I’ll take ocean views with my burger, please

If you’re a local in the know, I’m sure you can rattle off a list of waterfront restaurants in Palm Beach County. But then your visiting niece has a whim for a beachfront lunch spot with ocean views -- and, no, she doesn’t want some resort-y place. Where’s that handy list? We’ve got one, a new mini-guide that sprinkles the sea salt on your waterfront dining experience.

Speaking of dining experiences, have you been to the big, new food hall that opened in downtown Delray Beach last Saturday? My colleague Cecilia Mazanec popped by there just before it opened. Here’s her inside look.

When it comes to the dining scene, the cycle of life is told in promising new openings like the Delray Beach Market food hall and the stories of beloved spots that bid farewell. That process seems more pronounced as the pandemic era drones on. Last week, I wrote about the local Lynora’s chain adding another location to its family of hipster-meets-home-cooking Italian restaurants. This one will open in Boca Raton later this year. (Pro tip for south county diners: Try the meatballs. They’re so good, you may find yourself gravitating toward Lynora’s Meatball Mondays for $2 meatballs and $5 classic martinis.)

The secret sauce behind the expansion of hip, local Lynora’s restaurant chain? It’s Mamma.

I also wrote about a popular burgers-and-blues spot, Double Roads Tavern, which closed in Jupiter last Saturday after 7 years of lighting up its patch of U.S. Highway 1. When local musician Vince Flora opened the tavern in 2014, he wanted to create a space for music lovers and a home for an eclectic range of local and visiting musical talents. And he did just that -- and served up some jazzy burgers, flame-broiled, lots of fresh toppings, on a brioche bun. Flora says he has other music-related projects in the works. We’ll stay tuned and hope they involve flame-broiled burgers.

Meantime, wishing you a delicious weekend!