Hue not palatable
Boca officials make restaurant repaint its latest repaint.
BOCA RATON – Seafoam green in Boca Raton? Not unless it’s in the ocean.
The new Luff’s Fish House restaurant picked that color for one of its outside walls in an attempt to bring a little Key West to town.
Trouble is, seafoam is not on the accepted palette for this oceanside city where the appearance of buildings is a high priority. The city insisted that Luff’s change the color; the restaurant opened anyway Wednesday.
Luff’s occupies a former 1920s house and jewelry shop at 390 E. Palmetto Park Road, across from the Palmetto Promenade apartments. Under its original agreement with the city, the building was supposed to have a reddish brown wall, but owner Arturo Gismondi didn’t think the color was right for a seafood place.
“I wanted to create a more Florida, Key Westtype fish house,” said Gismondi, who also owns Cannoli Kitchen, Biergarten Boca Raton, Trattoria Romano and La Nouvelle Maison, all in Boca.
Gismondi tried Thursday to persuade special magistrate Harry Hipler to make an exception, but Hipler was unmoved on what he called a “substantial violation.” Change the color by Jan. 5 or face a $1,000-a-day fine, Hipler ordered.
The magistrate said Gismondi was well aware of the requirements but changed the color anyway.
Ultimately, Gismondi gave up. By Jan. 5, the wall at Luff ’s Fish House will be a different color: reddish brown.