Southern Hospitality: Palm Beach's Best Steakhouses, Seafood Spots & Stylish Newcomers

It may seem counterintuitive in an oceanside resort area, but steakhouses abound in Palm Beach county, and here are our favorites:

One of the most fun restaurants in the area is New York Prime, where an upbeat bar scene and live pianist gets diners on their feet.  Service is impeccable and steaks, from petite New York Strip to a 40 oz porterhouse, melt in your mouth. Brussels Sprouts are deliciously charred, crab cakes are made with no filler, and a thick cut of salmon comes topped with portobellos. Don’t miss the chocolate cake, studded with dark chips.

A whole South African lobster tail lightly fried, cut into crispy pieces and served with Greek honey-mustard aioli is the stuff at Chops Lobster dreams are made of, but if you prefer something lighter, there is an extensive raw bar featuring colossal stone crab claws, whole lobster and caviar. Steaks including a tomahawk bone-in ribeye or Japanese wagyu come with sauces like triple creme blue cheese butter; lamb chops are triple cut porterhouse, and those who crave local fish can’t do better than the black grouper.

One of the newest entries onto the steakhouse scene, this outpost of legendary New York meat Mecca Gallagher’s opened in Boca last year and immediately drew a loyal following.  Appetizers include hamachi carpaccio with grapefruit and yuzu-cilantro reduction; and bacon with chipotle pineapple glaze; while entrees range from prime rib and rib veal chop, to tuna steak and Dover sole. Swordfish, some of the tastiest around, is a deal at $36.

Another relatively new spot is Pink Steak, one of the stylish places transforming West Palm Beach. Owned by Avocado Grill chef  Julien Gremaud, it retains the island colors and symbols – pink, green and flamingos – and if you can’t decide which steak to order, you can opt for the tasting of all cuts, including Japanese wagyu and truffle butter filet. Don’t miss the cauliflower with labneh and walnut dukkah.

Among the oldest and most stately, clubbish restaurants in Boca, Abe and Louie’s has some of the comfiest booths and an impressive wine list. Nightly specials include cuts of meat and a selection of fish such as gold spotted bass, while the regular menu offers indulgences like a “Million Dollar Baked Potato” with ossetra; wagyu filet mignon, and porterhouse.

A second location of famed Wall Street spot Harry’s Bar & Restaurant has set a new style for West Palm Beach, luring diners from the island across the bridge. The famed Beef Wellington with truffle sauce has made the trip south, as has the prime “Delmonico Cut’’, rack of lamb and tempura onion rings.

You can go for a $120 Wagyu ribeye, or a $35 hangar steak at Wine and Spirits Kitchen, a hopping spot with a wall of wine choices. Salads are exceptional – try the Chopped Kitchen Sink with everything from Persian cucumbers to Japanese sweet potatoes – and if you’d rather skip meat, the shrimp & lobster étouffée with wild rice and lobster chili butter is a standout.

If you are starting to get the itch for a vacation in Italy, you can warm up in Palm Beach county, known for its bountiful supply of great ristorantes and trattorias.

The newest on the block is Gabriella’s Modern Italian, a beautiful addition to Delray from restaurateur Franck Brusco. The bar is already a scene, and tables are enjoying spicy rigatoni, grilled artichoke, smoked burrata and exquisite meatballs. Branzino is served with a citrus-caviar buerre blanc, and if you wonder why the Pat LaFrieda meats are prepared so perfectly, it might be because Brusco owns an Italian steakhouse in New Jersey.

Family run Villa Rosano has been popular in Boca for decades, and it’s probably because there is something delicious for everyone. Start with a perfect pizza for the table (the ones with rapini or eggplant parmigiana are good choices), and move on to 14 different salads, including a crispy calamari, and a Mediterranean with feta and grilled chicken. Pastas include fiocchi stuffed with 4 cheeses and pear in a gorgonzola sauce; and chicken and veal are prepared in a variety of ways including Alessandro, with mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and spinach.

One of the best loved high-end destinations in Boca is Casa D’Angelo, and chef Angelo is teaming up with Dan Marino and former quarterback Damon Huard for two wine dinners this month at his Fort Lauderdale and Aventura locations. The football players own a wine company together, called Passing Time Wines.

Mia Rosebud, the upbeat Italian in Boca, is a great spot to go with a group, because portions are oversized and sharable. Pasta, like mafaldine bolognese, is prepared perfectly al dente, and the chopped salad is a wonderful, crunchy toss including romaine, beefsteak tomato, beets and corn. Meats, like lamb chops oreganata, or parmesan-crusted pork chops are particularly tasty.

If you are craving local seafood, City Oyster is one of your best bets. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, it has a legendary raw bar, extensive sushi roll selection, crudo offerings with jalapeno and passion fruit, and yummy seafood selections such as sweet potato-crusted local mahi. Daily market fish can be ordered sautéed, grilled or blackened, and is served with jasmine rice and sautéed vegetables. Don’t skip the chocolate sorbet.

Pistachio baked clams, grilled diver scallops with sage rice, or Key West pink shrimp are good kick offs at Ona Coastal Cuisine, an oceanfront newcomer within the Marriott Singer Island.  Pasta lovers should try lobster saffron tagliatelle, and the chef has a wonderful touch with simply grilled fish, or for those who prefer flavorful add ons – pomegranate-glazed salmon or almond-crusted mahi.

There are very few restaurants that sit on the sand so that you can watch the waves while enjoying fresh seafood, and Oceans 234 is one of the best. Start with the harvest salad, studded with maple roasted squash, cranberries snd crumbled goat cheese; or a lobster sushi roll. Catch of the day includes super fresh Florida fish like grouper or varieties of snapper accompanied by kale and potatoes; and there is also a whole crispy fish.  Land lovers can opt for rack of lamb with mint chimichurri and lime labneh.

In an ocean of noisy restaurants, sophisticated PB Catch is a haven, and a great choice for pescavores. Cozy up in a corner booth and try watermelon salad, or something from the “seacuterie” section, like cured escolar. Entrees range from macadamia-crusted mahi or seafood bouillabaisse, to filet mignon, or a vegetarian plate with raspberry vinaigrette.  Nightly specials are a good way to go, and don’t miss the basil jasmine rice.

Herbs grown in the restaurant’s garden enhance swordfish from Ft. Lauderdale or golden tilefish at Driftwood, a locavore’s down home restaurant. Try the roasted cabbage and black-eyed pea succotash with butternut squash, mushrooms and other produce grown at nearby farms, or the cacao-rubbed short ribs.