by Miguel Bravo | Jul 21, 2010 | Fort Lauderdale
Here at the FTLC headquarters, we are always striving to find new ways to inform our readers of local businesses, activities, bands, restaurants, and Russ Adler sightings. That is why we have added 2 new pages to our blog, Links and Mixtapes. Let me explain each new page below:
Links
On this page, we want to provide a comprehensive listing of local websites. As you can see, we’ve already added a handful of quality blogs, bands, bars, and restaurants. We plan on adding many more in the coming weeks and months. We only ask one tiny, minute, pequeño favor…if we add a link to your site, we’d appreciate you to show the love back. Contact mig@ftlcollective.com if you think your site should be included on our directory.
Mixtape
We are particularly excited about this addition to our website. In this section, we want to include a monthly mixtape of songs by local bands, complete with cover art and a link to download the album for free. This section only works as long as enough bands allow us to include their music on our mix. If you’re in a band, and would like for us to include one of your tracks on our monthly mix, send an email to mixtape@ftlcollective.com with the song attached (please, no viruses) or a link to a site where we can download your song (the preferred method). Expect our first mix to come out in August.
Do you have any suggestions for the FTLC website? Go to the Contact page, and email one of the FTLC bloggers.
by Mercedes J | Jul 20, 2010 | Fort Lauderdale
by Mercedes J.
Squat-N-Gobble Mascot
Underground restaurants are growing in popularity and are being featured in food magazines and other various publications. Fort Lauderdale is home to one of these intriguing secret eateries which was recently introduced by John Linn of The New Times and again on the Paul and Young Ron morning radio show (Big 105.9). As frequent diners, the FTLC is a fan of the underground restaurant — The Squat-N-Gobble. It’s here at the SnG that you will enjoy a humble communal style meal served on mismatched plates as you sit beside a stranger in folding chairs.
The proprietor of the Squat-N-Gobble — JLo — runs her version of a rogue restaurant out of her Victoria Park apartment where she feeds her patrons delicious noshings such as Boeuf Bourguignon, Hawaiian style ceviche, asparagus-leek risotto, and Soul Food to name a few of her always interesting dishes. In addition to more traditional menu options, SnG has showcased international fare from countries including India, Turkey, Peru, Argentina, and Greece.
Soul Food Night
Clientele of the Squat-N-Gobble include friends/acquaintances of the self-taught home cook, but also complete strangers who have discovered this unique establishment through one means or another. JLo’s day job is that of a psychologist, which comes in handy when pre-screening her guests to select those who will most likely contribute to a pleasant and interesting atmosphere, or maybe to get the freakiest possible group of people to analyze for her own studies, we are not sure. “I secretly psychologically profile my potential diners in order to maximize an enjoyable experience — my goal is for all to be amused and have a lot of fun,” she explains.
Tomorrow evening (July 21st), the Squat-N-Gobble will attempt to impress an experimental subject from the morning radio show, Paul and Young Ron. The radio act, known for their social tomfoolery, is sending OMG Mike to check out the indie eatery. According to the show’s website, OMG Mike was raised by a village of monkeys “where he learned to eat food with his feet.” Dining on SnG’s menu of Jambalaya, Cajun pinto beans, and chocolate croissant bread pudding for dessert using one’s feet should be very interesting indeed. Be sure to tune into Big 105.9 Wednesday morning to listen to the radio show interview SnG’s JLo.
Word on the street is that the Wednesday night’s dinner was booked within a matter of hours after the announcement of the special guest’s attendance three weeks ago. JLo tells us she is encouraging her patrons to “be on their worst behavior” for the festivities. It looks as if like the SnG will put forth a valiant effort to make OMG Mike proclaim “ohmigod!” both after having some scrumptious fare and enjoying some outrageous company. The FTLC hopes OMG Mike is ready for his first Squat-N-Gobble experience — he is in for a treat!
by Miguel Bravo | Jul 19, 2010 | Fort Lauderdale
by Adelina Ridicolo
Sunday-Funday is a weekly holiday celebrated in Fort Lauderdale. The monthly riverfront Jazz Brunch is a popular Sunday location, along with the Floridian and the other thousand venues that serve a cold mimosa, but probably the most festive of all places to begin your funday is Rosie’s Bar and Grill in Wilton Manors.
Although Saturday night’s booze and hallucinogens may still be in your system, seeing a cow in this themed restaurant is perfectly normal (the particular cow I spied was part of Wilton Manors’ yearly Gay Rodeo). Walking inside you’ll be welcomed by signs (“BEER: give your brain a break!”) and creative memorabilia on the tall and wide walls around you. Hit up the host stand immediately if you want to enjoy the full feel of this locale and secure a table on the breezy patio. But no worries, while you wait there is plenty of room and service at the bar to begin your adventure.
Typically in the morning one might most enjoy a mimosa ($5)…something about champagne and orange juice is stimulating and refreshing, and it will wake up your senses and help you forget last night’s questionable acts. However, if your tongue can handle the spice, Rosie’s Bloody-Mary ($3) will be sure to bestir you.
After your wait, your host will escort you to the cabana-style patio where a DJ plays techno and house music, and although this area is primarily for sitting, dancing near the DJ is perfectly acceptable. While the music is loud enough to give you the itch to rock your body, the sound is produced well enough that your server can hear your order. The wait staff is fun, knowledgeable, and helpful for the indecisive mind. Each of these characters wears black Rosie’s t-shirts with a different slogan on the back describing themselves or their purpose, in a humorous way of course.
The large menu satisfies all tastes and the food is brilliant, try the Tortilla Stack Attack, the massive and sweet French Toast, the…ah, who cares, everything is good…you are here for the atmosphere and the mimosas anyway.
Sunday brunch continues until 2 p.m., but if you find this place really tickles your pickle and you cannot wait until the weekend for the next escapade, Rosie’s has happy hour Monday through Friday (11 a.m. – 7 p.m.) and other drink specials every day. The FTLC can assure you, Rosies is one of the better brunch spots in Ft. Lauderdale. Go there!
by Miguel Bravo | Jul 16, 2010 | Fort Lauderdale
by Mig
Strawberry Jam sifting through the mulch with a stick
“Damn, this place is loaded with muggles.”
That phrase was embarrassingly uttered from my mouth yesterday afternoon, and no, I wasn’t quoting a line from the Harry Potter series (not like that’s better anyway). Actually, Strawberry Jam and I were searching for petroglyphs in Frost Park in Dania, playing the worldwide GPS based game known as Geocaching (pronounced geo-cashing). The point of the game is to find hidden containers (geocaches), using only GPS coordinates and a limited amount of clues. Once you find the concealed item, you log your success by writing your name in a log (usually it’s BYOP, bring your own pen/pencil) and documenting it online. Occasionally, the capsule will include a souvenir or a Travel Bug (an item that is transferred to different geocaches). This army of dedicated treasure hunters are known as geocachers; everyone else are referred to as muggles. For more nerd slang, check out the glossary.
Loyal geocachers take their version of hide and seek very seriously. A quick search for geocaches within 50 miles of my house in Sailboat Bend produced 2,412 results. After sifting through the overwhelming list, Strawberry Jam and I settled on a combination of four geocaches, ranging from “easy” to “hard”. Ideally, it’s best to search with a GPS device, but Google maps and the encrypted clues suffice. Our virgin quest took us to popular British hangout King’s Head to conquer the geocache known as A Taste Of England. I will not spoil this one for you guys, but it was pretty damn easy — a perfect confidence builder for newbies like us. Our next adventure, Chillin’ In Frost Park, had us searching for Native American carvings around a baseball field in order to discover some kind of camoflauged container. Twenty minutes later and empty handed, we soon discovered that this dork sport was no cake walk. Sadly, our last three searches were fruitless. Fortunately, we enjoyed ourselves so much that we decided to hide our own geocache in downtown Fort Lauderdale. I encourage our readers to sign up for a free account on the geocaching website, however, most of you won’t, so I will post the clues and coordinates of FTL Collective’s first geocache below. Just make sure you put it back where you found it (if you can find it, bwa ha ha). Happy hunting.
Coordinates: N 26° 07.062′ , W 080° 08.939′
Location:
Go underneath the pink bridge on 4th Ave and Avenue Of The Arts
That’s where you’ll find FTL Collective’s geocache. Wave to the Jungle Queen when it passes by.
Container description:
Don’t cut your ear off if you can’t find this geocache.
This small rectangular container is one of a kind.
Additional Clues:
cbchyne Bgvf Erqqvat fbat
Decryption Key:
A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I | J|K|L|M
———————————-
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z
(letter above equals below, and vice versa)
by Strawberry Jam | Jul 15, 2010 | Fort Lauderdale
If you haven’t already been to Doris you have few excuses not to go. With several locations throughout South Florida and its original Hollywood store in operation since 1947, Doris Market and Bakery has become a love of the Italian community and those that just like good eats. Though significantly smaller than your average supermarket, Doris is quite the representation of grocers scattered throughout Italy and the selection inside is anything but. You can find everything from dried pastas, produce, and wine to a wide selection of meats and prepared foods and side dishes. Not to mention, a vast array of authentic Italian desserts and pastries such as napoleons, biscotti, and cannoli. While some items are a tad pricier than what you find at your usual grocery store, if you shop right there are plenty of deals to be had especially when it comes to produce. Bunches of fresh herbs such as basil, cilantro, and dill can be purchased for just 99 cents, red peppers often cost half as much as they do at Publix.
This trip to the market resulted in plenty of herbs and veggies, beet salad and roasted peppers from the deli, Kalamata olives, and a happy tummy.
For more info, hours, or directions check out www.dorismarket.com
by Mercedes J | Jul 14, 2010 | Fort Lauderdale
92 degrees after 5pm!
by Mercedes J.
Ah, summer in Ft. Lauderdale. At least once a day, I receive an SMS message on my smart phone with a picture of someone’s dashboard temperature gauge reading well over 90 degrees fahrenheit. The months of July and August are out to kill South Floridians, but we will not be vanquished! When you notice that you are perspiring more than the dude in the yellow chicken suit off Cordova Road at Harbor shops, you know it’s time to find a way to cool it down a notch. Sure, you could stay inside – but air conditioned South Florida is the coldest place in the country. Since remaining indoors isn’t so hot (pun intended), I say let’s grab a lounge chair by the pool and chill out by enjoying one of these refreshing adult libations (whilst lathered with SPF 50).
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