Hidden Treasure : Culinary Cafe

Delray Beach is home to every kind of restaurant in every price range that one could ever want. You can go for months without ever eating at the same place. Atlantic Avenue is the ideal spot for a restaurant and its almost guaranteed success if something opens up on the ave. I was reading Atlantic Ave Magazine December issue and saw an article about a new restaurant called the Culinary Cafe. The article sold the place, it featured a three page spread about the restaurant and featured several pictures of what they had to offer, all looked mouth watering.

Instantly I couldn't wait to try it! I googled the address and saw that it wasn't on Atlantic Ave and actually was a in a small plaza on Federal Hwy with a locksmith and a pancake house, not exactly the kind of plaza you would expect to find a swanky eatery, and probably a poor decision that is hurting business. The focus of the restaurant is on fine wines and specialty dishes and that combined with the reasonable prices makes it worth the trek from the Ave.

The deal that drew me in was their happy hour tasting menu... Every Friday and Saturday from 4:30 to 6:30 they offer a glass of wine, and a sampling trio of menu items. This is a great value at $14.

My experience to say the least was amazing, everything was delicious and the chef even came out to make sure we were enjoying our food. We took advantage of the happy hour special. The trio included fillet mignon, seared scallops, and tuna tar tare. In addition we ordered the foie gras, which is a specialty item and is VERY pricey, however it was only $15 here and was very tasty! Everything was prepared exquisitely with extra attention to detail and flavors.

The atmosphere was great, but the location is a drawback for this fabulous place. Just like the title implies this is a hidden treasure that deserves a try. I've since been back twice and its was equally as good each time.