by Miguel Bravo | Sep 29, 2011 | Local Business, News
Stopped into the Riverside Market (that wonderful gem of a spot just southwest of downtown) for a sandwich and stopped short upon seeing this sign on the entrance:
No drinking beer or wine on the premises? Preposterous! That is the best place to drink beer and wine. Sure, you can take it to go, but you can do that anywhere. Give me some atmosphere. Give me some craft brew on a barstool next to a table full of cops. Give me a drunken evening wine-tasting with accompanying appetizers. This is bullshit.
The guy working the deli counter said they were having licensing issues but that they are getting it sorted out. Well Riverside Market, not to sound ungrateful, but why don’t you go ahead and sort that out. You have a beer and wine dinner scheduled in three weeks that I would really like to attend.
Email fathand@ftlcollective.com if there is anything I can do to help. I know absolutely nothing about liquor licensing.
by Strawberry Jam | Sep 26, 2011 | Local Business, News
Just as we were readying a “Battle of the Barts” for the two St Barts Coffee Companies on Ft Lauderdale Beach, we discovered that St Barts on Sunrise and A1A was changing over to “Oceanview Delight”: a “privately owned cafe featuring homemade food and fresh ingredients”. From what we understood, the two did not share the same owner, and, for the record, we were leaning towards the original St Barts on S Ft Lauderdale Bch Blvd. (Note the difference in portion size of the eggs and cheese at both St Barts below)
Farmer's Favorite at St Barts original location
Farmer's Favorite at St Barts Sunrise and A1A
But after seeing these yummy photos below from Oceanview Delight’s Facebook page, perhaps cafe breakfast food was just not their forte. Not pictured here but also on their Facebook are a “Lamb Burgini” (homemade lamb burger, spicy pepper sauce, and feta cheese) and an “SB Angus Burger”. So far a menu is not available online. Oceanview Delight offers free wifi and delivery to the “lifeguard stand nearest you”.
Middle Eastern Chicken Taco from Oceanview Delight
Ahi Tuna Burger, Wasabi Slaw, and Avocado from Oceanview Delight
View from Oceanview Delight on Sunrise and A1A
Oceanview Delight (Facebook, Twitter) is located at 845 N Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd. Call (954)630-1351 for current hours.
by Strawberry Jam | Aug 4, 2011 | News
In May, we posted about the sale of Dania Jai Alai, said to be finalized in September. With the pending sale, the fate of the game is unknown, though it can’t be a good sign the venue has recently stopped jai alai altogether (and their dollar beer Wednesdays) until September 1st.
In continued efforts to give a sort of face lift to the city, Pirates Inn and Lounge is in the process of being demolished (see picture below) after being deemed unsafe and sitting unoccupied since 2009. The city has already built a $6 million 440-spot parking garage in hopes of enticing developers to build in the area, and demolishing what many call an “eyesore” is just another tactic they hope will attract new business to the area.
Bottom line: as Dania hopes for the best and tries to figure out how to attain it, the future of Jai Alai still remains uncertain. So you better get your vintage sport-watching in before it’s too late.
Dania's Pirates Inn being demolished July 2011
A previous aerial view of the Pirates Inn
by Strawberry Jam | Jul 28, 2011 | Local Business, News
Coming soon: Tap 42 (pictured above) is set to open off of Andrews Ave. and SW 14th St in September. They recently took part in the Seminole Hard Rock Rock N Roll Beer B Que (pictures here) and seem to already have a following, considering this is “just two brothers who are opening a new bar, and want to make it a cool place for you, and us to hang out”, according to their page on Facebook. The venue will have 42 beers on tap and 100+ bottled (largely crafts), live music nightly, food, and an outdoor patio. A quick visit to their website and you can sign up for their mailing list and send over your personal beer suggestions. Sounds like Tap 42 is making a genuine effort to become the area’s newest neighborhood bar. Located at 1411 S Andrews Avenue, FTL.
Open: In the spot that used to be Barbara Young Bake Shop, and a different cupcake place before that, East End Eats has opened up. The cafe has breakfast, lunch, sandwiches, pastries, coffees, and more and is open Monday through Saturday 8:00am-5:30pm and Sundays 8:00am-3:00pm. East End Eats is at 1523 Las Olas Blvd, FTL.
Coming soon: The much-anticipated, and needed since Bluejays’ closing, Old Fort Lauderdale Breakfast House that we posted about in June will be opening Friday, August 5. Where Village Pie never opened, O-B House is just about ready to go with their breakfast menu and plan to be open 7 days a week. While a little pricey and no coffee refills, they do have some interesting choices such as the “D-Clawed”: soft, fresh, free range egg O-B omelet filled with jumbo lump crab, cream cheese, fresh, chopped cilantro, and served with O-B oven roasted Yukon golds or cheese grits and O-B toast ($14). Located at 333 Himmarshee St, FTL.
by Fat Hand | Jul 20, 2011 | News
By Fat Hand
It seems like only yesterday that Ray Lewis, UM alum and Super Bowl XXXV MVP, was opening a new real estate office/art gallery on Las Olas. I cannot vouch for his real estate business, but the art gallery was kind of funny. The one time I stopped in, the vast majority of the art was either photographs or paintings of big number 52 himself. But sadly RL52 Realty on Las Olas Boulevard has closed down. We at the FTLC are not sure exactly when this happened, but we did notice this past weekend that although the “RL52” is still visible on the awning, the realty office/art gallery has been replaced with baby clothes and related crap. I know what you’re thinking: ew, babies.
In other sort-of-local sports news, Nathan Horton of the NHL champion Boston Bruins disappointed local sports fans when he chose to take the Stanley Cup to his small hometown of Dunnville, Ontario rather than to his hockey-mad transplanted home of Fort Lauderdale, Florida as had been previously reported, and where he lives with his smokeshow former Playboy model wife. Outrageous! Luckily JetBlue Airways has our back and took their sweet old time processing the Stanley Cup through the baggage check, causing the Cup to miss its flight and arrive several hours late for the Dunnville celebration. Don’t tread on us Dunnville, Ontario. You’re lucky it was just hockey, and not something really popular down here like jai alai.
by Miguel Bravo | Jun 17, 2011 | Local Business, News
Downtown Ft. Lauderdale has a new breakfast locale coming this July, and with the recent closing of Bluejays Cafe (can someone please turn off their Christmas lights), this couldn’t come at a better time. In the spot where Village Pie never opened, Old Fort Lauderdale Breakfast House will be making its debut. By glancing at their website (and listening to the auto-play banjo music), it’s evident that the owner Rodney Ely is banking on the quality and farmer freshness of his food. According to his bio, Rod is an old school local who has been a part of many successful restaurants from FTL’s past. The walls inside are decorated with vintage photos, further emphasizing his roots in the city. Even though there are no free refills on coffee (“that’s not Folgers in your cup”) and it’s a little pricey for breakfast, the FTLC staff will be eagerly waiting for the announcement of the OB House grand opening. Take a glance at their tasty menu and share in our excitement.
The restaurant is located at 333 Himmarshee St, Ft Lauderdale.
