Best restaurant news: Summer food happenings to put on your radar

Liz Balmaseda, Palm Beach Post
·3 min read
The Boulud Sur Mer menu celebrates the South of France this summer at Café Boulud.
The Boulud Sur Mer menu celebrates the South of France this summer at Café Boulud.
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Summer is turning to vapor before our eyes, and there’s still so much to do, taste and explore in this supposed “off season”. Anyone else need a food-events cheat sheet?

Here are some suggestions you may want to add to your list. (As you may notice, it’s looking like it may be a good week for Francophiles.)

Taste the South of France in Palm Beach.

Café Boulud has brought in South of France colors and flavors for its special summer menu.
Café Boulud has brought in South of France colors and flavors for its special summer menu.

Café Boulud, star chef Daniel Boulud's stylish Palm Beach restaurant, has transformed its dining room into a slice of Côte d'Azur life, adding fuchsia pops of bougainvillea, vibrant art and rustic pottery touches. It’s an ideal setting for tasting the flavors of that region and sipping rosé from Provence.

And because it’s summer, there are a couple of tempting prix fixe menus. At lunchtime Monday through Friday, the three-course Boulud Sur Mer menu is $49 per person. At dinner nightly, the prix fixe menu is $72 per person.

Lunch menu highlights include a chilled tomato soup starter, a grilled dorade with ratatouille and lemon-olive vinaigrette main dish and a cream-filled tarte tropézienne for dessert.

Fried zucchini blossoms are served at Café Boulud Palm Beach this summer.
Fried zucchini blossoms are served at Café Boulud Palm Beach this summer.

Dinner highlights include fried zucchini blossoms to start and bouillabaisse à la Marseillaise for main course.

The Boulud Sur Mer menus are available through August 31. For reservations, visit CafeBoulud.com.

Cafe Boulud is at The Brazilian Court Hotel, 301 Australian Ave., Palm Beach, 561-655-6060.

Enjoy small plates and rosé in Boca

Serena Pastificio will host a Summer Rosé soiree in Boca Raton. The restaurant is located at Mizner Park.
Serena Pastificio will host a Summer Rosé soiree in Boca Raton. The restaurant is located at Mizner Park.

The months-old Serena Pastificio restaurant at Mizner Park recently rolled out its summer “Ora Sociale” (social hour) bites menu. On Friday, July 14, they’ll introduce a varied rosé wine list at a walk-around tasting event that includes samplings of the wines as well as the new bites.

Some highlights on the happy hour bites menu: Caprese salad with charred mozzarella, grilled heirloom tomato and a lemon-basil emulsion, grilled citrus marinated lamb with Calabrian chile, honey balsamic and mint, and eggplant caponata with whipped ricotta.

The Summer Rosé soiree, which goes from 3 to 7 p.m. next Friday, costs $57.15 per person including tax and tip. Tickets are sold online at Serena-Pastificio.com.

Serena Pastificio is located on the first floor of the iPic theaters at Mizner Park, 301 Plaza Real, Boca Raton, 561-922-6699.

Toast to Bastille Day

Braised beef cheeks with steamed summer vegetables and a coriander vinaigrette is on the Bastille Day menu at La Goulue Palm Beach.
Braised beef cheeks with steamed summer vegetables and a coriander vinaigrette is on the Bastille Day menu at La Goulue Palm Beach.

A few local restaurants are offering special Bastille Day menus. Here are a couple of options.

La Goulue French restaurant in Palm Beach is offering several a la carte specials on the French holiday. To start, there’s a half dozen frog legs a la Provençale with lemon-garlic-herb sauce ($22). The main course special is braised beef cheeks with steamed summer vegetables and a coriander vinaigrette ($46). And for dessert, there’s pêche melba with vanilla ice cream ($18). The bistro’s regular menu is available as well.

La Goulue is at 288 S. County Rd., Palm Beach, 561-284-6292, LaGouluePalmBeach.com.

Chez Marie French Bistro in Boca Raton is bringing back its annual celebration next Friday with a three-course dinner special ($49 per person) and live music by French singer Thierry Khalfa. The celebration goes from 5 to 9 p.m.

Highlights on the fairly extensive menu of options include French onion soup, Mediterranean branzino and lavender crème brûlée.

Chez Marie is at 5030 Champion Blvd., in the Polo Club Shops, Boca Raton, 561-997-0027. To reserve a spot, visit ChezMarieFrenchBistro.com.

Have a delicious week!

Liz Balmaseda

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Read recent columns by Liz Balmaseda

Liz Balmaseda is The Palm Beach Post's food critic.
Liz Balmaseda is The Palm Beach Post's food critic.

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Liz Balmaseda is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network. She covers the local food and dining beat. Follow her on Instagram and on Threads @Silkpalm and Post on Food Facebook. She can be reached by email at lbalmaseda@pbpost.com. 

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Best restaurants: French food summer events in Palm Beach, Boca Raton