Palm Beach, you're in for a treat. Next week, restaurateur David Tornek and chef/co-owner Sean Brasel will be opening the third location for their popular Miami Beach restaurant, Meat Market.
Tornek and Brasel said they won't be straying from the elements that have made the original Miami Beach restaurant a success: a high-energy bar scene, sophisticated clientele, standout culinary creations, and a Wine Spectator award-winning wine list.
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The duo have been part of the Miami dining scene since the late 1990s. Both men are considered instrumental in the evolution of the South Beach culinary landscape, beginning with their first restaurant, Touch, South Beach's modern American restaurant.
Next, Tornek and Brasel opened Meat Market in 2008, a contemporary steakhouse on Lincoln Road that has become a Miami Beach staple, garnering glowing reviews and recognized as a must-see dining destination for locals and visitors alike.
A second location opened last fall in Puerto Rico, at the El San Juan Hotel & Casino. Now, Tornek and Brasel are looking to influence the Palm Beach dining scene with what will be their third Meat Market concept.
"There really isn't anything like the Meat Market experience in Palm Beach," says Tornek. "There's a great food scene in Palm Beach, but there aren't many contemporary, chef-driven steak houses around. We think Meat Market will really elevate the dining scene [there], and be a great complement to existing restaurants in the area."
Tornek says he and Brasel had been searching for the perfect location for several years before deciding on Palm Beach. At the moment, the pair do not have plans to expand the concept further.
Meat Market's contemporary eatery sets itself apart from the average steakhouse by featuring a diverse menu that includes a wide array of prime meats, seafood, and raw bar offerings. To execute the menu in Palm Beach, newly-appointed chef de cuisine David Valencia -- who most recently helped chef Hung Huynh to open Catch in New York, and Catch Miami Beach -- will be working with Brasel. Valencia will put his own stamp of creativity on the menu, which promises Meat Market's signatures, as well as specialty dishes unique to Palm Beach.
"The menu in Palm Beach will feature our signature dishes, but we will have minor tweaks in all areas of the menu based on our customers in each location and their preferences," says Brasel. "We have updated several new dishes to the menu. For example, we added the octopus carpaccio to the crudo offerings, as well as the beet salad with baby frisée and roasted beet mousse."
Additional specialty selections will include house-made charcuterie, a rotating cheese plate, wood-roasted branzino, and several new meat cuts that will be introduced as entrée specials, says Brasel.
To appeal to all the senses, the Palm Beach restaurant has been designed by Anthea Bosch-Moschini of Studio ABM Design. The 3,000-square-foot restaurant and lounge will offer patrons "sensual, upscale environs -- a melding of South Beach panache and Palm Beach sophistication." A spacious dining room will feature vaulted ceilings with wood paneling, cream terrazzo floors embedded with mother of pearl, and custom-designed glass blown pendant orb lighting. Similar to its sister location, the restaurant will be lined with bleached white oak, modern mirrors, and pony-skin panels while Hermès-inspired leather tufted banquettes will be paired with espresso stained oak tabletops.
Also like its Lincoln Road counterpart, Meat Market Palm Beach is expected to have a bustling bar scene and will offer an innovative cocktail program. Mixologist Ezra Pattek will be creating specialty drinks like the spicy rum Old Fashioned with Zapaca rum, Ancho Reyes chile liqueur, and chicory coffee tincture. The Some Like it Hot will offer guests an interactive cocktail experience: they can choose their preferred level of heat by asking bartenders to custom-blen the Ocho Reposado, raspberries, lime, and house made habanero agave nectar.
The restaurant will be open on Monday, September 29 starting with dinner service; lunch will begin in December. Meat Market is located at 191 Bradley Place in Palm Beach. Visit meatmarketmiami.com, or call 561-354-9800.
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