glades – Page 4 – West Boca News

Efes Bistro in Somerset Shoppes

Update: Coupons for Efes added at bottom.

Efes Bistro is one of our favorite Mediterranean restaurants in South Florida. Due to its location you may not have noticed it – it’s hidden in the interior of Somerset Shoppes, the plaza with the Michael’s craft store, the new Saks Off 5th, and Original Pancake House. They’ve been there for eight years.
Here’s a video showing how to get there from the parking lot on the Lyons side of the plaza.

You can also enter on the Glades side near Original Pancake House and OrangeTheory Fitness.
What we love about Efes is that the quality is outstanding. It has many of the typical Greek options but because it’s Turkish it has other items.

Efes previously had a great review in the Sun-Sentinel in 2011.

I started with the lentil soup.

It’s hearty with great flavor and texture. Next up we had the cold appetizer platter.

There’s a lot on this platter, including dolmas (grape leaves stuffed with rice), hummus, two different eggplant appetizers, two different yogurt-based spreads, and another veggie spread.
There’s also a hot appetizer platter on the menu which comes with falafel, zucchini pancake, kibbe, spinach pie, and more. We didn’t get a shot of the platter but here are two of the items it comes with.

The entrees are another area where you really see and taste the quality. My favorite item has always been the mixed grill platter, which comes with a variety of meats.

When you have a group or family eating, the appetizer platters and mixed grill platter are a great way to sample a lot of the options on the menu.
There are simpler entrees including chicken, lamb and beef shish kabob:

These dishes come with either rice, bulghur (pictured) or steak fries.
In talking with the owner she said we had to try the meat pie, and she let us video her making it:

It was delicious, but might be a little spicy for some.
For some regular customers the highlight is the fish.

All in all it’s great food with a wide array of choices, healthy and tasty. In addition to dine-in they do take out, delivery, catering as well as parties in the restaurant.

Efes Coupons

When Will the Lights Be Fixed? Roadwork Update

We’ve had a number of questions and complaints from readers about two particular intersections. On the left in the above image is the intersection of Glades Road and Diego, in the Mission Bay community. On the right is the intersection on US-441 (State Road 7) just south of Glades Road.

Glades and Diego before the repaving; image by Google

At Diego the repaving turned off the light’s sensors causing it to revert to set timing. This has been a particular annoyance for through traffic on Glades Road. We spoke today with Dan Weisberg, director of the county traffic division. He did not have a particular date but said that such signals normally get fixed within about a month after the repaving is done. We did see some work going on at the intersection today but we think that was line painting rather than work on the signal.

Regarding the 441 traffic light, Weisberg said that is a project by the plaza on the southeast corner (Westwinds of Boca, the plaza with Home Depot and Publix). The county approved the plans and will inspect it before it is activated. The inspection has not taken place yet. Signs indicating the new traffic pattern should be put up a week before the lights go live.

Pei Wei To Open June 29th and …

We received an erroneous press release from Pei Wei this morning, which seemed to indicate the new restaurant at Glades and 441 is already open. We stopped by today. They were supposed to open but it got pushed back two weeks for unspecified reasons.

That’s not all that’s going on the plaza. We asked around and got details on all the shops that will be open, as discussed in this video:

Facing the new mini-plaza looking from the corner of Glades and 441, from left to right there will be a Vision Works, Verizon Wireless, Mattress Firm, European Wax, and then Pei Wei at the southern end.

From Pei Wei’s press release:

The newest tenant in the Westwinds of Boca shopping plaza, Pei Wei will introduce 50 jobs to the area and is part of an expansion plan that will bring another Pei Wei to nearby Pompano Beach later this summer.

The restaurant is located at 9930 Glades Road and is open from 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday for both dine-in and takeout customers. Takeout orders can be placed by calling 561-483-7067 or visiting www.PeiWei.com.
Pei Wei Asian Diner serves freshly prepared, wok’d-to-order dishes with Asian inspiration in a comfortable, modern diner environment. Pei Wei owns and operates 193 restaurants in 25 states and the District of Columbia and licenses the Pei Wei brand for use by partner restaurant operators in airport and international locations.
Menu highlights include:
NEW Ways to Kung Pao: The fan-favorite Classic Kung Pao Wok Entrée combines chili seared soy sauce with hand-cut scallions, garlic, snap peas, carrots and peanuts, served with choice of protein and white or brown rice. For a limited time, fans of this craveworthy dish can enjoy the Lighter Kung Pao Wok Entrée, swapping the rice for crisp lettuce cups, or grab their chopsticks and try the new Kung Pao Shrimp Sushi, a sushi roll topped with crispy shrimp, crumbled peanuts and kung pao sauce.
NEW Sushi Crunch Rolls: Topped with tempura flakes to pack the ultimate crunch, the hand-rolled Teriyaki Crunch Roll and Wasabi Crunch Roll are bold twists on classic sushi favorites.
Light and Fresh Salads: Pei Wei has a selection of lighter salads like the Asian Chopped Chicken Salad, tossed with sliced chicken, assorted lettuce, Napa cabbage, carrots, Thai basil, tomatoes, crispy wontons, toasted sesame seeds and sesame ginger vinaigrette.
Wok Fresh Entrées: Pei Wei is known for its made-to-order wok dishes, fired in 700-degree woks to seal in the bold flavors. Popular picks include the Honey Seared Wok Entrée. Recommended with crispy chicken or shrimp, this dish combines sweet honey garlic sauce, chili oil, rice sticks, scallions and red peppers. On the savory side, the Mongolian Wok Entrée, recommended with tender beef, mixes soy sauce, scallions, garlic and white mushrooms.
Perfect Additions: Complete any meal with a number of options including edamame, Vietnamese Chicken Salad Rolls and the signature hand-rolled Vegetable Spring Rolls.

$1.8M FDOT Project Coming to Lyons

Lyons Road, southbound; image and map data by Google

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has recommended spending nearly two million dollars to prevent accidents on the curved section of Lyons Road. A review of crashes over a five year period (2007 to 2011) found a concentration in this area:

The police hard copy crash reports revealed that 48 of these crashes involved vehicles traveling along the curved section of Lyons Road. Of these, 37 happened north of the intersection with Escondido Way; 26 were traveling southbound on Lyons Road and 11 were traveling northbound. Furthermore, 22 crashes involved wet pavement. Nine crashes were recorded in the intersection of Escondido Way and Lyons Road. A majority of the crashes (32 crashes or 58.2%) were run off the road crashes.

We reported on a crash in this area in May on the West Boca News Facebook page.

Our readers will be surprised to hear this (sarcasm alert) but apparently drivers go faster than the recommended speed in this area:

The analysis of speed data collected on the study segment on May 21, 2012 showed that almost 100% of the motorists were driving over the advisory speed (30 mph) by an average of 30.17% to 48.73% above the speed. Vehicles in the 85th percentile traveled even faster, averaging between 40% and 66.67% over the advisory speed.

Data points included many over 50 mph and even some over 60 mph, or double the recommended speed.
In an earlier phase of the project “speed feedback signs” (the ones that flash when you’re going too fast) were installed. They didn’t work:

The analysis of the speed data revealed that the installation of the SFSs did not bring down the speeds significantly and that the majority of the motorists still traveled substantially above the advisory speed of 30 mph.

Since the signs didn’t work, FDOT is now recommending major roadwork on the curved section.

Reconstruct the roadway typical section per Palm Beach County Engineering and Public Works recommendations to improve existing super elevation through the curves. The proposed reconstruction project will rebuild the three curved segments of the road with the super elevation appropriate for the 40-mph design speed limit, relax the three horizontal curves, add shoulders on both sides, and add a 6-foot pathway on the west side of the road.

The report does not provide much detail on the changes beyond what’s written above, but the reference to super elevation suggests the curves will be banked, but not as much as this picture:

It’s unclear when this roadwork will begin, but it should take several weeks with dramatic traffic impact.
The full FDOT report is below:
[gview file=”https://westbocanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Lyons-Rd_Norte-Lago-to-Pine-Springs-Dr-Study_-final2.pdf”]

Mystery in Mission Bay

A reader update on this story:

I heard from one of the neighbors that it started off as a drug bust. There were over eight sheriffs cars and blocked the street off from both ends. Then the guy got out of the house and the sheriffs chased him down outside the street. The whole thing went on for hour from 2 pm and they were still there at 9 pm. I saw them at 7.30pm.

Readers contacted us yesterday about an incident in the Mission Bay neighborhood. There were several PBSO vehicles and it appeared that at least two people were arrested. We have no tips regarding the woman pictured above, but readers tell us the man in the pictures is James “Jimmy” Leclerc.

We have been unable to confirm that Mr. Leclerc is involved, nor what the incident was about. Readers told us that it was a drug bust and/or that there was some kind of gun involved. We contacted the Sheriff and have gotten no answers. No arrests matching this incident have shown up in the blotter. Nor do we see any new cases in Broward or in federal court.

Mr. Leclerc does have a substantial history in the courts, including a fairly recent three year state prison sentence related to several charges including felony battery incidents in 2011 and 2013. He was released in January of this year. The address listed for him in that record doesn’t exist but it’s on La Salina Circle where this incident occurred.

Map showing Diego and Glades, and La Salinas Circle in Mission Bay; map data by Google

Mr. Leclerc does have a recent case in Broward, arrested last week for a felony driving with a suspended license – habitual. Despite having just been released from prison only a few months earlier he was released after that arrest on only $750 bond. Keep in mind that he may still be on probation in Broward.
At around the same time there was an accident reported to us nearby on Glades at Diego. The pictures we got were blurry.

When we asked PBSO about that they described it as a hit-and-run that was under investigation. It’s unclear if this is related to the incident on La Salinas Circle.
If any of our readers have more information about this incident, please let us know. You can comment on this article, our Facebook page, or e-mail [email protected].