Last night after attending the Ultimate Chefs Dinner Palm Beach launch party at Café Boulud a few of us headed over to Clay Conley’s Būccan for cocktails and eats. Having opened in January 2011 to much critical acclaim Conley and his Būccan are running full throttle with no signs of a hiccup. We arrived around 8pm and Būccan was humming like a McLaren F1. Not a seat was to be had in any of the spacious dining pockets of the restaurant. Talk about timing, the bar area was three-deep and we were lucky enough to snag the last four seats in the “living room” where we bunkered down and huddled for a few hours.
Tuesday at Būccan is all-day Happy Hour, cocktails, beer and wine are half price. While this may be the reason for the gathering of the beautiful crowd in the bar/living room area; the dining room certainly held its own with diners grazing and socializing amiably in the vast dining room. The well-orchestrated performance kitchen was running on all cylinders churning out the many signature Conley dishes from the wood-fired oven.
Chef Conley’s menu of rustic foods such as the Hot Dog Panini, Fried Ipswich Clams and BBQ Quail are served as small plates in a moderate price range which are ideally designed for sharing. Chef Conley continues to dish his magic plate after plate. I wouldn’t say Būccan is a scene but rather the ”it” place on Palm Beach to be seen.
As the four of us were sitting in the Būccan ”living room” taking in and being a part of the cool Palm Beach vibe, in walks Darryl Moiles the executive chef of The Four Seasons Palm Beach with members of his team and the management team from Café Boulud, like I said, Būccan is definitely the “it” place on the island.
(click on the photos for an enlarged view)
Lobster Empanadas
No skimping on flavor or sweet chunks of lobster embedded in these pillows of fried air.
When was the last time you had a lobster empanada?
Bacon wrapped Florida Peaches
drizzled in an orange ginger glaze served with blue cheese and greens.
In true Clay Conley fashion this wildly flavorful plate was a home run. The description says it all. The key to eating this dish is to take a piece of each item on your fork and eat as one; thus enjoying the remarkable food sensation.
Squid Ink Orrechiette with sausage, conch, basil and chilies
Perfectly cooked pasta with a profusion of flavors that burst in your mouth makes this dish outrageously tasty but it is the finish with lemon that makes it a winner.
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Būccan 350 South County Road Palm Beach, FL 33480 (561) 833-3450
