Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
What’s coming soon
When it comes to food, South Florida is a great place to be. So many new places open up every day. Below, find what’s coming soon to a city near you.
Coming soon Pig Beach BBQ, West Palm Beach
After a year of buildout on North Dixie Highway, the first Florida outpost of this Brooklyn barbecue icon is finally expected to open on June 30 — ready to dish smoked brisket and baby back ribs, cheddar-jalapeño sausage and homemade coleslaw. Another menu highlight, the Pig Beach’s brisket-andshort-rib smash burger, won the People’s Choice and Best Dressed awards at the 2021 South Beach Wine and Food Festival’s Burger Bash. 2400 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach; 561-803-0333; PigBeachNYC.com
Ocean One Bar & Grille, Royal Palm Beach
If this trendy sports bar is constantly teeming with crowds no matter the location, there’s a good reason why: Everything on the lunch menu is $4.99 — except for the $3 domestic and imported beers, of course. (Even the premium cocktails, at $10, are 3-for1.) The partners behind the five-buck entrees — Ron Rowe, David Stein, and Tony and Rosita Visone — expect to open their Royal Palm Beach location in early July, with another future outpost planned later for Coral Springs. Meals range from orecchiette pasta to half-pound sirloin burgers to Mediterranean wraps. 11111 Southern Blvd., Royal Palm Beach; 561-350-6718; OceanOneFL. com
Lickie Stickie BBQ, Sunrise
Pitmaster Juliette Johnson’s popular Southern Caribbean food stand — and sellout brisket— is restaurant-bound. After setting up at farmers’ markets around Broward County every weekend for seven years, Johnson plans to open Lickie Stickie in July or August, offering barbecue fixings all week long: spare ribs, salmon, chicken, cheesy grits, collard greens, and her homemade jerk and barbecue sauce. Her catering services will also continue. 7794 NW 44th St., Sunrise; 954-638-2324, LickieStickieBBQ.com
Greek Village Taverna, Fort Lauderdale
Not to be confused with Greek Islands Taverna, the venerable Greek icon on Galt Ocean Mile, this taverna from partners Michael Reppas, Theodoros Xidis and Theodore Dranias is scheduled to debut this summer next to the Classic Gateway Theatre, replacing the old Mod Wine Lounge. No menu or website is yet available. 1828 E. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale
The House on the River, Fort Lauderdale
The historic River
House will live again.
That’s what restaurateur Steven Dapuzzo of Society 8 Hospitality Group is saying about his plans to reopen the venue as
The House on the River sometime this fall. Built in 1903, the landmark is the second-oldest building (behind the 1901 Stranahan House) in Fort Lauderdale and was originally the home of city fathers Tom and Reed Bryan. The city bought the property in 1976 and leased it to various restaurant brands including the Historic Bryan Homes Restaurant, the Chart House, Reed’s River House Restaurant, the River House Restaurant and, most recently, Jonny NoBones Old Riverhouse Vegan Village. Society 8 currently operates Sistrunk Marketplace, Park & Ocean and Wild Thyme Oceanside Eatery. 301 SW Third Ave., Fort Lauderdale
El Camino Mezcal and Tequila Bar, West Palm Beach
The fiesta is heading to West Palm Beach, where the popular El Camino Mezcal and Tequila Bar is expected to open its third location at the Square on July 1. The 6,500-squarefoot restaurant will offer indoor and outdoor seating, along with Mexican beers and handcrafted margaritas. The food is described as “Mexican soul food.” Other locations are in Fort Lauderdale and Delray Beach. 700 S. Rosemary Ave., Suite 232, West Palm Beach; ElCaminoWestPalmBeach.com
Lasso Gaucho Brazilian Steakhouse, Fort Lauderdale
Entering the growing playground of Brazilian steakhouses in Fort Lauderdale (see Chima and the upcoming Fogo de Chão on Las Olas), this churrascaria is meant to replace a former Texas de Brazil this summer. Lasso Gaucho comes from co-owner Edson Munekata (South Carolina’s Cowboy Brazilian Steakhouse) and partners Antonio Jochem, Rudimar Rech and Chih Kuo Lee. No website or menu is yet available.
2457 E. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale
The Hen and The Hog, Boca Raton
This rustic greasy spoon with pig roasts every Friday, an all-day breakfast, and pork-centric decorative signs (“Don’t go bacon my heart”) is plotting a second location in Boca Raton later this summer, replacing the former Blue Ocean Poke. The flagship sits on North Federal Highway in Pompano Beach. Operated by Yardlene Tabora and George Abbondante, The Hog serves smoked meat platters, sandwiches, burgers, bowls and salads. 2151 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton; 954-366-1572; TheHenHog. com
Fiolina Pasta House, Boca Raton
Michelin-star chef and restaurateur Fabio Trabocchi plans to debut his Pasta House in 2023 at the soon-to-open Restaurant Row in Boca Raton. The restaurant would occupy the venue’s largest space at 7,000 square feet and include a market, a walkthrough pasta room and an open kitchen. Trabocchi, also a James Beard Award recipient, already has Fiola in Coral Gables. His Washington D.C.-based restaurant group includes Del Mar and Sfoglina Pasta House. 5355 Town Center Road, Boca Raton; FabioTrabocchi.com
Vicky Bakery, Broward and Palm Beach counties
This Miami-based bakery (with a sizable section of the menu offering breakfast dishes and lunchtime sandwiches) is marking its 50th anniversary with ambitious expansion plans northward that include franchises in Fort Lauderdale, Coral Springs, Pembroke Pines, Plantation, Boca Raton and West Palm Beach. As of now, it’s looking as if these would open by January and February 2023. VickyBakery.com
Fogo de Chão, Fort Lauderdale
Founded in southern Brazil in 1979, the steakhouse is working to open its fifth Florida location at The Main Las Olas later this summer. Owners say the restaurant brings the centuries-old cooking technique of churrasco — roasting prime cuts of meat over an open flame. Offerings include Wagyu New York strip and 42-day aged tomahawk ribeye, along with seafood and Brazilian-inspired cocktails. 201 E. Las Olas Blvd; fogo.com
Smile Empanadas, Wilton Manors
As soon as all the inspections are finalized, this new empanada eatery will replace the former empanada eatery known as Almacen de Empanadas. No, there’s no empanada drama. In fact, Smile is moving in with the full support of Almacen’s owner, Elias Iskandarani, who says he would like to focus his empanada empire on distribution via his EmpaMec commercial empanada machinery out of Davie and his kitchens in Opa-Locka. Axel Tiemroth, one of Smile’s owners, says that the new fast-casual restaurant “aims to be the McDonald’s of empanadas.” There are screens above the counter where diners can see exactly what the fillings are, unlike many empanada cafes. Tiemroth and business partner Lucas Capurro know that the formula works because last year they tested SoFlo waters (both are from Argentina) with a popular location in Coral Gables. Tiemroth says they learned to not rigidly adhere to traditional recipes: “They’re not so Latin American. We aimed to be more local flavors.” That means popular menu choices include cheeseburger, pulled pork and chicken marinara empanadas. Individual empanadas are $2.99 each; the
Big Smile Combo of six empanadas is $15.99; a Family Pack of 12 is $29.99; and a Party Pack of 48 is $109.99, or 96 empanadas for $199.99. 2041 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors. SmileEmpanadas.com
Flamingo Seafood, Pompano Beach
An abandoned Marathon gas station between the Intracoastal Waterway and an Umberto’s is being revived as Flamingo Seafood, a raw bar, wholesale market and seafood retailer scheduled to open later this summer from owners Charles Parker and Jamie Mattocks. On the menu: clams or oysters on the half-shell, poké, smoked fish dip, charcuterie boards, French onion soup and caviar terrine. 2798 E. Atlantic Blvd., Pompano Beach; FlamingoSeafood.com
Tin Roof, Fort Lauderdale
This Nashville-spawned, music-minded, bar-food chain with a popular location on Delray’s glitzy Atlantic Avenue is moseying south to downtown Fort Lauderdale to open this fall inside the former Township bar, CEO Bob Franklin told the Sun Sentinel. Tin Roof will feature nightly live music acts and a menu nearly identical to that of its Delray Beach outpost: Nashville hot chicken, fried pickles, barbecue pulled pork quesadillas, burgers, mac ‘n’ cheese, and a suite of a la carte tacos. 219 S. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale; TinRoofBars.com
Salento Coffee Shop, West Palm Beach
This 4-year-old Colombian coffeehouse from owners Jaime and Johona Lara is moving later this fall from its downtown West Palm Beach perch exactly two blocks north to the hip, coveted nightlife hive of Clematis Street. The new storefront, awarded to the Laras by West Palm Beach’s Downtown Development Authority, puts them inside Mandel Public Library, and cafe seating will use the library’s patio. Named after the small Colombian town from which they source their beans, the shop serves smoothies, juices, arepas, paninis and Colombian bites like pasteles de pollo and carne (beef and chicken patties), pan de bono (cheese bread) and pastel gloria (pastry). Until they move, Salento’s flagship at 120 S. Dixie Highway will remain open. 407 Clematis St., West
Palm Beach; 561-841-6138; MySalentoCoffee.com
Swirl Wine Bistro, Margate
After five years of serving high-end Caribbean, European and American fusion out of a nondescript strip mall in Coconut Creek, husband-and-wife owners Mike and Judith Able are moving to high-profile digs on West Atlantic Boulevard in Margate. The couple’s bistro will take over the storefront formerly occupied by YiaYia’s Greek Kitchen later this year. But for now, they plan to keep their Lyons Road location open for business. Chef Judith Able, a graduate of Johnson & Wales University (and onetime winner of Food Network’s “Guy’s Grocery Games”), prepares an adventurous, rotating menu that includes jerked chicken drumettes, porkbelly tacos with apple coleslaw, oxtail ravioli, grilled octopus and poached pear salads. 4976 W. Atlantic Blvd., Margate; SwirlBistro. com
Larry’s Ice Cream & Cafe, Boca Raton
The original Larry’s Ice Cream has been selling its sweet chill-ness in Coral Springs since 1986. But now, new owner Janet McGinnis is expanding Larry’s to St. Andrews Plaza, near the Town Center Mall. Known for over-the-top desserts and unique takes on comfort food, the menu in Boca Raton will remain largely New Jersey Boardwalk-inspired, but with a little more sparkle and glam. As of now, McGinnis’ team plans to open the Boca Raton location in June or July. 21090 St. Andrews Blvd., Boca Raton; LarrysIceCreamAndCafe.com
Ela Curry Kitchen, Palm Beach Gardens
After two years of global small plates at his Stage Kitchen & Bar, chef Pushkar Marathe (Ghee Indian Kitchen, 3030 Ocean) veers into traditional Indian entrees with Ela Curry Kitchen, expected to open in July inside the Donald Ross Village plaza. The 65-seater, which Marathe is opening with Stage business partner Andrew Dugard, will serve a la carte Indian street food and thali-style entrees, in which small bowls of chutneys, naan, rice, lentils and protein are presented on a large platter. 4650 Donald Ross Road, Palm Beach Gardens