EXCITING TRANSPLANTS:
NOW OPEN…Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, Delray Beach/ Yale-ies no longer have a monopoly on Wooster Street’s (New Haven CT) char-blistered white clam pies. Frank Pepe set its sights on Delray Beach for the 16th jewel in its family crown. The “apizza” icon is now open in the Fresh Market plaza at Linton and Federal Highway. Frank Pepe, beloved by South Florida snowbirds and Northern transplants, fires its coal-fired apizza (pronounced “ah- beets”) at a super-hot 600 degrees in custom bread ovens for a few minutes, yielding its trademark crispy-chewy thin crust. The family selects the Italian tomatoes and proprietary oil and keeps it simple.
COMING SOON…Gallaghers Steakhouse, Boca Raton/ We told you back in December that we were watching the construction of Gallaghers on Glades Rd. carefully. The day the roof installation began we were very excited. Now the building has really taken shape and the exterior is near completion. This beefy New York landmark which began as a speakeasy in 1927 is birthing a sibling here in Boca thanks to restaurateur Dean Poll’s Boca ties. In fact, to ensure high quality from Day One, Gallaghers has relocated a portion of its executive management team to Boca. Opening is tentatively scheduled for Summer and we can’t wait! Gallaghers Boca will channel “1920s Palm Beach” style, with green leather banquettes, beige and green terrazzo flooring, stucco wall detailing and pecky-cypress ceilings. Most importantly, Gallaghers’ hickory coal grills and glass-enclosed meat lockers to dry-age beef for a minimum of 21 days ensure that what’s on the plate is near perfection. The casual formality of silver place settings, custom linen, a uniformed professional service team and friendly, welcoming energy will put this place on your go-to list. Watch the kitchen team work its magic through the glass wall in the dining room as you hungrily anticipate your incomparable meal!
NOW OPEN…The Hampton Social, Delray Beach/ This Chicago restaurant & bar, with locations in Miami and Naples, believes in “rosé all day,” offering light, refreshing cocktails and seafood in the new Atlantic Crossing shopping village on East Atlantic Ave. Its menu features trendy seafood fare such as seviché, poké, colossal crab cakes, grilled octopus in creamy herb sauce with olives and pistachios, daily oysters, avocado corn pizza, lobster rolls and smash burgers. Entrees include honey-glazed salmon and short rib on creamy polenta. The 8400 square foot extravaganza features coastal decor, walls of rosé bottles, chair swings, market lights, and messages like “Let your dreams set sail” written in cursive neon. If you want to post a pic of yourself having fun on social media, this is the place to do it!
NOW OPEN…Le Colonial, Delray Beach/ This classy ode to 1920s French Colonial Vietnam by restaurateurs Rick Wahlstedt and Joe King, is also nestled in the new Atlantic Crossing shopping village n East Atlantic. At 7,500 square feet, this restaurant-bar is accented with tropical furnishings, breezy verandas, leather banquettes, mahogany millwork and framed period photographs. Its classic Vietnamese menu, by chefs Nicole Routhier and Hassan Obaye, offers crunchy green papaya salad dressed in tangy nuoc cham (a sweet-sour-spicy dipping sauce), moist dumplings garnished with ginger, half roasted duck and suon nuong, or lemongrass-marinated baby back ribs. Wahlstedt and King, who operate other locations in Chicago, Houston, Atlanta and Lake Forest, IL, are planning another Le Colonial in Naples.
