A Damn Shame: Pirate Bar is Closed

by | Apr 12, 2011 | Local Business, News

by Fat Hand

This past weekend after having just arrived at FTL beach, I caught wind of an unfortunate rumor: the Pirate Bar had closed down. I went to see for myself and indeed, the wooden pirates stationed along the alley were gone and the doors, or openings, or whatever you want to call them, were shuttered. Pirate vacation, perhaps. Temporarily closed by health inspectors, seemed likely. But a quick check of their website confirmed the worst: Pirate Bar on FTL beach is gone. Cue the violins. Leave a bouquet of black lilies. A bar that seemed more Ft. Lauderdale than Ft. Lauderdale itself often seems, is no more.

Now, there are a couple pieces of information that may provide some silver lining:

First, as you know, and as the website linked above points out, there is another version of the pirate bar located in the old Shirttail Charlies location downtown on the south bank of the New River. It’s a good bar, has a full menu, tons of space, a pool, and outdoor picnic tables right on the dock. But the vibe is more Shirttail Charlies than it is Pirate Bar on FTL beach. It can never compete with the grungy, laid back, rock & roll feel of the original. For this blogger, it will never replace wasting away late afternoons at the beach, alternating between sake bombs and buckets of Polar beer, dangerously playing that ring game across a public alley, listening to rock music turned up a little too loud.

Second piece of info: I stopped in the pirate gift shop next door and asked the young lass working the counter what she knew of the situation. She says the landlord is taking over the bar and is currently working on renovations. The bar (or some bar) will supposedly re-open in the future.

We shall see how closely the new bar will resemble the Pirate Bar, if at all. Maybe it will re-open, seem exactly the same, and we will forget the original ever closed. Maybe. But no matter what opens in that location, be sure to go back at least one time, order a couple sake bombs if they are available, and pour one out for your old pirate friends.

a favorite Ft Lauderdale Beach hangout closes its doors

Ft Lauderdale Beach's little Pirate-themed dive closes up

National Lampoon: Underground For A Reason?

by | Mar 29, 2011 | Local Business, News, Politics

the national lampoon underground logo

 

A couple months ago the FTLC visited the National Lampoon Underground on Ft. Lauderdale beach just south of Sunrise Boulevard. While we enjoyed the comedy and recommended checking it out, we also questioned whether a sparsely attended comedy club could survive at an obviously expensive location without making certain improvements (our suggestions included losing the dreadful “Naitonal Lampoon” as well as hosting local music). Well, being from Ft. Lauderdale, we obviously should have considered another option: they could support an expensive and under-attended comedy club via Ponzi scheme.

Yes, the President and CEO of National Lampoon Inc was recently arrested for defrauding investors in a $200 million Ponzi scheme. Read about it here and here.

Now, the suggestion that the Ponzi scheme is an any way connected to the comedy club on FTL beach is pure speculation, of course. And we wish the Underground nothing but the best, although we would more enthusiastically support a locally owned comedy club in the same (or another) location rather than a club run by an out-of-state company controlled by a thief. But other businesses in this fine city have been supported (for a time) via Ponzi before. And using those businesses as a guide, you should probably check out National Lampoon Underground sooner rather than later.

Get Your Rod and Beef At The Field

by | Mar 28, 2011 | Local Business

By Strawberry Jam

Being a longtime Rod enthusiast, I naturally held some skepticism and high expectations when I first heard of “Hot Rod”, South Florida’s “legendary” Rod Stewart impersonator. Nevertheless, I remained quite excited over the months I’d waited until we could finally make a Wednesday night performance to see Hot Rod in the flesh at The Field Irish Pub in Dania.

What was supposed to be a 7:30pm show turned into an almost two-hour guessing game as to when the “rock star” himself would grace the stage. Meanwhile, he worked the crowd: schmoozing the ladies, posing for pictures, and accepting drinks. Clearly, the man had a following, and soon we’d find out if it was rightfully so.

Once taking the mic, he stated his first one would be a warm-up, and after receiving a warm reception shortly thereafter, he declared there was no point in finishing the song if you’ve already gotten the applause. Touché. The rest of the set included favorites and top hits (Maggie May, Young Turks) as well as a few slow ones (Tonight’s the Night). Overall, I give Hot Rod an A+ for performance and look and a B+ for voice, no complaints.

In addition to a pretty solid performance, The Field serves quite the yummy dishes. This trip we enjoyed the corned beef and cabbage, obviously, coconut shrimp (I know, but it sounded so good, and was), Irish Potato Soup, and Country Bread. The corned beef was nice- juicy, tender, and filling (enough for two meals). The soup, one of my favorites, was rich and creamy- all that you’d dream of in a potato soup. I could easily order a bowl and call it a meal in itself. Not to mention, an order of bread is literally a loaf served on a wooden board with a serrated knife. The coconut shrimp, one of the night’s specials, was served with an orange marmalade, and, like all our other dishes, was exactly what you’d expect- in a very good way. Everything was fresh and tasty as it should be and only set us back about $26 before tip, not to mention set to a pretty amusing show.

In addition to great food and entertainment, The Field is quaintly decorated like and old (large) wooden farmhouse and service is on par.

Catch Hot Rod Wednesdays “at” 7:30 and (not yet reviewed) 2ofUs (Beatles Tribute Band) Tuesdays at 7:30.

For hours, directions, and more info, head to The Field’s website.

Hot Rod at The Field from FTL Collective on Vimeo.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

 

Coconut Shrimp , Irish Potato Soup, and Country Bread

Butterflies Go Wild

by | Mar 2, 2011 | Local Business


It’s not too manly to admit to liking butterflies. Well, I’m about to get in touch with my feminine side and confess something — I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Butterfly World in Coconut Creek. The price of entrance is a little steep ($25 for adults), but I highly suggest strolling through the country’s first and largest butterfly house on a sunny afternoon. Maybe make a day of it: Butterfly World, a picnic in Tradewinds, and a game of frisbee golf. Just a thought.

Here are some choice photos I snapped of the insect sanctuary:

Butterfly World is located inside Tradewinds Park at 3600 W Sample Rd, Coconut Creek, FL 33073

Harpoon The ‘National Lampoon’, Just Call It The Underground

by | Feb 24, 2011 | Art, Local Business

by Mig

For better or worse, Broward County can be a funny place to live — just spend a Saturday afternoon people watching on FTL Beach or the Dale-ien Gap. Despite that fact, we lack comedy clubs where a local stand-up comedian can poke fun about our off-the-wall community. Fortunately for laugh addicts, a new-ish comedy club, National Lampoon Underground, has opened up near the beach, right next to Primanti Brothers.

Not too long ago, Fat Hand and I decided to check out the spot and were instantly intrigued by the three story building’s potential, specifically the amazing performance area (floor #2) that could be used for for a live music showcase, and the stunning view from the third floor sundeck that towers over McSorleys similar rooftop bar. This particular night, a local posse of funny people known as The Have Nots successfully entertained the modest sized crowd. And even when a punch lines failed, the awkwardness evoked just as much laughter. Overall, I was impressed with the effort and poise of the local comedians. As I see it, music and paintings aren’t the only forms of art– it takes a special talent to make an audience keel over with laughter.

All jokes aside (pun intended), it’s difficult to imagine this venue surviving in the long-run (my opinion, of course). As I see it, the bar has two major hurdles to overcome:

  1. The name is painfully lame and narrow minded. Call it just Underground and the possibilities for different types of events are endless.
  2. The location is amazing, but inconvenient at the same time. Most heavy drinkers prefer the Las Olas intersection of the beach to consume their Miller Lites or High Octanes and the locals that do frequent the Sunrise/A1A portion of FTL Beach will need more than a lineup of unknown stand up comedians and Norman Rockwell toga party flyers to be dragged away from Eagles game at The Parrot or their beer pong match at McSorley’s.

First and foremost, I’d start referencing the bar as The Underground, rather than the full name. A lot of people I’ve talked to are turned off immediately by ‘National Lampoon’. It sounds like it’s catered only to tourists. The nickname could also open the floodgates for different types of events such as live music showcases. Bands bring fans, as do DJs. In addition, throw a huge party and advertise the hell out of it. I’m thinking some kind of all-you-can-drink draft special ($10), no cover, discounted food, 2 or 3 bands on the second floor with stand-up comedy in between, and DJ on the roof. This will get people to familiarize themselves with the spot, and hopefully entice them to check out future events.

Either way, in National Lampoon’s current form, its definitely worthy of your dollar bills. I highly recommend visiting The Underground on open mic night Wednesdays or a Thursday showcase by the Have Nots. Maybe even opt to take a date here; it’ll be more memorable than a standard dinner and a movie and probably score you some ‘creative’ points.

National Lampoon Underground is located at 900 Sunrise Ln, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33304 . Check their site http://underground.nationallampoon.com for more details about upcoming events.