Recently had dinner at 32 East. It IS expensive but the meal was worth the money. Both my husband and I very much enjoyed the food. Service was fine.

Let me start by saying that my husband and I are self proclaimed foodies. Good food and wine is a small obsession with us. We've lived in Delray Beach for a little over 2 years and have had the opportunity to eat at 32 East at least 6 times. Each and every time has been a culinary delight for every one. We've been with the kids, with friends and co-workers as well as a couple romantic dinners for two. Also, my husband hosted a business dinner for 20 or so in the upstairs dinning room. Each and every time every one (my kids included) has been thrilled with their meals and their service. It is by far our favorite restaurant in the area and we've tried them all. We've always had great experiences and all our neighbors and friends have glowing reviews as well.

I was stunned to read the other 2 not so favorable reviews. They were right about one thing it's not cheap but it is well worth the splurge! I only wish we could afford to go more often.

I just thought I'd throw my two cents in because you are presented with two conflicting reviews of the restaurant. Hopefully I can bridge the gap with my own take on the situation.

First, the food is very good. The menu is prepared fresh and the culinary experience is excellent. Whatever else you say about the restaurant know that it is a good meal.

What I have noticed in the times that I have been there is that the wait staff is hit-or-miss and that they are generally a little arrogant. Sometimes they are nice and down to earth. When this happens the whole experience is amazing, probably better than any other restaurant I've ever been to. Unfortunately sometimes they act like they are doing you a huge favor by even dealing with you. I've had the same experience of being ignored. One time the waiter had the gall to suddenly become friendly after he brought the receipt over with the tip line. I almost get the impression they cater to regulars.

So if you get the right waiter and everything goes well you'll have a great time. If you don't, you'll end up cursing spending so much on a meal where you left feeling almost put down. I don't go enough to know if the issue has been resolved but I do know that I don't appreciate ever going someplace where I don't feel welcome. And more often than not I don't feel welcome at this otherwise excellent restaurant.

Let me preface this post by saying that I am from NYC and eat at wonderful places all the time (Gramercy Tavern, Babbo, Veritas- one of the things I enjoy about these places in addition to fantastic food, is the level of service, which is both friendly and unobtrusive. I am NOT a complainer, although after my experience this past Saturday night, I felt I had no choice but to publicly vent my frustration.

While visiting family in Florida this past weekend, we decided to have a nice dinner out at 32 East in Delray Beach. My aunt and cousin who live in Florida have dined frequently here and thought we would enjoy the menu. Upon arriving at the nearly empty restaurant for our 5:30 reservation, we asked if it would be possible to sit downstairs, rather than upstairs. My aunt has difficlty negotiating stairs and although they have an elevator, we thought this might make things easier. The hostess, was very terse and rude and said absolutely not, this was not possible. After we were led to our table, my aunt mentioned to the owner/manager, who she recognized from previous visits, that the hostess was rude. He IGNORED her commments and did not even acknowledge that she had spoken to him. After that it became obvious that we were being "blackballed".

The waitstaff was extremely rude throughout the meal, removing (watered-down) drinks and plates without asking if we were finished. Our main waiter never asked how our appetizers were and our main courses arrived about a half hour after our appetizers were cleared. In addition, the food was cold and undercooked. We didn't even have the chance to complain, because no one ever came over to ask how things were. The service was so horrific that it made us tense and uncomfortable. We could not wait to get out of there!

Let me remind you that this was not an inexpensive meal- appetizers were in the 8-12 dollar range and main courses between 25-35 dollars. I do not mind paying for a good meal...eating out is one of my favorite pastimes, but I was angry that our dinner and subsequently our evening was ruined. Diners beware- DO NOT eat at 32 East if you want good service and a nice meal!