Their motto is: Connected, updated, and aware of all the changes happening. Wayku aims to serve up dishes with a signature twist, using the finest techniques and ingredients available.

As a culinary and cocktail experience, Wayku delivers touches of nomadic cuisine.

The food has a decidedly adult palate, with riffs on Asian fusion, perfectly grilled meats, imaginative drinks, and divine desserts – think chocolate mousse in raspberry soup.

Seating is elegant and breezy, with covered semi-outdoor patio tables for balmy nights and padded booths and tables inside. Walls are a dark grey with unusual lighting fixtures and colorful flag-like fabrics on the ceiling.

We opted to sit at a booth along the front window facing the bar to take in all the action. A refreshing drink – the Wayku Spritz – had prosecco, Campari, and dragonfruit juice topped with a small purple orchid, sweet and sparkly.

The cocktail menu was designed by mixologist Mona Gallosi, whose life in bebidas started more than 20 years ago when she moved from hometown Rio Negro to Buenos Aires. There she created her own brand as a gastronomic businesswoman and an entrepreneur. She began her career as a bartender and mixologist at upscale bars and restaurants. There, she discovered her passion for mixes and simplicity, using only a few quality ingredients to create superior drinks.

Her goal was that most people at a bar or lounge could understand a cocktail’s language based on flavors, textures, and aromas. In her latest project, she has built a space for events, labs, and experiences called Puente G, where she transfers her experiences and highlights of her “around the world trip” into drinks and aromas, constantly adding new flavors and delights.

On to the food – starting with Tuna Tataki – the seared slices came on a bed of avocado with mango and black tulle chips, large enough for two.

The Bao Buns – those spongy wrappers for delicious fillings that absorb some of the sauce – had shitake mushrooms, purple kale, pistachios, and ginger teriyaki dressing. Yummy and light with multiple flavors.

The main course was outstanding – Grilled Rack of Lamb with a green herb crust, grilled artichokes, and small baby potatoes amusingly circling the edges of the plate. Cooked to medium-rare perfection, the juicy guilty pleasure chops were generous, and the artichokes were amazingly al dente and flavorful.

On to dessert: A Chocolate Triffle with raspberry soup, chocolate cream, cashew praline, blueberries, cherries, and meringue. Densely sweet and rich, the mousse paired wonderfully with the tangy “soup”, dotted with berries and nuts.

The man responsible for all this wonder is Chef Matteo Gritti of Milan, Italy. Both a chef and DJ, Gritti is a curious and experimental figure.

“We seek to involve all those who do not consume classic signature cuisine; that is why we offer dishes with “well known” ingredients, but with a fresh and innovative twist,” he says.

When he was 23 years old, Matteo opened his first restaurant in Buenos Aires. A few years later he started working in restaurants in Italy, learning how to manage Michelin Star restaurant kitchens.

In 2012 Matteo founded a record label — Cueva Records, where he produces and edits artists from the international scene, only in vinyl record format, old school style. The label produces parties such as Peacock Society, Konzept, Aribau & Friends.

Through the years, Matteo has shared booths with international DJs and artists, including Nina Kraviz, Loco Dice, Paul Kalkbrenner, Dubfire, Matador, Dixon, Blond:hish, Cuartero, and Barem, among others.

In addition to his success with music, his rhythm in the kitchen and passion for authentic taste set a higher standard for worldwide emerging chefs.

His inspiration comes from the world of art, music, and slow food.

In a time where food fusion genres are intertwined and re-imagined, it’s hard to pigeonhole his style. His creations shift and change with the seasons, and it all boils down to what works and tastes right.

Matteo has developed strong ties with his suppliers, all of which share the same values and help him in his mission as a chef.

As part of the team at Wayku, he brings with him a revolutionary concept of cuisine: modern and borderless, like today’s world.

Matteo’s powerful but simple dishes, with a signature twist such as offbeat fruits, preparation styles, and presentation. He uses techniques and ingredients gleaned from global influences and exotic locales.

With elegant dining like Wayku, Wynwood is growing into a dining destination, more than the street art that has made it a must-visit neighborhood.

Online at www.waykurestaurants.com

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Tequila is the main alcohol in all Margaritas but some people like to use frozen strawberries and limeade concentrate to conceal the taste of the tequila. One of the country’s foremost cocktail historians, David Wondrich says the Margarita is a version of the Daisy cocktail (in Spanish: Margarita) and that margaritas often have a higher liquor ratio so they can be a dangerous cocktail if you’re drinking without eating.

These are some facts or myths told on days like National Margarita Day. But the real deal is margaritas are cocktails with flowery finesse.

Barcello restaurant, located at 11603 US Highway 1 in North Palm Beach is experimenting with new ingredients and flavor combinations to bring you an even better agave cocktail.

Mixologist Micah Hinde has created Hibiscus Margarita with Black Sea Salt, a cocktail deep red in color with floral notes and a subtle bite of ginger. A squeeze of fresh lime helps to brighten all the flavors.

For this rendition of the famous magic combo of sweet, sour and tequila dumped into a salt-rimmed glass, Hinde uses Cimarron Blanco Tequila, broVo Orange Curacao, Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur, fresh lime juice, agave, and salts the rim of the glass with Himalayan Black Salt creating a bold flavor.

This cocktail is a true game-changer and a fun twist on the traditional Margarita.

And the good thing is the cocktail is available every day from their signature cocktail list.

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Taking over the former Vic and Angelo’s large 5,000 sq. foot corner space at PGA Commons, Scusi Trattoria has a warm and inviting vibe. Dining there on a recent cool weekday evening with two very picky friends, Lori and Joe from the Hamptons, we were welcomed by the large wraparound bar outside that was filled with people enticed by the glowing tall gas heaters that stood like a small forest. Inside, the bustling long open kitchen and two pizza ovens accented by Mediterranean blue-glazed tiles. The décor has nice natural materials of padded wood banquets, plush white and blue striped cushions, antique mirrors, while the walls showcase ceramic plates. A soft light baths the place.

It felt very fresh and contemporary European; I was half expecting to see the cliffs of Capri outside, waves lapping at the shore. Despite the large size of the restaurant, it is cleanly divided into several intimate dining spaces both inside and out.

We chose a banquet to sit at and our attentive waiter Gabriel immediately brought over warm house-baked bread and a round of wine drinks followed. Perusing the menu of traditional entrees, pastas, pizzas, and small plates to share we ordered up the Frito Misto – a generous serving of crispy seafood with shrimp, calamari, and grouper served with a luscious lemon chili aioli. The waiter suggested the Zucchini salad, a real winner consisting of spiraled zucchini tossed with pecorino cheese, lemon, mint, basil, and the surprise crunch of toasted almonds. A very delicious innovative dish.

For the entree, I decided on the Spiced Swordfish Spiedini Alla Sicilian served cut into chunks on a skewer on a bed of cherry tomatoes, currants, capers, pine nuts, and a creamy rosemary-polenta. I’d never had swordfish served this way and it was delicious – the fish firm and well done inside with a spicy, lemony coating. Scooping it up with the polenta and olives and nuts made for a seriously satisfying fresh take on Italian ingredients.

Lori ordered the Wood Baked Branzino Al Limone stuffed with spinach and mushrooms. They mercifully cut the head off but left the tail. Served nestled in a pan of lemony butter sauce, the fish was moist and flaky; the stuffing rich and flavorful. Lori declared it the “best branzino I’ve ever had”. We all tasted it and agreed it was an unusually successful fish dish.

Joe ordered the Bucatini Alle Vongole with white wine, garlic and clams. The pasta is like a mini lasagna noodle, long but thin with ruffled edges. The clams were small and tasty, the generous sauce flecked with oregano and plenty left for sopping up the sauce with bread.

Something else happened at dinner that I haven’t experienced much, people at the tables were reaching out and striking up conversations with the people next to them. We experienced it on both sides of us; starting by commenting on the food then expanding to get to know themselves better. The couple to our right got so chatty we exchanged business cards and they even bought us a round of drinks! Perhaps the newness of the restaurant and the holiday lights and good cheer mood was infectious.

Leaving room for dessert, the chocolate and pistachio gelato and something they call the Scusitiramisu—a variation of tiramisu with bananas in the creamy vanilla pudding and generous shaved chocolate on top.

The menu includes very delectable items like the wood-fired pizzas with mushroom and truffle, fennel sausage, egg, and mushroom, or clam and guanciale. The veal and pork ricotta meatballs, octopus with mashed potatoes and Bigeye tuna Crudo also sound like winners.

All this deliciousness is due to the global experience of Chef Tourondel who has opened more than 40 restaurants around the globe, from London to Hong Kong to San Juan. A native of France, Chef Tourondel studied at Saint Vincent Ecole de Cuisine in Montlucon, France, he was chef to the Admiral in the French Navy. Travels to London led to stints at the famed Gentleman’s Club, Boodle’s, then to Restaurant Beau Geste in Manhattan; Jacques Maximin at Restaurant Ledoyen in France; and Chef de Partie at Restaurant Mercury at the Hotel InterContinental in Moscow and Caesar’s Palace Hotel & Casino.

In the US he opened BLT Steak, BLT Fish, BLT Prime, BLT Burger, BLT Market, LT Burger in the Harbor, LT Burger in Bryant Park, LT Signature, and most recently Arlington Club. Currently, he is also the Executive Chef at Brasserie Ruhlmann in Rockefeller Center in Manhattan. In October 2007, Bon Appétit magazine named Tourondel Restaurateur of the Year. Tourondel has published three cookbooks, Go Fish: Fresh Ideas for American Seafood; Bistro Laurent Tourondel: New American Bistro Cooking; which earned him a 2008 James Beard Foundation Award nomination and Fresh from the Market: Seasonal Cooking with Laurent Tourondel.

“I hope that every guest that comes to dine at Scusi goes home satisfied with a taste of a time when life was simple and delicious,” says Chef Tourondel. “It’s the rustic wood-fired cooking I enjoyed growing up.”

Every dish felt truly inspired, the service was wonderfully attentive, the atmosphere warm and comfortable. This is an extremely elevated dining experience, and a very welcome addition to the North Palm Beach County scene.

Scusi features a specially-curated wine list of primarily European wines, domestic and imported beers, and original craft cocktails, including a rosé snowcone. A happy hour offered Monday through Friday from 5 pm to 7 pm includes specialty-priced drinks and half-priced pizzas.

If you visit, Scusi Trattoria is located at 4520 PGA Blvd, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418. (561) 429-6938. scusirestaurants.com

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