Update: Crime scene photos added at bottom. Sensitive readers should not go to the bottom as the photos are bloody.
Tilus Lebrun (42) appears to be the man arrested for murder in the Jimmy the Greek stabbings. The Sheriff’s blotter shows he was booked at 1:34 am this morning on two counts of homicide. One count is in the first degree as premeditated, and the other is felony murder.
Last night we were contacted by several readers about an incident near the intersection of Glades Road and Boca Rio, with police at the gas station on the southwest corner and other activity on the north side of Glades near the International Jewelry Exchange and the Dunkin Donuts.
Reports from Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office and Palm Beach County Fire Rescue indicated that there was double stabbing at the Jimmy the Greek restaurant, two victims were airlifted to Delray Medical Center’s trauma unit, and a suspect was in custody. The Sheriff indicated that one employee had stabbed two others.
Later on we heard unconfirmed reports that one of the victims was Jimmy “the Greek” Karaloukas, that he’d died, and that the other victim was “fighting for his life.” The Sheriff’s blotter entry, with two counts of murder and no other counts, suggests that both victims may have died. The Sheriff’s Media Relations office indicates that one victim is still alive.
Update: “Jimmy the Greek” Karaloukas confirmed dead.
In reviewing the blotter, we see no other arrests for violent crimes from the time the incident happened (roughly 8 pm last night) through this morning. Lebrun’s arrest is the only one that fits.
Of course, it is early at this point. There is no court record of the case yet, and no official statements from any agencies or people involved. We can’t confirm the identity of either the victims or the alleged attacker. West Boca News will update this story once we have more information. For now, as always, all arrestees are innocent until proven guilty.
Crime Scene Photos
The crime scene is very bloody, as to be expected and it’s even been suggested that a crime scene cleanup atlanta crew will be been called in to do a professional cleaning job, removing bloodstains, once all evidence has been collected. We visited the location this morning, took some pictures, and spoke with workers in nearby stores. None of the people we spoke with recognized the picture of Mr. Lebrun. A woman who works in the salon next door related speaking to Jimmy as she left last night around 6:30 pm. He invited her to have a cup of Greek coffee, but she didn’t have time. Workers at Dunkin Donuts were unaware there had been any incident at all.
On the side of the restaurant there is a bloody scene:
The side area had been marked off as a crime scene last night. This morning the tape was actually hanging down on the railing. The bloody area is near the side door from the back of the restaurant.
Disclosure: We have eaten at Jimmy the Greek many times and published a guest review from a local high school student not too long ago. In 2012 we attended a West Boca Chamber breakfast at Jimmy the Greek. Somewhat ironically, the speaker that morning was Captain Eisenberg of the Sheriff’s West Boca division, talking about local crime statistics.
Category: Restaurants
BREAKING: Stabbings at Jimmy the Greek Restaurant
Update: See our Friday morning article – Tilus Lebrun Arrested for Murder
Update (11 pm): CBS 12 reports that one of the stabbing victims has died, and the other is fighting for his life. We will continue to update if and when we learn more.
Update: Sheriff reports that this was a dispute among three employees, and one of them stabbed the other two:
A friend of West Boca News now tells us that a dishwasher employee stabbed Jimmy. We send Jimmy and his family our best wishes. We have eaten there many times and he’s always treated us well.
We also have a scene photo from a reader:
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The Sheriff reports that the stabbings occurred at the Jimmy the Greek Restaurant. They have one suspect in custody.
Previously PBC Fire Rescue tweeted that two patients were taken by ambulance to a trauma center, presumably at Delray Medical Center.
We will update this story if and when we learn more.
Jimmy the Greek is behind the International Jewelry Exchange, on the north side of Glades just west of the Turnpike.
The West Boca Chamber met there back in September of 2012. The speaker was PBSO Captain Eisenberg, reporting on various crime problems in West Boca.
Six Tables in Mizner Plaza
Six Tables in Boca Raton is a unique dining experience. The name means something – there are generally only 6 tables (with rare exception) so it is a cozy setting. There’s only one seating a night, at 7 pm, so reservations are necessary.
The business model for such a small place also means it has to be expensive. Prix fixe for the five course meal is $79, so expect to spend over $200 with tip for a couple, and more if you order wine or other specials. We don’t normally spend anywhere near this much, but it was a special occasion.
The doors open at 7 pm and the staff gets everyone seated smoothly. The soft lighting is truly special. It doesn’t seem that dark to the human eye, but we were unable to take pictures without using a flash. Since we didn’t want to annoy the other guests we did not take any interior photos. The chef did give us permission to shoot the food.
The meal starts with a glass of champagne (included) and an introduction by the chef. He used to run larger restaurants in the ski industry including at Steamboat Springs. Roughly 10 years ago he came to Florida to try something different.
The menu is very limited, but it works. The two servers were very attentive and helpful. We had the choice of two soups: a lobster bisque and a chestnut velouté. They were outstanding – possibly the best part of a fine meal.
The bisque was creamy with a fine texture and tender morsels of lobster.
The velouté, described to us as made without cream, was also excellent. It had a gentle sweetness.
The second course was a nice mixed greens salad, with feta cheese, and some kind of berry, maybe cranberries.
Before the main course came a palate cleanser, a light sorbet. There were four or five choices. I had the chateaubriand with béarnaise sauce. The meat was tender and came with potatoes au gratin, green beans and a roasted tomato. I ate only one of the three pieces and am looking forward to the leftovers.
My companion had the salmon, served on top of pasta in what may have been a lemon caper sauce.
That was it for the choices. Next came a cheese plate combined with an infused pear. The three cheeses were another highlight of the meal, with Bleu, Cheddar and an “eccentric Gouda”. Companion normally does not like Gouda but this one was exceptional. The pear offered a perfect contrast.
Last came the espresso mousse. The name made us worry that it would taste like coffee but it did not. The mousse itself was very nice, silky with bits of what seemed like dark chocolate. The strawberries were pretty.
Overall the food was very good, overshadowed a touch by the pleasant and pampering atmosphere.
Six Tables of Boca Raton is in Mizner Plaza, just south of Mizner Park.
Review: Jidai Kaiten Sushi
Back in December we mentioned that Jidai Kaiten Sushi is open in the Shoppes at Boca Grove (near Bonefish Grill). We finally got there for lunch today so we could write a review, and we liked it.
Kaitenzushi (回転寿司) is pronounced kai-ten-zoo-she with the “kai” like start of the word kayak. A popular translation is “conveyor belt sushi”, though the word kaiten literally translates to automatic circle. This is not an Americanization – we’ve had it in Japan. You can get the idea from the video we shot today:
The sushi is made in the central area, and then placed on plates on a moving platform (the conveyor belt) which travel around so that customers can reach them. Jidai has an interesting variation with the main section being a triangular area. When the place is full they extend the moving platform to reach more tables in a shape like an umbrella over that triangle.
In Japan the plates come around uncovered, but Jidai has covers on them. This is probably a smart move to comply with some obscure health regulations. Our dining partner is picky about food safety and definitely appreciated the covers.
We had a couple of interesting and tasty items including the tuna roll with mango.
At the end of the meal your bill is determined by adding up the plates by their color, with prices per plate ranging from $2 for the pink up to $5 for the yellow.
It’s a fun way to eat sushi – you see dishes you might not have thought to try. We enjoyed our meal too. Every item tasted good, with no problems in quality or service.
Restaurant Inspections: February
Most West Boca restaurants did reasonably well in their recent inspections. Among the worst was the “Sandalfood Bagel Restaurant” (that’s the official spelling) with 12 violations in Sandalfoot Plaza. It was bad enough that a follow-up inspection is required.
Nearby Tricky Dick’s Pub had only one violation. China Wok had 12 violations but none were high priority. Across 441 at the southern end of town, Pizza Chef Bistro had six violations with four of them high priority. This included an employee working with food without washing hands first and another violation where a worker touched food with bare hands – the report is not clear if it was the same worker. Picanha Brazil, which we’ve reviewed and liked, had eight.
Pei Wei Asian Diner on Beracasa had ten violations including three that were high priority. Nino’s Restaurant & Pizza in the same plaza had 12 violations. Nearby Boca Kosher Bagel, which opened in November, had 12 violations.
Lakeside Terrace near the Turnpike had only two violations, which is about as good as it gets. Saito’s Japanese Steakhouse had five violations, also reasonably good.
Several places in the Town Center mall had good results, including Tobu Teriyaki Grill (2 violations), Macy’s Taste Bar (2), and Chick Fil A (1). 40 Carrots and Petrossian, in Bloomingdales, had 5 each, which still isn’t terrible. Yogen Fruz had 9, which is not great especially for a place with such a limited menu.
First Watch on St. Andrews had 4 violations with none high priority. Juice & Java there had 4 violations with 2 high priority. Panera in Town Center Circle had 5 violations, while Brio in the same plaza had 3 and the Marriott had 10.
Rise Modern Asian on SW 18th (near Military Trail) had 10 violations. Yogurt Emporium in the same plaza can brag they had zero, a rare accomplishment. We see a Fleming’s Bistro had 6, including 3 that were high priority, but we can’t confirm that one on the official database. Oba Brazilian closer to Powerline had 10.
Yokohama Sushi in Boca Lyons Plaza, which we reviewed in 2012, had 7 violations including 2 listed as “high priority”. Hashi Sushi Thai in Shadowood had 8 violations, though only 1 was high priority. The McDonalds in Shadowood had 4 violations.
The Hilton Suite Hotel near the Turnpike had 4 violations including 2 that were “high priority”. The Boca Lago Clubhouse had 8 violations.
Fit Foodz Cafe in The Reserve (Clint Moore and 441) had 5 violations but all were low priority. Brendy’s in the same plaza had 3 violations. Ben’s had 6. TGI Friday’s in Mission Bay had only 2 violations.