Dining
Best beer-and-brews combo in a one-block radius: Wells Coffee Company/Invasive Species Brewing/Circle House Coffee
Working from the west we start at Wells, a maker of serious coffee drinkers’ coffee which sits on North Flagler, overlooking the train tracks. Crossing the street the other way on NE 2nd Avenue, we hit Invasive, where the always-changing beer menu is complimented most weekend nights with a food truck and sometimes an event out back in the beer garden. Continuing through the back, you hit the rear door of Circle House. After enjoying a coffee place and a craft beer place, try … a coffee place that also does craft beer. As well as amazing pastries and some of those ridiculous doughnuts with everything on. wells.coffee, invasivespeciesbrewing.com, circlehousecoffee.com
Best Ridiculous Meal: BRGR Stop
There’s a peanut butter and jelly burger. There’s a meatball burger (named, perhaps inevitably, the Fu-ghet-about-it). There’s La Loca, a concoction involving a deep-fried burger with ghost pepper jack cheese and, um, sweet chili Doritos. There’s a lot more burgers where that came from, as well as hot dogs, massive steaks, all sorts of wild sandwiches and, oh yeah, the milkshake menu. Cap’n Crunch milkshake, anyone? Krispy Kreme, perhaps? Have a fun time here, but don’t tell your doctor. brgrstop.com
Most Instagram-worthy cafe: JB&C Juice Bar & Café
Don’t get us wrong, we love the tasty and healthy(ish) fare on offer at this MASS District spot as well. But the style of this oddly shaped corner space – big windows and plants everywhere, mismatched seating and a style that’s just a bit too warm to quite be industrial – makes us reach for our phones. jbcflorida.com
Best yoga/breakfast/maybe an adult beverage: Shooters Waterfront
There was a time – let’s call it “the 1980s” – when the only reason to show up at Shooters Waterfront on a Saturday morning would be if you’d left something there on Friday night. But times and cities change, and the once-notorious party spot is now a coolly urbane Intracoastal-side venue with a great menu and fun events. Among those events is Yoga & Yolks, a Saturday-morning session led by instructor Taryn Allen. It’s free, right out there on the dock, and afterward get a champagne toast and $5 off brunch.
shooterswaterfront.com
Best Saturday-night/ Sunday-morning spot: The Dalmar
There was a buzz around this new Flagler Village hotel before it opened and since then, it’s been a case of the hype being justified. The relevant-to-locals bit is the place’s dining and imbibing options. For the evening, there’s the chic and urbane Terrace Grill and for even later options, the retro designs and fabulous menu of Sparrow. Then, when you need to caffeinate the following morning, drag yourself back for a table at Rose’s Coffee Bar. thedalmar.com
Shopping & Entertainment
Best evening out before the evening out: Brightline Select class
By now, if you haven’t ridden on South Florida’s fancy new train, you probably know someone who has. But did you know about the all-inclusive food and drinks? If you travel in Select (basically what Brightline calls first class), one price covers all on the train and in the station. As in, food and drink are on the house. Want some champagne before heading down to Miami? Swipe your ticket to get into the Select lounge where it’s left out for you to help yourself. Want a charcuterie plate to tide you over until West Palm? It’s there on the table too, or wait until they pass it around on the train. Local craft beer? Chardonnay? Gummy bears? Help yourself. Obviously, we counsel against overindulging. You don’t want to be tipsy before you even get to Brickell or Clematis. However, we do recommend indulging just the right amount. gobrightline.com
Best for creating your own HGTV DIY fantasy: Faith Farm
Been watching those HGTV shows where people fill a house with furniture they redid themselves and now you’d like to give it a try? Faith Farm’s a trove of interesting secondhand merchandise and low prices. And even better, when you shop there you’re supporting something great – the organization, which started almost 70 years ago as an overnight rescue mission, today runs residential drug and alcohol recovery programs in three South Florida locations. faithfarm.org
Best one-stop entertainment shop: Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park is a horse racing track. And a casino. And home to more than 20 restaurants and bars. And a similar number of shops and galleries. And it hosts weddings, business events … you know, maybe it’s just easier to explain what you can’t get there. Muffler repair, for one. No muffler repair at Gulfstream Park. If we find a second thing, we’ll tell you. gulfstreampark.com
Best pop-up event: The Flamingo Flea
This regular event features arts, crafts, food, live music – and they hold it at Tarpon River Brewery, so there’s always plenty of good beer. Mostly, this is a place for local creatives and makers from all sorts of different disciplines to get together and show off what they can do. The people behind the event do several others around South Florida so if you can’t get enough of local makers, you can be a local flea groupie. facebook.com/theflamingoflea
People
Favorite South Florida sports personality: Keith Yandle, Florida Panthers
There’s a real buzz around the Panthers this year, and one of the keys to success will be the team’s veteran defenseman. He’s not the nicest guy on the ice, which is good, but off the ice he’s known as one funny dude and a good guy on a team full of them. He even spent last season’s NHL playoffs as a guest analyst for NBC Sports. Of course he won’t be doing that this year, what with the Panthers definitely going to the playoffs and all. nhl.com/panthers
Best ocean defender: Dr. Mahmood Shivji
The Nova Southeastern University marine geneticist and conservation biologist is a good friend to an animal that needs friends – the noble shark. Over the years Shivji has been involved in research that helps save sharks – as well as genetic research that looks at how sharks’ remarkable ability to heal themselves might benefit humans. Sharks are our friends, and Dr. Shivji’s out there showing us exactly why.
Maestro of the Year: James Brooks-Bruzzese
As founding conductor and artistic director of the Symphony of the Americas, Maestro Brooks-Bruzzese has kept alive and broadened classical music in Fort Lauderdale and South Florida. At the end of this season, he’s stepping down from that role with SOTA after this, its 32nd concert season. If you make it out to one of SOTA’s concerts – such as December’s Cirque Holidays with classical music-based circus ensemble Cirque de la Symphonie – be sure to shout an extra “Bravo” for the maestro. symphonyoftheamericas.org
Best TV personality: John Morales
Whether it’s the uneasy dread of hurricane season or turn-the-AC-off “winter,” NBC 6’s chief meteorologist has joined the list of indispensable South Florida weather folks.
