Page 20 - Boca Club News - July '22

Page 20, Boca Club News
Dining Out: Hungry Al’s Roadmap to His All-Time Favs!

By Alan Serinsky of Bocaire First Stop–Italian: Over the course of ten years, many Sumo sushi competition of Boca Japanese restaurants.
Country Club. Hungry Al’s love Italian restaurants have come and gone. This cuisine is probably Fourth Stop–Steaks: Where’s the beef? There never seems
for food started very young. Never my favorite, and choosing the best is a monumental task. Back to be enough steakhouses for Boca’s carnivorous appetite. As
satisfied with his Mom’s dishes, he in the early years it was Giovanni’s (Pompano), Casa De the years keep slowly passing me by, I get less interested in
started to cook his way through Angelo’s (Boca Raton), Trattoria Romano (Boca), and the beef. So, I’m not the best barometer for a steak eating contest.
her “Betty Crocker Cookbook.” list goes on. So, to keep as current as my last review, I can’t But, if I have to utilize the taste buds of those who join us on
During the years to follow he stop raving about Elisabetta on Atlantic Avenue in Delray our Hungry Squad outings, I would have to register high marks
spend many hours working in Beach. Go for the veal chop or any pasta/pizza dish. for both the Capitol Grill and New York Prime as winning
restaurants, both as server and cook, attending cooking classes Second Stop–Seafood: This has always been a hook- the cattle auction in Boca Raton.
and traveling the world in an effort to expand his palette. in-my-side in determining what the best of the net is in the Fifth Stop–Happy Hour: Maybe this should have been
As a professional writer, Hungry Al offers his perspective seafood category. As ironic as it sounds, there are not many my first stop. Now that the pandemic is over, you would think
on current food trends and guides you through your local great seafood restaurants in any of our coastal shorelines. Happy Hours would return in force. Unfortunately, not the
restaurant options. That was, until I discovered Corvina. Located in downtown case. And when I do find a happy hour available, the prices
Pull out the GPS! Fill the tank! Start your engines! Hungry Boca Raton, you’ll have a hard time casting your line for all and selection aren’t making Hungry Al happy! That was, until
Al (that’s me) has decided to spill the beans on what he the various local and distant fish species on their menu. Yes... I returned to my all-time favorite: Luigi Di Roma (Deerfield
considers his all-time favorite dining spots. you can have a great filet of Corvina, or branch out to another Beach). I might regret giving this secret away because it will
Leaving The Guard Gate: It seems wherever I go there is fishing spot and try the fresh Striped Bass or Black Grouper. make it harder for Hungry D and I to find a bar stool.
always someone who’s going to ask me the $64,000 question: Third Stop–Japanese: When it comes to Sushi, or any Where else in the world can you find half-price drinks (top
“What are your favorite restaurants?” As a food writer, that Japanese dishes, it’s a very individual tasting palate. What I shelf and good wines included) and amazing appetizers at $7?
inquiry is hard to answer. I have lots of preferred dining stops, like might not be what you like in calculating the abacus of Try their Calamari, Eggplant Stack or Chicken Parmigiana
but this job keeps me changing gears all the time. To satisfy all sushi-making. But after partaking in my Omakase experience Panni.
my Hungry Al fans, I’m going to let you in on my Top 5 List! at Takato (Ft Lauderdale) I have a good sense of quality Sushi Closing The Garage Door: Well, now you have it–Hungry
Many of these selections are not within walking distance, but and Japanese cuisine. Al has delivered his all-time favorites. So,
I’ll promise you they are worth the drive. I don’t expect you all to drive the distance and spend over the next time you stop me in the streets and
To make our journey more interesting, let us drop the $500, so let me direct you to the Alley Cat (Boca Raton) for request my best, I’m going to hand you this
convertible top, put on the shades, and cruise control the Best some of the best Japanese plates I’ve seen in this area for a review. I guarantee that these four or more
Eating Spots in South Florida! long time. I recommend you give the King Salmon Sushi or golden spatula winners will also become your
the Miso Sea Bass a try. They are both winners in the forever drive-to-dine favorites, too!
Travel: Postcards from Jessica

By Jessica Flores. Jessica has worked Western Islands: is currently home to around 450 residents. The island’s
in the travel and tourism industry for Flores is arguably the most beautiful island of the landscape is dominated by its caldera–that is, remnants of
well over a decade. She holds both Azores archipelago. It is a flourishing, verdant landscape of a kilometer-high caldera which formed 430,000 years ago.
Bachelors and Master’s Degrees in rolling hills and crater lakes, of magnificent waterfalls and Together with Flores and Graciosa, the island is a UNESCO
Hospitality & Tourism Management. monolithic sea cliffs, and of isolated whitewashed fishing Biosphere Reserve.
As owner of AWAY Travel in Boca villages dashed with Atlantic sea spray.
Raton, Jessica and staff bring 25 Corvo is a tiny island easily reachable by ferry. It was Travel: Postcards from Jessica on page 21
years of personal travel experience established at Vila do Porto in the mid-to-late 1500s, and
to an exclusive clientele looking for
luxury travel planning. Ready for your own journey to
begin? Visit: www.travelwithaway.com Email Me: Jessica@ Baby’s One-Pound Weight
travelwithaway.com or Call: (877) 493-AWAY

To: Luxury Travelers Doesn’t Measure Her Fight
From: The Azores

Joleen Padgett, mom, West Boca Medical Center “She came out wiggling around, crying like a little kitten
As a young girl, Joleen Padgett always imagined — it was clear she would be a fighter,” her mother says.
falling in love with the man of her dreams and becoming Laken was intubated and taken straight to the Level
a mother. III NICU under the care of Dr. Awonusoma Feyisola
It looked like all that was falling into place when and Dr. Penna Reddy. By the next morning, the tiny
Padgett was 36, and she and her husband, John, learned fighter was off the respirator and breathing on her own.
of her pregnancy. It would be another day before Joleen could see her, and
Everything was going smoothly until, at six months a full week before she would be able to hold her, but
pregnant, Joleen went to see her obstetrician, Dr. she notes that “the doctors and nurses were wonderful
Laura Greenbaum, for what she thought was a routine at keeping us informed and answering any questions
appointment. However, she found out that her blood we had.”
pressure was sky-high, and when it didn’t improve, Dr. Laken spent 98 days in the NICU.
Greenbaum admitted her to West Boca Medical Center. “A week before her actual due date, we finally took
Pack Your Bags: I can’t tell you how many times I “My blood pressure continued to go up, and it was our baby girl home,” Joleen says. “Due to the support
have clients ask me to curate a vacation for them to remote starting to slow down the baby’s heart rate,” she says. of the NICU staff at West Boca Medical Center, our
places visited by very few. For those frequent travelers (pre- “It was a very dangerous situation for both of us.” journey turned out to be such a positive experience, and
pandemic), a trip back to the Mediterranean seems somewhat A frightened Joleen learned the next morning that I felt compelled to share my story. Each nurse who cared
repetitive. A cruise…a bit unexciting. Now, after a long she would have to deliver her baby girl right away. for Laken contributed something unique that benefitted
hiatus of zero travel, they are looking for something new and “My husband and I were shocked that it was even her in some way. We believe the small things the staff
captivating. There are, of course, many choices; but none fit possible for our daughter to be born that early,” she says. did, such as massaging her and playing music, truly
that description better than the Azores! “We didn’t know anything about Neonatal Intensive made all the difference.”
Often referred to as “The Hawaii of Europe,” these remote Care Units (NICUs), and we had no idea what would Laken is now a healthy, happy little girl enjoying
nine islands with a volcanic past and a magical present will happen after she was born.” elementary school. Who could ask for anything more?
stimulate anybody’s desire for adventure. Only a short crow’s Joleen and her husband were very
fly from Boston, these islands that sit in the middle of the fortunate to be at West Boca Medical
Atlantic Ocean with unspoiled landscape will transcend you Center, which has the only Level III
into a fairytale environment. NICU from Boca Raton to Northwest
Your Road Map: The best time to visit the Azores really Broward County. The designation
depends on how you want to explore the islands and what means that the hospital can provide the
you want to do. If your expectations are ocean wildlife, then most extensive services for premature
from April to end of May you’ll witness amazing whale and and at-risk babies.
dolphin activity. If you like a quieter time, then January to “We unknowingly chose to give
May will be best for hiking and touring. Also, many of the birth at a hospital with some of the
island festivals occur doing the spring months. most extensive and high level of
But July, August and September seem to be a great time to services available for premature
visit, these being the driest and warmest months with plenty babies,” she says. “When we found
of flights into the islands. this out, we felt our baby had the best
Island Hopping: Welcome to the Azores islands. chance possible.”
Interestingly, these enchanting islands are part of Portugal and Their daughter, Laken, was born at
our clients tell us that each island is distinctively different and only one pound, three ounces via an
amazing. With thermal pools, lush calderas, steaming geysers emergency cesarean.
and crater lakes, this unusual landscape is a confirmation of
its volcanic origins. Paid Advertisement