THE DISH: Sicilian sardine escabèche. $14

THE RESTAURANT: Boulud Sud at Café Boulud

I know what you are thinking… sardines? I’m not sure I’ve ever met one I’ve liked. But Café Boulud Executive Chef Jim Leiken rocked my whole world view with this light and elegant dish on the new Boulud Sud summer pop-up menu. The usually strong and salty fish is lightly seasoned and cooked in a white balsamic vinaigrette, served with toasted pine nuts, plump golden raisins, sliced taggiasca olives, crips fried capers and shaved fennel. On first bite, I was pleasantly surprised by the perfect balance of flavor. By bite three, I was convinced Leiken is the culinary equivalent of Da Vinci, Einstein or Bach.

“For me, this dish is definitely a surprise,” says Leiken, who is simultaneously running the kitchens for Café Boulud and its summer-pop up, Boulud Sud. “It’s usually impossible to move sardines on a menu, but this is a nice, clean presentation. We made the effort to get really good sardines and our clients appreciate it. It’s a very strong fish, but the acidity of the white balsamic balances it out. With the sweetness of the raisins and the crispness of the capers, pine nuts and fennel, you hit all the touchstones.”

THE INFO: The Sicilian sardine escabèche is an appetizer on the à la carte menu and also an option on the weekend prix fixe menu at Boulud Sud. The Mediterranean summer pop-up restaurant serves dinner nightly through Sept. 2 from 5:30 to 10 p.m. at Café Boulud Palm Beach, The Brazilian Court Hotel & Beach Club, 301 Australian Avenue, Palm Beach. A $35 four-course prix fixe menu is available until 7 p.m. on Saturday and all-night Sunday. Phone: (561) 655-6060.