At the Table newsletter: 'Hot restaurant summer’ brings deals, Tequila Day sips

Liz Balmaseda, Palm Beach Post
·4 min read

'Hot restaurant summer’ brings deals, Tequila Day sips

Delray Beach's Lionfish is one of the eateries taking part in The Palm Beaches Restaurant Month.
Delray Beach's Lionfish is one of the eateries taking part in The Palm Beaches Restaurant Month.

The supposed off-season has been so busy with happenings, openings and other related buzz, it has earned a new title: call it “hot restaurant summer.” The swell of events has added figurative sizzle to the real-life swelter.

July kicked off three consecutive months of discounted-dining campaigns. Throughout this month, there’s Bon Appetit Boca, a revamp of the former Boca Raton Restaurant Month that includes menu deals at nearly 20 restaurants.

A couple of the Boca-month highlights offered in July:

Atlantic salmon with veggies is a classic at Max's Grille in Boca Raton.
Atlantic salmon with veggies is a classic at Max's Grille in Boca Raton.

  • The Ultimate Max’s Classics menu at Max’s Grille is available through July 28 from Sundays through Thursdays from 4:30 p.m. to closing. The $49-per-couple deal allows each diner to choose a starter and an entrée (Atlantic salmon, bacon-wrapped meatloaf or radiatore pasta) from the special menu. For a $10 upcharge (each), they can add a bottle of house wine or a slice of mixed berry crème brûlée  pie.

  • Rocco’s Tacos three-course tasting menu ($45 per person) starts with a choice of appetizer (like flautas or shrimp al ajillo) followed by a main dish (taco platter, enchiladas, chicken al carbón), then dessert (like churros or tres leches).

Aug. 1 is the start of The Palm Beaches Restaurant Month, which runs throughout that month and includes more than 100 participating restaurants. Organizers from Discover The Palm Beaches have planned a big-ticket launch, a “Friends of James Beard” benefit dinner featuring acclaimed chefs Lindsay Autry and Jeremy Ford. The Aug. 2 dinner, which costs $195 per person and is limited to 100 seats, takes place at the PGA National Resort. The resort is home to Autry’s Honeybelle restaurant and Ford’s Butcher’s Club steakhouse.

Next up is the more established Flavor Palm Beach, which goes throughout September with more than 60 featured restaurants. Also throughout September, Downtown Delray Beach’s Restaurant Month brings deals to an impressive batch of dining-district spots.

More evidence of a 'hot restaurant summer'

Chef Pushkar Marathe at Stage Kitchen, his Indian-inspired small plates restaurant in Palm Beach Gardens. Marathe plans to open a new restaurant, Ela, next month.
Chef Pushkar Marathe at Stage Kitchen, his Indian-inspired small plates restaurant in Palm Beach Gardens. Marathe plans to open a new restaurant, Ela, next month.

•  When Chef Pushkar Marathe (Stage Kitchen on PGA Boulevard) scheduled a second pop-up this week to preview dishes for his upcoming Indian restaurant Ela, it sold out quickly. Which comes at no surprise to those who have dined at Stage this summer. On a recent night, the place was hopping as it does during season.

•  When the Shops of Donald Ross Village announced its Taste of DRV, a day of culinary events featuring several of the plaza eateries, it sold out within hours. The event, which happens Saturday at the northern Palm Beach Gardens complex, is on waitlist.

Tequila!

A margarita cocktail is served at Cactus Grille in Palm Beach Gardens.
A margarita cocktail is served at Cactus Grille in Palm Beach Gardens.

National Tequila Day arrives Sunday, and local restaurants are celebrating accordingly. Some options:

Fern Street Wine Bar’s tequila-seltzer buckets. This mural-adorned West Palm wine bar and restaurant adds a couple of boozy items to its menu on Sunday, a $20 bucket of four Ranch Rider Tequila Seltzer cans and $16 bottomless mimosas. (501 Fern St., West Palm Beach)  

Cactus Grille’s Tequila Fest. With more than 100 tequila options to offer, this newish Tex-Mex restaurant is offering all-day drink specials Sunday, from 11 a.m. on. They include house margaritas ($6 each, $18 pitcher) and $4 Corazon Tequila shots. (4650 Donald Ross Rd. at Donald Ross Village plaza, Palm Beach Gardens)

A lineup of tequilas at Rocco's Tacos.
A lineup of tequilas at Rocco's Tacos.

Rocco’s Tacos’ top-shelf tequila. Sure, this popular West Palm-born chain is all in for Tequila Day Sunday, pouring all flavors of its $5 house margaritas, plus a $35 tequila flight dubbed “Flight to Hollywood,” served with orange slices and cinnamon salt. But Rocco’s also does pricey tequila, including the Cincoro Extra Añejo. It will cost you $375 per pour. (To find a Rocco’s Tacos location, visit RoccosTacos.com.)

Legends’ tequila Cadillac. A Cactus Grille neighbor at the plaza, the new Legends Tavern and Grille is pouring $5 Cadillac Margaritas all day Sunday. The cocktail combines Camarena Silver tequila with Grand Marnier and sweet-and-sour mix in a salted-rim glass. (4550 Donald Ross Rd. at Donald Ross Village plaza, Palm Beach Gardens)   

Make pizza with the kiddos

On the menu at Prezzo, an arrabbiata pizza is topped with Calabrian chili tomato sauce, pepperoni, mozzarella, basil and basil-infused extra-virgin olive oil.
On the menu at Prezzo, an arrabbiata pizza is topped with Calabrian chili tomato sauce, pepperoni, mozzarella, basil and basil-infused extra-virgin olive oil.

Prezzo Italian restaurant’s north county location will host a family pizza-making class this Saturday. The interactive class, led by the restaurant’s own pizza chef, costs $18 per person.

Each participant gets a customized pizza, a salad and pasta buffet as well as soft drinks. The restaurant invites “children of all ages” to join.

To reserve a spot for the July 23 class, visit Resy.com.

Have a delicious weekend!

Liz Balmaseda

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Newsletter: 'Hot restaurant summer’ brings deals, Tequila Day sips