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Posted on Friday, 08.21.09

AFTER DARK

Put your game face on and kick off the weekend

By GABE BERMAN

seize18@aol.com

I'm not on NASA's payroll, but you can trust me when I tell you the Earth is revolving around the sun faster than it used to. I was having dinner at the Red Zone Café & Sports Theatre last week and was shocked to see a preseason football game on TV. Didn't I just see the Super Bowl?

Ready for some football or not, it's that time again, and the Red Zone, in Fort Lauderdale at 1804 Cordova Rd., is the diehard sports fan's fantasyland. Thirteen 8-by-9 foot mega-screens encircle the rectangular bar that comfortably seats 30. Sitting in the first row on the 50-yard line at an actual game is the only way to get closer to the teams, tackles and touchdowns.

If the life-size action isn't large enough for you, race over to Xtreme Indoor Karting (5300 N. Powerline Rd., Fort Lauderdale) for an IMAX-like experience. This go-kart racing facility features a monstrous 562-inch projection TV. Those who find this format to be too extreme can watch the games in Xtreme's Finish Line sports bar with its more moderate-size flat screens.

The Tijuana Taxi Co. in Coral Springs at 901 N. University Dr. is always crowded with locals. But for NFL games, the place gets as stuffed as an oversized burrito, perhaps because this bar offers an antidote to any blues you may feel if your team is losing: a 36-ounce margarita for $9.99. For Thursday night games, Patron Tequila shots are only $3.75 and 1800 Gold shots are a mere $2.50, and you can enjoy a fajita and margarita for $14.99 on Monday's Fajita-Rita night.

Daisy Dukes Saloon in Pembroke Pines offers the ultimate drink to celebrate victory: 160-ounce towers of beer that cost $24 for domestic and $36 for imported. Although this bar sits at 10060 Pines Blvd., where traffic is often hellacious, bucket specials on game day and the skimpy Catherine-Bach-inspired uniforms keep customers coming back.

The sports enthusiast who can focus on many moving objects at the same time won't miss a play at Duffy's Sports Grill at 401 N. Federal Hwy. in Deerfield Beach. Keep your eyes busy with 50 plasma flat screens and 10 HD-front projection TVs. You'll also see framed jerseys and pictures of the greats, such as Magic Johnson and Muhammad Ali hanging in the nooks and crannies.

Bar stools fill up fast so get there early. If you wait until kickoff, you won't find a seat until basketball season starts.

UPCOMING

Col. Bruce Hampton & The Quark Alliance play at 8 p.m. Friday at Revolution Live with Blueground Undergrass. Tickets are $16.

Nick Griffin performs Friday-Sunday at the Improv at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Click to www.improvftl.com or call 954-981-5653 for showtimes and ticket prices.

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