Not everyone in Palm Beach County is a freaked-out mess about this hurricane. The folks at E.R. Bradley’s Saloon plan to party right through the storm. In fact, they’re calling the place “The Official Hurricane Landfall Headquarters.”
They’re taking Hurricane Matthew’s approach as a reason to flip into full, old-Florida-watering-hole mode.
Sign at the bar at E.R. Bradley’s in West Palm Beach. (Richard Graulich / The Palm Beach Post)
“This is how we’ve always done it. We stay open and service the downtown area. We become a hub to commiserate and celebrate and just gather,” says Nick Coniglio, whose family owns Bradley’s.
The popular pub perched on the downtown West Palm Beach waterfront has no generator to kick in during a power outage. But Coniglio is not worried.
“We’ve got lots of bagged ice and gas burners and we’re ready to go. And we have staff members who plan to tough it out during the storm,” he said, adding that he will have a police officer on premises as well. He says the restaurant and bar will offer a special $5 hurricane menu.
E.R. Bradley’s faces the waterfront in West Palm Beach. (Richard Graulich / The Palm Beach Post)
Coniglio’s other restaurant, Cucina Dell’Arte in Palm Beach, will be opened during the storm as well, he says. The windows there are boarded up, but the door will be open for customers who want a nice Italian meal and a cocktail.
The restaurants will also be preparing food for delivery by Cravy. (Meals can be ordered at GoCravy.com.)
“These situations bring back that local spirit. We can have a cocktail among friends, or just stop in if we need ice or something to eat,” says Coniglio.
He plans to visit both restaurants during Thursday, when the hurricane is expected to impact Palm Beach County.
“The last time I did this, it was a real eerie feeling. It’s isolated out and the winds are coming through – and a couple of people think you’re really nuts for being out,” he says. “But it was kind of a proud Floridian moment, too. This is where we live and what happens here.”
E.R. Bradley’s Saloon: 104 S. Clematis St., West Palm Beach; 561-833-3520
