With a new menu, comes a new menu tasting, that is, if you’re food blogger — and this past week, our duties took us to Bogart’s of Boca for a multi-course dinner with Chef Aaron Goldberg. Already known for offering a menu of modern American comfort food with simplistic flavors, Chef recently updated the menu and added in 15 new food items ranging from a fresh Tomato & Mozzarella Salad to a Mushroom Pizza with roasted red peppers, leeks and truffle oil to a Home-Style Pot Roast with truffle whipped potatoes and baby carrots — and he spoiled us with an evening of deliciousness.
While we were able to try a multitude of dishes and our palates were surely dancing in delight, we found five main reasons for why you need to add Bogart’s to your dining list.
FIVE REASONS TO DINE AT BOGART’S OF BOCA
Hummus Trio
There’s hummus and then, there’s hummus and Chef Aaron’s hummus gives it new life. When you order hummus at Bogart’s, say good-bye to tradition and say hello to a vibrant trio of dishes that include roasted beet, garlic and avocado hummus. Pair with some crispy pita bread or eat it by the spoonful (no worries, we won’t judge), this nutritious snack is the perfect start to any meal.
Did we hear local?
We sure did and Bogart’s fully embraces this movement and they were the first restaurant group in the entire state to roll out the Fresh From Florida menu initiative, which encourages diners to buy locally-sourced food. They receive their potatoes from Jones Potato Farm, their lettuce from TKM Farms, their mushrooms from Monterey Mushroom Farm and the list goes on. You can actually go onto their website to see what farms they are currently working with.
That forbidden rice
Can we get a plate of that to go? No, really. We’d scoop that up in a heartbeat. This rice was a favorite bite of ours — not only because of the al dante texture and the Asian flavors, but also because it contains powerful disease-fighting antioxidants. Since rice wouldn’t complete us if we ate it alone, we were happy with how chef served the dish. A sweet, orange-miso glazed piece of salmon was served atop the forbidden rice and was then topped with a bok choy slaw and finished with a carrot-ginger emulsion — a perfect balance of flavors and textures.
Just make it a date night
In addition to being a fabulous place to enjoy a meal, a trip to Bogart’s oftentimes means a complete night out — and you don’t event have to leave the building. (Perfect for those rainy days). Guests can check out the latest flick, after (or during) dinner, as the restaurant is attached to the Premier level of Cinemark Palace 20. In addition to seeing a movie, customers can also get their competitive juices flowing and show off their skills at SLAM, the restaurant’s table tennis concept.
Sweet, it is
Because every great meal ends with a little sweet something, you’re going to want to save room for dessert. While Bogart’s does an excellent job of presenting the classics, we still can’t stop thinking about their jumbo ice cream sandwich. This refreshing treat, that’s large enough to share, layers rich, mint chocolate-chip gelato between two thin layers of flourless chocolate cake and is served with a chocolate drizzle and whipped cream.
Bogart’s Bar & Grille is located at 3200 Airport Road in Boca Raton; (561) 544-3044