• Great opportunity to have an Atlantic Avenue location for a fraction of the price!
• Access directly from Atlantic Avenue!
• This 5,500 SF restaurant space is beautifully built out and fully equipped, just add your staff and open the doors! Large outdoor patio to host events and large parties.
• Rent—$6,000/month Gross plus utilities
• This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
• Atlantic Avenue has become the premier location for restaurants/bars in Palm Beach County and is showing no signs of slowing for years to come.

Asking $95,000 Key Money

VERY CONFIDENTIAL, MUST CALL & SIGN NDA

• 5,000 SF Greek Restaurant on 1.1 Acres on Federal Highway in Boca Raton.
• Seating for 250 Guests
• 71 Parking Spaces
• Beautifully built and decorated Restaurant/Bar with exposed show kitchen and large wrap around patio.
• Rent—$18,000/month Gross if business is purchased without property.

Asking $2.5 Million ($500,000 for Biz, $2M for property)

Contact Tom Prakas
P: 561.368.0003

C: 561-929-0111

F: 561.368.4303

E-mail: tom@prakascompany.com

1800 NW 1st Court

Boca Raton, FL 33432

Great opportunity to own one of Atlantic Avenue’s best locations.
This 5000 SF restaurant/bar was completely renovated in 2010 and is ready for a new operator with a fresh concept.
Seating for 170 Guests
Rent—$16,500/month Gross
Lease—12 years
Atlantic Avenue has become the premier location for restaurants/bars in Palm Beach County and is showing no signs of slowing for years to come. Get your spot on the Ave now before its too late!

$795,000

Contact:
Christian Prakas

P: 561.368.0003
C: 561-929-7999
F: 561.368.4303

E-mail: christian@prakascompany.com

1800 NW 1st Court
Boca Raton, FL 33432

We are pleased to present you with this Restaurant Space For Lease

This great Restaurant Ready Space is located in one of the highest visibility Office High-Rise in Downtown Ft Lauderdale! Located in the Wells Fargo Building at the corner of Andrews Avenue and Broward Boulevard.

Space Available:2,872 SF
Rental Rate:$16 /SF/YearSpace
Type:Restaurant
Lease Type:NNN
Date Available:Jan 2012
$16 /SF/Year

Description
This space is restuarant ready and already has grease traps, walk in cooler/freezer, and hood/ansul system. Beautiful High-Rise Office Tower in Downtown Ft Lauderdale with aggressive plans to be one of Ft Lauderdales premier office buildings.

Bar Louie just inked a deal to lease 200 Clematis, a space formerly occupied by Cafe Mediterraneo and, before that, by Pescatore restaurant. The two-story corner property sits right by the fountain and the newly opened view to the Intracoastal Waterway. It has been vacant for several years.

Boca Raton restaurant broker Tom Prakas put together the deal, along with CB Richard Ellis. The casual American restaurant is set to open after an extensive rehab, Prakas said.

Prakas said Bar Louie officials believe Clematis Street is enjoying a revival “and they feel good about the location and the fact that they can see the waterfront.”

Bar Louie briefly had a location at CityPlace, near Blue Martini, but the eatery closed not too long after it opened in 2008. The Texas-based chain still has a location in Boynton Beach, in the Renaissance Commons shopping center.

On its website, Bar Louie describes itself as a “casually cool neighborhood restaurant and bar.”

A Bar Louie manager at the Boynton Beach location said the restaurant hopes to be open by March.

***

Since Thanksgiving, Boca Raton real estate firm Mizner Grande Realty has been doing major damage control, hoping to quell the fallout from the disappearance of about $1.3 million in escrow money being held by an outside attorney on behalf of about two dozen Mizner Grande clients.

This month, Mizner Grande sued a former agent, Jon D. Rashotsky, claiming he stole the money, according to a lawsuit filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court.

The scandal has been the talk of the real estate community. It’s also a stark reminder that no matter how much scrutiny the industry has received since the crash, there are no guarantees when large amounts of money get moved around.

Back in November, Mizner Grande issued a pre-emptive press release, announcing it had fired Rashotsky for “improper disbursements.”

The 10-year-old firm also said it was developing a better plan to monitor escrow money and prevent “any future improprieties.”

Right before Thanksgiving, Mizner Grande owner Ari Albinder said he heard from a client that his deposit was missing and no one could reach Rashotsky. “I was shocked and floored. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing,” Albinder said.

In its lawsuit, Mizner Grande accuses Rashotksy of “scheming” to steal the escrow money by giving instruction to Boca Raton attorney Edgar Benes to disburse the money, which is unaccounted for. The lawsuit alleges fraud and breach of contract.

Albinder said the money had gone to “unauthorized parties,” but he did not say who they were. Normally, deposits cannot be released without signatures of the parties involved in the transaction, such as buyer and seller.

A Delray Beach police spokeswoman said an investigation is ongoing. Rashotsky could not be reached for comment.

Now at least one client is putting the blame squarely at the feet of Mizner Grande, as well as the lawyer who was responsible for safeguarding the money.

Jamie Fischer of Boca Raton alleges in his own lawsuit that Mizner Grande failed to conduct “an appropriate investigation” of Rashotsky before it hired him as an independent agent, resulting in the theft of Fischer’s $120,000 that was to serve as a down payment on a Delray Beach condo.

The lawsuit doesn’t specify what that investigation might have found, but it does say that a check would have revealed Rashotsky’s “unsuitability.”

Stephen Padula, an attorney for Fischer, said Mizner Grande is trying to deflect blame away from itself by suing Rashotsky.

But Albinder says the blame lies with its “rogue” agent, Rashotksy, and with Benes. Since Benes’ firm did the disbursements, Mizner Grande had no idea what was happening to its clients’ money, especially since Mizner Grande and Benes had no business affiliation, Albinder said.

Albinder said he has filed a Bar complaint against Benes, and a Florida Bar spokeswoman confirmed the Bar is investigating trust account violations involving Benes.

An attorney for Benes did not return a call seeking comment.

Albinder vowed to take “every legal measure to obtain the money back for victims.”

Mizner Grande attorney Tom Graner said some victims are assigning their losses to Mizner Grande, which will allow Mizner Grande to pursue Benes for the losses, with Mizner Grande footing the legal bill.

Description

Hailed as “The Ponce de Leon of New Floridian cooking” by The New York Times, Chef Allen was an original member of the Mango Gang, the group of chefs who helped put Florida cuisine on the map.

But forget the tropical-inspired fare that helped make him famous in the Miami area.

Forget Taste Gastropub, his Delan ray Beach venture that closed this year.

The chef has returned to his roots flipping burgers, and he is doing it in grand style at Burger Bar, his new gastropub at Donald Ross Village in Palm Beach Gardens.

This Burger Bar, created in a partnership with restaurant broker Tom Prakas and developers George and Lee Heaton, is Chef Allen’s second (the first is in Terminal 4 at Fort Lauderdale International Airport). He hopes the Gardens location will be a prototype for other concepts — an oceanfront Burger Bar is set to open next March in Vero Beach.

“It’s a chef burger concept. Everything that goes on in the kitchen, I take from a chef perspective, which means hands-on the quality the taste, the texture, the flavor, all of these are the first things that go into anything that comes out of the kitchen,” Chef Allen says.

Yes, it’s Burger Bar, but he has not entirely abandoned the tropicalinspired roots he cultivated over the course of 25 years at Chef Allen’s Restaurant in Aventura.

True to form, Burger Bar offers stone crab chowder, and an appetizers menu includes conch fritters and crab cakes. The Surf & Turf Burger includes giant grilled shrimp, and the Spicy Tuna Burger is made from sushi-grade tuna steak. Even the chicken wings are available with a Jamaican jerk-style seasoning.

“To me, people want to eat where they are. They have to feel where they are. I don’t want to be out of context,” Chef Allen says. “The context: We are in Florida. The foods of Florida still sync with the 90-degree heat, 90 percent humidity.”

So the food reflects the locale. Still it’s a bit of departure from a 30-year career of tropical-infused fare that earned him a James Beard Award.

“Our world has changed around us and I’m very big into food changes,” Chef Allen says.

“People want more comfort food. There’s a lot of stress out there in our world in the past two, three years. The way we dine has changed completely. At the same time, our awareness of quality in food is also been fivefold through communication and transportation, through the Internet, the food network all-star chefs and just all of these programs and culinary events and culinary risings of ingredients.”

That’s where an award-winning chef comes in.

“What’s cool about this is at this moment is the same quality of beef I used at Chef Allen’s of prime meats and proper cuts and knowing the cuts of meat and being able to use that and the grinds,” he says. “The same meat that I would charge a $50 steak for now I can sell as a $10 burger.”

He also sells a $25 burger — the Gold Leaf — which is adorned with 23-karat edible gold. The chef, known for raising money for food banks, says proceeds from the sale of that sandwich will be donated to charities such as Share Our Strength and Feeding South Florida.

But that is just a hint of glitz — at Burger Bar, Chef Allen says, the emphasis is on comfort.

“People don’t want to be challenged too much. There has to be a comfort level to what they’re eating. It could be excellent. It could be a little challenging, but there has to be a comfort essence to it. That comfort essence is this American icon — the burger,” he says. “And unless you’re from France and you’re looking at this burger and say ‘Oh, my God. I’m supposed to pick this up or something?’

“What’s that about? Here in America, we’re cowboys. We pick up our food and eat it. And that’s sort of comfort, where in fine dining, oh, no — knife, fork, special forks, sauce spoon. All wonderful, but that’s not today.”

The flavors of today also include adult milkshakes — thick, decadent concoctions that include spiced rum, ginger honey syrup, Nutella, cognac and liqueurs — and fries flavored with tarragon and vinegar or white truffle oil.

At the end of the day, he says, his food is about quality and flavor.

“I know what I want in my spice blend, and again, I use a blend that brings out texture, brings out flavor,” he says.

That blend has come together over the course of 30 years of cooking.

BACK TO HIS ROOTS

As the chef points out, cooking burgers is where his career began.

It was at New York’s Rockaway Beach, where he served happy throngs at the Playland amusement park.

“I loved it. To me, it was a simple concept of cooking burgers, sharing it with them,” he says. “It was an open counter. I was cooking burgers and people were handing me money. But the best part is people are smiling and saying ‘I want one, I want one.’”

That’s what the developers hope customers will say at Donald Ross Village.

They say the market in northern Palm Beach County is perfect for Burger Bar.

The restaurant is in a space that once was home to La Petite Marmite, the offshoot of a legendary French restaurant in Palm Beach.

Mr. Prakas, the restaurant broker, says it should be a good fit in the mix with the plaza’s other tenants.

“Asian Fin is really hip. Grande’s (Bella Cucina) is traditional Italian, but as far as the area goes, we have FAU across the way. It’s the honors program FAU over here. We have the big Scripps presence, the big biotech, and we have Abacoa, which is over 1,500 homes, apartments condos, plus retail,” he says. “It’s a Mizner Park-esque, you know, of our north side. It’s a great growth area.”

Inside, the space has an urban edge, with lots of red and black.

Meat grinders, the restaurant’s symbol, fill a wall and serve as graphic art, dividing the dining areas — a meat grinder even decorates the hostess stand at the front door.

Outside, there is additional seating and a bar. Chandeliers capped with wine bottles light the courtyard — Mr. Prakas says he found the fixtures in Naples, on Florida’s west coast.

And the look, he says, is perfect for attracting a certain demographic.

“It’s a young professional mix, 25 to 60, probably leaning a little young here,” he says, adding that he expects the restaurant to be a destination for diners from as far away as Port St. Lucie.

Count Chef Allen among the commuters.

The chef calls the Fort Lauderdale area home, and expects to be a regular visitor at Burger Bar.

“I’m definitely hands-on in my restaurants,” he says. “It’s an hour commute. But I understand an hour commute. That’s what I used to do when I was living in Far Rockaway and traveling in to Le Cirque in New York. I did that for two years. I hated the winter commute. That’s why I moved down here to Florida.” ¦

Burger Bar opens for lunch at 11:30 a.m. daily. It’s at Donald Ross Village, 4650 Donald Ross Road, Palm Beach Gardens. Phone: 630- 4545.

exotic fare, stylish decor

By.JuSTINE GRIFFIN

Staffwriter

Burgers are going upmarket in South Florida, with $20 versions packed with exotic ingredients joining the 89-centvariety from McDonalds. Nearly half of Americans eat a burger at least once a week, according to Technomic, a food consulting firm. Even though diners are overall spending less these days, most are willing to pay a little more for a top quality ground beef sandwich served amid stylish decor. The number of restaurants offering burgers has increased by more than 4 percent since 2005. Burgers offered in the fine dining categories jumped to nearly 19 percent, according to Datassential, a Los Angeles-based research company.

The new burger creations – Wagyu beef and gruyere cheese on a brioche,  for example – are meant to sway more diners to’ burgers. Toppings have rocketed past bacon and cheddar to include avocado, an array of cheese types, peppers and homemade sauces.”This isn’t a new concept, it’s just a renewed one;’ said Tom Prakas, a South Florida real estate broker who has worked with burger joint concepts like BurgerFi and Chef Allen Susser’s Burger Bar over the years. ”It’s a steak on a bun. We’ve just elevated it from the fast food chains.”

Andrew Myones, of Fort Lauderdale, just tried a burger topped with smoked gouda, slice of pineapple, sauteed onions, baby lettuce, and sweet BBQ sauce for the first time. ”People have liked burgers forever, but now they’re following the lead of other cities and making them more hip places to hang out, drink, watch games, socialize,” said Myones. Within the past two years, South Florida’s CG Burger and BurgerFi have opened several locations in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties. Both restaurants offer a casual dining atmosphere where customers stand in line to place their order, then bring a tray of food to an open dining room. Burger Bar, a more upscale concept by Chef Allen Susser, opened in the Fort Lauderdale International Airport and in palm Beach Gardens. The restaurant offers a full bar and sit-down service.Trendy Rok Brgr made its debut in the Fort Lauderdale Himmarshee Village last December. ”South Florida is a little behind on the trend, which has been developed in places like Boston, LA. and New York for the last several years;’ said Brian Connors, a culinary instructor at Johnson & Wales University, in North Miami. ”We’re more on par with the rest of the metropolitan ‘foodie’ destinations, and more of these places are beginning pop up.”

In addition to his restaurants, Allen has written several books;  New World Cuisine and Cookery, The Great Citrus Book and his latest release The Great Mango Book.  Chef Allen has also taken great personal involvement in the challenge of helping to feed the homeless, hungry and the homebound elderly.

1.  Where were you born:  Brooklyn, NY.

2.  How long in South Florida:  30 years

3.  Neighborhood:  Palm Beach Gardens, FL.

4.  Occupation:  Celebrity Chef, Restaurateur, Consultant

5.  Favorite Restaurant:  Michy in Miami.  I also like Blue Ribbon in NYC.  It’s eclectic and interesting.

6.  Best place for late night dining:  Burger Bar in Palm Beach Gardens.

7.  Best place for a romantic date:  Joe’s Stone Crab or Buccan in Palm Beach.

8.  Best Boozy Brunch:  I don’t really do that.  I am more of a bagel and lox type.

9.  Best place for a power business meeting:  Michaels Genuine in Miami

10.   Words to live by:  Have fun each day.

11.   When you have out of town guests, what hotel would you recommend:  Loews Miami for South Beach flavor, or The Breakers for a classic getaway.

12.  The ultimate indulgence:  To fly off to Napa and eat at the French Laundry.

13.   Recipe for a fabulous party:  Find fun friends!  It’s really about the people that you’re with, where you can laugh a lot, then it doesn’t matter where you are.

14.   Favorite charity event:  My focus is fighting childhood hunger.  Through opening Burger Bar, we’ve created the ‘Gold Leaf Burger’, a specialty burger topped with edible 23 carat gold.  All of the proceeds go toward the charity, Taste the Nation. The burger is $25, in lieu of my involvement for 25 years with the charity.  Some of my other favorite charities are Share Our Strength, Feeding South Florida, and of course the Great American Bakesale.  I also give out Passover food, every year, for the elderly in Brooklyn.

15.  Favorite boutique/shopping venue:  Sur La Table

16.  Secret to being fabulous:  Listening.  If you listen to people, you can communicate well.  I enjoy listening, seeing and being alive each day.