A Japanese tea ceremony that only happens one Saturday a month is on the calendar for Saturday, October 10, and it's the anchor of our plan for the weekend of Oct 9 through 11. Around it, we stacked croissants made with flour and butter imported from France, a New York slice that's been a Glades Road go-to for years, and a Friday night of Southern blues and New Orleans funk in downtown Delray. Every main pick stays on the Boca-Delray stretch.

Here's the plan, morning to night.

Breakfast: Vincent's French Bakery, Boca Raton

Vincent's sits in a strip plaza at 2831 N Federal Hwy, Suites 8 and 9, and it's easy to drive right past. Everything in the case, from the croissants to the fruit tarts and classic French cakes, is made with flour and butter imported from France. Start with a $4 butter croissant to see what the fuss is about, then add the almond croissant at $6 or the chocolate at $5.50.

If you want something heartier, the croque monsieur ($15.95) is ham, Swiss and béchamel on homemade brioche with a side salad, and the croissant sandwiches start at $11.95. Doors open at 8 AM every day except Monday and close at 2:30 PM.

Lunch: Brooklyn Boys Pizzeria, Boca Raton

Brooklyn Boys has been a Shadowood Square fixture at 9967 Glades Rd for years, and its own website calls it Boca's best New York style pizza. This is a by-the-slice kind of stop. Order a regular slice and a square Sicilian slice side by side and decide which camp you're in, then add a half dozen garlic rolls for the table.

The menu goes well past pizza, with calzones, stromboli, hot subs like chicken parm and meatball parm, and pasta plates that come with three garlic or plain rolls. Saturday hours run 11:30 AM to 10:30 PM, so it works as an early lunch before Morikami or a late bite after errands on Glades.

The Activity: A Tea Ceremony at Morikami, Delray Beach

Saturday at noon or 1:30 PM, the Morikami Theater at 4000 Morikami Park Rd hosts Demonstration of Sado: The Way of Tea, a live Japanese tea ceremony that the museum says changes with the seasons. It's built around four ideas, harmony, reverence, purity and tranquility, and it's easily the calmest hour of the weekend.

The demo is a separate $5 ticket on top of museum admission, which is $18 for adults, $16 for seniors 65 and up, $12 for kids 6 to 17, and free for 5 and under. Afterward, the museum and gardens stay open until 5 PM, so you can spend the rest of the afternoon in the six historical gardens and the bonsai collection. Bring a sweater, because Morikami itself warns that the theater runs cold.

The Night Out: Max Hightower Band at Arts Garage, Delray Beach

Friday, Oct 9, from 8 to 10 PM, the Max Hightower Band brings its Nothin' But The Truth tour to Arts Garage at 94 NE 2nd Ave in downtown Delray. Arts Garage bills the night as raw Southern blues meeting New Orleans funk, and the band backs that up with sax, piano and organ in a six-piece lineup.

Max sings and plays both guitar and harmonica, and the harmonica came first. His grandmother handed him one when he was a kid who couldn't afford a guitar. His new album was recorded in New Orleans, which is where the funk comes from. Tickets are $55.50 to $60.50 with fees included.

The Insider Move

Buy your tea ceremony tickets online before 1:30 PM on Friday, Oct 9. That's when online sales close, and after that any remaining seats are sold at the theater door on Saturday. Then stack your Saturday. Get to Vincent's close to 8 AM, because one reviewer found most of the fresh pastries gone by 12:30, and bring cash if you'd rather skip the 3% card surcharge. Grab a slice at Brooklyn Boys when it opens at 11:30, catch the 1:30 PM tea ceremony, and let the Morikami gardens take care of the rest of the afternoon.

What Locals Are Saying

Reviewers keep calling Vincent's a hidden gem, mostly because nobody expects pastries this serious in a plain Federal Highway plaza. At Brooklyn Boys, one reviewer whose husband was born in Sicily said the Sicilian had the flakiest crust she'd ever eaten, which is about as strong an endorsement as a square slice can get.

Bonus: The Bigger Saturday Night

If you want something louder after the tea ceremony, Oktoberfest of the Palm Beaches kicks off its first weekend Oct 9 through 11 at the American German Club, 5111 Lantana Rd in Lake Worth. It's the club's 52nd Oktoberfest, with beer from Germany, bratwurst, pretzels and schnitzel, and folk dancing from the club's own dance group. On-site parking is $20 and space is limited, so carpool if you can.

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