I promised you more details on Dennis Max’s latest restaurants so here goes. . .
This week, Assaggio del Forno. This contemporary Italian restaurant in the Regency Court shopping center in West Boca will feature both small plates and artisan pizza baked in a wood-fired oven. Taking its cue both from Italian eateries in LA, Chicago and New York as well as Clay Conley’s excellent Buccan in Palm Beach, AdelF will offer mainly smaller plates at smaller prices so diners can, as Max put it, “graze their way through the menu.”
Culinary inspiration will be drawn from all of Italy’s regions, though given a contemporary twist. Look for an array of imported ingredients chosen by Max’s own buyer, who will make biannual trips to the Old Country in search of artisanal products, from new brands of dried pasta (“a whole different world”) to cheeses and charcuterie.
Also like Buccan, AdelF will break up its physical space into distinct yet connected areas, each giving diners a slightly different ambiance and experience. Seating 200 indoors and out, the restaurant will “juxtapose new and old,” Max says, with rustic materials like exposed brick, reclaimed lumber and poured concrete contrasting with sleek modern furniture and fixtures.
A chef has yet to be chosen from a field of local candidates, plus toques from California, New York and Michigan. I’ll get back to you when I hear who got the nod. Oh, and btw, expect the restaurant to make its debut in early December.
