Miami Music Blog

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

When we walked in to the Whiskey Tango All American Bar and Grill (1903 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood Call 954-925-2555 or visit whiskeytangofl.com), we were assaulted by the sounds of an atrocious cover band playing "Summer of '69" and grabbed a high table since all the booths were packed full of dudes in Ed Hardy shirts.

The place reeked of new-ness and carefully arranged décor--it had brick walls, lush, black-leather booths, immaculate tables, TVs, pool tables and dart boards, and sarcastic little signs ("This is a no bitching zone" and "Water on road during rain"). Two bars: One was modest-sized with TVs hanging overhead; the other was situated directly in front of the fuchsia-soaked stage.

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Night Watch is a regularly-occurring feature about bars and clubs, written by nightlife columnist Tara Nieuwesteeg.

This week, I bar-hopped in Hollywood and stumbled into the PRL Euro Café (1904 A Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood. Call 954-980-8945 or visit prlcafe.com).  PRL is a narrow venue with a few chairs at the front and a long bar extending along the right wall. I had to tit-punch and bow just to get through the sardine-packed bohemian crowd clustered around the bar and leaning against the walls.

Speaking of which, the brightly colored walls--tangerine and red--were smattered with eclectic artwork. One wall featured brightly-colored photos of naked Barbie dolls arranged in highly artistic (read: sexually explicit) positions. The other was composed of spray-paint style portraits of sexy rock icons, including Jimi Hendrix.

Jay, the Polish owner, was tall, ultra-cool, and spoke with a thick accent. He explained to me that PRL is the "sexy Communist name for Poland," and that the bar boasts a shitload of tasty beers from all over the world (Scotland to Spain, Brazil to Bulgaria).

Night Watch is a regularly occurring bar review with nightlife columnist Tara Nieuwesteeg.
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Liquor is a cruel, messy mistress, and she doesn't love me. The last time I saw her, she left me with a hangover that lasted for three days. So, as I do every time she leaves me aching, I swore her off. It won't last, of course -- but it will give me ample time to make her jealous by experimenting with her smart, sexy, multilayered cousin, Miss Beer.

Early in life, my parents impressed upon me the beauty of beer. Beer is the answer to hot summer days; beer is the answer to a long day at work; good times come straight from the brewery. South Florida might be overrun with more people who enjoy consorting with Miss Liquor than those who love soaking up the thick, foamy, imported flavor of Miss Beer, but I was determined to find the beer-loving hot spots scattered throughout the region. They're out there, and, as I discovered, they're worth looking for.

My first stop was Ye Olde Falcon Pub (2867 S. University Drive, Davie; 954-424-0300, or click here).

​Night Watch is a regularly-occurring feature by nightlife columnist Tara Nieuwesteeg.

The Lion & Eagle English Pub (2401 N Federal Hwy, Boca Raton; 561-447-7707) was a dignified, stately establishment replete with a rich wooden bar, regally upholstered booths, paintings (of soaring eagles, mostly), decorative kettles, lanterns, and model ships. It was also not large--and quite busy.

Liz, the blond, bubbly bartender, told me that the place was very well-established; owned by a pair of brothers; and had a loyal regular base.

"When I first started working here, I figured there'd be no way I'd make much money in tips," she said. "But we get slammed. It's not been a problem."

​Night Watch is a regularly-occurring feature by nightlife columnist Tara Nieuwesteeg.

Last weekend, it took a minute for me to muster up the courage to enter The Warehouse Pub (1599 NW 1st Court, Boca Raton; 561-392-3798).

Sure, this was Boca, but still -- the pub was located in a dark part of town, and pick-up trucks (blaring country music) packed the parking lot. Good ol' boys stood smoking and laughing raucously out front.

I darted inside and was relieved--I discovered a narrow, well-lit room that smelled overwhelmingly like buttered popcorn. The place sported disco balls, lots of mirrors, paper Halloween decorations, and homey, wooden walls. The black-marble bar was narrow, but ran into a bigger room, with a few pool tables and several framed collages filled with drinking, smiling faces--many sporting big mustaches and outdated haircuts. The place was slammed, too--with the sort of familiar-faced, knee-slapping, hard-drinking crowd you find in the local watering holes of tiny country towns.

​Night Watch is a regularly-occurring nightlife column by Tara Nieuwesteeg.

Boca is not renowned for much except its manicured shopping plazas, delicious lunch spots, and its armies of early-bird-special-seeking Q-tips who make the roads a little less safe and the frozen yogurt shops a little more busy.

But Boca and I have a long and complicated history; our lives are as entwined as a pair of melodramatic lovers caught between adulation and detestation; constantly rolling in and out of each other's beds; packing suitcases, flinging vases, and then naming our future children. The point is, I love Boca (sometimes) and believe its bright spots should be brought to our readership's collective attention. Just because most things in Boca close before 8 PM doesn't mean the fun spots do.

​Night Watch is a regularly-occurring feature by Broward/Palm Beach nightlife columnist Tara Nieuwesteeg

The sign for the Village Well glowed through the darkened shopping plaza like a beckoning blue promise of beer and all that is good and pure in the world.

The smoky, rectangular room was homey but still classy; the place was all wood, with the mirror-and-liquor bottle-lined bar stretching along one side, a high shelf (packed with books, clocks, miniature lighthouses, model ships, and other trinkets) along the other, and pool tables, dart boards, and seating all somewhere in between.

The age range was remarkable--truly, it is the kind of relaxed venue in which 20-somethings can go get shitfaced with not just Mom and Dad but also Granny and Gramps.

​Night Watch is a regularly-occurring feature by Broward/Palm Beach nightlife columnist Tara Nieuwesteeg

On a recent evening in advance of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, I decided to check out bars near the 17th Street Causeway, and ended up at the yachtie mecca, Southport Raw Bar.

It's a 1960s-style, let-it-all-hang-out kinda place, and the sign by the door reads: "Eat clams, last longer; eat fish, live longer; eat oysters, love longer." Inside were booths with fish-patterned upholstery, two bars, and a host of browned-with-age ceiling tiles that had been written upon over the years ("Bonnie's Yacht Service," read one; "Happy Birthday, Dana, 6-19-88," read another). Old-timey beer ads, small wooden surfboards, and ocean seascapes garnished the walls; the floor was covered with a worn green carpet.

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Note: Night Watch is a regularly-occuring feature by Broward/Palm Beach nightlife columnist Tara Nieuwesteeg

You've got to love Fort Lauderdale: where stilletoed women drink directly from the beer tap, where "happy hours" last eight-hours, and where the geriatrics can put 'em away with the best of them.

During a single outing, I can rest my happy bar-hopping self at a classy hotel bar, then walk across the street to an old-as-dirt raw bar, and finish out the night a few blocks away, at an immaculate Irish pub. The point is, in Fort Lauderdale, it's never hard to find a place that rocks, although finding the best might take a bit of stumbling around. First stop: the E Spot.