Jan280
May 10th, 2010, 11:52 PM
No one talks about it when it is thriving. It's about time a thread is made for this nice, bustling, fortunate small city.
Photos taken last weekend at Delray Beach Marriot.
http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/4703/1011982.jpg (http://img245.imageshack.us/i/1011982.jpg/)
http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/5630/1011918.jpg (http://img535.imageshack.us/i/1011918.jpg/)
http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/2307/1011922j.jpg (http://img191.imageshack.us/i/1011922j.jpg/)
http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/4827/1011920.jpg (http://img153.imageshack.us/i/1011920.jpg/)
http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/9083/1011907u.jpg (http://img64.imageshack.us/i/1011907u.jpg/)
http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/4459/1011929.jpg (http://img202.imageshack.us/i/1011929.jpg/)
http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/7161/1011937.jpg (http://img62.imageshack.us/i/1011937.jpg/)
http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/6348/1011933.jpg (http://img192.imageshack.us/i/1011933.jpg/)
What recession? Eateries on way in Delray Beach
By Alexandra Clough Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Posted: 11:19 p.m. Friday, May 7, 2010
Restaurateur Burt Rapoport is finished with the recession.
He's working on plans to open two restaurants in southern Palm Beach County. One will be another Max's Grille, this one in suburban Delray Beach, and the other will be Burt's at the Bridge, in downtown Delray Beach.
Sure, his restaurant on West Palm Beach's Clematis Street, Clematis Social, closed last year after just six months in business. But that's in the past. "In the restaurant business, nobody bats 1.000," Rapoport said. "That doesn't stop me from wanting to continue doing what I do."
And what Rapoport does is jump into ventures with a combination of enthusiasm and know-how. He's particularly excited about the new Max's Grille, slated to open in late 2011 in the Delray Marketplace. That's the long-awaited shopping center west of Delray Beach, at Lyons Road and west Atlantic Avenue, near Florida's Turnpike. The 300,000-square- foot project, by Kite Realty Group of Indianapolis, will be anchored by Publix and Frank Theatres and will feature 12 screens, 16 bowling lanes and a Sony Playstation lounge.
Numerous restaurants and shops are planned, but Max's Grille is the first to sign up.
"There's just a shortage of restaurants out there, and everybody in west Boca or Delray or Boynton lives within 10 minutes," Rapoport said, explaining his desire to be at the center. Getting to the Delray Marketplace soon will be easier than ever because an extension of Lyons Road from Atlantic Avenue to Boynton Beach Boulevard will begin in the fall.
Max's, a modern American bistro, has been a mainstay at Boca Raton's Mizner Park since it opened in 1991. Together with chef-partner John Belleme, Max's original chef, Rapoport plans to replicate the Max's formula at the suburban Delray Beach location, with a few tweaks.
At the Delray Marketplace, prices will be 10 percent to 20 percent lower than at the downtown Boca Max's. Some menu items may be different, too. But it will still be Max's, with its signature dishes and dark wood ambiance.
Creating just the right casual but elegant look will cost about $2.4 million, Rapoport said. (Rapoport said he's licensing the concept from the entity that owns the Max's Grille in Boca, an ownership group that includes Rapoport and restaurateur Dennis Max.)
The shopping center will serve customers who have had to drive east for entertainment and dining, said Marty Arrivo, a Kite leasing representative.
Having Max's Grille, with an operator as savvy as Rapoport, will be a huge plus for the Delray Marketplace, which is planned as "the place to gather," Arrivo said.
"We're creating this place for people to come to," Arrivo said. "The restaurants will even be built around a valet stand, exactly like you see at Mizner."
As for Rapoport's other new venture, he's close to finalizing a deal to bring Burt's to the old Busch's Seafood spot in downtown Delray Beach. The location, on Atlantic Avenue and the Intracoastal Waterway, features a million-dollar view and a generous dock to allow boaters to dock and dine.
The eatery's name is a nod to Rapoport's first name and the first name of his landlord, real estate mogul Burt Handelsman.
Burt's is expected to open in October, after a $1 million renovation. Expect a casual menu that will include burgers and seafood, plus a raw bar.
In addition to Max's Grille in Mizner Park, Rapoport has two eateries in Palm Beach County: Henry's in suburban Delray Beach, and Bogart's Bar and Grille, at the Cinemark Palace 20 in Boca Raton.
Business, he says, is brisk, a sign the recession may be fading. During the first quarter of 2010, sales at Henry's were up over 20 percent from this time last year. It was the same story at Max's Grille in Boca. "I see everything changing," Rapoport said. "Vendors and others are feeling good about things. I think the timing is perfect."
That's the optimist in Rapoport talking, the entrepreneur who never stops being a risk-taker.
Rapoport said he learned to think this way long ago, from his high school basketball coach. "If you don't shoot," his coach told him, "you'll never score."
•Karl Alterman, Boca Raton's restaurateur-about-town, is back with a new concept. But this time he's heating up the dining scene in sizzling downtown Delray Beach.
The former operator of Gigi's at Mizner Park in Boca Raton, Moquila in Boca Raton and, most recently, Big City Tavern (now Rocco's Tacos) has taken over Delray's Falcon House, on Federal Highway just north of Atlantic Avenue.
Alterman has renamed the place the Triple Eight Lounge, a nod to the vodka made in Alterman's hometown of Nantucket.
Vodka is, in fact, a big focus of the Triple Eight. Alterman says diners can order their vodkas infused with various fruits and herbs. "Infused vodkas are going to be our calling card," Alterman said.
Infusion takes some planning on the part of patrons, since the vodkas are soaked for 72 hours before being poured into a customer's very own bottle. Naturally, Alterman will offer lockers for these patrons.
As for food, Alterman's going back to the Triple Eight theme: Every item costs $8.88. It's a bid to go back to the Falcon House's roots as a tapas-type hangout, with a lively bar and small plates.
Any fears of opening on the tail end of the recession? Not really, Alterman said.
"People are sick and tired of being sick and tired," Alterman said.
He said they're ready to go out and have fun, albeit in a more frugal way. "So hamburger is the new steak," Alterman explained, promising to provide "the best burger in Delray," at a price of $8.88.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/money/what-recession-eateries-on-way-in-delray-beach-677106.html?page=2
Photos taken last weekend at Delray Beach Marriot.
http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/4703/1011982.jpg (http://img245.imageshack.us/i/1011982.jpg/)
http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/5630/1011918.jpg (http://img535.imageshack.us/i/1011918.jpg/)
http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/2307/1011922j.jpg (http://img191.imageshack.us/i/1011922j.jpg/)
http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/4827/1011920.jpg (http://img153.imageshack.us/i/1011920.jpg/)
http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/9083/1011907u.jpg (http://img64.imageshack.us/i/1011907u.jpg/)
http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/4459/1011929.jpg (http://img202.imageshack.us/i/1011929.jpg/)
http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/7161/1011937.jpg (http://img62.imageshack.us/i/1011937.jpg/)
http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/6348/1011933.jpg (http://img192.imageshack.us/i/1011933.jpg/)
What recession? Eateries on way in Delray Beach
By Alexandra Clough Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Posted: 11:19 p.m. Friday, May 7, 2010
Restaurateur Burt Rapoport is finished with the recession.
He's working on plans to open two restaurants in southern Palm Beach County. One will be another Max's Grille, this one in suburban Delray Beach, and the other will be Burt's at the Bridge, in downtown Delray Beach.
Sure, his restaurant on West Palm Beach's Clematis Street, Clematis Social, closed last year after just six months in business. But that's in the past. "In the restaurant business, nobody bats 1.000," Rapoport said. "That doesn't stop me from wanting to continue doing what I do."
And what Rapoport does is jump into ventures with a combination of enthusiasm and know-how. He's particularly excited about the new Max's Grille, slated to open in late 2011 in the Delray Marketplace. That's the long-awaited shopping center west of Delray Beach, at Lyons Road and west Atlantic Avenue, near Florida's Turnpike. The 300,000-square- foot project, by Kite Realty Group of Indianapolis, will be anchored by Publix and Frank Theatres and will feature 12 screens, 16 bowling lanes and a Sony Playstation lounge.
Numerous restaurants and shops are planned, but Max's Grille is the first to sign up.
"There's just a shortage of restaurants out there, and everybody in west Boca or Delray or Boynton lives within 10 minutes," Rapoport said, explaining his desire to be at the center. Getting to the Delray Marketplace soon will be easier than ever because an extension of Lyons Road from Atlantic Avenue to Boynton Beach Boulevard will begin in the fall.
Max's, a modern American bistro, has been a mainstay at Boca Raton's Mizner Park since it opened in 1991. Together with chef-partner John Belleme, Max's original chef, Rapoport plans to replicate the Max's formula at the suburban Delray Beach location, with a few tweaks.
At the Delray Marketplace, prices will be 10 percent to 20 percent lower than at the downtown Boca Max's. Some menu items may be different, too. But it will still be Max's, with its signature dishes and dark wood ambiance.
Creating just the right casual but elegant look will cost about $2.4 million, Rapoport said. (Rapoport said he's licensing the concept from the entity that owns the Max's Grille in Boca, an ownership group that includes Rapoport and restaurateur Dennis Max.)
The shopping center will serve customers who have had to drive east for entertainment and dining, said Marty Arrivo, a Kite leasing representative.
Having Max's Grille, with an operator as savvy as Rapoport, will be a huge plus for the Delray Marketplace, which is planned as "the place to gather," Arrivo said.
"We're creating this place for people to come to," Arrivo said. "The restaurants will even be built around a valet stand, exactly like you see at Mizner."
As for Rapoport's other new venture, he's close to finalizing a deal to bring Burt's to the old Busch's Seafood spot in downtown Delray Beach. The location, on Atlantic Avenue and the Intracoastal Waterway, features a million-dollar view and a generous dock to allow boaters to dock and dine.
The eatery's name is a nod to Rapoport's first name and the first name of his landlord, real estate mogul Burt Handelsman.
Burt's is expected to open in October, after a $1 million renovation. Expect a casual menu that will include burgers and seafood, plus a raw bar.
In addition to Max's Grille in Mizner Park, Rapoport has two eateries in Palm Beach County: Henry's in suburban Delray Beach, and Bogart's Bar and Grille, at the Cinemark Palace 20 in Boca Raton.
Business, he says, is brisk, a sign the recession may be fading. During the first quarter of 2010, sales at Henry's were up over 20 percent from this time last year. It was the same story at Max's Grille in Boca. "I see everything changing," Rapoport said. "Vendors and others are feeling good about things. I think the timing is perfect."
That's the optimist in Rapoport talking, the entrepreneur who never stops being a risk-taker.
Rapoport said he learned to think this way long ago, from his high school basketball coach. "If you don't shoot," his coach told him, "you'll never score."
•Karl Alterman, Boca Raton's restaurateur-about-town, is back with a new concept. But this time he's heating up the dining scene in sizzling downtown Delray Beach.
The former operator of Gigi's at Mizner Park in Boca Raton, Moquila in Boca Raton and, most recently, Big City Tavern (now Rocco's Tacos) has taken over Delray's Falcon House, on Federal Highway just north of Atlantic Avenue.
Alterman has renamed the place the Triple Eight Lounge, a nod to the vodka made in Alterman's hometown of Nantucket.
Vodka is, in fact, a big focus of the Triple Eight. Alterman says diners can order their vodkas infused with various fruits and herbs. "Infused vodkas are going to be our calling card," Alterman said.
Infusion takes some planning on the part of patrons, since the vodkas are soaked for 72 hours before being poured into a customer's very own bottle. Naturally, Alterman will offer lockers for these patrons.
As for food, Alterman's going back to the Triple Eight theme: Every item costs $8.88. It's a bid to go back to the Falcon House's roots as a tapas-type hangout, with a lively bar and small plates.
Any fears of opening on the tail end of the recession? Not really, Alterman said.
"People are sick and tired of being sick and tired," Alterman said.
He said they're ready to go out and have fun, albeit in a more frugal way. "So hamburger is the new steak," Alterman explained, promising to provide "the best burger in Delray," at a price of $8.88.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/money/what-recession-eateries-on-way-in-delray-beach-677106.html?page=2