networking Archives - Take A Bite Out of Boca

This month’s ABZs Networking Crawl was all the way out west at the Delray Marketplace. I hate that it’s such a long drive because I really do like it over there. There’s Frank’s Theatre with IMAX movies and a bowling alley, a bunch of great restaurants, and a few little shops and boutiques. I need an excuse to make the half hour trip, and ABZs was it!

We started out the crawl at Terra Fiamma, one of the contenders in this year’s Meatball Madness competition. They served us three different flatbreads, all of which were devoured within seconds of the plates hitting the table. The Pomodoro Flatbread was piled with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, the Formaggi Flatbread was drenched in four kinds of cheeses, garlic and crispy rosemary, and the Truffle Flatbread was a decadent mix of mushrooms, mozzarella and truffle oil — that was my favorite. Truffle oil, as trendy as it is, really does make my tastebuds sing in the most beautiful ways. They also served the meatballs they entered into the competition — the Buffalo Chicken Meatballs and the Veal Marsala Meatballs. I heard rave reviews about the veal, but the buffalo chicken seemed to be a little too spicy for most palettes.

Next up was TAP Global Beer Collection, a craft-beer lover’s dream. This place reminded me of a log cabin, with wooden tables and chairs and a very rustic environment. Their beer list is massive, but for our event, they only offered about 5 or 6 beers (and a few wines) for a special price. I was boring and settled for a cider I’ve had before, Woodchuck Pear. For $3, I was fine with my choice. What I really enjoyed was the appetizer they served us — their house smoked fish dip and pita chips. TAP has a small menu of appetizers, but the kicker is that you can order food from most of the surrounding restaurants and have it delivered to you right there. Pretty awesome idea…

ABZ Networking Crawl: Delray Marketplace

After TAP, we went over to Cabo Flats. I have been wanting to try this place since I love Mexican food, but I wasn’t completely impressed. You guys know how I judge Mexican restaurants on their chips and guacamole, and I just wasn’t sold. The guac was just okay, and the chips were nowhere near as good at the ones I’ve had at Rocco’s or El Camino. BUT the other appetizers they served were good. I have to give them a thumbs up on their Macho Nachos, a huge mound of chips loaded with beans, pico de gallo, jalapeños, guacamole and a blend of cheeses. I was happy to see it was a vegetarian nacho dish — that rarely ever happens! They also served a Margherita Flatbread that I thoroughly enjoyed, until I happened across a jalapeño that was waaaaay spicy. I couldn’t feel my lips for a good five minutes. No joke. Good thing I had a free margarita to ease the pain…

As always, I met more new friends and made some great connections with other local foodies. I have no idea when I’ll go back out to Delray Marketplace, but I’m glad I got to check out these restaurants with a fun group of people!

I make it my job to be at just about every food and wine event in and around Boca, so when I was invited to join the ABZs of South Florida for their monthly Networking Crawl, you know I jumped at the opportunity! I had met the founder, Shana, at Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival in November and we reconnected again recently at one of the events for the American Fine Wine Competition. Obviously we have a lot in common, so we instantly hit it off. Shana runs a site called Boca Locals. She takes all of the best events in the area and puts them onto one local spot for you to find. Galas, festivals, cooking classes, wine dinners, and all kinds of business networking, music, entertainment and sports events… Anything you want to find in Boca, it’s all right here.

ABZs of South Florida is a networking group that takes people on a business networking “crawl” throughout a specific area. Last week we visited Downtown Delray and enjoyed free tapas and drink specials at SoLita, The Office, and Prime. I had such a great time hanging out with Shana again and got to meet a lot of other locals, including one of my new colleagues…the assistant art director from Boca Mag, Nancy!

Downtown Delray Networking Crawl with ABZs of South Florida

Shana, Nancy and I enjoying ourselves at The Office

The three hosting restaurants were so accommodating to our group in providing us with some delicious bites to nosh on while we sipped on yummy cocktails. I had never been to SoLita before and was actually blown away by how beautiful it is inside — definitely not what I imagined it to be. It has a very upscale Italian vibe, but still could be considered a casual place to hang out. There’s a really nice outdoor area in the front, and a giant bar and lounge area that wasa perfect hangout for our group. They filled the long high-top table with plates and plates of Tomato Bruschetta on crostini, their “Old School Meatballs,” and cheese ravioli. A classic Italian start to the evening!

We took a short stroll to our next stop, The Office, and were greeted immediately upon arrival by the very eager and excited manager. He made sure the bartenders knew who we were and to take good care of us. We were able to try their handcrafted cocktails for half off, so I got the first one to catch my eye: The White Blossom made with vodka, St. Germain elderflower liquer, pear, sweet gomme, fresh lemon juice, and sage. This was incredibly good… Really bright and flavorful without being overly sweet; everything you want in a refreshing cocktail. They really spoiled us with lots of fun appetizers from their menu, too: chicken wings, fish dip, baked pretzel bread, pulled pork, seafood dumplings. Nancy kept raving about their fried green tomatoes so we got an order of those for ourselves too. She wasn’t kidding; they were so good! I’ve never had this southern staple before and I’m really glad she suggested we get it.

Our ending point of the night was at Prime. This is another spot I haven’t been to, mostly because I tend to shy away from steakhouses. But Prime actually has a big selection of seafood and sushi, so I’ll have to keep it in mind. They put out an array of dishes for us including crab dip with crostini, meatballs in marinara sauce, and a beautiful display of sushi.

Photo courtesy of Shana Overhulser & ABZs of South Florida

I really enjoy events like this when you get to visit different places and try a good variety of foods. It makes for a fun night out. It’s better than sitting in one spot for the whole night and eating a one-note dish. That just doesn’t sound all that enjoyable, especially when you’re with a networking group. You want to get up, walk around, and talk to everyone. ABZs next event is going to be in Mizner Park on March 19th. They run from 6-9pm and are really reasonable in price. This one was only $12 if you prepaid and $15 at the door. AND for prepaying, you could also bring a guest for free! Not too shabby. I’ll be there in March. To all my local readers, I hope to see you too! Follow the group on Facebook to stay up to date!

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