Food & Drink in Boca Raton

Floridians looking to get a taste of Chicago have to travel no further than the closest HotDogOpolis, where the cooks serve Vienna Beef franks in the style made famous in the Windy City: piled high with mustard, onion, green relish, a dill pickle, tomato wedges, pepper, and a dash of celery salt. Other styles of hot dogs stay warm underneath a heap of sauerkraut or dunked into cornmeal batter, and a host of sausages, char-grilled burgers, and sandwiches also make an appearance on the menu. Cooks at the Boca Raton location, dubbed “PitaOpolis,” also stuff roast beef, tuna, and chunky hummus inside pitas, according to recipes designed by Chef Gary Wood.

The chefs at each Copper Canyon Grill, a mid-Atlantic favorite, craft their regional American dishes from scratch every day. Their kitchens fill with flames and savory aromas as they roast meats and vegetables over hardwood fires, making customers happy, but leaving behind bare earth at local basketball arenas.

The kitchen yields hearty servings of grilled prime rib and filet mignon, ahi tuna and Atlantic salmon, and Delmarva-style crab dip and Eastern Shore jumbo lump crab cakes. It also tempts with a signature rotisserie chicken and jalapeño- and serrano-pepper cornbread baked in an iron skillet.

Under the delicious direction of head chef James Campagnolo, both of these family-style restaurants serve up a variety of traditional Italian dishes, crafted with fresh, daily-delivered ingredients. Warm up mouth muscles with appetizers such as garlicy, white-wine simmered zuppa di mussels ($8.50 for a half order), or get a taste of tradition with stuffed artichokes, crafted using the chef's grandmother's secret stuffing recipe ($8.95). Main meals range from classic stuffed shells ($12.95 for half order, $21.95 for full) to the chicken Campagnolo, a meaty medley of boneless chicken, italian sausage, and roasted potatoes ($19.95–$36.95), and frutti di mare, featuring fruits of the ocean such as mussels, clams, shrimp, and sea pluots, served on a bed of saucy linguini ($17.95–$33.95). Sandwiches ($6.95–$10.95) and calzones ($5.95) fill out the lighter lunch selection, while gourmet pizzas will sate any savory slice savant, or proponent of anti-square meals.

BackStreet Grille and Sports Bar's grill artists forge an array of flame-kissed dishes, which patrons tear into beneath a projection screen at the restaurant's bar. Half-pound USDA-certified burgers ($8.99–$9.99) waltz from the char grill sporting appetite-enhancing accessories as impressive as a boutonnière made of string cheese. The caesar burger brims with parmesan, bacon, and dressing ($9.99), and the South of the Border burger flaunts a crown of guacamole and salsa ($9.49). Diners spelunk the sauce-covered cliffs of wings ($9.99 for 10), which chefs bake and then fry in rice-bran oil, or boneless chicken tenders prone to avalanches in flavors such as Superman hot, teriyaki, and raspberry ($7.99). Grilled mahi mahi executes solo synchronized swimming routines through warm currents of Malibu rum sauce ($15.99) as diners recline in the restaurant's vast expanses of polished wood and earth-toned furnishings.

Maxies' grillmasters lead taste buds on a tour of Windy City cooking with a menu of juicy burgers, hot dogs, and more. Test the tubular tastes of the Chicago–style char dog ($4.49), laden with toppings including grilled onions, peppers, and celery salt, or take teeth on a trip through the half-pound bacon cheeseburger ($5.49). The classic italian beef ($5.99) pairs well with a side of sweet-potato fries ($2.29), a spicy dollop of giardinera ($.50), or a cruise through the restaurant's cheddar-filled replica of the Venetian canals. Maxies' build-your-own salad option ($4.99–$7.50) also sets out a spread of veggie-friendly edible embellishments, allowing diners to drizzle a choice of 20 dressings atop artichoke hearts, roasted peppers, and wasabi peas.

Named the best gelato in South Florida by Boca Life Magazine, The Gelato Shoppe Petrini whips up Italian lunch fare and iced treats made from seasonal fruits, organic nut butters, fine European chocolate, and other fresh, natural ingredients. Chef Mauro Petrini's gelato ($3.50-$5.25) comes in dairy, dairy-free, and derring-do options, surprising mouths with flavors such as spicy chocolate, pure pistachio, pear, and millefoglie (italian wedding cake). A panoply of sugar-free gelato varieties, from honeydew melon to passion fruit, form a tasty caloric black hole. The shop is also certified kosher by the Orthodox Rabbinical Board.