AFTER DARK
A weekend of choices and adventures await
Posted on Fri, May. 02, 2008
By GABE BERMAN
I moved into a new apartment five months ago and finally started to unpack. In one box, I found my old books including the Choose Your Own Adventure series I read in middle school. I loved these thin paperbacks filled with illustrations because, well, they're thin and filled with illustrations.
But I was also a big fan because each book came with an intriguing (and complimentary) warning: This book is different than all other books. YOU and YOU ALONE are in charge of what happens in this story. There are choices, adventures and consequences. YOU must use all of your numerous talents and much of your enormous intelligence. The wrong decision could end in disaster -- even death. But, don't despair. At any time, YOU can go back and make another choice, alter the path of your story, and change its results.
This weekend, YOU and YOU ALONE are in charge of what happens. There are choices, adventures and consequences (albeit far less dramatic).
If you want to watch NBA or NHL playoff games, head to D. Wade's Sports Grill, 1451 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale. Enjoy $5 pitchers of Miller Lite or $2 Miller Lite bottles while keeping an eye on one of the 18, 55-inch hi-def plasma TVs or the four 100-inch front projection TVs. And since the Miami Heat didn't even come close to making the playoffs, you may end up sitting next to Dwyane Wade himself at the bar.
If laughing matters to you, call 954-763-5236 and reserve a table at Laffing Matterz, 219 S. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale. This dinner theater offers dinner followed by a current-events inspired comedy show (which is even funnier if you have a few glasses of wine with your meal). Tickets on Wednesdays through Fridays and Sundays are $49.50 and Saturday night's performance costs $54.50.
Looking for a good catch? Try Crabby Jacks, 1015 S. Federal Hwy., Deerfield Beach. Fill up on shrimp, oysters and 3-for-1 drinks throughout May. Crabby Jacks is decorated with old surfboards, wood carvings of fish, thatch-covered walls and a trippy mural of crabs playing various sports. During the week, buy the entire bar a round of recession friendly, 69-cent Icehouse drafts.
Average brew not for you? Bring friends to Brother Tuckers -- An Old Word Beer & Wine Garden -- at 3332 E. Atlantic Ave., Pompano Beach. Brother Tuckers is a Belgian beer café, with beers from around the world, including imported brews from Germany, England and even Vietnam. The four beers on draught frequently change to keep patrons from getting bored. Not sure what to order? The bartenders will find the perfect pick for you.
Not quite Margaritaville, but get margaritas and cerveza at Tijuana Taxi Co., 4400 S. University Dr., Davie. Dos Equis drafts are $1.89 and 14-ounce margaritas are $2.95 during happy hour, 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Or opt anytime for a 36-ounce margarita for $10.
Join the college crowd -- or a college frame of mind -- at Automatic Slims, 15 W. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale. People throw down drinks here like they're still in college because many of them still are. The music is always a bit too loud and no one seems to mind. The bar is always crowded and, once again, just like in college, no one seems to mind. If you're not in the mood for debauchery, this nightspot is not for you.
If you want to sip before you buy, there's the Seventh Street Wine Company, at 701 S. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale. This wine bar/store stocks about 1,500 labels and 17,000 bottles. There are always 96 wines available to sample from the Enomatic Serving Machines. These sleek machines accept special debit cards and dispense one-ounce servings so a customer can try a wine before purchasing an entire bottle. Designate a driver (and designate a driver for your designated driver) because it's easy to get carried away.
If in Boca Raton, stop by Watercolors Café at the Boca Raton Bridge Hotel, 999 E. Camino Real, Boca Raton. This nightspot, under a drawbridge, is a perfect place for a date, a post-work drink or a cup of coffee with a good book (I have a few from middle school I can lend you).
ON THE HORIZON
• Reggae superstar Maxi Priest appears tonight at the Culture Room, 3045 N. Federal Hwy., at 8 p.m. Tickets are $19.99.
• Greg Behrendt, co-author of He's Just Not That Into You, takes the stage at the Improv at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, 1 Seminole Way (off U.S. 441 north of Stirling Road), near Hollywood. Call 954-981-5653 for times and ticket prices.
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