When four-star chef Daniel Boulud finally decided to launch an outpost outside New York City, he didn't follow his competitors directly to Vegas. Instead, he opened Café Boulud in Palm Beach's Brazilian Court Hotel. Zach Bell, a Boulud protégé, has kept much of the Manhattan original's French-American menu while adding locally inspired dishes, like grouper with sour orange­tomato broth (301 Australian Ave.; 561-655-6060). Another newcomer is Londoner Sean McDonald, a Marco Pierre White disciple who's just taken over The Grill at the Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach. His dishes include a Study of Foie Gras: Seared, Confit, Soup and Parfait (100 S. Ocean Blvd.; 561-533-6000).

—Carla Ranicki

Published December 2003