At the Table newsletter: A swirl of restaurant news, summer sips and greenmarket goodbyes
A swirl of restaurant news, summer sips and greenmarket goodbyes
The Falcon soars. One month after Delray Beach’s Death or Glory bar closed, its vintage space has been reborn as The Falcon, a bar and restaurant serving globally inspired, shareable dishes and creative, cheekily named cocktails (dreamed up by the team behind Boynton’s hip Sweetwater whiskey bar).
The Falcon revives the ghosts of the old Falcon House bar, one of the former inhabitants of the historic 1925-era house. In fact, this new version is partly the brainchild of former Falcon House bar-back Sean Inglehart, who went on to open Sweetwater. He partnered with Death or Glory owner Annie Blake, who helped envision the new spot, one she describes as “a local haunt with a sexy atmosphere, great cocktails and global street food.”
The Falcon’s kitchen is in the hands of veteran executive chef Mike Stuhlmuller, whose dishes carry international echoes. They include Puerto Rican mofongo with crispy pork belly, Thai drunken noodles that are handmade in-house, Cypriot fried halloumi, Indian curry cauliflower, Lebanese lamb kofta and other bites.
Hours: Open Tuesday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., Sunday from 11 a.m. to midnight. There’s happy hour daily from 5 to 7 p.m. On Sundays, there’s a “Bathrobe Brunch” from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring live music – wear a kimono or bathroom and you’ll get free boozy brunch drinks. Reggae night happens after Sunday brunch. (Closed Mondays.)
The Falcon: 116 NE 6th Ave., Delray Beach, 561-808-8814
Meet The Ben’s new top chef
He’s the veteran chef Marc Rosen, whose 40-plus-year career includes positions at Midtown Manhattan’s famed Russian Tea Room, The Capital Grille and, in more recent years, as executive chef at the Disney Vero Beach Resort, the PGA National Resort and the Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort. Plus decades of experience and many celebrity customers in between.
As The Ben boutique hotel’s executive chef, Rosen leads the kitchens at the boutique hotel’s main restaurant Proper Grit Whiskey Library and Supper Club and the popular rooftop lounge Spruzzo. At Proper Grit, Rosen’s menu is steakhouse-inspired as the restaurant returns to its chophouse roots after a gastro-pubby period.
Rosen is an impressive cook who can turn even a straightforward burger or cheesesteak into a truly memorable bite. I look forward to trying his dishes at The Ben.
The Ben: 251 N. Narcissus Ave., West Palm Beach, 561-655-4001
Swirling summer
Technically it may not be summer yet, but my blender has been working overtime, as it would in the full swelter of August. In the morning, I’ll make a healthy agua fresca by adding fresh aloe pulp, a stalk or two of celery, blueberries, water and a drizzle of honey, blending on high and straining into a large jar for a refreshing sip.
When stormy afternoons stir the mood for soup, I’ll chop up whatever fresh veggies my heart desires (zucchini, cauliflower, green cabbage, maybe spinach), add them with rinsed cannellini beans, a spoonful of fresh sofrito paste (garlic, onion, cilantro stems, maybe bell pepper, olive oil, blended) and seasonings to a pot and stir a bit, add water to cover and simmer till tender. Many times, I’ll blend the soup until it’s velvety. A luxurious sip at suppertime.
And sometimes I’ll make an easy oat horchata for lunch or afternoon snack, adding a small scoop of quick oats to the blender with protein powder, cinnamon, a touch of oat milk, water, ice and honey and blend until completely smooth. Do I wish it were an old-school mango shake, made with backyard fruit and Farm Stores’ vanilla ice cream in my mother’s vintage Osterizer in 1970s-era Hialeah? Totally. But those batidos of my childhood – I wrote about them in this story – now live in my memories, and they’re still delicious.
Speaking of sips...
Today is National Iced Tea Day, which brings to mind some of my favorite iced-tea sips:
Hive Bakery and Café’s refreshing “Hivebiscus” tea. The recently opened Hive makes it with hibiscus flowers, honey and orange bitters and it’s my new favorite sip. (1603 S. Dixie Hwy, West Palm Beach, 561-360-2196)
Joy Noodles’ Khartoum hibiscus iced tea. It mixes green tea with Nile River-grown Khartoum flower. It’s delicious with lunch at Joy Noodles. (2200 S. Dixie Hwy, West Palm Beach, 561-655-5212)
Queen of Sheeba’s Ethiopian spiced tea. The restaurant’s owner/chef Lojo Washington serves this tea hot mostly, but it’s dreamy when iced. Its blend of spices – like cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and other spices – make for a tasty tea that needs no sugar. (716 N. Sapodilla Ave., West Palm Beach, 561-514-0615)
It’s Swank Farm Market’s last Saturday
Until October, that is. Tomorrow (June 11) is the last day of the season for Swank Farm’s popular green market, where more than 25 vendors gather at the Loxahatchee Groves farm’s pole barn.
The market, which features a good variety of local and regionally grown or made products, runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., rain or shine. If you’ve never been there, here’s some info on a local road closure and alternative routes. (14311 North Road, Loxahatchee Groves, 561-202-5648)
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Have a delicious weekend!
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Newsletter: Restaurant news, summer sips and greenmarket goodbyes
