Page 4 - Boca Exposure - July '20

Page 4, Boca Exposure
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Dining Out: The Review That’s Been
Sitting On My Shelf Way Too Long!
By Alan Serinsky of Bocaire. different items we shared around the table. But first let Hungry
Hungry Al’s love of food started Al (that’s me) discuss the main attraction: Coffee!
I know all coffee is always judged by your last Starbuck’s
young. Never satisfied at the cup. For you diehard coffee drinkers, I’m not sure if La
family dinner table with his
Mom’s dishes, he started to cook Boulangerie will have you cashing in your “buck” credits
his own way through her Betty
just yet. To me the taste of coffee has to be “eaten.” It’s like
Crocker cookbook. His food you almost want to chew your cup of daily fuel. As for La
journey consisted of working Boulangerie, their coffee succeeds on this level with the
exception of needing a fork and knife.
many restaurants both as server and cook, attending numerous
Breakfast ... Lunch ... Dinner! Now for what lies beyond
cooking classes, and traveling the world in an effort to expand the cup of brew. Regardless of what time of day you eat
his palette of different flavors and cuisines. As a professional
writer, Hungry Al will give you his perspective on current food breakfast, La Boulangerie is serving up plenty of early morning
trends and guide you through your local restaurant choices.
treats. I totally recommend their omelets. I sampled the Feta
Cheese Omelette ($13.95), and this huge portion delivered a
La Boulangerie mixed scrambled egg creation that would deliver a high omelet
Town Center Mall
rating if there was such a thing. No brown scoring of burnt butter,
works 6000 Glades Rd. inferior cheese or chunky vegetables in this morning protein.
And as a nod to the French, you can partake in a Croque
1048A
Boca Raton, FL 33431 Madame ($13.85), which is a crispy baguette layered with
“Black Forest Ham”, Swiss cheese, then nestled under two
(561) 361-8820
fried eggs, tomatoes and a touch of béchamel sauce. That
Food for Thought: It was early February 2020 and
everything was just fine in the world of dining out! Then came certainly is a wakeup call for your digestive system!
As for lunch, you can switch continents and try their
and March, April, June, and all of our social amenities were turned delicious gourmet empanadas. There are the standard beef and
chicken, but for an Amazon taste of Latin America, I would
upside down. Bars, restaurants, and even food trucks were
parked with closed signs on their doors. suggest you give the Spanish chorizo and caramelized onion
empanada a try.
The worst circumstances were for the new restaurants that
were either in construction or those ready to unlock their doors The savory flavor of the sausage is perfectly balanced with
and welcome new patrons. For these enterprises the outlook the sweetness of the candy-tasting caramelized onions that
resonated from the crispy-baked pastry of the tortilla shell.
was bleak and the outcome disastrous.
To unexpectedly shut down regardless of reason does There is also a huge selection of gourmet sandwiches to
not make your expenses and obligations just disappear. choose from. We all shared the mega-sized Classic Turkey
Unfortunately, millions of dollars and good credit slipped ($13.45) sandwich, and here at La Boulangerie the turkey
away. breast is cooked in-house fresh daily.
This sounds depressing. But, hopefully, we all have done Now for dinner, the cafe attempts to deliver a few good
our jobs at helping our local food favorites stay afloat with options. A good start would be their Bravia Salad delivering
supporting their takeout and deliveries. And, just maybe… enough beets to make two gallons of borscht. This beet
when the dust settles we will not lose most of them. carpaccio is sliced paper-thin, then rolled sushi style mounded
One particular restaurant that I hope has fought off the on mixed greens with goat cheese, apples, almonds and dressed
financial sting of this virus is La Boulangerie in Town Center. in a balsamic olive oil vinaigrette. Not to be missed.
Just before the doors slammed closed, I went to do a media To stay with the international theme, La Boulangerie cafe
review of this café and bakery. attempts a variety of pasta dishes. I did sample the Lasagna
Please give them a chance. I’m sure you’re going to like ($13.95) and this deconstructed version was not winning over
what they have to offer. Here you’ll discover a blend of both my accolades, nor would it on any Italian menu.
worlds of French and Latin cuisine. Thankfully, you will not From The Pastry Counter! As a good ending treat, you
have to use any frequent flyer miles to enjoy a good cup of have many options at this bakery. Mousse dominates the sweet
“Joe” and taste some good homegrown bites from two different counter, with selections such as: Dulce De Leche, Nutella or
culinary cultures. Chocolate Mousse. You might opt for their Cheesecake Pecan
First Impressions: The first observation you’ll notice Pie, Tiramisu or other Danish, knowing that they are all baked
when entering La Boulangerie is its resemblance to a brewed fresh on the premises daily.
down version of Friday’s restaurant decor. The only difference Or, you might settle for their sweet Nutccino, which is
here is that the hanging nostalgic artifacts are authentically their version of cappuccino with lots and lots of Nutella and
heirloom treasures of the owners. I should make note that the chocolate drizzle everywhere.
TGIF chain has eliminated their low-hanging fruit decorations Check, Please: I understand that sometimes
because it had lost its appeal to the younger generations of restaurants or cafes try to cover the demands of all
coffee sippers. international cuisines while running the risk of trying to
The second most noticeable decor is the mega, full-walled be everything to everyone. And here, too, La Boulangerie
blackboard that resides behind the food counter. Most of the skates on thin ice to do just that.
board surface is taken up by informational messaging along But considering what everybody has been through in the
with some almost cute “quips and sayings.” For instance: last several months, who cares if the menu is challenging as
“Coffee is always a good idea,” “Think positive,” “Roll with long as the food is good. I can only tell you that before the
it,” “Leave me alone” and “Good morning honey.” lockdown, La Boulangerie coffee was steaming hot with
The cafe seats a total of 75 people in scattered tables and flavor, the bakery was filled with calorie-sweet treats, and the
chairs, and outside seating has yet to be determined. When international dishes were true to its cultural roots.
it comes to comfort, I was disappointed in their choice of Therefore, I’m going to give them a Hungry Al
urbanized seating. The steel construction was quite hard on vaccine of four golden
the bottom, and here a donut to sit on would be wiser than the coffee cups to get
one to eat. them perked up for
More Than Just Coffee! Since this is a cafe-style bistro, a successful new
it would serve you better if I gave you my rundown on the reopening!
®