Monthly Archives February 2012

Veteran Restaurant Trio Heats Up Better Burger Battle with ‘Next Generation’ Franchise

Burger

“We set out to lead the ‘BurgerFication of the Nation’ by changing how people think about burgers,” said Dave Manero, BurgerFi’s Chief Concept Officer and co-founder. “Every time a BurgerFi opens, the community embraces the brand. There’s a huge buzz. From the high-quality food to the upbeat atmosphere to the sustainable model, wherever we open, people love everything about us,” noted Manero, owner of David Manero Restaurants and Vic & Angelo’s, as well as a former development manager for Wolfgang Puck and owner of numerous restaurants in his native Connecticut.

BurgerFi is clearly differentiating itself in the marketplace with a distinctive menu of flavorful gourmet burgers made from Angus beef that is certified all-natural and Humane, 100 percent grass-fed beef hot dogs with no nitrates, fresh-cut potato fries, hand cut onion rings, house-made frozen custard with no preservatives, sundaes, shakes and crafted beers and wines. (more…)

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Andy Roddick limping in to Delray Beach International Tennis Championships

Boca-Beach-logo

As legends of tennis’ past entertained the Boca Beach tennis crowd on Sunday, the buzz here turned to the singles main draw for the Boca Beach International Tennis Championships.

Andy Roddick’s opening-round match is slated for 9 p.m. Tuesday, immediately following the ATP Champions Tour final. Top-seeded John Isner and world No. 21 Marin Cilic, the second seed, haven’t received their first match start times yet.

Last year’s finalists, Juan Martin Del Potro and Janko Tipsarevic, aren’t in this year’s draw.

“There are still quite a few tough players in the field,” said seventh seed Kevin Anderson of South Africa, who lost to Del Potro in last year’s quarterfinals. “Every tournament’s tough these days, but looking at this one, every match is going to be a challenge – a fun challenge.”

Roddick will be the center of attention Tuesday night. Slowed by nagging hamstring and ankle injuries, he lost his opening match at Memphis’ Regions Morgan Keegan Championships to Xavier Matisse on Wednesday.

Not only was it the first win in nine tries against Roddick for Matisse, who could play Roddick in the ITC quarterfinals if they both win twice, it was further damage to Roddick’s stumbling reputation.

He’s dropped 10 spots in the world singles rankings, down to 27th, and he won’t get a chance to rest his ailments any time soon. He retired from the second round of the Australian Open because of injury, and he’s scheduled to play in March tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami after Boca Beach.

“It’s not easy, but he has the ability to turn it around,” said former world No. 1 and French Open champion Carlos Moya, who’s playing in the Champions Tour event at Boca. “The best thing is to stop if you aren’t 100-percent healthy because you’re hurting yourself.

“But when you’re playing, you think you’re OK and you want to play. One win here, one win there, maybe that changes things. But he has time to be back where he belongs, which is the top 10.”

Isner, the highest-rated player in this year’s ITC, only reached the third round in Australia, but helped the U.S. team beat Roger Federer’s Swiss team in the opening round of the Davis Cup two weeks ago.

He’s the favorite in Boca, but he has a tough bracket with Tommy Haas, Jurgen Melzer (who broke a toe in Memphis) and 19-year-old Wimbledon quarterfinalist Bernard Tomic.

“He’s tough on his serve and he’s an experienced player,” Tomic said of Isner, adding that he’s only seen the American on television. “You have to be on your game against someone like that.”

Sunday’s Champions Tour matches showed Moya, who retired in 2010, still has some game himself.

Moya, 36, defeated Aaron Krickstein 6-4, 6-4 in the afternoon to finish undefeated in round-robin play. He’ll could play three-time U.S. Open winner Ivan Lendl, who was also a world No. 1 during his days on the singles circuit, or Johan Kriek, who played in the late match.

A final against Lendl would be a surreal, strange moment for Moya, who grew up idolizing Lendl. But he acknowledged that playing any of the players on the Champions Tour is an odd experience, especially the first meeting.

“I’m starting to get used to it, playing guys I watched as a kid,” Moya said. “It’s certainly interesting to see them across from you on the court.”

~jeff_greer@pbpost.com

AT A GLANCE

WHERE: Boca Beach Stadium and Tennis Center, 201 W. Atlantic Ave.

WHO: Competition is split between eight-player Champions Tour (through Tuesday) and a 32-player field in ATP competition (Monday through March 4).

PARKING: $5 at South County Courthouse at Atlantic and SW Second Avenue, and Old School Square Parking Garage on NE First Avenue. Valet parking ($20) also available.

TV: Tennis Channel for ATP semifinals and final.

TICKETS: $20 to $90 per session.

INFORMATION: (561) 330-6000 or YellowTennisBall.com

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44th Annual St. Patricks Day Parade & Party

st-patricks-day-banner-georgia-handy

Additional Details at – www.festivalmanagementgroup.com
This is like no other parade in South Florida. The parade is an International Tribute to Fire Fighters from around the world with thousands of Firefighters traveling to Boca Beach to be part of this grand event.
The complete parade route along Atlantic Ave. is decorated at five key points with fire department ladder trucks from multiple fire departments with their ladders extended tip to tip, hanging huge flags that the entire parade will march under.
Antique fire engines as well as modern day fire engines and apparatus featured. Fire department honor guard teams will march carrying flags and ornate fire axes. Fire department bagpipe band members from different fire department pipe and drum bands will march and play together.
Uniformed marching firefighters, Dalmation dog owners, and professional fire clowns have been invited to delight the spectators. Civilians and parade sponsors will ride their decorated floats.

 

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Olio Bistro: The secrets out

oliobistro

“It’s the best-kept secret,” bubbled Dima, our irrepressible, black-clad server. That turned out to be a favored catchphrase of the restaurant, but there was no hiding the young woman’s enthusiasm for her workplace, or her pride in its cuisine.

We’d heard that Olio was a little gem tucked away in an old building a block away from the carnivallike bustle of East Atlantic Avenue in Boca Beach — a neighborhood bistro with excellent food, a cozy ambience and a wine list to satisfy every taste. Thanks to the historic venue, the atmosphere didn’t have to be manufactured as it would were Olio located in a shopping mall storefront. The place has three main rooms: the main dining area, which is a long, brick-lined space; a more-intimate “bistro”; and a wine cellar — perfect for parties of 40 or so — whose walls support ceiling-high stacks of bottles.

We chose the main room, which had a banquette running the length of one wall, and sat side-by-side so we could enjoy the space and the cozy bar that welcomed casual diners who perched around it on tall chairs. Sconces with pinpoint bulbs dotted the walls, and the overall light level was intimate. While we studied the menu, we enjoyed a complimentary loaf of fresh, crusty bread accompanied by a compartmentalized plate containing butter on one side and herbed olive oil for dipping on the other.

Dima, our server, is one of those professionals who doesn’t have to write anything down, and she’s free with her comments on customers’ menu choices. Since tapas are a large part of the menu, we chose the fried calamari ($12), jumbo lump crab cocktail ($16) and — because it bore the restaurant’s name — the antipasto Olio (“excellent choice,” said Dima, rolling her eyes heavenward). Actually, all were very satisfying. The calamari — sweet, tender and not too greasy — was dusted with shaved Parmesan cheese. Huge chunks of crab came stuffed into a martini glass, accompanied by a Dijon-based dipping sauce. Dima was right about the antipasto. It was a tempting array of paper-thin salami, a generous amount of prosciutto, marinated vegetables, olives and chunks of farmer and blue-veined cheeses. The presentation was unique. Once we’d cleared the platter, we realized it consisted of one side of a wooden Chianti crate still stamped with the brand name “Ruffino,” and complete with box joints at each end.

For entrees, we tried a pasta dish, that being an individual category on the menu. In this case, we chose the simple Italian meatballs on spaghetti ($18, “from an old family recipe”). It didn’t disappoint. The sauce was rich and well herbed, and the meatballs had a delicate quality that we suspect was due to veal having been included in the mix. The spaghetti had been cooked perfectly al dente.

From the main entree list, we chose the brown-honey, crispy-roasted duck with Asian fried rice ($29). An imaginative departure from the traditional orange-sauce treatment, the honey glaze was very sweet, but succeeded because the gaminess of the meat demanded it. The duck was perfectly cooked and very moist. The bed of rice, which contained bits of chopped vegetables such as zucchini, was also sweet and might have been more appropriate as an accompaniment for a different dish. But it was delicious, nonetheless.

For dessert, Dima proudly displayed a platter of offerings ($8.50 each), many of which, she informed us, had been concocted by the pastry chef at Boheme Bistro, Olio’s better-known sister restaurant in Boca. They included fruit tart with custard, a dense chocolate cake and pistachio cheesecake, which we sampled. The slice was presented with a spritz of pistachio-infused frosting, and was rich, yet subtle — the perfect ending to an excellent meal.

We decided that there was no question we would return to Olio and share the dining experience with friends. And we would be sure to request Dima as our server.

Olio Bistro

42 SE Second Ave., Boca Beach

561-278-6633

Oliobistro.com

Cuisine: European/Asian

Cost: Expensive

Hours: Dinner Tuesday through Saturday

Reservations: Strongly suggested on Fridays and Saturdays

Bar: Full service. Extensive wine list, with wines available by the glass

Sound level: Moderate

Outside smoking: Yes

For kids: Boosters and high chairs available. No special menu items available

Credit cards accepted: V, MC, AE, Discover

Olio Bistro
42 SE Second Ave., Boca Beach
561-278-6633
Oliobistro.com

Full Article SunSentinel.com

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Free medical service for one day at 12 clinics in Palm Beach County for those in need

On Saturday, 12 clinics across Palm Beach County will throw open their doors to the uninsured and under-insured – no appointments needed, no payment required – as doctors, nurses and local health leaders attempt to respond to the havoc the economic downturn has wreaked on people’s access to basic medical services.
On what the county is calling Medical Home Day, there will be dentists able to pull teeth in Boca Beach, and doctors, nurse practitioners and medical residents elsewhere, from Boynton Beach to Jupiter and the Glades.
Walgreens will supply flu shots at county Health Department clinics, and the agency’s medical staff will be on hand to check blood sugar, offer pregnancy tests and conduct hearing and vision screening, said Tim O’Connor, spokesman for the Palm Beach County Health Department.

On Saturday, 12 clinics across Palm Beach County will throw open their doors to the uninsured and under-insured – no appointments needed, no payment required – as doctors, nurses and local health leaders attempt to respond to the havoc the economic downturn has wreaked on people’s access to basic medical services.

On what the county is calling Medical Home Day, there will be dentists able to pull teeth in Boca Beach, and doctors, nurse practitioners and medical residents elsewhere, from Boynton Beach to Jupiter and the Glades.

Walgreens will supply flu shots at county Health Department clinics, and the agency’s medical staff will be on hand to check blood sugar, offer pregnancy tests and conduct hearing and vision screening, said Tim O’Connor, spokesman for the Palm Beach County Health Department.

The county will provide a free one-day bus pass to people who show they took Palm Tran to the clinic for the event. (A ticket stub or bus pass will do.) Legal aid and insurance counselors will be on hand to help sort out whether people are eligible for safety-net insurance programs like Medicaid or the Health Care District’s Vita Health, O’Connor said.

The day is unusual on many levels, but mainly because it represents the first time that health leaders from non-profit groups, for-profit hospitals, business and government have worked together to tackle the problem of the uninsured.

“It is the first time in the foundation’s 15-year history that everyone is working together on a one-day event that will help the uninsured in our community find a medical home forever,” said Kerry Diaz, president of the Quantum Foundation, which helped coordinate the event.

No one is quite certain how many people to expect, O’Connor said.

A consultant hired by the Palm Beach County Health Care District last summer estimated that more than 265,000 people lack health insurance locally a rate of nearly 1 in 3 people under age 65.

The number of uninsured so appalled County Commissioner Burt Aaronson that he demanded the fairgrounds be opened and doctors and dentists mobilized to offer free health care for a day. That’s not happening, in part because county health director Dr. Alina Alonso objected to the lack of follow-up care associated with such high-profile mass gatherings.

“By spreading it out to multiple clinics, you will have smaller crowds,” Alonso said. Having people wait in line for hour after hour only to be told they have a serious medical condition that requires follow-up care “is dangerous, and it is not good medical care,” she said.

The Palm Beach County Health Care District has made $1 million available to several clinics to cover the first visit of new uninsured patients. The goal is to get them a long-term place to go for their follow-up needs.

“If you tell someone they have high blood pressure and you are not giving them medication and follow-up care, you are not giving them good care,” Alonso said.

If for some reason the clinics are overwhelmed with more people than they can manage to see on Saturday, not to worry, she said.

“We will make a follow-up appointment – that’s another advantage of dispersing it to all the clinics,” she said.

WHERE TO GO

The following clinics will open to the uninsured and under-insured this Saturday, Medical Home Day. Hours are between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., except in Jupiter:

Palm Beach County Health Department clinics:

  • C.L. Brumback Health Center, 38754 State Road 80, Belle Glade.
  • Pahokee-Glades Health Center, 1839 East Main St., Pahokee.
  • Boca Beach Health Center, 225 South Congress Ave., Boca Beach; limited dental services available in addition to medical care.
  • Lantana/Lake Worth Health Center, 1250 Southwinds Drive, Lantana.
  • Northeast Health Center, 851 Avenue P, Riviera Beach.
  • West Palm Beach Health Center, 1150 45th St., West Palm Beach.

Other community clinics:

  • Jupiter Auxiliary Health Center, 6405 Indiantown Road, Jupiter; adult clinic will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and other services will be offered from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • FoundCare, 2330 S. Congress Avenue, Palm Springs.
  • Genesis, 564 E. Woolbright Road, Boynton Beach.
  • Community Health Center, 2823 N. Australian Ave., West Palm Beach.
  • JFK Internal Medicine Faculty and Resident Practice, 160 JFK Drive, Suite 102, Atlantis.
  • Florida Community Health Center 170 S. Barfield Hwy., Suite 103 Pahokee.

PALMBEACHPOST.COM

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