Manjunath Pendakur, dean of Florida Atlantic Universityís Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, at the site of a new multi purpose building at FAU in Boca Raton. (Bill Ingram /The Palm Beach Post)

For decades, Boca Raton has been something of a cultural second-stringer to West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale. The pink-hued city could tout its abundance of pricey stores and restaurants, but it fell far short in arts venues.

That may no longer be the case.

With the opening last month of a 750-seat performing arts center at Lynn University and a multiuse cultural facility at Mizner Park, and the slated opening this year of a four-screen movie theater complex for foreign and indie cinema at Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton is poised to become a cultural hub unto itself.

These newer facilities join established ones, including the Mizner Park Amphitheater and FAU Kaye Performing Arts Auditorium, making Boca suddenly a destination for everything from symphonic concerts to full-scale Broadway shows. And that’s not factoring in such attractions as the Boca Raton Museum of Art and Caldwell Theatre.

“It’s a natural evolution,” said Charlie Siemon, a longtime Boca attorney and cultural booster who was behind the plans for the Mizner Park Amphitheater and serves as president of the new multiuse Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center, located in the former space of Mort Walker’s International Museum of Cartoon Art.

With its concentration of arts-loving retirees and families seeking entertainment opportunities, Boca seemed primed for a plenitude of venues. And at various points, plans have been discussed for new facilities, including a Kravis Center-style, $40 million-plus concert hall at Mizner Park.

But the rough economy of recent years has made it difficult to realize any large-scale cultural ambitions. It also has made it difficult for some existing groups, most notably the Caldwell Theatre, to balance their budgets.

So Boca’s cultural evolution appears to be rooted in modest venues that take less money to build and that fill specific niches within the community.

Jan McArt and Jon Robertson at the new Keith and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center at Lynn University in Boca Raton. (Bill Ingram /The Palm Beach Post)

Consider the new venue at Lynn University, the $14.9 million Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center. It’s not the opera house-scale of the 2,200-seat seat Kravis or 2,700-seat Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale, but it’s plenty bigger than the school’s existing theater, a 200-seat recital hall.

That makes it the perfect venue to accommodate the school’s burgeoning theater program, led by local arts legend Jan McArt, and robust music program, formerly connected to Boca’s world-renowned Harid Conservatory.

It also makes it the professional-caliber midsize venue that Boca long has lacked. Previously, local arts groups, including the Lynn orchestra, often had to settle for performing in high school auditoriums.

“This kind of completes the picture,” said McArt, who plans on presenting a few student shows a year in addition to welcoming touring artists and programs. (Although the venue hosted a private concert by Bernadette Peters recently, it formally opens on April 17 with a performance by Mitzi Gaynor.)

It completes the picture without putting any large financial burden on the university. More than half the money for the facility came from the namesake donor.

In the case of the new Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center, the cost is even less — $1.5 million. The money came from Palm Beach County in an effort to keep the space alive as a cultural destination after the cartoon art museum, the previous tenant, shut down in 2001.

While nowhere near as ambitious as the Lynn center, the Mizner Park one is a flexible space that can be used for everything from off-Broadway-style theater to gallery-style art shows.

The center has hosted events connected to the recently concluded Festival of the Arts BOCA and will be the site for a Florida Atlantic University series celebrating great writers. Potentially on tap: a summer cabaret series. Siemon is seeking funding to host as many as 50 events next season.

But the venue that may end up most putting Boca on the cultural map is FAU’s Living Room movie theater complex, which is part of a building under construction at the school’s Schmidt College of Arts and Letters.

The project is designed to bring the best in foreign and independent cinema, from current movies to retrospectives, to an area that usually devotes one screen in a multiplex to challenging film fare. The theaters, which each seat up to 50, will double as classrooms for FAU’s film studies program.

Best of all for FAU: The $3 million project didn’t require any fund raising. That’s because it’s a joint venture with Living Room Theaters, a for-profit Portland, Ore.-based art-house operator.

Living Room contributed $1.5 million to FAU for the construction; the state of Florida matched the amount.

When the theater complex opens in December, Manjunath Pendakur, dean of FAU’s Schmidt College, predicts it will become a big draw, especially with Boca locals.

The FAU educator is not surprised at the city’s evolution as a stand-alone destination for the arts.

“We have a very well-educated community that is hungry for culture,” he said.

Restaurant info: Directions, reviews, more

If there’s a question I am asked most often as a restaurant critic, it’s probably this: “Where do you like to eat — on your own dime?” And an interesting question it is: As a critic, I get to dine at my employer’s expense at any number of places, from takeout joints in Tequesta to delis in Delray Beach. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy many of those meals — it’s a job that anyone with a passion for food would be thrilled to have.

But it is a job nonetheless — one that requires me to eat dishes I may not particularly desire in places that may be too loud and flashy (or conversely, too hopelessly out-of-date) to suit my taste. So, when I dine outside the constraints of work, I don’t necessarily want to revisit a restaurant I’ve reviewed. In fact, I suspect I’m no different from most folks: I like neighborhood places that deliver a consistent product and that value a steady customer’s business. If they specialize in a particular cuisine (I’m big on all things Asian) and if they can show a degree of creativity in the kitchen, all the better.

In other words, I like Ebisu.

I’ve been a regular of this Japanese restaurant, named for one of Japan’s lucky gods, ever since it opened — not too far from my Palm Beach Gardens home — in 1993. And I continued visiting it even after I started reviewing restaurants in 2003. So, as I prepare to leave The Palm Beach Post this month and embark on a new journalistic adventure in New York, it seemed only fair to conclude my tenure with an assessment of, yes, a place I normally dine at on my own dime.

And guess what? Ebisu fared just as well in a critical light.

Perhaps that’s because even though this 17-year-old family-run eatery, courtesy of Hiro Yamamoto (he’s the chef) and his wife, Akemi (she’s the host), might seem like any strip-mall sushi joint, it’s a decisive cut above. The look is very, very Japanese — uncluttered and welcoming at the same time, with the standard sushi bar right up front (Hiro has his crowd of regulars) and comfortable seating elsewhere at booths, tables and the traditional floor-level tatami setup (which has become increasingly hard to find in newer Japanese restaurants).

Then, there’s the food. Key to Ebisu’s continued success is the fact its fish is always fresh and remarkably clean-tasting, with an emphasis on local catches — check the blackboard for what they’ve got on that particular day (recently, I enjoyed tilefish and fluke). And the rolls are masterfully prepared, whether you’re talking the classic (say, the spicy tuna — or Fire — roll for $7) or the contemporary (say, the Cuban-influenced Calle Ocho roll with fried sweet plantains for $13). Moreover, Hiro understands that great sushi is also about the rice — his is ever-so-slightly sweet and vinegar-y with just the right degree of stickiness.

But Ebisu has increasingly become about more than sushi, especially since Hiro has updated the menu in recent years to include nods to pan-Asian fare. His spicy tofu appetizer ($9.50) is a kind of devious mix of California, Mexican and Japanese cuisines, with some nice heat from thinly sliced jalapeños and some garden-minded textural variety with the addition of spinach and cherry tomatoes. And his glazed shrimp flavored with spicy lychees and paired with an edamame “pesto” rice ($18) is a dish that’s smart, modern and tasty all at once.

At the same time, Ebisu continues to do proud justice to the standard-bearers of Japanese cuisine, whether it’s a slurp-worthy bowl of soup with fat udon noodles and a side of crisp vegetable tempura ($12), a spot-on rendition of the hearty-meets-sweet stew known as sukiyaki ($22 with beef or chicken) or any number of Bento-box lunches ($11.50 to $13.50).

If I’ve had a complaint over the years about Ebisu, it’s the fact that it tends to be on the pricier side — no doubt, a reflection of the quality and prime location near PGA National. But recently, the restaurant has taken steps to offer an affordable option in its Happy Hour (5:30 to 7 p.m.) menu, with popular and unusual items alike — try the tuna quesadilla — at value-conscious prices of $3.50 to $5.50. When the food is paired with a refreshing Japanese draft beer ($5), it makes for a reasonably priced early evening’s outing. (During non-Happy Hours, you can also take advantage of a 5 percent discount if you pay in cash rather than with a credit card.) As for service, that’s hardly ever been a concern for me at Ebisu. It’s a cliché, but it still holds true: Come here often, and you’re treated like family. If the place is busy, you might wait a couple of minutes more for your sushi, but there’s a spirit of warmth guiding the restaurant that allows you to overlook such a small issue.

Shrimp Taco entree served at Ebisu

In that sense, Ebisu is the quintessential neighborhood eatery, even if it often serves food that makes it worthy of being what I dub a “destination” restaurant from a reviewer’s perspective. But I frequented the restaurant for 17 years as a local, not a critic. In the process, I came to appreciate what truly makes for a great dining establishment, right down to the extra care the staff took in preparing meals for my food-allergic son.

Surely, food adventures of all sorts await me in New York, even if I’m returning to the culinary-mad city of my birth to write about matters of finance. But I know that restaurants like Ebisu will always be hard to come by. I’m sure going to miss the place.

R E V I E W

Ebisu

FOOD: A-

SERVICE: A-

ADDRESS: 7100 Fairway Drive (in LA Fitness Plaza), Palm Beach Gardens

TELEPHONE: 561) 622-4495

WEB SITE: ebisupalmbeach.com

PRICE RANGE: Moderate to expensive

HOURS: Lunch: 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday to Friday. Dinner: 5:30 to 10 p.m., Monday to Thursday; 5:30 to 10:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday. Happy Hour: 5:30 to 7 p.m., Monday to Saturday. Closed Sunday

CREDIT CARDS: AmEx, Visa, MC

RESERVATIONS: Accepted for parties of five or more

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes, including restrooms

If you’re in the mood for Mexican food, my best advice these days would be to head to Palm Beach Gardens.

In recent weeks, two Mexican eateries have set up shop in the city, each offering an interesting approach to the south-of-the-border cuisine. First up: Cabo Flats Cantina & Tequila Bar (11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Ave. in Downtown at the Gardens, 561-624-0024, caboflats.com ). Situated in the space formerly belonging to Rosa Mexicano, this is a concept far removed that eatery’s upscale, regional-minded take on all things Mexican. Instead, Cabo Flats is Mexican-meets-rock ’n’ roll — a kind of juke joint in a Tex-Mex (or California-Mex) vein that also happens to serve very good but fairly basic (and reasonably priced) Mexican fare.

Signature dishes include soft tacos (fish, steak, chicken, ground beef — $3 to $3.50), “ginormous” burritos (try the Bob Marley with chicken for $10) and several varieties of ceviche (like “Mexican sushi, but better” says the menu — choices are $10 each). To wash it all down: a vast selections of margaritas and tequilas, served in unique, oversized Mexican stemware. The basic frozen margarita ($8) may be the best I’ve had in South Florida.

Cabo Flats comes courtesy of failed golf pro-turned-veteran restaurateur Paul Ardaji, who made a splash a decade ago on Clematis Street in West Palm Beach with Sforza and My Martini. He’s also worked with the P.F. Chang’s chain and developed a few eateries with famed Iron Chef Morimoto.

He took inspiration for Cabo Flats from Pink Taco, a hipster Mexican eatery in California, and from House of Blues, the music-meets-barbecue chain. And sure enough, Cabo Flats has that cutting-edge vibe (note that the front doors are actual garage doors — very East L.A.). It’s also got a smart musical lineup, with a mix of everything from mariachi to cover bands playing on almost any given night. In all, quite a lively place.

The other new Mexican in town is a Palm Beach Gardens location of the growing Tijuana Flats chain (11608 U.S. 1, 561-622-4555, tijuanaflats.com ). This is casual Mexican in the same spirit of such chains as Chipotle Mexican Grill and Moe’s, but with a few tasty and amusing touches.

For starters, each location boasts its own individual look (the Palm Beach Gardens one has something of a superhero theme). Plus, the restaurant really does put an emphasis on fresh, made-to-order fare, with burritos, quesadillas, rice bowls that can be customized to your exact taste. (Another nice plus: there’s a menu of under-500 calories items.)

But the especial appeal of Tijuana may be its outstanding array of hot sauces — more than a dozen, from the mild and sweet to the almost lethal. Mix and match to suit your style. Oh, and I love the restaurant’s “manifesto,” which encourages patrons to “accept all kinds of people, even those who use mild sauce.”

Of Italian wines and Memphis-style barbecue …

It’s been a busy month of chowing down at a range of noteworthy food and wine events throughout Palm Beach County. Here are two worth mentioning:

A wine dinner at Forte (225 Clematis St., West Palm Beach; 561-833-3330 ) showcasing the latest offerings from the Livernano and Casalvento wineries: This was very much a family-and-friends-style affair, since the owners of the Italian wineries and Forte are one and the same — longtime Palm Beachers Bob and Gudrun Cuillo. The Cuillos got into the wine biz as something of a hobby, but their first-class slate of reds and whites, including the Livernano “L’Anima” chadonnay (yes, an Italian chardonnay) and Casalvento Classico Chianti, are garnering serious attention among oenophiles.

The wines were indeed terrific, but the real surprise of the night was how nicely the restaurant has come along under the stewardship of Maurizio Ciminella, a partner with the Cuillos for the past year. Among the stellar dishes served at the wine dinner: an appetizer of paper-thin swordfish crudo (more like carpaccio, actually) with Sicilian blood oranges, lemon zest, Italian parsley and capers and a dessert of coconut tapioca, caramelized pears and blueberry compote. Bravo!

A barbecue lunch, courtesy of the Morgan Keegan financial firm in Jupiter: On the surface this was just a thank-you event for clients of the company. But what made it significant from a foodie’s perspective (and what scored me a precious invite) is that the event served as a showcase for an award-winning Memphis pitmaster, Stephen Smart, who’s renowned for his pork shoulder and side dishes (especially beans). So what brought him to Jupiter?

It turns out that in his “real” life, Smart works for Morgan Keegan, which also happens to be based in Memphis. When Jupiter branch manager and ’cue fanatic Jonathan Cohen got word of Smart’s skills as a chef, he invited him to South Florida. A great yearly tradition was born. Now, if we could only persuade Smart to open a ’cue joint here …

It’s been a busy month of chowing down at a range of noteworthy food and wine events throughout Palm Beach County. Here are two worth mentioning:

• A wine dinner at Forte (225 Clematis St., West Palm Beach; 561-833-3330 ) showcasing the latest offerings from the Livernano and Casalvento wineries: This was very much a family-and-friends-style affair, since the owners of the Italian wineries and Forte are one and the same — longtime Palm Beachers Bob and Gudrun Cuillo. The Cuillos got into the wine biz as something of a hobby, but their first-class slate of reds and whites, including the Livernano "L’Anima" chadonnay (yes, an Italian chardonnay) and Casalvento Classico Chianti, are garnering serious attention among oenophiles.

The wines were indeed terrific, but the real surprise of the night was how nicely the restaurant has come along under the stewardship of Maurizio Ciminella, a partner with the Cuillos for the past year. Among the stellar dishes served at the wine dinner: an appetizer of paper-thin swordfish crudo (more like carpaccio, actually) with Sicilian blood oranges, lemon zest, Italian parsley and capers and a dessert of coconut tapioca, caramelized pears and blueberry compote. Bravo!

• A barbecue lunch, courtesy of the Morgan Keegan financial firm in Jupiter: On the surface this was just a thank-you event for clients of the company. But what made it significant from a foodie’s perspective (and what scored me a precious invite) is that the event served as a showcase for an award-winning Memphis pitmaster, Stephen Smart, who’s renowned for his pork shoulder and side dishes (especially beans). So what brought him to Jupiter?

It turns out that in his "real" life, Smart works for Morgan Keegan, which also happens to be based in Memphis. When Jupiter branch manager and ‘cue fanatic Jonathan Cohen got word of Smart’s skills as a chef, he invited him to South Florida. A great yearly tradition was born. Now, if we could only persuade Smart to open a ‘cue joint here …

~ charles_passy@pbpost.com

By CHARLES PASSY

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

If you’re in the mood for Mexican food, my best advice these days would be to head to Palm Beach Gardens.

In recent weeks, two Mexican eateries have set up shop in the city, each offering an interesting approach to the south-of-the-border cuisine. First up: Cabo Flats Cantina & Tequila Bar (11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Ave. in Downtown at the Gardens, 561-624-0024, caboflats.com ). Situated in the space formerly belonging to Rosa Mexicano, this is a concept far removed that eatery’s upscale, regional-minded take on all things Mexican. Instead, Cabo Flats is Mexican-meets-rock ‘n’ roll — a kind of juke joint in a Tex-Mex (or California-Mex) vein that also happens to serve very good but fairly basic (and reasonably priced) Mexican fare.

Signature dishes include soft tacos (fish, steak, chicken, ground beef — $3 to $3.50), "ginormous" burritos (try the Bob Marley with chicken for $10) and several varieties of ceviche (like "Mexican sushi, but better" says the menu — choices are $10 each). To wash it all down: a vast selections of margaritas and tequilas, served in unique, oversized Mexican stemware. The basic frozen margarita ($8) may be the best I’ve had in South Florida.

Cabo Flats comes courtesy of failed golf pro-turned-veteran restaurateur Paul Ardaji, who made a splash a decade ago on Clematis Street in West Palm Beach with Sforza and My Martini. He’s also worked with the P.F. Chang’s chain and developed a few eateries with famed Iron Chef Morimoto.

He took inspiration for Cabo Flats from Pink Taco, a hipster Mexican eatery in California, and from House of Blues, the music-meets-barbecue chain. And sure enough, Cabo Flats has that cutting-edge vibe (note that the front doors are actual garage doors — very East L.A.). It’s also got a smart musical lineup, with a mix of everything from mariachi to cover bands playing on almost any given night. In all, quite a lively place.

The other new Mexican in town is a Palm Beach Gardens location of the growing Tijuana Flats chain (11608 U.S. 1, 561-622-4555, tijuanaflats.com ). This is casual Mexican in the same spirit of such chains as Chipotle Mexican Grill and Moe’s, but with a few tasty and amusing touches.

For starters, each location boasts its own individual look (the Palm Beach Gardens one has something of a superhero theme). Plus, the restaurant really does put an emphasis on fresh, made-to-order fare, with burritos, quesadillas, rice bowls that can be customized to your exacting taste. (Another nice plus: there’s a menu of under-500 calories items.)

But the especial appeal of Tijuana may be its outstanding array of hot sauces — more than a dozen, from the mild and sweet to the almost lethal. Mix and match to suit your style. Oh, and I love the restaurant’s "manifesto," which encourages patrons to "accept all kinds of people, even those who use mild sauce."

The Elderflower Gimlet at O Bar is herbaceous, and its where sweet meets sour. (Gary Coronado / The Post)

This week’s bar: O Bar at The Omphoy

The scene: Palm Beach’s newest resort is also one of its sexiest nightspots. Think the three C’s of design: cool, clean and contemporary. Fittingly, the crowd is on the younger, more fashionable side. But the bar also attracts a fair share of everyday hotel guests who just want a nightcap. Oh, and some come to play pool as well — there’s a table to the side.

Signature cocktail: Joshua Liberman is Omphoy’s sommelier and master mixologist, and he crafts some of the cleverest cocktails you’ll find in town. But the drink that’s starting to garner him the most attention at The Omphoy is a simple one — the Elderflower Gimlet ($14), a herbaceous, sweet-meets-sour mix of St. Germain Elderflower liqueur, Hendrick’s gin and lime juice.

Other noteworthy libations: There’s an intelligent drink to suit every taste here. If you’re in the mood for something tangy, try the lemony Limoncello Drop ($14). If you like a little spice, take on the Chupucabra ($14), which combines tequila, house-made ginger beer and chile-spiked syrup. And if you want something truly exotic, go for the Death By Duck ($14) made with foie gras-infused cognac (yes, you read that correctly — a foie gras-infused spirit). But if you just want something more standard, they can do that, too — the mojitos are very popular.

Bar bites: The bar (or tapas) menu comes courtesy of celeb chef Michelle Bernstein’s restaurant upstairs, so you know it’s going to be a cut above your usual burgers and wings. Try the deviled eggs topped with crispy Spanish ham ($5) for an affordable, upscale treat. Or go the whole entrée route and enjoy a filet of beef, joined with smashed fingerling potatoes ($36). And if you happen to be in the mood for wings, the bar offers free-range chicken wings ($11) .

Music and more: Live music is featured on Saturday night.

Happy times: Alas, no happy hour is offered.

Info: 2842 S. Ocean Blvd., Palm Beach; (561) 540-6440; omphoy.com

THE COCKTAIL

Elderflower Gimlet

2 oz. Hendrick’s gin

1 oz. St. Germain Elderflower liqueur

1 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a glass.

The B.B. King All-Stars, led by guitarist Gary King (center), the house band of B.B. King's Blues Club in CityPlace. (Brandon Kruse / The Post)

More: B.B. King’s at CityPlace more than the sum of its parts

Blues fans who come to B.B. King’s at CityPlace expecting the legend himself may be in for a disappointment. The blues great is expected to make only a visit or two each year.

But a king of another sort is regularly on stage. Literally.

Meet Gary King, the South Florida music mainstay who now heads the house band at the club. And who put together the nine-piece band that rocks the crowd most night with a Southern-flavored mix of blues, rhythm and blues, rock, pop and more.

“The concept is to preserve soul music, that whole Memphis thing,” says Gary King.

If the guitarist/vocalist’s name is familiar, it’s probably because you’ve heard Gary King and the Dream — his previous band — at clubs throughout Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties over the years. You’ve also heard Gary King and the Dream at SunFest: The group was a popular presence at the downtown West Palm Beach event throughout the ’90s.

But Gary King, who’s originally from Fort Lauderdale and came of musical age playing with the likes of Gloria Estefan and KC and the Sunshine Band, took a circuitous path to the West Palm Beach B.B. King’s. He actually left South Florida to work at the Nashville B.B. King’s — (the chain also has locations in Memphis, Orlando and Las Vegas) — before getting the opportunity to come back home.

Each venue emphasizes a similar mix of music, but each also puts its own stamp on the play-list. In West Palm Beach, Gary King thought it was important to give a Latin lilt to some of the songs, so he brought in Ignacio Nunez, a veteran Miami percussionist who’s played with Ricky Martin.

But the heart of all the B.B. King house bands is a trio of brass and wind players, who not only add sheer volume to the mix, but who can also move and groove in sync with the songs — just like the bands of yesteryear. In West Palm Beach, that group includes gospel-influenced trombonist Wayne Perry, jazz-trained trumpeter Seth Merlin and saxophonist (and current University of Miami grad student) Anthony Church.

And what would a band be without a female vocalist? Joining Gary King and company is Lauren Carter, a Port St. Lucie resident with a very strong set of chops. Hear her version of The Beatles’ “Come Together” and you’ll understand.

Add a few other musicians, including longtime Gary King keyboardist George Tandy, and you have a band that holds its own each and every night. And with a full-sized stage on which to play, the musicians seem to understand this is a rare opportunity in the club world.

“This isn’t a club,” asserts Gary King. “It’s a concert venue that happens to serve food and liquor.”

Dancing is all part of the fun at B.B. King's, which also includes some great food. (Brandon Kruse / The Post)

More: Directions, user reviews | House band rocks at B.B. King’s

There’s a part of me that greets an outfit like the recently opened B.B. King’s Blues Club in CityPlace with more than a healthy share of skepticism.

On the surface, this is the blues turned into McBlues. The idea is to take one of America’s true art forms and making it into something resembling a theme-park ride, replete with all the Southern touches and a predictable menu of gumbo, barbecue, cobbler and other down-home favorites.

But once I find myself actually sitting in the West Palm Beach club, the reality suggests otherwise. The nine-piece band is riffing on a B.B. King classic, “The Thrill Is Gone”, as if it were a piece of molasses-flavored taffy — curiously sweet and plenty pliable. And I’m keeping time to the music while sipping on a cold Pabst Blue Ribbon draft, a retro beer that goes so right with the setting. Oh, and that bowl of gumbo? Not bad, not bad at all.

So much for my skepticism. This place rocks.

OK, OK, it rocks in a certain context. If you’re looking for pure blues, especially of the lean-and-mean acoustic variety, B.B. King’s generally isn’t for you. (And I’m still hoping the Bamboo Room in downtown Lake Worth will reopen and fill that genuine void.) Plus, if you’re looking for outstanding Southern grub, well, keep looking: B.B. King’s is good, but it’s far from great, especially in the ‘cue department.

But it’s the total package that counts at B.B. King’s. And visually, it’s an impressive package. The "club," with a total capacity of about 600-800, is actually several spaces — a large main music room with concert hall-worthy sound and lighting system (and a dance floor, too); a restaurant area with a neat little patio that overlooks CityPlace; and an outdoor bar where music is featured during lunchtime. Throughout it all, smart, stylish touches abound — the folk art-like paintings of famous blues musicians, the brick walls, the tables that have an intentionally shop-worn look to them. It’s a themed space all right. But that doesn’t keep it from being a cool one.

It’s also a great place to enjoy a cold one: The draft selection is decent enough, though I do wish the cocktail menu was better — it’s mostly overly sweet drinks with blues-inspired names (i.e. the $10 Rock Me Baby with rum and banana and melon liqueurs). Appetizers put a solid emphasis on no-holds-barred fried fare: My favorite items included the catfish bites ($9), prepared with a light cornmeal breading that doesn’t overwhelm the tasty fish, and the thoroughly addictive pickle chips ($8), paired with a zesty horseradish dipping sauce (as the saying goes, bet you can’t have just one…). On a return visit, I’d opt for these items over a rather disappointing cheese dip duo ($9), which features two supposedly spicy dips that had about as much heat as movie-theater nachos.

With entrees, keep your expectations in check and you’ll be fine. Which is to say the "Lip Smacking" BBQ ribs ($18 for a half rack, $24 for a full) have no discernible taste of smoke, but they’re more than meaty enough and they’re slathered in a sweet sauce that turns pork into a hard-to-resist pork candy. But for true comfort food, try the Chicken Fried Chicken ($16) — kinda like chicken fried steak, but with a plump chicken breast playing the starring protein role. Served with a white-cheddar mac ‘n’ cheese, it’s happy food, plain and simple.

And a peach cobbler ($7) is a happy dessert — with the perfect balance between fruit and biscuit and a welcome addition of cinnamon ice cream. If you’re server is smart — and they’ve got a solid, unobtrusive and hard-working crew here — he or she will steer you right to it.

Of course, the real "dessert" is the evening’s performance by the excellent in-house band (see related story) or whatever musicians happen to be playing that night (look for an appearance by B.B. King later this year, too). The cover charge ($2-10 for the house band, depending on day and time) is more than worth it. Beyond the usual cover bands that play the local watering-hole circuit, live music is an all-too -rare entity in these parts. B.B. King’s rights that wrong in tasteful — and sometimes tasty — fashion.

R E V I E W

B.B. King’s Blues Club

FOOD: B

SERVICE: B+

ADDRESS: 550 S. Rosemary Ave. (in CityPlace), West Palm Beach

TELEPHONE: (561) 420-8600

WEB SITE: bbkingclubs.com

PRICE RANGE: Moderate

HOURS: 11 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., Sunday to Thursday; 11 a.m. to 4 a.m., Friday and Saturday. (Live music in main room starts at 7:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 5:30 p.m. Friday-Sunday.)

CREDIT CARDS: V, MC, AmEx, Disc

RESERVATIONS: Not accepted, but the club offers priority seating.

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes, including restrooms

WHAT THE GRADES

MEAN:

A

Rabbi Michael Singer is a 'foodie' and is commonly asked about good passover meals. (Richard Graulich / The Post)

The Dish video: Matzo ball soup, made by the chef at David’s East Side Deli

Many Jews look to their rabbis for sage advice. But the congregants in Rabbi Michael Singer’s synagogue also look to him for a good recipe for General Tso’s Chicken.

"I’m a foodie," said Singer, who’s the rabbi at Temple Beth David in Palm Beach Gardens.

In Singer’s case, that love of all things gourmet has translated into a variety of synagogue programs, from a "Welcome Back" barbecue he hosts in the late summer to a series of cooking classes he conducts throughout the year.

And with Passover just around the corner — the eight-day holiday that commemorates the Jewish exodus from Egypt begins on Monday night — that also means more than a few congregants are bound to be asking Singer for his holiday brisket recipe.

But Singer is far from the only Jewish religious leader, locally or otherwise, with an affinity for food and faith. Consider Rabbi Anthony Fratello of Temple Shaarei Shalom in Boynton Beach. He’s such a wiz in the kitchen that at temple fund-raisers, his synagogue auctions off the opportunity to have him prepare dinner in a congregant’s home. Or consider Rabbi Shlomo Ezagui of Chabad House in North Palm Beach: His passion for Jewish deli — think pastrami and pickles — is such that he and his wife, Chani, opened their own restaurant, David’s East Side Deli, in Palm Beach Gardens.

And there’s perhaps the most famous rabbi-chef of them all: Rabbi Gil Marks, a New York-based culinary personality whose cookbooks, including the James Beard Award-winning Olive Trees and Honey, have won him fans around the world.

"To Jews, food is much more than just a form of nourishment or enjoyment," said Marks in a 2001 interview.

Rabbi Anthony Fratello, who mixes many influences into his cooking. (Brandon Kruse / The Post)

Certainly, the Passover celebration, built around an elaborate feast (or seder) in which symbolic foods like matzo (an unleavened bread) are served and the story of the exodus is told, speaks to that. And it’s perhaps why so many rabbis see a place for themselves in the kitchen. Food almost becomes a form of prayer.

"For every life-cycle event, there’s an actual commandment to prepare a meal," said Singer .

Food is also a way to bring people together. And since rabbis must create opportunities for their congregants to meet one another, why not do it over a meal?

"It’s to reinforce the notion that we’re not alone in the world," said Fratello .

So, how does a rabbi become a good cook? The same way anyone does — by watching others and learning through trial and error.

In Fratello’s case, his appreciation for food started at a young age. Born to a Jewish mother and an Italian father (who later converted to Judaism), he got exposed to many culinary cultures. From his father’s side, he learned how to make a mean bracciole (a rolled meat dish). From his mother’s, he learned how to prepare the perfect matzo ball soup.

"I got a little of everything," Fratello explained.

Similarly, Singer credits a diverse family background — Central and Northern European, primarily — with shaping his foodie perspective. But he also doesn’t discount the role of popular culture: Yes, even future rabbis learn a lesson or two from Julia Child.

Or, in Singer’s case, from Chinese chef and television personality Martin Yan.

"Yan Can Cook was my childhood entertainment," said Rabbi Singer of the once-popular public-television culinary program. (And for the record, the rabbi does keep kosher — so he makes the appropriate substitutions in dishes that call for pork or shellfish.)

In the end, being a rabbi with a flair for food is not much different than being any sort of non-culinary professional who also enjoys spending time in the kitchen. Both Fratello and Singer say they relish doing some or all of the cooking at home, whether it’s making lunch for their kids or making a holiday meal for their extended family.

The real difference perhaps is that a rabbi’s true extended family includes his or her congregation. So, if a rabbi takes on the task of preparing a meal at the synagogue, it can mean feeding dozens of folks.

Singer has also been known to involve his congregants in the process: A recent temple event had him teaching sushi-making to his synagogue’s religious school. And he’s already working on a similarly interactive Passover program.

"We’re getting the kids to make matzo," he said.

Rabbi Michael Singer says this brisket is a must-have at the Passover seders he hosts:

‘Raised/Braised from Bondage’ Passover Brisket

1 first cut (or second cut) brisket (usually 3¼ to 4 pounds; adjust other ingredient amounts to the cut and size of the brisket)

1 box kosher-for-Passover onion soup mix (2 packets)

3 cups of fresh sliced mushrooms

2¼ cups sweet kosher-for-Passover red wine (one you like to drink)

Ground black pepper

Fresh rosemary

Place large pot on the stove and heat up until a splash of water will sizzle. After washing the brisket, coat thoroughly with fresh black pepper on the top and bottom. (Salt need not be added since kosher meat is already soaked and salted and the onion soup mix contains salt.)

Sear the brisket over high heat in the pot on all sides until a brown crust forms, locking in the juices. (Use tongs — do not poke) Remove brisket from the pot and deglaze pot with one-half cup of sweet red wine. Reduce heat to medium low.

Add minced rosemary and first onion soup packet. Stir until completely dissolved (slowly add a little water if necessary). Add brisket and mushrooms on top.

In a bowl, combine 2 cups of wine with the second onion soup packet and add to pot. Before covering, add a little water to ensure the brisket and mushrooms are almost covered and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low for 1 hour and then flip the brisket (with tongs) and cook for another 1 hour on low, keeping it covered.

Depending on thickness of cut, continue to cook 30 minutes or more, if necessary — until the brisket is fork tender and dark brown in color all the way through, and has reduced in size. The key to cooking this dish is low and slow.

Note: Adding more water and stirring the mushrooms as you go is better than having the sauce, mushrooms or brisket burn, but try not to add too much water or the meat’s own flavor will be diluted and cooking time will be longer. Don’t fiddle with it too much, or you will let the liquid out in the form of steam. As the saying goes, "Good things come to those who wait."

When done, remove the brisket from the pot and let it rest for about five minutes. Stir the sauce, adding additional liquid if necessary until it lightly coats the back of a spoon. Slice the brisket against the grain, add it back to the sauce. Serve immediately, or, for more flavor, refrigerate it and reheat it the next day.

Singer’s take on this Passover breakfast favorite is to keep things as simple as possible. He notes that the recipe can be tweaked based on the number of people you’re feeding and the size of the pan you’re using.

Classic Matzo Brei

2 full pieces of matzo

4 eggs

Black pepper (to taste)

Salted butter (amount varies depending on pan)

2 tablespoons (approximately) milk

Salt (to taste)

Onions (optional)

Use warm water to soak matzo until soft but not mushy. Break matzo apart. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, black pepper and milk (use enough milk to lighten the eggs, but not so much that they become watery). Whisk. Add broken soft matzo to bowl and stir. Coat a pan over medium heat with butter. (The butter adds a lot of flavor, so use liberally.) Add mixture and slowly turn up the heat. Flip when golden brown on one side. Remove and add salt if desired. Option: Sauté diced onions in butter and add to the mixture when you add the matzo.

From Rabbi Anthony Fratello of Temple Shaarei Shalom, Boynton Beach:

Sephardic Charoset

Charoset is a fruit paste served at the Passover seder. (It’s meant to symbolize the mortar Jewish slaves used to build the pyramids in Egypt.) Sephardic Jews hail originally from Spain and their recipes reflect many exotic influences.

1 cup seedless raisins

1 cup prunes

1 cup dried apricots

1 pound pitted dates

1 orange, peeled and pitted

1 apple, peeled and cored

2 tablespoons Passover wine

Soak the dried fruit in hot water for 30 minutes, or until it’s softened. In a food processor, combine all the ingredients to make a thick paste.

Cover and refrigerate 1 hour before serving.

Yields: about 4 cups

Richard Harteis relaxes at home with his dog, Daisy. (Lannis Waters / The Post)

For most of the past three decades, Richard Harteis spent his life in the care of another. Now, he’s getting to tell his story, literally.

An acclaimed writer who calls West Palm Beach home for half the year, Harteis, 63, was also partner to William Meredith, the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet who passed away in 2007 at the age of 88. For the last 24 years of his life, Meredith was partly incapacitated due to a stroke, leaving Harteis to serve as both soul mate and caregiver. And just as important, as the inspiration for Meredith to return to publishing his poetry.

During that time, Harteis often had to forget about his own promising career as a writer. But he did manage to find the time to publish "Marathon," a moving account of Harteis’ efforts to help Meredith recover while Harteis also trained to run his first marathon. Today, that book is the subject of a feature film, also called "Marathon," that will receive its local debut next month at the Palm Beach International Film Festival. (The festival, set for April 22-26 at various locations around Palm Beach County, will announce its full lineup of films later this week.)

"It’s a broad story," said Harteis of both book and movie, explaining that they touch upon several key issues: the challenges of aging, of taking care of an older loved one and "of being gay in America."

As a book, "Marathon" was released in 1987. So, what prompted the making of a movie some 20 or so years later? At an artists’ workshop in Ireland, Harteis met Biju Viswanath, a well-regarded Indian filmmaker. The two got to discussing past projects and the subject of "Marathon" came up. Viswanath read the book and immediately told Harteis: "We have to make a movie out of this." Filming took place over the summer of 2008 in rural Connecticut, where Harteis and Meredith long maintained their summer home.

In many ways, the timing couldn’t have been better. Harteis was still struggling to recover from the loss of his partner and working on the film — he serves as producer — gave him the opportunity to put their unique relationship in perspective.

But Harteis also allows that "Marthon" the movie was very much the director’s own statement.

"When you turn over a project to a filmmaker, you turn over the artistic vision of the thing," he said.

Viswanath has indicated his idea was to make the film less a narrative drama and more a visual mood piece.

"I love twilight, and I had used lot of twilight shots in this film to enhance the mood and create a lyrical feel to the visuals," he said in a 2008 interview.

Today, Harteis’ goal is to see the independently made, smaller budget picture find its way on the film-festival circuit over the next year — it’s already slated to be screened at festivals in Thailand, Egypt, South Africa, Wales and Ireland — and then possibly make it to movie theaters or a cable network. But the writer-turned-producer has other goals as well.

He’s set to publish his latest book, "Daisy Chain," a series of poems inspired by the dog, Daisy, who served as a faithful companion to him and Meredith in Meredith’s final years and that continues to keep Harteis company to this day. He’s also working on the script for a new film, a fictional account of a gay couple in the period between World Wars I and II.

Finally, Harteis is focusing on the recently established William Meredith Foundation (williammeredithfoundation.org), based in Connecticut. The organization supports artists of all kinds through residencies, readings and exhibitions and also sees that Meredith, who counted such literary lions as Robert Frost and Robert Penn Warren, continues to be remembered as one of the most important American poets of the 20th century.

"Our main goal is to keep his legacy alive," said Harteis.

charles_passy@pbpost.com

A recent poem by Richard Harteis

Bedtime

The field is covered in stars,

early fireflies come alive

after the rain. A fox watches

the midnight train’s golden

eye search its way up the river -

no moon, summer has not yet

smiled upon night, it is too dark

for you Daisy. Come, sleep by

the fire and let me sing a lullaby.

Of course, there will be plenty of films.

The festival showcases films that might not otherwise be released theatrically in the United States and features workshops led by such industry leaders as Ellen Jacoby of Ellen Jacoby Casting International and Adam Montgomery, programming manager of the Sundance Institute.

This year’s festival features Barry Bostwick, known for his role as Brad Majors in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, as the 2010 creative chair. He also received the DBFF Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.

Also this year, Sharon Gless and Jessica Walters will receive Lifetime Achievement Awards

IF YOU GO

The Delray Beach Film Festival runs Monday-March 28.

Screenings and events will be held throughout Delray Beach, including the Crest Theater in Old School Square, 51 N. Swinton Ave., and the Movies of Delray, 7421 W. Atlantic Ave.

For more information, visit dbff.us.

Browse more photos

See video of the contest

Palm Beach County firefighters, police officers go bald for charity

Photos: More St. Patrick’s celebrations

Photos: Mini Kiss on Clematis

The hot dog-eating champ is now also the corned beef-eating champ.

Joey Chestnut took first place in the TooJay’s sponsored corned-beef chow down, held this afternoon at Downtown at the Gardens. The world’s number-one competitive eater devoured 15 sandwiches in 10 minutes, easily besting 15 other contestants and taking home the $5,000 top prize.

Chestnut is best known for his three consecutive victories, starting in 2007, in the annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, held on the Fourth of July in New York’s Coney Island.

Last year, he beat his own record in the event, eating 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes.

Hog Snappers Shack cook Brandon Doyle prepares a dish. (Brandon Kruse / The Post)

Does Palm Beach County have a cuisine it can claim as its own?

I’ve pondered this question over the years. By nature, ours is a transient culture, which means a certain lack of "place" when it comes to food. We’re a little bit Cuban, a little bit Jewish, a little bit Old Florida. In short, we’re a big tasty pot of gumbo — or we’re a muddled stew of one too many ingredients.

Certainly, I’ve had plenty of the latter, courtesy of restaurants that try to play up the various strains of our tropical paradise without really blending them into a cohesive culinary statement. But I’ve also had that aforementioned gumbo — and not merely in the metaphorical sense.

I’m referring to the hearty gumbo that’s served at Hog Snappers Shack & Sushi, a recently opened, bustling gem of a moderately priced restaurant that’s poised to become Palm Beach County’s latest and greatest. It’s got all the things you want in gumbo — seafood and sausage, plenty of rice, a nice thick base. But the flavor is almost more tropical or Caribbean in style than Cajun, as evidenced by the fact that if you order the big-enough-to-call-a-meal bowl version (for $8), the soup/stew comes with avocado salad and tostones (mashed, double-fried plantains).

The rest of what Hog Snappers has to offer is very much in the same vein — lots of fish (and, yes, lots of sushi), lots of zesty ingredients from sun-splashed parts of the world and lots of Florida flavors, too. It’s a place where you can go from a palate-pleasing appetizer of fried fish of all kinds (popcorn shrimp, soft-shell crab, even gator bites), cleverly presented in a cone, to a dessert offering of a perfect sweet-meets-sour slice of Key lime pie.

It’s also a place where you don’t come to dine, but to eat. That is, Hog Snappers, situated in the middle of a strip mall, is very much a "shack" in design and feel (not unlike Little Moir’s Food Shack in Jupiter), with a few tiki-like touches of décor, a cramped bar (serving beer and wine only) and a dining area that might double as someone’s coat closet. We’re talking an eatery that’s small and not all that comfortable — note the hard chairs — but that uses such disadvantages to its, well, advantage. In a word, Hog Snappers is a scene.

And a scene in a culinary sense as well, thanks to the creative spirit that chef Arthur Rivaldo, a veteran of restaurants in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere in Florida, brings to everything he does. Clearly, he’s got a flair for fish: His signature dish is a whole Key West hog snapper ($24) — mild in taste and meaty in texture — that’s fried to crisp delight. Paired with a generous portion of coconut rice and the restaurant’s ubiquitous avocado salad, the dish becomes like a day at a tropical beach on a plate.

But just as remarkable is what Rivaldo can do with a piece of beef. I don’t think I’ve had a better steak in the past year than the Argentinean churrasco ($21) he serves. True to the dish’s roots, it’s a cheaper, flatter cut of meat, but it’s been tenderized to almost a melt-in-your-mouth state of perfection and it’s gotten just the right amount of time on the grill (I swear you can almost taste the flames with every bite). And again, the side — yuca smothered in a buttery sauce — is the right companion to the star attraction.

There’s sushi on the menu, too. I had figured it might be an afterthought, a way to attract a few stray diners that might otherwise go to a Japanese restaurant. But Rivaldo has a lot of fun with it: There are goofy rolls of all kinds — on my next visit, I want to try the Cayo Hueso roll ($15) with tuna, salmon and a spicy conch salad. But there’s also terrific, clean-tasting fish — and generous portions of it as well, if my chirashi (essentially, sashimi over rice, $24) was any proof. Another nice Japanese touch to the restaurant: the gratis offering of nicely salted edamame (steamed soy beans) at the start of the meal.

Of course, it did take a while to get those edamame. And it did take a while to get seated, especially since the restaurant doesn’t accept reservations and it’s already plenty popular (my advice: visit during the off-peak hours). I guess it would be fair to say that service isn’t really a strong point of Hog Snappers. But the truth of the matter is that it’s just right for an establishment of this kind: the wait staff consists of young, energetic people who have an obvious passion for good food and good times.

And isn’t that what dining in Palm Beach County should be all about? At Hog Snappers, cuisine has definitely come home.

R E V I E W

Hog Snappers Shack & Sushi

FOOD: A

SERVICE: B+

ADDRESS: 279 U.S. 1, Tequesta

TELEPHONE: (561) 972-4723

PRICE RANGE: Moderate

HOURS: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday; closed Monday.

CREDIT CARDS: Visa, MC, Disc

RESERVATIONS: Not accepted

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes, including restrooms

But a dozen corned beef sandwiches? All devoured in a mere 10 minutes?

That’s the scene that’s likely to unfold at Downtown at the Gardens in Palm Beach Gardens Wednesday afternoon. The occasion is the first-ever TooJay’s World Class Corned Beef Eating Competition.

The local New York-style deli chain has partnered with the International Federation of Competitive Eating — yes, the same folks behind the Nathan’s Fourth of July hot dog-eating contest — on the event. Even more significant: The contest has attracted some of the, um, heavyweights of the competitive-eating circuit, including current Nathan’s champ Joey Chestnut (he ate 68 hot dogs last year!).

“We knew we were going to get a few big eaters, but we didn’t think we were going to get the top guys,” says TooJay’s marketing chief Annie Catz.

Indeed, in addition to No. 1-ranked competitive eater Chestnut, look for Pat “Deep Dish” Bertoletti (No. 3) and Bob “Notorious B.O.B.” Shoudt (No. 4). And the top rank isn’t just limited to guys: Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas (No. 5) will also be on hand.

“She once ate 11 pounds of cheesecake in five minutes,” says TooJay’s President Bill Korenbaum.

In all, there will be 10 “professional” competitive eaters, plus five local “amateurs” at the contest, vying for the top prize of $10,000. The amateurs were selected from “a random drawing of participants who were able to eat (TooJay’s) infamous Jaynourmous deli sandwich,” according to the event’s press materials.

The Jaynourmous includes 1.5 pounds of deli meat. Fortunately, the competitors at today’s event will have to contend with only with six ounces of corned beef per sandwich. But the winner is expected to chomp through at least a dozen of them in the 10-minute timeframe.

“Jaw strength is the key thing here,” says International Federation of Competitive Eating exec Richard Shea.

The competition takes place at 1:30 p.m. today in the center courtyard at Downtown at the Gardens (not far from the TooJay’s location at the shopping/dining plaza). But the full festivities run from 12:30 to 3 p.m.

Oh, and yes: TooJay’s corned-beef sandwiches will be available for purchase — just in case you start hungering for a few yourself. You can find more information about the event at downtownatthegardens.com and toojays.com.

The prime burger at The Office in Delray Beach. (Allen Eyestone / The Post)

There’s a tendency to equate timelessness to greatness in the restaurant biz. We think eateries that have survived for years and years, offering the same culinary experience ad infinitum, are paradigms of success by that mere fact alone. Call it the triumph of frozen food — as in frozen in time.

But I’d argue that cuisine is very much about the here and now and that a smart restaurateur tries to capture the spirit of today on a plate. And that makes David Manero perhaps the smartest restaurateur in South Florida.

Consider Manero’s latest venture, The Office in Delray Beach. At a time when local restaurateurs are increasingly emphasizing a certain big-city vibe at the places they open, Manero has fashioned the most urban (and urbane) eatery to establish itself in these parts in years, smartly situated in a downtown strip — Atlantic Avenue — that itself has come to represent true city slickness in our part of the world.

Moreover, Manero has done it with a reasonably priced menu that speaks to the best of what chefs are doing these days: giving casual bar-friendly food a sophisticated, upscale makeover and turning grazing (or the "little plates" concept) into an art form. Throw in kicky cocktail and craft beer menus — again, very au courant ideas — and you have even more reasons to make The Office your hangout spot of choice.

Are you beginning to tell I really like this place?

And I liked it from the moment I walked into The Office. The conceit is you’re indeed entering someone’s home library or "office" — note the books lined on the walls. But it’s as if that office has been transformed into a cross between a speakeasy and psychedelic lounge, thanks to interior designer Lynn Manero (David’s wife) and her eclectic taste in everything from flooring to furnishing (love the red chairs). A final deft touch: The long bar faces two ways, so you can be seated at it inside the restaurant or on the street. It’s as if the The Office is literally woven into the cosmopolitan fabric of Atlantic Avenue.

And by all means, do grab a seat at the bar, where the vibe is lively without being frenetic. Then, settle in for a first-rate refresher. If you go the cocktail route — make that the "handcrafted" cocktail route — you’ll enjoy the best of modern mixology, where spirits of all kinds are mixed and matched in inventive ways with fresh-squeezed juices and sweet and savory flavorings. Take the Lavender Side Car ($14), a beguiling blend of cognac, orange liqueur and lavender honey syrup. Or, even better, the Water Cooler ($14), one of a wave of thirst-quenching cucumber-flavored cocktails I’ve seen of late, only this one adds subtle notes of herbaceous flavor to the mix, courtesy of Plymouth gin, lemon and dill.

Of course, there’s beer, too — more than 25 selections on draft ($5.50 to $7.75), from the "Crisp & Clean" (say, Kronenbourg from France) to the "Drunken Monks" offerings of Belgian-style beers, including two made-in-Florida selections. And if you’re still thirsting for more, the wine list is plentiful and relatively interesting (especially if you like American offerings), though a tad overpriced.

On to the food. The genius of the grazing, gastro-pub concept that Manero is championing here is that it gives you so many ways to approach a meal, whether you want little bites in lots of stages or a more traditionally structured three-course meal. I opted for the former and was not disappointed with a single item.

Much of the menu is devoted to contemporary variations on bar or comfort-food classics. So, you’ve got Buffalo wings, only here they’re the Asian/Caribbean-inspired and thoroughly addictive Hot & Sour Chicken Drumettes ($13.50). And you’ve got nachos, only here they’re House-Smoked Kingfish Nachos ($12) — individual portions of the perfect Florida dip served atop crispy chips.

And you’ve got pork and beans, too — but here the dish is cheekily put in quotations, as in "Pork and Beans" ($13). That’s because the pork is Niman Ranch pork belly — fatty and delicious. And the beans are toothsome, oversized butter beans. The result: a down-home side dish transformed into a soulfully clever main dish.

And speaking of main dishes, you can have your pick of a few of those — steaks, short ribs, fish of the day and more, priced from $18 to $35. But something tells me Manero is providing options just for those who can’t enjoy a restaurant meal without having an "entrée." As for me, I’d rather much make a meal out of his out-of-this-world Prime CEO Burger. Yes, it’s a $15 burger, but it’s a two-handed affair of juicy chopped prime, topped with sweet onion and tomato confit, two full-flavored cheeses (Maytag bleu and Gruyere) and thickly cut bacon. This isn’t a burger; it’s a culinary revelation in sandwich form, paired with the crispiest shoestring fries I’ve run across in a while.

And there’s at least one more revelation to come if you’ve saved room for dessert. I’m speaking of the bacon-flavored donuts ($9) — a sweet-and-salty affair that makes more sense than it sounds (think pancakes and bacon converted into a cruller). If that’s a little too daring for you, a safer (but still hardly traditional) meal-ender can be had with the chocolate-y oversized red-velvet cupcake ($9).

I admit I was worried about how The Office would fare in the service department, since busy and style-conscious restaurants of this sort are known to forsake customers almost as a point of smug pride. But that’s hardly the case here. The well-trained staff knows its way around the menu and tends to almost all the details throughout the course of the meal — except perhaps for seeing to it that water and wine glasses are refilled in a timely manner. That said, I wasn’t wild about the fact that the hostess misjudged the wait time for a table — 15 minutes turned into about 30 (the restaurant doesn’t accept reservations).

But I’d gladly wait an hour or more at a restaurant of this caliber. By its very trendy nature, perhaps The Office might not be as hot and happening a couple of years from now. But its currency is also what makes it so appealing. Enjoy while you can.

R E V I E W

The Office

FOOD: A

SERVICE: A-

ADDRESS: 201 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach

TELEPHONE: (561) 276-3600

WEB SITE: theofficedelray.com

PRICE RANGE: Moderate to expensive

HOURS: 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m., daily

CREDIT CARDS: AmEx, Visa, MC, Disc

RESERVATIONS: Not accepted

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes, including restrooms

WHAT THE GRADES

MEAN:

A

This week’s bar: Leila

The scene: Leila is very much a real restaurant — and a fine one at that. So the bar scene at this downtown West Palm Beach Middle Eastern favorite is really about the patio, where you can smoke the hookah (an Arabic water pipe) and sip on a cocktail in the open air. It’s a one-of-a-kind exotic experience that’s like stepping into another country — and another culture — for a night.

Signature cocktail: The Leilini ($12), a chocolate-mint martini, with a nice hint of coffee. It’s also a drink designed to pair with one of the hookah varieties, a mint tobacco ($20) that’s a subtle joy of a smoke.

Other noteworthy libations: For something in a more Floridian vein, try the Island Stylin’ ($8), a fruity vodka cocktail. And if you want a classic taste of the Middle East, try a glass of arak, the bracing, anise-flavored spirit. The restaurant also has a small but interesting wine list, with a few Lebanese, Turkish and Greek selections.

Bar bites: The tradition of mezza — the Middle-Eastern array of appetizers — is very much alive at Leila. Among the offerings worth trying are the tasty, tangy hummus ($7) and the hearty, meatball-like kibbeh ($10).

Music and more: A belly dancer entertains the crowds on Friday and Saturday nights.

Happy times: The Happy Hour (5 to 7:30 p.m., daily) special includes two-for-one well drinks.

Info: 120 S. Dixie Highway (at the corner of Datura Street), West Palm Beach; (561) 659-7373; leilawpb.com

THE COCKTAIL

Leilini

3/4 oz. Grand Marnier

3/4 oz. Kahlua

3/4 oz. Baileys Irish Cream

1/2 oz. crème de cacao

Whipped cream

Drizzle of green crème de menthe

Mix Grand Marnier, Kahlua, Baileys and crème de cacao in a shaker with ice. Shake, then strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with whipped cream, then a drizzle of crème de menthe.

Kimberly Zeidner's appearance on 'Ultimate Recipe Showdown' will be on Food Network on Sunday. (Bruce R. Bennett / The Post)

The first thing a visitor to Kimberly Zeidner’s kitchen notices is the sheer organization behind it.

Not a dirty plate or cup in the sink. Not a cabinet that’s overflowing with one too many forgotten jars of spices. About the only item that "crowds" the counter is a tray of dips and crudités that Zeidner has laid out for her guests.

But such organization is necessary if you’re a hard-working young woman who’s trying to become the next Food Network celebrity chef in her spare time.

"I want to be Giada!" says the naturally effusive 25-year-old Zeidner, who was once dubbed the "hot cookie girl" by her college pals for her combination of good looks and baking savvy. And, indeed, she exudes much the same passion for a well-prepared meal as her idol, the Italian-American culinary doyenne Giada De Laurentiis.

But the difference between Zeidner, a native of the New York suburbs who now calls Boca Raton home, and so many wannabe glamour-girl foodies is that she’s actually appeared on the Food Network. After perfecting her recipes for a couple of comfort-food favorites, including a "triple threat" chili that Zeidner’s friends insist is the best, she won a coveted spot on the cable network’s Ultimate Recipe Showdown series, where she competed against three other talented home cooks from throughout the country. The episode airs for the first time this Sunday at 9 p.m.

And no, Zeidner can’t reveal who won — you’ll just have to tune in for yourself. But over the course of a recent dinner at her home, she does share with us plenty of behind-the-scenes details of the experience, beginning with the fact that it took three days — three days! — of taping at the network’s New York studio for one 60-minute show. The cooking was done in the same kitchen — or "Kitchen Stadium" — where the highly popular Iron Chef series is taped.

As far as any TV debut jitters, Zeidner says she simply didn’t have them. Nor did she sweat the outcome of the competition.

"Regardless of whether I won or lost, I was so excited. Being on the Food Network … that was the dream itself," she says.

Zeidner’s cooking philosophy is one that emphasizes low-cost practicality. When she needs cocoa for a brownie recipe — such as the one she’s cooking for us on this recent evening — she doesn’t head to Whole Foods to buy some pricey imported variety. Instead, a bag of unsweetened Hershey’s from the nearby Publix will suffice. When she wants to make dumplings — as in chicken and dumplings — she doesn’t fuss with starting from scratch. After all, that’s what Bisquick was invented for.

At the same time, Zeidner doesn’t like to stint on flavor. Nor does she shy away from getting creative in the kitchen. That chicken-and-dumplings recipe? It’s actually lobster and dumplings, a luxurious take on a down-home classic. It’s the main course of this weeknight meal. And as for those brownies, Zeidner turns hers into "brownie cups," then stuffs them with peanut-butter ice cream and drizzles them with a sauce made from strawberry jam — in other words, a cross between brownies and a PB&J sandwich.

"Ever since I was a kid, I’d come home from school and mess around in the kitchen," says Zeidner of the wellspring for her culinary ideas.

Not that Zeidner didn’t benefit from a little motherly advice. She says her stay-at-home mom was — and is — her culinary inspiration, showing that you can play with recipes and concepts at every meal. A case in point: Her mom’s famous "Mexican" lasagna.

"She started doing that way before you’d see those things on the Food Network," Zeidner says.

It also doesn’t hurt that Zeidner has the instincts of a home cook with many more years of experience under her belt. As the brownies are nearing completion in the oven, she’s quick to grab a toothpick from the cupboard — if it comes out clean when she sticks it into the chocolate-y mixture, she knows the brownies are done. It’s an old trick, but a good one nonetheless.

And just like that, it’s time for supper. The lobster and dumplings, a dish that came about after Zeidner was searching for an easy-to-make alternative to lobster pot pie, is simply divine. Zeidner doesn’t let much get in the way of the lobster flavor-wise, save for a few peas and pearl onions as part of the sauce. But it’s having those crumbly "dumplings" — more like biscuits, actually — as the accompaniment that gives the entrée that unexpected homey turn.

Then, it’s on to the brownie bowls. Zeidner is worried she didn’t let them cool enough before she filled them with the peanut butter ice cream. To which one is tempted to say: And there’s a problem with brownies and melted ice cream…?

There’s not a lot of time for chit-chat after the meal. Zeidner is an early riser — she wakes up at 5 a.m. every day — and has a busy schedule as a sales representative for Gold Coast Beverage Distributors, Florida’s largest beer wholesaler. (A nice perk of her job: Zeidner gets to visit lots of restaurants.) The Florida Atlantic University graduate also sets aside time almost every day to cook; she says her baked goods, from a carrot cake cheesecake to her cayenne-spiced chocolate cookies (don’t knock them till you’ve tried them), are in high demand at her office and among her friends.

But for now, she’s got a whole set of dishes to clean before she goes to bed. Again, her success in the kitchen all begins with her insistence on orderliness.

"The second the company gets out of here, everything is scrubbed down," she says.

~charles_passy@pbpost.com

KIMBERLY ZEIDNER’S RECIPES

Lobster and Dumplings

(Serves 6)

¼ cup pearl onions, halved

¼ cup diced celery

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 tablespoon butter

½ cup flour

¼ teaspoon salt

2 cups canned chicken broth (she prefers Swanson’s)

¼ cup frozen peas

4 lobster tails, meat cooked and shredded

1 cup Bisquick

1/3 cup milk

Saute the onions, celery and garlic with the butter. Sprinkle in the flour, salt and broth and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and add peas; cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Stir in lobster.

Pour casserole mixture into an 8-inch by 8-inch baking dish.

For dumplings:

In a bowl, combine the Bisquick and milk until just moistened.

Drop uncooked dumplings by tablespoon onto the casserole mixture.

Bake uncovered at 350° for 20 minutes.

Cover and bake for another 10-15 minutes.

Peanut Butter and Jelly

Brownie Sundae Cups

(Serves 6)

1 cup flour (all purpose)

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3⁄4 cup butter (unsalted)

1¼ cups sugar

3 eggs, slightly beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups peanut butter cup ice cream (she prefers Publix’s version)

6 ounces strawberry preserves (warmed)

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease 6 jumbo muffin-pan cups or 6 6-ounce ramekins.

In a bowl, whisk together, flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

In a sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat; stir in sugar. Remove sauce pan from heat and add eggs and vanilla.

Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture.

Spoon batter into muffin cups or ramekins. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Remove brownie from cup and run the tip of a knife along the inside edge of the brownie, removing a small circle and scooping out inside.

Scoop ice cream into brownie cups and drizzle with warmed preserves.

Renee Fleming in the role of 'Thais' at the Metropolitan Opera. (Photo by Brigitte Lacombe / Metropolitan Opera)

She’s one of the world’s most celebrated sopranos, with three Grammy awards and nearly a two-decade tenure at the Metropolitan Opera to her credit.

So what does Renee Fleming consider her really crowning achievement?

Having a dessert created in her honor by celebrity chef Daniel Boulud of New York and Palm Beach fame.

“It was so much fun,” Fleming recalls of the experience, noting that the idea was borne out of a discussion regarding other opera singers who have dishes named after them — namely, Nellie Melba (peach Melba) and Luisa Tettrazini (turkey Tettrazini).

But generally speaking, Fleming has music on her mind more than fine dining. And in what amounts to one of her busiest seasons in recent memory, replete with everything from a tour of South Africa to the Met premiere of a rarely performed Rossini opera, she’s still managing to work in an appearance at the Festival of the Arts Boca 2010 at Mizner Park this weekend.

Fleming will be singing a variety of works — Rossini and Bellini arias, Richard Strauss songs, even Broadway selections by Rodgers and Hammerstein — joined by the Russian National Orchestra and conductor Patrick Summers.

She says it’s always a special treat to perform with the Russian ensemble, since they tend to approach much of the standard operatic literature with a fresh perspective. That’s because until the end of the Cold War era, they played little else but Russian composers.

“They take nothing for granted,” says Fleming, speaking by phone from her New York apartment.

And based on a previous experience with the group, she’s also delighted at how they approach Broadway material. “They had never heard any of it before and yet they loved all of it,” Fleming adds.

On the Boca Raton program, the soprano is also including an aria from the neglected Rossini opera, Armida, that will be premiered at the Met later this season. So, what’s it like introducing audiences to a nearly 200-year-old opera for the first time?

“It’s a tremendous amount of pressure,” says Fleming, adding that her role is also “one of the most virtuosic I’ve ever sung.”

Not that the 51-year-old soprano has shied away from challenges throughout her career. She’s sung operas in just about all the languages of the standard literature — Italian, German, French, Russian, even Czech. She’s given the world premieres of works by such august contemporary composers as John Corigliano and Joan Tower.

And she’s even made some unusual forays into the crossover world, including an in-the-works project that will have her singing the music of indie rock bands. “It gives me an opportunity to bond with my children and their world,” says Fleming, who has two daughters.

Oh, and yes, she also has that Boulud dessert in her honor — a chocolate-rich affair called “La Diva Renee.” She notes the recipe is slated to appear in an upcoming cookbook.

But has she ever tried making it herself?

“Oh no, it’s way too complicated for me,” Fleming says. “When it comes to cooking, I’m really good at ordering out.”

Festival of the Arts BOCA 2010 Musical Highlights

Here are the major musical events scheduled to take place as part of this year’s festival at the Centre for the Arts at Mizner Park:

Saturday at 7:30 p.m.: Concert with soprano Renee Fleming with the Russian National Orchestra. Works by Bellini, Puccini, Rossini and others.

Wednesday at 7 p.m.: Film presentation of Alexander Nevsky with live musical accompaniment by the Russian National Orchestra featuring Kelley O’Connor mezzo-soprano, and Seraphic Fire, conducted by Constantine Kitsopoulos.

Thursday at 7 p.m.: Jazz concert with the Eldar Djangirov Quartet.

March 12 at 7 p.m.: Concert with pianist Conrad Tao and the Russian National Orchestra.

March 13 at 7 p.m.: Concert and dance performance with the Russian National Orchestra and artists from the American Ballet Theatre.

Nonmusical events include lectures by noted authors:

Sunday at 4 p.m.: Author Noel Riley Fitch, author of the only authorized biography of Julia Child, presents ‘Appetite for Life: Writing the Story of Julia Child’

Sunday at 7 p.m.: New York Times columnist David Brooks, lecture, ‘Political Outlook’

Monday at 7 p.m.: Distinguished Writer in Residence Doris Kearns Goodwin, presidential historian, lecture: ‘The Art and Craft of Biography: Living with Johnson, Kennedy, Roosevelt and Lincoln’

Saturday, March 13: Distinguished Writers in Residence Doris Kearns Goodwin and Richard Goodwin interview: ‘Inside the White House with JFK, Jackie, Bobby and LBJ’

Ticket prices vary by performance. For more information or to make a purchase, visit festivaloftheartsboca.org or call (866) 571-2787.

Pastrami Queen's namesake sandwich. (Bruce R. Bennett / The Post)

Is there anything more perfect in life than a nicely spiced slice of pastrami?

Well, maybe I can count a few other exemplars of excellence — say, the 1969 Miracle Mets. But truthfully, pastrami is what matters most to anyone who grew up in a city where curing meat is considered an art form and who came of age in an era when cholesterol levels were yet to be routinely measured.

Certainly, as a child of New York from a few decades ago, I fit that bill. And Pastrami Queen, a Boca Raton reincarnation of a New York deli of long ago, speaks to my very roots. But here’s the thing: Even a newcomer to true New York pastrami — heck, even a newcomer to meat itself — would appreciate what this establishment serves.

I should know: I took a pastrami novice with me to Pastrami Queen the other night. And his mouth dropped open with the sheer wonderment that comes from eating something so divinely special.

We’re talking beef that’s got plenty of fat to it — and yes, fat equals flavor — but that also never crosses the line into pure unctuousness. And spicing that’s got that distinctive taste to it — some salt, some pepper, some sugar, some coriander and maybe a few other things — but that also never overwhelms the meat.

Naturally, this pastrami perfection comes at a price — a reasonably sized (but, alas, not overly generous) sandwich runs $9.95 (and that’s without sides). And it’s served in a setting that could be charitably described as basic — a few chairs and tables, a few New York-themed pictures on the walls, a long deli counter and that’s about it.

But Pastrami Queen, run by the same family (the Zingers) with ties to the original Pastrami King and Pastrami Queen in New York, lets its food do most of the talking.

And that food goes well beyond pastrami. Think the traditional Jewish-style deli menu that’s sadly becoming something of the culinary equivalent of a vanishing species. (Witness David Sax’s recent book: Save the Deli.) Naturally, you’ll begin with matzo-ball soup ($6.95 for a large portion that will easily feed two), with a broth that has that chicken-y essence and with a hefty matzo ball that tips toward the "sinker" side of the matzo-ball scale (fine by me — I’ve never cared for "floaters").

But other starters are generally just as good: Chopped liver ($6.95) is properly thick — it could easily double as mortar — and has just the right hint of creamy sweetness. Stuffed cabbage ($6.50 for one piece) combines meat (chopped beef), veggies (the cabbage) and fruit (in the sauce) in the classic sweet-meets-savory way.

My only complaints are with a few of the fried items, as in the way-too-doughy fried kreplach ($5.95). As for the potato pancakes (three for $7.95) there was some debate: One tablemate of mine thought them overly thick and not quite full of enough potato flavor; I loved them in all their oversized (and relatively greaseless) glory.

With entrees, you can make a meal of your pastrami, combining it in a deli platter with two other meats for $14.95. Again, there’s no quibbling with the pastrami, though I wasn’t quite as big a fan of Pastrami Queen’s too-thinly sliced brisket and corned beef (and the corned beef was slightly dry on one of my two visits). But with all the accompaniments, including first-rate pickles (love those fat dills), house-made coleslaw and better-than-expected fries (they’re hand-cut), it’s still the makings of a fine meal.

A smoked fish platter ($19.95) didn’t measure up as well: the pickled herring in cream sauce was good enough, but the smoked whitefish was way too bony (or maybe I lack my father’s patience when it comes to picking out those whitefish bones).

Oh, and there’s steak, too — a broiled Roumanian tenderloin smothered with fried onions ($16.95). It’s quite a tender piece of meat, but with those onions, it’s a little bit of piling on in the fat department. Zinger’s Garlic Chicken ($14.95) was more problematic — it lacked enough garlic flavor and the meat was somewhat dry (where’s a little fat when you need it?).

You can wash this all down with a can or two of Dr. Brown’s Cel-Ray soda ($1.95), that tangy deli elixir. And if that helps you in clearing your palate, you can save room for one of Pastrami Queen’s "Royal Endings." The restaurant scores in the dessert department with its decent, decidedly fudge-y Ultimate Chocolate Cake ($7.95 for what amounts to a double portion).

It also scores in the service department: The staff here can be a bit direct in that quintessential Noo Yawk manner, but they indeed show an appreciation for the lost art of the deli and they take care of their customers every step of the way.

Then again, as long as Pastrami Queen stays in business, the deli lives on — one satisfying sandwich after another.

R E V I E W

Pastrami Queen

FOOD: B+

SERVICE: B+

ADDRESS: 7132 Beracasa Way, Boca Raton

TELEPHONE: (561) 391-8989

WEB SITE: pastramiqueenofboca.com

PRICE RANGE: Moderate

HOURS: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily

CREDIT CARDS: MC, V,

AmEx, Disc

RESERVATIONS: No

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes

South Beach Wine & Food Festival organizer Lee Schrager, along with chefs Todd English and Emeril Lagasse. (Seth Browarnik / courtesy South Beach Wine & Food Festival)

More: SoBe wine highlights | Swirl Girl Dry’s lessons learned | Dispatches from “Sweet”

So much wine and food, so little time.

Such is my short take on the just-concluded 2010 South Beach Wine & Food Festival, the ninth annual edition of what’s become the Super Bowl of the gourmet set.

This year’s event, held this past Wednesday through Sunday on the sands of Miami Beach (and nearby venues), followed the same format of festivals past.

That means a lot of celebrity chefs, a lot of seminars and one huuuuge tasting village (the Grand Tasting Village, it’s called).

I caught plenty of the weekend’s action. Here are some highlights — in no particular order.

South Beach comes to Palm Beach: Technically, the festival doesn’t reach beyond the boundaries of Miami-Dade County. But because so many prestigious winemakers and chefs fly in for the event, they’re bound to make the most of the opportunity and visit other parts of South Florida.

Witness a wine dinner held last Wednesday at the International Polo Club in Wellington: It featured vintner Victor Marcantoni of the Graffigna winery in Argentina and Argentinean-born chef Mauro Colagreco, a rising culinary star in France. Highlights of the meal included a rose-scented Torrontes (a great white wine from South America) and a dessert offering of three unique frozen treats: a lemon semifreddo, a thyme sorbet and a yogurt ice cream.

Marcantoni and Colagreco were featured later in the week at BubbleQ, one of the festival’s signature events.

Traditional ’cue wins out: Speaking of the BubbleQ, it was hosted this year by Emeril Lagasse and it spotlighted some 25-plus chefs from around the world, who showcased a variety of grilled and smoked dishes.

But for all the exotic takes on barbecue — grilled lamb ribs with Calabrian chilies and pickled fennel, anyone? — I have to say it was the traditional offerings that impressed the most.

Specifically, I’m talking about the out-of-this-world Texas-style smoked brisket (courtesy of chef Elizabeth Karmel’s Texas-inspired New York ’cue joint, Hill County) and the equally amazing (and equally tender) “World Championship” pulled pork (courtesy of Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q of Decatur, Ala.).

But I did like one contemporary (and very Floridian) take on barbecue from chef Gordon Maybury of the Loews Miami Beach hotel — namely, his honey-citrus barbecue ribs, served with spicy corn jalapeño pancakes.

The school of beer: Sometimes lost in the festival’s heady mix of food and fun is the fact that the entire event goes to benefit a worthy cause — Florida International University’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, one of the top programs in the country for would-be restaurant execs. But FIU is more than a festival beneficiary — its students are largely the engine that drives the festival train, since they’re the ones who assist all those celebrity chefs throughout the weekend.

But I was equally impressed by another facet of FIU on display at the event: its School of Beer. Seriously, as part of hospitality program, FIU teaches beer (and wine) making. And student Jennifer Miller was pouring some of her creations, including a first-rate India pale ale.

Sake sensation: For all the oddball wines and spirits I tried over the weekend — weirdly flavored vodkas, low-cal liquors, wines from places with hardly any wine-making traditions — it was a high-class sake that really tickled my palate. I’m talking about the remarkably clean-tasting TY KU White Ultra Premium Junmai Daiginjo sake (retailing for $130) — a refreshing and ever-so-slightly-sweet wonder of a drink.

Salty sensation: The Salt Sisters — an enterprising online purveyor (saltsistersonline.com) of all things, well, salty — was my pick among the merchants and producers promoting new products.

Not that salt itself is new, but the sisters offer an amazing variety of salts from around the world (think places ranging from Cyprus to New Zealand), plus lines of fusion sea salts (the black truffle would go great over popcorn) and natural smoked sea salts (the Yakima applewood is like a dish of barbecue in a salt shaker).

Items go for as little as $5 — I’ll definitely be ordering some online.

Sweet sensation: I’m a sucker for sweet wines. So I’m wondering how I managed to overlook Austria’s Kracher winery all these years.
Fortunately, I found it for the first time at the festival, where it was pouring about a half-dozen different varieties. We’re talking wines full of flavor notes of all kinds — honey, citrus, flowers — that also are remarkably subtle.

That is, they’re not sweet wines, but wines that happen to be sweet — a crucial distinction.

Chefs do some dishing: Kudos to Esquire magazine for hosting a festival-connected panel on “The Rebirth of Fine Dining,” with such chefs as Daniel Boulud (a big honoree at this year’s festival — see related story) and John Besh (a New Orleans legend).

The discussion served to highlight the challenges that today’s chefs face: Diners are starting to want serious — and seriously pricey — food once again, but they want it served in a casual atmosphere (think caviar and jeans).

Another problem: The real money for chefs isn’t in fine dining, where the profit margins can be as low as 10 percent, but in everyday eats. In other words, chefs make a lot more money on a $12 burger than a $50 beef entrée.

Swag galore: It wouldn’t be the SoBe fest without swag of all kinds, beginning with the tote bag and wine glass that attendees receive as soon as they enter the Tasting Village.

Among the items we collected this year: a container of Kitchen Basic pork stock (“Close to Homemade,” the label says), a Wine Spectator luggage tag, a bottle of hot sauce from the Barbados tourism board, a sample of Viva paper towels (those came in handy!) and a wine stopper with the GMC logo.

Locals on display: Several local chefs and culinary types were on hand during the event. Eric Grutka of Ian’s Tropical Grill in Jensen Beach was serving a delicious seafood dish at the Tasting Village. Michelle Bernstein (of Michelle Bernstein’s at The Omphoy) was cooking at dinner events of all kinds. And Imperial Brands, the Palm Beach Gardens-based spirits maker and importer, was offering samples of its 4 Oranges vodka.

The weekend’s weirdest sight: It’s not every day you get served Champagne from an attractive model, garbed in an outrageous green spandex outfit. Even more bizarre: She was doing the pouring — at the BubbleQ — while suspended upside down from the ceiling.

You gotta love South Beach.

What can you say about a restaurant menu that promises “ultra-fresh, authentic classical and modern Italian cuisine,” but lists the same standard dishes — veal Parmesan, sausage and peppers, baked ziti — you can find in any neighborhood red-sauce joint? Or about a gruff bartender who serves your drink promptly and efficiently but overdoes it with the attitude?

You see, these aren’t just matters of food or service, though I’ve got criticisms aplenty regarding those areas at Milan’s, too. Instead, we’re talking about larger issues of management, customer service and the basic desire to get things right.

Seriously, it’s been a while since I’ve visited a restaurant that seems so out of step with its customers — as if either, A) they don’t matter or B) they’ll keep coming back for more in any case.

I suspect the latter since Milan’s, which charges a few bucks more than those neighborhood red-sauce joints, was quite busy on both weeknights I visited it. Why the crowds is anyone’s guess. My stab in the dark would be that folks like the packaging more than the actual experience, since Milan’s is situated in an attractive, semi-upscale space that eschews all manner of Italian restaurant clichés. Instead of checkered tablecloths and straw-covered bottles of Chianti, you find polished wood floors and plush banquettes. A big bar area to the right is especially welcoming.

Most of the food I had at Milan’s was under-seasoned at best or ill-prepared at worst. Starters included unappealing fried fare, from a not-nearly-as-clever-as-it-sounds Philly Cheese-steak Eggroll ($10.95) — it’s basically beef in a fried wrapper — to limp calamari fritti ($9.95 for a half order, $14.95 for a full).

A Signature Meatball ($8.95) didn’t leave much of an impression, either — it’s the same oversized meatball that’s been showing up on Italian restaurant menus everywhere of late (think Vic & Angelo’s), but in this case it’s not even all that oversized. Still, it’s better than another “signature” item — that is, the Signature Salad ($13.95), which combines lots of normally tasty or crisp ingredients, from bacon bits to baby shrimp, but turns them into the salad equivalent of baby food — devoid of texture (the greens were particularly lifeless) and flavorless all at once.

Entrées do little to redeem matters. I’ll give credit to Milan’s for taking a somewhat different approach by including lots of steaks and chops on its menu (you don’t find a steak au poivre in many Italian restaurants). But what’s the point if the restaurant can’t deliver on that concept? Take the rib-eye “scampi” ($33.95) that was offered as a special one night: It featured about as thin a rib-eye as I’ve yet to encounter, smothered in a garlic-infused sauce with shrimp and strands of crabmeat — kinda like a marriage of low-rent steakhouse with cheap Chinese takeout place (I kept thinking of all those bad versions of shrimp with lobster sauce I’ve had from the latter).

Traditional Italian dishes hardly fared any better. Someone in the kitchen forgot to fully pound the veal chop in my veal chop Milanese ($27.95), so the resulting dish was just a tough, thick piece of fried veal, topped with a bruschetta that was more like Italian salsa gone awry. Spaghetti with mussels, served diavolo style ($16.95), had almost no hint of the expected red pepper (the devil must have been off-duty that night). Plus, the spaghetti itself was overcooked.

And for dessert? One night I tried the all-too-sweet Vesuvius ($5.95), one of those exercises in chocolate excess that works for some folks but not for me. Another night I went with a slice of New York-style cheesecake ($5.95) — and a fine slice it might have been if it hadn’t arrived to the table almost warm after about a 20-minute wait.

Which brings us back to the point of service — or lack thereof. What’s truly remarkable about Milan’s is that it got so much so wrong over two visits, but in completely different ways each time. In the first visit, the server seemed to gloss over every detail — water glasses were never refilled, wine was never poured (the wine list is adequate, but there are some interesting by-the-glass selections) and an order for one dish was not taken down. Even worse, managers appeared to be everywhere, but none managed to visit my table for even a perfunctory inquiry as to how things were going.

On the second visit, the server was a more energetic type. But the eager-to-please part ended when it came to bringing dishes, including the aforementioned cheesecake, out in a timely manner. Oh, and a manager did pay a visit on this occasion — at the very start of the meal, when there was still little to report.

But as you can see, there’s plenty to report about Milan’s. Unfortunately, precious little of it is any good.

Milan’s Italian Restaurant

FOOD: D
SERVICE: D
ADDRESS: 1880 N. Congress Ave. (in Renaissance Commons), Boynton Beach
TELEPHONE: (561) 364-0735
WEB SITE: milansrestaurant.com
PRICE RANGE: Moderate to expensive
HOURS: 5 to 10 p.m., Sunday to Thursday; 5 to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday
CREDIT CARDS: AmEx, Visa, MC, Disc
RESERVATIONS: Accepted
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes, including restrooms
WHAT THE GRADES
MEAN:
A — Excellent
B — Good
C — Average
D — Poor
F — Don’t bother

So when I recently stumbled on a bottle called The Peat Monster, I knew I had to buy it (it sells for around $60). But it turns out this is a rather refined beast.

That’s because the Peat Monster, made by the innovative Compass Box Whisky Company, is not actually a single-malt, but a blend, mixing Islay whisky with the softer Highland variety.

The result is something strong and sweet all at once — think equal parts char and honey, along with several other flavor notes (I picked up a hint of vanilla).

If you can’t find it locally — I purchased mine out of town — you can always order it directly through the distillery. Go to compassboxwhisky.com.

I’m referring to Parmigiano Reggiano, that sharp-tasting cheese that’s the perfect topping to many an Italian dish. I also prefer mine as a stand-alone treat — the cheese provides a big burst of flavor and it coats your tongue in a way that brings to mind the Japanese concept of umami, the so-called “fifth taste” of savory.

Fortunately, the folks at Whole Foods are as passionate about Parmigiano Reggiano as I am. And their passion is translating into a one-of-a-kind national event. On Feb. 27, at 3 p.m., Whole Foods stores across the country will be cracking open one of those 85-pound wheels of Parm, each aged for more than 24 months.

They’re hoping to top a record they set back in 2008 — yes, it’s been recorded by the Guinness folks — of “Most Parmigiano Reggiano Wheels Cracked Simultaneously.” (Hey, someone must care about these things.)

But what’s so remarkable about slicing into some cheese? Well, because of the sheer size and density of this particular cheese, it takes the right tools — five, in fact — and more than a little elbow grease. Figure about a half-hour for each wheel of Parm.

Of course, there are easier — and more modern — methods of cracking the Parm. But they just don’t, well, cut it.

“It takes the authenticity away,” explains Frank Verner, who heads the cheese department at Whole Foods’ Palm Beach Gardens store at Downtown at the Gardens.

Moreover, Verner says that modern methods expose too much of the “meat of the cheese,” which changes the flavor. “You want the least amount of intrusion,” says Verner, who’s traveled to Italy to meet with some of the families who have made Parmigiano Reggiano going back for centuries.

If you can’t attend Saturday’s event, slated for the Whole Foods (wholefoodsmarket.com) stores in Palm Beach Gardens, Wellington and Boca Raton, you can partake in other ways.

For example, Whole Foods recently concluded a contest where shoppers can submit their favorite recipes using Parmigiano Reggiano — go to wholefoodsmarket.com/products/behindtherind to read some of the 1,000-plus submitted ideas.

The site also includes a few of Whole Foods’ own Parm recipes, including this great and simple one below:

Parmigiano Reggiano Crisps

1 cup grated (not shredded) Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

Preheat oven to 300°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Mix cheese with thyme in a bowl. To form each crisp, spoon 2 to 3 teaspoons of the cheese mixture onto a baking sheet to make a small pile.

Space the piles 2 to 3 inches apart as you go. When both baking sheets are full, lightly press cheese with the back of a spoon or your fingers to flatten each pile into a 2-inch circle.

Bake until slightly browned on top, 8 to 12 minutes. Remove baking sheets from oven and cool for a few minutes to let crisps firm up a bit. Slide parchment off baking sheet and use a spatula to loosen the crisps.

They should be slightly flexible, but will harden as they finish cooling. Repeat process with remaining cheese mixture. Allow crisps to cool completely before storing in an airtight container, layered between sheets of waxed paper.

Bell wins third straight best chef nomination

Congrats to Zach Bell, chef of Café Boulud in Palm Beach (at the Brazilian Court, 301 Australian Ave.; 561-655-6060; cafeboulud.com). For the third straight year, he’s been nominated for best chef in the South honors by the James Beard Awards, the culinary world’s equivalent of the Oscars.

Bell, who has yet to win, will face plenty of competition, including from fellow South Florida nominees Dean James Max (3030 Ocean in Fort Lauderdale), Philippe Ruiz (Palme d’Or in Coral Gables), Michael Schwartz (Michael’s Genuine in Miami) and Kris Wessel (Red Light Little River in Miami).

Lee Schrager started the South Beach Wine & Food Festival nine years ago, and it has become one of the nation's biggest and hippest. (Bill Ingram / Post file photo)

For a man whose very being is tied to the hip-and-happening locale of South Beach, Lee Schrager will be the first to tell you: SoBe is so yesterday.

Which is why Schrager suggests a lunch meeting at a restaurant in the Miami hotspot of today — namely, the once nearly abandoned area north of downtown known as the Design District.

Naturally, Schrager has called it home for more than a decade.

"Just like I knew South Beach was going to happen, I kind of had a feeling this was going to happen," he says.

Such a story tells you all you need to know about how this 50-year-old chef-turned event planner has made the South Beach Wine & Food Festival into the premier showcase of its kind not just in South Florida, but also the entire nation. Often dubbed the Super Bowl of the gourmet set, SoBe, which starts today and runs through Sunday, has become the ultimate gathering of celebrity chefs and the ultimate weekend of Bacchanalian excess all in one.

Picture a series of tasting events, including several held physically on the sands of Miami Beach, where some of the world’s finest wines and spirits flow freely. And where boldface names in the foodie world — Rachael! Emeril! Bobby! Paula! — cozy up to one another (or, even better, cut each other apart). And where bikini-clad models add to the party-till-the-wee-hours atmosphere.

This isn’t just a food festival. It’s a Fellini movie come to life.

Meatballs are next

But the success of the nine-year-old festival, which is organized under the auspices of the Southern Wine & Spirits of America distribution company, has largely been built on Schrager’s keen instincts for turning a party into a virtual environment and for uncovering the newest trend or personality.

"What’s the next food?" the round-faced Schrager asks aloud, knowing he already has an answer. Meatballs! They’re the featured dish at an event Schrager has slated for his fall New York City Food & Wine Festival, itself an outgrowth of the South Beach fest.

It also doesn’t hurt that Schrager, whose official title at Southern Wine is vice president of corporate communications and national events, has a Rolodex that would rival anyone’s, short of the president of the Food Network.

Just ask, um, the president of the Food Network.

"To me, Lee is the Energizer Bunny. He has an endless appetite for fellowship and goodwill," says Food Network chief Brooke Johnson. (The network is the festival’s main sponsor in South Beach and New York.)

Perhaps that’s another way of saying Schrager, whose oversized personality suggests what might have resulted if French culinary icon Auguste Escoffier was channeled through P.T. Barnum, is one of South Florida’s great schmoozers. But in Schrager’s case, there are some real skills to go along with that gift for gab. And some real credentials, too: A child of the New York suburbs, Schrager trained at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America and worked primarily as a caterer to stars ranging from Jackie O to Rosie O (as in O’Donnell) for two decades before joining Southern Wine in 2000.

It all becomes plainly evident at the South Beach fest, where events run with clockwork precision and where the most temperamental of celeb chefs generally stays humble, save for the occasional utterance of a cuss word from Mario Batali or Anthony Bourdain.

And yet, even those celeb chefs can’t figure out how Schrager organizes such an all-encompassing, theatrically charged event with barely a dropped plate.

"It’s like having a half-dozen three-ring circuses running at the same time," marvels Paula Deen, who’s a regular at each year’s festival.

Indeed, almost any of the festival’s main events could qualify as a festival unto itself. Take the Rachael Ray-hosted Burger Bash (Thursday), which features prominent chefs from around the country — Bobby Flay and Rocco DiSpirito, among them — showcasing all manner of burger creations, from the straightforward to the bizarre (a cornbread bun, anyone?). Or the BubbleQ (Friday), where other top toque-wearers — Emeril Lagasse and Todd English, among them — vie for best-in-barbecue honors (the "bubbles" — meaning Champagne — come courtesy of Perrier-Jouet).

And there are high-minded events as well, from a series of Wine Spectator magazine-hosted afternoon wine seminars to a Saturday night tribute dinner honoring chef Daniel Boulud, whose culinary empire includes Café Boulud in Palm Beach.

Much of this comes with an equally high price tag. Tickets start at $200 for the Burger Bash and run as high as $525 for the Boulud tribute dinner. Even "cheap" events — say, a closing-night Guy Fieri-hosted "Moon Over Miami" party — cost $75.

Factor in the expense of a night at a SoBe hotel — it’s not easy to drive home sober after a festival event — and Schrager himself admits of certain marquee events, "I don’t know how people can afford a ticket."

50,000 expected

But the showman in Schrager stops him from dwelling on that thought for too long. For starters, he knows the festival is plenty popular: Some 50,000 attend the event annually — and more than a few of those top-priced bashes sell out.

Plus, as Schrager is quick to remind anyone, the festival is a big-deal fund-raiser — specifically, for Florida International University’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, which is emerging as one of the top institutions of its kind in the country.

How big? Of the $6.5 million the festival takes in each year from ticket sales and sponsorships, more than $2 million goes to FIU. It’s enough money that the school is in the process of building a teaching restaurant.

"Lee is a great visionary. He saw the potential the festival had," says Michael Moran, lead chef instructor at FIU.

Which is all the more remarkable since prior to Schrager’s arrival, the festival, which started as an event called the Florida Extravaganza, was a small affair, featuring a few wines and a few local chefs. In a good year, it might have raised $20,000 for FIU.

But Schrager sensed that South Beach and the food world were primed for something much, much bigger. Miami had already started to emerge as the new "it" place for the glitterati. And the gourmet culture had already started to take hold of America, as evidenced by the rise of the Food Network.

All that was needed to complete the picture was a South Beach event that gave TV chefs a "live" stage. The SoBe fest was born.

"I take credit for taking Emeril out of the kitchen and putting him on the beach," says Schrager.

Most of the celeb chefs, who now routinely earn tens of thousands of dollars for an appearance, agree that it was Schrager who really gave their careers the final boost by weaving in the "live" aspect to what they do. Otherwise, they’d be the equivalent of a rock star who never toured.

But the concept wasn’t always an easy sell. Paula Deen remembers she had to convince her agent it was worth doing the festival the first time she agreed to appear at it because chefs weren’t really considered "entertainers."

Now, there’s no such discussion. If anything, says Deen, "my feelings would be hurt if I wasn’t invited."

What’s even more remarkable is that Schrager doesn’t pay the chefs a penny for coming to Miami, since he’s ever mindful of the festival’s fund-raising goals. Of course, other food events do pay, but they’re simply not South Beach.

Socializes with foodies

But if all that suggests that Schrager is best-friends-forever with the Paula Deens of this world, he argues otherwise. Yes, Rachael Ray did throw him a 50th birthday party at the Food Network’s New York studio. (Technically, Schrager paid $20,000 for the bash at a charity auction, but Ray let him invite another 100 guests beyond the initial maximum.) And yes, he refers to many of the chefs on a first-name basis: Rachael is "a class act," Emeril is "a man of his word."

But Schrager says he keeps his distance, too — for the sake of maintaining a degree of professionalism. "I know my position," he says.

So, Schrager does his socializing with another circle of friends — foodies and media folks for the most part. And he maintains that home in the Design District and an apartment in New York’s Upper West Side with his partner of seven years. (Schrager, by the way, has no qualms telling anyone he’s gay. "Out of the closet?" he laughs. "I’ve never been in.")

And he’s young enough — and ambitious enough — that he’s not quite done mining this food festival thing for all it’s worth. Not only do the events raise money for charity, they also keep his bosses at Southern Wine, the country’s largest wine and spirits distributor, very happy because the festivals serve and promote only those brands carried by the Miami-based company.

That means Schrager will likely add another South Beach-styled festival — location still to be determined — to the mix within the next 18 months. And he’ll keep an eye on trends and personalities to showcase as part of it.

Not bad for a Jewish kid from Long Island — and Schrager still has a hint of that Lon-gisland accent, too — who says he learned to cook from an Italian woman who baby-sat him. He started with pizzas, then moved on to patty melts. Before long, he was selling his foodstuffs to the entire neighborhood.

Kinda like a kiddie version of the South Beach festival, minus the bikini-clad models.

"I was all about making a statement," says Schrager.

A glimpse
of the festival

Want to attend the South Beach Wine & Food Festival? Here are a few events with limited availability as of late last week:

PRELUDE DINNER (today, 7 p.m., $200): Hosted by Michael Symon — of Iron Chef fame — this event serves as a showcase for Angus Beef and also features a selection of fine wines. The dinner will take place at Red The Steakhouse (119 Washington Ave., Miami Beach).

BUBBLEQ (Friday, 7:30 to 11 p.m., $350): An evening of barbecue and Champagne. The former comes courtesy of more than two dozen prominent chefs, including Emeril Lagasse, Todd English and Susan Feniger. The latter is supplied by prestigious bubbly maker Perrier-Jouet. The event takes place on South Beach — right near the Delano hotel (1685 Collins Ave.).

GRAND TASTING VILLAGE (Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., $212.50 each day):

This is the main festival within the festival — an event on the sands of South Beach that stretches for several blocks and features dozens of wineries, spirits makers and restaurants offering generous samples (from 1 to 5 p.m.). Also part of the mix: a series of culinary and lifestyle seminars featuring celebrity chefs, including Emeril Lagasse, Anthony Bourdain and Guy Fieri.

FUN AND FIT AS A FAMILY (Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., starting at $20): This is the festival’s kid-friendly side (children are excluded from other events). Activities include educational exhibits, a fitness course and interactive food labs, all with a focus on eating and living healthy. The event takes place at Jungle Island (1111 Parrot Jungle Trail, Miami).

MIDNIGHT AMORE (Saturday, 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., $125): A late-night bash with an Italian theme. TV chefs Scott Conant, Alex Guarnaschelli and Rocco DiSpirito offer up pastas, crudi (Italy’s version of sushi), small plates and ‘killer desserts’ for the after-hours crowd, all complemented with Italian wines. The event takes place at the Fontainebleau’s Scarpetta restaurant (4401 Collins Ave., Miami Beach).

Keep in mind that these events may sell out at any point. But other events may have last-minute availability.

For more info about the events or the festival overall — or to purchase tickets — go to sobewineandfoodfest.com or call (877) 762-3933.

Colossal Buttermilk onion rings are among J. Alexander's more popular sides. (Taylor Jones / The Post)

There’s a part of me that’s a wee bit cynical about a place like J. Alexander’s.

After all, this is the sort of smooth-running, semi-sophisticated restaurant chain that makes it next to impossible for independent eateries to survive. And those independents not only provide a city with a true sense of place and identity, they also venture into culinary territory that a chain would never go. You don’t think you’re going to find the next Food Network star at a J. Alexander’s, do you?

But I tried to banish those thoughts as I settled into my comfy seat at the busy J. Alexander’s Palm Beach Gardens location, where the wait times can easily reach 30 minutes on a slow night. And when my order of "Colossal Buttermilk" onion rings arrived soon thereafter, I took a hesitant bite.

Oh. My. God.

Seriously, this ring was, well, a ringer — truly gargantuan in size and fried to that divine state of crispiness. You tasted the sweet onion and the savory coating all at once, but you also appreciated the ring as a glorious exercise in texture. Bar food doesn’t get much better than this.

But the rings weren’t the only surprise over the course of couple of visits. So much for my snickering thoughts about what I often dub "suburban cuisine," heavy on the steaks, seafood and dishes done in a contemporary but not overly daring way. J. Alexander’s isn’t pretending to be about anything more than "straightforward American food," as its own motto says. But the chain understands that a successful restaurant is all about execution: Make the food the right way, be generous with the portions and pay heed to a guest’s needs and you’ve got the same winning formula that applies to independent restaurants.

It also doesn’t hurt that J. Alexander’s offers such a welcoming environment: The restaurant has a manly vibe — lots of wood and stone in the manner of many "suburban cuisine" chains (think the aptly named Stonewood Grill). And the view — onto PGA Boulevard — isn’t half-bad, either. My only nit: Given that you may end up waiting for a table, it’s a pity the bar/lounge area isn’t bigger and that the staff seems a bit oblivious to that fact.

Oh, and speaking of the bar, it’s worth stopping there for a reasonably priced cocktail of the classic sort — say, a perfectly prepared "21" Manhattan ($8) — or a glass of wine. The medium-size wine list is a winner, too — heavy on the fruity New World reds or crisp New World whites that pair well with American fare. My pick for a bottle: the fresh-tasting Longboard Sauvignon Blanc ($43) from California’s Russian River Valley. (And if you prefer to enjoy the wine at your table, expect some helpful advice from your server when it comes to making a selection.)

Beyond those must-have onion rings, appetizers abound with good choices. You can go with more fried fare (the calamari — for $10 — is another fine option) or a zesty, warming bowl of soup, such as the tortilla one that was offered as the chef’s daily selection one night. The reasonably priced side dishes (all $4) can also do double duty as starters. Go for the skillet corn bread for the culinary equivalent of down-home whimsy.

With entrees, everything is oversized — perhaps not Cheesecake Factory oversized, but certainly big enough for the scorned Southwest Airlines passenger within us all. Fortunately, quality generally measures up to the quantity. If you really want to make a meal of things, try the prime rib ($21 for a 12-ounce portion), an uncomplicated, honestly beefy-tasting treat. Conversely, if you want your steak with a little more gourmet sizzle, see if the bleu-cheese topped filet ($24) is being offered as a special — it’s a lot of sinful goodness on a plate. Similarly, seafood options go from the tastefully simple (a nice piece of Norwegian salmon for $21) to the more elaborately adorned and seasoned (a cilantro and Cajun-spiced shrimp dish — for $19 — that unfortunately suffered the lackluster fate of similar ethnic-inspired dishes I’ve had in other non-ethnic restaurants).

And vegetarians have a reason to cheer for a change. That’s because J. Alexander’s offers a terrific house-made veggie burger (a value at $9) that’s a cut above the mass-market versions many restaurants try to pass off as their own.

Top desserts include The Very Best Chocolate Cake. (Taylor Jones / The Post)

You’ve got three — count ‘em three — choices for dessert. But the short list includes two winners: the Very Best Chocolate Cake ($7), a rich affair that just about lives up to such lofty billing, and a carrot cake ($7), topped with cream cheese icing, that arrives to the table all warm and deliciously gooey.

Service is so polished and poised that it almost becomes a nonissue. The staff clearly knows that many dinnertime patrons have likely waited for the privilege of eating here, so they try to set them at ease right away. Hence, the speedy delivery of the onion rings (and just about everything else). One bite and you’ll likely find yourself at home with J. Alexander’s as well.

R E V I E W

J. Alexander’s

FOOD: A-

SERVICE: A-

ADDRESS: 4625 PGA Blvd. (in Midtown), Palm Beach Gardens

TELEPHONE: (561) 694-2711

WEB SITE: jalexanders.com

PRICE RANGE: Moderate to expensive

HOURS: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday to Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday

CREDIT CARDS: Visa, MC, AmEx, Disc

RESERVATIONS: Limited reservations, plus call-ahead seating

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes

WHAT THE GRADES

MEAN:
A — Excellent
B — Good
C — Average
D — Poor
F — Don’t bother

The tart but sweet mango lemonade at Vic & Angelo's (Gary Coronado / The Post)

This week’s bar: Vic & Angelo’s

The scene: This Palm Beach Gardens hot spot was the first to bring the Italian wine bar concept to our area a couple of years ago. And it’s still a huge hit, packing in crowds that range from young professionals to style-conscious retirees. The concept is casual — think a little wine, a little food and lot of fun. In the winter months, the scene often shifts from the indoor bar to the outdoor one, adding to the smart, festive spirit of the place.

Signature cocktail: Forget the long list of wines — served by the quartino (a small pitcher) — for a moment and have a Mango Lemonade ($11) instead. It’s the perfect South Florida refresher, combining flavors both tropical and thirst-quenching.

Other noteworthy libations: Some of the other recommended drinks make solid use of Italian spirits, from Campari in the classic Negroni cocktail ($12) to amaretto in the Bocci Ball drink ($11). But if Italian (or California-Italian) wines are your thing, you’ve definitely come to the right place: The Vic & Angelo’s list has dozens of selections.

Bar bites: For something meaty and satisfying, you can’t go wrong with the Sicilian Chicken Wings ($14.95), flavored with Italian spices, or the oversized Old School Meatball ($15.95). Platters of sliced Italian meats or cheeses (a large meat sampler is $25.95 and a cheese sampler is $16.95-$29.95) make for a slightly lighter alternative. And the coal-oven pies — try the New York-themed Mott Street ($18.95) with pepperoni — are some of the best you’ll find locally.

Deals: The Happy Hour special runs 3-7 p.m., Monday to Friday, at the bars only.

Info: 4520 PGA Blvd. (in PGA Commons), Palm Beach Gardens; (561) 630-9899; vicandangelos.com

THE COCKTAIL

Mango Lemonade

2 ounces Absolut Mango vodka

2 ounces mango puree or mango nectar

splash of sour mix or pineapple juice

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake lightly. Pour into a glass (a stem-less wine glass is preferred) with ice. Garnish with lime or lemon.