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The SunPost 2008 Best
Of South Florida
Best of our Advertisers
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EDITORS'
CHOICE
ADVERTORIAL
BEST AFTER-WORK BAR
Gordon Biersch
1201 Brickell Ave.,
Miami
786-425-1130
www.gordonbiersch.com
Popular with locals
and those who work in the Brickell area, Gordon Biersch is a happening
scene in those after-work hours. It has great happy hour specials, live
music and good, eclectic food. With its great location and fun-loving
crowd, Gordon Biersch remains one of the hottest spots in town and the
place to enjoy a good time after work.
BEST LOCALS’ HANGOUT
Felt
1242 Washington Ave.,
Miami Beach
305-531-2114
Don’t let
the official billiards tables fool you. Felt is a place where amateur pool
players can feel right at home. It’s also a great place to meet friends
and locals after work for a beer and a game of pool, even if you’re not
that good at the game. Once inside, if you’re still not sure about your
pool skills, grab a stool at the well-stocked bar, or relax in the lounge
area and watch the pool sharks at work. You can’t do better than Thursday
nights, when you can get a beer for a buck. If you’re a tourist and want
to flock to where the locals gather, Felt is the place to be.
BEST LIVE MUSIC ON THE BEACH
Jazid
1342 Washington Ave.,
Miami Beach
305-673-9372
www.jazid.net
The oldest nonstop
club on South
Beach is also one of the coolest venues in the city. Cool entertainment
and cool crowds permeate this hip, long-standing venue. Jazid features
live music every day with enough variety to keep revelers returning. The
iconic club was just remodeled, assisted by a talented painter, to keep
Jazid at the top when it comes to ice-cool venues with red-hot
entertainment.
BEST RESTO-LOUNGE
B.E.D.
532 Washington
Avenue,
Miami Beach
305-532-9070
www.bedmiami.com
B.E.D. is the
perfect one-stop-shop for a unique and fun dinner with friends and a
smooth transition into the rest of the night with great DJs and music.
Once upon a time in
Miami Beach,
some wondered if the resto-lounge concept would make it, but B.E.D.
changed all that with its high-profile guests. Where else can one find a
quality meal and a red-hot nightspot? We’re not sure. But B.E.D. offers
just that. It’s a real
Miami Beach staple
for all that is cool.
BEST GAY CLUB
Twist
1057 Washington Ave.,
Miami Beach
305-538-9478
This friendly
neighborhood gay bar has much to offer. Multiple themed bars feature a
variety of entertainment and arguably the best bar staff in the entire
city. A mainstay for 14 years, it has become a Miami Beach icon to the
GLBT community. Few clubs can match the environment, entertainment and
hospitality of this terrific nightspot — truly one of the best and most
inviting locations in the region. Best of all, there’s never a cover!
BEST GAY DANCE CLUB
Score
727 Lincoln Road,
Miami Beach
305-535-1111
Known for its ideal
location and weekly parties, this gay bar and club offers the best of both
worlds with tables outside and inside. Score has various bars, lounge
areas and dance floors playing dance, hip-hop and classics for patrons
seven days a week.
Best Bar to SEE MODELS
Maxine
Restaurant
The
Catalina
Hotel
& Beach Club,
1732 Collins Ave.,
Miami Beach
305-674-3527
www.catalinahotel.com
Top models gather at
Maxine for dinner and drinks, making it the ideal place to see some of the
world’s known and up-and-coming beauties. They serve breakfast all day,
from 8 a.m.
to 3 p.m., at
Maxine, and the Challah bread French toast is highly regarded around town.
Lunch and dinner are served from 4 p.m. to midnight daily with a vast menu
of eclectic offerings, from salads and delicious paninis to heartier fare.
Specialty drinks are another coveted treat at Maxine and at the elegant
adjacent Red Bar.
BEST WEEKLY TRIPLE THREAT
The Chat Noir at
Dream
1401
Bay Road, No.
313, Miami
Beach
504-914-7266
This is the best
weekly running show on South Beach. The original, intriguing show is
hosted by the Dream team — Luca Fidenzio, Ayla Sedlacek, Samantha Bearden
and Hassan Radouane, aka L*A*S*H entertainment — at the best lounge on
South Beach, Dream, adding up to a triple threat.
BEST LADIES, SALSA AND DISCO NIGHTS
Alcazaba Lounge
50 Alhambra Circle,
Coral Gables
305-418-8979
www.elmixeo.com/alcazaba1.html
Alcazaba Lounge,
celebrating its 20th anniversary, offers the highest-rated Wednesday and
Saturday Nights in the area, with ladies enjoying complimentary wine,
champagne and hors d’oeuvres. The club features dominoes, cigars, fashion
and car shows, and soft music outside by the Court of Lions; great salsa
music inside the club, and the music of Johnny Caride, Alex Gutierrez,
Frank Banderas and Kiwi in Ramiro’s Bar. It draws 600 to
1,000 guests each Wednesday to have fun and meet old friends. The romance
dates back 20 years, with club members having met and gotten married at
the club. Saturday nights are all about the disco era, and ladies enjoy
Alcazaba martinis from 9 to 10 p.m. The PR firm ExecuMar Events and
Promotions ensures that each week you will find a new themed event and the
great ambiance the club is known for.
BEST FLAMENCO &
TAPAS
Tapas
y Tintos
448 Española Way,
Miami Beach
305-538-8272
www.tapasytintos.com
Delicious mojitos
and sexy salsa music pour out onto Española Way from Tapas y Tintos. The
cozy spot is alluring and welcoming, and encourages even the most awkward
gringo to get up and shake his/her maracas. The mostly Barcelonan staff
serves authentic Spanish tapas and wine, right alongside flamenco dancers
and nightly live music. The place has a distinct European feel and prices
even students can afford. Free tango classes are offered on Monday
evenings for anyone looking to improve those forbidden movements.
BEST PARTY VENUE
Wherehouse 2016
2016 N.E. 155th St.
(North Miami
Beach
Commerce
Center),
North Miami
Beach
305-956-9282
www.wherehouse2016.com
Wherehouse 2016 is a
unique and art-filled warehouse consisting of 3,600 square feet of
floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall art. The facility features wall murals,
more than 100 custom paintings in vivid, upbeat colors, extraordinary
lighting and more than 50 pieces of artist Bruce Grayson’s painted tables,
chairs and sofas. This venue is the perfect place for any type of party or
event. Next time you throw a bash, go to Wherehouse 2016.
BEST ALL-FEMALE VIP HOST COMPANY
Samantha VIP
1040 Michigan Ave.,
Unit 18,
Miami Beach
504-914-7266
www.samanthavip.com
Samantha VIP hosts
the best, most exclusive events on South Beach. Samantha Bearden, Caitlin
Slayback and Tracy McGetrick — three sexy, beautiful, intelligent and
extremely funny women — plan, coordinate and host day and evening events,
from chartering yachts or sailboats to the best tables at the hottest
clubs and lounges to booking villas anywhere from here to Ibiza!
BEST ADULT CLUB, MIAMI
Goldrush /Crazy
Horse
Goldrush, 29 N.E. 11th St.,
Miami;
305-358-9848
Crazy Horse, 17800 State Road 9, Miami;
305-999-9500
Upscale gentlemen’s clubs are surprisingly hard to find in South Florida,
but both Goldrush and Crazy Horse offer a number of amenities to make them
appealing to a broad range of revelers. Fully nude performances certainly
is one. A daily businessmen’s buffet appeals to local workers. A full bar
and some of the best VIP rooms keep the fun moving nicely along. Champagne
specials are irresistible and part of a very special adult club
experience.
BEST ADULT CLUB, MIAMI BEACH
Club Madonna
1527
Washington Ave.,
Miami
Beach
305-534-2000
The
term “strip club” doesn’t properly define this longtime
Miami
Beach nightspot, although that is, essentially, the entertainment. This
well-known club certainly is popular with visitors, but locals tend to
become regular customers, making friends and giving the club a pleasant,
neighborhood feel. That’s not easy in the adult entertainment industry,
and it isn’t easy to do in South Beach. For this reason, as well good
staff and loads of adult-oriented entertainment, Club Madonna stands head,
shoulders and all other body parts above the rest.
BEST NEW IRISH PUB
Waxy O’Connor’s
1248 Washington Ave.,
Miami Beach
305-534-7824
www.waxys.com
Fun and Irish-ness
is in the air at Waxy O’Connor’s. Authentic Irish tastes abound in a full
menu that includes Bangers and Mash, corned beef and cabbage, Guinness and
beef stew, and several distinctive savory pies. Irish and international
beers further the atmosphere. A warm and welcoming environment greets all
visitors, and the Irish theme continues even with the furniture and décor.
Happy hour is from
8 a.m.
to 7 p.m.
Monday through Friday, patio dining is available and sports prevail on the
eight 65-inch high-def LCD TVs. It isn’t
Ireland,
but it could easily be mistaken for an Emerald Isle pub.
Best New Authentic Bar
Waxy O’Connor’s
1248 Washington Ave.,
Miami Beach
305-534-7824
www.waxys.com
Waxy O’Connor’s is a
distinctly authentic pub — as in Irish. Free-flowing pints of Irish,
American and international beers are prevalent as is traditional Irish and
American fare. The authenticity doesn’t just come from the menu or the
fun, friendly environment.
Its bar, chairs, stools and floor were
all built by Truwood Joinery Shop in
County Monaghan,
Ireland, then crated, shipped to the States and assembled by the very
craftsmen who built them. The dark woods and unique fixtures bring a piece
of Ireland to America. Waxy O’Connor’s is the perfect place to enjoy true,
traditional Irish hospitality and treats.
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