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Internet photo of Mar-a-Lago. Getty image.  Palm Beach, Floridaty

Ocean Boulevard, a few blocks from Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach, Fla, Paul Goldfinger photo. Feb, 2019. ©

By Ross Anzaldi, Esq.  Special to Blogfinger.net.

It was a sunny Florida day, when I received a call from an old friend inviting us to join them for dinner on the following evening.  I should have been prepared for the unexpected when he told me that I needed to wear a jacket, something not usually required  in Florida.

We were to dine at Mar-a-Lago., the “Winter White House” of President Donald Trump.

1100 South Ocean Boulevard, Palm Beach, is situated between the Lake Worth Bay and the Atlantic Ocean in Palm Beach.   It was the former home of Marjorie Merriweather Post (the Post cereal heiress) and it is now a country club, a National Historic Landmark, and the “Winter White House.”

With anticipation, we drove across the bay into Palm Beach and rode along the Ocean admiring the many grand estates facing the Atlantic.  We suddenly slowed and made a sharp right turn under a stone archway into a narrow driveway.

In front of us was Mar-a-Lago, a grand estate of a Spanish/Moorish architecture.  It was over three stories high with a bell tower and numerous chimneys rising  into the sky.  A croquet court was to our left and a large American flag was in the center of the lawn.

Our car stopped under a stone portico, and valets opened all four doors at once.  As we exited the vehicle we faced a wrought iron doorway bracketed by a stone archway and columns.  We entered a small reception area and were reminded by the receptionist to turn off our phones and that no pictures were permitted.

We were then escorted into a high ceilinged dining room.  About 20 tables were set for diner.  Fresh flowers were on each table.  The windows were surrounded by heavy drapes and were lace covered.  The Spanish and Moorish decor was maintained throughout the dining room.

We then continued into an intimate club bar area.  We sat by the fireplace and enjoyed our cocktails and then returned to our table.

Dinner was buffet style.  This evening it featured seafood.   The serving area was outside under another portico, protected from the elements.  The view was onto the Intracoastal Waterway and bay.  The buffet was arrayed over 30 feet of various serving stations.  Whole lobsters were cracked— the meat removed and plated.  Shrimp, crab legs, oysters, clams, Dover Sole, in addition to filet mignon.

The salads included hearts of palm, anchovies, and various type of dressings.  A wide assortment of cheeses and breads rounded off the fare.   So many choices, so little time.  After making my salad choices, we returned to enjoy the lobster.

The dining room began to fill up; about 50 guests were present, yet we were able to enjoy and hear our conversations.  The service was solicitous, and the dining room opulent.

Desserts were displayed along two walls of the dining area.    So many choices, and restraint was difficult.

An elegant location, an excellent meal, and a once in a lifetime memory.

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT  (Live at Carnegie Hall)   “Putting on the Ritz”   (Written by Irving Berlin 1927)   From the concert soundtrack Rufus Does Judy.

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BZ’s bar and lounge in the lavish Gasparilla Inn, Boca Grande Fla.  (1909.) Stop for a drink and a snack from mid afternoon to late night. In the morning you can go deep sea fishing.   Paul Goldfinger photograph 2015. © Click to enlarge or just put it on your tab.  The public is allowed here.  We came to take a gander at the place where people like J.P Morgan, Henry Ford,  Katherine Hepburn, and the Bush family stayed.

MAUDE MAGGART:

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