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HALL OF FAME WATERFRONT
DINING
Le Tub
1100 N. Ocean Drive, Hollywood
954/921-9425
No other bar in South
Florida is quite like Le Tub, and if one were, it’d be
written off as a second-rate pretender that doesn’t have
enough sense to know originals happen only once. Built in
1955 from the remains of an old Sunoco station, Le Tub defies
the current South Florida wisdom that says a waterfront bar
should be bright, tropical and comfortable. Instead, Le Tub
is as gritty and weathered as a bayou fishing camp that’s
seen too much hot sun, too many thunderstorms and too many
4 a.m. closings. The porcelain bathroom fixtures that serve
as decoration (hence Le Tub), the open-air seating and the
panoramic view of the Intracoastal are reasons to come here
once. But Le Tub does not endure as a novelty alone. The food
makes it a popular restaurant as well, with a dolphin sandwich
and seafood salad that rate among the area’s finest.
Two pool tables provide casual gaming, and a jukebox plays
Tom Waits, Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell and Elvis Costello,
among other originals — not derivative pop stars who
have none of the staying power or adventurous spirit as the
place itself.
BEST BEER
SELECTION
Billabong Pub
3000 Country Club Lane, Pembroke Park
954/985-1050
www.billabongpub.com
Serving more than 150
beers from around the globe, the Billabong is guaranteed to
give an adventurous drinker a world-class hangover. The pub’s
beer list includes “pretty much anything you can think
of,” says bartender Shannon Sease, citing the raspberry-,
cherry- and peach-flavored Lambics from Belgium and La Trappe
from Holland, which she notes is “a damn good beer for
$12.” With Africa and Antarctica being the only continents
not represented, the Billabong’s selection has Italy,
India, China, Japan and, of course, Germany, England and the
good ol’ USA covered.
::top::
BEST ALTERNATIVE-ROCK
CD
Recreational Drug Usage and Cookie
Consumption
Mr. Entertainment and the
Latter Day Pookiesmackers
His birth certificate
identifies him as Steven Toth, but everyone who’s had
the occasion to meet this Hollywood-based musician and folk-art
enthusiast in the past 10 years knows him as Mr. Entertainment.
It’s not a nickname he takes lightly, either, as Toth
is devoted to amusing his audiences, which can include longtime
fans who show up for his occasional gigs at venues such as
Churchill’s in Miami or passersby who happen upon his
impromptu, irregular performances on street corners from Miami
Beach to Hollywood. Mr. E lives up to this reputation on Recreational
Drug Usage and Cookie Consumption, the studio followup
to his home-recorded debut, 1926 Funstown St. This
time out, he and the Pookiesmackers — Krissed Pissedofferson,
Neil Peartcocet, Sexual Harassment Ford and Captain Johnson
— ventured to Atlanta for a three-day recording session
and returned home with another batch of songs dedicated to
this great nation’s unheralded freaks, geeks and other
social castoffs: “Cyclone Star” tells the story
of a bizarre woman who once stayed on a Coney Island amusement
ride for 27 hours straight; “Otis the Frogboy” concerns
a 2-foot-2 misfit who “rolls a cigarette as fast as me
or you”; and “Elvis Monroe Dickens” memorializes
Toth’s own grandfather, who “was Elvis first, you
see.” The album’s packaging is equally distinct:
Toth takes thrift-store books (from Childcraft’s Music
for the Family to a 1981 Sotheby’s catalog) and glues
pictures, liner notes and lyric sheets to the pages of each,
in effect creating works of art that are the very definition
of entertainment. (Contact mistere@bellsouth.net.)
BEST STRAIGHT-AHEAD
JAZZ CD
All About That
Larry Marshall Trio
For the second consecutive
year, drummer Larry Marshall cops best jazz-CD honors, following
his self-titled 2001 trio recording with the exceptional All
About That. Veteran Miami bassist Bob “Be-bob”
Grabowski once again provides deep and toneful undergirding,
and Marshall remains an exciting and coloristic drummer. However,
pianist Phil Strange takes over for Ken Gustafson, lending
quite a different personality to the proceedings. The trio
starts on a straight-ahead note, diving into Thelonious Monk’s
spiky, upbeat “Rhythm-a-Ning” and quietly and melodically
revisits the Frank Loesser showtune “If I Were a Bell,”
which it takes on a lengthy improvisational excursion. Freddie
Hubbard’s hardbop classic “Little Sunflower”
follows a similar route, beginning in a hushed and meditative
fashion and building to an explosive crescendo. The concluding
title track features a challenging yet melodic group improvisation
that Marshall says was inspired by pianist Keith Jarrett’s
1970s recordings and proves free jazz needn’t be discordant
or shrill. (Contact drumnstuff@msn.com.)
::top::
BEST AVANT-GARDE
JAZZ CD
Kenny Meets Tatsu
Kenny Millions and Tatsu Aoki
www.sushiblues.com/kenny.html
Last summer, Hallandale
Beach-based saxophonist Kenny Millions (a.k.a. Keshavan Maslak)
traveled to Chicago for a gig with bassist Tatsu Aoki, one
of that city’s great avant-garde jazz players. Recorded
live at the Velvet Lounge, this CD features the two masters
of free jazz conversing eloquently on a pair of improvised
pieces — the absurdly titled “Serious Chicken”
and “Japanese Businessman (Fucked)” — and a
pair of standards — “I Can’t Get Started”
and “Moonglow” — done in a very nonstandard
fashion. Aoki scrapes a fanged bow across the strings, tonally
resembling the deep grumbling of a didgeridoo, and Millions
goes from melancholy to sardonic to gleeful as he alternates
between melodic, bluesy figures and free-jazz skronk. A sad
and lovely read of “I Can’t Get Started” finds
Millions in a deep blue mood, blowing breathy, last-call tenor,
and a lyrical “Moonglow” closes the set in a mellow
tone, as he trades saxophone for clarinet. Those with a taste
for the outré will definitely want to meet both Tatsu
and Kenny.
BEST BLUES
CD
Burn
Albert Castiglia
www.albertcastiglia.com
Besides razor-sharp guitar
skills and way-soulful vocals, Albert Castiglia employs a
powerful weapon on his debut CD: Graham Drout and Iko-Iko.
One of Miami’s best songwriters, the bass-playing Drout
contributed a handful of songs, co-wrote others with his young
protégé and traveled with his Iko-Iko bandmates
to a studio in Henderson, Tenn., to back Castiglia on the
recording. Having developed his craft on stages with Junior
Wells and Sandra Hall, Castiglia reins in the guitar heroics
and instead concentrates on putting over these hook-filled,
atmospheric tunes. Highlights include Drout’s downright
evil “The Day the Old Man Died” and “Teasing
the Trains,” an Iko favorite, as well as Castiglia’s
“No One To Blame,” a slow blues song based on a
junkie musician the guitarist knew in Chicago. Showcasing
his versatility, Castiglia also performs a solo Dobro version
of Muddy Waters’ “Can’t Be Satisfied”
and caps the self-released recording with a pair of live tracks,
including Wells’ “Hoodoo Man Blues,” a tip
of the Dobbs hat to his former mentor.
::top::
BEST ALTERNATIVE-MUSIC
CLUB
Respectable Street
518 Clematis St., West Palm Beach
561/832-9999
www.respectablestreet.com
Although it has thrived
in the same location for 15 years, Respectable Street continues
to feel more like downtown’s best-kept secret than the
popular, above-ground epicenter of underground culture that
it is. The venue is still the only place in West Palm Beach
that you’re likely to see acts such as The Meat Puppets,
Luna, Of Montreal and General Public (coming July 14), wander
into a Radiohead listening party or cheer on top local talents
such as Remember the Ocean and Legends of Rodeo. (The latter
performs there again June 20.) Music isn’t the club’s
only draw, as it occasionally hosts events such as Hot Air
2003, a slam-poetry championship taking place July 13.
BEST PLACE TO SEE AN
ALTERNATIVE BAND IN BROWARD
Billabong Pub
3000 Country Club Lane, Pembroke Park
954/985-1050
www.billabongpub.com
While Broward County may
have no shortage of alternative-music acts, it certainly lacks
the venues for these groups to play. Located just west of
I-95 off Hallandale Beach Boulevard, Billabong Pub has for
the past few years given local indie-rock fans a place to
show off their new cardigan sweaters (even in the summer)
and see some of the area’s top bands: Humbert, Bling
Bling, Los Diablos, Whirlaway, The New Graduates, Hashbrown
and many others. Shows generally take place Saturday nights,
creating an interesting scene as the Billabong’s crusty,
blue-collar regulars and fashion-conscious, college-age music
fans jockey for a place at the bar, where the pub serves more
than a hundred beers and ales from around the world.
::top::
BEST BLUES CLUB
Bamboo Room
25 S. J St., Lake Worth
561/585-2583
www.bambooroomblues.com
Ten reasons the Bamboo
Room wins our vote again this year:
1. Otis Taylor, Keb’
Mo’, an electric banjo and a mandolin.
2. John Hammond solo acoustic
and with the Wicked Grin Trio and Quartet.
3. Bo Diddley swiveling
his hips on raunchy blues numbers and remaining on-stage an
hour past the 90 minutes he agreed to play.
4. Al Kooper’s stories
about The Blues Project; Blood, Sweat and Tears; his obsolete
boots; and his solo keyboard renditions of “My Days Are
Numbered” and “Without Her.”
5. Kenny Brown’s
hard-driving Hill Country trio, with the explosive Cedric
Burnside on drums, causing owner Russell Hibbard to exclaim,
“12- bar blues is for pussies!”
6. Texas singer-songwriter
Eric Taylor’s beautifully written and well-lived-in acoustic
music.
7. A plop-’em-down-in-the-Depression-authentic
set of string music by Boston’s Tarbox Ramblers.
8. A nonstop alt-country
assault by the pedal-steel- guitar-driven Chicago band Old
No. 8.
9. Kelly Joe Phelps and
his trio working out on soulful, poetic acoustic music, with
an opening set by fret-tapping singer-songwriter Paul Sprawl.
10. Bamboo-lined walls,
Dade pine ceilings, hard- wood floors and vintage 78s on display
make this one of the most handsome venues in town.
::top::
BEST ROCK CLUB
The Factory
2674 E. Oakland Park Blvd., Fort Lauderdale
954/564-7625
www.metalfactory.net
Don’t think for a
second that just because the hair-band-friendly Factory dropped
the word Metal from its name and stuffed its guitar-playing
gorilla mascot back in the closet with its Bang Tango records
that we’ve been fooled into thinking this place suddenly
got cool. It didn’t. Rather, The Factory, located on
the site of a former strip club and Fort Lauderdale’s
long-gone rock ‘n’ hell hangout Rosebuds, gets the
nod this year because it’s flirting with the idea
of becoming cool. While the spacious nightclub with an admittedly
excellent sound system still seems more like a sitcom writer’s
idea of a rock club — check out the “hottest wet
T-shirt contest” for confirmation — The Factory
has of late been hosting some surprisingly worthy concerts.
In the past year alone, the club’s sizable stage has
been graced by the likes of indie-rock icons Guided by Voices,
former Pixie Frank Black and dozens of up-and-coming indie
and punk acts (Count the Stars, Elliott and Pretty Girls Make
Graves, among them), plus some of the most interesting local
bands (Humbert, Death Becomes You). Still, a trip to the club’s
Web site almost made us rethink our decision.
BEST PLACE TO SEE JAZZ
Musicians Exchange at One Night
Stan’s
2333 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
954/929-1566
www.musiciansexchange.cc
As we’ve said before,
Musicians Exchange at One Night Stan’s is not strictly
— or even primarily — a jazz club, for the most
part featuring blues and R&B. However, the Hollywood venue
regularly features jazz artists, and with black-and-white
photos of Nat and Cannonball Adderley, Charlie Parker and
Billie Holiday lining the walls, the intimate space just feels
like a jazz room. Owner Stan Waldman, who last year joined
forces with the Musicians Exchange’s Don Cohen, has maintained
a commitment to jazz since he opened seven years ago. Among
the jazz and fusion greats who’ve performed at Stan’s
this past year count the Larry Coryell Trio featuring bassist
Mark Egan and drummer Paul Wertico; Billy Cobham’s all-star
jam band Jazz Is Dead; the Count Basie Orchestra; and avant-garde
saxophonist Dave Liebman. South Florida jazz players who commanded
the stage include Gary Keller, Ron Miller, Gary Campbell,
Billy Marcus, Jay Corre, Duffy Jackson and Peter Graves’
Atlantean Driftwood Band. It’s also telling that the
Pastorius family held a star-studded birthday tribute to Jaco
here, and that the late bass legend’s twin sons play
Stan’s regularly with their band Way of the Groove.
::top::
BEST COUNTRY-AND-WESTERN
CLUB
Round Up
9020 W. State Road 84, Davie
954/423-1990
www.roundupcountry.com
A far cry from the rough-and-tumble
country bars heralded in the songs of George Jones and Merle
Haggard, Round Up is nonetheless the best place in Broward
— outside of the Bergeron Rodeo Grounds, of course —
to compare belt buckles with a real cowboy or cowgirl. The
gargantuan nightclub claims the largest dance floor in Davie,
and indeed the space is often packed with scores of people
two-stepping, line-dancing or Western-swing-dancing, depending
on what the DJ’s playing at the moment or what dance
class is in session. Round Up is often crowded on weekends,
and its Wednesday ladies night remains popular. Open from
6 p.m. to 4 a.m. Tuesday through Sunday, the club occasionally
features concerts by local country artists and real Nashville
stars such as Gary Allan.
BEST PIECE OF KINDLING
Dania Beach Hurricane at Boomers!
1801 N.W. First St., Dania Beach
954/921-1411
www.daniabeachhurricane.com
Now pretty much a monolithic
stick figure that sits idly for drivers speeding past on I-95,
The Hurricane opened to great hype nearly three years ago
as only the third wooden roller coaster in Florida. The hype
took a precipitous drop, however, when the 100-foot high,
3,200-foot-long amusement park ride proved to be too slow
and tame for South Florida thrill seekers. Unlike steel coasters
that turn your world and your stomach upside down in frightening
swoops, the pressure-treated Hurricane glides more than it
swoops, to create the sensation of flying. But with a top
speed of 55 mph, the flight is more like a tropical depression
than the full-blown storm it purports to be. In fact, at that
speed, it not only fails to reach the 75 mph needed to attain
hurricane status, it isn’t even as fast as the cars passing
by on I-95 — nor as dangerous.
::top::
BEST VENUE FOR A CULTURE
CLASH
Mizner Park Amphitheater
460 Plaza Real, Boca Raton
561/962-4109
www.miznerpark.org
When we created this category,
we thought we’d make light of a city as snooty as Boca
Raton having a concert venue that presents the likes of Beck,
The White Stripes and The Strokes. It turns out, however,
that the melding of a faux-Euro shopping district and any
kind of music can be incongruous in Boca. In April, Tony Bennett
apparently cut short his stage time at Mizner Park Amphitheater
to a parsimonious 80 minutes (with no encore) after it became
clear that the audience had better things to do than listen
to him sing. When they weren’t arriving late, some even
an hour into the show, they were talking to one another, and
that includes the ushers. Several Bennett ticket buyers complained
forcefully in letters to the Sun-Sentinel, including
a Miami resident who concluded, “I thought no single
group of people could be more rude than residents of Miami.
Guess I was wrong.” Worse than Miami? Ouch!
BEST VENUE TO LOOSEN
UP
Broward Center for the Performing Arts
201 S.W. Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale
954/462-0222
www.browardcenter.org
The grandiose concert
hall built for philharmonic orchestras, Broadway musicals
and other well-heeled cultural gatherings has taken an egalitarian
turn for the better. In the past year, the Broward Center
has opened its curtain to the likes of Willie Nelson, Jon
Stewart, Jethro Tull, Pink, Steven Wright, Steve Earle and
Margaret Cho. The turn toward acts whose material is nothing
like a Cathy Rigby musical or another holiday revival of Handel’s
Messiah was precipitated by the closing of the Sunrise
Musical Theatre and the Broward Center’s laudable effort
to broaden its audience base. As best we can tell, the cushy
seating and wood moldings are still intact, and no one has
reported marijuana smoke wafting down to the stage from the
upper balcony, though Nelson might have welcomed a secondhand
hit. In fact, the Broward Center’s broader booking policy
has shown that working-class aesthetes can conduct themselves
in a cultured manner, even when they’re rushing the stage
as Ian Anderson snarls “Sitting on a park bench, eyeing
little girls with bad intent.”
::top::
BEST IRISH
PUB
The Field
3281 Griffin Road, Dania Beach
954/964-5979
Whether you’re in
the mood for drunken chicken, Irish stew or a big old burger
and fries — or maybe even something lighter, like McCabe’s
Chicken Wings — The Field is the perfect spot for getting
a dose of Irish music with dinner. Here, Celtic Bridge —
a group featuring vocalist and bohdran player Addie O’Connor,
fiddlers Roisin Dillon and Mark Kane, guitarist and banjo
player John Schreiber and other veterans of the local Irish-music
scene — plays everything from “Whiskey in the Jar”
to “A Woman’s Heart.” Every nook and cranny
of this pub is filled with character, from shelves of old
books and black-and-white photographs of Irish people, to
restrooms that feature the piped-in routine of Irish comedian
Hal Roach. But even more than the good food and authentic
charm, the music is what packs people into this place on weekends.
On Valentine’s Day, The Field was so crowded, patrons
couldn’t even slide onto a barstool and order a pint
of Guinness without having made reservations.
BEST MOVIE
THEATER
Muvico Palace 20
3200 Airport Road, Boca Raton
561/395-9009
www.muvico.com
The harsh reality is most
people don’t want art films. What most people do want
is a place like Muvico Palace 20 — the most extravagant
of the homegrown chain’s South Florida theaters —
to watch The Lizzie McGuire Movie or the like. The
Palace 20 is the theater equivalent of a particular chain
restaurant that serves cheesecake — gratuitous as hell
but enticing nonetheless. The charm is in the details: plush
seats, valet parking, over-the-top design, day care. But what
really sets the Palace 20 apart is its Premier Theater —
five screens with a separate entrance, balcony seating, an
adjoining restaurant and free popcorn. The place is as tricked-out
as a Lexus on Cribs. In fact, the Premier is sponsored
by JM Lexus, a fact that may or may not bother you. If it
does, you might be living in the wrong ZIP code.
::top::
BEST ART-HOUSE
CINEMA
Sunrise Cinemas Gateway
1820 E. Sunrise Blvd.,
Fort Lauderdale
954/763-7994
www.sunrisecinemas.com
Granted, the building
is a little funky and a bit musty and the auditoriums are
oddly shaped, but that’s actually what makes the Gateway
one of South Florida’s most unique moviegoing experiences.
No cookie-cutter multiplex, this foundation of the burgeoning
Sunrise Cinemas chain offers a few blockbusters here and there,
but more often, its four charming screens feature the best
art-house offerings, from foreign to American independent
to gay-themed movies. It has good popcorn, clean and spacious
bathrooms and a homey lobby with the ever-popular bulletin
board on which patrons spew their praise and venom for the
theater’s current films. On one weekend, the offerings
included the folk parody A Mighty Wind; the trendy
Japanese anime film Cowboy Bebop; the sensual American
indie Laurel Canyon; and the crowd-pleasing English
soccer film Bend It Like Beckham. The programming by
general manager George Kaspriske couldn’t be any more
exquisite and diverse.
BEST DINNER AND A MOVIE
Gateway Plaza and surrounding
area
1900 block of East Sunrise
Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale
With six restaurants,
a classic movie theater, a bar and a bookstore, the Gateway
offers a full evening of eating and entertaining that doesn’t
require any driving once you’ve scored a parking space.
You can eat Thai at Sukhothai; drink prickly pear margaritas
and dine on gourmet Southwestern fare at Canyon; have an intimate,
candle-lit meal at Victoria Station or La Tavernetta; or eat
pizza and pasta at Il Mulino or Big Louie’s. If you eat
before seeing a film at the Gateway cinema, the center offers
enough to keep you engrossed afterward, from coffee and dessert
at Archives Books to a drink and a game of pool at Kim’s
Alley Bar.
::top::
BEST PLACE FOR A FIRST
DATE
Palm Beach Improv
550 S. Rosemary Ave., Suite 250 (CityPlace), West Palm Beach
561/833-1812
www.palmbeachimprov.com
Getting over those opening-night
jitters can make or break the inevitable decision whether
to have sex with someone. Where better to find out if a relationship
is going to lead to something intimate than at the Improv
comedy club at CityPlace? Besides putting the pressure to
entertain and enlighten squarely on the comedian, a first
date at the Improv gives both dating parties some insight
into the other by finding out what he or she finds funny.
If he laughs hysterically at Bobby Slayton’s pit bull
rants on the futility of relationships and she doesn’t,
there will probably be no second date. If, however, both parties
can’t contain themselves when Robert Schimmel talks about
projectile ejaculations, then this just might lead to something.
Either way, they have something to talk and laugh about after
the show at a number of bars and eateries at CityPlace. And
even if this is a partnership that is headed nowhere, at least
one of you got some laughs out of it.
BEST COMEDY
CLUB
Uncle Funny’s
9160 State Road 84, Davie
954/474-5653
www.unclefunnys.net
As always, the Uncle stays
the pace with area comedy clubs when it comes to booking the
best standup comedians — Dave Attell, Mitch Hedberg,
Earthquake and the diabolical puppet act Otto and George,
among them. In February, however, the club took a step ahead
of the competition when it became the first comedy room to
ban smoking at all performances but the chronically rowdy
Friday late show. The move was preemptive, since Florida voters
approved a constitutional amendment banning smoking in restaurants
and workplaces last November. After months of dickering by
state legislators, the amendment will finally become law on
July 1. To its credit, Uncle Funny’s lined up on the
side of the 70-plus percent of Floridians who voted for the
amendment, thereby sparing its nonsmoking customers from inhaling
clouds of secondhand exhaust while gut-laughing at that night’s
comic.
::top::
BEST STRIP
CLUB FOR COUPLES
Scarlett’s Adult Cabaret
2920 S.W. 30th Ave., Pembroke Park
954/455-8318
www.scarlettsfl.com
If you happen to be blessed
with a wife or girlfriend who doesn’t mind indulging
your penchant for pulchritude, bring her — or let her
take you — to Scarlett’s. Nothing is skeevy about
this clean and spacious nightclub just off the Hallandale
Beach Boulevard exit of I-95. In fact, the lobby almost looks
like the entrance to a ride at Disney World. The spacious,
mirrored interior is like that of countless dance clubs, only
with slinky, gorgeous naked women performing astoundingly
athletic feats on several stages. If your significant other
is adventurous — and you have money to burn — she
might want to join you and a dancer in one of the 10 VIP champagne
rooms featuring exotic themes, such as the Zebra Room, the
Harem Room and the Versace Room. According to the Dancer Dolls
Web site (www.dancerdolls.com),
Scarlett’s employs about 40 to 60 women on weeknights
and up to 150 to 200 on weekend nights. And from what we’ve
witnessed, not one will go out with a shlub like you, so your
other half should feel quite secure.
BEST STRIP
CLUB
Cheetah III
497 N.W. 31st Ave., Pompano Beach
954/971-2600
Face it: You need cocktails.
And procuring these cocktails is going to require your leaving
the house. And if you’re going to leave the house, you
might as well go where there’s naked women. If you subscribe
to this logic, then you’ll enjoy a staple on the South
Florida strip-club scene, the Cheetah III, which is by far
the best of the Cheetah threesome. Not only is this the kind
of strip club that plays a fine assortment of standard and
not-so-standard titty-bar music — from Mötley Crüe
to Eminem — but the bartenders are courteous and eager
to satisfy your party urges. Of course, the real draw is the
women — and the Cheetah III employs more than a hundred
of them. Some are smokin’ hot, some are smokin’
not. But they all rock. They’re not the plastic, Pam
Anderson clones you’ll find at other establishments but
real women who are generally nice and will hang out and talk
with you even if the guy sitting next to you smells like crab
cakes and is sobbing uncontrollably about his divorce. As
such, a regular guy can delude himself into thinking he has
a chance with these women as he slowly drains his checking
account one dollar at a time.
::top::
BEST STRIP
CLUB TO HAVE A HEART ATTACK
T’s Lounge
312 S. Congress Ave., West Palm Beach
561/471-9530
While we can’t necessarily
attest for the quality of the “T” (or the “A”
for that matter), this venerable strip club has never been
short on innovation, introducing us to the Kitty Kat Karousel
and the Wheel of Friction. Perhaps its most inspired addition
to the world of flabby-ass women dancing to Kid Rock is the
defibrillator it installed earlier this year, assuming, perhaps,
the life-saving device might come in handy should all the
blood instantly rush from a man’s heart to his penis.
The device is mounted (sexual connotation unintended) next
to the bar. To operate it, the club required eight members
of its staff (still unintended) to take a four-hour instructional
course — which, incidentally, does not count toward college
credits.
BEST SPORTS
BAR — BROWARD
Coach Schnellenberger’s Original
Steakhouse and Sports Theater
10199 Cleary Blvd., Plantation
954/382-1018
The coach here is Howard
Schnellenberger, whose reputation is much better served at
this suburban hot spot than it is by coaching Florida Atlantic
University’s fledgling football team. The bearlike and
baritone-voiced Schnellenberger won just one game last season
at FAU, his worst season yet as a coach. In football terms,
his sports bar is much more akin to the success the coach
had at the University of Miami, where he won a national championship
20 years ago. With nine giant, flat-screen televisions, Schnellenberger’s
creates a theater-in-the-round effect around the horseshoe
bar. On a typical Saturday after football season, the “theater”
broadcasts as many as six sporting events. But during football
season, don’t even think about asking to watch soccer
or figure skating. It’s wall-to-wall pigskin on weekends,
and the bar stays open an hour after the last night game ends.
Regardless of the season, the constant at Schnellenberger’s
— and perhaps its main selling point — is the steaks,
which are trimmed daily by an on-site butcher. The kitchen
offers six cuts, including filet mignon, New York strip and
porterhouse. And more often than not, the meal is better than
any of the games on those massive screens.
::top::
BEST SPORTS
BAR — PALM BEACH
Bru’s Room Sports Grill
35 N.E. Second Ave., Delray Beach
561/276-3663;
1333 N. Congress Ave., Boynton Beach
561/739-9332
www.brusroom.com
Former Miami Dolphin linebacker
Bob Brudzinski was known as one of the surest tacklers in
the NFL when he helped the Fins reach the 1982 and 1984 Super
Bowls. In his second career, Brudzinski has taken that talent
for wrapping his arms around an opponent to overseeing a growing
chain of sports bars. Like any sports bar worth its satellite
dish, Bru’s Room has enough televisions to carry the
endless succession of really big games that air seven days
a week, 365 days a year. But the former linebacker has made
his biggest hit with the award-winning chicken wings created
by partner Eddie Hauck and the congenial surroundings that
make even the worst games watchable. Bru’s Room also
has locations in Margate and Pompano Beach.
BEST BIKER
BAR — PASSIVE
Quest Lounge
381 W. Prospect Road, Oakland Park
954/351-0277
When looking for a biker-type
bar, you mainly need to decide what serves your needs. Do
you desire a drinking establishment with burly Harley guys
fresh off the road hanging with their big, sweaty mamas, all
cranked up on Jack Daniel’s and PCP? Or do you desire
a place with a laid-back atmosphere, pool tables, darts, video
games and a saucy female wait staff? If the latter pulls your
trigger, then fire up your hog (or your SUV) and motor on
over to the Quest Lounge. They’ve been serving up the
hooch for more than a decade and will make you feel right
at home. Weekend nights, kick back and listen to searing renditions
of Van Halen’s “Hot for Teacher” or Led Zeppelin’s
“Immigrant Song” from any number of local cover
bands.
::top::
BEST BIKER
BAR — AGGRESSIVE
Smith Brothers Lounge
2651 N. Federal Highway,
Fort Lauderdale
954/566-1992
How tough is the crowd
at Smith’s, where bikers, rockers and strippers are known
to party as late as the law allows? So tough that when one
of City Link’s own recently dropped in for a beer
and went to shake a fellow barfly’s hand, the guy, a
cab driver by trade, said, “I’m not gonna touch
you. I don’t know what kind of AIDS you got, you hooked-nose,
New York Jew bastard.” Trouble was, our guy doesn’t
have AIDS or a hooked nose, isn’t from New York and isn’t
Jewish. And we like to think he’s not a bastard. Pity
anyone who ventures into Smith’s with any of those characteristics.
BEST MARTINI
SELECTION
Swig Bartini
1744 Main St., Weston
954/349-2102
www.swigbartini.com
Weston’s hippest
nightclub (this is not an oxymoron) mixes more than 30 types
of martinis, many bearing names that might have been created
by someone who had one too many to drink while listening to
one too many albums. Purple Rain, Old Blue Eyes, Jumpin’
Jack Flash and Ziggy Stardust are among the musical monikers
on a menu that also offers its devotees simply stated martinis
such as sour apple, white chocolate, bubble gum and Tootsie
Roll. On Thursdays, seductive vodka tonics are sipped in the
Ultra Lounge to a soundtrack of tunes by ’60s crooners
who gave the martini its iconic status in the first place.
Swig does more than just serve chilled vodka or gin in wide-rimmed
glassware, however. It offers a menu of gourmet appetizers,
sandwiches, salads and pizzas, a full dining room, three bars,
a stage for live music on weekends and a dance floor. And
it’s open until 3 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
::top::
BEST SPECIALTY
DRINKS
Mai-Kai
3599 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale
954/563-3272
www.maikai.com
In Tiki Road Trip:
A Guide to Tiki Culture in North America, tour leader
James Teitelbaum writes of the Mai-Kai, “Driving down
the flat and ugly highway through the scorching Florida sun,
past endless strip malls, lunatics with subwoofers in their
trunks and ugly corporate office buildings, the Mai-Kai springs
out at you like an oasis in this concrete wasteland.”
Concrete wasteland? Lunatics? Flat and ugly? While Teitelbaum
is certainly entitled to his narrowly informed view of Fort
Lauderdale, we grant his point about the Mai-Kai being a tiki
oasis. This Polynesian supper club has been providing an escape
from the strip malls, subwoofers and concrete since 1956 with
its South Pacific palm-and-bamboo décor and fire-breathing
floorshow. No less distinctive is the menu of 51 tropical
drinks, including such Mai-Kai originals as the Moonkist Coconut,
Shark Bite and 151 Swizzle, all of which are registered trademarks.
The aptly named Barrel o’ Rum provides enough alcohol
to make a pirate slur and just enough fruit juice to meet
the daily recommended requirement of vitamin C. We give the
final word to Teitelbaum, who rates the Mai-Kai as “doubtlessly
the best remaining establishment of its kind,” rating
it at the top of his TiPSY (Tikis Per Square Yard) scale.
BEST GAY
AND LESBIAN VENUE
Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Greater
Fort Lauderdale
1717 N. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale
954/463-9005
www.glccftl.org
Something about the fez
cap on the sign outside the Gay and Lesbian Community Center
of South Florida is so campy, appropriate and, yes, kind of
gay. More than $100,000 has been invested in the former home
of the Shriners since it became the GLCC a few years ago.
Despite some internal problems in holding on to an executive
director (Sandra Norton left in April) and external difficulties
with the city of Fort Lauderdale involving the center’s
Saturday-morning Bizarre Bazaar, this heart of the gay community
deserves support. Cities twice the size of Fort Lauderdale,
including Miami, don’t have a center as nice as this
one. It’s a great asset of which local gays and lesbians
should avail themselves and a natural place for newcomers
to the area to visit, especially since it sits in the center
of Wilton Manors, one of the gayest cities in the country.
The organization hosts bingo, classes, dances and the usual
assortment of support groups. Most important, it houses the
Stonewall Library and Archives, which serves as an important
source of gay history. This year, the GLCC sponsored the popular
women’s movie nights at Cinema Paradiso and presented
many readings by gay authors in conjunction with the Stonewall.
Membership costs a paltry $36 a year ($60 for couples).
::top::
BEST MEET
MARKET — STRAIGHT
Young Professionals for Covenant House
733 Breakers Ave., Fort Lauderdale
954/568-7901
www.ypfch.org
How do you get upwardly
mobile, white-collar workers to give some of their precious
money to a worthy cause? Throw a party and invite like-minded
singles of both sexes. The organizing principle of Young Professionals,
since its founding in 1992, has been to raise money for runaway
and at-risk children being assisted by Covenant House Florida.
Through annual memberships and proceeds from monthly singles
mixers and special events, the group has done just that, claiming
$1.2 million in donations to kids for whom upwardly mobile
means a stable home environment. In the service of helping
needy children, the Young Pros also address their own need
to commingle and make kissy-face with someone of the opposite
sex. The win-win arrangement has helped not only the kids
but, thus far, hundreds of aspiring executives who met at
Covenant House functions and have gone on to get married,
too.
BEST MEET
MARKET — GAY
The Coliseum
2520 S. Miami Road, Fort Lauderdale
954/832-0100
Shirts off to The Coliseum
for winning this category for the third year running. Once
considered merely an alternative to South Beach’s gay
nightclub scene, this hot and uninhibited, high-energy dance
club is now a veritable institution in its own right. As shameless
and provocative as the foreplay at a Roman orgy, The Coliseum’s
huge dance floor is packed nightly with mostly young, horny
guys who go belly to belly on a dance floor ringed by classical
murals of gods and conquerors. For the more discreet partyers
who like to watch, a loft overlooks the dance floor and giant
disco ball. Conversation is fruitless in the main room because
of the high-decibel thump of the music, but there’s a
side bar for cooling off and getting dressed.
::top::
BEST WATERFRONT
BAR — BROWARD
Nick’s
1214 N. Broadwalk, Hollywood
954/920-2800
Night or day, Nick’s
is usually hopping. Venture by on a weekend afternoon, and
you’re likely to see beachgoers lining the bar and watching
a game on TV or viewing the passing parade of humanity on
the Broadwalk. Wander by at night, and you’ll likely
find a crowd listening to tunes (the Bent Fender Duo, most
Saturdays), dining and drinking into the wee hours at this
genial, nautical-themed bar and restaurant. Nick’s kitchen
churns out high-quality eats, including a variety of appetizers
(why do jalapeño poppers taste so damn good after 3
a.m.?) and entrées, such as a phone-book-thick slab
of blackened dolphin served with a steaming baked potato and
coleslaw. Its 4 a.m. closing time makes Nick’s a great
last stop, a place to sit with a drink and stare into the
inky blackness, when the ocean is indistinguishable from the
night sky, and contemplate heading home.
BEST WATERFRONT
BAR — PALM BEACH
Panama Hattie’s
11511 Ellison Wilson Road, North Palm Beach
561/627-1545
www.panama-hatties.com
This oasis is ideal, not
only because it’s adjacent to the bridge over the Intracoastal
on PGA Boulevard but because directly across the waterway
sits another fine waterfront restaurant and bar, the Waterway
Café. The effect is a mirror image that makes you feel
cocky and self-assured, because you know that if you get kicked
out of Panama Hattie’s, you can always go to the Waterway.
But what makes Hattie’s the first choice is that it is
a floating bar; in fact, it must legally provide a life jacket
for every stool at the bar. The thought of strapping one on
and bobbing off into the sea with a Corona in hand is sublime.
::top::
BEST BEACH
BAR
Fisherman’s Wharf
222 Pompano Beach Blvd., Pompano Beach
954/941-5522
Fisherman’s Wharf
makes the most of its prized oceanfront perch just north of
Atlantic Boulevard with indoor and outdoor bars and a fishing
pier that stretches well into the water. Whether you stay
indoors or not, you can’t escape the liberating sensation
of swigging your libations under the great wide open of ocean
and sky. The patio bar that leads to the Pompano Beach Pier
houses classic-rock bands Tuesdays through Sundays, with the
Grateful Dead cover band Crazy Fingers plugged in every Thursday.
BEST NEIGHBORHOOD
BAR — BROWARD
Kim’s Alley Bar
1920 E. Sunrise Blvd. (Gateway Plaza), Fort Lauderdale
954/763-7886
www.kimsalleybar.com
If you’re shopping
around for a new hole-in-the-wall hangout, put Kim’s
at the top of your list. Kim’s has been doling out the
sauce for more than 50 years and has just about everything
you need: a great selection of tunes on two jukeboxes, three
pool tables, a pingpong table, dart boards, a friendly atmosphere
and, most important, two large bars jammed full of party juice.
::top::
BEST NEIGHBORHOOD
BAR — PALM BEACH
The Lizard Den
509 Lake Ave., Lake Worth
561/585-8444
You may not really identify
with this, but have you ever driven around on, like, Christmas
Day looking for a bar, and everything is closed? Well, when
the streets are vacant and you’re in desperate need of
Sam Adams and the company of an eclectic mix of college kids,
drywallers, townies and attorneys, The Lizard Den is the place
to be. The building itself is no more than a stretch of bar
and bathrooms, but the action is all outside anyway. Sidewalk
seating offers a great view of Lake Avenue, the city’s
main street, and an adjacent courtyard includes a good-size
stage and a takeout window for quick beers. Noise restrictions
are enforced in the area, meaning the bands start early and
you don’t have to wait until 11 p.m. to hear some decent
music.
BEST GAY
STREET
Wilton Drive
Wilton Manors
West Hollywood in Los
Angeles and San Francisco’s Castro neighborhoods have
nothing on Wilton Drive, which has become one of the gayest
streets in America. It boasts not only an accumulation of
gay nightclubs, but also quite a few gay-owned restaurants
and stores. Gays can feel comfortable and safe strolling up
and down the drive. Starting at the New York Pizza Department
and heading north to the intersection of Dixie Highway, the
street can fulfill all urges for club-hopping, interspersed
with dinner and even dessert at the mainstay Dairy Queen or
the Chocolate Forest. Kicks Sports Bar is lesbian central
and a big haunt for pool players. Georgie’s Alibi, Boom
and Ramrod attract diverse gay men. But the newest attraction
of all is the gay-owned Hamburger Mary’s, a chain restaurant
that offers a full bar, gigantic juicy burgers and even cute
little mini-grills for making s’mores. With tons of tables
outside, the frequently packed restaurant is a perfect location
for the bistro crowd. Wilton Drive is one-stop shopping, dining
and drinking for the gay community and gay tourists, as well.
::top::
BEST BAR
OPEN TILL 8 A.M.
Casey’s Bar and Grill
5590 W. Hallandale Beach Blvd., Pembroke Park
954/966-9303
When most people are having
breakfast, Casey’s customers are still drinking. Topping
that, strippers from the Booby Trap are known to come here
to wind down after a long night of taking their clothes off
for strangers. The steaks aren’t bad, either. This would
be a great place even if it were open only until 6 a.m.
BEST MARGARITAS
AND TEQUILAS
Louie’s Tequila Cantina
625 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale
954/761-7920
Any place of business
with the word tequila in its name is obligated to make
a decent margarita. Louie’s Tequila Cantina goes a few
sips better with 24 kinds of margaritas, eight of them frozen
and 16 that are best on the rocks, including prickly pear,
Jungle Juice and Dazed and Confused varieties. The Millionaire’s
($20) and Billionaire’s ($25) ’ritas are made from
100- and 150-year-old Grand Marnier respectively. The Watermelon
Crawl is kind of like an adult Kool-Aid with its concoction
of Sauza Tres Generaciones Plata tequila, watermelon liqueur
and a sweet-and-sour trio of juices. The tequila list isn’t
bad, either, with more than 100 brands made from the four
traditional aging techniques.
::top::
BEST BAR
FOOD
Cafe Blue Fish
3134 N.E. Ninth St., Fort Lauderdale
954/563-3474
www.cafebluefish.com
The motto at this bathed-in-blue,
Key West-style fish camp is “it is more fun to eat in
a bar than to drink in a restaurant.” The homily holds
up here, where eating, drinking and carousing are carried
out in a casual, open-air setting Jimmy Buffett might recommend.
Located in a beachside village at A1A and Sunrise Boulevard,
the Blue Fish specializes in seafood, with fresh mahi mahi,
shrimp, snow crab, grouper, clams and lobster served from
a mostly Floribbean recipe book. While the fish wins kudos,
the jerk chicken wings — deep-fried to a crisp, golden
brown and smothered with 28 spices — are good-enough
to get our resident vegetarian to cheat on her diet. Blue
Fish also mixes an array of Florida thirst quenchers —
margaritas, daiquiris, rumrunners, piña coladas and
the house specialty, the Blue Fish Bomber (made of Bacardi,
blue curaçao and piña colada mix). The servers
are personable, and the kitchen is open nightly until 1 a.m.
On some nights, bikers are known to park their rides and take
over the joint.
BEST BAR
ON THE INTRACOASTAL
Bahia Cabana
3001 Harbor Drive, Fort Lauderdale
954/524-1555
www.bahiacabanaresort.com/restaurant.htm
Wedged onto an inlet at
the southernmost end of A1A in Fort Lauderdale, Bahia Cabana
supplies a picture-post-card view of the Intracoastal and
the downtown skyline. That alone makes this a choice place
to be any time of day, but especially before night falls,
when the sun silhouettes the boats, birds and tropical foliage.
Accessible by car, boat and water taxi, this open-air tiki
bar enhances the natural charms of its setting with good food
(Atkins dieters are welcome here), cold (and frozen) drinks
and a hot tub that holds as many as 15 people.
::top::
BEST PLACE
TO DANCE
Dance Authority
1040 N.E. 45th St., Oakland Park
954/493-9886
www.danceauthority.com
Dance Authority entrepreneurs
Theresa and Dennis Kalle make taking those tentative first
steps into a dance class easy by offering lessons in their
studio, on their Web site and with a DVD and video series.
The Kalles, who claimed the first disco hustle title at the
U.S. Ballroom Championships in New York in 1978, head a staff
of competitive dancers who teach all the major styles, including
the tango, merengue, mambo, hustle, cha-cha, swing, samba,
salsa, rumba and even bolero. Studio classes are held weekly
for Latin Club dances and beginner and advanced ballroom.
For people who want to refine their footwork in the privacy
of their family room, the 30-minute videos includes lessons
in waltz and foxtrot.
BEST OPEN-MIKE
NIGHT
Dada
52 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach
561/330-3232
www.respectablestreet.com/dada.htm
Run by musicians for musicians,
the open-mike night at this artsy hangout is a cut or two
above the amateur showcases at most establishments. While
the quality of the performers sets Dada apart, so too does
the venue itself, a two-story house that was built in 1924.
Located across from the Crest Theatre in downtown Delray Beach,
Dada stages musicians of varying styles in the living room.
A bar and courtyard also beckon, with plush couches and cozy
corners throughout, and food is served daily in what were
once bedrooms. The open-mike begins 10 p.m. every Monday,
while Tuesdays offer poetry slams. Dada books live-music acts
on the weekends.
::top::
BEST PLACE
TO SPOT MEMBERS ONLY JACKETS
Dania Jai-Alai
301 E. Dania Beach Blvd., Dania Beach
954/920-1511
www.dania-jai-alai.com
You are on a quest to
find a rare example of an extinct fashion trend. As you pass
through the double doors and turnstiles of Dania Jai-Alai,
you take in the sheer vastness of the building. Your attention
is caught by the snap of the pelota hitting the concrete wall
and the grunting of a young, sinewy player as he sprints up
the wall to make a perfect save, lands on his feet and fires
back at the wall to win the match. Very exciting indeed —
but this is not your quest. You are looking for the Holy Grail
of early 1980s fashion: the elusive Members Only jacket. This
staple of fashion during the days of new wave music and break
dancing was often worn with a pencil-thin tie, a pink Izod
shirt and a nice pair of parachute pants. Women of this era
were genetically incapable of resisting a man in this getup.
So, bravely weave your way through the bluehairs and past
the concession stand to the upper level. Just past the betting
booths, between the bar and the men’s room, stands an
aging buck. By the presence of the gold medallion around his
neck, he appears to be in his early 70s. He is a stunning
specimen in his natural environment. He moves slowly but with
confidence into the safety of the men’s room. You dare
not follow, as you’ve heard tales of how dangerous these
men can be when cornered. You feel the elation of having witnessed
a fading piece of nature and history and feel the urge to
head up a conservation effort in order to make certain that
your children’s children will one day be able to enjoy
this majestic creature and his unique plumage.
BEST PLACE
TO SEE A PRAIRIE DOG
Palm Beach Zoo at Dreher Park
1301 Summit Blvd., West Palm Beach
561/547-9453
www.palmbeachzoo.org
In the 1950s, West Palm
Beach parks director Paul Dreher started this zoo with a collection
of only two ducks, two chickens, a goose and a goat. Now,
the 76-acre zoo features prairie dogs, a Bengal tiger, llamas,
kangaroos, naked mole rats, an ocelot, spider monkeys, tamarins,
a rock wallaby, river otters and a variety of birds and reptiles.
The zoo also offers a petting farm, a variety of educational
programs and special events like breakfast with Santa and
Dragonfest. Hungry? Stop by the Tropics Café overlooking
Baker Lake and watch as a flurry of beggar birds try and to
steal food right from your hands.
::top::
BEST HAPPY
HOUR
Max’s Grille
300 S.W. First Ave. (Las Olas Riverfront), Fort Lauderdale
954/779-1800
www.maxsrestaurants.com/maxsgrill
The Max name has long
been known in South Florida for serving exquisitely prepared
contemporary American cuisine. But with its Las Olas Riverfront
location, Max also wins accolades for a happy hour that is
literally a happy day, all day, every day. Beginning at 11:30
a.m., Max serves a three-for-one drink special using only
premium-brand alcohol, not chintzy well drinks that induce
a headache before bed. The generous pour isn’t purely
altruistic, because the longer you sit at Max’s bar,
the more likely you’ll be seduced into eating the great
food.
BEST UNTOURISTY
PLACE TO TAKE OUT-OF-TOWN GUESTS
Bergeron Rodeo Grounds
4271 Davie Road, Davie
954/797-1166
You can show guests a
side of South Florida not featured in the tourist brochures
with the Five Star Rodeo held at Bergeron, usually the fourth
Saturday of every month. But Bergeron is more than just a
place to spit tobacco and yell “yee-haw!” The 7,000-seat,
open-air venue also hosts car shows, monster-truck rallies,
professional wrestling cards, appaloosa horse shows and American
Kennel Club dog shows. Bergeron has also been the site of
a belly dance festival, police auctions and country-music
concerts. There’s even been talk of Bergeron hosting
Arena Football League games, with artificial turf laid over
the red clay.
::top::
BEST PLACE
FOR A SPOT OF TEA
Belle and Maxwell’s
3700 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach
561/832-4449
Tucked into a small plaza
on West Palm Beach’s Antique Row, this small eatery offers
a comfy, cozy escape from the hectic world outside. Belle
and Maxwell’s has only about six tables and a few couches
and coffee tables — perfect for engaging in quiet conversation
with your friends. The menu features a huge array of teas
from around the world, including the trendy Rooibos, a South
African blend high in antioxidants. With your tea (or espresso),
enjoy some fresh-baked scones or pastries, a gourmet sandwich,
soup, salad or other dietary delights. When the weather is
right, you can even take your tea outside to the rear courtyard.
The atmosphere is informal, and the service is friendly, in
a neighborly sort of way.
BEST 3 A.M.
PICK-ME-UP
Havana
6801 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach
561/547-9799
www.havanacubanfood.com
OK, it’s late at
night or early in the morning, and you really need
to get yourself in gear. Stop by the 24-hour walk-up window
of this popular restaurant and get one of the tastiest pick-me-ups
this side of, well, Havana. Enjoy the caffeinated goodness
of a café Cubano, a colada, a cortadito or the yummy
café con leche, all served piping hot. The window is
never — and we mean never — without a customer.
Hungry? Then savor a sandwich Cubano, a ham-and-cheese sandwich,
pan con bistec, pastries or whatever else you fancy. If it’s
3 p.m. or 3 a.m., Havana is ready to serve you.
::top::
BEST ATTEMPT
TO PUT ASSES IN THE SEATS
Florida Marlins Mermaids
http://florida.marlins.mlb.com
Faced with another long
season of poor attendance, lackluster results and the inevitable
trading of star players to save money, the Florida Marlins’
promotions department did what many promoters do when they’re
dealt such a losing hand: They hired attractive females to
distract their customers. While the team is foundering on
the field, the Marlins Mermaids are assigned the unfortunate
task of entertaining ticket buyers when the team can’t.
Yet for all the sweet talk they share with fans as they strut
the aisles and for all the free stuff they give away over
the course of nine innings, not even the Mermaids can get
people to come to Pro Player Stadium. The Marlins rank next-to-last
in the majors in attendance (see Best Place To Get Away From
People), which leads us to conclude that the best way to change
that sorry stat is to get a team that’s more attractive
than the Mermaids.
BEST REASONS
TO VISIT MIAMI-DADE
Regal Cinemas South Beach;
Laurenzo’s Market; Tap-Tap; Shark Valley; Tobacco Road;
Club Deuce Bar and Grill; La Sandwicherie; the Miami Hurricanes;
Books and Books; Fairchild Tropical Garden; the Museum of
Contemporary Art; the Ancient Spanish Monastery; Lincoln Road
Mall; Bernice Steinbaum Gallery; Soyka’s Restaurant,
Café and Bar; Gusman Center for the Performing Arts;
Fish Joynt; Gourmet Diner; Churchill’s; Dogma Grill;
the pools at the National and Biltmore hotels; the FIU-Wolfsonian
Museum; and it’s on the way to Key West.
::top::
BEST ANNUAL
EVENT
Mardi Gras Fiesta Tropicale
www.mardigrasfiesta.com
Hollywood’s version
of Mardi Gras started back in 1935, drawing some 6,000-10,000
partyers by the end of the decade. World War II put the kibosh
on the celebration, which resumed in 1949 and attracted throngs
of revelers until 1966; the event died with the passing of
organizer Ella Jo Stollberg-Wilcox in 1967. Thirty years later,
a group of Hollywood residents resurrected the fiesta, which
has once again become one of the city’s most popular
outings, featuring live music in Young Circle Park and costumed
parades through the streets. Bands with a decidedly New Orleans
bent provide the soundtrack, from Dixieland to Cajun/zydeco
to blues, and this year, the event featured such choice performers
as the Michael Foster Project, Rosie Ledet, John Mooney, and
Anders Osborne with Monk Boudreaux. The cuisine is also Crescent
City-themed — red beans and rice, jambalaya, crawfish
étouffée — and can be washed down with
a sweet but potent, screaming-red hurricane. You’ll want
to save a little energy after the three-day weekend revel:
For the past couple of years, Fiesta Tropicale has concluded
with a Fat Tuesday celebration on Hollywood beach’s Broadwalk.
BEST MUSIC
FESTIVAL
City Link Music
Fest
Yes, we’re being
a little self-congratulatory here, but then again, we are
the only fools — excuse us, magazine — to
stage an event like this year after year. Approaching its
10th anniversary, the City Link Music Fest is the largest
one-night local-music event in South Florida, if not the Southeast.
Now presented in downtown Hollywood after seven years in Fort
Lauderdale’s Himmarshee Village, the fest brings together
a diverse collection of musicians and music fans who otherwise
probably wouldn’t cross paths. Last year’s event
offered the disparate likes of rockabilly trio Slip and the
Spinouts, outspoken folk diva Valerie C. Wisecracker, Southern-rock
group Bandit, hardcore-punk act The Mary Tyler Whores, blues
artist Ernie Southern and the uncategorizable Wolfboy and
the Fantods, among others. The event returns this year with
one notable change: For the first time in its history, the
Music Fest will not be held on a Friday night in December
but on Saturday, Nov. 22.
::top::
BEST FREE
EVENT
McDonald’s Air and Sea Show
www.airseashow.com
While the American military
budget and the way our fighting forces are used have changed
appreciably of late, one thing has stayed the same: We still
get to see our tax dollars at work for free at the annual
Air and Sea Show along the beach in Fort Lauderdale. It’s
comforting to know that no matter how much federal money is
diverted from education and health care to build F-14 Tomcats,
F-16 Fighting Falcons and FA-18 Hornets (it’ll be $400
billion next year) — and even when our forces are still
fighting to keep the peace in a country they have just liberated
— that the show still goes on. Actually, for $400 billion,
which represents a $100 billion increase over the 2000 military
budget, maybe we should get more for our money. Hell, for
$400 billion, maybe we should get to ride in the freakin’
planes instead of just squinting into the midday sun and watching
them roar by overhead.
BEST ART-SHOW
TITLE
Snowbirds, Come on Down
Schacknow Museum of Fine Arts, 7080 N.W. Fourth St., Plantation
954/583-5551
www.smofa.com
Conjuring an invitation
to bid on The Price Is Right, this exhibit’s title
is part of a bad lot of woeful show names at the Schacknow.
Last fall, museum founder Max Schacknow went with the more
sedate and farm-folksy Gathering for the Harvest, while
the seasonal It Is Raining Art is currently running,
through Saturday, and Art Outdoors Is Fun opens June
21. Then, there was this doozy from two years ago: Life’s
Greatest Mix: Clowns, Kids and the Color of Art.
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