10456968494?profile=RESIZE_710xDrift, the new signature restaurant in the Opal Grand Resort along A1A in Delray Beach, will feature a Sunday brunch on Mother’s Day, May 8. Photos provided

By Jan Norris

With all the new restaurants in Delray Beach, it’s hard to keep up. A couple of guys have a solution: a food tour.
Matt Guidice and Anthony Guzman, both of South Florida, founded culinary walking tours of Delray Beach and Fort Lauderdale just as the coronavirus pandemic hit. They regrouped after it was safe to return to public spaces, and now lead tours in both cities through their company, Craft Food Tours.
The off-Avenue walking tour of Delray starts at 11:30 a.m. weekends and takes up to 14 visitors to five restaurants for 10 sips and tastes. It’s enough for lunch and provides history and architecture commentary along the way.
Private tours can be arranged for up to 80 people, and they do corporate events as well.
The restaurants that participate rotate, so guests don’t exactly know where they’ll be going; it’s a combination of flavors and styles. Chefs often come out to greet guests and describe their plates.
There’s also a happy hour tour at 6 p.m. Thursdays where the venues change to emphasize drinks and small plates, with eight drinks and four plates at three spots. Children must be 13 or older for this tour.
It’s rain or shine, and you do walk throughout — about 1.5 miles, give or take, but only a stretch of three or four blocks at a time before you’re seated and eating, drinking and learning.
Cost for the food tour is $79 per adult, $65 per child. Dietary restrictions are accommodated with advance notice; booking well in advance is encouraged.
Find more information about the tours and bookings at www.craftfoodtours.com.

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If you haven’t made reservations for Mother’s Day — one of the biggest dining-out days of the year — get on it. Despite the growing number of restaurants, they book quickly for brunch, the traditional meal for moms.
There’s a new one in Delray Beach, and not many have heard of it: Drift. It’s the signature restaurant in the Opal Grand Resort — the redux of the Delray Beach Marriott on the ocean.
Billed as an endless summer atmosphere, the nautical-themed space has five dining areas, including a large wrap-around bar, lounge area with “mixology room,” a chef’s galley, the main dining room and an outdoor veranda. A rooftop event deck is open for booking as well.
The all-day menu has favorites such as charcuterie boards, a variety of dips and spreads for sharing, and the twist on the trend: lobster and avocado toast. Seafood is prevalent with Maine lobster bisque, baked oysters, and in salads, with Ora king salmon, and tonno — olive oil poached tuna. That salmon can also be ordered a la plancha. Chicken, burgers and fish tacos also are on the menu.
Sunday brunch runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with chicken and waffles, short rib hash, a roasted vegetable scramble, and other breakfast-type items served alongside the butcher’s block carving station. Meats and fish include overnight smoked brisket, Moroccan spiced leg of lamb, a rosemary crusted rib rack, pastrami spiced salmon and cherry bourbon glazed ham. Salads, flatbreads, burgers, desserts and several sides also are on the menu.
Live entertainment, and plenty of adult beverages complete the package.
Prices for Mother’s Day brunch: $89.95 for adults and $25.95 for kids under 12.

Drift, at the Opal Grand, 10 N. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach. 561-274-3289; www.opalgrand.com.

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10456971476?profile=RESIZE_710x Brule Bistro in Delray and others will offer free desserts for mothers.

Need other ideas? All the big spots have a brunch — though few have gone back to actual buffets because of the pandemic, so expect a la carte. Some are putting a few specials on the menu just for Mother’s Day.
Call in advance to confirm information that may have changed since this writing.
The main tip: Make your reservation now.
The Addison, 2 E. Camino Real, Boca Raton. 561-372-0568; theaddisonofbocaraton.com. Outside courtyard seating available. Reservations start at 10 a.m.
Brule Bistro, 200 NE Second Ave., Delray Beach. 561-274-2046; brulebistro.com. A la carte brunch menu; free dessert for moms.
Caffe Luna Rosa, 34 S. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach. 561-274-9404; caffelunarosa.com. No reservations, but the restaurant opens at 7 a.m. A la carte menu; great open-air dining across from the beach.
Elisabetta’s Ristorante, 32 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. 561-560-6699; elisabettas.com. A la carte menu with specials such as burrata toast. Lively atmosphere upstairs and down.
Farmer’s Table, 1901 N. Military Trail, Boca Raton. 561-417-5836; dinefarmerstable.com. A special menu for brunch. Farm-to-table including juices and drinks.
Farmhouse Kitchen, 399 SE Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton. 561-826-2625; farmhousekitchenboca.com. Vegan and vegetarian dishes on the a la carte menu here. Some specials offered for Mother’s Day.
Harvest Seasonal Grill, 1841 S. Federal Highway, Delray Beach. 561-266-3239; harvestseasonal.com. Healthy choices at the farm-to-table concept restaurant. A la carte menu.
Lionfish, 307 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. 561-639-8700; lionfishdelray.com. A la carte, seafood-focused menu. Open air dining room, lively bar.
Pavilion Grille, 301 Yamato Road, Boca Raton. 561-912-0000; paviliongrille.com. Brunch buffet followed by live entertainment from Elvis tribute performer David Morin starting at 5 p.m.
Prime Catch, 700 E. Woolbright Road, Boynton Beach. 561-737-8822; primecatchboynton.com. Nice waterfront setting with tiki bar. Seafood-focused a la carte menu.
The Ray Hotel Ember Grill, 233 NE Second Ave, Delray Beach. 561-739-1705; embergrilldelray.com. Brunch served 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Rose’s Daughter, 169 NE Second Ave., Delray Beach. 561-271-9423; rosesdaughterdelray.com. A la carte Italian menu with some specials. Free dessert for moms.
SALT 7, 32 SE Second Ave., Delray Beach. 561-274-7258; salt7.com. A la carte menu. Famous “fishbowls” of signature drinks for table sharing.
Sundy House, 106 S. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. 561-272-5678; sundyhouse.com. Buffet, but it’s more about the lush garden setting here.

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Death or Glory, in the historic Falcon house in Delray Beach, will switch names again, though the format will stay largely the same.
One half of the current ownership, Annie Blake, has partnered with Sean Iglehart, one of the owners of Boynton Beach’s Sweetwater, to reopen mid- to late May as The Falcon.
“There’s so much history to the house,” Blake said. “It’s coming up on 100 years old.”
The opportunity for a refresh comes after Blake’s business partner, Ayme Harrison, moved to England to open an ice cream shop. “We had a good five-year run,” Blake said. “This was a good finale and the timing worked out.”
Upscale bar food with sharable plates will continue with the emphasis on craft cocktails.
For longtime fans, Blake has comforting news: “Buddy, our mascot, will still be here.” Buddy is the Havanese-poodle mix with his image on plates and so on.
“The Halloween and Christmas pop-ups will be back,” she said. “We’re bringing the house party back.”
Death or Glory closed last month, going out with a full-dress funeral party.

 

Jan Norris is a food writer who can be reached at nativefla@gmail.com

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