Page 13 - Boca Club News - September '19

Boca Club News, Page 13
Dining Out:

You Can Count The Stars…But Don’t Count Too High!

By Alan Serinsky of Bocaire. hotel. In contrast, the hotels want you to believe they do. It’s certainly delivered on taste but didn’t warrant the expense.
Hungry Al’s love of food started what we call in marketing “perceived value.” You think you’re According to my calculator, that’s about six bites at $5.35
young. Never satisfied at the getting a celebrity chef, but in reality you’re only getting his each. And at that price I want to see Mauro in the kitchen.
family dinner table with his brand name and his recipes. Welcome to Flories. As for the center stage entrees, they didn’t disappoint.
Mom’s dishes, he started to cook First Impressions: I have been to the Four Seasons’ Hungry G and Hungry D shared the special of the night: Dorade
his own way through her Betty restaurants before, all with different variations of décor and or Dorado ($65) heavily-salted and encrusted in a pizza dough,
Crocker cookbook. His food food. This one by far is the least formal. The new look is then baked in their stone hearth oven.
journey consisted of working beautifully decorated, with warm pastel colors, that helps This Mediterranean preparation allows the delicate fish to
many restaurants both as server and cook, attending numerous portray the beach environment in a relaxed and understated cook gently and evenly without cooking oils. The end result is
cooking classes, and traveling the world in an effort to expand formality. moist fish that’s perfectly seasoned. Don’t worry about it being
his palette of different flavors and cuisines. As a professional But for me this is the problem. If you’re going to pitch a overly salted; the fish skin acts as a layer of protection. With this
writer, Hungry Al will give you his perspective on current food Michelin level dining experience there has to be some form dish it’s all about the fish. No fancy sauces, no unique stuffing,
trends and guide you through your local restaurant choices. of uniqueness or current relativity to what awards this level no glazes. Its rich, succulent meaty flavor is comparable to a
of quality. I have yet to visit a Michelin rated restaurant that pompano or red snapper and nets that seafood simplicity fish
Flories also utilizes its dining room for breakfast and lunch. lovers can’t resist.
Four Seasons Hotel In this case it would have been smart to throw down a linen Hungry J, on the other hand, gravitated instantly to Flories’
2800 South Ocean Blvd. tablecloth, or even a placemat. New Zealand Lamb Shoulder ($38). Here Mauro’s recipe calls
Palm Beach, FL 33480 Straight From The Kitchen: The food here is inspired for the protein to be first Sous-vide (low temp, long cooking
(561) 582-2800 Mediterranean with a dash of Florida influence. The man time in water), then finished on the Yakitori grill. This tender,
behind the food is the 3-star Michelin chef Mauro Colagreco. tasty meat was accompanied by sweet potato cubes, dates,
Food For Thought: I have been to a few Michelin rated If you’re ever in Southern France make a bucket list visit to walnuts and a black sesame sauce. This scored big with Hungry
restaurants in my day. I’m not bragging, but you don’t know his world-known restaurant called Mirazur. J and myself.
what you don’t know. The question is, are these high-end dining The kitchen utilizes a live-fire cooking approach that Speaking of myself, Hungry Al (that’s me), selected the
experiences worth the dollars or the hype they portray? incorporates a stone hearth oven, yakitori grill and a’ la borche Seared Snapper Fillet ($38). Sadly, I was misinformed that I
It’s a mixed plate. After eating at 2- or 3-star Michelin spit roasting technique. was getting Yellowtail Snapper only to later discover it was
restaurants, I sometimes feel like I’ve gone to culinary heaven, To start, we all shared three appetizers: The first was an Red Snapper. Who’s doing the fishing here? Then, as a double
and then there are others that leave me hungry and poor. For Heirloom Tomatoes and Peach Carpaccio ($19). This creative whammy, my first delivery of Snapper was totally overcooked.
example, the Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud in Dublin holds preparation hit on all cylinders. Perfectly mandoline-sliced But my luck got better. The second time around it was
two celestial stars, whereby Iceland’s only Michelin rated peaches and tomatoes were plated in full carpaccio style, excellent. The chef nailed the crispiness of the skin, perfected
restaurant, The Dill, eventually lost its guiding light this year. then treated with Sicilian pistachios and dressed with a ginger the interior temperature, and beautifully executed the silky
I’m not surprised! vinaigrette. smooth Asian treated sauce with Bok Choy.
So, what does this all have to do with Flories, which The second winner in taste, but not in cost, was the Riviera From The Dessert Tray: Since we were celebrating a
recently opened at the Four Seasons Hotel in Palm Beach? Salad ($27). Served in a huge bowl that could feed a cage of birthday, the waiter decided to treat the table to a special
In an effort to bring new diners into the facility, the hotel rabbits, it was an incredibly composed garden blend of mixed dessert for the occasion. Nice…but it seemed almost foolish
spent time and money on both renovation and menu. With the greens, micro greens, tapenade, fresh vegetables, and heirloom when he delivered an ice cream tart the size of a lime with four
hope of luring in new guests and local foodies, they solicited tomatoes. It also was comprised of seared tuna slices that didn’t forks. Seeing the disappointment on our faces he must have
a Michelin-rated chef to overlook these efforts. reach the heights of my favorite sushi spot. twisted some arms to return with their signature dessert, White
But herein lies the paradox. We also emptied our wallets on the appetizer, Yakitori- Chocolate Mousse ($14). This was incredibly delicious. Each
No Michelin rated chef is going to leave an established grilled Carabinero Prawns and Avocado, for a shocking ticket bite delivered the layers of passion fruit coulis, creamy rich
award-winning restaurant to work full time for a corporate of $32. Plated with huge (heads included) prawns, this dish mousse, and homemade lemon sorbet. Excellent!
Check Please: It’s obvious there were some hit and misses.
The service was friendly but untrained. The wine was never
poured after the first glass. The bread was good but had to be
requested. The table was yearning for a tablecloth, the prices
were typically Palm Beach, but the food was surprisingly good.
So, let us say that Flories didn’t actually floor us. Nor did we
see any Michelin stars out that night. But we did have a great
celebration. So, the Hungry Squad gives
a big candle for the birthday gal and only H H H
three golden stars for Flories.

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