Wedding venue in Blue Ridge, GA for couples in Boca Raton, FL

A restaurant in Boca Raton that was originally founded in New York City has filed for bankruptcy just two years after launching.

The Blue Dog in Boca Inc., which does business as The Blue Dog Cookhouse and Bar, petitioned for Chapter 11 reorganization on Oct. 15 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida. The form was submitted by the company's president, Yanna Slavutsky.

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The restaurant, which is located at Town Center at Boca Raton, listed over $700,000 in debt and nearly $120,000 in assets. The West Palm Beach federal court allowed the restaurant to continue operating as a debtor in possession on Oct. 16, and assigned Tarek Kirk Kiem as the trustee.

Some of Blue Dog in Boca's largest creditors are New York-based merchant cash advance lender KYF Global Partners ($270,000); Town Center at Boca Raton owner Simon Properties ($128,000 in unpaid rent); San Francisco-based credit card operating system Square ($100,000) and the IRS ($100,00 in unpaid Florida sales taxes).

Priority claims backed by Uniform Commercial Code liens include Miami-based AAA Alpha Advisors Alliance and Sysco Southeast Florida for undetermined amounts, in addition to KYF and Square.

According to bankruptcy documents, KYF sued the The Blue Dog in Boca in March in state court in Monroe County, New York. The lawsuit seeks $240,000 plus interest over a loan it alleged the company defaulted on, according to the complaint.

The Blue Dog in Boca stated in bankruptcy documents that it responded to the suit in defense of the allegations, and maintains that KYF does not have a valid lien on cash collateral.

Rachamin Cohen and Isaac M. Marcushamer, the attorneys representing The Blue Dog in Boca, were not immediately available for comment. The Chapter 11 case management summary form that outlines the company's reason for filing was also unavailable.

The Blue Dog Cookhouse and Bar was founded in midtown Manhattan in 2006. The Boca Raton location launched in 2022 and marked the company's first restaurant outside of the Empire State.

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Spooky season has returned and with it, the parties, family fun, and lively nightlife that surrounds this marvelous holiday. For many, Halloween rivals Thanksgiving as the favorite secular holiday celebrated nationwide. As always, our seasonal blogs and holiday roundups are a popular installation in our Boca Raton Real Estate blog, with Halloween among our most read. With fewer family plans made than Christmas and Chanukah, Halloween is a standout holiday fit for our blog. Read on and set your plans, gather up your best costume, and get ready to party!

Boo-Ca Boo Days by The City of Boca Raton

The City of Boca Raton is presenting a weeklong slate of festivities known as the Boo-ca Boo Days - featuring a wide selection of athletic, creative, and educational family-friendly events.

The first of our kid-friendly Halloween exhibits is the Spooky Sounds demonstration at the Children's Science Explorium. In a season of shrieks, howls, and hoots, learn the science behind the auditory sense of fright.

This innovative multisensory experience will also occur at The Children's Science Explorium. This unique space designed for elementary students and their parents will explore the world of STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) through several Halloween-themed exhibits.

The first of several events to occur at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Halloween By The Sea will give children and their parent/guardians access to a myriad of exciting games, crafts, and a special ice cream treat. Wear your best costume and take a picture with Luna the Sea Turtle! This is a great way to kick off spooky season for your young ones.

There's something fun and exhilarating about sports in costume. At the Swim & Racquet Center in Central Boca, Spooky Tennis will entreat young athletes to a fun take on this timeless, and quintessentially Boca Raton sport, followed by a delicious pizza party to capstone an exciting evening.

Haunted Hammock is a guided tour through the Gumbo Limbo boardwalk. Tour guides will take you on a stroll that is sure to include several spooky twists, turns, and bends. Learn about the nocturnal creatures and creepy crawlies that inhabit our beautiful Boca Raton environment at one of the premier natural attractions in the city.

Other Halloween Events In The Boca Raton Area

This free, family-friendly event will take place at the Daggerwing Nature Center. Like the Haunted Hammock, come in your favorite costume, with a flashlight and bug spray in hand to learn more about the natural confines we are blessed to live within. The event will immerse young people and their families in nature, with a spooky nocturnal animal exhibit, boardwalk tour, and more.

The annual Boca Pumpkin Patch Festival will take place on October 19th and 20th, serving as the centerpiece of Boca Raton's annual Halloween festivities. Three different sessions will be available, featuring food, drinks, pumpkin decorating, carnival rides, and fall attractions.

The Pavilion Grille will host another holiday-themed dance party featuring a costume contest, prizes, and the best tunes on one of the best dance floors in Boca Raton. There will be a $25 food/beverage minimum, featuring their delectable selection of pasta, seafood, and fusion classics.

The elegant Meat Market steakhouse in the Renaissance Boca Raton Hotel will transform into a Beetlejuice-themed Halloween night. Staff and decor will be dressed the part, with cocktails and small plates to match. Building off last year's Dia De Los Muertos-themed extravaganza, Meat Market continues to prove itself as a cultural hotspot for both fine dining and the occasional nightly soiree. Costumes are highly encouraged, but not required.

For more happening around town visit our dedicated page for Boca Raton News & Events.

Bagel lovers get ready to rejoice, H&H Bagels will be opening on Wednesday, Oct. 2 on Glades Road in Boca Raton.

To say that the anticipation for this purveyor of authentic New York City bagels has been growing would be putting it mildly.

H&H Bagels director of marketing Jesse Stein said they've been flooded with inquiries about the new restaurant saying "One of the most popular comments on our Instagram account is 'When is Boca opening?'"

With seven locations in New York City, Boca Raton will be the iconic bagel shop's first franchise and first-ever restaurant outside of the city.

'Famous' H&H Bagels featured in movies, TV's 'Seinfeld'

Featured in many movies and television shows including "Seinfeld," "The Office," "Sex and the City," "Entourage," "You’ve Got Mail," "How I Met Your Mother," and many more, this shop is a New York City classic and a bagel lover's dream.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

Founded in 1972, H&H Bagels has stayed true to their original recipe and the same proven techniques since they opened.

H&H Bagels' menu at Boca Raton shop

Using high-quality, simple ingredients, their bagels are proofed, kettle-boiled, bathed in cold water, and then oven-baked fresh to perfection. Baked on-site all day, customers are able to choose from a wide variety of classic spreads, egg sandwiches, smoked fish, and specialty sandwiches.

On opening day, in addition to offering South Florida true New York City bagels, they will be giving away H&H Bagel tote bags to the first 200 customers. Within each bag will be a gift cards to the store ranging from $5 to $100.

To celebrate the opening of the Boca Raton location, both H&H Bagel CEO Jay Rushin and director of operations Ryan Klepper will be at the ceremony.

Following the opening in Boca Raton, several more franchises are expected to follow. "Next we'll open in Santa Monica, likely in late October or early November," Stein said. After that, he said shops in West Palm Beach's NORA District and other Florida locations including Tampa and Jacksonville will follow in early 2025.

Stein said the company is "incredibly excited to finally open their first location outside of the city and to bring New York City bagels to the Boca community."

H&H Bagels opens in Boca Raton

Where: 2200 Glades Road, Boca Raton

Hours: 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week

Information: 561-465-3752; hhbagels.com

Eddie Ritz is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at eritz@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

AccuWeather Global Weather Center – Sept. 24, 2024 – AccuWeather expert meteorologists say people along the upper Gulf Coast region of Florida have less than 48 hours to prepare for life-threatening storm surge, destructive winds, flooding and spin-up tornadoes embedded in tropical rainbands.

“We’re urging people to get away from the immediate coastline and follow evacuation orders by local officials. We’re expecting deadly storm surge in parts of the Big Bend region. If you get caught in this storm surge in the hardest-hit areas, rescue crews likely will not be able to respond during the height of the storm. It’s too dangerous,” warned AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva. “This hurricane is expected to be quite large. Impacts will be widespread.”

Helene was officially named a tropical storm on Tuesday morning. AccuWeather was the first known source to issue a track and intensity forecast on Sunday afternoon.

“This is another classic case of homegrown development. We have less than 72 hours between the point when the developing storm is officially named and when it makes landfall as a powerful hurricane,” said AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno. “Homegrown development leaves people with less time to prepare. These water temperatures are high octane, it’s like pouring gasoline on a fire.”

AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter says exceptionally warm water temperatures and other conducive factors will allow Helene to rapidly intensify over the next 24 hours.

“Water temperatures are 4 to 6 degrees warmer than the historic average in many parts of the Gulf. There are some pockets with record-shattering temperatures right now,” said Porter. “Helene is forecasted to track right through areas with the warmest water temperatures in the Atlantic basin reaching hundreds of feet below the surface. Rapidly intensifying hurricanes can bring greater impacts at landfall. That’s why we’re so concerned about storm surge.”

AccuWeather expert meteorologists will closely monitor the timing of the tides as Helene approaches the coast before making landfall on Thursday.

“A bit of good news is we expect to be at low astronomical tide around landfall. We’re not dealing with a full moon or a new moon. That would make the situation worse,” DaSilva explained. “The storm is going to be picking up speed as it interacts with that dip in the jet stream. At least initially, it’s going to be moving pretty fast. That will allow stronger winds to reach farther inland compared to a slower-moving storm. The storm will eventually slow down or even stall out over the Tennessee Valley.”

AccuWeather expert meteorologists are forecasting wind gusts to reach 120-130 mph with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 160 mph near the area where the center of circulation makes landfall.

Gusty winds of 40-60 mph can extend north across much of the Southeast as the storm moves north on Friday, then into the southern Appalachians and Tennessee River Valley on Saturday. This wind, combined with the rain, can bring down trees and power lines.

Rainfall totals of 4-8 inches can extend across the Florida Panhandle and into the western Carolinas and eastern Alabama. Near where the center makes landfall, rainfall totals can reach 8-12 inches with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 24 inches. This heavy rain can lead to widespread flooding near the center of the storm. With the speed of the storm, the rain will come down fast and furious, overpower drainage systems, leaving a significant risk for life-threatening flooding over a widespread area.

“Helene could cause a flooding disaster in some areas of the Southeast, especially in the higher terrain of northern Georgia, upstate South Carolina and western North Carolina. This is due to the combination of rain ahead of Helene on Wednesday and Wednesday night and then another thrust of torrential rain Thursday and Thursday night as Helene moves inland,” said Porter. “In this area, 8-12 inches of rain can occur, with the heaviest coming within only a few hours when the rainfall rate can exceed 2 inches per hour, which is enough to cause significant and life-threatening flooding. The risk is greatest in the steep terrain of the Southern Appalachians, where mudslides and rockslides can occur. Some communities may be cut off with no way to enter or exit if there is damage to infrastructure such as bridges and roadways. Areas of significant urban flash flooding may also occur in the Atlanta metropolitan area should rain rates exceed 2 inches per hour, which can result in rapidly rising water and life-threatening flash flooding.”

AccuWeather expert meteorologists say the risk of extreme rainfall rates in the Big Bend region of Florida extends beyond the Tallahassee region into southeastern Georgia. There is also a high risk of flash flooding in northeast Georgia, western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee and southwestern Virginia.

“The inland flooding threat can sometimes be overlooked and unfortunately that can cause the highest amount of fatalities after a hurricane landfall. This threat is amplified because we’re expecting heavy rainfall from Atlanta through the southern Appalachians long before the impacts from Helene arrive,” said AccuWeather Senior Director of Forecasting Operations Dan DePodwin. “There could be a flooding disaster in several areas because of the extreme rainfall rates and what will likely be record rainfall for the Southeast in September.”

A dangerous storm surge of 6-10 feet is expected from north of Tampa Bay, westward to east of Apalachicola. A life-threatening and devastating storm surge of 10-15 feet is expected just east of the Big Bend region of Florida, near where the rainstorm makes landfall.

There will be a threat of tornadoes as Helene moves up the coastline and makes landfall on Thursday and continues northward Friday, mainly north and east of the track of the center of the storm. Tornadoes from tropical systems can occur at night and form very quickly without warning.

AccuWeather expert meteorologists say there is an extreme risk to lives and property along the Big Bend region of Florida. There is widespread risk of power outages in the Tallahassee region. The risk of regional and localized power outages extends as far north as southwest Virginia.

Major travel disruptions are expected throughout the Southeast. AccuWeather is forecasting 750 flight cancelations on Thursday, 1,300 flight cancelations on Friday, and 500 flight cancelations on Saturday.

Due to impacts from dangerous flooding rainfall, strong winds and storm surge and the total damage and economic impact this storm is expected to bring, this wind and rainstorm is a 3 for United States on the AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale for Hurricanes, which warns of widespread and substantial flooding, structural damage to buildings, especially mobile homes, as well as downed trees, power outages and major coastal inundation.

In contrast to the Saffir-Simpson scale, which classifies storms by wind speed only, the AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale is based on a broad range of important factors. In order to better communicate a more comprehensive representation of the potential impact of a storm on lives and livelihoods, the scale covers not only wind speed but also flooding rain, storm surge and economic damage and loss. Some of these hazards, such as inland flooding and storm surge in many storms, result in more deaths and economic loss than wind.