Although regulars include Rod Stewart, Jimmy Buffett and Donald Trump - to name a few - every diner at Ta-boo receives celebrity treatment. The front door is always open, inviting shoppers weary from retail overload to enjoy eclectric, upscale dining in a refined yet relaxing atmostphere.

Co-owners Nancy Sharigan and Franklyn deMarco have been friends for more than 25 years. When they decided to reopen Ta-boo on Oct. 5, 1990, they wanted to fulfill a niche that was nowhere to be found in Palm Beach at the time: a restaurant where you could enjoy a light bite and a great cocktail, without the pressure to order a five-course meal. Success was achieved and Ta-boo is an undeniable island staple.

For 60 years, Ta-boo has been the see-and-be-seen classic on the island, from the Duke and Duchess of Windsor days to the Sinatra and Kennedy era. Rumor has it that a Ta-boo bartender created the Bloody Mary to cure Barbara Hutton's hangover. And there was that other time Joseph P. Kennedy locked himself in the ladies room with Gloria Swanson for an evening.

Ta-boo's decor is tropical chic with the feel of a British colonial gentleman's club; pineapples decorate the walls, vines dangle from the ceiling and a fireplace crackles softly in the corner.

At night, the restaurant is transformed into a "very sexy atmosphere," deMarco says, with individual soft lamps on each table and mellifluous music played by the in-house pianist, Don Scherzi. On Friday and Saturday nights, a DJ is featured for dancing pleasure.

The menu covers the bases, from comfort food to top-notch cruisine. If you're dining for lunch, start with the sushi-quality carpaccio of tuna or try the ever-popular warm grilled chicken and pears salad. Dinner is all about Maine lobster, whole Dover sole meuniere, crispy roast mahogany duck and linguine with lump crab.

Dessert is a must, particularly the signature "Ta-boo lust," a sinful concoction of coconut cream filling and whipped cream atop a walnut cookie crust.

The ceiling fans that spin lazily overhead stir up only in Palm Beach stories, like the time a diner offered a server $500 to fetch him some Twinkies from a local super-market - an tipped him exorbitantly on top of it.

When asked what makes Ta-boo different from other restaurants in palm Beach, daytime manager Richard Whitaker says, "We have such a diverse clientele. The thing that we're the happiest about is when people tell us 'I came in three years ago and it's better than it was then.' We are crazy about trying to be consistent."