Best Rock Club

Respectable Street feels like three clubs in one: One moment it's a cozy theater for live music -- local, national, and beyond. Walk in on a different night, and it's a sweaty dance club throbbing with hotties and boisterous beats. During the day it'll change stripes again, becoming a comfy lounge with overstuffed couches, chaises, and a small but sweet patio out back. The staffers understand they're in a pocket of the country where alternative-college music doesn't have a large following, but that hasn't hindered the gang's efforts to bring some challenging acts to the venue. If some cool and obscure act is planning a South Florida trip, you can almost count on it ending up at Respectable's. Among the recent high points from the club's 12-year quest for something different: the raunch-rock of Nashville Pussy, the ska-punk of Johnny Socko, arty Irish cabaret crooner Gavin Friday, the Young Gods and their industrial mayhem, Mojo Nixon's political comedy-commentary, the quirky good fun of They Might Be Giants, the Japanese cutesy-kitsch of Pizzicato Five, the Dutch electronic weirdness of Legendary Pink Dots, and altcountry superstars Son Volt. The room also hosts some great dance action, such as its '80s goth/new-wave nights, Wednesday's after-dark electronica evening, and Sonic Saturday's drum 'n' bass extravaganza.