Philippe Chow in Boca, the Sequel

Philippe Chow

​A recent conversation with Stratis Morfogen, CEO of Philippe Chow restaurants, yielded a few more nuggets about the coming debut of Philippe Chow in the downtown Boca Raton space formerly home to III Forks steak house. 

For one, Morfogen expects the new Philippe to debut in mid-August after a gut-job remodel that will turn the once-dark and clubby restaurant into a much brighter, hipper space done in Chow's signature "all about red" color scheme, with a lounge and three bars (indoors and out). 

The Boca Philippe will be a "more casual and approachable" version of the Miami Beach restaurant, which, btw, will move into new SoFi (south of Fifth Street) digs later this year. The local restaurant will also be more affordable than its SoBe cousin, as "a deal too good to pass up" on the property means prices will average some 30 percent less. 

One of the really cool elements of the new Philippe will be the daily "noodle show" put on by chef Wai Ming Cheng, who rolls a cart into the dining room and in about eight minutes turns a lump of dough into 300 perfectly formed, impossibly long noodles. You can watch a YouTube video of Cheng here.

Speaking of food, the Boca menu will be mostly the same as in Miami, though with an added emphasis on healthier dishes, including steamed fish, tofu, and vegetarian choices. A $29 three-course dinner will also be offered, along with after-work and late-night happy hours. A "name" sommelier will be brought onboard to supervise the restaurant's wine program, while the bar will pour a full roster of mixological cocktails.