Top 5 dining deals for Palm Beaches Restaurant Month 2022

Another summer, another dining promotion for locals, tourists and our new population of permanent snowbirds.

The Palm Beaches Restaurant Month, a rolling feast hosted by the county’s tourism arm Discover the Palm Beaches, will give diners access to a smorgasbord of discounted multi-course lunches and dinners at top eateries. The Aug. 1-31 promotion will spotlight 130 participating restaurants, including two with James Beard Award acclaim: The Regional, chef Lindsay Autry’s (three-time James Beard nominee) Southern-meets-Mediterranean kitchen in West Palm Beach; and The Butcher’s Club, a PGA National Resort & Spa steakhouse in Palm Beach Gardens from chef Jeremy Ford (2022 James Beard semifinalist), who earned his first Michelin star for Miami Beach’s Stubborn Seed in June.

The dining month — expanded from a weeklong deal in 2021 — kicks off at 6 p.m. Aug. 2 with a Friends of James Beard Benefit, a multi-course dinner with Autry and Ford at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens. Tickets, at $195 per person, are pricier than the prix-fixe deals you’ll encounter here, but the food is prepared by celebrity chefs, so there’s that.

As a sign of our inflationary times, know that some eateries will add 15 percent (or more) in gratuities to the bill of fare. Meals will generally cost $22 to $28 for multi-course lunches and $35 to $65 for multi-course dinners.

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Be wary that some deals aren’t deals at all, but rather glorified coupons. The menu for El Camino Mezcal and Tequila Bar in West Palm Beach, for example, repeats the current happy hour. And take note: A handful of restaurants overlap with that of Bon Appetit Boca (July 1-31), the Boca Raton-centric dining promotion, but the deals are near-identical.

As of publication, some restaurants have yet to post their prix-fixes on the official Palm Beaches Restaurant Month website, ThePalmBeaches.com/RestaurantMonth, so call ahead to inquire — and don’t forget to make reservations. Has your head exploded yet?

No matter. Let’s simplify the whole thing with these five restaurant picks.

4580 Donald Ross Road, Suite 100, Palm Beach Gardens; 561-249-6760; TheCoolPig.com

Like a rock supergroup, this eatery from owners Tim and Jenny Lipman merges the owners’ acclaimed American kitchen Coolinary and sibling tapas bar Parched Pig into one mega restaurant-pub. The Lipmans’ menu changes constantly, but its $45 three-course deal is worth your attention now. Begin with sweet cornmeal hushpuppies with scallions and hot honey. For dinner, choose the buttermilk-brined southern fried chicken and jalapeño-cheddar waffle, topped with maple mustard and grilled lemon. If there’s room left, order the flourless chocolate intensity topped with caramel, fresh cream and dark chocolate shavings.

PGA National Resort & Spa, 400 Avenue of the Champions, Palm Beach Gardens; 561-627-4852; PGAResort.com

The Butcher’s Club is chef Jeremy Ford’s modern twist on a 1950s-era steakhouse, and for diners keeping track of the chef’s many accolades, this $65 dinner prix-fixe is arguably the hottest of the bunch. Begin with truffle jalapeño poppers stuffed with wagyu beef brisket prosciutto, aged cheddar and chives. Next, have the Kai-Kai tomatoes and burrata appetizer topped with black pepper, basil, oil, meyer lemon confit and croutons. For mains, pick Belle & Evans truffle chicken plated with buttery potato puree, brussels sprouts, turnips and natural jus reduced down from chicken feet, and a side of mushrooms sourced from Loxahatchee’s Gratitude Farms. (Craving steak? For a $15 upcharge, splurge on the 8-ounce filet mignon.) Finish with warm toffee cake soaked with hazelnut, rye whiskey and crème fraîche.

651 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach; 561-557-6460; EatRegional.com

Three-time James Beard Award semifinalist (and “Top Chef” finalist) Lindsay Autry helms this 6-year-old downtown staple influenced by her Southern and Mediterranean roots. Even more impressive: Its $48-per-person dinner deal, which begins with pickled pink shrimp with heirloom tomatoes, shaved radish, avocado and Old Bay aioli. For the main entree, choose pork loin Milanese with shaved summer peaches, kale, fennel and local honey dijonnaise. Conclude with dark chocolate budino, a custard infused with summer berries and dark chocolate and sea salt sablés (or French shortbread cookies). Note: A 20 percent gratuity will be automatically added to the bill.

233 NE Second Ave., Delray Beach; 561-739-1705; EmberGrillDelray.com

Sharing a space with Rosewater Rooftop and Michelin-starred chef Akira Back’s namesake eatery, this wood-fired grill inside the boutique Ray hotel opened last fall under executive chef Joe Zanelli (Wolfgang Puck, Daniel Boulud). First, a note: Ember is touting not one but two competing prix-fixe menus, one on its website (now through Sept. 30) and another for Palm Beaches Month (Aug. 1-31). We’ll focus on the Palm Beaches deal here: Start with eggplant dip, feta cheese, garlic confit and chili oil smoked inside Ember’s wood-burning Josper grill imported from Spain. Continue with wood-fired Scottish salmon with roasted tomatoes, sauteed spinach and aji amarillo sauce. Finish with sticky toffee pudding drizzled with caramel sauce and white chocolate ice cream.

52 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach; 561-330-3232; Sub-Culture.org/Dada

Since 2000, this downtown Delray institution has occupied a charming historic house in the shadow of a 100-year-old banyan tree. (And, if it helps you, it’s a Yelp favorite.) Its $45-per-person, three-course, prix-fixe begins with crispy cauliflower tossed in yuzu sweet chili sauce, gochugaru chili powder, sesame and cilantro. For mains, pick braised short rib plated with mashed potatoes, smoked tomato jam and gravy. For dessert, indulge with a warm banana bread muffin with vanilla ice cream, macadamia nuts, cinnamon crunch and caramel sauce.