Frigate's Waterfront Bar and Grill - No warship but North Palm Beach fun

Frigate’s Waterfront Bar and Grill

400 US Hwy 1, North Palm Beach, 33408

Boat dockage available

561-855-7497

www.frigatesnpb.com

Monday-Thursday: 11:30 a.m.- 11:30 p.m.

Friday and Saturday: 11:30 a.m.- 2 a.m.

Sunday Brunch: 9 a.m.- 1 p.m., regular menu 11:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m.

By Jane Feehan

A frigate was known as a war ship in centuries past but there is no such menace here. Located off US. Highway 1, Frigate’s has been operating for a year with good food and a casual Caribbean or Key West atmosphere that keeps the tables and two bars filled most days. Frigate’s also claims waterfront with dockage along a canal that leads to the Intracoastal, heightening a nautical theme.

Lots of basic seafood served (of course): scallops, lobster (and lobster mac n’ cheese) steamers, crab cakes, grouper, and shrimp. But an unpretentious menu also offers burgers chicken, steak and pasta. Our lunch of fish sandwiches and a lobster roll were seasoned perfectly and fresh. Frigate’s also serves some excellent fried pickles, a treat seldom done right out of the Deep South.

Outdoor dining on one of the terraced patios is the best way to enjoy Frigate’s. Though family-friendly during the day, Frigate's attracts a youngish crowd at night; it’s open late with live music. But whatever the age, don’t miss out on the casual fun–day or night. Check their website, www.frigatesnpb.com  for free appetizer offers, drink specials and events. Frigate's is a winner.

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Tags: Waterfront restaurants in Palm Beach County, waterfront dining North Palm Beach, North Palm Beach restaurants, live music North Palm Beach

Pelican Café - simple pleasures, sophisticated choices - North Palm Beach

Pelican Café

612 US Highway 1

Lake Park, FL 33403

561-842-7272

Thepelicancafe.com

Hours change to accommodate seasons – call to confirm

Breakfast and lunch: Tues-Fri -11 a.m. 2 p.m.

   Sat/Sun: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Dinner Tues-Fri: 5 – 9:30 p.m.

Catering available

By Jane Feehan

A few surprises await visitors to the Pelican Café, a busy restaurant north of West Palm Beach. The owners tout the café as a neighborhood place, “where Nantucket meets the Florida Keys,” but I’d drive miles to return to this eatery.

The décor, with its polished dark wood floors, vibrant watercolor paintings and tables dressed with fresh flowers hints of something special to come from the kitchen.  

Chef/Owner Mark Frangione delivers standards with a twist, Italian specialties from his mother's kitchen repertoire and special customer requests. He doesn’t shrink from the unusual. I savored perhaps the best chicken tacos I’ve ever eaten. Tender slices of blackened chicken, a generous slice of avocado and fresh chopped tomatoes sat atop finely shredded cabbage drizzled with a peppery flavored vinegar. A flavorful, slightly sweet remoulade balanced the savory dish. Fellow diner ordered a mahi mahi sandwich accompanied by sweet, finely shredded coleslaw of green and purple cabbage and carrots – an unusual blend of flavors and texture.

Pelican Café presents an array of lunch or dinner dishes, including Tuscan pizzas with some unusual toppings. Pasta favorites punctuate the menu, along with interesting salads (how about a goat cheese fritter salad?), and taste-tingling appetizers. Rack of lamb and filet mignon join a number of chicken dishes and fresh fish entrees. Their popular breakfast spotlights eggs Benedict, omelets and frittatas.  Moderately priced, the menu also includes a number of award-winning house-made desserts and an excellent wine list.   

Dinner reservations suggested.  A pet-friendly patio provides an excellent dining venue year round.

A word on the converted house the café occupies: The building was the guest house of Boston entrepreneur Harry Seymour Kelsey (1879-1957), once the largest land holder in Palm Beach County. Lake Park was named Kelsey City until 1939, long after Kelsey was hit by financial losses of the land bust of the late 1920s.

Tags: Breakfast in Palm Beach County, dining Palm Beach County, fine dining Palm Beach County, Sunday brunch North Palm Beach, pet-friendly dining, pet-friendly restaurant, dog-friendly North Palm Beach, Kelsey City, catering Palm Beaches, dining Palm Beach area

Lola's Seafood Eatery - Fresh seafood, stellar concept - Palm Beach Gardens

Lola’s Seafood Eatery

4595 Northlake Blvd.

Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410

561-622-2259

Open for lunch and dinner seven days

Mon-Thurs: 11 a.m. – 8:30 pm

Fri and Sat: 11 a.m. -  9 p.m.

Sun: 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.

TAKE OUT AVAILABLE

By Jane Feehan

If I hadn’t heard heaps of praise for Lola’s Seafood Eatery, I probably never would have stumbled upon it. Lola’s is hidden behind a large hedge off Northlake Boulevard in a small shopping center once the home of Joseph’s Classic Market.

Set up like a fast food eatery, Lola's is much more. It's order at the counter (they deliver to the table) but part of the menu changes frequently with catch-of-the-day specials.

With seafood galore and more, Lola’s serves a somewhat authentic fried shrimp po’ boy - not piles of shrimp like Gulf coast sandwiches where shrimp is cheap - but a pared down version, which was tasty.  Sides – fries, cole slaw, black bean and corn salsa – are packed with flavor and stand as exceptional complements to a  menu that includes New England style rolls - lobster, clam strip, or oyster and more elaborate fare such as seafood paella, a number of seafood salads, crab cakes, fish tacos, pasta bowls and chicken dishes. 

The best of Lola’s could be the three-course meals for $18 or less that feature fresh fish like scrod or wild salmon – a seafood bargain. Chef’s suggestions for these three course meals change daily. Dinners include soup or salad, fish entrée, and a dessert which could be a beignet, crème brulee or brownie. An ample selection of modestly priced wine and beer is available to top off a meal.

An attractive patio draws diners when the weather cooperates.  Expanding to a third location in Saint Lucie West (another operates in Stuart), Lola’s offers an excellent alternative to expensive fresh seafood dining.  It’s a winning concept that’s sure to catch notice. Family-friendly and very casual.

For additional restaurants in Palm Beach Gardens, see:

 http://janesbits.blogspot.com/2010/11/dock-boat-at-intracoastal-restaurants.html

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Tags: Palm Beach Gardens seafood restaurants, casual seafood in Palm Beach Gardens, lobster in Palm Beach Gardens, clam strip rolls in Palm Beach Gardens, fresh seafood Palm Beach Gardens

Waterway Cafe - It's all about Florida living

Waterway Café

2300 PGA Blvd.

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 33410

www.waterwaycafe.com

561-694-1700

 Lunch: 11:30am-4pm Mon-Sat
             11:00am-4pm Sun
  Dinner:4pm-10pm Mon-Thu  
                  4pm-11pm Fri-Sun
  Happy Hour: 
             4pm-6:30pm Mon-Thu
             3pm-6:30pm on Fri
  Light Menu Served in the Bar:
             until 10:45pm Mon-Thu 
                    11:45pm Fri-Sun
  Bar:     Until 11:00 pm Mon-Thu 
                    1:00am on Fri-Sat
                    midnight on Sun

By Jane Feehan

A meal along the Intracoastal Waterway is requisite to a visit to South Florida. At least it used to be. While the number of good waterside places to dine has dwindled in Broward County over the years, there are a few in Palm Beach County still worth the visit. Waterway Café in Palm Beach Gardens is one of them. 

Waterway has plenty of indoor and outdoor seating to accommodate weather – or preference. It’s also boat friendly.

Waterway’s food, though standard tourist fare, is varied and solidly good. A Chicken Caesar salad (about $10) was decked out with fresh Romaine lettuce and generous slices of juicy meat topped off with a well-seasoned (read: garlic – as it should be but seldom is anymore) dressing. The grilled Dolphin sandwich (about $12.00), served with a tasty tarter sauce and wedge fries earned good marks.  Daily specials included a meatball sandwich the day we were there and seemed a popular choice among diners.  

A note about the service: Our waiter was terrific but two staffers seating customers seemed grumpy and put out that we asked to be seated on the outdoor deck. First impressions were redeemed by the server. Thanks, Jason. © 2010. Jane Feehan. All rights reserved. To see additional waterfront restaurants in Palm Beach Gardens, Search this blog for "waterfront dining in Palm Beach Gardens"