Too hot for a big meal? Palm Beach restaurants have light bites for a sweltering summer
As summer heat blunts the desire for a heavy meal, now’s the time to discover delicious appetizers in Palm Beach.
Whether light and herbaceous or saucy or fried, there are a lot of winning choices — so many, in fact, that we can only highlight a batch of them here with plans to feature more in weeks to come.
While considering great appetizers, keep in mind: If one isn’t enough, order a second to prolong the tasting adventure!
Palm Beach Grill, 340 Royal Poinciana Way
Considering all the slurping going on in Palm Beach, one appetizer at Palm Beach Grill is a delicious reminder there are other ways to thoroughly enjoy oysters than raw.
The fried oysters St. Charles at the Royal Poinciana Plaza restaurant often have been described as “irresistible” by patrons who love the crunchy and velvety delights.
The appetizer ($26), with six fried oysters accented by creamed spinach and lemon aioli, “is by far our most popular,” said general manager Nageli Lozano. “It’s been a classic for years. Every bite delivers zesty flavors everyone loves.”
Buccan, 350 S. County Road
They’ve been a favorite for years, but spicy pork tacos ($6 each) still fly under the radar of this hot spot’s uber-popular dishes, such as tuna crisps.
The pork in the tacos is “humanely raised” and brined for 24 hours before being “marinated overnight in a spicy marinade of cilantro, habanero and sour orange and then smoked over hickory,” chef/owner Clay Conley told the Daily News.
“We crisp up chunks in the style of carnitas and serve them on a tortilla with avocado puree, a kicked-up spicy salsa verde and some mojo onions.”
The combination of flavors and textures “hits all the right notes,” Conley said.
HMF at The Breakers, 1 S. County Road
In HMF’s vast space off The Breakers’ north loggia, the dining-and-drinking mecca features numerous globally influenced small plates.
You don’t need to be a vegetarian to appreciate the garden vegetable hummus ($26) served with warm pita. Not only is it “light, bright and colorful,” but it’s “universally appealing,” noted HMF area chef Joey Tuazon.
But die-hard carnivores routinely opt for the popular Wagyu beef sliders ($35). Served with smoked bacon and aged cheddar, they “satisfy any classic burger craving — a summer staple,” Tuazon said.
The Honor Bar, 340 Royal Poinciana Way
Whoever Louis was, the classic salad named after him — it almost always involves fresh shrimp, crunchy lettuce and a Thousand Island-like dressing — has made many people happy for decades.
That tradition continues at The Honor Bar, where fresh tarragon amps up the flavor of this version of shrimp Louis salad ($26), which features jumbo Gulf shrimp, an iceberg wedge, avocado and Thousand Island dressing.
By day, fans enjoy it as a lunch, but at dinner, it’s considered an appetizer or a light repast.
PB Catch, 251 Sunrise Ave.
Of all the tasty appetizers at PB Catch, one is a Florida classic: fish dip, which guests at the restaurant have adored for years,
Along with “secret” ingredients, it features crumbled bits of mahi and yellowfin tuna the seafood restaurant and raw bar’s chefs smoke over three kinds of hardwood.
The best part? The dip (served with crackers, pickled Fresno peppers, capers and red onion) is among the restaurant’s “seacuterie” selections, which are the seafood equivalent of charcuterie.
Pick three selections — which range from salmon pastrami to scallop mortadella—and the cost is $24 (six seacuterie items are $45).
Café Boulud, 301 Australian Ave.
Café Boulud’s various appetizers — from beef tartare to tomato tartlet — are tempting, but the charcuterie here is a longtime specialty.
From pâtés to terrines and sausages, everything in the sampler appetizer is made in-house by the culinary team led by executive chef Dieter Samijn, a charcuterie expert and Belgium native who grew up next door to a butcher ship.
Café Boulud’s charcuterie-plate appetizer ($33) offers a seasonal sampling of the day’s cured meats (such as saussicon Lyonnais) and pâtés (such as chicken-liver terrine). Accompaniments vary, but always include grainy mustard, cornichons and pickled pearl onions.
Acqua Café, 2875 S. Ocean Blvd.
For some, a Caprese salad on a menu might elicit a shrug because it’s something that for years has had a perennial presence in Palm Beach restaurants. But try Acqua Café’s version: It’s delicious — and fun.
Instead of serving slices of tomato and buffalo mozzarella drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, Acqua Café’s executive chef Pierangelo Badioli presents guests with what appears to be a glistening whole peeled tomato on a garnished plate.
Cut into it and voila: It’s filled with buffalo mozzarella, house-made basil pesto and aged-balsamic pearls,
The Acqua Caprese is $18.
LoLa 41, 290 Sunset Ave.
Among its repertoire of dishes hailing from countries on the 41st parallel — from Spain to Japan — king crab Rangoon ($25) is a popular appetizer at LoLa 41.
Lightly fried wontons are filled with king crab and a little cream cheese, chopped scallions and sesame oil, among other things (“I can’t give away our full recipe,” executive sous chef Daniel D’Agostino said).
Served with a house-made sweet chili sauce, “the rich, sweet flavors of the king crab are irresistible,” D’Agostino added, noting that LoLa 41’s seaweed salad with pickled vegetables pairs nicely with the dish.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach eateries offer tasty appetizers for light summer noshing
