COURTESY OF AVALON
TASTE
DINING
City Slicker Picture this: You’re perched on a sleek terrace a few feet above Atlantic Avenue. From here, you can feel the not-so-distant ocean breeze and take in all the sights and sounds of Delray Beach’s most exciting thoroughfare. And yet, you’re also miles away in Nantucket, at a highend eatery where a level of excellence associated with New York’s finest commingles with a laid-back ease synonymous with South Florida. This Delray-by-way-of-Montauk fantasy
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comes alive at Avalon, the city’s hippest new steak house. The brainchild of Host Restaurants—the masterminds behind such hot spots as Scarpetta and Campagnola—Avalon is designed to suit a cosmopolitan clientele. The menu spans land and sea, with meats coming from as close as Bush Brothers in West Palm Beach and seafood from North Palm Beach’s Cod & Capers and SoFlo-based North Star Seafood. Start with sea and dine on raw delights like a hamachi crudo that packs a surprising heat courtesy of thinly sliced serrano peppers. The temperature continues to rise with the Angry Lobster (pictured), where perfectly prepared
lobster swims in a shallow pool of broth rich with sriracha and ginger, all accompanied by crispy pullman toast for dipping. Carnivores and pescatarians will be equally pleased with the entrees, which include halibut in a tangy citrus brown butter sauce as well as dry-aged and prime cuts that can be dressed up with enhancements like roasted bone marrow. Save room for veggie-centric—though deceptively decadent—sides such as creamed spinach with bechamel, as well as dessert classics like key lime pie and cheesecake. After all, no trip to the Empire State is complete without cheesecake. (avalondelray.com) —Mary Murray
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