Wellington Amphitheater Opens and Wellington Aquatic Center Re-Opens         

 

Despite a soggy afternoon, the Wellington area public enjoyed a fun, free afternoon of festivates all centered around the lovely new 3,200 sq. foot amphitheater, located right in front of the Wellington Community Center.  Music, bounce houses and other fun events were sponsored by the Palms West Chamber and the Schumacher Family of GM Cars on July 3^rd, 2010. 

 

The Wellington Aquatic Center, also right next to the Wellington Community Center, was re-opened and free to the public for this day of celebration. Participants enjoyed the swimming, water play area and water slides, as well as raffles and “Wellington” rubber duckies.  These two beautiful facilities will be home to many great events in Wellington in the coming years.

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Dear Editor,

 

KUDOS to Wellington for being touted in the Money Magazine’s Top 100 Places to live!  We are honored to be representing our business community however not surprised Wellington received this honor. What is truly impressive is that Wellington was the only community in all of Palm Beach County to be listed in the Top 100 Places to live and one of only three in the entire State of Florida. Equally impressive is that we have only been a municipality for less then 15 years and we can thank community leaders such as Ken Adams, Kathy Foster and others for having the vision to see the future of Wellington as its own municipality.

 

 

Mayor Bowen, our Wellington Village council and especially the Village staff should be complemented and commended for allowing us to receive this national honor.  As a Chamber we are receiving calls from all over the country and have even appeared on our evening news!

 

The Village of Wellington balances a unique hometown, family atmosphere with an attractive natural environment, recreational, cultural and educational activities with facilities for all ages. Businesses and residents alike enjoy the year round climate that allows the Village of Wellington to maintain its status as one of the nation’s premiere equestrian and business friendly communities.  All while maintaining one of the lowest tax rates in Palm Beach County!!

 

Wellington is an equestrian community and lays claim to outstanding equestrian programs, activities and events, and is known as the “Winter Equestrian Capital.” We are home to the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center and Equestrian Sport Productions. We are also home to the International Polo Club Palm Beach, known as the “Polo Capital of the World.”

 

 

Education is a top priority for families moving to Wellington, and our schools have a reputation of having a high level of excellence. In fact, all of our elementary and middle schools received an “A” rating this past year. In addition, our parks and recreation facilities are outstanding, providing activities for the young and the young at heart with numerous parks and sports programs. We have grown, but we continue to have a small-town atmosphere.

 

 

Again, thank you Mayor Bowen, Village Council and Village Staff for making us feel it an honor and privilege to work, live and play in Wellington. Keep up the fantastic work.

 

Michela Perillo-Green

Executive Director

 

On behalf of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors

 

 

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AW Spotlight

 

Havana – 24/7 Cuban Food that Can’t Be Beat

 

By Krista Martinelli

 

If you’ve somehow missed the amazing Cuban restaurant that “never sleeps” and makes customers happy 24/7, seven days a week, it’s time to discover Havana. Located at the corner of Forest Hill Blvd. and Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach, Havana has been serving their mouth-watering specialties for 17 years. Founded by Roberto Reyes who brought his authentic Cuban recipes to the restaurant, Havana is known for their excellent service, family-run goodness and scrumptious specials.

A good place to start is with a glass of homemade sangria or a cold cerveza. On this typically hot Florida summer evening, my husband Joe and I decided to order the ceviche for an appetizer, which was on their “Specials” board. It was refreshing and delicate in its nice blend of flavors. A chilled glass of shrimp and fish in lime, salsa and fresh cilantro was the perfect appetizer. The only challenge is making sure that no one is looking if you try to drink the juice of it down to the very last drop.  Just do it quickly without spilling any – is my advice.

If you’re wondering what to order, you cannot go wrong with the Surf and Turf at Havana. Your plate comes with giant shrimp in a wonderful garlic sauce and their “Bistec Especial,” a skirt steak grilled to your taste, prepared with herbs, garlic and olive oil. All of the dinners come with two sides. You can choose from: black beans, white rice, yellow rice, sweet plantains, Yuca con Mojo (cassava with a garlic sauce), white rice and black beans cooked together, french fries or green plantains with Mojo. The yellow rice and black beans are customer favorites. All of the sides are very good.  Here’s the online menu, so you can plan ahead: http://www.havanacubanfood.com/menu.html 

 

 

Another side order, or it can be ordered as an appetizer, that is not to be missed is the Mariquitas con Mojo. These plantain chips are addictive, and you will probably need to avoid kissing anyone after the amount of delicious garlic sauce you will consume. A small price to pay. Seriously, it’s worth it. 

A word about the Mojo (garlic) sauce.  It’s delicious and you’ll find it on several of the things you order. I recommend spreading it around on your plate. The flavors will blend very well. For example, if you spill a little Mojo sauce onto your yellow rice or into your black beans, it’s a happy accident.

Here are a few other popular entrees. The Lechon Asado con Cebolla is a succulent, shredded pork dish with grilled onions and Mojo sauce. The Bistec de Palomilla is a nice thin cutlet of choice top round, very tender. The Bistec de Pollo a la Milanesa is an indulgent breast of chicken, fried and topped with ham and Mozzarella, with a Spanish sauce. If you order the Cuban Combo (not on the menu, but often as a special), you get a sampling of the Lechon Asado con Cebolla, the Bistec de Palomilla, the Bistec de Pollo Empanizado (another nice chicken dish) and a terrific sausage (Chorizo). This a great way to get a taste of four different Havana meats, all prepared beautifully.

 

 

We had the grouper, another entree which is not on the menu but often offered as a special. With a light touch of paprika and parsley, this was a lovely preparation that brings out the buttery taste of the grouper and leaves you wanting more.

 

Our waiter Luis was energetic, attentive and best of all, truly enthusiastic about the food he was serving. I frequently like to ask the waiter for “his favorite” when I cannot decide on something – like dessert.  Thanks to Luis, we narrowed it down to a sampling of three desserts – the Caramel Flan, the Rice Pudding and the Tres Leches cake. All of these are “to die for,” depending on your preference. For me, it was the flan that did the trick.  Paired with a strong Cuban coffee, the caramel flan was a fantastic finish to a delectable evening. You really can’t go wrong with the cinnamon rice pudding or the rich Tres Leches cake either.

As another notable thing to mention, Havana is constantly giving back to our community by participating in festivals, catering luncheons and helping with fundraisers. It’s refreshing to see restaurant owners, who are some of the busiest people around, getting so involved in community events.

Havana also caters parties of any size and offers reasonable prices. Personally, we have had Havana cater our children’s birthday parties, more than once. The feedback from parents was terrific! For example, “Best food we’ve ever had at a child’s birthday party!”

If you’re having a small meeting or party, there’s a separate VIP room upstairs at Havana, just perfect for a party of up to sixteen people. Make sure to reserve this room in advance of your special occasion.

 

Best of all, you can ALWAYS get Havana’s food, thanks to their 24-Hour Walk-Up Window. So check out Havana today or tonight (or in the wee hours of any evening), and you will be in for a real treat!

 

Havana Cuban Food

6801 S. Dixie Highway 
W. Palm Beach, FL 33405
Corner of Forest Hill Blvd
and Dixie Highway 

(561) 547-9799

(See the Havana Coupon at “AW Coupons” on this website)

Visit www.havanacubanfood.com.

 

Don’t forget to become a Facebook Fan: http://www.facebook.com/pages/West-Palm-Beach-FL/Havana-Restaurant/142614049133

And you can follow Havana on Twitter too:

http://twitter.com/havanacubanfood

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