Sometimes, reporting about restaurants is like pulling that one little thread on your sweater—suddenly, an entire arm has been removed!
So it was when I started writing about The Piñon Grill at Town Center closing last week. The Grill opened in 2010 by the Brimstone Restaurant Group, which also owns Brimstone Woodfire Grills in Pembroke Pines (the original) and Doral. And Brimstone just opened a new venue, The Beach House in Pompano (pictured above).
See what I mean? It gets more interesting.
Brimstone, until recently, also owned Grille 401 on Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. Now Grille 401 is owned by Danielle Rosse, who also owns Deerfield Beach’s Oceans 234. Her executive chef, William Middleton, is overseeing the kitchens in both restaurants for now, which is good news for the Las Olas venue, I’m sure. He’s very good.
And Danielle has impressed me—for the past two years I’ve known her—with her skill as a restaurateur. I’m happy to see her empire growing.
But back to the new Beach House in Pompano. It’s a neighbor of the Pompano Pier, opened March 23, and will have a grand opening New Moon Party on April 14. You’re invited, from 8 p.m. to close.
The main dining room menu from Head Chef Troy Beasley is heavy on seafood, of course, but also has burgers, chicken, a ribeye and a filet for those not tempted by sandwiches, salads, tuna poke, sushi and the fresh catch of the day. The rooftop menu will have light bites and a full cocktail menu, of course.
270 N. Pompano Beach Blvd., Pompano Beach; 954/607-6530. Hours: Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to midnight.
Palm Beach stalwart Charley’s Crab closes
A fixture on Palm Beach island since 1980, Charley’s Crab restaurant closed March 31. It was owned by Landry Inc., and was known for its seafood as well as its location overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. In the past few years, customers had complained about both food and service. A second Charley’s Crab in Jupiter closed in 2002.
Dennis Max moves out of Max’s Grille
Dennis Max is moving on.
He was touted as partner to Burt Rapoport opening Prezzo, but hasn’t been involved in that restaurant since it opened. And now he’s left Boca’s Max’s Grille, where he was co-owner with Rapoport and Fred Stampone. Rapoport and new partner BBX Capital Corp. are taking over. Word is that Max will also be changing roles at Max’s Harvest, and has plans to open something else. Given that famed SoFla Chef Mark Militello is available right now, well, the possibilities are endless. We can hope.
Speaking of Burt Rapoport, he’s selling his 17-year-old Henry’s in Delray Beach. And we will stop now, so your head can also stop spinning.
Lynn Kalber was raised in Boca Raton and has always worked in Palm Beach and Broward counties. She is a career journalist, with 26 years at The Palm Beach Post alone, where she wrote feature and food articles, edited the food section and wrote about wine as part of the Swirl Girls. She lives in West Palm Beach with her husband, writer and author Scott Eyman.
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