Straightforward is the word I hear most when chefs and managers describe dishes at South Florida restaurants, be it the most humble local joint or the newest brasserie with access to the ocean. It's an apt description of the food at Boston's on the Beach in Delray Beach, the institution that reopened last week after it had been closed for six months of renovations.
"Where do I take my folks and their friends?" I texted a friend while sitting outside sipping a glass of wine at the Office. I was fairly sure the crowd I was steering in Delray wasn't up for a culinary adventure. I knew they didn't want a crowd. I knew they wanted dinner that was more than bar food. That eliminated over a dozen spots.
"Boston's on the Beach just reopened," texted my friend. "I can't vouch
for the food yet, but it's next to the beach." With a table as close to the ocean as you can get, the hostess secured us a table for five.
Boston's caters to the cost-conscious in search of a straightforward meal that's a cut above bar food. That said, it's still a mecca for sports fans, with wide-screen TVs displaying every game a Massachusetts native would ever hope to watch.
Featuring fresh, reasonably priced seafood that's simply prepared, Boston's would suit fans of clam bakes ($18 to $25), whole lobster (market), fried seafood baskets ($16), and a thyme-infused rendition of New England clam chowder ($5). If you're looking for local seafood -- as the name suggests -- you're in the wrong place. I can't yet speak to 50 Ocean's fancier menu upstairs. With the weather as lovely as it has been, outside is the place to sit, on the extensive covered patio with plenty
of elbow room, right across the street from the surf. Despite ocean access, it's far from the maddening crowd, offering terrific service from start to finish.
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