Two weeks ago, when the thermometer plummeted below 20 and indoor food was still out of bounds in the city, intrepid New Yorkers continued to cling to the remnants of their social lives.
At 60th Street in the East, the patrons of the formerly bustling Le Bilboquet were crowded into the outer booths, wearing hats and scarves while biting Cajun chicken and making a noise in Bordeaux. One more block, 10 tables at clubby La Goulue struggled to share four heaters as diners grabbed bowls of onion soup for extra heat.
But a short distance away, in Tony Beach, Florida, where La Goulue recently opened an advanced venue depicting the image of her mother ship from Manhattan, all the tables and seats in the bar are full. Patrons laugh and live it, seemingly oblivious to the dangers of fraternizing during a pandemic.
“I ran away from New York!” Declared bistro owner Jean Denoyer. “We take everyone’s temperature when they arrive and keep the doors and windows open for fresh air to circulate.”
Le Bilboquet owner Philippe Delgrange is also in Palm Beach, where this week he premiered the famous southern sister of his country house.
“[Palm Beach] “I’m really working with you, without trying to put wood on the wheels,” he said, no doubt, referring to how New York restaurants right now, after two months of closure, are allowed to eat diners with a capacity of 25%. “I have seen so many of my friends that I can’t believe it. And all of our New York staff are asking you to come and work here. “
Denoyer and Delgrange are among the hordes of New Yorkers who now enjoy life in Palm Beach County, where the influx of energy is palpable. Although masks are required in commercial establishments across the county, people are, of course, allowed to remove them while eating or drinking, and there are no specific space rules, so it’s not uncommon to see bars full of well-packaged maskless patterns.
Until next time
Confusion, delays and objections were abundant at the conclusion of Saturday’s roller coaster …
Some northerners feel as if they have landed in a parallel universe, with old friends and favorite meeting places transported to a sunnier environment.
Joe Wagner, 63, arrived in South Florida in late January with plans to stay two weeks, but decided to stay until March. He has been enjoying dinner inside La Goulue. “Sometimes I feel a little insecure. In New York, he was at home. But it seems like so many people here are more relaxed because they already had COVID, “the real estate developer told The Post.” They say, ‘Don’t worry, I have the antibodies,’ and I say, ‘It’s great, but you could do a little bit of backup? ” “
In fact, Palm Beach County COVID infection rates rose this week to 7.57 percent. In New York it has dropped to 5.08 percent from a high of more than 7 percent.
New York restaurants can finally welcome indoor diners with a 25% capacity starting Feb. 12, but Palm Beach establishments are operating at full capacity.
New York’s Boulud Cafe is closed until the end of 2021, but, to his Palm Beach brother, diners mingle in the lush garden. The New York Bice, St. Ambrose and Almond restaurants are located on the island. Even the missing Swifty’s, watered on the Upper East Side, has been resurrected in Palm Beach.
While legendary New York City legendary corners like 21 and Cipriani cover up, an elegant Monkey Bar has opened at the new Opal Grand Hotel in Palm Beach County this week and the New York Host restaurant group (Campagnola, Bill’s Townhouse) presents a new beach of Delray., Steakhouse, Avalon, at the end of the month.
It’s hard to find an empty seat at any of the hot restaurants in the area. “I can’t believe the amazing amount of people out there this year. It’s like a break in prison!” Said John Lehmann, 59, who lives on the island and runs a sports marketing company.
“I feel alive again. I could move here for the rest of my life, “said Erica Holzer, a Long Island housewife at the Opal Grand Beachfront, where she and her husband stay for eight weeks.” but they’re not absurd. We went to the Monkey Bar and had a great time. It’s so free to be here. “
This feeling of freedom also goes beyond restaurants. Gym addicts can only do mask sessions with a virtual instructor at New York gyms, but SoulCycle now teaches outdoor classes in the green at the Royal Poinciana Plaza on the island. It is located next to an outpost of New York’s Paul Labrecque Lounge, where guests catch rays in the courtyard while the colors are placed and the nails dry.
Lincoln Center, Broadway and Carnegie Hall are dark, but live jazz performances have just been announced later this month at West Palm’s Kravis Center.
“It’s a relief to be here. It feels like we can finally breathe, ”said Greenwich, Conn., Event consultant Boo Huth, 60, who visited South Florida for nine days.
While most of those who travel to the area from the New York area are certainly privileged, economic rates and hotel stays allow for a wider spectrum of visitors.
“The irony is that living in Florida is actually a third less expensive than living in New York, and younger people realize that,” said Gene Pressman, a 70-year-old former Manhattanite whose family founded Barney’s. and who now lives in Palm Beach.
“Palm Beach used to be full of the high area [Manhattan] people, but now the people at the center are here, ”added Pressman’s wife Christine, 48.
And after the closure of New York, the Palm Beach social scene – and its lack of social distancing at some points – can cause a culture shock for newcomers.
“People say it’s like the wild west here,” said Todd Herbst, owner of the popular Elisabetta’s restaurant in Palm Beach. “They are amazed at how open everything is here. It’s as if COVID doesn’t exist, but we require all staff to wear masks and we don’t allow parties for more than ten people. ”
“I came here last week and I feel like a different world,” says Soho resident Charles Rosenberg, who works in commercial real estate. The 30-year-old plans to stay in Palm Beach for a few weeks. “But I think when spring comes, New York will feel that way again.”
Still, Upper East Sider Joe Wagner isn’t ready to head north anytime soon. “A friend of mine sent me a picture of him in La Goulue, New York, wearing a hat and two scarves and saying his fingers were turning blue,” Wagner said. “I sent him a picture of my pool.”