The kimchi-glazed Chilean sea bass at the Buddha Sky Bar is $34. (J. Gwendolynne Berry / Palm Beach Post)

Executive chef Tony Torres has hit the mark with this simple but delicious dish. Part of Buddha Sky Bar’s new winter menu, the 8-ounce Chilean sea bass is seared in a hot pan for a crisp exterior and a moist, flaky interior, lightly touched with a sweet and salty kimchi glaze with a hint of spice.

“I’ve always loved the kimchi flavor,” says Torres, a Palm Beach County native who studied at Florida Culinary Institute (now Lincoln Culinary Institute), “but I wanted to mix it up with Italian and French ingredients.”

The Italian influence comes in the form of a deliciously creamy edamame risotto made with a hint of saffron and Boursin cheese. Then there are the haricots verts, or French green beans, that are wok-fried with a Chinese-style sauce of preserved mustard and pickled turnips. “The flavor of that sauce goes so well with the risotto,” says Torres. “The flavors were all made separately first and then I put them together.”

THE INFO: Buddha Sky Bar, at 217 East Atlantic Ave. in Delray Beach, serves dinner nightly from 5 to 11 p.m. and a late-night sushi menu until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. There’s also a half-price happy hour menu from 5 to 6 p.m. nightly. (561) 450-7557. buddhaskybar.com | Directions, invite a friend

The finished product: Tandoori-grilled shrimp over tabouli with fresh vegetables. (J. Gwendolynne Berry / Palm Beach Post)

THE INFO: Located on the corner of State Road A1A and Lake Avenue in Lake Worth, the market is open 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays. Website: lakeworth-farmersmarket.com

THE FIND: Indian tandoori spice blend

Delicious homemade spice blends add the perfect touch of the exotic to an otherwise simple meal. Spice-maven Kathy Canestrini of Spice up your World tickled our noses with a bunch of different blends like an espresso rub for steaks, a slightly-sweet Moroccan blend for sweet potatoes, and a lighter tandoori for chicken or fish.

Individual blends sell for $5, two blends for $9 or three for $12. Each spice blend is sold with at least one recipe card to steer you in the right direction.

I was wooed by Canestrini’s tandoori shrimp recipe, so I grabbed some fresh shrimp from the Independent Seafood stand ($12.95 a pound for 15 pieces) and fresh organic veggies from Ms. V’s Organics. I prepared the tandoori shrimp on the grill, served over tabbouleh. Fragrant with the tandoori spice blend, our meal was light, fresh and delicious.

THE VENDOR: Spice up your World

Bellagio's Salmone A Letto is $23.95 for the dinner portion and $15.95 for the lunch portion (which is called Salmon alla Florentina). (J. Gwendolynne Berry / Palm Beach Post)

Sometimes the simplest dishes are the best. A fresh filet of salmon, thin-sliced and expertly seared, dressed with an Italian first cold press extra-virgin olive oil, crispy, fragrant garlic and fresh herbs, served over a bed of sautéed spinach with sliced potato and crisp green beans. It’s simple and it’s delicious.

The key to the dish is getting that perfect sear on the fish so that the exterior is crisp while the interior stays moist. In his 26 years with the Billante family restaurant group, Il Bellagio executive chef Pauli Johnston has perfected that technique.

“To make good food you have to have good ingredients,” says Johnston. “It’s a dish that’s done quick in a searing hot pan with extra-virgin olive oil. We have a range with 48 burners and there’s always a hot skillet.”

THE INFO: Il Bellagio serves breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m., lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and dinner from 4 to 11 p.m. seven days a week at 600 S. Rosemary Ave. (CityPlace) in downtown West Palm Beach. Phone: (561) 659-6160.

Fajitas made with ingredients from the Delray Beach GreenMarket. (J. Gwendolynne Berry / Palm Beach Post)

THE MARKET: Delray Beach GreenMarket

THE INFO: Located along Southeast Fourth Avenue, just south of Atlantic Avenue in downtown Delray Beach, the market is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Directions, invite a friend

THE FIND: I was so excited to find Florida pasture-raised, grass-fed beef at the Delray GreenMarket. The beef comes from a co-op of family farms in the Florida panhandle that allow their Parthenais cows a more natural roaming herd lifestyle, without use of hormones or antibiotics.

On the recent day of my visit, Truman Montgomery was selling a few different cuts of meat, including filet mignon, rib-eye steaks and lean ground beef.

I settled on a package of lean strip steak cut for fajitas ($10 for a 1-pound package of pre-cut meat), then visited other stands in the market to buy fresh veggies and guacamole. Orale!

Market-goers can also pre-order meat for delivery or green market pickup at www.floridagrassfed.com.

THE VENDOR: Arrowhead Beef of Chipley

Cafe Boulud's red venison dish is $42. (J. Gwendolynne Berry / Palm Beach Post)

The dish: Roasted New Zealand red venison with poached quince, butternut squash fondant, brussels sprouts, and a chesnut and venison tourte with a “Grand Veneur” sauce, $42

The restaurant: Café Boulud, Palm Beach

Executive Chef Jim Leiken shows off his New England roots with this cornucopia of winter flavors. The veteran chef worked in Boulud’s New York restaurants for the past 10 years before taking over Boulud Palm Beach in June. 

Leiken says the inspiration for this dish came from the winter season in New York. “Now you can get a lot of great wild game. When that’s available, I like to show it off. This is a very classic fall dish with venison, root vegetables and quince. Growing up in New England, we had a quince bush in the back yard. I never knew what to do with it, but now I know.”
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The Wine Dive's 'Kick Ass' Cupcake is $8. (J. Gwendolynne Berry / Palm Beach Post)

It’s dark heavenly chocolate with a kick of spice in this yummy dessert offering at the newly opened Wine Dive just next to Roxy’s on Clematis Street.

An espresso and chocolate molten cake is cooked at a high heat so the exterior is crisp while the interior of the cake stays soft and delightfully gooey, topped with a homemade Godiva chocolate and caramel ice cream and a Marcona almond tuile. The kick is in a swath of dark chocolate and chipotle pepper ganache that anchors the plate – deep and rich with a warm tingle on the finish. The plate is decorated with espresso jelly squares, cocoa whipped cream and fresh fruit. The combination of flavors and textures is truly a party on the palate.

“I originally created it a few years ago as a Valentine’s Day dessert to spice things up for the evening,” says executive chef Curtis Hillard, originally from Ohio and more recently the chef/partner at Meritage NuVo in Atlanta. For the wine lover, Hillard suggests pairing the dessert with a red zinfandel, the juicy fruit and spicy notes in the wine is a perfect complement to his spicy chocolate creation.

THE INFO: The Wine Dive, at 319 Clematis Street in West Palm Beach, serves lunch from 11:30 to 3 p.m. Monday to Saturday and dinner nightly from 4 to 10:30 p.m. There’s also a late night menu from 10:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. nightly and a Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Phone: (561) 318-8821. | Directions, invite a friend

Two hard shell tacos with rice and beans are $7 at The Taco Lady (J. Gwendolynne Berry / Palm Beach Post)

THE DISH: Two hard shell tacos with rice and beans, $7

THE RESTAURANT: The Taco Lady, Lake Worth

They had me at the shells. Those light, supremely crispy corn tortilla shells made daily by mom and daughter team Elizabeth and Maria Martinez. For 10 years, these shells have wooed loyal customers to come back time and again to Elizabeth Martinez’ little hole-in-the-wall shop, The Taco Lady, on North L Street, between Lake and Lucerne in downtown Lake Worth.

"We started with no menu and no phone," says chef/owner Elizabeth Martinez, "we tried out all kinds of things and kept what worked."

Well, the tacos definitely work. Based on family recipes from Mexico and Puerto Rico, those crisp shells come filled with a choice of fresh meat options like ground beef cooked in a blend of seasonings, or slow roasted shredded beef, pork or chicken. Top that with lettuce, tomato, onion, shredded cheese, tomato salsa and sour cream and add a choice of yellow, brown, Mexican or white rice and refried or black beans. There’s also a super-secret special sauce Martinez makes for "special people" who like it hot.

THE INFO: The Taco Lady serves these crispy tacos and more from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday at 7 N L Street in Lake Worth. The restaurant is closed Sundays. Phone: (561) 588-3638 | Directions, invite a friend

Kabuki's Mango Tango Roll is $7 for a half roll (5-6 pieces) or $13 for a full roll (10-12 pieces). (J. Gwendolynne Berry / Palm Beach Post)

More information: Crispy tempura-fried Izumedai, a farm-raised Japanese fish similar to snapper, meets fresh cucumber, scallions and roe, wrapped in fluffy white rice and topped with a homemade spicy mayo and slices of sweet mango. The roll is light, healthy and a great combination of flavors and textures.

The roll is a favorite of Kabuki’s executive chef, Kobe Sou Lakmaitree, who loves tempering a slightly spicy sauce with the sweetness of fresh, tropical fruit. “I wanted something dancing,” he says, referring to his playful name for the roll, “but I just wanted a soft dance.”

Kabuki serves authentic Japanese and Thai cuisine from 11:30 a.m. until 11 p.m. daily and until 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday at 308 Clematis St. in West Palm Beach. Phone: (561) 833-6349 | Directions, invite a friend

The Pelican's lamb keena omelet is $14.95. (J. Gwendolynne Berry / Palm Beach Post)

There’s nothing like a little spice to wake up in the morning, and that’s exactly what diners at The Pelican Restaurant can expect from one of their Indian breakfasts: the lamb keema omelet.

Chef/owner Iqbal Sami slow-cooks ground lamb in a special blend of Indian seasonings and red curry sauce for the perfect blend of savory and spice. “It must cook at least three to four hours,” he says, “you have to give the spices time.”

That delicious lamb is used as a filling, surrounded by a light and fluffy four-egg omelet, topped with feta, tomato and cilantro and served with a generous portion of home fried potatoes and a traditional Indian yogurt-based sauce called raita.

THE INFO: The Pelican Restaurant serves breakfast from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily and lunch from11:30 a.m. to 2 pm Monday to Saturday. Sunday is breakfast only. The restaurant also serves a traditional Indian dinner menu on Friday evenings from 5 to 9 p.m. at 610 Lake Ave. in Lake Worth. Phone: (561) 582-4992. | Directions, invite a friend

DDD (Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives) Fish Tacos are $9 for two at Havana Hideout. (J. Gwendolynne Berry / Palm Beach Post)

Sweet pineapple salsa, savory homemade chipotle coleslaw and just a hint of spice from the achiote-rubbed tilapia, Havana Hideout’s “two-handed” fish tacos are fresh and delicious.

The tacos were featured among other Havana Hideout specialties on Guy Fieri’s Food Network show, “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” back in 2009 and have been on the menu ever since.

“They’re clean, fresh and made to order,” says Shelly Jent, a former Havana Hideout employee who recently bought the restaurant with two business partners from the previous owner, Chrissy Benoit.

“The pineapple salsa adds a tropical side to the dish and appeals to the atmosphere and vibe we are trying to put out here.”

THE INFO: Havana Hideout, at 509 Lake Avenue in Lake Worth, is open for lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and until midnight on Friday and Saturday. The bar stays open until 2 a.m. nightly. Phone: (561) 585-8444. | Directions, invite a friend