Farradday's Steakhouse: Outclassed at the Casino

​Night Watch is a regular feature about bars and clubs by nightlife columnist Tara Nieuwesteeg.

The Isle Casino & Racing in Pompano has its own universe of bars and restaurants to explore -- and if you're dressed well enough, you can hit all of them. 

When my friend Beard and I were there last week, we walked to the escalator, past the "Wow" fountain--a sculpted monolith consisting of water and light pouring over stanchions of stacked, twisting glass--and up the escalator, arriving at the closed glass doors of Farradday's.

"I'm not going in there," announced Beard. We glanced in at the classy bar inside Farraddays' and quickly discovered that we were painfully underdressed.

The lounge area was classy, with orange, cylindrical lights hanging over the bar, plenty of liquor bottles stacked behind the bar, and plush armchairs just waiting to be lounged in.

"Are you debating eating there?" asked a dark-haired woman in a blouse with a northern accent. "Because the early bird is a great deal."

"What's the early bird?" I asked. "You get three courses for $25," she said.

"Usually each entrée can be that much by itself. I went for my birthday, and my husband and I went for our anniversary." Beard visibly salivated in response. "Of course, the wine and liquor is extra, but still," she said. "I highly recommend it. You know, for special occasions. Great desserts too; included with the $25. My husband loved the chocolate cake."

Alas, we were not ready to try it out tonight.

Escaping Farraddays', we hesitated a little in the poker room--watching a high-stakes table and its ever-shifting crowd, and listening to the constant clacking of poker chips.

A smug man with an obnoxious tone tossed $130 into the pot for one hand. "I'm all in," he said loudly. "You hear me? I said I'm all in!"