By Thom Smith
A cursory glimpse at Boynton Beach east of U.S. 1 conjures up images of Tombstone, Ariz. — billed in an old TV Western as “the town that refused to die.” Yep, it’s slow in Boynton, but it’s not dead yet.
Ginny Foot is shuttering the Art of Framing on Ocean Avenue (July 24), but not because of the economy.
“I still have loyal customers from Ocean Ridge, Manalapan, Gulf Stream and Boynton,” she said. “I see ’em in the grocery store and tell ’em ‘Your frame’s ready.’ But I’m ready to retire. I’ve been here 28 years.” Ginny tried to sell the business for several months but found no takers, so she’ll down her shingle and take a few more walks to the beach with husband, Bob, the local bridgetender.
“We’re not going anywhere,” she said. “This is a neat place to be.”
A few doors away in Ocean Plaza, Art-Sea Living is preparing to clear out. Not closing, mind you. Just moving from one bridge view to another.
“We’ll have a lot more space,” employee Terry Esposito said of the September move next to Jo-Ann Fabrics in Riverwalk Plaza at the corner of Woolbright Road and Federal Highway.
“This is a cute spot and we hate leaving the plaza, but it’s a matter of economics. We have a sign up at the new place and we’re already getting calls from new customers.
Art-Sea offers a little bit of everything related to art and the sea: fine art by prominent Florida artists, custom jewelry, gifts and art classes.
Minor Skate Shop also departed recently for a free-standing building on South Federal — the better to avoid collisions between acrobatic skateboarders and unsuspecting pedestrians, but Cafe Frankie’s remains, as does Sushi Jo, Pirate Divers dive shop, Cynthia’s Hair Color & Design, Fancy Flamingo boutique, Fran’s Sew-n-Sew & Dry Cleaners and Nail-Know-How, which was voted the best nail salon in Boynton in ’07 and ’08.
Friday night revelers in Lake Worth better be on their best behavior Aug. 21, and perhaps should bring along a few extra bucks to buy beers for city commissioners who’ll be on the prowl. Members of the commission will assemble at the library at 9 p.m. for a walking tour of downtown.
They won’t be looking so much as listening; they’re gathering information for a proposed noise ordinance that would set measurable limits of 85 decibels from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. and 65 decibels from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. The present ordinance allows enforcement officers to “decide” what is “loud and raucous.”
OSHA considers 90 decibels a safe level for eight hours of constant exposure. A gunshot can reach 140 decibels, a loud rock concert can hit 115, normal conversation ranges from 60 to 70 and a quiet library measures out at 30. Commissioners will discuss their findings at an Aug. 25 workshop.
Despite the summer doldrums, Delray Beach city commissioners have noticed the impact of Il Bacio, which they jokingly called the “new City Limits” at their July 14 workshop. City Limits was a live music-dining-drinking landmark for years, then closed, then moved across the street, then closed again last spring. Now Il Bacio, which opened May 6 in the old City Limits space, has picked up the mantle with daily happy hour specials, Ecstatic Thursdays, and the latest, Sunset Sundays, with live reggae and drink specials, and two for $21 three-course dinners Wednesday to Sunday from 4-7 p.m..
Just across Atlantic, jackhammers have been ripping out most of the guts of what was Louie, Louie Too. If all goes well, sometime in November, when a significant other calls to ask where you are, you can honestly say, “I'm at The Office.”
That’s the name for the next restaurant from David Manero, who opened Vic & Angelo’s next to the tracks, has another in Palm Beach Gardens and DeVito (as in Danny) in South Beach. Manero described The Office to New Times as “very California in style … imaginative American with Asian influences … the ultimate gastropub.” The guy on the jackhammer offered a simpler description: “a fancy burger joint.”
Thanks to former Manalapan resident Bren Simon, the Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach in Manalapan doubles as a museum with its fascinating collection of European art. So what better to stimulate the senses than to check out the art in the five-star hotel’s public areas and then enjoy a bargain lunch.
The Ritz’s Temple Orange casual restaurant with an ocean view is offering three-course lunches for $20.09. Executive Chef Ryan Artim is offering roasted tomato gazpacho or classic Caesar salad, followed by grilled salmon club or grilled churrasco-marinated filet with warm potato salad and capped by vanilla crème brulée or tiramisu. Three-course dinners can be devoured for just $35.
Part of the Palm Beach Restaurant Summer, a joint effort by some of Palm Beach’s prime eateries to generate summer action, has been extended through September. The $20.09 and $35 specials are offered by Bice, Cafe Boulud, Cafe L’Europe, Charley’s Crab, the Leopard Lounge at the Chesterfield, Coco (dinner only), Flagler Steakhouse and The Seafood Bar at The Breakers, The Ocean Bistro at The Four Seasons and Renato’s. Chow down!
Thom Smith is a freelance writer. Send news items to him at thomsmith@ymail.com.
Comments