Doris Market Expanding and Remodeling on Yamato

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A couple years ago we heard a rumor that Doris Market might move from its location on Yamato at Lakeridge Blvd. The plaza, Yamato Village Center, was sold to a new owner in 2014, and Doris Market stayed. A manager told us that the new owner has made significant improvements to the plaza, especially regarding lighting, and that has helped business.
We’ve been there a few times recently and we noticed big changes in the market. First, they are expanding. The space just east of the current entrance was occupied by Yamato Pharmacy, which have moved. Doris Market will take over that space. With other changes they will add about 2500 square feet in total.
In the photo below you can see the beginning of remodeling work near the entrance, and you can also see the former Yamato Pharmacy front on the left.
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Here is a closer shot of the front of the former Yamato Pharmacy …
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They’re doing significant remodeling in various areas of the store. Below is a shot in the entry area which we believe will be expanded …
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… and another shot from inside the store near the grocery area:
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Last this is a shot of a sign they have showing the new look they’re going for:
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From our conversations it sounds like it’s taking longer than they expected but should be fully remodeled by this summer.

La Ferme Media Dinner: Photos

Laura, Bobby & Alex Shapiro
Laura, Bobby & Alex Shapiro

We were fortunate to be invited to a media dinner for the new La Ferme restaurant in Yamato Village Center. It’s a reopening of the former Bistro Gastronomie in the same plaza as Doris Market. Bistro Gastronomie struggled but the new owners (pictured above) are optimistic they can make the concept work. The Shapiros have extensive experience running restaurants. They’ve learned from their successes and more from the few that didn’t go well.
The new chef, John Belleme (pronounced like Bellamy), put together an excellent meal for all of us. He came out and explained the finer points of the meal in far more depth than this author is capable of understanding, to the delight of the more experienced food writers. Their press release described the cuisine as Meditteranean but we’d call it French.
Bobby Shapiro and Chef John Belleme
Bobby Shapiro and Chef John Belleme

We started with a series of appetizers. First up was the “gougeres”, bread puffs filled with gruyere cheese. The bread was light and airy and the cheese was soft inside – nearly liquid – even after they had cooled off a bit.
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Served at the same time was steak tartare, which was my favorite item of the night. The meat blended with dijon, capers and other ingredients for a hint of spice and smooth feel in the mouth.
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Oysters are not something I would typically order, but I did like these.
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They came out along with “Clams 2 Ways.” One of the ways included bacon, which was excellent.
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During the meal Mr. Shapiro introduced Kahl Wilfert, who coordinated the artwork inside the restaurant.
Kahl Wilfert & Bobby Shapiro
Kahl Wilfert & Bobby Shapiro

There is a variety of art, though Kahl mentioned something being a precursor to the pop art movement.
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Next came two different salads. One was a beet salad. That’s something I usually like and this was no exception:
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There was also a “farm salad.” This was the one item that really didn’t click for me. There was something bitter in it that overpowered the rest of the ingredients, though others at the table did like it.
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We were then served two kinds of mussels. The Thai version was my favorite of the two.
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I had the chance to try three of the four entrees that were served. A guest of mine showed up late and had the salmon. We both thought it was very good.
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I had the scallops with risotto. Of the entrees this was my favorite. My guest particularly liked the risotto.
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I also had a chance to try the porchetta, made from pork belly.
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The meal closed with two desserts, an apple turnover that was spectacular, and a chocolate torte that would definitely appeal to chocoholics.
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We have not seen a menu yet but expect La Ferme to be pricey. The Shapiros tell us it will not be as expensive as Bistro Gastronomie was. We hope to get there again in the next month or so for a regular meal.
Yamato Village Center is on the north side of Yamato halfway between 441 and Lyons at Lakeridge.

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The website, LaFerme.kitchen, is still under construction.

Yamato Village Center Sold?

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Yamato Village Center was reportedly sold for $6.5 million dollars recently. The plaza is located on the north side of Yamato at Lakeridge, and is best known for Doris Market. The buyer is Boca YVC LLC, a newly formed corporation based in Tamarac and headed up by Michael Janoura of Janoura Realty and Management. We think this is him:
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His group purchased it from Dratax, a Pennsylvania corporation.
The property is on the north side of Yamato halfway between 441 and Lyons Road.

This is also a classic example of how some property owners get massive tax breaks. The property appraiser has the 2013 total market value at roughly $3.7M, just over half the sale price. The new 2014 numbers came in since we started writing this article and it’s now up to $3.9M, still far below its actual value. Dratax saved a lot of money at the expense of other taxpayers. We’ll see if the appraiser adjusts the amount for the new owners based on the transaction that just took place.
The transaction was reported by the Sun-Sentinel a few weeks ago. The property appraiser website now confirms the transaction and the deed, prepared by Michael Shapiro of West Boca law firm Shapiro Blasi Wasserman & Gora, P.A., is below:
[gview file=”https://westbocanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/bocavillagecenter-deed.pdf”]