Grato
1901 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach, 561-404-1334, GratoWpb.com
Acclaimed chef Clay Conley has kicked off lunch, Monday through Saturday, at his rustic Italian locale nine months after opening.
Lunch, which begins at 11:30 a.m., pares down to pizza service from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. before dinner service. Sundays will continue to feature brunch, plus lunch options.
“We created the lunch menu with a different demographic in mind, offering some lighter dishes, protein-heavy salads and sandwiches,” says Conley, best known for his upscale Palm Beach bistro Buccan. “One of my favorite new lunch dishes is the porchetta sandwich ($16). Pork loin and belly are slow-cooked for 18 hours and then roasted in the brick oven to crisp up the skin. It is served on a house-made baguette with melted provolone, broccoli rabe and caramelized onions. There are a lot of contrasting textures and flavors.”
Salads, such as summer panzanella ($11), offer changing choices of protein, such as chicken paillard ($5). Conley transformed his best-selling dinner dish of meatballs into a sandwich for lunch with mozzarella and pesto ($13). Pasta hits taken from dinner are bucatini carbonara ($14) and paccheri ($13.50) with Sunday gravy sauce.
Weekday happy hour, running until 7 p.m. through September, may become permanent.
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