In West Palm Beach, The Blue Door Brings a Touch of Mediterranean Charm
What do you get when two Miami hospitality pros team up with two West Palm Beach-based entrepreneurs and an elite interior designer? The result is a restaurant that embraces a restrained elegance in its design, menu, and service philosophy. An arched indigo door first ushered guests into its idyllic al fresco patio earlier this year, and The Blue Door has since graciously embedded itself into West Palm Beach’s SoSo (South of Southern Boulevard) neighborhood.
The masterminds behind The Blue Door include Tamara Magalhães and chef Nano Crespo, the husband-and-wife duo who cut their teeth at several locations within The Soho Group portfolio, at Miami’s legendary Mandolin Aegean Bistro and who most recently brought us The Drexel in Miami Beach.
Where Crespo excels in the kitchen, Magalhães is a front-of-the-house maestro. The other half of the ownership includes entrepreneur Max Ricci, his wife and interior designer Sara Ricci, and Palm Beach native and fellow entrepreneur Michael Katzenberg. The Riccis and Katzenberg themselves live in the SoSo neighborhood, and most recently, Magalhães and Crespo decided to migrate north as well.
As we gear up for the season, we sat down with Magalhães and Max Ricci to break down what’s made The Blue Door’s coastal cuisine so beloved within the community and what staple dishes (if any) will make it onto the fall menu. Here’s what to know.
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The Team That Eats Together, Stays Together.
Let’s start from the beginning. A few years ago, the Riccis met Magalhães and Crespo through mutual friends and instantly clicked. Ricci muses that the more time they spent eating and talking about food, the more they knew they had to open a restaurant together. As their friendship progressed, Ricci and Crespo bonded over their shared experiences from more than a decade ago at some of L.A.’s best restaurants, where unbeknownst to them, Crespo was helming the kitchen, and Ricci was a loyal patron.
“I’ve been to The Drexel so many times and knew that their food would do incredibly well in our neighborhood,” Ricci says. “And Tamara has an incredible pedigree in terms of the restaurants she’s run. She’s the best operator I’ve ever been in contact with and an incredible human being. So, it all really made sense.”
Inside and Outside, There’s a Lush Mediterranean Vibe.
The Little Door, an L.A. restaurant both Ricci and Crespo frequented, inspired the vision behind The Blue Door’s aesthetic. Its unassuming exterior unfolding into a beautiful oasis struck a chord with them. Sara Ricci, co-owner of Studio Ett Hem, curated a sleek and comfortable space modeled after the beach clubs in southern Europe that complements Crespo’s effortless, coastal menu. The covered 100-seat patio surrounded by lush landscaping is The Blue Door’s centerpiece and features clean lines, hints of blue, warm woods, and elegant details. It’s also where the owners frequently see neighbors greet one another from across the room. For those who prefer air conditioning, an intimate interior dining room sits 40 comfortably.
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Thanks to a Strong Culture, It’s Thrived as a Neighborhood Hub.
As residents of the SoSo neighborhood, the team wanted to create a concept that could become a watering hole for young professionals and a relaxed family dining hub. They envisioned a place where couples could celebrate a date night and families could gather several times a week for simple, everyday fare. And now, after nearly a year, they have made that dream a reality.
While the team is grateful for the warm welcome from its neighbors, it also credits its staff for always prioritizing an impressive level of service. “We want to bring the simplicity back,” Magalhães says. “We want to be as friendly and casual as possible, yet we provide an intensive training to our team that gives them confidence and allows them to be who they are. I think that touch is what’s missing today in hospitality.”
She continues, “When you find the right people who believe in what you’re doing, it’s uncomplicated, and it’s genuine. Then, you can have consistency. And if you can have consistency, then it’s a fun operation because you know it will be great. I think that’s what is special about The Blue Door.”
The Free-Flowing Menu Embraces Simplicity.
Crespo’s rustic coastal menu, designed to highlight the freshest local ingredients, is simple yet diverse. By sourcing the best quality seasonal produce and working with local purveyors and farms like Holman’s Harvest, he focuses on allowing the ingredients to speak for themselves. If it’s not locally sourced, it’s housemade, from the bread to the desserts. “It’s a fun menu in the sense that nothing stops you from having fun with the four sections of the menu instead of following the traditional dining experience with an appetizer, main course, and dessert,” Magalhães says. Ricci adds, “We really set out to make it a place where you could eat here several times a week, so that’s why it’s not committed to a genre.”
The beverage program complements the cuisine by highlighting seasonal cocktails and mainly small wine producers within its five categories (sparkling, red, white, orange, rosé). This is where you can discover Greek wines but also sip on a time-honored Napa cabernet sauvignon if that’s what you fancy.
Food-wise, There’s Plenty for Regulars and First-Timers to Obsess Over.
Patrons have crowned several dishes, resulting in many staples that people can’t get enough of. One of Magalhães’ favorite dishes is the refreshing local tuna carpaccio, while one of Ricci’s most coveted dishes is the Italian fennel sausage (also found in the housemade gnocchi). The fan-favorite entrées include the branzino and lamb chops. “People say it’s the best they’ve ever had,” Ricci exclaims about the branzino. “People go crazy over the chops and freak out over the chicken.” Magalhães lets us in on a little secret: Crespo creates bespoke salt mixes for each of his proteins. The fish mix includes dehydrated lemons, fennel seeds, and smoked sea salt. “There’s a good mix of dishes that have made The Blue Door menu strong so far, but we need to evolve,” she admits. So, what will make it onto the fall menu that drops in October? You’ll have to visit The Blue Door to find out.
The Blue Door is open for dinner, Tuesday to Sunday from 5pm. Make a reservation here.
