In 1977, Barbara Hunt decided to set aside a year of her life to explore the world and learn about its diverse food and flavor structures. So, she plucked a low-hanging 30,000-mile Pan Am travel voucher from the nearest voucher tree and did just that. One dietetics degree and a decade later, Boardwalk Bistro was born. Now, Barbara and two executive chefs focus their three collective minds on empty plates, envisioning authentic Old-World Mediterranean dishes prepared with contemporary style. Barbara shines as the bistro's sommelier while their collective concentration brings forth bouillabaisse (seafood stew), paella valencia (with rabbit, chicken, duck, and chorizo), spanish tapas that warm up stomachs the same way baseball players warm up for big games (by eating tapas), and plenty of other meaty and vegetarian plates. Boardwalk Bistro's antique-style furniture and colorful decor create an informal, Mediterranean ambiance perfect for enjoying a trio of raspberry, lemon, and mango sorbets, which chill palates more delicately than a midwinter game of open-mouthed freeze tag. The exposed-stone walls resound with live music and a tagine top standing in for a cowbell on Friday and Saturday evenings.