South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Let’s Eat Safely
A restaurant guide for the socially distanced diner
In the Before Times, this restaurant guide wouldn’t exist. But these are extraordinary times.
When restaurants emerged from coronavirus lockdowns in May, we set out to find the restaurants that are taking safety seriously with help from members of the Sun Sentinel’s Let’s Eat, South Florida Facebook group.
So what makes a dining room “safe”? As it turns out, opinions from Let’s Eat, South Florida members nicely align with current Center for Disease Control guidelines. These avid diners say restaurants feel safe if they hit these benchmarks: cleanliness, protective gear (masks, gloves, disinfectant), proper table distancing, disposable menus, and patios. Less important, but a bonus: temperature checks, partition walls.
Here are 12 South Florida restaurants diners say are doing it right.
Casa D’Angelo
171 E. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton, 561-996-1234; 1201 N. Federal Highway, #5a, Fort Lauderdale, 954-564-1234; and 2906 NE 207th St., Aventura, 305-699-5500; Casa-D-Angelo.com
What’s new: Angelo Elia, chef-owner of eight South Florida restaurants including Casa d’Angelo, says he installed high-tech gadgetry at every restaurant to combat COVID-19 spread. Employees now use ultraviolet-c light wands to disinfect dining tables (UV-C light kills microscopic germs). Entrances have built-in hand sanitizer dispensers, and each location is equipped with fancy air purifiers that spray a probiotic mist designed to sterilize airborne bacteria. “These are all extra steps, but for us, this level of safety is the difference between brushing your teeth and flossing,” Elia says.
There are also disposable paper menus and covered patio seating. Customers and staff must wear masks while dining and employees take daily body temperature checks before their shift starts, Elia says, adding that he also bought COVID-19 testing kits for employees.
What diners say: “We went and had a fantastic dinner at Casa d’Angelo in Boca last night. The staff wore masks, patrons removed theirs when seated. They only used every other table for spacing. It was a great night and fantastic me a l .” – Wa r re n L . Wheeler, 59, of Fort Lauderdale
Deck 84
840 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; 561-665-8484; Deck84.com
What’s new: This Burt Rapoport-owned dockside eatery offers disposable paper and QR-coded menus customers can scan with smartphones, general manager Lauren Choquette says. And they’ve expanded patio seating near the Intracoastal marina. A “sanitizer administrator” — basically, an employee in a white lab coat — wipes down tables and chairs between meals, and there are mandatory body temperature checks for employees. “All of our staff are in masks and gloves but we don’t require customers to wear them,” Choquette says.
What diners say: “Went to Deck 84 in Delray. Listened to some live music, watched the boats go by. Everybody following guidelines. Ah, a little slice of the old days.” – Chuck Ternosky, of Pompano Beach
Kapow Noodle Bar
431 Plaza Real, Boca Raton; 561-347-7322; KapowNoodleBar.com
What’s new: “You want to keep your customers as safe as your staff, and making diners feel safe is about o p t i c s ,” s ay s Va u g h a n Dugan, co-owner of Kapow Noodle Bar. There are sixfoot-distance stickers on the floor with cheeky sayings (example: “So close you can almost smell it”). Each server carries handsanitizer and is asked to sanitize as they greet new customers. There are also disposable paper menus, daily body temperature checks for employees, compostable paper dinnerware and plastic utensils, and Plexiglas divider walls at Kapow’s patio takeout area. Guests are recommended, but not required, to wear masks.
Wha t d i n e r s s ay: “Kapow Noodle Bar in Boca at Mizner Plaza has been practicing ALL [coronavirus] protocols!” – Kathy Powers, of Boca Raton
Burt & Max’s
9089 W. Atlantic Ave., #100, Delray Beach; 561-638-6380; BurtandMaxs.com
What’s new: A spokesp e r s o n f o r R a p o p o r t ’s Restaurant Group, which owns Burt & Max’s, said the restaurant added paper menus, seated diners at every other table, daily body temperature checks for employees and mandatory masks for staff and guests. A new “sanitation administrator,” dressed in a white coat, sanitizes tables between meals.
What diners say: “Burt and Ma x’s in Delray marketplace … did all the things … except temperature checks which in my personal opinion would be off putting in the extreme.” – Melissa Schultz Bendett, of Parkland
Acquolina
2320 Weston Road, Weston; 954-389-1880; AcquolinaWeston.com
What’s new: “Beyond this point, we’re practicing social distancing,” reads one sign above the entrance to upscale Italian restaurant Acquolina. Signs on tables read, “Reserved for social distancing.” These signs speak for themselves, Acquolina operating partner Jason Morabito says. “All staff are gloved and masked, but the signs are so that we aren’t asking our minimum-wage employees to actively police which customers are wearing masks and which ones aren’t.” Tableside oils, vinegar and cheese are now by-request only, menus are onetime-use paper, and there are hand-sanitizer stations near the entrance and bathrooms.
What diners say: “I feel Acquolina in Weston did a good job with cleanliness and distancing.” – Jenny French Miller, of Weston
Aruba Beach Café
1 Commercial Blvd., Lauderdale-By-The-Sea; 954-776-0001; ArubaBeachCafe.com
What’s new: Gloved employees must wear masks or face shields, there are disposable paper menus and employee temperature checks happen every shift, Aruba employee Donald Book says. There are Plexig l a s d i v i d e r s b e t we e n booths, condiments in single-use paper packaging and 10 extra patio tables at the nearby pavilion and Pompano Pier. At 50 percent capacity, the café has also limited reservations to eight parties or fewer.
Wha t d i n e r s s ay: “Stopped in at Aruba this afternoon after a walk on the beach. Sanitizer at the entrance, dividers in between tables, servers wearing face shields. Although we only had drinks, it felt very safe. The table next to us was sanitized twice. No bar seating, small tables for two were placed beside the bar. They were obviously trying very hard to stay within safety guidelines.” – Antonia Viatori Martinez, of Fort Lauderdale
Coconuts
429 Seabreeze Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 954-525-2421; CoconutsFortLauderdale.com
What’s new: Coconuts spokesperson Sasha Formica says there’s seating six feet apart indoors and outdoors; sanitizer stations at entrances, hostess stands and point-of-sale terminals; masks and gloves for employees; extra patio seating at Coconut’s still-closed dock bar and overflow seating at next-door G&B Oyster Bar (also closed). “Cuscolonial assembly banned the importation of slaves.
Richard Henry Lee of Virginia offered a resolution to the Continental Congress stating “That tomers love the open-air dining room,” Formica says. “Customers already want to dine outside because that’s already the big attraction of our restaurant.”
What diners say: “We … went down to Coconuts in the pouring rain. We were NOT disappointed. Everything was so good. They had tables closed and were very conscious of social distancing including masks and sanitizer available.” — Debbi Emerman Rosenblum, of Boca Raton
Papa’s Raw Bar
4602 N. Federal Highway, Lighthouse Point; 954-942-0740; PapasRawBar.com
What’s new: Troy Ganter, co-owner of the familyowned raw bar and seafood market, says Papa’s has transformed a lot in three months. New additions include an air purification system, disposable paper menus and required masks for employees. He secured a temporary permit from the city to add a 40-foot outdoor tent with 50 socially distanced patio seats. “We’re treating the pandemic as a silver lining and using it to reinvent ourselves,” Ganter says. “We have to stick to our guns and make Papa’s a safe these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States.”
Homer Plessy, a “Creole of color,” was arplace to eat.”
What diners say: “I had lunch t o d ay a t Pa p a Hughie’s in Lighthouse Point. Sat inside. Tables were very spread out. All personnel were wearing masks and gloves. They explained all of their cleaning procedures. One menu was disposable and the other plastic-covered, which they removed and cleaned as soon as we ordered. Plastic utensils and food were served on paper plates. No doubt that detracts somewhat from the experience but I would rather feel safe. The restaurant and bathroom were spotlessly clean. The fish, as usual, was fantastic (grilled mahi-mahi). All in all, a positive experience for someone who has barely left my home since e a r l y Ma rc h .” – F ra n Schreiber, of Boca Raton
Tijuana Taxi Co.
901 N. University Drive, Coral Springs; 954-344-9201; 4400 S. University Drive, Davie, 954-472-5008; and 1015 S. Federal Highway, Deerfield Beach, 954-708-2775; TijuanaTaxiCo.com
What’s new: Bathrooms are now single-occupant only, there are Plexiglas shields in front of the hostess stand, menus are now rested for refusing to leave a whites-only car of the East Louisiana Railroad. (Ruling on his case, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld “separate but equal” racial segregation, a concept it
What’s new: There are body temperature checks for employees and customers. Customers with temperatures of 100.4 or higher will be turned away at the door, says Surissada Sothiwanwongse, owner of Beg for More in Oakland Park and Delray Beach. Floor-toceiling clear vinyl curtains are suspended between tables, and customers have the option of one-time-use paper or QR-coded digital menus. Plates and utensils arrive in vacuum-sealed bags. “We even sterilize the tables with a special ultraviolet wand so customers realize everything is new and clean,” Sothiwanwongse says. “It doesn’t take much for this virus to spread.”
What diners say: “It makes us feel really safe to be eating here. You can tell that they’re going the extra mile. The other restaurants had paper menus or scannable menus but nobody else has had the cutlery or dividers.” – Mimi Stroud, of Fort Lauderdale
Gianni’s
1601 E. Atlantic Blvd., Pompano Beach; 954-942-1733; GiannisItalianRestaurant .com
What’s new: There’s hand sanitizer at the door, disposable paper menus and all employees are required to wear masks. So are customers, but they won’t be turned away without a mask, owner Ciro Gentile says. “We bought 500 extra masks,” he says. “So if a customer wants one, we’ll provide it.”
What diners say: “We went out for a late lunch today to Gianni’s In Pompano Beach… first time to enter a restaurant since March 15. They are first class, always have linens on the tables which were spaced 8 ft apart or more. All I servers and host wore masks and all patrons required to wear the same. It’s a relaxed, pleasant environment and prices are so reasonable for excellent fresh food. It’s a favorite of ours. – Larry and Adria Schott, of Deerfield Beach
The Field Irish Pub 3281 Griffin Road, Dania Beach; 954-964-5979; TheFieldFL.com
What ’s new: The 19-year-old Irish pub now includes hand sanitizer stations, paper and QR-coded digital menus, and guests and front-of-house employees must wear masks. Bathrooms are sanitized every hour, as are dining tables between meals. “If our customers don’t have confidence in our ability to operate safety, we don’t matter anymore,” says Jay O’Haire, the Field’s general manager. Also added: extra patio seating.
What diners say: “The Field Pub on Griffin Road [had] masks, gloves, disinfecting spray, gel, tables properly distanced. They had menu on app for phones — or disposable paper if requested.” – Barbara Ringstad, of Dania Beach
renounced in 1954.)
British mathematician, computer pioneer and code breaker Alan Turing died at age 41, an apparent suicide.