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Here’s a look at some private rooms around the area and a few price plans. There are multiple combinations, so check with individual restaurants to get an idea of their pricing and availability. Many are posted online.

The Addison
2 E. Camino Real, Boca Raton
(561) 395-9335
www.theaddison.com
Four private rooms, accommodating from 40 to 200 people, with a Mizner Ballroom opening this summer.
Room rental is from $150 to $500; menus are customized for diners. Typically, a four-hour party is priced out as a starting point. Manager can refer floral designers and entertainment providers for banquets and wedding parties. Sea bass, beef dishes, dessert menus and others available for large parties.

Arturo’s6750 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton
(561) 997-7373
www.arturosrestaurant.com
Three private rooms; can accommodate from 16 in the cozy wine cellar room, and up to 70 in the Tuscan. View the rooms online. Pastas, seafoods and meat dishes available for private banquets.
Seven banquet rooms seating from smallest groups of 10 to 350 for large wedding and bar mitzvah parties. Example of pricing: A bar mitzvah, four-course dinner, with two choices of entrees, a cocktail reception and open bar is $59 per adult and $34 for children; price increases based on choice of foods and if the event is moved to Saturday.

Mykonos
6897 S.W. 18th Street Wharfside Plaza
Boca Raton, FL 33433 - 7041 Map
Phone: (561) 338-3646
Cuisine: Greek

Moquila: Boca Raton: Mexican:394-9990
Fun and great food!!!

Gigi’s Tavern is located at Mizner Park, in beautiful downtown Boca Raton Florida.
346 Plaza Real

Kathy’s Gazebo Cafe
4199 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton
(561) 395-6033
Private room for 24 available, with a minimum of 18 in season. Unavailable Saturday nights in season. An a la carte menu and a set menu are available with French modern and classic foods for banquets. Alcohol charged per consumption.

Mario’s of Boca
1901 N. Military Trail, Boca Raton
(561) 392-5595
A room for 50 available with AV equipment on site. Separate banquet menus can be designed, or diners can order a la carte from the Southern Italian specialties: pastas, seafoods, Italian subs and sandwiches, meat and fish entrees.

Maggiano’s Little Italy
21090 Saint Andrews Blvd
Boca Raton, FL 33433View Map
5613618244
Family-style portions and red-checkered tablecloths create a casual, congenial vibe, drawing families and large groups to this feast of Italian-American nostalgia set to a Sinatra soundtrack. The made-from-scratch menu is brimming with traditional dishes, from starters like fried calamari, Parmesan garlic bread and Tuscan-style mussels to spaghetti with meatballs and manicotti with chicken and spinach. For those with room to spare, a piece of sweet tiramisu and a strong cappuccino help finish the meal.

Uncle Tai’s
5250 Town Center Circle, Boca Raton
(561) 368-8806
www.uncle-tais.com
Traditional upscale Hunan Chinese menus available for banquets of up to 50 for receptions, or 25 for sit-down or meeting dinners. Full bar available; the lounge is also available for cocktail parties. Appetizer and hors d’oeuvre foods can be combined for menu selections.

River House
2373 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens
(561) 694-1188
Private room available upstairs, Sunday to Thursdays. Minimum of 30 people; room seats up to 80. A five-item menu is served for $55 not including taxes, tip or alcohol. Boat docks available for customers, first come, first served.

32 East
32 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach
(561) 276-
www.32east.com
Private room available upstairs, no elevator, accommodates up to 75 people. A three-course menu with organics and eclectic modern American cuisine (wines extra) starts at $55; includes wood-fired dolphin, roast chicken breast or grilled pork chops with salad and dessert selections. Other menus posted online for $65 or $75 per person.

Cabana
118 S. Clematis St., West Palm Beach
(561) 833-4773
Party room upstairs with elevator access. Accommodates up to 60 people. Cuban and Latin American foods, $40 per person: tapas of fried calamari, empanadas and plantain chips; house salad, then entree choice of skirt steak, empanadas, pork chops or paella. Alcohol sold per consumption.
Also, Cabana “El Rey” : Delray Beach—–Cuban cuisine-274-9090: beautiful private room.

Falcon House :
Tapas:
116 NE 6th Ave.
Delray Beach
FL 33483
561-243-9499

Dada
52 N Swinton Ave
Delray Beach, FL 33444 Map
Phone: (561) 330-3232
Cuisine: Contemporary
American
Eclectic

Amici Ristorante & Bar
375 S. County Road, Palm Beach
(561) 832-0201
www.amicipalmbeach.com
Private room can accommodate up to 40 people. A three-course lunch party menu starts at $34; three-course dinner menus of diner’s choice begin at $52. Italian specialties, including pastas, meats, seafoods and desserts.
Call 561-368-4488

Benvenuto
1730 N. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach
(561) 364-0600
www.benvenutorestaurant.com
Seven banquet rooms seating from smallest groups of 10 to 350 for large wedding and bar mitzvah parties. Example of pricing: A bar mitzvah, four-course dinner, with two choices of entrees, a cocktail reception and open bar is $59 per adult and $34 for children; price increases based on choice of foods and if the event is moved to Saturday.

The Bistro
2133 S. U.S. 1, Jupiter
(561) 744-5054
www.thebistrojupiter.com
Menu suggestions are posted online for the private room that can expand to accommodate 150. Hors d’oeuvre parties are from $9 to $15 a person; banquet meals average around $42 a person and include entrees such as Chilean sea bass, lobster ravioli, veal escalope.

Brogue’s Irish Pub
621 Lake Ave., Lake Worth
(561) 585-1885
Private room for 100 available. Two options for dinner are provided: a buffet, for $25 per person, or ala carte. A bartender is provided for the room. Book at least two weeks out. Foods are Irish specialties and traditional bar menu.

Café Boulud
301 Australian Ave., Brazilian Court Hotel, Palm Beach
(561) 655-6060
Two rooms, plus a courtyard available. Breakfast, lunch, dinner or cocktail receptions accommodated. Rooms configure for up to 150 for cocktails or 100 for sit-down dining. Roast salmon; braised grouper or snapper; Amish chicken breast, veal loin, short rib and beef-tenderloin duo are some entrees available.

Café Chardonnay
4533 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens
(561) 627-2662
Upstairs room seats up to 50 for business meetings, luncheons or small parties. A la carte, or preset menus are available. Luncheons and business meetings accommodated along with dinners and parties.
Note: No elevator available.

Cafe L’Europe
331 S. County Road, Palm Beach
(561) 655-4020
Enclosed wine room with view of the wine cellar holds up to 40 people. A la carte or custom menus available.
Menu designed for the guest with one of two options: a menu with multiple choice, or a tasting menu (average $100 per person) for all. Other menus, from $60. Alcohol charged by consumption.
Note: Room is not available Friday or Saturday nights. There is a minimum charge of $1,000 for small groups.

Charley’s Crab
456 S. Ocean Blvd., Palm Beach
(561) 659-1500
Private rooms include the wine room for 20 people or the Palm room, which holds up to 80. Under 18 people, a la carte menu is offered; a banquet menu for more than 18 starts at $67.50 during season, and is $57.50 per person in summer. Seafood is the focus, but steaks and other meats available. Alcohol charged by consumption.

Columbia Restaurant
651 Okeechobee Blvd. (CityPlace), West Palm Beach
(561) 820-9373
A private room can be sectioned off to become three dining rooms, seating up to 150 total. Catered, or preset menu available. Sample menus online show multi-course dinners for $55, $65 or $75 a person. Cuisine is Spanish and Cuban.

Manero’s Restaurant
2851 S.W. High Meadow Ave., Palm City
(772) 220-3011
www.maneros.com
Cocktails for 45, or seated dinner for up to 30 can be arranged in the private room. A set menu, with salad, entree, dessert and non-alcholic beverage, is $19.95 per person, with tax and tip extra. There’s no charge for booking the room.

Morton’s, The Steakhouse
777 S. Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach
(561) 835-9664
5050 Town Center Circle, Boca Raton
(561) 392-7724
www.mortons.com
Morton’s West Palm Beach has two private rooms seating from 15 to 85. Two rooms in Boca Raton hold up to 70. Business meeting set-up available with AV equipment. Steakhouse a la carte or designed menus available.

Oakwood Grill
4610 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens
(561) 776-5778
www.oakwoodgrill.com
Private “wine cave” in wine room seats up to 18; menu with wine pairings can be designed for the group or a la carte from steakhouse menu. Entrees such as chicken or pastas begin at $18; steaks and chops from $19 per person. Extensive wine list.

Paddy Mac’s Irish Restaurant & Pub
10971 N. Military Trail, Palm Beach Gardens
(561) 691-4366
www.paddymacspub.com
Private room seats up to 50 people. Banquet menus available; a la carte menus also available. Irish and American specialties; seafoods, steaks, chops, chicken, lamb offered. A la carte menus from $18. Full bar available, and live music can be arranged.

Paradiso Ristorante
625 Lucerne Ave., Lake Worth
(561) 547-2500
Wine room can seat up to 13; a la carte, but option of a special gourmet Italian menu available with a wine pairing and tasting. A four-course meal with wine pairing is $90 per person; seven courses, with wines, is $120. Room should be booked at least two weeks in advance.

Wahoo’s
915 N.W. Flagler Ave., Stuart
(772) 692-2333
www.wahoosstuart.com
A private lower deck can be partitioned off for parties of up to 40 seats. No charge for the space; reserve up to four months early for holiday parties. Three banquet menus, from $12.95, $24.95 or $28.95 per person are available for buffet service; none include alcohol or dessert. The restaurant is accessible by boat.

Recently, we mentioned how disgusting hotel rooms are. Guess what? Even though some hotel rooms are laden with E. coli and Enterococci, they aren’t nearly as bad as public restrooms. Right? Maybe. But guess what? Public poopers aren’t nearly as bad as playgrounds, the farms of the germ world.

A team of scientists recently took some very hot showers after spending four years collecting nearly 1,100 samples at places like airports, restaurants, offices and bathrooms. According to them, the most frequently contaminated areas were:

Playgrounds and day care centers (46 percent of which showed high levels of contamination)
Public restroom surfaces (25 percent)
Public transportation handrails and armrests and shopping cart handles (21 percent)
Escalator handrails (19 percent)
Vending machine buttons (14 percent)
Public phones (13 percent)

Fortunately, other studies have confirmed what your mother taught you: WASH YOUR HANDS WITH SOAP AND WATER. Doing this can reduce the risk of illness by about 50 percent. Alternatively, of course, you can carry a portable UV germ killer with you. Whatever you do, just clean yourself up!

Experts say Americans are in for a pollen “superburst” that could wallop much of the country in the next couple of weeks and spell misery for an estimated 40 million allergy sufferers.

Roger Emert, an allergy specialist at the New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center, shared his tips for combating watery eyes and the sniffles on ‘Good Morning America.’

Catchy Infections ContainedStart Taking Prescription Medicines Earlier
If you’ve been skin-tested and know what you’re allergic to, you should think about taking your medication earlier than you usually do.

Prescription medications are most effective if you take them before symptoms start. The date when people start getting symptoms is typically specific to the person’s location, and longtime allergy sufferers know when the symptoms are going to hit.

This year, take your medication about a week or two earlier than you usually do.

Try Nonsedating Antihistamines or Nasal Spray
Take your medication usually once a day. Nonsedating antihistamines are usually best. If that doesn’t take care of the problem, consider using a nasal spray as well.

Keep Windows Closed
You should keep windows closed, especially on windy days when dust and pollen blow around, and in the morning when some pollen counts are highest.

Turn on the Air Conditioner
Use your air conditioner to filter the air. An air conditioner is sufficient to filter the air of pollen. You don’t need an ionizer or a hepafilter; those items are used to filter out indoor allergens, not pollen.

ABC News

More than 1 million Americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer this year, almost 50,000 of them with melanoma. More than 7,000 will die from melanoma, and another 1,200 will die from basal and squamous-cell skin cancer.

Melanoma facts

• Melanoma is the least common occurring skin cancer, affecting more than 4 percent of those diagnosed with skin cancer. But it accounts for 79 percent of all skin cancer-related deaths, according to the American Cancer Society.

• Half of all new cancers are skin cancers.

• At current rates, your chances of getting melanoma are 1 in 74. In 1980, your chances were 1 in 250.

• One person dies of melanoma every hour. In 2000, 7,700 deaths will be attributed to melanoma - 4,800 men and 2,900 women. Older Caucasian males have the highest mortality rates from melanoma.

• The incidence of melanoma more than tripled among Caucasians between 1980 and 2000.

• Melanoma is more common than any non-skin cancer among women between 25 and 29 years old.

• Melanoma, if detected early, may be 100 percent curable.

Who’s at risk

“It’s critical that people understand that anyone who has overexposure to the sun, regardless of skin color, has a higher risk,” says Deborah Kann Schwarzberg of the Richard David Kann Melanoma Foundation. People with the following characteristics have the highest risk for melanoma:

• Fair complexions that burn or blister easily.

• Blond or red hair.

• Blue, green or gray eyes.

• Excessive sun exposure during childhood and teen years. Blistering and sunburns before age 20.

• Family history of melanoma.

• More than 100 moles, or more than 50 moles if you are under age 20.

How to prevent skin cancer

• Frequently apply sunblock with a minimum SPF of 15 to all exposed skin.

• Wear a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses.

• Stay out of the sun during the peak hours of 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and seek out shaded areas when possible.

• If you must be out during peak hours, cover your skin with sun-protective clothing.

• Practice the ABCDs of Early Detection

• Have a skin cancer-related checkup, including a complete skin examination as recommended by the American Cancer Society, every three years for people between 20 and 40 years of age, and every year for anyone 40 and older.

• The melanoma foundation is looking for melanoma survivors and their families to join in the fight against the disease. If you want to help, or need more information, visit MelanomaFoundation.com.

• Washington State-based Sun Precautions, (800) 882-7860 or SunPrecautions.com, makes hats, scarves and casual clothes with built-in ultraviolet radiation protection for adults. SunSafe of Miami, (877) SUNSAFE or SunSafe.com, and Australia-based Radicool manufacture bright swimsuits and hats for children.

The ABCDs of a self-exam

To conduct an ABCD self exam, inspect moles, freckles and beauty marks with these criteria in mind:

• Asymmetry - If you draw a line through the middle of a mole or mark, the two sides should be mirror images. If not, it is suspicious.

• Borders - Melanomas often have irregular borders that can be notched or blurred. Non-cancerous moles have smooth, even borders. Border irregularity is probably the most important warning sign because it is found in most melanomas.

• Color - Melanomas show a variety of shades of browns and black, and often contain bluish or reddish areas. If a mole, etc. is truly black, it should be considered suspicious. Non-cancerous moles are tan or brown, and mostly uniform in color.

• Diameter - Any mole, freckle or mark that shows significant change in size is suspicious. Also, look for elevation, ulceration or bleeding.