Superb shopping and Legal Sea Foods in Boca Raton

BOCA RATON: While staying in the Miami area recently, I convinced the family to make a day trip to Boca Raton. It had been more than a decade since I visited the area, but let me confess that I needed an excuse to dine at the fabulous Legal Sea Foods restaurant, which I had experienced last fall in Boston

Located in Palm Beach County, “Boca,” is known for its affluent social community and high income demographic. Before embarking upon our amazing dinner at Legal Sea Foods, we explored the different shopping options.

The Town Center on Glades Road is considered to be one of South Florida’s top luxury shopping destinations. It features an outstanding mix of upscale and elite specialty shops and a lineup of six department stores – Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s and Sears. Among the 220 stores at Town Center, you will find The Apple Store, Tiffany & Co, Louis Vuitton, Tory Burch, Lilly Pulitzer and many more.

Mizner Park is an upscale lifestyle center in downtown Boca. The Centre for the Arts at Mizner Park is a cultural center on the north end of the development, which is embodied by an amphitheater and the Boca Raton Museum of Art. The art museum, Victor’s Antiques & Fine Arts, Addison Gallery and the luxurious iPic movie theater are the center’s anchor stores, along with highly rated restaurants.

The Sample Road Festival Flea Market is actually located nearby in Pompano Beach. It is the country’s largest indoor flea market, featuring over 500 unique stores under one roof! Aisle by aisle you’ll find everything you ever wanted and specialty items you only dreamed of finding. The complex is a quarter-mile long.

Legal Sea Foods is located in the Town Center on Glades Road. At one time there were also Legal locations at the Sawgrass Mills mega-mall and in West Palm Beach. The Boca franchise is strong, popular and extremely well run.

The Boca restaurant has a really pretty look, complete with a large fish tank. Make sure to ask for manager Laura Nardi, a veteran of the Legal family who makes it her business to visit every table and even assist in the service. Their selection of fresh seafood is quite plentiful: swordfish, tuna, salmon, rainbow trout, mahi mahi, snapper, grouper, shrimp and sea scallops. Those members of our family who love lobster truly appreciate the serving method here. They take the lobster meat completely out of the shell, saving you all of the messy cracking and separation. The choice of sides include mashed potatoes, cole slaw, rice pilaf, jasmine rice, French fries, onion strings, spinach. Legal’s New England clam chowder is a wise starter. The same goes for the wedge and classic Caesar salads. There are some great desserts here as well, including the three bons bons – bite size scoops of ice cream dipped in chocolate. You can call 561-447-2112 for reservations.

Airport Parking: I have always preferred to take my own car to Trudeau International Airport in Dorval rather than cabbing it back and forth. The problem is the daily unaffordable price the airport charges. Enter the Sheraton Airport Montreal Hotel, which has convenient park and stay packages. Here you can relax in their newly renovated guest rooms and avoid the expense of airport parking. Spend the night (for as little as $144) with them before your trip, then park for up to eight, 15 or 22 days at no additional cost. You can book online or by calling 866-716-8101 end_of_the_and mention promo code SDQ. If you just want to leave you vehicle there, minus the hotel stay, the cost is only $12.50 per night (taxes included).

Hotel GM Kevin Gillespie is particularly happy with the global launch of Sheraton Social Hour, a first-of-its-kind, brand-wide premium wine program. It offers guests a specially curated menu of premium wines and weekly tasting events and features 90 plus wines rated by Wine Spectator and served in Riedel stemware to ensure that each varietal is presented in the perfect stemware that artfully enhances the wine’s flavor and aroma.