The new Restoration Hardware (RH) and 4th floor restaurant in West Palm Beach is a one time must see for local and seasonal residents & tourists who have some free time on their hands. Marty and I are so glad we went and we had a great time. That said we will probably never go again unless we are shopping for furniture or showing out of town guests the local sights.

What can I say about furniture – even three floors of it? There were a lot of sofas and most of them were white. Despite the success of “The Black Panther” White must be the new trendy color! Or maybe white is the stock color and you order the fabric of your choice? Regardless I felt like I needed my shades on the furniture floors.

We moved quickly to the 4th floor open air restaurant and it is impressive. They have 270 degree views (N, W and S but no E/Ocean) from inside the restaurant and even better ones from the outside relaxing/waiting areas with very comfortable sofas surrounding the dining room.

At 2:00 on a Saturday there was a waiting list of about 20 minutes. They have a small refreshment bar where you can get coffees, water, soda, wine and a very nice Champaign. You can take your drink out on the balcony and or down to the shopping floors while you wait. They take your cell number and text you when your table is ready. Note – they have caller ID and the young lady immediately addressed me as Larry. Since she was cute I was OK with it but know they are capturing your information.

The hostess and server recommended the Brie Plate and they were right. It was excellent! It came with a piping hot/crispy roll of sliced bread – brie of course – a small pot of delicious strawberry preserves and a generous portion of outstanding toasted and sugar coated pecans. This paired marvelously with the sparkling Rose and we thought we had hit the dining jackpot!

Food Wise I should stop right there! Friends who have been to RH recommended the Truffle Grilled Cheese Sandwich – the hamburger and especially the French Fries. I love them as people but will never follow their lead on ordering. The Grilled Cheese Sandwich should be listed on “Amber Alert for Missing Truffle Oil.” There was zero hint of truffle! I asked for the burger rare to medium rare and the server said they serve it with two thin slices of meat – about the same as a Big Mac – and the best they can assure me is “Medium” and if grey qualifies as medium then you will like the burger. Marty and I split each entree and we both thought the “pickle” on the burger was a fresh cucumber – which immediately gave me gas.

The biggest disappointment – relative to my expectations – were the fries. They were fine but they do not come anywhere near close to comparing to the Truffle Fries at The Seafood Bar at The Breakers. If fact I prefer Mickey D’s crispy fries but that’s just me.

The staff were super friendly. The service was excellent and very quick. All that said if I go again to the restaurant at RH we will have Champaign while we wait, Sparkling Rose with our Brie Plate and enjoy the view and move on somewhere else for entrees. The room is loud when full. They have a lovely fountain in the middle of the room and it masks the myriad of conversations but does not make it any quieter. Nonetheless Marty had a great time – we are glad we went and we recommend you try it once.

Finally, the valet parking was easy-peasy. You enter from the SE corner of RH in the left lane of East bound Okeechobee Blvd. I have no idea where they put the cars but when we left it came within minutes and your only exit is to the west on Okeechobee which takes you to I95 is less than five minutes. Either that or you take your life in your hands and do a U turn to East bound Okeechobee and hope for the best.

Larry