on the avenue cheers
Fifth Avenue Grill 821 S. Federal Highway 561/265-0122 http://fifthavenuegrill.net
fifth avenue grill
Nothing says the holidays better than prime rib, good scotch and twinkle lights. B y M a r i e S p e e d 24
delray beach magazine
OTA cheers nd.indd 24
In the late 1960s, tom Blum was a tollbridge operator and co-owner of PJ’s Barefoot Bar on Charlotte Street in Nassau, Bahamas. But that was another lifetime; in Delray Beach, Blum has made a name for himself with a decidedly more upscale venue called Fifth Avenue Grill (as well as his Intracoastal landmark, Old Calypso.) Fifth Avenue Grill opened in 1988 and is one of the trusted local standbys in Delray’s dining scene, with a comfort level reminiscent of all really great bars and steak houses. There is the requisite long, polished bar, the piano, the booths, and a menu with things like steak Diane and clams casino. Steaks are from Allen Brothers, bartenders really do remember your name, and there is old wood, old brick and deliciously dim lighting. “The bar was very well thought out,” Blum says. “I traveled to Boston and New York and took pictures of back bars—older places. The guy who did the brickwork for us did the original Down Under in Fort Lauderdale— telephone poles made into columns, wood floors. A lot of this stuff reflects the feel of the Down Under, which was my favorite restaurant for many years.” november/december
9/19/11 2:22 PM