Johnny Longboats' seafood soup unites a variety of meats with a tomatoey broth. (J. Gwendolynne Berry / Palm Beach Post)

On the breezy night I visited Johnny Longboats on Singer Island, I couldn’t see the ocean – but I could feel it. The restaurant seems to float amid the salt and sea, like a cruise ship. In fact, the music alone is poolside cruise ship-ready, calypso fugues mingling with the breeze from open windows.

The place was packed like a cruise ship, too, with a happy bustle at the bar and a brisk shuffle of servers in the dining room.

But, unlike a cruise ship, islandy Johnny Longboats serves pretty terrific dishes. We glimpsed this fact upon sampling the homemade conch fritters ($8.95), hot and crispy and abundant fritters served with a bright key lime sauce.

Further confirmation came from a bowl of crab bisque ($5.50, one size), a sherry-laced cream thick with fresh blue crab. I do have to note, however, that I found a couple of small bits of crab shell in the bisque. It wasn’t enough to send it back, nor did it change the fact that the soup was delicious. But it does indicate a bit of haste in the kitchen.

Directions, invite a friend

Like in any self-respecting island spot, the menu here is seafood-centric, with an emphasis on fresh grouper, snapper and mahi mahi. (Of course, there are also nightly specials, grilled steaks, Caribbean chicken dishes and a variety of wings, as well as a hefty breakfast menu that’s served daily from 7 a.m. to noon.)

Of the many tempting-sounding offerings, the one that most intrigued me was the "Grouper in the Bag" house specialty ($19.95). A large, fresh grouper fillet is lightly dredged in breadcrumbs, dotted with butter and baked in a brown paper bag. Mine was served with a quite large bouquet of steamed mixed vegetables, a mound of yellow Bahamian-style rice with diced carrots and peas and a delicious, ultra-thin-shredded coleslaw.

The fish arrived still enclosed in a puffed brown paper bag, which was torn open by a server. It was best to eat the fish directly out of the torn bag, as it would have been quite messy to extract it. The fillet itself was fresh and beautifully cooked, but I found it under-seasoned. Its flavors improved dramatically with a squeeze of lemon and a dip in the pink, kicky sauce that was served on the side.

My companion’s fried snapper ($19.95) – one of the fresh catches – also arrived nicely cooked, but under-seasoned. The black beans that were served over the rice accompanying his fish dish were yummy, thick and cumin-spiked.

We also sampled the Island Crab Cakes ($18.95), respectable patties brimming with crab and deep fried (you can order them sautéed as well).

During our visit, I found myself wandering away from the food and just taking in the ambience, the true attraction of the place. There’s something about the place, located at the southern end of the Ocean Mall, just doors down from its new sister tavern, Two Drunken Goats, that transports you to a happy vacation land.

And it was clear that, despite its laid-back island vibe, Johnny Longboats runs on good, efficient, hospitable service.

The hostess quickly found us another table when we let her know the first one, by an open window, was too chilly. Our server immediately brought a basket of crackers when she learned that my dining companion was having a blood sugar dip.

Oh, and speaking of blood sugar, here’s a word about dessert: Try the carrot cake ($7.95) – it’s moist, delicious and huge. It’s certainly shareable between two – or four. And a little dessert gives you a great excuse to hang out a little longer on the cruise ship’s lively deck.

R E V I E W

Johnny Longboats

FOOD: B

SERVICE: B+

ADDRESS: 2401 Ocean Ave., on Singer Island

TELEPHONE: (561) 249-2795

WEBSITE: JohnnyLongboats.com

PRICE RANGE: Moderate

HOURS: Open daily at 7 a.m., serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks (kitchen open until midnight, Sundays-Thursdays; until 1 a.m., Fridays and Saturdays)

CREDIT CARDS: All major

RESERVATIONS: Walk-ins welcome

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes, including restrooms

Go Yo!, 1000 N. Congress Ave., Suite 120, Boynton Beach. (561) 732-5558 | Directions, invite a friend

The blood orange margarita at Rocco's Tacos in Palm Beach Gardens. (Taylor Jones / Palm Beach Post)

This week’s bar: Rocco’s Tacos and Tequila Bar

The scene: It’s bigger, its walls are brighter, and it boasts a fire pit and outdoors bar. It’s Rocco’s Tacos, now in north county. The recently opened Palm Beach Gardens restaurant is owner Rocco Mangel’s fourth South Florida location, and has already found a crowd hungry for Mexican food in a lively atmosphere.

The signature cocktail: As a tequila bar, Rocco’s naturally specializes in margaritas. The Blood Orange Margarita ($12.50) is a particularly tart rendering that would stand up to the eatery’s perfectly spiced chips.

Other drinks: The Tequila Mojito ($9.50), in which tequila is substituted for the traditional rum, is surprisingly sweet. Those without a sweet tooth might want to try the Ranch Water ($11) – tequila, soda water and fresh lime juice. A Skinny Señorita ($9.50) – El Mayor Blanco, fresh squeezed lime and a splash of Cointreau – is also available.

Bar bites: The aforementioned chips, plus guacamole made table side, are a must when you visit Rocco’s. The mini crudo tacos (three for $13) are super-yum, and the Queso Fundido con Chorizo ($10) is Mexican comfort food: cheddar cheese, chorizo and peppers melted in a tiny skillet and served with corn tortillas.

Deals: Get $1 off drinks during happy hour, from 4 to 7 p.m. seven days a week. On Taco & Tequila Tuesdays, enjoy all-you-can-eat tacos for $14.99 all day and $5 margaritas and $15 pitchers after 7 p.m.

Info: PGA Commons, 5090 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens, (561) 623-0127

Blood Orange Margarita

2 ounces Milagro Barrel Select Reserve Blanco tequila

1/2 ounce Salerno Blood Orange Liqueur

1 ounce fresh lime juice

1 ounce grapefruit juice

Splash of blood orange puree

Mix all ingredients together and serve either frozen or on the rocks, with salt or sugar on the rim.

Ancient Love Potion from Buddha Sky Bar in Delray; Adult milkshakes from Burger Bar in Palm Beach Gardens.

Mixologists across the county will be shaking, stirring and pouring the romance for Valentine’s Day devotees. Here are some of the flirty drinks they’ll be offering:

III FORKS steak house is serving a a Black Raspberry Passion cocktail. What’s in a a Black Raspberry Passion cocktail, you ask? That would be Ketel One vodka, black raspberry liqueur, passion fruit syrup and apricot nectar. Shake with ice until chilled, then strain into a martini glass, and you’ve got a passionate sip.
III Forks: 4645 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens; (561) 630-3660. | Directions, invite a friend

BURGER BAR BY CHEF ALLEN is whipping up decadent milkshakes for grown-ups, shakes like the Nutella Bourbon Adult Shake (Wild Turkey Bourbon, Nutella and Vanilla Ice Cream). For the pairing, the Palm Beach Gardens eatery is offering a $14 Truffle Burger, topped with a red wine demi-glace.
Burger Bar: 4650 Donald Ross Rd., Palm Beach Gardens; (561) 630-4545. | Directions, invite a friend

BUDDHA SKY BAR is concocting an “Ancient Love Potion.” The spell comes from one part chocolate vodka, one part white chocolate Godiva liqueur and three whole crushed strawberries, all shaken with ice and sieved into a martini glass.
Buddha Sky: 217 East Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; (561) 450-7557. | Directions, invite a friend

BENIHANA STUART is pouring a drink called the Red Flower Punch Bowl that, quite lavishly, is served in a punch bowl with two straws. The shareable punch bowl swims with strawberry liqueur, triple sec, raspberry puree, lemonade, cranberry juice and two kinds of vodka.

The hibachi house is also offering a Cherry Pomegranate Mojito, an amorous take on the classic, infused with Bacardi Torched Cherry rum, pomegranate liqueur and juice, grenadine syrup, mint leaves and lime wedges.
Benihana: 3602 S.E. Ocean Blvd., Stuart; (772) 286-0740. | Directions, invite a friend

A Bedner's Farm Fresh Market worker looks for green peppers to show a group of children on a tour. (Greg Lovett / Post file photo)

THE MARKET: Bedner’s Farm Fresh Market, Boynton Beach

THE INFO: Bedner’s is open year-round, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. The market is at 12033 U.S. 441, 2 miles south of Boynton Beach Boulevard at Lee Road, which also is the entrance to the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. Phone: (561) 733-5490. Website: Bedners.com

WHAT’S TO LOVE: It’s not just the market, it’s the whole experience.

Though it has been around for only two years, Bedner’s feels like it has been there forever. That’s because the Bedner family, which runs it, has been farming land out west for generations.

During the local growing season, you can buy spinach, corn and red-leaf lettuce that is so fresh that you get healthier just being near it.

Then there are country oddities like boiled peanuts, insiders’ favorites like Upper Crust pies and locally packaged teas, honeys and pastas.

If you look above and below the produce, you will discover edible curiosities like lucuma powder, one of those miracle foods from the Andes that you can sprinkle on your oatmeal for a nutrition boost and a maple-like flavor.

Fresh strawberries are among the offerings in the U-pick department at Bedner's. (Greg Lovett / Post file photo)

But Bedner’s ace in the hole is all its extras. There are hayrides and pumpkin patches and Christmas trees and U-pick fields of strawberries and tomatoes, seasonal old-timey family experiences that you may not find at other farmers’ markets.

I found one family sitting at an umbrella table sampling its stash of freshly picked fruit.

“These are the best strawberries I ever tasted,” exclaimed one of the boys.

On weekends, there is a barbecue truck, homemade ice cream and other novelties and activities.

So bring your recyclable grocery bags — they give you a five-cent credit for that — and strap that kayak on the roof.

With the Loxahatchee Refuge right down the road, it would be easy to make an all-day nature excursion out of one trip to this market.

Philippe Chow Boca has given its homemade red velvet cake a heart shape for sweet noshing on Valentine’s Day.
Philippe Chow: 200 E. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton; (561) 393-4666 | Directions, invite a friend

The Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach offers oceanfront cabana dining for Valentines, a sumptuous four-course dinner that’s capped with a decadent chocolate trio (chocolate souffle, chocolate crème brulee and chocolate molten cake). There’s a fire pit for after-dinner sipping as well.  The cabana dinner, served from 6 to 10 p.m., is $600 per couple, plus tax and tip. Reservations are required.
Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach: 100 South Ocean Blvd., Manalapan; (561) 540-4924 | Directions, invite a friend

Our solution to this quandary is, and has been for a long time, to cook for the future – that is, to cook enough for several meals. If the food is delicate and won’t freeze well, we will sometimes have the lunch leftover for dinner.

For foods that will keep reasonably well in the fridge for a day or two, we serve it perhaps the next day, or the day following. For others, we freeze in individual two-serving portions as soon the foods have cooled, serving them perhaps the next week or even next month.

Proper freezing, thawing saves quality

If you follow some basic guidelines for proper freezing, their quality will remain acceptably good. It is important that you freeze foods in suitable containers or bags. I prefer freezer bags, because I can press out most of the air from them; it is oxygen in the air that robs the quality of stored food, frozen or otherwise. A vacuum-sealer gadget should work even better.

You also have to know which foods will not freeze too well, potatoes or cream for instance, although they keep not too poorly in puréed soups.

Proper thawing, too, will help save food quality; for most foods, that should be done overnight in the fridge. But certain items should go straight from the freezer to the oven or fryer. Proper reheating is also important; you must know which food can be microwaved, which should be done in the oven and which on the skillet or in the pot. A reliable toaster oven is essential, since you don’t want to fire up the big one for just reheating 2 servings. It not only will save energy but, more importantly, time as well.

Add new flavors and ingredients

When re-serving meals, there is one neat trick you can pull to make the meal appear and taste fresh, or at least fresher – add a new flavor or some new ingredient as you reheat it. It can be just a delicate touch of a new herb or your favorite wine or wine vinegar; or additions such as separately sautéed peas or chopped vegetable or even cooked pasta or rice. A light touch here plays better.

The kitchen cabinet plays a role, too. A good selection of dried herbs comes very handy – not just the basic parsley, which really adds little in its dried form, but more assertive ones such as oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, dill, mint etc., or perhaps an Italian seasoning mix. Lay off the seasoning salt, though.

If you have some fresh herbs such as cilantro, basil and mint (standard in our kitchen), all the better. A bunch of fresh store-bought cilantro will keep fresh for a week, stood up in a tall glassful of water in the fridge; basil much longer, even out on the counter.

Another way of serving a gourmet meal in minutes is to have certain basic foods in the freezer. These can be quickly defrosted in the microwave, or if you are prone to plan ahead, as my wife is, the item or items can be defrosted overnight in the fridge.

Here are some such staples that we have, biding time in the freezer: Well-marinated and barbecued or pan-grilled chicken breast halves that can then be served in a variety of ways: whole with a salad, or sliced and sauced in several ways.

Barbecued or pot-roasted beef (some cheaper cuts offer great flavor), can be served the same way as above. Plain pilaf or its fancier cousin, the chicken pilaf – cooked with nuts, raisins and, of course, saffron – or just plain cooked basmati rice freezes quite well.

The secret weapon: Cutlets

Our secret weapon, however, is what is known in Indian cuisine as "cutlets." They are commonly made with ground chicken, but ground beef can make fine cutlets, too. (For some very special occasion, they are fashioned out of minced prawn, with the tails inserted into the narrower ends of the teardrop shape as decorative handles; they are rarely frozen though.)

To make "cutlets," a little bit of fresh bread crumbs, diced onion, chopped cilantro and/or mint, together with ground spices and Worcestershire sauce are mixed with the ground chicken or meat. They are shaped into thin tear-drop patties and coated with dry bread crumbs.

We tray the cutlets first, then pack them in freezer bags. Take out what you need, sauté them in oil and a pat of butter, and voilà! You have a gorgeous meal that you can serve with cooked fresh or frozen veggies and garlic toasts.

Next week: I’ll give you the full recipe for cutlets, as well as some other helpful hints .

NOTES FROM OUR KITCHEN

Tray-freezing prepared foods first before placing them in freezer bags keeps the items separate. You can then easily take out whatever you need without having to thaw.

To do so: Brush a baking tray with oil, lay a single layer of the cutlets or whatever without crowding; if you have more, lay a second deck on top, separating the two with parchment or foil. Freeze for a few hours until solid, then pack in a freezer bag, taking out as much air as you can.

WHOLE FOODS MARKET, 11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Ave., Palm Beach Gardens. (561) 691-8550.

• Engine 2 Challenge: 28 Days to a New You!, 6:30-8 p.m. Wednesday . Join Courtney, an eat-healthy specialist, as she leads the Engine 2 28-day challenge. Free.
• Health Starts Here Store Tour, Thursday . Learn to use the Aggregate Nutrient Density Index to quickly and accurately identify foods with higher nutritional values and how to easily incorporate these foods into your diet. Free.

IN THE KITCHEN, 389 Tequesta Drive, Tequesta. (561) 747-7117.

• Saffron to Coconut: Gourmet Cuisine of India, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Feb. 9. Sample the wonderful flavors of India . $75.
• Sweetheart Dinner, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday . Celebrate Valentine’s Day with butter-poached lobster dinner . $100.

WHOLE FOODS MARKET, 2635 State Rd. 7, Wellington. (561) 904-4000.

• Valentine’s Love Bites Cooking Class, 2-3:30 p.m. Saturday . Learn how to make treats especially for Valentine’s Day. Free.
• All Things Sweet Cookie Decorating Competition, 1 p.m. Sunday . Compete in a cookie-decorating competition. Six participants needed. Reserve a spot at the customer service desk. Winners win gift cards and other sweet gifts.

WHOLE FOODS MARKET, 1400 Glades Road, Suite 110, Boca Raton. (561) 447-0000.

• Feed Your Heart, 7–8 p.m. today . In celebration of Heart Healthy Month, chef Abigail shows how to utilize certain foods to benefit cardiovascular health through diet. $5.
• War of the Roses, 12-3 p.m. Saturday . Stroll through the store and visit each department for a tasty treat. Vote for your favorite at customer service and you could win two dozen roses for your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day. Free.

WAVE 2700 RESTAURANT, 2700 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton, (561) 361-2700 .

• Get Veg-a-Cated, 6:30 p.m. every Monday. A vegan-education program followed by a vegan dinner with organic wine. $25.

PUBLIX APRON’S COOKING SCHOOL, Polo Club Shoppes, 5050 Champion Blvd., Suite D2, Boca Raton, (561) 994-4461 or (561) 994-4883 .

• Southern European Vacation Series, 10 a.m. Friday . A three-part series that will take you on a culinary tour several southern European countries. $150.
• Praise to the Braise, 6:30 p.m. Friday . Learn the art of braising. $40.
• Eat Your Heart Out, 10 a.m. Saturday . Learn to make love-themed desserts. $40.
• Valentine Duets, 6:30 p.m. Saturday and Tuesday . Spend a special evening rediscovering the passion of classic pairings. $60.

RISTORANTE SAPORI, 301 Via De Palmas, Boca Raton, (561) 367-9779 .

• Beginner cooking classes, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. every other Saturday with chef Marco Pindo. Reservations are required . $50.

Sometimes there’s a disconnect between the proclamations of food gurus and what regular folks eat. Not so in the case of meatballs. Once labeled "dish of the year" by Bon Appetit magazine, meatballs are welcome everywhere.

They were the unexpected star of the buffet table at a party I attended with 40 other guys. There sat six – six! – casseroles filled with meatballs, most of which were ground beef in tomato sauce. And nearly every ball was gone by the end of the night.

"Meatballs are the ultimate cure-all for anything that ails you," write Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow in The Meatball Shop Cookbook (Ballantine, $28). Though these New York City restaurateurs are thinking "hangover, breakup, lack of sleep, even a crying baby," you should think meatballs for anything that involves a widescreen TV and plenty of cold beer.

You can, of course, serve up that traditional ground beef meatball and float it in a pool of tomato sauce. Or jazz up your game plan by experimenting with meats, flavors and presentations.

Nearly every culture has a meatball, as Rick Rodgers, author of the new cookbook, I Love Meatballs! (Andrews McMeel, $19.99), makes clear. His 55 recipes range around the world, from Tuscan olive-stuffed rounds to Thai pork and shrimp balls to a Texas meatball chili soup.

"Every cuisine has them because they’re economical and easy to make," says Rodgers. "They also just taste great. You can make them ahead, warm them up, and they just get better."

Don’t feel limited to just one platter of meatballs – offer a variety.

Spicy Pork Meatballs

Makes: 24 meatballs

2 pounds pork shoulder, ground

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt

4 jarred hot cherry peppers, minced

1/4 cup hot cherry pepper pickling liquid

4 slices fresh white bread, finely chopped

3 large eggs

Heat oven to 450°. In a large bowl, mix pork, salt, cherry peppers, pickling liquid, bread and eggs by hand until thoroughly incorporated.

Roll into golf ball-sized meatballs, packing the meat firmly. Place the balls in a lightly oiled 9-by-13-inch baking dish touching one another.

Bake until firm and cooked through, 20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes in the baking dish before serving.

Recipe from "The Meatball Shop Cookbook."

Greek Minted Meatballs (Keftedes)

Makes: 6 to 8 servings, about 70 meatballs

1 cup fine bread crumbs
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
2 tablespoons butter
2 onions, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound each: ground beef round, ground lamb shoulder
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper

Heat oven to 400°. Combine the bread crumbs and 1 cup half-and-half in a small bowl; let soak for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile melt butter in a skillet over moderate heat. Add onions and garlic; cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl; add the soaked bread crumbs plus the meats. Mix with hands until well-blended. Add the remaining 1/2 cup half-and-half, eggs, cinnamon, half of the mint, salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Form into 1-inch balls.

Bake on foil-lined rimmed baking sheets until slightly brown, 20-25 minutes; serve topped with the remaining mint.

Recipe from James Villas’ “From the Ground Up: Hundreds of Amazing Recipes From Around the World for Ground Meats” (Wiley, $22.99).

Chicken Teriyaki Meatballs

Serve this dish with rice.

Makes: 20 meatballs

FOR THE MEATBALLS:
1 pound ground chicken
1/2 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1 large egg, beaten
1 green onion, minced
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 piece (1-inch long) ginger, peeled, shredded
1 tablespoon Japanese-style soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
8 quarter-size pieces fresh ginger, crushed

FOR THE TERIYAKI SAUCE:
2/3 cup each: Japanese-style soy sauce, mirin
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 green onions, minced

For the meatballs, mix chicken, panko, egg, green onion, cornstarch, shredded ginger, soy sauce, salt and pepper together in a large bowl. Cover; refrigerate at least 15 minutes or up to 4 hours.
Heat a large saucepan of water and the 8 pieces of ginger to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer.

Using wet hands rinsed under cold water, shape the chicken mixture into 20 meatballs, about 1 1/2 inches each. Carefully add to the saucepan. Simmer until cooked through, about 6 minutes.
For the teriyaki sauce, heat the soy sauce, mirin, sugar and rice vinegar to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Boil until thickened and reduced to about 2/3 cup, 5 minutes.
Remove balls from cooking liquid; drain. Serve over rice, drizzle with the sauce and garnished with green onions.

Recipe from “I Love Meatballs!” (Andrews McMeel, $19.99), by Rick Rodgers.

Meatballs 101

Tips for making and serving meatballs from The Meatball Shop Cookbook, by Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow, with Lauren Deen:

Serving sizes and saucing: The Meatball Shop’s standard serving is four 1 1/2-inch balls. Count on 1/4 cup sauce for each 1 1/2-inch ball. Serving pasta? ‘Add cooked pasta right into the pan to soak up the sauce and flavor,’ the authors suggest.

Make ahead: Meatballs can be made a day in advance and baked up to 24 hours later. Or, bake immediately and refrigerate for up to three days before reheating.

Storage: Refrigerate with or without sauce, for up to three days. Freeze, with or without sauce, for up to 3 months.

Reheating: Microwave 4 minutes, 6 minutes if frozen. Bake, covered, in a 300º oven, 20 minutes. Cook on the stove top, covered, with 2 or 3 tablespoons of water
over medium heat, 10 minutes.

Because this is a chilled dessert, you can make it ahead of time and not worry about things coming out of the oven at the right time when you’re busy trying to impress your sweetheart with dinner.

For a restaurant-worthy dish, spoon the mousse into parfait glasses and top with fresh berries.

Milk Chocolate Mango Mousse

Serves: 4

Preparation: 30 minutes, plus chilling

1 cup frozen mango chunks, thawed

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup whole milk

1 whole egg, plus 1 yolk

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

2/3 cup milk chocolate bits

1 cup heavy cream

Fill a medium bowl with ice.

In a blender, combine the mango chunks, sugar, milk, whole egg and yolk, and the cornstarch. Puree until completely smooth.

Pour the mixture into a small sauce pan over medium heat. Whisking constantly, heat the mixture until it thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the milk chocolate bits. Stir until the chocolate is melted and thoroughly incorporated.

Place the saucepan in the bowl of ice; ensure that none of the ice gets into the saucepan. Whisk the mixture until completely cooled and smooth.

Place the cream in a large bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat it until medium peaks form, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add half of the beaten cream to the milk chocolate mango mixture and fold together to incorporate. Add the remaining cream and fold again to incorporate. Transfer the mousse to 4 individual serving dishes and refrigerate.

Per serving: 500 calories; 310 calories from fat ; 34 g fat; 195 mg cholesterol; 44 g carbohydrate; 6 g protein; 2 g fiber; 80 mg sodium

It’s Valentine’s Day again, and I just want to remind people there are alternatives to chocolate when it comes to showing your love.

Because let’s face it, at any given time many of us are on diets or at least watching what we’re eating. And a box of chocolates isn’t exactly helping out.

So if you’re looking for a romantic Valentine’s Day gift that’s truly from the heart, why not give the best gift of all – a mouth-watering, healthy meal you make yourself?

This week’s recipe is my version of a trendy dish served in restaurants across the country – lobster pot pie. A typical pot pie like this will cost you around 680 calories and 46 grams of fat per serving. But I’ve downsized that to just 330 calories and 6 grams of fat.

I did this by turning the pie into a cobbler, which means the crust is only on top.

And my crust is made from a lower calorie pancake mix that gives you the taste of a pot pie, but without all the fattening richness of typical crusts. I’ve also added in lean beef tenderloin, making this a true surf and turf delight.

I saved you plenty of fat by thickening this dish with a delicious and pleasantly sweet puree of beets, instead of the usual butter, cream and flour.

Tip: Save yourself some trouble and ask to have your lobster steamed for you while you shop. The seafood department at most grocers will do this for free. Some will even remove the meat from the shell for you.

Valentine’s Day Surf and Turf Cobbler

Serves: 2

Preparation: 45 minutes (30 minutes active)

1 1/4-pound live lobster

4 ounces fresh asparagus spears (12 to 16 spears, depending on thickness), trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

3 ounces beef tenderloin, cut into 8 cubes

Salt and ground black pepper

14 1/2-ounce can red beets with liquid

16 pumps butter spray

1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped

2/3 cup Bisquick Heart Smart Pancake and Baking Mix

1/4 cup water

2 teaspoons prepared horseradish

In a large stockpot, bring 6 quarts of water to a boil. Set a bowl of ice water nearby.

Submerge the lobster in the boiling water, then return the water to a boil. Cook the lobster for 4 minutes, adding the asparagus to the water for the last 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the asparagus to the ice water to cool for 2 minutes, then transfer to a kitchen towel to dry. Remove the lobster from the water and place on a sheet pan. Let cool until easy to handle.

Heat a medium nonstick skillet over high.

Season the beef with salt and pepper, then spritz the pan with cooking spray and add the beef to the pan. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the outsides are well browned and the centers are rare, turning once. Transfer the beef to a small plate and set aside.

Drain the beets, reserving 1/4 cup of the liquid. Cut two-thirds of the drained beets (about 1 cup) into bite-size pieces (save the remaining beets for another use). Add half of the beet pieces to a blender along with the 1/4 cup of reserved liquid. Cover and blend until smooth.

Add the 16 pumps of butter spray and cover and blend again just until combined. Pour the pureed beets into a medium bowl and add the remaining chopped beets. Add the asparagus to the beet mixture along with the cooked beef cubes and fresh tarragon.

Heat the oven to 400º.

Remove the meat from the lobster and cut into bite-size pieces. Add to the beet mixture and stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture evenly into a 1-quart oven-safe glass bowl or souffle dish.

In a medium bowl, mix the pancake mix and water. Drop the dough into 6 small mounds over the lobster mixture. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the top is browned and the filling is heated through. Remove and top with horseradish.

Per serving: 330 calories; 6 g fat; 80 mg cholesterol; 40 g carbohydrate; 29 g protein; 5 g fiber; 1,356 mg sodium

Food & Wine Dinner: Savor the South American Flavors, 7 p.m. Tabica Grill, 901 W. Indiantown Road, Jupiter. (561) 747-0108.

FEB. 22

Tour de Burgundy Wine Tasting Dinner, 7 p.m. Cafe Boulud, 301 Australian Ave., Palm Beach. John and Dominique Otterbeck of JAO Imports will showcase some of the fine Burgundy vineyards in their portfolio. $125. (561) 655-5060.

ONGOING

Wine Down Wednesday, 5-10 p.m., Romeo-n-Juliette’s Caffe, 1544 Cypress Drive, Jupiter. Enjoy half-price bottles of wine. (561) 768-3967 .

Ladies Night, 9 p.m. Wednesdays, The Blind Monk, 410 Evernia St., No. 107, West Palm Beach. Ladies enjoy two-for-one specials on all wines. (561) 833-3605 .

pbpulse.com/swirlgirls

Here’s one thing that might surprise them, though: The dude can eat. And not in the fueling, eat-to-live kind of way. Watching him work through a tasting menu like the one served recently at lunch at the Bazaar by Jose Andres was to see someone in full thrall of the pleasure of dining.

"After music, I think food is my life," Bell says. "I think I pretty much live from one meal to the next, and during each meal I’m planning the next if I haven’t planned it already. I think it’s true of most musicians. I don’t know why; maybe it’s the sensual part of art and being an artist, and food is such a sensual thing."

Bell is in Southern California serving as the artistic director of the Laguna Beach Music Festival, a stint that began on Monday and ends Sunday.

None of those topics came up during the two-hour, 14-course lunch at the Bazaar. Bell was too busy eating. And enjoying. And occasionally popping out of his seat to record a dish for posterity with the camera on his smartphone, like any other good foodie presented with such a meal.

Bell grew up in Indiana in a family that was intensely musical but didn’t pay a lot of attention to food. The turning point, which he can pinpoint vividly, was a trip to Europe in 1982 when he was 14. He had won a competition to attend a master class in Switzerland. His parents accompanied him and as a treat took him on a side trip to France, where they dined at La Pyramide, the venerable three-star restaurant regarded as the cradle of modern French cuisine.

"I’d never had food like that," he says. "I grew up in a kitchen with food that was good but quite simple. There were not a lot of fancy restaurants when I was growing up in Indiana. I remember the foie gras; I’d never had that before. And the cheeses – never, ever had anything like that. It changed my life.

"There were so many courses I don’t remember that much about the specifics. I just remember it was the best time ever. Just the three of us. My first great meal."

At the Bazaar, the meal (prepared by another Joshua – chef de cuisine Joshua Whigham) alternated between playful modernist twists and heartfelt examples of traditional Spanish cooking. Organized Caesar – salad components presented like perfect sushi rolls – in one course, wide, buttery sheets of jamon Iberico and house-canned seafood specialties in the next.

When Andres’ famous Caprese appeared – spheres of mozzarella and tomato served on a pungent basil and garlic sauce – Bell picked them up and ate them in one bite as instructed. And then threw back his head and groaned audibly as the flavors exploded.

"Oh, my God!" he says. "Wow. Wow. That’s just that sauce. Oh, wow. That’s an amazing dish. It’s just so outrageous."

Oddly enough for someone who enjoys food so much, Bell doesn’t cook for himself. As he puts it, traveling 200 days out of the year, he’s either just getting home or just leaving. And then there’s the whole New York thing: His apartment is a block from Gramercy Tavern and a block from Eleven Madison Park. And Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich’s new Italian food emporium Eataly is right outside his door.

But there’s something more: For a driven perfectionist, starting at square one to learn to cook seems so daunting. What if he makes a mistake? "For me to just get up there and look like an amateur, that would be very hard for me, when I’m used to doing something that I’m good at. "

The long lunch completed, he stepped into the Bazaar kitchen, where the staff was assembled, preparing for dinner. After thanking them for the memorable lunch, he pulled out his Stradivarius and poured himself into an equally memorable performance of the Chaconne from Bach’s Violin Sonata No. 2, a roiling bravura piece that left the staff open-mouthed in wonder.

- Russ Parsons, Los Angeles Times

CHEF WOLFGANG PUCK TO COLLECT FOOD’S OSCAR

The so-called Oscars of the food world this year will give the ultimate nod to a man best known for feeding celebrities at the real Oscars.

The James Beard Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement award this year will go to Wolfgang Puck, whose menu for The Academy Awards Governors Ball is almost as eagerly anticipated as the awards themselves.

Puck – who has won multiple honors from the foundation and is the only chef to have twice received its Most Outstanding Chef award – was chosen for his talent as a chef and restaurateur, as well as for his history of revolutionizing how American chefs think about food, foundation president Susan Ungaro said in a release.

Puck, whose cooking combines classic French technique with a focus on seasonal and local ingredients, has been an iconic voice in California cuisine. Born in Austria, he moved to Los Angeles in 1975. In 1982, he opened Spago, the restaurant for which he remains best known. Today, he has 20 restaurants around the country.

The award will be presented during the foundation’s annual awards gala on May 7 in New York.

- J.M. Hirsch, The Associated Press

Chef Dean James Max at Swank Farm in Loxahatchee. (J. Gwendolynne Berry / Palm Beach Post)

LOXAHATCHEE — Here is Dean James Max, the acclaimed South Florida chef, in his most fitting context: at a farm, amid the newly sprouting crops.

Beside him sprouts a row of green-tinged cauliflower, almost ready for harvest. And just down the way are Swank Farm’s hydroponic beds of emergent baby greens, cress, peppers, radishes, broccoli rabe, bush beans, you name it, blooming with possibilities.

Max, born and raised a farm boy, knows these vegetables well. They fuel his inspiration at his five restaurants, including 3030 Ocean restaurant in Fort Lauderdale (and until recently at 3800 Ocean in Singer Island, which Max opened last year but departed weeks ago).

Like many of South Florida chef disciples of farm-to-table cookery, Max is quite familiar with this beloved boutique farm.

Photos: Chef Dean James Max’ luncheon at Swank Farm

"Chefs love coming here. We just walk around, picking and tasting," says Max, 44, on this recent Sunday, addressing a casual gathering at Jodi and Darrin Swank’s family farm. The lunch guests, mostly city-dwelling foodies in farm-chic attire, nibble on cornmeal scones with sweet tomato jam and sip spicy Bloody Marys garnished with a sprig of Swank parsley.

Max has come to Swank Farm, along with pastry chef Jennifer Reed, to create an al fresco lunch using farm-fresh ingredients, such as lamb from Deep Creek Ranch, just north of Deland, pork from Palmetto Creek Farms, near Sebring, and, of course, glorious baby greens from Swank.

But perhaps the most important ingredient in his culinary arsenal is restraint. He is careful not to mask the natural flavors of meats and produce with heavy marinades, dressings or sauces.

To enhance the flavor of the lamb shoulder, which would be barbecued, minced and served in butter lettuce cups, Max roasted the meat on a Cayman Islands-style caboose grill, the same kind he uses at his Brasserie restaurant in Grand Cayman. With Max’s specifications, Darrin Swank built a replica of the old-style sand-bottom grill, which gave the lamb, as well as the pork, a lovely smokiness.

Max served the tender, scaloppini-thin pork with a vibrant kumquat chutney for what arguably was the best bite of the day.

Nicole Jackson and Paula DaSilva have some fun during the luncheon. (J. Gwendolynne Berry / Palm Beach Post)

For Max, who moved to Stuart from a Chesapeake Bay-area farm in Virginia when he was 12, the best dishes are those made of fresh, well curated ingredients. The success of something as basic as a salad dressing depends on the strength of its components, says the chef who was a semifinalist last year for a James Beard "best chef" award.

"We use high-quality oils and vinegars. We’ll use a really clean grape- seed oil and add very little extra virgin olive oil. We’ll use all different types of vinegars – honey vinegar, Champagne vinegar, apple cider vinegar – that are good, high-quality products," says Max, who lives in Boca Raton and travels regularly to Ohio (Cleveland and Columbus), Dallas and Grand Cayman to spend several days at a time at his restaurants.

The chef, who grew up feeding chickens and pigs, driving a tractor, lugging irrigation pipes and maneuvering a seeder, skipping Saturday morning cartoons and other city kid activities, seemed invigorated by his day at Swank.

"To be out in the farm environment takes me back to my childhood, when we used to run through the tomato fields," he says. "You miss it."

COOKING COUNTRY-STYLE WITH DEAN JAMES MAX

The nationally acclaimed chef shares tips and tidbits on ingredients, method and gadgets

ON MARINADES: For the Swank lunch, Max used an understated marinade of fresh rosemary and thyme with a little olive oil on the meats he grilled.

"We kept it very simple. I don’t want to take away the natural flavors from the meat," he says.

If, for instance, he were to use a sour orange marinade on pork, he’d grill the meat, separately bringing the leftover marinade to a boil. Once seared, the meat would be returned to the boiled marinade and cooked at low or indirect heat.

ON DRESSING GREENS: Max favors a light oil, such as grapeseed oil, for dressing farm-fresh greens. "A lot of people will add a ton of olive oil to a dressing, but it really overpowers the salad. It’s better to use a cleaner-tasting oil and add just a little olive oil for flavor – to 3/4 cup grape seed, you’d use 1/4 cup olive oil," he says.

If you’re going to add citrus, like orange juice, to your dressing, Max suggests cooking it down first.

For a flavorful citrus dressing, he whisks together:

1/4 cup of reduced (simmered down) orange juice

1/2 tablespoon of Dijon-style mustard

1/8 cup of Champagne vinegar

And ‘just under’ 1/2 cup grapeseed oil

ON GRILLING: When grilling delicate meats like lamb and pork, Max keeps the meats tender by keeping them thin. "You don’t want this super-thick chunk. The grill can be very drying. So you grill them thin to sear them, then move them to indirect heat or to an earthenware container, with the lid down, to finish them off," he says.

For the Swank lunch, Max grilled thin-cut pork directly over the flames so it would cook quickly and remain beautifully tender.

THE MENU

Starter

A Swanky Bloody Mary

Cornmeal and raisin scone with tomato jam

Appetizer

Fish dip with radishes,

broccoli florets and carrots

Chilled curry cauliflower soup

Spicy royal red shrimp

Crispy shallot atop a

deviled egg with salad greens

Pole bean salad with radish, pecorino, baby greens with a bacon brown butter vinaigrette

Salad with Winter Park blue cheese, rainbow beets, almonds, kale greens with a Florida citrus vinaigrette

Main

Turnip puree with roasted turnips and wilted tops

Grilled pork loin with kumquat chutney and mache greens

Braised lamb shoulder barbecue with butter lettuce cups

Desserts

Fromage blanc mousse with Florida strawberries and basil

Mini house-made moonpies and carrot cupcakes

SWANK TABLE

The next chefs’ lunch at Swank Farm is scheduled for March 4, from noon to 4 p.m. The featured chefs are Lindsay Autry (former Omphoy executive chef and Top Chef Texas chef’testant), Mark Militello (Shaka, Coconut Creek) and Simon Stojanovic (Altamare, Miami Beach).

The lunch, which costs $144 per person, benefits the Red Cross and features an appearance by cookbook author Judith Olney.

For information and reservations, visit SwankSpecialtyProduce.com or call (561) 202-5648.

In Victorian-era novels, the men are always gathering in one room after dinner for cigars and port/sherry while the women split off to do goodness knows what (knit?) elsewhere. We always knew women got the short end of that deal, because we know how delicious port/sherry/madeira can be. Save the crocheting, give us some dessert wine.

With Valentine’s Day coming up, let’s debunk these dessert wine myths: they are all very sweet, they are just for special occasions, they’re just good with cigars. The truth: The men in those novels weren’t drinking ultra-sweet wines, you should really have a bottle in your home most of the time, and they can help make some foods a terrific eating experience.

We tried a variety of dessert wines made all over the world that were sent to us for review. Pair any of these with some goodies and you’ll have a dinner to remember.

Sherry

From the south of Spain, sherry is made from the palomino grape and fortified with a hard spirit, generally grape brandy. It is aged in partially filled oak casks and fractionally blended over many years with younger wine, a method called the solera system.

It’s made in two basic styles: fino and oloroso. Fino sherry is generally lighter and more delicate, fortified to about 15 percent alcohol by volume. A natural yeast called flor is allowed to grow on the surface of the wine during aging, reducing the wine’s acidity and protecting it from oxidation. Oloroso sherries are fortified to a higher level (around 18 percent ABV), which prevents flor development and allows the wine to oxidize.

A third type of sherry called Pedro Ximénez is made from grapes of the same name dried in the sun on grass mats, producing extremely concentrated, sweet wines.

DRY’S PICKS:

Bodegas dios baco amontillado ($20 online)
This aged fino sherry is a light bronze color in the glass with aromas and flavors of honeyed almonds and maple syrup. Medium-bodied and smooth. Pairs well with crème brulée, tres leches or any nut dessert.

Bodegas dios baco oloroso ($20 online)
Deep amber color with aromas and flavors of walnuts, caramel, dried apricots and raisin. The stronger alcohol is apparent and lingering. Great with spiced fruit cake or any caramel and nut dessert.

Bodegas dios baco Oxford 1970 Pedro Ximénez ($16 online)
Deep chocolate color with an intense aroma of Fig Newtons and mocha. Viscous and creamy, mouth-coating. Very sweet flavors of dried fig, raisin and chocolate. Soft, sweet and long finish. Great to pair with chocolate and dried fruit brownies.

Port

From the Douro region of Portugal, Port is made from a blend of native grapes fortified with a neutral grape spirit to make a sweet, high alcohol wine. There are many styles of Port wine, but the two most popular are tawny and ruby. Tawny ports get their color from aging for long periods of time in wooden barrels and often take on a caramel and nut flavor profile. Ruby ports generally spend less time in barrel and therefore retain their deep red color and fruit flavors.

BOLD’S PICKS:

W&J Graham’s 10-year Tawny Port, Portugal ($31.99, Crown Liquors and Total Wine)
Aged for 10 years in oak casks, this is a port to sip and savor, to linger over. On the nose, it’s caramel with honey tinges. On taste, I got honey, plum, dark cherry cordial and a slight cocoa. It’s not overly sweet, is very smooth and has a decently long finish. I paired it with some good dark chocolate and it was terrific.

Cockburn’s Special Reserve Port, Portugal ($ 15.99, Total Wine; $17.99, ABC; $19.95, Crown Liquors)
This is one of the most popular ports sold, and it’s easy to see why – my notes say it tastes "like a warm, delicious bath on your palate." It’s a pretty dark purple wine, almost off-dry, not very sweet. It has a little plum, and a slow warming on taste, and a medium finish. It’s very good with a chocolate truffle, or can also be served with Stilton or gorgonzola cheese, but is equally good by itself.

Madeira
From a volcanic island south of Portugal, this fortified dessert wine can be made from a blend of five different grapes at various levels of sweetness, aged from 3 to 15 years or more. During the aging process, it can spend at least three months in an estufa, or heating chamber, which caramelizes the wine’s sugar and accelerates the aging process. Madeira pairs wonderfully with any chocolate, caramel and nut dessert.

DRY’S PICK:

Blandy’s 10-year-old Malmsey Madeira ($37.99 at Total Wine)
A rich mahogany color with aromas of walnuts, honey, chocolate and caramel. On the palate, similar honey, nuts and dried fruit flavors. Full-bodied and very smooth with a sweet, nutty finish.

Late harvest

As the name suggests, these wines are made with grapes left to hang on the vine later than the typical harvest time, allowing them to continue to ripen and sweeten. Generally, fermentation stops before all of the grapes’ natural sugars have been converted into alcohol, resulting in a sweet wine with a lower alcohol level than a fortified wine. In specific areas with the right climatic conditions, botrytis cinerea, or noble rot can develop on late harvest grapes. This fungus attacks certain varietals like semillon, riesling and others, consuming the water in the grape and concentrating sugars until the grapes look like shriveled raisins. Why someone ever decided to pick these grapes and make wine, I don’t know, but the results are heavenly!

EARTHY’S PICKS:

2009 Susana Balbo Torrontés Late Harvest, Argentina ($30 for 500ml, vineconnections. com)
Vineconnections. com points out, "Late harvest-style wines from arid Mendoza are incredibly rare due to the lack of moisture and botrytis at harvest time."

It has a golden honey color and a nose that’s floral and sweet, but offset by some acidity. That acidity is more evident in the mouth, too, than in the other sweet wines I tasted. Honey and pear are prominent, with tropical fruits and citrus woven in. You won’t typically find me sipping on a sweet wine, but I was taken with the torrontés. It delivered a well-balanced, delicate and silky dessert worthy of drinking. But if you prefer to pair a sweet dish for your sweetie on Valentine’s Day, the key is to serve a dessert that won’t rival the wine. A fruit tart or pie, or even something as simple and sensual as a plate of dates, sweet apples, honey and blue cheeses.

2010 Santi Moscato Montedoro, Italy (SRP $12)
The Santi moscato comes from the Veneto region in northeast Italy, celebrated more for its prosecco than moscato. This moscato’s aroma is subdued, with a hint of sweet citrus, and the real character comes out on the palate. The body is fuller but still manages a delicate character. Just a portion of the moscato grapes used in this wine are left to over ripen on the vine, so it’s not too sugary. It tastes of honeysuckle, pears and a touch of tart apple, even. Its acidity holds a sublime balance to the sweet flavors. Try lightly grilled or roasted pears, peaches and apricots with a drizzle of honey or high-quality, aged Italian balsamic vinegar with a shortcake or vanilla ice cream.

DRY’S PICK:

2009 Chateau du Cosse Sauternes, Bordeaux ($26.99 for 375 ml bottle at Virginia Philip Wine Shop)
The second label of Chateau Rieussex, a premier cru dessert wine. Made from semillon and sauvignon blanc. Fresh, ripe, honeyed fruit of peach and apricot balanced by a vibrant acidity. Long, sweet finish. Great value for Sauternes.

BOLD’S PICK:

2008 Kracher Cuvee Beerenauslese, Burgenland, Austria ($27 online)
This is a beautiful golden nectar, made from 70 percent welschriesling grapes and 30 percent chardonnay. It smells of very sweet honey, with bits of grapefruit, lemon and lime in there. On palate it has a slight tangerine taste, and it was excellent when paired with a mixed berry tart. This is a good sipping dessert wine by itself; Bold was bowled over !

EARTHY’S PICKS:

2008 Chateau Ste. Michelle Ethos Reserve, Late Harvest White Riesling, Washington ($35 for 375ml on ste-michelle.com)
Sweet apples and pears emanate from the glass with a swirl, and the wine gives up luscious, almost syrupy candied pears and peaches, and honey. This one was a bit cloying for my taste, but I could stand to pour it over vanilla ice cream . If you’re looking for a more impressive presentation, try homemade apple pie, almond biscotti with dried cherries and orange zest, or pound cake topped with vanilla or peach ice cream, real whipped cream, fresh berries, and even shaved white chocolate. (He should fawn over you for eternity.)

“The key to a good barbecue” is the kind of discussion that varies from person to person. Some like a sweet sauce, others a vinegar-based version. Some like a spicy rub. Some use the good ol’ cooker. Some use firewood.

Whatever your taste, we’d like to know what your favorite local barbecue joint is.

And yes, we’ve done this one before — this was actually our very first Taking Your Pulse poll last January. Unfortunately, we only had 33 votes, and I know there are more barbecue fans than that in Palm Beach County.

So vote in our poll — and if you don’t see your favorite, click “other” and give us a write-in. We’ll mention the top votegetters there as well.

We’ll have the results on Monday.

The Climber Chardonnay, Clif Family Winery, Calif. ($16.99 per 1.5L box) –
Yes, this is a boxed wine. And a pretty good one, too. This is unoaked chardonnay packaged in an environmentally friendly package. It’s really a white bag of white wine, with holes along the top for both fingers and thumb. It could be hooked from your belt as you ascend the nearest, um, hill in Florida (hence the name Climber), but really just plop it on your fridge’s top shelf and enjoy this wine. The nose is a light citrus, and on taste it’s also light and refreshing with some tropical tinges of grapefruit and a little lemon.

2008 Walter Clore Private Reserve, Columbia-Crest ($35 online) –
This big wine is aged for 30 months in French and American oak, and is made from merlot (57 percent), cabernet sauvignon (32 percent), cabernet franc (8 percent) and malbec (3 percent). It’s got a great big nose of cherry pie and earthy, ripe fruits. On taste it’s big, too, with blackberries and dark cherries and a whole dark-fruit cocktail going on. I paired it with linguine and a red sauce of sausages and onions and it was a terrific meal.

2009 Incognito, Michael David Winery, Lodi, Calif. ($16.99, Total Wine) –
This red wine blend has syrah, cinsault, carignan, mourvedre, petitie sirah, Grenache and tannat in it, so it’s more of a United Nations of wine. All those varietals mixed together resulted in a very pretty, very berry nose. I shared it with a fairly large group of wine drinkers and they tasted lots of berry, slight spice and earthy tones. One person commented it tasted mostly like a shiraz, and the bottle’s logo received some thumbs-up vote for “nifty.” I don’t think the taste knocked our socks off, despite it having seven different grapes inside.

2006 Earthquake Petite Sirah, Lodi Appellation, Calif. ($21.99 Total Wine; $24.93, Crown Wine; $26.99, ABC Fine Wine) –
Made at the Michael David winery (like the Incognito wine also reviewed here), this petite sirah has a big and bold fragrance that wrinkles your nose in a good way. I could smell cocoa, leather, and dark cherry notes. It’s a beautiful wine: dark, opaque with a blood-red, velvet color. On taste, the tannins were evident, so I used an aerator. It has a smooth mouthfeel, and tastes of blackberries and currants. I would buy this again, and enjoy it all over again.

2008 Foppiano Petite Sirah, Russian River, Calif. ($16.49, Total Wine) –
This wine is a big force in the glass, with a powerful nose of cherries and blackberries, and some vanilla in there. On taste, it’s full-bodied and deep, bold and balanced. It’s got a spicy edge to it, which I really liked, along with blackberries, earth, leather and again a touch of vanilla and licorice. This is a not a wine for the shy, because it’s also high in alcohol (about 15.2 percent). But it’s totally worth it. Pair this beauty with some steak or barbecue and you’ll have a meal worth remembering.

2009 Villa Maria Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon, Private Bin, New Zealand ($30.39 online) –
This ruby-purple wine is very pretty, and has a light, cherry nose on it. It’s a mellow, drinking wine that I shared with two wine-loving friends. We had it with brie and crackers and that was a perfect pairing. On taste, we found some strawberry notes and hints of vanilla, but it wasn’t as big as I thought this varietal pairing might prove. It has a nice finish to it, overall just a nice red blend (merlot, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, malbec), not a double-starred wine.

2009 Erath Estate Selection Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon ($32 online) – This is Erath’s line of wines made from grapes collected from different vineyards in this valley. It makes for a pretty ruby-colored pinot noir that has a light cherry fruit and cola nose, with a strong cherry/vanilla palate. It’s a well-balanced wine that’s smooth and solid. I’d pair it with duck or chicken or red-sauced pasta. If you want to elevate your pizza dinner to another level, this is the wine to buy. We usually like most of Erath’s wines, and this is no exception. They make very drinkable, affordable wines.

2009 Tormaresca Torcicoda Primitivo, Salento, Italy ($17.99 online) –
I aerated this wine, because it’s a dark purple primitivo, and I’m glad I did. Two words describe this wine both on nose and palate: fruit bomb. I loved it. On the nose, it’s big, deep, fragrant, sighworthy. It had a Bold nose. It tastes just like it smells: big, bold, with a long finish and chewy fruits. I will buy this again. And again.

Michelle Parparian -- who helps run the Retro Indie Market, coming Saturday to Boynton Beach -- in her favorite Palm Beach County thrift shop, The Turnover Shop. (Allen Eyestone / Palm Beach Post)

THE SCENE MAKER: MICHELLE PARPARIAN

WHO SHE IS: The stylish 37-year-old Delray Beach entrepreneur has shared her love of vintage clothing, jewelry and accessories in a continuous stream of new ventures — from bricks-and-mortar shops to online boutiques, from the twice-monthly, open-air Sunday markets that she oversees in Boca and Boynton, to the annual Retro Indie Market. With longtime friend and business partner Amanda Linton, Parparian will play host at this year’s Retro Indie Market on Saturday in Boynton Beach. The market showcases more than 70 local vendors offering vintage finds, quirky handmade crafts and homemade goodies (save room for cupcakes!).

Retro Indie Market, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Boynton Beach Woman’s Club, 1010 S. Federal Hwy. RetroIndieMarket.com. Admission is $5. | Directions, invite a friend

A few of her favorites:

• FAVORITE THRIFT STORE: “The Turnover Shop, an eclectic downtown boutique benefiting St. Paul Episcopal Church. I have found many amazing treasures stashed away in this little vintage cottage. I actually love it so much, I decided to volunteer there once a week. No worries, I am not picking the best stuff for myself. There is plenty to go around.”
The Turnover Shop, 10 NE 5th Ave., Delray Beach, (561) 276-2073

• FAVORITE ART GALLERY: Balatro Fine Art Gallery. “A family-run operation that scours the world for distinctive objects. Vintage Louis Vuitton luggage. Ella Fitzgerald’s Hermes Kelly bag and Marilyn Monroe’s velvet chairs. The original mold of Frank Gehry’s iconic fish lamp. Stunning contemporary artworks by David Mach, Paul Emsley, Peter Clark and more.”
Balatro Gallery, 408 Hibiscus Ave., Palm Beach, (561) 832-1817 | Directions, invite a friend

• FAVORITE RESTAURANT: Christina’s. “I am a breakfast girl, and I adore the homemade Eggs Benedict at Christina’s. It’s the perfect mix of English muffin, bacon, eggs and Hollandaise sauce, with a side of potatoes. Yum!”
Christina’s, 263 NE 2nd Ave., Delray Beach, (561) 278-3200 | Directions, invite a friend

• FAVORITE SALON: Lisa Marie Owens Hair Salon. “Her skills are very well-known in South Florida; in fact, L’Oreal hired her as a traveling instructor. She does it all, from blond to pink hair color, on-point haircuts and special-occasion hair do’s. You will not be disappointed.”
Lisa Marie Owens Hair Salon, 610 Lucerne Ave., Lake Worth, (561) 585-8219

• FAVORITE DIVE BAR: The Sail Inn. “No doubt, the coldest beers, best jukebox, and they have the hook-and-ring game.”
The Sail Inn, 657 NE 8th St., Delray Beach, (561) 276-5147 | Directions, invite a friend

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

2010 McManis Family Vineyards Petite Sirah ($9.99, Total Wine) –
This isn’t just a Bold wine, it’s a deep wine: deep color, deep nose, deep palate. In other words, I liked it. It’s a purple-black wine, very dark, with a nose of fragrant, dark fruits. One of my sighworthy wines. On taste, it’s big cherry pop, licorice, a little smoky and some root beer (really). It’s a full-boded wine with a long finish that paired very well with high-quality burgers.

2010 Casa Silva Reserva Pinot Noir, Colchagua Valley, Chile ($12 online) –
This is a light-bodied pinot noir that smells of sour cherries (in a good way) and pretty, pink raspberries. On taste, it reminded me of cherry candies; a little too light for my taste in pinot noir. It would be a good wine for someone who is trying to learn about red wines, because it’s not too expensive, big or heavy and would probably be just right for a big white wine drinker.

2007 Hobnob Vineyards Shiraz, France ($9.99 online) –
This wine turned out to be the perfect antidote for a long day at the office. I went home, opened this, took a deep breath and found full cherries and a little earth. Then I took a sip and found cinnamon, a little spice, some more cherries and a nice-bodied wine with a medium finish. This was the first vintage for U.S. sales from this winery and it’s aimed at the young, hip crowd. It’s not too shabby after work for any age! It’s on my “buy again” list.

2009 Mandolin Syrah, Central Coast, Calif. ($11 online) –
A deep purple wine, with a deep nose of brambles and blackberries, this was just terrific with burgers. In fact, I used some of this wine when I made the burgers and it elevated those to a really yummy place. My notes say it’s a serene wine that has unity. On taste, it reflects the nose, very cherry with a smooth mouthfeel. A really, very nice wine. This is on my “you can give this to me as a gift anytime” list. Anyone listening? And you can’t beat the price.

2009 Caldora Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Italy ($9 online) –
Here’s a food-friendly wine that’s also under $10 – what’s not to like? This Italian red blend has a light bouquet with faint cherry and a little cocoa on the nose. Sipping brings an off-dry, red fruit taste, specifically sour cherries, light currants and a little cola. It’s great with cheeses or pizza or red-sauce pasta dishes. If you get a chance, I’d recommend trying this medium-bodied wine.

2009 Tamas Estates Double Decker Red, Central Coast, Calif. ($8.99 ABC Wines) –
This blend of cabernet sauvignon, petite sirah and barbera (it was a Bold blend for sure) had a light cherry nose, so I wasn’t sure it would live up to Bold billing. On taste, it had some zippy spice, and proved to be a good, casual sipping wine. It’s comparable to a good house red in Italy or France, as it was good with food, too. It’s a medium-bodied wine that’s not pretentious and, for the price, you can’t go wrong with this one.

Relish has become a go-to spot in Northwood. (Post file photo)

Northwood’s Relish is one of my favorite spots – it’s yummy, neighborhoody and has a menu with approximately eleventy-seven combinations of burger fillings, toppings, cheeses and other deliciousness. And they’ve added even more stuff since the last time I was there – mini mac and cheese, fresh hot doughnuts and mini corn dogs. I’m still partial to the polenta fingers, but it’s nice to have even more snacky variety to wash down with a red velvet milkshake. Hungry yet?

Relish, 401 Northwood Road. (561) 629-5377 | Directions, invite a friend

The lobster roll ($25) is one of Kabuki's signature dishes (Thomas Cordy / Palm Beach Post)

The Japanese art form of kabuki tells vivid stories through dance and theatrical performance. On Clematis Street in downtown West Palm, the new sushi and Thai tapas spot named Kabuki expresses its theatrical storylines on the plate.

Fresh, decadent sushi rolls — with names like Sugar Mama, Lava Drops and The Chick — are vibrantly presented. Soul-satisfying Thai noodles and curry dishes arrive in abundant portions. The bar pours some sexy cocktails, in addition to a selection of sakes, wines and beers.

Opened just two months ago, Kabuki is enjoying a well-deserved amount of Clematis Street heat, with its weeknights bustling and weekends remarkably busy. On my first visit to the stylishly set eatery, I found the place hopping. It was one of those very chilly nights during a recent cold snap, a Tuesday at that. Yet the place was alive with diners chattering against up-tempo tunes.

Directions, invite a friend

On that night, it was love at first bite for me — first bite, that is, of a 561 Ocean roll ($8, half roll), fresh diced tuna, cucumber, avocado and Japanese omelet in a light soy paper wrap. When dipped in the accompanying spicy ponzu sauce, the super-fresh, clean flavors just popped.

That roll shared space on our table with a couple of dynamite tapas. A pan-seared mini crab cake ($9), filled with lots of delicious crab and served with a kaffir lime leaf-scented panang curry sauce, offered an out-of-this-world bite. Ditto for a dish of beautifully pan-seared scallops ($9) arrived nestled in an orange reduction, with crisp bacon, edamame, sweet corn and baby carrots.

We sampled a couple of the eatery’s Thai dishes that night and came away with the feeling that there must be a Thai chef in the kitchen because the dishes were surprisingly delectable. (As it turns out, there are two Thai chefs in Kabuki’s kitchen, working alongside a Japanese chef, a manager told me this week.)

The shrimp pad Thai ($16) offered large, tender shrimp in a tangle of rice noodles tossed in sweet peanut goodness with scallions and bean sprouts. Though teetering on the sweet side, the pad Thai sang in lovely harmony.

At the recommendation of our friendly server, we also ordered a chicken in a coconut-rich, red curry sauce ($14) fragrant with Thai basil. It, too, was quite delicious, although it was overly laden with bamboo shoots.

Kabuki was hopping when I returned on a recent Friday night. Diners filled the eatery’s sidewalk tables as well as the tables, booths and sushi bar inside. On a Friday night, it feels as if Clematis’ own brand of kabuki theater is happening outside, as diners and club-goers shuffle through an invigorated scene. Just across the street, a new wine bar (the Wine Dive) is well populated. All promising signs that, despite the recent closings of Luigi’s and Bahama Mama’s, Clematis Street remains the liveliest street hub on downtown’s dining scene.

To reflect the street’s party mood, we ordered a Passion Berry Caipirinha ($10). Reflecting a backlog in orders, and service that is still a bit disjointed on weekend nights, the cocktail took a while in reaching us. When it did, it was delightful, a zingy drink infused with fresh raspberries and Brazilian cachaça.

The cocktail lent a fresh contrast to our Tempura Tapa ($9) starter dish of battered and fried shrimp, onion, sweet potato, broccoli and zucchini – all tender inside, crispy outside.

Next came a couple of appetizing rolls: a small, seaweed-wrapped salmon maki roll ($5) with buttery salmon bits and scallion, and a daimyo roll ($7, half roll), filled with chunks of yellowtail, tuna, salmon, avocado, scallion, smelt roe and a dab of wasabi mayo.

Like most of the dishes at Kabuki, the rolls go to the heart of the eatery’s quickly garnered popularity. They’re fresh, mainstream fare, accessible to a broad range of palates. Yes, this is a place with a good many tempura-meets-cream-cheese rolls. But it does what it does well.

Well, most of the time. Kabuki’s signature pineapple fried rice ($20), a curry-tinged rice with chicken, shrimp, vegetables, cashews and raisins, artfully served in a scooped-out pineapple shell, was not nearly as fluffy as the simple house fried rice ($2 with an entree). For all its dramatic staging, the rice was unevenly cooked.

However, the very mainstream (and demurely presented) salmon teriyaki ($20), a delectably moist Scottish salmon fillet lacquered sweetly and pungently, was one of our best bites of the night.

R E V I E W

Kabuki

FOOD: A-

SERVICE: B

ADDRESS: 308 Clematis St., West Palm Beach

TELEPHONE: (561) 833-6349

WEBSITE: kabukiwpb.com

PRICE RANGE: Moderate

HOURS: Open Sunday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday to midnight.

CREDIT CARDS: All major

RESERVATIONS: Accepted; walk-ins welcome

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes, including restrooms

WHAT THE GRADES

MEAN:

A

This week we pair Drew Barrymore's new movie 'Big Miracle' with food at Darbster.

The film: Big Miracle, opening Friday, in which a small-town Alaska TV reporter recruits his ex-girlfriend — a Greenpeace volunteer — to help save a family of gray whales trapped by rapidly forming ice in the Arctic Circle. | Showtimes, theaters

The food: Save the whales — or at least animals that typically wind up on dinner plates — when you dine at Darbster, a vegan bistro with a dog-friendly deck. The restaurant donates a portion of its profits to local animal rescue groups. And the chow’s not bad, either.

Darbster, 8020 S. Dixie Hwy., West Palm Beach, (561) 586-2622, Darbster.com | Directions, invite a friend

These are not your girlfriend’s cupcakes. There is no frilly pastel frosting piped on top. They are not delicate. They are not pretty.

They are big, bold, manly and totally down for a Super Bowl spread.

Since ease is key for Super Bowl feasts, we decided to start with a chocolate cake mix. To man-it-up, we made them big and added beer. And instead of pretty buttercream frosting, we’re dabbed and smeared whiskey frosting all over them. And to really take it up a notch, bacon. Of course, salted peanuts, pretzels or crushed malted milk balls also would also be terrific.

If you want, you also could make giant cupcakes; you just need an oversized muffin pan (sold at most kitchen shops). You’ll need to cook larger cupcakes longer (timing will vary depending on the size).

But whatever you do, don’t you dare add sprinkles.

Super Bowl Cupcakes

Servings: 24

Preparation: 1 hour (30 minutes active)

FOR THE CUPCAKES:

1 cup dark beer, such as stout

1/3 cup sour cream

1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

3 eggs

18.5-ounce package moist chocolate cake mix

FOR THE FROSTING:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

3 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup whiskey

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

FOR THE TOPPINGS (use any or all):

Crisp cooked bacon

Salted peanuts

Pretzels

Crushed malted milk balls

Heat the oven to 350°. Spray 24 muffin regular cups with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix together the beer, sour cream, oil, eggs and cake mix. Mix until thoroughly combined and smooth, about 2 minutes.

Spoon into the prepared muffin cups and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

While the cupcakes cool, make the frosting. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the butter, sugar, whiskey and vanilla until smooth and fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes.

When the cupcakes have cooled, add a smear of frosting to the tops, then sprinkle with your choice of toppings.

Per serving: 280 calories; 17 g fat; 50 mg cholesterol; 32 g carbohydrate; 2 g protein; 1 g fiber; 190 mg sodium

Wine Down Wednesday, 5-10 p.m., Romeo-n-Juliette’s Caffe, 1544 Cypress Drive, Jupiter. Enjoy half-price bottles of wine. (561) 768-3967 .

Ladies Night, 9 p.m. Wednesdays, The Blind Monk, 410 Evernia St., No. 107, West Palm Beach. Ladies enjoy two-for-one specials on all wines. (561) 833-3605 .

- Katie McBroom

TODAY

Jupiter Wine Tasting, 6-8 p.m. ABC Fine Wine and Spirits, 1260 W. Indiantown Road, Jupiter. Enjoy gourmet hors d’oeuvres to complement more than 50 wine selections and chat with wine experts. $10. (561) 743-0146 .

pbpulse.com/swirlgirls