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Best Bartender in Palm Beach

Stephanie White of Smokey Bones Barbeque & Grill

Some are in it for the cash, some for the hours, and some for the sex. Stephanie White may be the last bartender on Earth who likes the barkeep gig because she genuinely enjoys hearing about somebody else's problems. She likes cheering folks up, and with her killer smile and droopy doe eyes lined in black, she has a way of doing just that. White grew up in Coral Springs and started working as a server in restaurants as a teenager. She kept it up for seven years, then got promoted to bartending. She's been doing that for the past seven years — but she won't say where she worked previously because it's a competitor of Smokey Bones. How's that for loyalty? On a recent Wednesday night, she was cleaning up and getting ready to cash out when she spied a longing look on a regular's face. "Do you want your peanut butter pie, Christopher?" she asked a cherubic man at the end of the bar. He did, and she dutifully fetched it. White learned to toss bottles way back, but that's for showoffs. Her favorite bartending moments are when people come in with big news to share. Like a new baby. Or a promotion. Who knew there was actually a bartender in South Florida who gave a crap? We weren't sure whether to be creeped out or give her an award.

Best Beer Selection

PRL Euro Café

Carina Mask
It's hard to believe that owner Jaroslaw "Jay" Rottermund can fit 114 beers from 22 countries into this tiny nook of a bar. But he manages to stock everything from Argentina's Quilmes (essentially the Budweiser of Argentina) to Turkey's Efes Pilsen (which has a basketball team named after it) to 15 American brews. Although Rottermund says he won't look down on you for ordering a Bud Light draft, the most popular flavors among the bar's young, artsy crowd are Belgium's Delirium Tremens ($6), Belzebuth from France (also $6 but 13 percent alcohol!), and the number-one bestseller, Zywiec ($4), a lager from Poland. For mental stimulation, Rottermund has sprinkled the bar with trinkets like chessboards, books, a computer with Internet access — and a giant birdcage in which naked Barbie dolls live side by side with a plastic swan. "It is forbidden to feed the swan," Rottermund says. The punishment for transgressors? "You will have to buy a beautiful, exotic beer."

Best Debauched Dance Party

Fantasy Party at Passions Night Club

Not all girls are sugar and spice and everything nice. The Fantasy Party at the Seminole Hard Rock Paradise plaza is a bachelorette-themed bash that takes place behind the velvet ropes and closed doors of Passions Nightclub every Friday and Saturday night. Preliminary cocktails loosen the lips and hips of 20- and 30-something women before the real sinning begins, which includes (dirty) dancing, adult-only games (i.e., fake orgasm contests and something called "abs for grabs"), pole-dancing lessons, and full access to a bunch of boytoys in underwear. This scandalous soiree begins at 9 p.m., and it doesn't come cheap: $39.99 for the regular treatment, $49.99 for premiere seats, $69.99 for VIP. Of course, the cost comes with free drinks galore, party favors, and a free night's admission to the 15,000-square-foot club. You also get this free advice from the proprietors: "If your boyfriend asks where you're going... lie! "

Best Club DJ

Charlie Solana

When it comes to controlling a crowd at the mega-entertainment center known as Seminole Hard Rock, there's nobody who competes with Charlie Solana of Gryphon Nightclub. He's an ace with Top 40 and hip-hop but excels when it comes to house and electronic music. What's impressive is the way he effortlessly flows among various genres while keeping a consistent groove. It's easy to stay on the dancefloor while Solana's behind the decks. He's good at playing tracks that build up a mood, going higher and higher with each song until he nearly causes sensory overload. Don't expect him to stick with popular songs all night — he drops freshly released material from topnotch producers from around the world. That's what dance lovers crave, and it keeps the line outside of Gryphon packed. While there are plenty of clubs with DJs who play what's hot now, Solana is good at choosing what will be hot in six months. And when a DJ allows listeners a glimpse of the future, everybody wins.

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