Restaurants and Nightlife in Delray Beach and Boca Raton

When it comes to restaurants and nightlife few cities can compare to Delray Beach and Boca Raton.

Delray Beach was recently named the “Most Fun Town” in America by the Travel Channel and Rand McNally as a result of its incredible restaurant scene and vibrant downtown night life.

Atlantic Avenue has to be experienced to be believed. Very few streets in America have block after block of amazing restaurants, shops, galleries and nightclubs that appeal to all ages. Safe, with ample parking, downtown Delray ends at the ocean and is considered one of the finest Main Streets in America.

Boca Raton is also home to scores of incredible restaurants and has its own vibrant nightlife along Palmetto Park Road and in its renowned Mizner Park.

29 January, 2020 0 Comments

Things We Loved And People We Lost in January

January 29, 2020 By Jeff Perlman Leave a Comment

CC Teneal and the Soul Kamotion Band rocked the Arts Garage. If you can, make sure to see them on the next visit to town.

Things we Loved in January

Lunch at Granger’s. It’s always good.

The cool weather. This is why we live here.

The grand opening of the new Whole Foods on Linton Boulevard.

Welcome aboard Jessica Steinweg, the new director of marketing at Old School Square.

Ms. Steinweg comes to OSS from Brandstar, a brand marketing agency. We wish her well.

Sitting outside at the Seagate Hotel on a beautiful evening enjoying happy hour and great conversation. Just perfect. The hummus is awfully good too, just saying.

Dinner at J Alexander’s after a movie. Just a great combo.

A day on the Avenue with friends and family. Lunch at City Oyster and a stroll. Such a nice way to spend a beautiful winter day.

The wings and margaritas at Driftwood in Boynton Beach are as good as these things get.

The stagiano salad at Renzo’s is also as good as a salad gets. Which is pretty good.

The kale salad at Rex Baron in Boca is not too shabby either.

Don’t miss the Linda Ronstadt documentary on CNN on Demand. It’s amazing. She’s amazing. What a wonderful talent and beautiful soul. A true American treasure.

Other recommendations: Knives Out, The Two Popes and Mrs. Maisel season three. Marriage Story for the great acting and Once upon a Time in Hollywood for the great chemistry between Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt. Don’t miss Bombshell either.

Nice to see WBO Middleweight Champion Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade train at the Delray Beach Boxing Club.

Andrade will fight Jan. 30 in Miami. He’s a former Olympian and undefeated as a pro.

Good to see City Commissioner Ryan Boylston and County Commissioner Bob Weinroth serve as judges at the High School Ethics Bowl at FAU.

We love dogs. And we love Tri-County Rescue.

So it was cool to see that 30 of the 80 dogs rescued from the Puerto Rican earthquake are ready for adoption now. Visit Tri County Animal Rescue on Boca Rio Road and rescue your new best friend.

A good time was had by all at the sold out annual Arts Garage Gala last weekend.

Great music courtesy of Ce CE Teneal and the Soul Kamotion Band, great food by Chez Gourmet and a lively crowd made for a wonderful night.

Another great run at the Australian Open for Delray’s own Coco Gauff. She also made the U.S. Fed Cup team. A grand slam is in her future. Also, great to see her grand mother Yvonne get some props in the Washington Post. She would have made a great City Conmissioner.

We mourn the loss of two Delray icons and civic giants.

We lost former city commissioner Armand Mouw a few weeks back.
He was a nice man and a good elected official too. Why? Because he wasn’t political. He called it like he saw it. He brought a lot of common sense, civility (there’s that word again) and business acumen to the dais in the early 90s when he served.
I was a young reporter back then and Mr. Mouw was always kind and always accessible.
He brought a lot of knowledge as a construction executive to the city at a time when the Decade of Excellence was getting under way. He will be deeply missed, a true gentleman.

Mr. Mouw had an amazing career as CEO of Mouw Associates and was very influential in his field and in the business community. He was just a wonderful man.

We also mourn the loss of Ernie Simon.

You can write a book about Mr. Simon who was deeply involved in the Delray Playhouse, ran for mayor in 1990, was a dedicated Rotarian, a city judge (back when they had those), a business leader and a terrific attorney.

He was always so kind to me and was the law partner of my predecessor as mayor, Dave Schmidt.

I remember our chats, his sense of humor, his kindness and the twinkle in his eye.

They just don’t make em like that anymore. Ernie loved Delray and Delray loved Ernie Simon.

2 January, 2020 5 5 Comments

A Peak Into Our Crystal Ball

January 2, 2020 By Jeff Perlman 5 Comments

Casey Stengel said never make predictions, especially about the future. Sorry, Casey.

Can you believe it’s 2020?

Didn’t it seem like only yesterday when we were sweating Y2K?

Well not only did our computers survive the millennium, they have become ever more ingrained in our lives.

The beginning of a decade is a good time to dream and to take out our imaginary crystal ball.

So here are some predictions and prognostications for the 20s…

Boca Raton:
Boca Raton will continue to flourish driven by the power of FAU and Lynn universities, the growth of the Boca Raton Innovation Campus, the successful execution of the Brightline deal and a refresh of Mizner Park with several new tenants.

Fueled by new investment, the Boca Raton Resort and Club will solidify its place as one of the world’s premier resorts hosting important conferences and attracting titans of industry who will fly into an ever busier Boca Airport.

Boca’s decade will be marked by its strengths in health care, education and technology. It will become known not only for excellent health care, but also for medical research and education.

It’s “A” rated public schools, excellent parks system, great hospital and corporate base will continue to fuel the city’s growth and success.

Yes, we are very bullish on Boca.

Headwinds: traffic and affordability. Nothing new there. But big challenges nonetheless.
Opportunities: leveraging Brightline and bringing a pedestrian orientation to the downtown. Not easy but worth a try.
Stretch prediction: By 2030 FAU will play in a major bowl game and go deep in the NCAA basketball tournament.

Delray Beach:

Delray can achieve whatever it wants to—or it can squander the decade. Sounds harsh…maybe. Still, history has taught us that this city works best when it has a North Star and goes after it. But only when it engages the community. There has been no large scale effort to do so since the Downtown Master Plan in the early 2000s. We are long overdue and deeply in need of a unifying vision.

Delray will squander the decade if the focus remains on petty politics and settling personal vendettas and if the grass tops ignore the grassroots.

Opportunities:
Getting something going on North Federal Highway.
Getting something going on Congress Avenue.
Attract private investment to West Atlantic East of 95.
Fix City Hall.
Empower city staff.
Build on the city’s many strengths-vibrancy, a strong brand, events, culture and restaurants.

Fix an aging infrastructure while interest rates are historically low.

Engage citizens.

Build on the city’s tennis heritage to create economic opportunities.

Headwinds and land mines:
There is a pressing need to focus on Delray’s public schools.
The city needs to ramp up economic development which is virtually non-existent.

There is a need to raise the level of discourse on important issues ranging from development and investment to how downtown can survive rising rents and the changing retail environment.

Stretch prediction:
Delray’s culinary scene will get national attention. We have some exceptional culinary talents in the city.
But we need to diversify and add some strong ethnic offerings.
Regardless, the future is not yet written. So if you don’t like what you see, or if you want to see something happen, get involved.

30 December, 2019 2 2 Comments

Things We Loved in December–Year End Edition

December 30, 2019 By Jeff Perlman 2 Comments

Community Greening, a Delray non-profit, was one of the year’s bright spots. Among the many projects completed by volunteers was an effort to plant 100 trees in a two-acre retention area in the Lake Ida neighborhood.

Things we loved in December

Congratulations to Sgt. Steve Hynes who retired in December to take a senior position with the Federal Emergency Management Agency based in Atlanta.

Steve was a fine officer and a good guy.

He contributed a lot to emergency management policy in Delray before returning to the road a few years back.

We’ve been friends for years and I always enjoyed our conversations about local government, organizational leadership and how things work (or often don’t) and why.

I wish him well at FEMA. It’s a good move. And much deserved.

Kudos to Delray based Community Greening, a wonderful non-profit that has planted over 3,300 trees at schools, parks and neighborhoods since 2016.

Recent highlights include planting more than 150 trees on the campus of Village Academy and creating a “food forest” in West Palm Beach with 53 fruit trees. How cool is that?

Good to see this wonderful organization grow bigger and better every year.

Congratulations also to former Boca police chief Dan Alexander. Chief Alexander started his new job as director of school district police.

He will do a great job.

Boca Lead continues to impress us.

Pastor Bill Mitchell delivers timely and useful messages the first Thursday of every month at Boca Community Church. There’s also a new dinner series the first Thursday as well if you can’t make the lunch meeting.

The event is a secular affair and attracts a wide range of business, civic, non-profit and educational leaders.

Check out Pastor Mitchell’s free e-books, they are terrific and think about getting tickets to Boca Lead. But hurry they go fast.

Also congratulations to Bill and his lovely wife Elizabeth on his 10 years as pastor at Boca Community. To access the e-books visit www.heisherebooks.com.

Random Thoughts

Happiness is Shake Shack on a beautiful December day. Nothing beats sitting outside and savoring a great burger.

I love the Corner Bakery…there I said it.

We bid a fond farewell to Coastal Tire and Auto Service which closed up shop in Boca after 52 years of loyal service.

Coastal Tire was a favorite of locals and they were successful in forging lifelong friendships with generations of valued customers. That’s a rarity these days.

The land was sold and that prompted the closing. We thank Coastal Tire for their half century of service. The moms and pops are local treasures and they are precious parts of the community that we should savor, support and celebrate.

Congratulations to the City of Boca on the Brightline deal.

Visionary thinking + Strong leadership = a bright future.

Eliot Winokur has a lot to be happy about these days

The 75-year-old Delray Beach man won five swimming events in his 75 to 79 age group and placed third in the other in the annual Florida Senior Games. Oh and he set a slew of age group records along the way. Amazing.

When a container storing holiday gifts sprung a leak and ruined a slew of toys collected by the Delray Beach Police Department it could have been a disaster.

But thanks to big hearts and generosity, the community stepped up to replace the toys ensuring that hundreds of needy children would have gifts for Christmas. Bravo!

Congratulations to Roby & Suze on their return to Channel 12.

The dynamic duo will bring their Rise+Live show to CBS 12 on January 3 at 9:30. That will be the regular time so make sure to tune in every Friday.

If you prefer to see these great personalities live and in person check them out every Friday at 8:30 at The Heart of Delray Gallery.

The show also streams on YouTube, Facebook and their website.

Good to hear Coco Gauff will play an exhibition before a hometown crowd at the Delray Open.

Also good to see the frivolous lawsuit against the event settled.

On a sad note, Joseph Segel, the founder of the QVC shopping network and a resident of Delray passed in December. He was a true pioneer of TV and retailing. There was a wonderful tribute to Mr. Segel in the Wall Street Journal. He also founded the Franklin Mint.

Some restaurant notes.

The bison burger at Harvest is terrific.

Caffe Luna Rosa makes the very best chicken sandwich.

We discovered Mana, a Greek restaurant in Boynton and it’s terrific.

Rose’s Daughter continues to impress.

The new renovations at Prime Catch in Boynton Beach are something to see.

Please support your local businesses especially those in Pineapple Grove impacted by the construction of The Ray Hotel. Can’t recommend Papas Tapas, Brule, Joseph’s Wine Bar and Christina’s enough. They are standouts.

Have a happy and safe New Year!

16 December, 2019 0 Comments

Rex Baron: The New Era of Experiential Dining

December 16, 2019 By Jeff Perlman Leave a Comment

Rex Baron opened in Boca last week and it’s an experience.

Last week, we had a chance to attend the opening of “Rex Baron”, a new restaurant concept at the Town Center Mall.

Aside from getting to hang out with former Giants running back Rashad Jennings (he’s terrific and an investor in the business) which was cool, I can honestly say I’ve never seen a place quite like Rex Baron.

It’s an experiential restaurant with great food (and many healthy options) and a vast array of virtual reality experiences that allow you to experience everything from Jurassic Park and NASCAR to a post-apocalyptic Boca Raton. I think I’m decent with words, but I can’t quite describe the place. You have to see for yourself and you really must. It’s amazing.

Spread out over 8,200 square feet including beautiful outdoor space, a private room with a golf simulator and a magnificent bar/dining area Rex Baron is an exciting new concept.

We asked Mr. Jennings what attracted him to Rex Baron because we figured a former football star and “Dancing with the Stars” champ must be offered a slew of investment opportunities. While he was impressed with the VR component and the uniqueness of the design, he was really taken with the quality food options as someone who eats healthy but also fancies himself a chicken wing connoisseur.

“They are the best wings I’ve ever had,” said the LA based Jennings. “The best.”

By the time my friend Marisa Herman and I were done with Rashad, we had him considering a move to Boca and a job at the newspaper we run. He is after all a New York Times best-selling author who says he loves to write.

But I digress.

Let’s just say Rex Baron is a welcome and extremely unique addition to the Boca landscape.

The new restaurant is located near Nordstrom’s and Sachs adjacent to California Pizza Kitchen.

The opening of Rex Baron got me thinking about the marvel that is Town Center.

In a world where malls are closing or distressed, Town Center continues to thrive.

Why?
Because it evolves with the times. The mall still looks fresh and modern and feels vibrant and alive. It’s hard to imagine the mall will turn 40 in 2020.

They have added some great food options—including a soon to open French Bakery that is said to be out of this world.

It manages to stay busy year-round and seems to combine the perfect blend of shopping and dining.

Town Center’s tenants are also community focused hosting special events that benefit local charities.

I remember coming to Florida for a job interview in the 80s and visiting the mall. I was blown away way back then. Town Center was so much different than the drab northeast malls I was used too. It had palm trees, natural light, a strong retail mix and was the place to people watch.

Thirty years later it is still evolving and still relevant.

Rex Baron is the latest example.

Check it out…it’s spectacular.

2 December, 2019 0 Comments

Things We Loved in November

December 2, 2019 By Jeff Perlman Leave a Comment

Marie Horenburger was a Delray city commissioner, Tri-Rail board member and former Boynton CRA commissioner.

Things we loved in November

Well it was a busy month and this month will only be busier. We wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season…

Good to see former 32 East and Tryst chef John Thomas resurface at a new restaurant in West Palm Beach.

While he will be missed in Delray, it looks like his latest concept Sassafras, which features southern cuisine has great potential.

It’s the latest offering from the always interesting Sub Culture Group and is located on Narcisssus Avenue.

Sassafras also features sous chefs who have worked at Dada, Farmer’s Table and 32 East.

The first and hopefully annual 65 Roses on the Avenue event to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation was a smashing success.

The event was held at the Old School Square Fieldhouse and featured catering by Jimmy’s Bistro.

I’m proud to note that our companies; CDS International Holdings and Celsius were presenting sponsors.

The event was an eye opener about a disease that affects tens of thousands of people. Researchers recently made a major breakthrough which is validation that support of the foundation’s efforts makes a big difference.

Kudos to the Delray Chamber of Commerce for featuring western businesses.

The 2019 West Delray Business Expo held in November at the Big Apple Shopping Bazaar is an important step as the chamber has long sought to include and represent businesses in the greater Delray area. Bravo.

Welcome aboard Shannon Eadon.

Eadon took the reigns as the new CEO of Old School Square after a successful stint as Development Director at the Bergen Performing Arts Center.

OSS has been without a CEO since May 2018 when Rob Steele resigned.

We’re looking forward to seeing Ms. Eadon take Old School Square to new heights.

Congratulations to Joe Hart on his retirement after 30 terrific years as a Delray Beach Police Officer.

Joe has made a tremendous difference in our community and will be missed. Just a nice guy and a super cop. We wish him well on his future endeavors.

Congratulations to Ron Tarro for being awarded Maverick Mentor of the year at FAU Tech Runway, a startup incubator in Boca Raton.

Ron is a tech veteran, Delray resident and all around nice guy.

We continue to be impressed with Elisabetta’s.

We celebrated several birthdays there this month. Excellent service, great food and the atmosphere can’t be beat.

Congratulations to the three newest members of Boca’s Walk of Fame.

Philanthropist Arthur Adler, former Fire Chief Kerry Koen (who also served as Delray’s Chief) and Florida Atlantic University which was represented by President John Kelly are the newest honorees.

There are now 81 members of the Walk of Fame which is truly a terrific idea.

We were terribly saddened to learn about the passing of former City Commissioner Marie Horenberger.

Marie was a bright light, always so friendly and positive.

She was deeply interested in local government and was a fixture at the Palm Beach County League of Cities. She was deeply involved in both Delray and Boynton Beach serving on that city’s CRA.

She was also a lobbyist with a gentle touch. A kind woman who always asked about your children and family. Regardless of what was going on in her world she always found something positive to focus on.

We will miss her smile and kindness.

We were also touched by the loss of a special young man that we learned about. Here’s the story from a gofundme campaign set up in his memory.

“On Wednesday, November 13th at around 7 am the world lost a truly special soul. Rodney Cox Jr. passed away just feet away from his bus stop as he was on his way to school. Before he could make it, he was tragically struck and killed by the Brightline Train. We will miss his joyful spirit and his contagious smile will remain in our hearts forever.

To show our Love for Rodney and his family Directors from 505 Teen Center, EJS Project and Milagro Teen Center came together to create this GoFundMe to assist with expenses while allowing the family the opportunity to support each other during this difficult time.

Rodney was such a talented and kind young man with an infectious positive attitude towards life. His family held a candlelight vigil and a large crowd showed up to pay tribute to his life and to support his loved ones. There were so many great memories shared about the type of person Rodney was and the lifelong impressions’ he left during his short time here in the physical.

Rodney aka @foreign.rich3 (his artist name) was an extremely talented artist with a gift of turning his lived experiences into stories through his music. He always talked of being a star one day to share these stories but most importantly he wanted to “Take care of my family, we are going to be Rich one day”. To know him was to believe him because he put in the work and stayed committed toimproving his craft.

Even though we all mourn during this difficult time we must reflect on his memory and smile because that’s is exactly what he would have wanted!

Amen…

We finally went up on the roof, with a visit to the rooftop bar at the new Courtyard Marriott on US 1 just south of Atlantic Avenue.

The rooftop features a great happy hour from 4-7, picturesque views looking west, fire pits and friendly bartenders.

Really cool addition and they make great margaritas.

Dishes We Dig

We remain fans of the pecan crusted chicken at Sazio. It has been too long.

Love the southern chicken sandwich at Granger’s, which is fast becoming my go-to place. Great food, wonderful service, easy parking and fair prices. Bravo.

Three vegetarians and three carnivores walked into Harvest…

Sounds like the beginning of a joke but it’s a true story and all six of us came away happy with our meals.

Harvest on Linton and US 1 remains a really great and healthy dining option for palates of all persuasions.

We enjoyed an amazing Thanksgiving at the wonderful La Cigale.

Great food, attentive service and a wonderful ambience made for a terrific holiday. P.S. There is no better biscotti in all the land.

We also recommend Baciami in Boynton Beach.

The Italian restaurant is owned by a Delray family and features a large menu, great service and ridiculously good cannoli cheesecake. Just a fabulous experience.

We also dined with friends at City Oyster and enjoyed the ambience of the avenue a few steps away not to mention some really great food. It’s good to rediscover a long time favorite.

Have a great December and thanks for reading.

23 October, 2019 0 Comments

A Golden Age For Restaurants

October 23, 2019 By Jeff Perlman Leave a Comment

Suzanne Perrotto has been cooking up magic in Delray since 2008. First Brule’ and now Rose’s Daughter.

We went to Rose’s Daughter, a new restaurant in Pineapple Grove recently.

In a word, it was amazing.

Inventive dishes, fresh ingredients, cool vibe: check, check, check.

A few weeks before, we ventured to Elisabetta’s, the new restaurant that now inhabits the space once occupied by the acclaimed 32 East.

The Delray/Boca culinary scene is something to savor and taste.

We are chock full of great restaurants featuring the work of innovative chefs who ply their magic in spaces that are often breathtaking.

But I often wonder if we take full advantage of the culinary talent in our midst. Despite being relatively small cities, Boca and Delray is a foodie paradise. Scores of truly terrific restaurants dot the landscape.

Yet, whenever I see a national magazine or web story about “foodie” destinations I tend to see yet another story about Asheville’s farm to table scene or Nashville’s culinary innovators.

We have our own culinary talent and we ought to celebrate them.

Rose’s Daughter and Brule’s Suzanne Perrotto, Caffe Luna Rosa’s Ernie DeBlasi, Michael Haycock at The Grove, Ron and Rhonda Weisheit of the TwentyTwenty Grille, the brilliant chefs at La Nouvelle Maison and the list goes on and on. I also must give special recognition to Frances Touboul for consistent excellence at La Cigale.

It’s a golden age—especially for those of us who have been around long enough to remember when there wasn’t much around.

Personally, I have deep appreciation for the entrepreneurs driving some interesting concepts. The group behind El Camino, Park Tavern and Cut 432 and the creative team behind Elisabetta’s, Louie Bossi and City Oyster are to be commended. It can’t be easy to develop restaurants around such varied cuisine.

So we have a lot to be thankful for and a whole lot to build on.

And now that we have the hotels–which seem to be opening rapidly—we should drive the destination marketing and amp up the food festivals and events.

We should also strive to create opportunities for food and beverage entrepreneurs and expand the foodie footprint beyond pricey Atlantic Avenue and East Boca.

After all, according to WalletHub, the South Florida region was ranked the third best area for foodies in the United States.

We can build on this.

I think it will happen. It’s a great opportunity for our community.

30 September, 2019 0 Comments

Things We Loved In September

September 30, 2019 By Jeff Perlman Leave a Comment

Stephanie Immelman is the new CEO of the Delray Chamber.

Things We Loved In September

Bahamian Relief efforts. It was great to see the community response to Hurricane Dorian. The efforts were heartfelt and needed.

Boynton Beach will hereafter be known as the city of romance.

Elitesingles.com has named six South Florida cities to its most romantic cities list.

Boynton Beach tops the list with Boca landing at number 6 well ahead of number 17 West Palm Beach. No sign of Delray in the rankings….sigh.

The rankings are based on data compiled by more than 150,000 people who use the website.

Tech Power

South Florida Business Journal’s 2019 Tech Power List includes a bunch of local names. Here they are:

Joe Russo, who spearheads Palm Beach Tech and the 1909 incubator which has a location in Delray, Felecia Hatcher of Code Fever, Gregory Van Horn of Launch Potato, ShipMonk CEO Jan Bednar who went to FAU and got his start at FAU’s Tech Runway, Dan Cane of Boca’s Modernizing Medicine, Rob Flippo of Boca based Mobile Help, Boca’s Adam Rogers of Ultimate Software, Sam Zietz of Touchsuite and Rhys Williams of Tech Runway were on the elite list. Very cool.

Food and Beverage

Vino Wine Bar in Boca.

Magnificent wine list, wonderful pastas and great apps.

Don’t miss the chicken piccata and the gnocchi.

The Tropical Salad at Papas Tapas…try it. You’ll love it.

I adore Five Spice. Just great tasting food.

Grand Luxe is always a fun time. Best fried pickles around.

Pizza Craft in Fort Lauderdale was a fun outing for me and my buddy Chuck Halberg. Great calamari, good thin pizza and very nice servers.

We are big fans of Baciami in Boynton Beach which is owned by the Pellegrini family who live in Delray. They also own Il Bacio and Prime.

If you venture north to their beautiful restaurant don’t miss the chicken rollatini, eggplant and if you really want to indulge they have the best NY style cheesecake which is homemade.

Interesting to see the legendary Tom’s Place BBQ open a store in the Boynton Beach Mall.

Beer Trade Company in Delray is underrated. It’s a relaxing hangout with good food and a vast array of beer choices. Some good ciders too.

Heartland Rock

We had a chance to catch the legendary BoDeans when they played the Broward Performing Arts Center last month.

The band, well known in the 80s and 90s, still sounds great.

They should have been bigger.

Check them out on Spotify. We recommend “Idaho”, “Still the Night”, “Stay On” and “Closer to Free” as a primer. If you love rock, this Wisconsin based band will hook you.

Enjoyed The Spy on Netflix.

The true story of Israeli spy Eli Cohen was riveting and featured a great performance by Sacha Baron Cohen in a very different role for him.

My dad had a book on Eli Cohen when I was a kid and I often found myself picking it up and delving into the story and photos. Don’t miss it.

Really pleased to see Boca based fitness drink Celsius take off.

It was an eventful month for the Nasdaq traded company. The company purchased Finland based Func Foods for $25mm and also introduced a BCAA line of drinks that will be out soon and available on Amazon and at fine retailers.

The company that I work for is the largest shareholder in Celsius and I’m a former COO of the company. We are very proud of their growth and their talented team. The future is very bright.

Congrats to The Arts Garage for their fine work and for being recognized by the School District for their art education efforts. Marjorie Waldo is a rock star.

This from the Delray Parks and Recreation Department:

“Sending a big congratulations to our one and only Senovain Stephens. Delray Beach born and raised, from living in Frog Alley to graduating from Atlantic High School, he knows Delray like the back of his hand. He started with us in 1993 and worked his way up the ladder earning him a promotion from Assistant Parks Superintendent to THE Parks Superintendent! Congratulations Senovain!!”

Rock Star Energy Drink founder Russell Weiner is selling his Delray Beach home and it can be yours for only $36.5 million.

Sounds like a bargain.

The mansion does have six bedrooms, a 12 car garage, a tennis court and a pool with a water slide.

Weiner purchased the home for $11.6 million in 2009.

Now that’s appreciation.

Finally,

The Delray Chamber of Commerce announced that Stephanie Immelman has taken the permanent position of CEO.

Stephanie said, “I’m proud of what this new team and I have already accomplished the past four months. Our new hires, Angelica Vasquez and Kristopher Fisher, are already making waves, membership has increased dramatically, and the Chamber has re-engaged in a big way with the Delray community. We can’t wait to do more,”.

The selection of Ms. Immelman caps a search process focused on selecting a results-driven leader to drive change management, mission fulfillment, and operational outcomes to maximize the value the Chamber provides to its membership. The choice was made after the search committee considered the qualifications and experience of over 240 qualified applicants.

“After an extensive search for a new CEO of the Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce, we are pleased to have selected Stephanie Immelman,” said Bill Branning, Chairman. “Stephanie has an energetic leadership style. This combined with experience in non-profit and for-profit management positions makes Stephanie uniquely qualified to lead the Delray Chamber.”

You may know Stephanie Immelman as the former Executive Director of the Delray Beach Marketing Cooperative but she has extensive business experience at Fortune 500 companies both in the US and Europe. She has held senior marketing positions at Continental Airlines and AT&T and worked in the corporate finance department of Global Crossing focusing on international mergers and acquisitions.

We wish her well.

Have a great October.

25 September, 2019 32 32 Comments

A Birthday Tribute To A Delray Original

September 25, 2019 By Jeff Perlman 32 Comments

Words to live by…and he does.

My friend Fran Marincola turns 80 today.

He has asked me to write his eulogy.

This isn’t it.

Fran has a lot more life left to live. I’m sure of it.

He has a passion for a whole bunch of things—his wife, his restaurant, the wonderful Caffe Luna Rosa, Mickey Mantle, Delray Beach, national politics, the stock market, Bruce Springsteen, dogs, his family, friends, storytelling and a whole lot more.

I think your passions keep you going. So does a weekly happy hour or “manly lunch” where you can tell those stories, spar with friends and the share the week’s news.

Fran and I have been friends for close to 20 years.

Our friendship started out in a very strange way. I was a newly elected city commissioner and he called to pitch me on some parking contraption that today would have made sense, but I didn’t like it at the time.

So we argued. And argued. And argued and argued some more. Until both of our cell phones died.

It was the start of a beautiful and somewhat volatile friendship because I find myself debating Fran via phone and text 2-3 times a week, in between phone calls and texts and emails where we actually get along quite well and agree with each other.

I admit, sometimes I will actually pick a fight with my friend.

Why? Because he’s a fun guy to debate, he has funny sayings, makes interesting arguments and the whole experience —and Fran is an experience— makes me sharper. It’s not fun to always agree. And we prove that people can disagree—passionately (because Fran is passionate about things) and still like each other very much.

So yes, sometimes I will invite a disagreement just to spice up the week and keep us both sharp. I feel I am providing him with a needed service.

Fran doesn’t like absolutes and so if you want to get him going text him and say ‘so and so doesn’t have a chance to win an election, an Oscar or a Super Bowl.’

It makes him crazy, because his mind works like a mathematician and therefore there is always a chance of something occurring even if it’s remote.

As I have gotten to know Fran, I marvel at the life he has led or should I say the many lives he has led.

He’s worked on boardwalks, owned nightclubs, took acting classes with Broadway stars, travelled far and wide, owned a slew of businesses, made and lost fortunes and hob knobbed with some very famous and infamous people. In short, he is a character. One of the great characters in Delray Beach.

I think characters make a town. They give a place flavor and excitement and set it apart from other blander places.

Fran is a world class character in a town full of world class characters. I have long felt that we in Delray Beach are blessed with more than our fair share of characters—something I briefly touched on in my book “Adventures in Local Politics.”
It seems that all sorts of people are attracted to quaint Florida beach towns and they come from all over creation to add the salt to the water.

I have a friend who believes that Florida attracts modern day rogues and pirates who stop here until they are found out and then migrate to the Keys. The last stop is usually the islands, according to his theory.

There may be some truth to that, but not all characters are rogues and pirates and some like my friend Fran are lovable, big-hearted, generous and compassionate people.

Fran scores the highest on those four categories and that’s why I and many others love and respect him.

He has offered me a ton of hard won wisdom always delivered in an entertaining and unforgettable way. I have resisted some of that wisdom, but he has never held my stubborn streak against me and for that I am grateful.

He has stood by me in good times and in bad times and has proven to be a true friend.

One thing you learn—and for me it was the hard way—is that when you are a public official you have an endless amount of friends and some of them are fair weather. But it’s your true friends who stick by you when your title goes away and you drift off into the next phase of your life.

Fran sticks with his friends through thick and thin.

I have come to admire his business acumen and his strong desire to take care of his employees and customers no matter what. I admire that he is close to his children and grandchildren and that he’s a devoted husband to Kim (another one of my all-time favorite peeps).

I like that he will try new things with a smile and share his past with his closest friends—warts and all. And I’ve come to realize that the warts aren’t really warts after all. Not when they forge character, teach lessons and shape who you become.

My friendship with Fran has been a gift.

It’s nice to have a friend who is a few years older because they can really teach you things if you are willing to listen. And I am, even though I may pretend not to agree with some of his more “colorful” theories on life and love.

He’s given all of his friends the twin gifts of wisdom and laughter. That’s no small thing.

This is my small gift in return.

I hope he is not Disappointed! (Inside joke).

Happy 80^th my friend. Here’s too many more playful arguments and good times to come.

My favorite photo of Fran taken on one of his daily walks around Delray.

28 August, 2019 2 2 Comments

Things We Loved In August

August 28, 2019 By Jeff Perlman 2 Comments

Things We Loved in August

Hawkers

Good to see a new restaurant coming to the long vacated space that used to house Sonoma on East Atlantic Avenue.

Hawkers, which features southeast Asian street food, looks awfully interesting. Can’t wait to try it.

Coco Part 1

Some great photos on social media of Delray tennis sensation Coco Gauff and her family meeting Michelle Obama.

The meeting occurred after Coco competed in the Citi Open in Washington D.C. She won the doubles title with Caty McNally. Her first WTA title. Pretty impressive. Oh and she made the cover of Teen Vogue too. Not to mention a cover story in USA Today and an appearance on Good Morning America. And a first grand slam singles win on the stadium court at the U.S. Open.

Not a bad month.

Mazel Tov

Congratulations to Dupree and Janay Jackson on their wedding. We wish this special couple health and happiness now and forever. They are doing great things in Delray.

Movies around town

We saw “Echo in The Canyon” at the Living Room Theater and it was in a word: wonderful.

The documentary , starring and executive produced by Jakob Dylan, is a loving look back at the amazing music produced by denizens of Laurel Canyon in Southern California in the 60s.

The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Beach Boys, Mamas and The Papas, The Association and Crosby Still Nash are among the musical giants celebrated in the film.

Interviews with Michelle Phillips, Brian Wilson, Tom Petty, Ringo Starr, Stephen Stills, Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, David Crosby, Roger McGuinn, Lou Adler and Eric Clapton add color to the timeless music covered by Dylan, Fiona Apple, Jade, Norah Jones, Beck and others.

It’s truly terrific. A can’t miss if you love classic rock.

Another cant miss is David Crosby: Remember My Name also at the Living Room.

Produced by Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous) Remember My Name is an unflinching look at Crosby’s life, loves, addictions and broken friendships. It’s powerful and honest but leaves you with more questions than answers.

We also saw The Art of Racing in the Rain. It was wonderful. But bring a box of tissues. You will need it. A must see for dog lovers and those who cherish a good story, well told.

Also outstanding: Blinded By The Light. The feel good movie of the summer.

Caridad

Kudos to the Caridad Center. The nonprofit’s “Back to School Bash” provided 1,000 Deserving Children with Much-Needed School Supplies.

Well done.

A Promising Debut & Other Restaurant Doings

We checked out the new Elisabetta’s on Atlantic Avenue and it was worth the wait.

Located in the former space occupied by the classic 32 East, Elisabetta’s is an Italian restaurant with a huge menu, two bars, a gorgeous terrace, great pasta and truly special pizza.

The restaurant is very beautiful, the build out is really something to see.

We continue to be impressed by the Driftwood on US 1 in Boynton Beach.

Excellent service and an innovative menu makes for a very good experience.

The short rib is as good as I’ve ever had.

Check it out. Don’t miss the yuca tots, they are delicious.

ER Bradley’s remains a favorite.

The West Palm Beach staple is always fun and we like that it’s dog friendly.

The Impossible Burger is on the menu and the pretzel bread is always a treat.

We wish Rick Jankee smooth sailing upon his retirement from Delray’s legendary Sail Inn.

Rick sold the sail after 30 years of running one of Delray’s favorite local bars.

So many memories. So many good times. Thanks Rick!

Brule is such a special restaurant. Despite the construction across the street, it was crowded when we went to enjoy a recent lunch.

The chicken parm panini, truffle fries, greens and chicken meatballs are just out of this world.

Welcome to the Ave!

The Wine Room opened this month. Haven’t been over there yet, but the photos online look great and they run a great store in Winter Park.

We had a great happy hour/ dinner with friends at the always wonderful Papas Tapas. With construction on The Ray closing off one lane of traffic it’s important we support the businesses affected on Pineapple Grove.

More Coco.

Coco Gauff is not just showing athletic prowess she’s showing class and leadership too.

The budding tennis star surprised students at The Village Academy on the first day of school with an impromptu visit.

Very cool move.

Boca Eco Dev

Boca keeps landing new business headquarters.

FlexShoppers will expand by 200 jobs as it consolidates locations under one roof.

Jessica Del Vecchio, Boca‘s Economic development director is a rockstar.

Happy Birthday Bill

Finally, happy birthday to Bill Branning.

Bill who chairs our chamber of commerce has been an invaluable contributor to Delray chairing Old School Square, serving on city advisory boards and on the CRA while running a great local business- BSA Corp.

We were thrilled to celebrate his birthday with friends and family.

Have a great month and stay safe during Dorian.

31 July, 2019 0 Comments

Unhappy New Yorkers

July 31, 2019 By Jeff Perlman Leave a Comment

High Taxes.

Lousy weather.

Outrageous cost of living.

Those are the first three lines you see when you click on the website https://www.unhappynewyorkers.com .

There’s testimonials from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo extolling Florida’s tax advantages and a quote from AOC’s mom saying she moved to the Sunshine State to save money on her property tax bills.

The website is actually a clever marketing piece for Downtown Doral as well as a smack down of the Empire State.

There’s even a downloadable “resignation” letter that goes like this: “Dear (Family Member or Friend’s Name):

New York is no longer for me. After careful thought and consideration, I’ve officially decided to leave the Big Apple to move to the true apple of my eye: Downtown Doral in Florida.

This may not come as a surprise to you–I’m not the only New Yorker who agrees with Mayor Cuomo that Florida is an attractive option for those unhappy with the change in the tax law. In fact, many of our friends and neighbors have already made the move to Florida. I know you won’t question my decision as it’s no secret that New York has the most expensive properties in the nation, our taxes are becoming more burdensome and Mother Nature has only grown more relentless.

With the money I will save on taxes and cost of living, I can stop dreaming about paradise and actually live in it. I’ve found a luxurious, urban home at Downtown Doral just steps from some of the best schools, eateries and boutiques in South Florida. Plus, I’m just minutes from the white-sand beaches of Miami. I’m ready to welcome the warm climate, diverse culture and engaging lifestyle of Doral without feeling like all my money is going to taxes!

Please continue to stay in touch, and when you’re ready to find tax relief, you can join me in Downtown Doral. Just visit DowntownDoral.com to help you find your new dream home.”

Brilliant.

And mostly true, I suppose; although July and August in Florida is no picnic.

Still, as a native and proud New Yorker I’m not sure how I’m supposed to feel about a website trashing my ancestral homeland.

Thirty-two years ago last week I made the move to Florida driving a 1978 Toyota that was spitting water out of the air conditioner. I drove that Corolla 24 hours to my best friend’s parent’s condo in the Inverrary section of Lauderhill.

There was no doubt in my mind that I had found paradise. Of course, my definition of paradise in 1987 was a pool, a tennis court, bagel shops everywhere, a beach, sunshine and a job writing for a newspaper covering Delray Beach and Boca Raton. Come to think of it, that definition still works.

I would later live—albeit briefly—downwind from a landfill in Coconut Creek next to a guy named “Ace” who told me not to feed the turkey vultures that hovered over our condo quad. (I hadn’t intended to).

By 1988 I made my way to Delray Beach where I have been ever since.

I don’t regret leaving New York, but there are times when I do miss it, even though I doubt I would ever move back. If I did win the lottery I would consider a home on Long Island and would definitely spring for a Manhattan condo—something overlooking Central Park with season tickets to the Yankees and Mets and a box at the U.S. Open.

All of this is to say that New York is not so bad. It’s actually pretty wonderful and believe it or not there are a lot of friendly people there too and yes a few who may have missed charm school including the poor guy who went viral a few weeks back after losing it at a bagel shop. (Google it, its wild).

Still, as a fan of clever and edgy marketing, I applaud unhappynewyorkers.com. Downtown Doral looks interesting despite the traffic, heat and distance from those white sandy beaches.

As noted in an earlier blog, demographers are expecting that Florida will be getting more than its fair share of northeast transplants as the tail end of the Baby Boom roars toward retirement.

I know that has some people worried, but not me.

One thing you learn growing up in New York is how to roll with whatever life hands you.