Roads flooded in parts of Palm Beach Gardens; city cites 15-plus-inch rain reports

Poolside dining and a lounge for aperitifs are part of the plan for Lillys, the rooftop restaurant and bar headed to The Nora Hotel. Its full-service menu was developed with Starr Restaurants, the Philadelphia group led by Stephen Starr. The company runs more than 40 places, from Philadelphia and Nashville to Florida. According to the South Florida Business Journal, Lillys will open in November.

Behind Lillys is Mama Hospitality Group: Alex Melillo, Joe Cervasio and Topher Grubb, who already run Mary Lou's, their West Palm cocktail lounge and supper club. Their next project, Mac's 44, is planned for January in the Nora District. The 3,600-square-foot lounge will seat 80 around a stage for live music, singers and choreographed shows. Think velvet, animal prints and low orange light, with cocktails and caviar service on the menu. The lounge is a tribute to Michael "Mr. Mac" McEvoy, Grubb's grandfather, who loved music, opera and art.

CityPlace is in line for an Australian-style cafe. Little Ruby's, famous in New York for its Bronte burger, plans to open at 700 S. Rosemary Ave., according to the Miami New Times. The target is 2027. The brand started in New York in 2002 as Ruby's Cafe, with the aim of bringing Sydney's easygoing beach culture and a serious flat white to the U.S. Dishes take their names from Sydney beaches. Los Angeles-based Wish You Were Here Group now runs the cafe, which reached Uptown Dallas in February 2026.

Salt coffee ranks among the favorites at Ba Cafe, alongside the classic Vietnamese coffee. Kimberly Truong brews only Robusta beans shipped from Vietnam, which carry twice the caffeine of the arabica most Americans drink. Vietnamese coffee traditionally comes over ice, and she offers several kinds. Truong was born and raised in West Palm Beach and named the mobile company for her late father. Back at the market this year, she is now a full-time GreenMarket vendor. "There is not a lot of Vietnamese representation," she said, so she wants people to discover both the coffee and its roots.

When heavy rain arrived with a king tide, water climbed over the swale in front of Luann Parmelee's house. "It never flooded before in the street," she said. Parmelee, an artist and gardener, has spent nearly 15 years there and had just replanted her garden. She blames city work meant to ease flooding along Flagler Drive.

By her estimate, private work to protect the property, permits included, could cost up to $40,000. She says the city never called back, so she contacted WPTV. The city told the station the project is not finished, because flooding has kept crews from completing it. The work is expected to wrap up within a month. Parmelee says she will wait to see whether the city redoes the remediation.

Sign-up opens at 9:30 a.m. in KidSpace, on the Mandel Public Library's third floor, and space is limited. The dinosaur-themed storytime runs from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, Nov. 4, for families with children 18 months to 5. There is no cost.