters from both coasts. House-made desserts, pies, bread, crackers and pasta are fresh from our bakery located above the restaurant. Our large selection of wines is recognized by Wine Spectator as one of the premier wine selections in the country.

213 E. Atlantic Ave. / 561-272-0220 / cityoysterdelray.com

cut 432 CUT 432 continues to please. It’s been six years since CUT 432 opened its glass doors and began to challenge the idea about what a steak house could and should be.

It offers succulent cuts of beef, inventive dishes and a great wine list.

432 E. Atlantic Ave. / 561-272-9898 / cut432.com

lemongrass asian bistro prime

Lemongrass Delray Beach has been the place to go for Thai, Japanese sushi and Vietnamese since opening. With all rolls and dishes made to order, the chefs can create just about anything to your liking. The notable wine and sake list provides the perfect pairing to any entrée. Zagat 2004–2008: “Excellent”; Sun-Sentinel: Top 10 Asian Restaurants in Florida; Florida Trend: Best New 20 Restaurants in South Florida.

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

Discover the age of decadence at PRIME, Delray’s first and only authentic prime supper club. This glamorous supper club, inspired by the 1940s, promotes dining as a social experience. The largest restaurant on Atlantic Avenue, PRIME, brings the best of land and sea to guests with spectacular yet affordable menu selections.

110 E. Atlantic Ave. / 561-865-5845 / primedelray.com

racks

fish house + oyster bar

A New England seafood house featuring refreshing, unique cocktails and Grand Central Oyster Bar-inspired steam kettles, RACKS Fish House + Oyster Bar features a unique, nouveau-nautical decor along with a responsibly sourced ocean-to-table menu that excites and inspires. Guests will discover ever-evolving recipes for oysters Rockefeller, pan roasts and po’ boys as well as an extensive live raw bar featuring what’s fresh and in season.

5 S.E. 2nd Ave. / 561-450-6718 / racksdelray.com

salt 7 Our concept presents Prime Steaks, award-winning sushi and premium cocktails in a trendy upscale atmosphere. We pay attention to every detail to ensure your experience is remarkable from the moment you step into the restaurant. The ownership group has more than 15 years of experience in upscale dining and nightlife. They have traveled the world, having visited the hottest spots in the top destinations across the country and overseas.

32 S.E. 2nd Ave. / 561-274-7258 / salt7.com

solita

italian restaurant & the parlor lounge

sundy house

Enjoy the tastes of SoLita, “South of Little Italy,” where our Italian-American recipes have been passed down for generations. We splurge on the freshest and finest hand-picked ingredients, and our tasty, made-to-order dishes will take you to an experience you can only get at our “home.”

25 N.E. 2nd Ave. / 561-899-0888 / solitaitalian.com

The renowned Sundy House restaurant features globally inspired fare inspired by the seasons and an extensive wine list. Dine al fresco, enjoying the sights, sounds and tropical breezes of our one-acre Taru Garden or enjoy the unique ambience indoors in one of three distinct dining rooms. Open for lunch Tuesday-Saturday, dinner Tuesday-Sunday and for our award-wining Sunday Brunch.

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

taverna opa

Taverna Opa is the embodiment of the Greek spirit of Opa–a gathering place for guests to celebrate the basic elements of life–food, drinks and music enjoyed with family and friends. Come experience a different approach to dining that energizes, where previous dining norms are broken and spirits are lifted with every single napkin in the air.

270 E. Atlantic Ave. / tavernaopa.com

the office Feast on delicious, gourmet comfort food, at this outstanding American gastropub, where the food is as important as the creative cocktails, the selection of craft beer, and the noteworthy wine list. This wonderful, four-course meal will showcase gifted executive sous chef Derek Ernsting’s innovative cuisine, including refreshing salads, sublime small plates, award-winning burgers, enticing chicken, steak, and fish dishes, and delectable desserts.

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

tryst vic & angelo’s

Tryst is a local restaurant with a neighborhood pub feeling. We offer lunch, dinner, happy hour and late-night bites. The menu is inspired by the rich bar culture of Europe, with an emphasis on seasonal, mostly local, farm-fresh ingredients.

4 E. Atlantic Ave. / 561-921-0201 / trystdelray.com

Dine on mouthwatering, rustic Italian cuisine created by talented executive chef Erick Miranda. The expansive menu truly pays homage to the fine culinary traditions of Italy.

This enticing, four-course meal will showcase the restaurant’s superb salads, house-made pasta, fresh fish and seafood, scrumptious veal and chicken entrées, and decadent desserts.

The full bar features inventive cocktails, as well as an impressive selection of wine and beer.

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

Restoring the Legacy of our Delray Beach Shore Since 1899 when Delray’s beach was dedicated to the public by Sara Gleason, Belle G. Dimick Reese and Ella M. Dimick, Delray Beach has provided recreational pleasure to millions of residents and visitors throughout the years as well as winning numerous awards—including, in 2013, Best Restored Beach, from the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association.

Over the past several years, the citizens, organizations and the city staff have created a Beach Master Plan to restore our Delray Shore. This plan includes many phases from beach sand restoration, signage, sidewalk enhancements, landscaping and a new Beach Pavilion. This project has been led by the Implementation Committee of concerned citizens raising funds to assist in developing the new Delray Shore. The funds needed to complete the project are over $2 million.

The first phase of this project is the new Beach Pavilion, which will be completed in February 2014. This pavilion is a replica of the 1927 beautiful Beach Pavilion that was destroyed in the 1929 Hurricane. The pavilion will be double the size of the previous structure that was a replica of the Orange Grove House of Refuge and will be the main entrance way onto our award-winning beach.

Being such a huge part of our Village by the Sea, the restaurants and the DDA have selected this project, the Delray Beach Shore Beautification, to receive a portion of the proceeds generated from Savor the Avenue. This will allow the community, restaurants and the event to contribute to the enhancement of our crown jewel—Delray’s Shore.

For more information about the project or ways to contribute, please visit downtowndelraybeach.com or call 561-243-1077.

The new Beach Pavilion on Ocean Blvd./SR A1A

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The names will bring you in… but the food will bring you back!

Vic & Angelo’s serves up delectable, rustic Italian cuisine, including soul-satisfying house-made pastas, crispy, thin-crust pizzas, refreshing salads, fresh fish and seafood, and enticing veal and chicken dishes, in a warm and welcoming setting.

The Office is a modern American gastropub that serves delicious, gourmet comfort food, in a setting reminiscent of a luxurious home office. Menu favorites include an array of juicy burgers, inventive salads, swell sandwiches, wonderful appetizers and mouthwatering seafood, chicken and beef entrees.

• Lunch & Dinner Served Daily • • Early & Late Happy Hour at Indoor & Outdoor Bars • • Brunch Served Saturday & Sunday • • Indoor and Outdoor Dining •

• Lunch & Dinner Served Daily • • Early & Late Happy Hour at Indoor & Outdoor Bars • • Dine Indoors or on the Patio •

290 E. Atlantic Ave. • Delray Beach • 561-278-9570 4520 PGA Blvd. • Palm Beach Gardens • 561-630-9899 vicandangelos.com

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

dining guide Your resource for Greater DelraY beach’s finest restaurants

review

BÄD RAGAZ

1417 S. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach, 561/336-3297

B

ad Ragaz in Switzerland is a municipality known for the healing properties of the thermal waters that bubble up from beneath its mountains.

Bäd Ragaz Hall & Biergarten in Boynton Beach is a restaurant known for the healing properties of another, rather more adult, liquid. Beer.

Our local Bäd Ragaz is the creation of chef-restaurateur Alessandro Silvestri, who’s created a smashingly gorgeous bier-

if You Go

From top: The Hunters Board, with cured meats, bread and cheeses; the interior of Bäd Ragaz

Price ranGe: Entrées $12–$28 creDit carDs: All major cards hours: Tues.–Sun. 5–11 p.m. garten done in cool, contemporary blues, grays and whites. There are vaguely Moorish arches, a huge bar in the center of the dining room and gleaming exotic wood tables. However, perhaps most relevant are the comfy booths complete with a trio of taps that allow you to pour your own of the evening’s three featured brews, chosen from a few dozen on tap. (There’s another 50 or so by the bottle.)

Of course, any self-respecting biergarten must have a pretzel, in this case a twisted skein of bronze dough as big around as a baby’s arm. It soaks up beer and is a good excuse to consume carbs, mustard and house-made pickles, if you’re into that sort of thing. Less filling and more rewarding are fat, meaty mushroom caps stuffed with Black Forest ham and presented with a beefy-tasting tomato sauce.

Equally rewarding is the exceedingly gen-

february

erous smoked trout salad. The trout is a little on the dry side, but it comes with so much other good stuff—mild, creamy goat cheese, dried cranberries, avocado, toasted walnuts— that there’s no need to cry in your beer.

It’s the suds-centric entrées where the kitchen really shines. Eight different sausages can be had, served with mustards (good), fries (not so much) and sauerkraut (terrific). The smoked bratwurst was hearty and juicy, full of smoky-porky goodness; the boudin liegeois, a rich, velvety veal

sausage, was subtle and elegant. Vienna schnitzel reminds you just how tasty a simple, thin-pounded medallion of veal crusted with crunchy, golden breadcrumbs and tweaked with a squeeze of lemon can be. It’s a welcome bite of nostalgia.

As for another classic Viennese dish, apple strudel, let’s just say the flavor was as good as the pastry was thick and soggy.

Still, if you want to cry in your beer, there’s no better place to do it than Bäd Ragaz.

—Bill Citara

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[ dining guide ] Dining Key $ Inexpensive: under $17 $$ Moderate: $18 to $35 $$$ Expensive: $36 to $50 $$$$ Very expensive: $50+ delray beach 3rd & 3rd—301 N.E. Third Ave. Gastropub. John Paul Kline’s quirky, individualistic, obscurely located little place is one of the most important restaurants in Delray. The menu changes frequently, but hope the evening’s fare includes plump scallops with caramelized mango sauce, shrimp and chorizo skewers with corn puree, stunning delicious roasted cauliflower with Parmesan mousse and bacon, and wicked-good espresso panna cotta. • Dinner Mon.–Sat. 561/303-1939. $$

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. $$$

Inside 50 Ocean

brulé bistro—200 N.E. Second Ave., Suite 109. american. This chic and casual bistro tucked away in the Pineapple Grove district of Delray Beach serves modern American cuisine, artisan wines, craft beers and hand crafted cocktails. This intimate neighborhood bistro has the culinary IQ of a very fine restaurant. It is local Delray at its best, with entrées like Snake River Kobe flank au poivre to Maine lobster bisque with fennel pollen. • Lunch and dinner Mon.–Sun. 561/2742046. $$

50 ocean—50 S. Ocean Blvd. Seafood. The former

buddah sky bar—217 E. Atlantic Ave. Pan asian.

Upper Deck at Boston’s on the Beach is now the more upscale, seafood-oriented spot. The menu ranges from familiar to slightly more inventive, from a classic lobster bisque and crisp-tender fried clam bellies to duck confit egg rolls and well-executed potato-crusted grouper. The cinnamon-dusted beignets are puffs of amazingly delicate deep-fried air and should not under any circumstances be missed. • Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner daily. Brunch Sun. 561/278-3364. $$

Don’t miss a meal at this stylish Asia-meets-industrial chic spot with a view of the Delray skyline. Chineseinfluenced dim sum is inspired, while rock shrimp tempura and Wagyu tenderloin skewers with twin chimichurri sauces touch the heart and the taste buds.

• Dinner Wed.–Sun. 561/450-7557. $$

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 deliciously 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. 561/6654900. $$

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burgerfi—6 S. Ocean Blvd. american. The burger at this snappy oceanfront bistro—all-natural Black Angus beef—is A big hit, whether a single “All the Way” burger or the $10 Ultimate Cheeseburger, which is a pair of ground brisket burgers, plus Swiss and blue cheeses. You can customize your burger too, choosing from a roster of free add-ons like mayo, relish and grilled onions, and from a list of “premium” toppings. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/278-9590. $ 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 the underserved denizens of 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 crispy potato and taro chips with ranch dipping sauce to a stellar truffle-scented wild mushroom pizza. Dinner daily. Sunday brunch. 561/638-6380. $$$

cabana el rey—105 E. Atlantic Ave. cuban tropical. Little Havana is alive and well in Delray Beach.

The menu is a palette-pleasing travelogue. Mariquitas (fried banana chips) are a tasty way to start your meal.

For dinner, seafood paella is a winner, with mussels, shrimp, conch, octopus, scallops and clams. And the churrasco is terrific. • Lunch and dinner daily.

561/274-9090. $$

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. • 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. Two could share the fist-sized meatball february

Live Entertainment

The Flavor of Delray Comes Alive at the Atlantic Grille Savor deliciously inventive cuisine that takes the contemporary to the extraordinary. Enjoy signature seafood, steaks, pasta and salads, all prepared with finesse and flair.

Tuesday: 8 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.

Doo-wop, Joey Dale and The Gigolos Wednesday: 7:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.

Orson Whitfield Thursday: 8 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.

Blues Night, Joey Gilmore, Orson Whitfield and Andrew Brennan Friday: 8:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.

Orson Whitfield Saturday: 8:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.

Orson Whitfield and Emelee Sunday: 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Laura Yanny, Acoustic Guitarist and Vocalist

OUR NEW WINTER MENU FEATURES SEASONALLY-INSPIRED DISHES

Ocean-themed specialty cocktails • Moon jellyfish aquarium and shark tank • Sensational seasonal menu Open Daily (Lunch & Dinner) • Happy Hour 4 – 7 p.m.

Delray’s Best Brunch Sat. & Sun. 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

For information or reservations, visit theatlanticgrille.com or call 561-665-4900 At The Seagate Hotel, 1000 E. Atlantic Avenue, Delray Beach

[ dining guide ] Georgia peach salad at The Grove

numerous cuts and preparations—and add a lobster tail for good measure. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/2650122. $$

greek bistro—1832 S. Federal Highway. Greek.

If you care more about well-prepared, generously portioned and fairly priced food than Opa!-shouting waiters, you’ll love this modest little restaurant. Flaky, overstuffed spanikopita and miraculously 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. $

cristina Morgado

the grove—187 N.E. Second Ave. American.

with fresh-tasting tomato sauce and dollop of milky basil, before moving on to house-made linguine with clams, tender veal Francese and one of the best versions of tiramisu this side of Veneto. • Dinner Mon.–Sat. 561/279-7371. $$

city oyster—213 E. Atlantic Ave. Seafood. This stylish mainstay of Big Time Restaurant Group serves up reasonably priced seafood that never disappoints, such as crab-stuffed shrimp with jalapeño cheddar grits, bacon, shiitake mushrooms and warm vinaigrette. • Lunch Mon.–Sun. Dinner nightly. Outdoor dining. 561/272-0220. $$ crepes by the sea—145 N.E. Fourth Ave. Casual French/American. This casual and comfy spot off the Avenue offers breakfast and lunch salads, crepes and sandwiches, and morphs into to a tapas and wine bar for dinner in the evenings. This is when things get really interesting as the café ups its game to include a cheese-and-salumi board, and small plates ranging from $4 to $17. Menu selections here can be as humble as real pommes frites (french fries to you) and bruschetta to a bresaola carpaccio or a chicken Francese. • Lunch and dinner daily.

561/243-2004. $ cut 432—432 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach.

Steak house. Hipper decor, a more casual vibe and an inventive take on steak-house favorites make this sleek restaurant just different enough to be interesting.

Starters such as ceviche (prepared Peruvian style) and ultrarich oysters Rockefeller are first-rate, while the wet-aged beef is appropriately tender and tasty. • Dinner daily. 561/272-9898. $$$

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d’angelo trattoria—9 S.E. Seventh Ave. Italian. Don’t go here expecting all the tired old “Italian” culinary clichés; 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

The Grove offers excellent food, the kind that gives hope that our part of South Florida can be a culinary destination on par with the best in the country. There’s excellent service too, and an equally commendable wine list, one that boasts by-the-glass selections actually worth drinking. The menu changes biweekly and, like the restaurant, lacks even a crumb of pretension— and is uniformly excellent. • Dinner Tues.–Thurs.

561/266-3750. $$$

henry’s—16850 Jog Road. American. This casual, unpretentious restaurant from Burt Rapoport in the west part of town never fails to delight diners. Expect attentive service and crisp execution of everything— from meat loaf, burgers and fried chicken to flatbreads and hefty composed salads. • Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner nightly. 561/638-1949. $$

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 can’t be beat. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Brunch Sat.–Sun. Dinner daily. 561/665-8484. $

house of siam—25 N.E. Second Ave. Thai. The

dig—777 E. Atlantic Ave. Contemporary American.

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. 561/2723566. $$

Proprietor Robert Greenfield has turned the former Greenfield’s restaurant into organic-healthy-sustainable DIG (“Doing It Green”). Luckily, diners don’t have to suffer in pursuit of gastronomic rectitude with dishes like plump pan-seared diver scallops with pineapplemango salsa, and luscious chocolate mousse cake. The four different greens mixes at the salad bar are crisp and pristinely fresh. • Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner daily.

561/279-1002. $$

fifth avenue grill—821 S. Federal Highway. American. Since 1989, this upscale tavern has been a Delray favorite. The straightforward menu focuses on entrées, especially the famed Allen Brothers beef; choose from

normally riotous flavors of Thai cuisine are muted at this charming, family-friendly spot, but that seems to suit diners just fine. Dishes, well-prepared and generously portioned, include steamed chicken and shrimp dumplings with sweet soy dipping sauce and crisp-fried duck breast in a very mild red curry sauce. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner daily. 561/330-9191. $$

j&j seafood bar & grill—634 E. Atlantic Ave. Seafood. This local favorite on the Avenue—owned by John Hutchinson (also the chef) and wife Tina—serves up everything from burgers and wraps to a menu brimming with seafood options. Don’t forget to inquire about the stunning array of 10 specials—every night. • Lunch and dinner Tues.–Sun. 561/272-3390. $$ february