Christmas with the Queen

So you’ve torn through all your presents on Christmas morning, and it looks like a two-ton wrapping paper bomb ravaged your living room. Now you’re basking in the afterglow of rampant commercialism, thinking that the last thing you want to do is clean up and cook Christmas dinner. But you’re stuck – every decent restaurant is closed, right? Wrong! Neither Christmas, nor Thanksgiving, nor the Rapture will stop the Leopard Lounge at the Chesterfield Hotel (363 Cocoanut Row, Palm Beach) from opening its velvet-lined halls. Think of it like the post office of supper lounges – only where things are always “first class” and there’s never a chance of somebody snapping.

And not only is the Leopard Lounge open; they’re serving a traditional English holiday feast that would make the Queen weep (Elizabeth, not Freddy Mercury). Chef Gerard Coughlin and the crew – known for serving eccentric versions of timeless English dishes – will give you the choice of a succulent roast rib of beef with homemade gravy, crispy roast duckling, or fresh caught salmon. For desert: made-from-scratch Christmas pudding set alight with brandy at your table, along with fruity, flaky mince pies. Leopard Lounge will also be providing loads of Christmas crackers (those are like fireworks, not dry bread) for you to toy with, and Sinatra tunes from blue-eyed crooner Adam Austin. There are three seatings, 1, 4, and 7 p.m., and each costs $49.95 per adult and $16.95 per child. For reservations call 561-659-5800, ext. 154.
Tue., Dec. 25, 2007