Several cities and towns across the country have hosted designated restaurant weeks. Why not Palm Beach? That's a thought Café Boulud Chef Zach Bell started percolating earlier this year along with colleague and internationally famed Chef Daniel Boulud, the mastermind behind Café Boulud whose New York eateries for years have supported hugely successful restaurant weeks there. Now the idea has taken root, with involvement by the Palm Beach County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce, area restaurants and other organizations (Café Boulud hosted an early planning luncheon in June and there was unanimous support). The first-ever Palm Beach Restaurant Week — at this point featuring island eateries only as they've come together with what they say is a high sense of community spirit — has been scheduled for Oct. 20-26. During the week, three-course lunches will be offered for $20.08 (as in the year 2008) at participating restaurants. The Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce reports that 10 restaurants are on board to date, including Amici, Café Boulud, Café L'Europe, Charley's Crab, The Breakers' Flagler Steakhouse, Michael R. McCarty's, The Four Seasons' Ocean Bistro, Renato's, The Ritz-Carlton and Ta-boó. Momentum is palpable, though, so we expect more restaurants will join in the fun as we speak. To do so, call the chamber at 655-3282.
Once again, Breakers gets grand
Wine Spectator has announced its 2008 awards and once again, L'Escalier, The Breakers' accolade-rich flagship restaurant, has received the highest honor — the Grand Award — bestowed upon just 73 restaurants in the world this year. The Breakers has received that honor since 1981. We're not surprised. The resort's 7,800-bottle wine cellar, representing 1,600-plus selections, is the crown jewel of the resort's complete 28,000-bottle collection of fine wines. Wine Spectator's Web site says the Grand Award is given to restaurants that show an "uncompromising, passionate devotion" to the quality of their wine programs and feature "serious breadth of top producers, outstanding depth in mature vintages, large-format bottles, and superior organization, presentation and wine service."
Obviously, that's clearly evident at The Breakers, where new menu items worthy of venerable vino can be found; at L'Escalier, where selections now include butter-poached Maine lobster with Americaine sauce, fava beans, asparagus and vanilla beurre-blanc; and at Brasserie L'Escalier, where newcomers include tomato-chevre tart with greens from the resort's organic herb-and-vegetable garden. At Flagler Steakhouse, look for new dishes such as free-range tomahawk buffalo chop with vidalia onion, roasted tomato, whipped potatoes and green beans.
CityPlace poised to pop its top
CityPlace Uncorked— think fine wines and tasty fare from area restaurants — will return Aug. 7 to The Harriet at CityPlace. Virtually every CityPlace restaurant is participating this year — Bar Louie, City Cellar, Ruth's Chris Steak House, Taverna Opa, Il Bellagio, Saito's Japanese Steakhouse, Blue Martini, Brewzzi, Legal Sea Foods and more — and Republic National Distributing Co. will present samples of more than 100 wines from around the world. New this year: a dessert table with decadent goodies from CityPlace bakers and sweets purveyors — gelato from Mamma Che Buono and pastries from Panera Bread, among other things. Another new addition: animated vignettes showcasing fashions from CityPlace retailers. A portion of the proceeds will benefit West Palm 100, a nonprofit social/civic organization comprised of area young professionals that support West Palm Beach's children, families and neighborhoods through the donation of time and resources. CityPlace Uncorked starts with a VIP reception at 6 p.m. ($100), followed by general admission from 7 to 10 p.m. ($60 in advance, $75 at the door). For tickets or more info, call The Harriet box office at (866) 449-2489.
Chesterfield happenings
Every Wednesday in August, The Chesterfield's Leopard Room and Lounge will celebrate the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing with an Asian-inspired dish offered on the evening menu — plus specially priced "Olympic Medal Martinis." On Aug. 14 from 7:30 to 11 p.m., the Leopard Room shakes things up with a spicy Salsa Night, featuring Latin cuisine and the fancy footwork of professional salsa dancers and instructors, who will help get your groove going. Salsa Night is $50, including a three-course dinner with a glass of sangria; guaranteed reservations are required by Aug. 11. Without dinner, there's a $10 cover charge for admission.
Online with Coco
Visit Coco Palm Beach's Web site (cocopalmbeach.com) and you'll be rewarded with a downloadable special that entitles you to 20 percent off your entire check next time you visit the Asian eatery. That deal was launched a couple of weeks ago as part of Coco Palm Beach's efforts to encourage diners to stay interactive with the restaurant from home or office via the Internet. There's plenty to peruse on Coco's regularly updated Web site — from weekly/monthly menu specials to summer promotions and links for online reservations and take-out orders — and you'll have to visit it to take advantage of the 20 percent off special.
Benzie's wine dinner
Café Boulud Sommeliere Jenny Benzie's next theme wine dinner, "The Prestige of Bordeaux with Adams French Wines," is Aug. 20 — and this time, we're told, Benzie has chosen more value-priced Bordeaux, highlighting a couple of different vintages with most of the wines being merlot-based, which is great for summer sipping. The first wine served will be white, the rest red. The prez of Adams French Wines is coming from San Francisco to present the wines, we're told. The four-course wine-paired tasting menu, with cuisine prepared by Chef Zach Bell, is $75 and begins at 7 p.m. FYI: Cafe Boulud is celebrating its fifth anniversary and plans are under way for a celebration during the upcoming social season.
Traveling and tasting
Kent Thurston, head chef at both Cucina dell'Arte and Nick & Johnnie's, is back from a trip to Ely, Minn., where he stayed with his parents in the family's lakefront cabin. He fished, caught and pan-fried plenty of walleye, which he served alongside the locally gown wild rice for which Minnesota's famous. Next month, Thurston's off to New Mexico to sample southwest cuisine, including stops in Sante Fe, then Clovis to visit with his uncle. "Every place I go, I try to eat and sample all that a place has to offer and take in all that I can from local chefs," Thurston says. Such trips help inspire new menu items at Cucina and Nick & Johnnie's. At Cucina, for instance, items slated to debut include wild boar ragu, plus an antipasto platter with meats cured by Chef de Cuisine Clay Carnes. At Nick & Johnnie's, look for dishes enhanced with mangoes and Key limes from Executive Chef Dustin Parfitt's own garden.
Femme fetes
Earlier this month, Pistache, the French bistro in downtown West Palm Beach, kicked off "Vive la Femme" events from 6 to 8 p.m. every Friday. Every week there's a new theme with special female guests to match, and two-for-one drinks for women and complimentary St. Germain samples. Each event benefits a non-profit organization. Next up: "Women in Art and Design" on Friday, with special guests from area art galleries, Palm Beach County cultural beacons and design circles. We're told the eve benefits EG2 Gallery, a nonprofit involved in after-school arts programs for underprivileged children. On Aug. 8, "Vive La Femme" will honor Palm Beach County women past and present who've helped the hungry. That event will benefit the Daily Bread Food Bank, which distributes food to South Florida social-service agencies.
Luscious lunch, Italy sojourn
Relatively new to Amici's summer specials is a lunch deal: Present your business card, and you can choose any lunch-menu item and it comes with your choice of a non-alcoholic beverage, plus gelato or sorbet for dessert, for $15. Do the math and it's a deal, especially if you select a menu item that's more than $15, such as linguini with clams, chicken Milanese or the prime-beef-laden Philadelphia steak sandwich. The lunch special is available 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. By the way, Amici's $29 two-course dinner special is now three courses for the same price! The deal includes choice of any salad, entrée and dessert.
Other Amici news: Co-owner Maurizio Ciminella tells us his 15-year-old daughter Angelica just got back from a trip to Europe — first to Spain, then to Italy, where she spent two weeks with Ciminella's mom, whom the family calls Nonna Francesca. She lives with family about 40 miles north of Venice in Pramagiore — and she's a cook extraordinaire.
Quick bites
Café L'Europe has extended its Wine Not Wednesdays promotion to include Thursday, too. That means that on both Wednesday and Thursday eves, you can bring your own wine and there's no corkage fee.
To send information for The Dish: Restaurants in Palm Beach and in West Palm Beach between the north-south boundaries of Sixth Street and Okeechobee Boulevard and the east-west boundaries of Flagler Drive and Rosemary Avenue may fax information to M.M. Cloutier at 882-9726 or can e-mail to marnoo@aol.com. The deadline for each issue is the third Monday of each month.
