12-11-07

Rocco’s Tacos had their opening party last Saturday night (Dec 8) to give the public a small taste of their fare before they officially open their doors (today), and I predict that the place will “fare” extremely well. Everything about it is shaping up to be a big hit, from the new tile in the entry and the masks that I’m going to guess come from some crazy place in Mexcio to the faded, jaded name of the place they applied to that historic brick. It looks like the logo has been there for 100 years. They scrubbed, skipped and blotted the paint to make it look like it’s blistered, peeling and headed to oblivion, like the façade signage you can still see from the alley behind the 400 Clematis building. Go ½ block south of the door to Ultima Gym and check out what used to be in that building… the business were advertised in paint up high on the second floor, but the names are now faded to ghost-point as a result of that brutal southern exposure. The Rocco’s guys (Bill Watson and Todd Herbst, who have always been so great to all of us) originally opened Big City Tavern in the same space as Rocco’s, which is right next to Starbucks. I loved seeing the faded sign so prominently displayed. It’s a little known element that a true signature of West Palm’s Downtown --- the old business signs that literally point to long-forgotten pieces of the city’s history.

I saw Bill hard at work greeting people and encouraging them to try both the regular salsa and their green chile extra-hot rendition. I overheard a youngish guy with a shaved head introduce himself as Rocco, so Holy Taco, there really is a Rocco. Imagine that.

I was amazed at the food. Really delicious, and not the least bit ridiculous or pretending to be a creative fusion the way some ethic restaurants tend to lean these days. Looks like they are right in step with Leila, which offers real Middle Eastern dishes without the BS of “fused with lemon-grass pretension.” Bill was pretty proud to tell his guests that their regular menu (available as of today) is going to be moderately priced.

But most exciting of all was the change in the energy on Clematis. Nobles was hopping and people streaming back and forth between the two as the night wore on. When the Italian place owned by the Top Chef star opens later this winter, and Dr. Feelgood’s, Clematis is really going to Feel Good. I, for one, am so ready for it to happen. Now I gotta get to the bottom of this leftover tequila.

11-20-07

A Little of This n’ That

I’m starting to sound a little too zealous about the importance of recycling and managing your “garbage footprint.” No need to tap my arm with arched eyebrows and say something like “Ummm, hello? You’re way past annoying.” When you get too wrapped up in a mission or passion, your credibility starts to erode, which is the opposite of the way things should be. Super-charged intensity makes people suspect you’re not 100% dialed into a grounded line, if you know what I mean. So I will try to stay cool and dispassionate (great word) when I tell you about this art and design gallery/consignment store that I discovered yesterday in the 200 block of Clematis.

These Clematis patrons not only made
the news, they are made of news…print.

The place just opened last week, and it’s called This N That. The ‘n’ is actually wrapped/trapped in a circle, but I can’t figure out how to replicate it on my laptop, so I boxed it in (coincidentally, an accurate reflection of how I’ve been feeling these days). There’s a 6-foot tall sculpture of a soccer player made entirely of recycled newspapers standing on the sidewalk, marking the entrance, which is just east of (hopefully soon-to-open) Rocco’s Taco’s and Starbucks. It looks like laminated wicker, but it’s really a tribute to recycling. Inside there are art deco dining sets for $400, vintage lamps, vintage prints, vintage everything. And you know what vintage really means: it hasn’t been thrown out yet! Someone’s breathed new life into the thing, therefore it’s not bulking away underground somewhere as part of a landfill in the Everglades.

The owner’s name is Will Nelson, and his inventory is funky and surprising, and has the originality of the Clematis District written all over it. I’ll bet they even have… vintage garbage bins.

10-04-07

You can just imagine the volume of plastic water bottles that our sanitation staff had to deal with this week as a result of the protracted problem with the City’s drinking water. I was really glad to discover that Zephyr Hills has mostly shifted to those flimsier plastic bottles that seem to weigh only about half of what conventional bottles weigh. Plastic bottles require petroleum to produce – and a lot of it --- so anything we can collectively do to reduce the amount of waste is something I’ll get behind fast and furiously. So do a little bottle-squeezing in the grocery store aisle before you choose what brand to buy. The light ones crinkle like paper and don’t feel very sturdy but they most certainly do the job. Every little contribution to reduce waste helps us all. How about the newspapers giving us a positive story for a change. Give us the lowdown on the genius or team who came up with this new lightweight gauge plastic. Let’s hope it doesn’t take twice the petroleum to make --- wouldn’t that be a big cosmic laugh if the change was just… cosmetic.

09-21-07

The Greenie-Weenies were out in full force this morning on Clematis. I figure can get away with saying that because I’m one of them, but if I’m offending anyone, please write me a letter of complaint and then throw it out in a trash can Downtown where I’m likely to find it and read it. I know I get a little intense about environmental issues, and it’s not because I manage the city’s garbage for a living, either. Give me the chance and I’ll preach responsible environmental stewardship and good urban planning at you worse than any bald, donation-box-shaking nutcase you’ve ever encountered. You really, really don’t want to drop a STYROFOAM coffee cup on the sidewalk when I’m around, trust me.

I couldn’t stop laughing this morning when I saw the landscape team from Stiles pull one of their trucks up this morning on Clematis and unroll sections of turf - the real stuff, complete with a deep, dark, DIRT base - over two parking spaces right in front of Design Within Reach and Starbucks. They created a spectacular mini park, complete with umbrellas and benches, in honor of “Park-ing Day.” Apparently greenies are doing the same thing in cities all over the world today to draw attention to the need for quality green spaces in urban areas. Pretty good idea. Suddenly, there was this 25-foot, manicured green space where two cars would normally be parked on Clematis, with trees and chairs and a beach ball or two. Hilarious. People loved it. Lots of media came Downtown to check it out, including the publisher of the Palm Beach Daily News. I overheard her telling the DDA’s PR team that she was going to post photos on her blog today, and she did. Check it out:

http://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/
palmbeach/pbupd8/entries/2007/09/21

The stunt sure captured MY attention, because I know I’ll be a lot more ‘brown’ than ‘green’ later tonight when I have to clean up all the dirt left behind! Pretty great idea to promote a good cause. But I’m thinking I might just walk past the perfect little park and toss a used Styrofoam cup on the ‘lawn’ just to see the greenies’ reactions. And then run, of course.

09-14-07

I’m waiting for “fall” to finally arrive here in Florida. I mean, I wonder if folding my arms and tapping my toe impatiently on the corner of Clematis and Olive would result in some kind of climate change. I’ve had enough of the long stretch of hot weather. My skin needs a break --- you know that feeling? I’d like to feel something blow down the Intracoastal from up north and remind us that cool weather and crisp air is hanging out up north somewhere, and eventually we’re going to get our piece of it.

I want the hot weather to break, and I want to see Rocco’s Tacos open up (going in next to Starbucks). Their plan is to have great Mexican food at reasonable prices, all wrapped up with creaky pine floors and brick walls (real brick walls --- they survived the Hurricane of 1928 that wiped out almost everything Downtown, and even knocked off the end of that building, which is why the section where Design Within Reach is housed looks different from the rest of it). Great food in a great space at reasonable prices is a winning formula, guys. I can’t figure out why more restaurant owners can’t make that work for them, but hey, I’m just a garbage guy struggling to write his first book. Don’t take restaurant advice from ME!

I remember when the same group ran Big City Tavern in the same space in the late 1990s when Clematis was so hot. They were one of the reasons why this place was hot, so I’m really glad to see them come back with a new concept that seems right for the street right now. I’m just going to enjoy watching all the creative types congregate there, spilling out onto the sidewalk and having a good time. I want that Clematis groove to come back, like the trolleys say!!!

But most of all, I’d like a breath of fresh, cold air from the Canadian plains to come screaming through here. Or failing that, I’d like a more reliable window A/C in my apartment.

09-01-07

Like most people, sometimes I just need to get things off my chest, and I figure weighing in here from time to time might at the very least connect me with a few people who also care about what’s happening in the Clematis District.

I’m not normally regarded as “most people,” though. I’m a sanitation worker and “most people” look right through me on the street, except for the locals. Funny how being partially invisible allows me to see things most people don’t. About six months ago I was headed up toward Starbucks to empty those trash cans that fill up pretty quick --- a guy in an expensive suit seemed to be looking for a place to throw out the paper bag that came with his coffeecake. When he saw me, that translated into “trash can” beneath the $50 haircut held down with five bucks of ladies mousse, so he wadded the bag up and tossed it on the ground right in front of me. Problem solved, for him. He sped past me a minute later in a big Range Rover with [masked] County plates talking a mile a minute on his cell phone. He’s probably in his element on I-95. My bet is that he throws litter out the window without a backward glance. William, that cool guy in the Panama hat who sits at an outside table at Starbucks pretty regularly, saw the whole thing and just kept shaking his head, the same thing that I was doing but on the inside.

What I like about Clematis is that it’s a real neighborhood, like where used to live in New York’s Meatpacking District. I grew up there, back when you saw a lot of blood-stained aprons and guys with meat-cleavers walking around every day before the place erupted with trendy bars and late-night hotspots. Clematis is like a great blend of both, without the blood-stained aprons, of course. Hot new places are getting ready to open up here now, and it’s great to see that old energy come back. What’s really nice is that all the locals recognize one another and it’s great to just walk down the street every day and have people smile and say hi. There are plenty of people who just don’t see me, of course, and never will, but all the regulars do. Maybe I’ll become visible one day if I can finish this novel I’m writing and get it published. I’ve been at it for a year and a half now. It’s a lot harder work than you’d think, but more about that another day. This new blog will keep my writing tuned up at the very least, while I try to figure out the plot twists in my head.

Wouldn’t you know it that I have to work on Labor Day weekend. A little irony from Heaven to keep me humble, I guess. Because the street was a little quieter than usual with people on vacation, I had the time to scout around a little and talk to the regulars. I found out that the old l’Opera space has been leased to the guys that own City Cellar at CityPlace, and they plan to open a new concept called Rocco’s Tacos. God knows what they were drinking over at City Cellar when they came up with that name. Anyway, it looks like they’re making progress remodeling the inside. I hated to see l’Opera go just because it was such a nice eyeful --- a line of white linen tablecloths and fresh flowers on every table lining the sidewalk. I never ate there --- a little too pricey for my salary. But the owners were great and did a lot for the whole street. One evening right after they opened they were offering samples of their cuisine on trays to everyone passing by, and I tasted some incredible French food.

So, I’ve pretty much run out of steam tonight but I’ll be back soon because I have lots more to say. As my goofball aunt Emily who still lives in New York and who pretends to be British because she thinks it makes her sound “posh” would say: CHEERIO FOR NOW. One of these days I’m going to tell her it makes her sound, um … fake, not British. In truth I guess I won’t. She enjoys the dream way too much for me to wake her up.