Korrigans An Irish Pub 2301 W Sample Rd #20, Pompano Beach Call 954-974-0251, or visit hereIrish pubs are a fundamental part of our South Florida drinking landscape. Hundreds of Guinness-soaked temples dot South Florida, from McSorley’s on Fort Lauderdale beach to Slainte in Boynton. I’ve toured fetish clubs, gotten drunk…
The Dubliner Irish Pub 435 Plaza Real, Boca Raton Call 561-620-2540, or visit hereIrish pubs are a fundamental part of our South Florida drinking landscape. Hundreds of Guinness-soaked temples dot South Florida, from McSorley’s on Fort Lauderdale beach to Slainte in Boynton. I’ve toured fetish clubs, gotten drunk at a…
EpicaWith Scar Symmetry, Blackguard, and the AgonistCulture Room, Fort LauderdaleWednesday, December 15, 2010 In the world of metal, Epica frontwoman Simone Simmons is a queen, and these black-clad, mostly unwashed, tattooed, and pierced folk are her loyal subjects…
Packy’s Sports Pub 4480 N. Federal Highway, Lighthouse Point. Call 954-657-8423, or visit here. If the sign facing Federal Highway can be trusted, “Packy” is a violent-looking, biceps-flexing, auburn-bearded Irishman. His bar, Packy’s Sports Pub, occupies the building next to the now-defunct John L. Sullivan’s. A few months ago, that…
National Lampoon Underground Comedy Club & Grill 900 Sunrise Lane, Fort Lauderdale. Call 954-306-2689, or visit here.Bikers, booze, and belly-laughs: a combination you can’t get just anywhere these days. Throw in some sexy local stand-up comics, a huge mural of Animal House, plus plenty of “Red Death” shots — and…
Epica is not to be taken lightly. Yes, the Dutch symphonic metal band features string instrumentals and choral scores juxtaposed with mad-crazy guitar licks and death grunts. Yes, angel-voiced frontwoman Simone Simmons is fucking hot. Yes, she’s featured prominently (and occasionally somewhat nekkid) on several of Epica’s album covers. But…
Bimini Boatyard Bar & Grill1555 SE 17th Street, Fort LauderdaleCall 954-525-7400, or visit biminiboatyard.com”This place is frikken huge,” I said to Beard, my friend and ever-present wingman, as we slunk in the main entrance to this gargantuan, immaculate restaurant and bar. Bimini was reminiscent of a giant white-trimmed house boat,…
Southport Raw Bar1536 Cordova Road, Fort LauderdaleCall 954-525-CLAM, or visit southportrawbar.comThere are portholes on the doors and a map of the Gulf of Mexico on the booth in front of me. Southport Raw Bar celebrates all the grit of the oyster-shucking, hard-drinking boating culture. The place has musty green carpet;…
Clad in a black bra that barely concealed her astonishing rack, the woman carried drinks over to her husband, a lanky gent with graying hair who was seated on a couch in the VIP section. She was beautiful. Probably in her late 50s, she appeared much younger: bleached-blond hair; tanned,…
The Ambry German and American Restaurant3016 E Commercial Blvd., Fort LauderdaleCall 954-771-7342, or visit ambryrestaurant.comI walked through the quaint, pocket-sized “beer garden,” pulled open the brassy, cathedral-like door, and poked my head inside the Ambry. It was dimly lit, with brick walls, wooden ceilings, arched windows, and the aroma of…
Bierbrunnen German Pub427 S. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., Fort LauderdaleCall 954-462-1008It was a breezy, balmy early autumn day in Fort Lauderdale when I jumped up to the emerald-green bar at Bierbrunnen, a modest, open-air pub hidden in an alley just off the beach and a block away from raging party…
Da Big Kahuna17th S. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., Fort Lauderdale. Ste. 380Call 954-530-4867, or visit here.I was seated at the palapa bar inside the expansive, open-air Da Big Kahuna, amid beautiful ocean-themed murals, varying sized tikis (shipped from Hawaii), and red and yellow lanterns. Pockets of people dined on authentic…
Lulu’s Bait Shack17th S. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., Ste. 212, Fort Lauderdale. Call 954-463-7425, visit here.Lulu’s is an unadulterated year-round spring-break joint where barely legals sip Technicolor liquor from giant fish bowls and a cover band blasts Blink-182 hits in the background. Photos of bikini-clad, sun-bronzed beach bunnies and New…
The Blue Anchor British Pub804 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. Call 561-272-7272, or visit here.I pushed through the ancient window-paned doors and stepped into the Blue Anchor. A blond bartender busied herself wiping glasses; British accents popped and crackled, mingling with island dialects and “Jeepers Creepers,” the 1930s jazz song…
Mellow Mushroom25 SE Sixth Ave., Delray Beach. Call 561-330-3040, or visit here.Sometimes being “mellow” isn’t exactly on my high-strung agenda, but nothing slows me down into a heavy-lidded euphoria like a good strong brew.What’s your most popular beer?” I asked our pretty, pierced waitress. “That depends on what you like,”…
Rocco’s Tacos & Tequila Bar224 Clematis Street, West Palm Beach. Call 561-650-1001, or visit here.The first time I tried to move through the door of Rocco’s, I was almost taken out by a monstrous West Palm Beach rack. Once I dodged that obstacle, I found myself deep in a thick…
Reef Road Restaurant & Rum Bar 223 Clematis St., West Palm Beach. Call 561-838-9099, or visit here.I was sitting inside Reef Road, vegging out to an ultrachill Sublime cover by Caribbean Club, the two-man band on stage. The bottles of rum behind the bar shone temptingly, illuminated by an electric-yellow…
Hank III and AssjackCulture Room, Fort Lauderdale Tuesday, August 31, 2010 The review: “Not everybody likes us, but we drive some folks wild.” So sang Hank III Tuesday night at Culture Room. His voice alternated between a drawn-out country twang reminiscent of his granddaddy’s and a fierce punk-rock growl. He…
Yak-Zies 868 S. Federal Highway, Pompano BeachCall 954-786-0033, or visit here. We walked into Yak-Zies in the middle of a young man’s karaoke rendition of John Michael Montgomery’s “Sold”: “I’m sold to the lady in the second row; she’s an eight/She’s a nine, she’s a ten I know/She’s got ruby…
Chit-Chat’s Bar 651 N. Federal Highway, Pompano Beach Call 561-943-1631, or visit here.Walking through the door of Chit-Chat’s, amid the shaking booties, flowing beer, and general raucous exuberance, you will notice one thing: It is extremely difficult to chit-chat while at Chit-Chat’s. On a recent Saturday night, this was because…
Night Watch is a regular feature about bars and clubs by nightlife columnist Tara Nieuwesteeg.Bill’s Filling Station2209 Wilton Drive, Wilton ManorsCall 954-567-5978, or visit here.I love this bar. We passed through the narrow entrance with the “fasten seat belts” sign at the front and into the realm of the bald-headed,…
This week, join me as I take a trip into the most classic gay bars in Wilton Manors. These are two tried-and-true exemplary specimens of everything a gay club should epitomize. After my laborious journeys from down-and-dirty dives to spasmodic dance clubs, I felt it fair to indulge in a…
