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.

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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.

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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.

The Grilla Thrilla ($20) combines filet mignon, shrimp and chicken on one plate. (Brandon Kruse / Palm Beach Post)

When Lee Harrison needed to add an item to his menu last year, he created the dish he now describes as a “menage a trois” and has become a favorite among regulars of his Blue Anchor British Pub & Restaurant.

The Grilla Thrilla, which Harrison says is quite a detour from the pub’s staple of fish and chips, features a trio of grilled entrees, including filet mignon, shrimp, and chicken breast, which are served on a bed of fresh sautéed spinach. The dish is then finished and served with the restaurant’s homemade shrimp scampi sauce.

“The filet sells well, and the shrimp sells well, so we put both on a bed of fresh spinach and tossed it to an unsuspecting crowd,” says Harrison, the owner of Blue Anchor. “They loved it.”

Harrison recommends pairing the dish with the house red wine, a Sterling Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, and said the English sherry truffle dessert, which is served with Devonshire custard, is a perfect complement.

THE INFO: Blue Anchor British Pub & Restaurant, which serves British and American dishes, Anchor is located at 804 E. Atlantic Ave. in Delray Beach. The restaurant is open from 11:30 a.m. until 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and opens at noon on Sunday. Drinks are served until 2 a.m. seven days a week. Phone: (561) 272-7272. | Directions, invite a friend

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

Chef Allen Susser has a slew of burger choices at Palm Beach Gardens' new BurgerBar. (Taylor Jones / Palm Beach Post)

As upscale burger joints go, BurgerBar by Chef Allen is a looker. The sexy modern color scheme mixes blacks and deep charcoals with great pops of red. The wood floors and reclaimed-wood table tops add warmth to a chic-casual spot where the chairs are garbage-can metal (nifty, recycled, but not so comfy).

Printed boldly on one chalkboard-black wall, the menu is a sight to behold as well, teasing a newcomer with tempting offerings from braised pork belly sliders to anisette-glazed chicken wings, Nutella bourbon shakes and a spicy, oozy burger that goes by the name The (Hot, Delicious) Mess.

Add to these hipster foodie trappings the culinary weight of a James Beard Award-winning chef like Allen Susser, one of the original Mango Gang members, and you’ve got quite the promising package. You’ve also got tremendous expectations going into a place like this. I know I did.

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So maybe it was the expectation that I’d be wowed by BurgerBar that left me feeling underwhelmed by my recent visit to the Palm Beach Gardens eatery that opened barely two months ago with a red-carpet, VIP bash complete with girls in gold glitter body paint.

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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

Veal medallions with prosciutto-wrapped shrimp and sweet pea risotto. (Taylor Jones / Palm Beach Post)

There’s a great little surprise of an eatery tucked between a Staples and a multiplex cinema in a busy Jupiter strip plaza. Samantha’s American Cuisine sits unassumingly, but certainly not unnoticed.

The 7-year-old restaurant is bustling on weekends with regulars who can’t get enough of Samantha’s signature dishes, all generously portioned. On a recent visit, I came to realize what keeps bringing them back to this cozy spot.

The allure isn’t just one dish or one nightly special, but a seamless experience of fresh, well prepared, beautifully presented food and attentive service. Whether you’re seated at the al fresco patio or inside at the bar or in either of Samantha’s two small dining rooms, your experience begins with a soul-warming touch: a basket of warm and crusty baguette-style bread and a dipping dish of garlic-scented, Parmesan sprinkled olive oil.

If this is your first visit, your next dish absolutely should be the house’s signature crusted calamari with roasted crispy portobello, basil, lemon, sweet cherry peppers and chef/owner Edward Bonsignore Jr.’s famous “twisted tomato scampi” ($11). As calamari apps go, this is one deliciously blinged-out rendition: the calamari, tender inside its crisp-fried crust, is tossed lightly with a garlicky, lemony sauce that’s deepened by a few crushed tomatoes and the pop of pickled mild cherry peppers.

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The Cottage's salmon stuffed with crabmeat special sells for $21.95. (Brandon Kruse / Palm Beach Post)

The dish: Salmon stuffed with crabmeat dinner special. Paired with red skin potato garlic mash, sautéed asparagus and thinly sliced onion straws. The dish sells for $21.95.

The restaurant: The Cottage, Lake Worth

Although chef Alfred Gaymes revamped his menu at The Cottage in Lake Worth two months ago, it is the salmon stuffed with crabmeat dinner special that has been their biggest crowd pleaser.

“There was such a demand for it, so we just decided to do it as a special every night,” said Gaymes.

The crabmeat is sewn into the salmon and finished in the oven. Gaymes then covers the filet with a caper and lemon beurre blanc that adds a salty complement to the sweet crab. “The sauce is so strong, it really brings out the whole dish,” said Gaymes. “It’s rare to find a freshwater dish with such strong flavor.”

THE INFO: The Cottage, 522 Lucerne Ave. Phone: (561) 586-0080. Serves breakfast starting at 8 a.m. daily, and dinner from 5 p.m. to 12 p.m. Sun.-Thu. and from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fri. and Sat.

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