By Thom Smith
The recently revived and moved Elwood’s in Delray Beach (301 NE Third Ave.) seems to be hitting its stride — barbecue with a Virginia accent and a strong weekend lineup up of regional bands and the occasional national act, including The Dillengers and the HepCat Boodaddies and Johnny Ray’s ‘Elvis Thursdays.’ The locals get their shot on Open Mic Wednesday. Take H2O (above). That’s H as in Steve Hull and two Os, as in Billy and Bobby, the Ott twins. They play jazz. Bass player Hull and drummer Bobby live in Boca Raton. Keyboardist Billy calls Delray Beach home. They’re all pretty much retired, enjoying life and playing music for fun. And a plus for Elwood’s, they have a following: the loafer, khaki and buttondown crowd from beachside. Photo by Jerry Lower
Casey Cole (left), Timolin Cole and Jeff Josephson of Raymond Lee Jewelers in Boca Raton talk as guests arrive for the unveiling of a Diamond Horn Signature Pendant that was unveiled for the Nat King Cole Generation Hope Foundation. The organization supports music education in public schools and build awareness about the lack of funding available to those really need it. Photo provided
Forget Iowa. No way, New Hampshire. The 21st century spawning ground for presidential politics is Florida. Don’t be surprised if someday the Oval Office is renamed the Orange Office, which would be quite apropos if, by some quirk of the cosmos, one particular political noisemaker should take over.
As in Donald Trump. He continues to toy with the media and the American people, some of whom believe all this candidate talk is a ploy to boost ratings on Celebrity Apprentice and some who really believe he would make a great president.
Precedent? At the state level, we’ve had wrestler Jesse Ventura in Minnesota, terminator Arnold Schwarzenegger and “Gipper” Ronald Reagan in California. But no one has become president without holding some office before.
Europe has its version of the Donald. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi made millions in real estate and then in the TV business, although Berlusconi is short (5-5, Trump is 6-2), and Trump isn’t saddled with a sex scandal. Berlusconi had hair transplants; Trump, well …
The Donald plows ahead, adhering to the philosophy that you can say what you want about him, just spell the name right. He doesn’t hesitate to steal the spotlight from anyone, be it Rep. Allen West at a Boca Tea Party rally or taking credit for forcing President Obama to produce his “long form” birth certificate.
So is he running, or isn’t he? He won’t fess us, but on at least two recent occasions at his Mar-a-Lago — a true gem of Trump’s remaking — eyewitnesses claim he requested presidential introductions.
Just before taking the stage at a March charity gala, Trump read over the master of ceremonies’ printed introduction, nodded a couple of times, then struck through the last sentence with his pen and wrote, “next president of the United States.”
At the April 15 Palm Beach Centennial kick-off reception attended by Gov. Rick Scott and Tea Party backer David Koch, he suggested to organizers that he be introduced as “the next president of the United States.”
Questions are being raised about Trump’s draft status and the absence of military service during the Vietnam War, his truthfulness about his wealth and his endeavors in pushing for Obama’s birth records. He’ll have to come clean soon, or the advice offered by a former president could ring true: “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.” — Abraham Lincoln.
Steffi Graf arrived on the international tennis scene just as Chris Evert was leaving, so tennis aficionados never saw them prime against prime. But come November, we’ll be able at least to see them on the court again. Graf, now married to Andre Agassi and mother of two, has committed to play in the Chris Evert/Raymond James Pro-Celebrity Classic, Nov. 11-13, at the Delray Tennis Center. It’ll be a class act.
Also on the bill: Scott Foley of The Unit, Cougar Town and Grey’s Anatomy fame. (www.chrisevert.org).
A month shy of her one year anniversary as executive director, Beth Johnston left her post at the Greater Lake Worth Chamber of Commerce. She’s coming to Boca Raton, where she will be the chamber’s executive vice president.
The Boca job came about after discussions with Troy McLellan, president and CEO of the Boca Chamber and someone Johnston, who worked for the Delray Chamber for 11 years prior to taking the Lake Worth job, has known for a long time.
Boca’s Wall of Recognition is shining a little brighter these days after the May 3 addition of Alyce Erickson, Mary and Harold Perper and Jamie Snyder. The wall, presented by the Boca Raton Historical Society, is under the Mizner statue at Royal Palm Place.
Erickson has immersed herself in Boca since the early ’80s, with leadership roles in the Children’s Museum, Lynn University, American Red Cross, Florida Symphonic Pops and more. The Perpers supported numerous charitable organizations and recently funded the “mildly ill clinic” at Florence Fuller Child Development Center. Snyder, known well for her leadership and vision for downtown redevelopment in the ’80s and ’90s, led the redevelopment of Sanborn Square, the adoption of a beautification plan in the mid-’80s, and was the driving force behind Mizner Park.
Could be the No Football League this fall if the owners and the players union don’t cool off.
Meanwhile, the players have no choice but to stay in shape, and a couple of tons of them are working out together in Delray Beach. They’re also planning to do something to put the community in better shape with “Grid Iron Greats Blitz Delux” at Delux nightclub at 6 p.m.May 26.
Organized by Prep and Sports Inc. and Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Brandon Flowers, who played high school football at Atlantic High, the bash will feature several NFL stars and hopefuls as celebrity bartenders. They’ll compete for tips and guests will bid for “dates” with the players. Donations will go to the academic and educational programs of Prep and Sports, which helps high school athletes in Delray, Boca and Boynton improve their physical and academic fitness.
The Blitz is a kick-off event for Flowers Charity Weekend of comedy, bowling, a 7-on-7 high school football tournament and other events from July 7 to July 10. (www.prepandsports.org)
On a sizzling Wednesday evening when the food could have cooked without additional heat, CR Chicks’ co-founder Rick Davis made sure the food stayed hot for SunFest’s VIP guests: tossed salad or slaw, the legendary mashed potatoes, a crispy roll, a brownie, a cookie and, of course, a quarter of barbecued chicken. Customers have been wolfing it down for two decades, so the SunFest crowd knew what to expect.
CR Chicks’ seventh and newest store, however, has been a surprise for Davis. Nestled in a row of easy access eateries in The Commons, just east of Boca’s Town Center, it’s the first Chicks rotisserie south of Boynton. It opened last September, and Davis will be the first to admit, it wasn’t an overnight sensation.
“It started off slow,” he said, “but gradually, month by month, it’s been building. But the thing that amazed us most is that most of the customers didn’t know anything about us.”
Chalk it up to insularity, a feeling that Boca is in its own little world. And when they do look beyond the city limits, Ratoneans first glance southward.
With three stores in central Palm Beach County and three up north, Davis says the company has no interest in leaving Palm Beach County. The one outside venture, in Stuart, closed in 2009 after seven years.
“When we do something, it’ll probably be back up,” Davis said, “probably to Delray.”
Talent doesn’t guarantee success. Just a couple of months after he took leave from Taste, the much ballyhooed gastropub in Delray Beach, Allen Susser has closed his signature Chef Allen’s in Miami’s Aventura suburb.
“I’ve loved every day I walked in the door. But this allows me to grow in other directions,” he told online food blogger and Coastal Star writer Jan Norris. The other directions for the Mango Gang founder and James Beard Award winner includes the Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. — he has six locations and is opening another in South Beach — and possibly a Brooklyn-style deli in west Delray.
But in southern Palm Beach County, the trend seems to be two-for-one — two restaurants open for every one that closes. The latest announcement is the arrival in Delray of concept king Dennis Max. He’s taking over Susser’s old Taste space on Northwest Second Avenue and plans a June opening for Max’s Harvest. It’s a farm-to-table approach offering “clean, simple, unadulterated food” from local and regional growers and producers “that lets the land speak for itself.”
Max already has neighborly competition: Turkish owner Numan Unsal has converted an interior design shop into his first U.S. restaurant, and it’s garnering rave reviews. Sefa, which translates as “fare,” as in food and drink, shows a Mediterranean flair … and a fair price.
Tabbouleh, baba ghanouj, tzatziki, falafel, kibbe, kebabs, gyros, pasta, baklava and coffee done right, and the most expensive dishes on the menu are a mixed grill and Mediterranean dorado, both at $24. Most entrees, however, go for $14 to $18. Fridays and Saturdays, Unsal offers belly dancing … not with him, though, he’s in the kitchen.
And for good measure, look for another high-profile addition to the Delray scene, as rumors have Angelo Elia setting up shop soon. Elia’s Casa D’Angelo has been one of the top-rated restaurants in Fort Lauderdale for more than a decade, and he’s building a similar reputation at a his Casa in Boca. (No connection to the since departed Cucina d’Angelo, late of Boca Center, or Café d’Angelo, on West Glades Road.) Now he wants to try the simply named D’Angelo, reportedly offering less pricey variants of his Tuscan specialties. Stay tuned.
As if July couldn’t be any hotter, two shows at Mizner Park should boil the mercury in any thermometer.
The shows aren’t until July 13 and 28, but you’d be advised to get your tickets early. First up is Matthew Morrison, better known as Will Schuester on Glee. Long before his TV fame, he was making waves on Broadway in Footloose and Hairspray, and this month he’ll debut his first album, including a duet with Elton John.
Two weeks later, Boca gets Selena Gomez. She’s not only earned two gold albums and enjoys a fervent following among Disney fans (She was in the Emmy-winning Wizards of Waverly Place), but she also is a UNICEF goodwill ambassador. Also on the bill, another Disney band, Allstar Weekend.
Thom Smith is a freelance writer. Contact him at ThomSmith@ymail.com
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