Stage Kitchen to open in Boca Raton at Town Center's Restaurant Row

Palm Beach Gardens hot spot Stage Kitchen & Bar will soon give the South County area a taste of what they’re missing when they open a Boca Raton location in a few months.

Once again run by chef Pushkar Marathe and restaurateur Andy Dugard, under their joint venture Flavor Builders Hospitality, the new restaurant is scheduled to open in early 2025 along the stretch of Town Center Road known as ‘Restaurant Row’.

Known for its Indian-inspired small plates, the new Stage (pronounced “staahj”) will be inspired by the original location in Palm Beach Gardens.

Making USA TODAY’s 2024 Restaurants of the Year list and featuring a James Beard Award semi-finalist chef, the popular restaurant definitely earns the term ‘hot spot’ on merit. However, it also wins for the cooking method that consists of wood grills and open flames.

Marathe said there’s something very special and skillful about cooking on a wood grill: “You have to talk to the fire… have a relationship.” He said you really have to learn the skill and understand the difference between a new fire and a fire that’s already an hour and a half old, and be able to feed it properly to keep it where you want it, what you’re looking for. cooking. He added that cooking over an open fire is “one of my favorite things.”

Like those at the Gardens restaurant, Boca Raton’s grills will be custom-made, including a 9-foot-long Spanish-style parrilla that was built in Spain.

When asked about the Boca Raton restaurant’s menu compared to the extremely popular offerings at the Palm Beach Gardens location, Marathe said the menu in Boca Raton will be “very similar” to the one in Palm Beach Gardens, “But we’ll have a separate section on the menu to serve the residents of Boca.” He said: “People love their steaks… there will be a list of daily cuts, cooked to order, including wagyu.”

Marathe said they’ll be bringing all the classics from the Palm Beach Gardens stage to the new Boca Raton location, specifically naming chicken liver pate, bang bang cauliflower and tandoori grilled niman ranch.

He will oversee the Palm Beach Gardens and Boca Raton locations, he said, and will have chefs working with him at each. “I will always be there to lead the operation and the menu.”

Menu favorites at the Gardens location aren’t the only items traveling south. Some popular beers brewed nearby will also appear. “We love our neighbors,” Marathe said. “Let’s get one or two from Twisted Trunk (to Boca Raton).”

The new restaurant will be nearly 6,000 square feet and accommodate up to 189 guests with indoor and covered outdoor seating. There will also be a bar with 25 seats.

Setting the mood and helping to recreate the ambience that the Gardens location presents will once again be Anna Woodman Interior Design. The restaurant will feature three distinct dining environments featuring deep blues and metallic tones of polished bronze and copper.

Marathe said he and Dugard have a great relationship working with Woodman. He said she understands his ideas and vision and “brings them to reality.”

“Our guests’ experience begins the moment they walk through our doors. Anna was and continues to be an integral part of our team, visually bringing our vision to life for that first impression,” said Dugard.

Marathe said he is excited to be in downtown Boca Raton. He praised the diversity of the area, with potential clients ranging from high finance professionals to students studying to enter the medical field at Florida Atlantic University.

“We’re excited to bring eclectic, globally inspired cuisine to Boca.”

Kitchen and bar stage in Boca Raton

What: Stage kitchen and bar

Where: 5377 Town Center Road, Boca Raton

Information: stagepga. with; instagram.com

Eddie Ritz is a journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can contact him at [email protected]. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.