A new art fair on the horizon this week, picks for reasonable eats, and a new quality and value priced brunch on the Beach, all on Karen’s Kudos for March.
David and Lee Ann Lester, founders of Next Level Fairs and owners and operators of Art Palm Beach, SeaFair and more, are launching a new art fair in Boca Raton, Art Boca Raton, March 18-21 in partnership with the Boca Raton Museum of Art. The fair will showcase contemporary, modern and emerging art, sculpture, photography, works on paper and installations. The fair will take place in the International Pavilion of the Palm Beaches on the grounds of the Research Park at Florida Atlantic University, located at 3450 NW 8th Avenue, Boca Raton, FL 33431. The 65,000 square foot exhibition hall will include a full service restaurant, sculpture garden and lecture hall. There will be ample self and valet parking adjacent to the pavilion. 50 international dealers have been carefully selected by a curatorial committee: Florida galleries include Vertu Fine Art (Boca Raton) bringing Alex Katz Lithographs and Donald Sultan’s famous Poppies series; Art Link International (Lake Worth), Art Media (Miami), Latin Art Core (Miami) and White Space (West Palm Beach). Art Clipper is coming from Helsinki, Echt Gallery from Chicago, and Evan Lurie Gallery from Indiana.
An exclusive Vernissage will open the fair on March 17, benefitting the Boca Raton Museum of Art School. Ticket prices are $150 and $250 and may be purchased through the Museum at www.bocamuseum.org/vernissage. Among the offerings will be a lecture focusing on Andy Warhol (included in the price of the ticket), coinciding with the exhibition at the Boca Raton Museum of Art, Warhol on Vinyl: The Record Covers, 1949-1987+; Warhol Prints from the Collection of Marc Bell, and Bob Colacello: In and Out with Andy. The exhibit at the Museum (located in Mizner Park) is on until on until May 1, 2016. For information about the exhibitions visit www.bocamuseum.org.
The fair is open to the public from Fri., March 18 – Mon., March 21, 11 am – 6 pm daily. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Multi-day passes are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. Student pricing is available. For tickets and a full list of events visit www.artbocaraton.com.
Guest blogpost by Irene Moore
Reasonable Eats: The front of El Senorial that announces Peruvian Cuisine at 1750 SW 3rd Avenue (T.305-856-2188) isn’t very inviting, nor is the flashing sign “open”, so I never gave it a second look.Then a friend with a discerning palate who can afford the finest gave it a big thumbs up. Off we went for lunch. The restaurant is simple inside, little decoration, but the place turned out to be humming. Lo and behold I saw a friend who’s a “player” in local media having lunch with the President of the Board of a major art museum in town. It turns out everyone comes for the super fresh, adroitly seasoned ceviche, fresh fish platter, causas, and other Peruvian fare. My plate of a perfectly sized swimmingly fresh ceviche along with choclo (corn) and soup was a bargain $10.99. My friend had a fish filet that came with two sides — choice of salad, tostones (fried plantains) or rice which she also said was very fresh and moist. All lunch specials range from $9.49 to $13.99. Most come with sides and soup. Dinner prices aren’t much more. Def worth a visit if you’re in the area and want a tasty, low priced lunch or dinner in a very casual setting.
We went to Argentine restaurant Fiorito, 5555 N.E. 2nd Avenue (T.305-7542899) on a Saturday with friends from Spain and went back the following Saturday. Surprise? No. We really liked the place. It’s honest, the food is very good for the price, and it’s “buzzy” in a fun rather than hip sort of way. Plus, there’s free valet parking right next door. In my book the best bet is churrasco (after all, it is Argentinian) served with salad (arugula or mixed greens) – $23. Other good choices are the corvina with arugula – $18, grilled chicken and any of the salads including a steak salad with Argentina provoleta cheese – $15. Friends swear by the pappardelle, octopus and short ribs. A recommended starter –grilled mixed vegetables. For dessert, a candidate for my list of best desserts of the year — a crepe like pancake filled with house made dulce de leche. Glasses of wine start at $7 and bottles at $27. Note that this is the place we’ll be going for lunch after my exclusive reader event on March 27.
A new brunch destination to put on your list — Thyme restaurant at Carillon Miami Beach, formerly Canyon Ranch, 6801 Collins Avenue (T.. )It’s one of the increasingly rare commodities on South Beach — a value. The brunch is in two parts, a buffet and then a choice of two entrees and a side dish. The buffet is sure to have some of your most favorite menu items. We’re talking pricey seafood items like stone crab claws, jumbo shrimp, Kumamoto oysters, and super fresh sashimi along with charcuterie including Spanish jamon iberico and cheeses. In particular we loved the truffle laced Sardinian cheese which we subsequently priced on Amazon since we wanted to buy it — $189 a pound. No laying on low priced dishes, “fillers” here. No surprise since the chef, Johann Friedrich “Fritz” Zwahlen hails from Aman Resorts where he worked for 17 years throughout Asia and Europe, most recently at Amanyara in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Then, there’s something on the entree (more like small bites) menu to appeal to everyone, from classics like steak and sunny side up egg with sweet potato hash or frittata with spinach salad and fish and chips to Asian duck stir fried rice, chicken wonton or pork belly. Healthy eaters and those needing gluten free have options too, like raw vegetable tostada with creamy avocado and tomato puree that tasted like sundried tomatoes with nut cheese, or gluten free avocado toast with organic watercress. Sides (a choice of one) include miso brussel sprouts and sauteed bok choy with shitake mushrooms. Finish lunch up with sweets from the buffet such as chocolate roulade, mini fruit tartlets amd mini pavlova. Wash everything down with bottomless mimosas and bloody marys, in our case, spicey. Choose one of the spacious outdoor tables enjoying the ocean breezes or the David Rockwell designed interior inspired by nature and a jazz band. All of this for $45 per person. Good service too. A deal.
