Southern Hospitality: Greek Cuisine, New Dining Hotspots & Premier Golf Elevate Palm Beach County's Luxury Lifestyle

Fans of Hellenic cuisine know there is another restaurant in Boca, called Taverna Kyma, that has been around for decades, and has a very different vibe.  Recently rennovated so it’s even more welcoming, the atmosphere is relaxed, and the food declicious and healthy. You can start with one of the salads, like the Greek kale with barrel-aged feta.  It’s massive, super fresh, and only $14. Shrimp is extra tasty from a marinade of lemon orange zest, and calamari is wild caught, as is local grouper.

You can’t go wrong whether you choose a local fish, or imported lavraki or salmon – everything is fresh and perfectly prepared. For those who prefer meat, the lamb chops, chicken and filet mignon are all wood-fire grilled.

Even in the days when Palm Beach used to roll up the sidewalks by 9:30, Cucina was a spirited place on the island, where people actually gathered later at night. Now the island is more active, but diners still head to there for good Italian food, and the owners have branched out, opening La Marina at Rybovich, an instant hit with fantastic views and great boat and people watching.

Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, the company behind Ocean Prime in New York, is opening a new location of its steak and seafood restaurant, Del Mar, in the NORA district of West Palm Beach. Since it’s already popular in Ft. Lauderdale, and will be the first major restaurant in the new district, there is a lot of anticipation.

Palm Beach is, of course, known for its myriad private golf clubs, but you don’t have to be a member to play a beautiful course. The county owns and runs some spectacular links, and the city of Boca has a magnificent one of its own.

Situated in a nature preserve Okeheelee in West Palm Beach is a particularly scenic 27-hole course. You will experience wildlife sightings and a lot of water hazards, which are both picturesque and challenging.

Another county-run 27-hole course, Osprey Point, is located in West Boca, but farther east than most of these courses, and has an intimate private club feel, along with plush premium Platinum Paspalum turf, which players appreciate.

If you want to brush up on your short game, the Palm Beach Par 3 is a wonderful choice. It’s nestled in between the ocean and Intracoastal, so it has stellar views, and you can easily walk the course. It also has an excellent restaurant, Al Fresco, run by the same family that owns Renato’s on Palm Beach island.

You can also check into a hotel with a great course, like PGA, or the lovely Belgrove, that opened last year and has access to the private course, Dutchman’s Pipe. At either you are likely to spot professional tour players. Both these resorts actually have spas with outstanding services, and the new Society 48 restaurant at Belgrove is well worth a visit.

While it doesn’t have golf, the newly renovated Marriott in Boca Center is a fun place to stay. It has modern rooms that feel clean and new, with huge windows offering dazzling city views, and a pool setup that rivals any top resort. The hotel also has a surprisingly good restaurant, Sonrisa, with scenic al fresco seating, and a range of tasty offerings, from blackened Florida grouper with cilantro mash; to filet mignon with garlic salsa verde. If you want variety, you just have to step outside the door and head to Rocco’s Tacos, the popular and upbeat Mexican, or one of the other spots in the center.

You might be surprised how light, crisp and delicious sourdough pizza can be, and at How Ya Dough’n, which has two locations in Boca, a third on a way, and another in Boynton Beach, it comes in a variety of pies, including pistachio, which has become surprisingly popular.

While we are all waiting excitedly for next month’s opening of the Flora Foods restaurant, Angela’s Bar and Kitchen, we can get a sneak peak at the flavors by picking up some of their imported products, like pesto or tomato/basil sauce, aged balsamic, or velvety extra virgin olive oil from Puglia. It is cold-pressed for a richer flavor, and to retain nutrients, has no chemical additives, and imparts a wonderful fruity flavor. The dark bottle helps preserve it and gives it a longer shelf life. It also lowers LDL cholesterol, so it may give you a longer life too. Flora foods.com.

And if you want to extend your health during those extra years, Lifetime is expanding beyond traditional fitness, to advanced wellness. The club, which already has spas, has introduced MIORA at the original Boca Raton club. The physician-supervised concierge-style system integrates members’ fitness and wellness routines with advanced diagnostics and continuous care.

The program starts with an analysis of over 70 biomarkers to uncover underlying imbalances across key body systems, and a plan is derived from there. All members enrolled get dedicated medical providers and registered dietitians to oversee their programs that might include anything from GLP-1 weight-loss therapies, to hormone optimization, to novel peptides and premium supplementation, all focused on optimizing health.