Small plates are becoming a bigger and bigger deal, as evidenced by the latest small plates specialist getting ready to set up shop in our little corner of paradise.This one is Bocce Wine Bar & Tapas (1760 Jog Rd., West Palm Beach, 561/275-7000), which is slated to debut on Friday, March 7, in the old DiSalvo’s Trattoria spot. Owner Bob Higgenbotham, a well-known Rhode Island restaurateur who recently relocated to SoFla, promises an array of contemporary bites that aim to be both rustic Italian yet “experimental,” executed by top toque Wade Owens.
Owens has some serious notches in his culinary resume, having worked at such high-flying Big Apple eateries as Bouley (David Bouley), Alto (Scott Conant) and Dani (Don Pintobona). At Bocce he’ll be sourcing ingredients from local purveyors like Swank Farms, Farriss Farms and Miss V’s Organics, as well as the restaurant’s own garden.
That means tapas like cherry-smoked scallop with porcini panna cotta and mussels with charred Fresno chilies, grapefruit and guanciale, pastas like oxtail gnudi with horseradish brown butter, and big plates like roasted Lake Meadows guinea hen with fig mostarda, baby turnips, Swiss chard, lavender and guineajus.
Works for me. . .
