A crowd favorite, the 17th annual Boca Bacchanal wine and food festival has a new home at the Boca Raton Resort and Club. It's scheduled to conclude April 6 with the Grand Tasting, previously held in Mizner Park (above). Photo provided
By Jan Norris
Boca Bacchanal, the star food event of the month, concludes April 6 with the Grand Tasting of food and wine samples from local chefs and renowned vintners.
At its new digs at the Boca Raton Resort and Club, the finale follows the dinners in private homes on April 5 and a new event mindful of the huge South Beach Wine and Food Festival — the Bubbles and Burgers bash, which was scheduled to kick off the event April 4 at the resort’s Boca Beach Club.
As befitting the posh, wine-centric event, organizers strived to go beyond your average gourmet burgers.
Items on the menu included the Bistro raclette burger with an Alpine Swiss-gruyere fondue and bacon-onion jam on a pretzel bun; and the Naked burger, made with Kobe beef, whipped burrata, heirloom tomatoes and balsamic onions.
There was a veggie burger made with portobellos for people eschewing meat.
Truffle fries, sweet potato shoestring potatoes and mac n’ cheese were among the sides.
Tickets for the Grand Tasting are $125. Go to www.bocabacchanal.com for tickets or more info.
Boca Bacchanal is a fundraiser for the Boca Raton Historical Society and Museum.
Both the Delray Affair and the Pineapple Grove Art and Music Fest are this month.
The Delray Affair, April 12-14 in downtown Delray Beach, celebrates its 57th year and says it’s the largest arts and crafts show in the Southeast.
The Honda Beer Garden and Lounge at Old School Square returns, along with two new beer gardens, at Southeast Fourth Avenue and Northeast Seventh Avenue along Atlantic Avenue. Dozens of restaurants along the way will sell food.
At Delray Affair After Dark, when the booths close and the avenue remains blocked off, several restaurants will offer happy hours all weekend.
Look for specials and discounts at 50 Ocean, Atlantic Grille, Brule Bistro, Buddha Sky Bar and Garden, Caffe Luna Rosa, Che!, City Oyster & Sushi Bar, Corner Porch (Friday and Saturday), Farmhouse Kitchen, Prime, Papa’s Tapas (closed Sunday), Park Tavern, Rack’s Fish House & Oyster Bar, Rocco’s Tacos, Salt 7 (excluding Sunday), Taverna Opa, The Office, Vic & Angelo’s and others.
Go to downtownDelrayBeach.com to find out where to park — or be smart and use a rides-share to get in and out.
Once that event clears out, the Pineapple Grove Art and Music Fest, from 6-9 p.m. April 25, will kick off the Beatles on the Beach Festival, a tribute to the band.
The inaugural art and music fest is free, and will take place on Northeast Second Avenue from Atlantic Avenue to Northeast Third Street. The street party is family-friendly, with shops staying open and exhibit tents lining the street. Classic cars, with an emphasis on VW Beetles and vans, will be displayed.
The Beatles on the Beach Festival takes place April 25-28 throughout downtown.
For information, visit www.downtowndelraybeach.com.
Nestled in the umbrella-covered patio of the Eau Palm Beach, the Tap Takeover on April 6 will celebrate beers from local microbreweries. Photo provided
Eau Palm Beach is hosting its fourth annual Tap Takeover at Breeze, the outdoor bar, on April 6 to celebrate National Beer Day the following day. A Brewmasters Dinner will follow the Tap Takeover, which is set for 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Festivities throughout the day will include music and a sampling of local craft beers. They include those from Due South Brewing Co. and Copperpoint Brewing Company of Boynton Beach; Tequesta Brewery; SaltWater Brewery from Delray Beach, and Mathews Brewing Co. in Lake Worth.
The daytime event is free to attend, but registration is through eventbrite.com/e/4th-annual-tap-takeover-tickets-57738606727.
The Brewmasters Dinner is at Angle Restaurant. A five-course meal pairs the chef’s foods with beers suggested by the breweries.
A pretzel-cheese dip with aged Cheddar Royale, lager mustard, braised apple and bacon jam is paired with a Copperpoint Lager.
Wahoo with plantain, tangerine, watermelon radish, avocado and a salted cucumber sorbet is paired with SaltWater Brewery’s Hazy Shark double dry-hopped IPA.
Korean pork is served with fermented vegetables, smoked corn, fried shallots, tomato and chili, and paired with Mathews' Cream Ale.
The last entree, a short rib chop done Memphis barbecue style, is served with red cabbage, carrots, grits and an IPA jus. It’s paired with Due South’s Oaked Category 5 Imperial IPA.
Dessert is a beer called Brave Tart, from Tequesta Brewing, featuring a Berliner Weisse, loaded with blueberries and sweet cherries.
For tickets ($94) to the dinner, visit www.eventbrite.com/e/brewmasters-craft-beer-dinner-tickets-57739500400.
In brief: Gone is The French House, at 821 Lake Ave. in Lake Worth. In its place is Sofra Mediterranean Cuisine. First reports are it’s a winner. … A Louie Bossi was planned for the former 32 East in Delray Beach, but the new name is Lisabet’s Trattoria. It’s scheduled to open this spring with Lisabet Summa, a partner in the Big Time Restaurant Group, running the show. They’re still working on the build-out. …
New to Boca is Bubbleology, a London-based bubble tea and bubble waffle-cone spot. Soft cheese, gelato, fruit and milk teas are among the offbeat offerings. It’s in the Shops at University Park, 141 NW 20th St. We wonder about those huge plastic straws needed to sip the bubble tea, given discussion afoot to ban plastic straws.
Jan Norris is a food writer who can be reached at nativefla@gmail.com. Thom Smith is on leave.
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