Networking Event with the Most Intelligent People: Mack Mixer

MACK coined the term “Gay Owned, Straight Friendly” by launching their first business networking groups for the South Florida business community in March 2005 – the Power Lunch and Mack Mixer. Five years later, MACK continues to be a trusted name for the gay and lesbian business community and its supporters. With monthly sold-out lunch events and fun – yet professional, cocktail socials in Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Boca/Delray Beach – there’s no doubt MACK continues to redesign how business people create new relationships and establish friendships – regardless of sexuality.

Most Entertaining Happy Hour: Alibi (Wilton Manors)and Alibi (St. Pete)

The two Alibis in Florida share this distinctive honor. It’s obvious that careful planning of both locations have made them both winners in this category. So, whether you live in the St. Pete or Ft. Lauderdale area, Alibi is a must for happy hour. In both locations, Alibi is one of the most popular gay nightclubs (actually, more of a destination) and they’re always busy. Happy hours often include karaoke and drag shows. Comedy clips from shows like Will and Grace often play on the video monitors, and the VJ’s spin current Top 40 with some blockbuster and oldies thrown in.

Sexiest Lounge: Mova

Mova Lounge is a very unique, contemporary boutique lounge situated on Michigan Avenue and Lincoln Road in Miami Beach, featuring a completely smoke-free environment, plush comfortable seating, state-of-the-art lighting and video walls. Mova features a variety of events nightly including Drag BINGO and World House Music on Tuesdays, College Night Wednesdays, Ladies Night on Thursdays and the best pop/dance grooves on Friday and Saturday.

Best Place to Hook Up: Ramrod

Ramrod is a Levi, leather and uniform cruise bar with a significant difference. The DJ’s are incredible, which attract South Florida’s finest cruising hunks. Friday and Saturday nights the house is packed. Ramrod’s monthly Pig Dance is very popular as the packed bar spills into the parking lot. There’s usually a line to get in the door on weekends, but don’t let that sway you. The wait is well worth it.

Best Place to Get Your Drink On: Matty’s on the Drive

Long-time resident Matty Auslander opened his bar on Wilton Drive right across from Rosie’s Bar and Grill and next door to Carol Moran’s New Moon in the summer of 2009. Matty’s on the Drive was a quick hit with locals and visitors alike. It became such a hit that he doubled the size of his bar and is getting ready to make it 50 percent larger in the coming months.

Best Music Hype: Fridays (Miami) and Pulse (Orlando)

Edison Farrow’s South Beach Social Club hosts weekly events and occasional parties that are a favorite way for South Florida’s gay and lesbian artists, professionals and jet set to meet and network in relaxed settings that vary from ultra-chic to ultra-urban. His Hype Fridays at Bar 721 is a well-attended favorite of locals with a few fresh faces (out-of-towners) every week.

Pulse Nightclub provides the greater Orlando area with a high-end establishment for the LGBT community. The club consists of three connected rooms: The Adonis Room, the Jewel Box and the Ultra Lounge. The Adonis Room is a darkly lit area with an industrial feel. This room houses the biggest bar, complete with male dancers towering over patrons. The Jewel Box is the main dance floor, which blasts current hip-hop and dance hits and also has a stage. The Ultra Lounge is a colorfully lit room where the main theme is white. This provides for an upscale environment, and the lights can change the room’s color and atmosphere throughout the night.

Best LGBT Place to Bring Your Straight Friends: New Moon

More laid-back than many of its male bar equivalents, New Moon is a lesbian addition to the Wilton Manors nightlife scene and has a more urban flavor. While most of the bars and clubs in Wilton Manors are directed at gay guys and welcome lesbians, New Moon caters to lesbians and welcomes gay guys. This large bar fills a niche long missing from the main strip in Wilton Manors.

Best Drag Show: Palace (Miami Beach) and Parliament House (Orlando)

Those that love drag performances love The Palace on Miami Beach, which features drag entertainment almost every night of the week. At The Palace on South Beach, you’re right in the middle of one of the most fun parts of Miami Beach’s famed Ocean Drive. If you’re into celebrity-watching, keep your eyes open because you never know who will walk through the doors as the performances keep getting better and better. Every queen needs her palace, and that palace is on South Beach.

The Parliament House Resort is an internationally known landmark that houses the Footlight Theater, which in turn houses some of the best drag performers and performances in the Southeast United States. Some of the shows, though more “adult” than what you will find in the nearby Magic Kingdom, are equal to or more fun.

Club You’re Most Likely to Run into a Celebrity: Living Room (Fort Lauderdale) and Score (Miami)

The concept of Living Room came from the idea of a house party – a place where you are an invited guest, a place you feel at home. Living Room is a venue where people can truly escape from life’s daily stresses. It has been influenced by nightclubs all over the world while bringing the best of them to Fort Lauderdale. Living Room can be described as innovative, contemporary, sexy, comfortable, warm, zen, inspiring, powerful, electric and spectacular.

Score is located in the heart of South Beach, in the thriving and famous promenade, Lincoln Road. For more than a decade, Score remains the quintessential, gay nightclub experience for both locals and visitors. No other club offers so many variables. People watch on their outdoor terrace while trying their potent frozen drinks or lounge in Score’s ultra-chic, modern lounge and chat with friends. Enthusiastic club revelers experience state-of-the-art lights and sound as some of the world’s most renowned DJ’s visit and draw hundreds to the dance floor. Muscle boys, trendy fashionistas, Latinos and even polo-clad boys find their own niche among the other beautiful people.

Best Dance Club: Discotekka (Miami) and GBar (Ybor City)

Discotekka in downtown Miami is terrifically decorated, nicely lit and huge with a friendly staff — and that’s not always easy to find anymore. The patrons are generally young, attractive and not at all formal. The music is Latin house, classic house and hip house and the drinks are fantastic. If you’ve never heard of a Blue Long Island Iced Tea, try one at Discotekka. This place is gay clubbing at its best.

Tampa Bay nightclub promoter Steve Donahue opened his own full-time gay night club/video bar and named it Gbar, which is located in a turn-of-the-century factory in historic Ybor City. This 8,000 square foot venue boasts 20 foot ceilings, a state-of-the-art video system with plasma screens throughout, a huge dance hall complete with all-intelligent lighting, laser projections, and L.E.D. ambient lighting which promises to provide an experience not found anywhere else in Central Florida.

Best VIP Area: Manor Entertainment Complex (Fort Lauderdale) and Honey Pot (Ybor City)

You’d be surprised what all is inside the Manor: great dancing, great food and great people. So it’s no surprise that this hot night spot has the best VIP area you’ll find.

Honey Pot, located in the heart of the Ybor entertainment district, is your place for the best VIP area. Take the elevator upstairs to their upscale blue room, with plush seating, intimate performance stages for their world-class male dancers, and a massive balcony overlooking all of the excitement of Ybor City’s main street.

Best Theme Party: Gasparilla (Tampa) and White Party (Miami)

The annual Gasparilla Festival is Tampa Bay’s unique pirate-themed festival, which features the Gasparilla Invasion, Invasion Brunch and Parade of Pirates, a tradition that goes back to 1904. It starts with the Invasion when the Jose Gasparilla tall ship first enters Hillsborough Bay and their band of marauding buccaneers descend on the City of Tampa. Then it’s over to the Tampa Convention Center for a hearty meal. Later in the day, there’s the Parade of Pirates and a street festival complete with dancing.

The annual White Party Week is one of the nation’s oldest and largest HIV/AIDS fundraisers with five days (and nights) of parties, music, dancing, hot men and much more. The centerpiece of the week is the official White Party at Vizcaya. This is the Crown Jewel of the week where thousands dress in white to dance under the Miami moon on 10 acres of the most breathtaking renaissance gardens in the country — featuring live performances from Cirque Dreams, sample tastings of Miami’s hottest restaurants, favorite local bars and nightclubs, silent auction and the Viva Las Divas Casino Lounge with games, prizes and live entertainment.

Sexiest Severs (tie): Cole and Grant at Alibi

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GRANT

COLE

Hottest Bartender: Hugo at Alibi

Hugo

Best DJ: DJ Abel (Salvation Saturdays at Score)

DJ Abel is one of the hottest DJ’s in the country. When he’s not spinning at Salvation Saturdays at Score, you can find him keeping the dance floor going at any number of circuit parties or other special events in the United States. Salvation Saturdays with DJ Abel is hosted by Hilton Wolman with performances by notorious drag diva Power Infiniti.

Best Charitable Event: Winter Party

The Winter Party is an annual fundraiser for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in which two-thirds of the proceeds are donated to other community charities. The Winter Party invites everyone to put away their sweaters and put on their swimsuits and enjoy five days of great fun. The Winter Party Festival offers something for everyone. Whether you’re dancing under the sun on Miami Beach, partying all night to the sounds of your favorite DJ or enjoying cocktails and brunch with your friends, they guarantee an experience that will keep you coming back year after year. The line-up includes: more than 10 dance parties with the best international DJ talent, cocktail receptions in some of South Beach’s hottest venues, four events designed specifically for women, a night of shopping along the famous Lincoln Road and the spectacular Winter Party Beach Party.

Best Sports Bar: Sidelines

Not many people thought that the gay and lesbian community would support a real gay sports bar. Boy, were they wrong. Four years later and going stronger than ever, Sidelines Sports Bar is the place for athletes and athletic supporters — not to mention both the soft-core and hard-core sports fanatics. Sporting events are constantly being shown on the multiple flat screen monitors and a lively crowd is always there cheering on their favorite teams. The friendly, supportive staff at Sidelines makes sure that waiting is at a minimum so you can get back to your favorite team. Sidelines also sponsors numerous gay athletic teams who have brought home several national championships.

Best Late Night Gay Venue: Torpedo (Fort Lauderdale) and Twist (Miami)

Torpedo on West Broward Boulevard is a great late-night venue, open until 4 a.m. every day, seven-days-a-week. Torpedo is a 20,000 watt dance club with go-go boys, dancing, cruising, and billiards. It’s not surprising that after partying at other bars until they close, the in-crowd always end up at Torpedo to keep the party going.

Twist is a South Beach institution where there is never a cover and always a groove. Twist is open seven-nights-a-week and features some of the hottest local DJ’s in the area. The drag shows at Twist are unequaled and the club is known for its hot customers and the go-go boys in the World Famous Cabana Bar.

Best Stripper Bar: Johnny’s

Not many people still remember the original Johnny’s Village Inn, a small stripper beer and wine club that used to be located at Riverwalk. But with the redevelopment of the area, Johnny’s moved to its current location on Broward Boulevard and is now equipped with a full-liquor license. Since those early days, Johnny’s has become a destination in its own right and is Fort Lauderdale’s, if not all of South Florida’s, longest continuing gay bar. The hot guys on stage keep the audience so hot that the ice quickly melts in their drinks. But that’s OK, because their friendly attentive staff are quick with a refill.

Best New Bar or Club: Manor Entertainment Complex

The Manor Entertainment Complex is a little tricky. From outside, it doesn’t look that large, but once you step inside you’re amazed with how rooms and different spaces it has. A person can dance in their nightclub to some of the latest acts and greatest bands. Someone could enjoy a martini in its martini bar. One can also people watch, looking down from the upstairs patio overlooking Wilton Drive. Plus, if you get hungry, they serve great food from a full menu or a quick desert from their desert station. Stop by the Manor once and you’re sure to be coming back again and again.

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Best Local Hero: Father Bill Collins

Father Bill Collins

Collins then decided to cash in his pension and purchase food for those who were home and suffering and could not afford to go shop for food. At that time, the Poverello Food Bank was run out of the trunk of Collins’ car as he made his weekly deliveries. When the pension was all spent, he then took a second job teaching at then Broward Community College and used his salary from teaching and the church to purchase more groceries.

Some people in the community found out what Collins had been doing and opened a thrift store, first located in Pompano Beach, to help support Collins in his endeavor to feed those who were stricken with HIV/AIDS. Poverello continued to grow and 25 years later, the Poverello Center has more than 4,000 clients. Since he began Poverello, the center has assisted more than 12,000 and has more than 135 volunteers. Collins, 79, still shows up for work every day.

Best local LGBT sports team: Sidelines Cyclones

Sidelines Sport's Bar

Best female impersonator: Misty Eyez

Misty Eyez

Misty Eyez has gone from “just another drag face” to a much-admired community sensation in less than 10 years. She did this through self-promotion and by becoming one of the community’s biggest supporters.

Each year she performs hundreds of hours, pro bono, supporting almost any charity or fundraiser that asks her to help out — and many times they don’t have to ask as she usually asks them first if they need her assistance. It’s hard to find an important community event where Misty isn’t present. She is also the creator of the popular Trannie Palace on Sunday nights at Bill’s Filling Station on Wilton Drive. Misty has become a mentor to aspiring new talent and has a daily blog on YouTube called Misty Minutes, where she gives tips on everything from dating to applying mascara.

Best tattoo on an LGBT person: Mikey Verdugo

Michael Verdugo

Mikey Verdugo might not have gotten his job back as a police officer with the Hollywood, Florida Police Department, but his tattoos are the admiration of the LGBT community. Vedugo’s elaborate arm tattoos run from just above the elbows to his shoulders and must have been a tattoo artist’s dream work — not to mention, a real money-maker.

Before being recognized for this great tattoos, Verdugo appeared in 2008 on the HGTV reality show, “Design Star” in which the first prize would have been his own television show. While appearing on the 2008 show, he was recognized as having appeared in the 1996 gay porn film “Rope Rituals.” The Hollywood Police Department released Verdugo of his duties and since then he has become a symbol of anti-gay hiring practices and a staunch supporter of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), a proposed bill in the United States Congress that would prohibit discrimination against employees on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Best celebrity meltdown of 2010: Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson

After what has been referred to as “the rant heard ‘round the world,” Mel Gibson’s career may be fluttering. In January, his film “Edge of Darkness” only brought in half of its $80 million budget. Time will tell if he can still bring in money when his next film, “Beaver,” opens in February 2011.

In the film Gibson plays a depressed toy manufacturer who begins to communicate solely through a puppet in an attempt to learn how to relate better with his wife and kids. Perhaps Gibson should have started playing with toys earlier, especially before his alleged hateful rant last July to his former girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva, who is also the mother of his young daughter. In this conversation, which was recorded and “somehow” leaked to the press, it is contended that Gibson threatened Grigorieva’s life while throwing around the “f-word” and repeatedly calling her the “c-word.”

In some of the more recent recordings, Gibson’s statements could be considered racist, sexist, anti-Latino and anti-Semitic. In his defense, Gibson’s ex-wife, Robyn Gibson, has filed a court statement declaring that she never experienced any abuse from Gibson while forensic experts have questioned the validity of the recordings.

This was not Gibson’s first run-in with a tape recorder. In 1991 he was first accused of making anti-gay remarks in an interview with a Spanish newspaper. Gibson’s 2004 film “The Passion of the Christ” sparked a debate over alleged anti-semitic imagery and overtones.

Sexiest online profile of a local LGBT person:Mauricio Garcia

Mauricio Garcia

Mauricio Garcia has been chosen for having the sexiest online profile. This hot 32-year-old hails from New Jersey and currently lives in Fort Lauderdale and has lived in Florida for more than 21 years. His entire family is also down here and he enjoys spending time with his family and friends. Having a bachelor’s degree in Management Information Services, he has owned his own IT company for the past seven years. His business interests keep him traveling a lot as his business spans from Palm Beach to Miami. He likes to travel in his spare time, which he has done all over the United States and South America. His travel goals are to visit Europe and he is particularly looking forward to visiting Italy and Spain.

Best Facebook quote: Karen Walker (Will & Grace)

Karen Walker

The television show “Will and Grace” may be long gone, but the spirit of one of its lead characters, Karen Walker, lives on — at least on Facebook. With quotes like “Honey I’d suck the alcohol out of a deodorant stick,” or “Honey if you’re not served in a frosted glass, never come 10 feet from these lips,” Karen will be with us for a long time to come.

Least favorite right-wing celebrity: Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin crashed into the pop culture and political scenes in July 2008 as Sen. John McCain’s vice presidential running mate. Palin has become the person people love to hate, and for many good reasons. First, she can’t keep her stories straight. For instance, she’s not a feminist one week and is a feminist the next. She quit the Alaskan governorship to prove that she’s not a quitter. She can’t name any periodical she reads and couldn’t tell anyone what the Bush Doctrine was. Regardless, she has proven herself to be a major political force in this country, even spawning other Palin-like political candidates like Christine O’Donnell and Sharron Angle.

If nothing else, she has helped to put women on a higher political pedestal and some conservative candidates seek her endorsement. “The success of Sarah Palin and women like her is good for all women in this country,” said comedian and Sarah Palin impersonator Tina Fey, who recently received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Best Gourmet Market: Epicure

Since 1945, Miami Beach’s Epicure Gourmet Market has remained the best marketplace to find freshly prepared meals and gourmet foods. With three locations in Miami-Dade County, Epicure is famous for their homemade soups, bakery, deli counter and prepared foods created in their own commissary. Their prime meat, award-winning cheese department, high-end wine cellar and produce stand offer a full array of products to tease and please any palate.

Best Coffee Shop: Java Boys (Wilton Manors) and Tre Amici Wine & Espresso Bar (Ybor City)

Coffee shops have become more than just a place to grab a cup of coffee – they’ve become social centers where people can relax, read a paper, watch a little television and talk with friends. Nicky and Steve Rose have turned Java Boys in Wilton Manors into the place to relax and get away from it. Always attentive and with great service, Java Boys has received national recognition. Java Boys offers a wide variety of coffees and other beverages such as smoothies. There is also a small bakery and sandwich selection.

Tre Amici Wine & Espresso Bar at the Bunker in Ybor City is not a cookie-cutter café chain – they focus on what the community needs and not what some corporate structure wants them to do. Tre Amici offers the best coffee and wine bar Ybor City has ever seen. They proudly serve organic/fair trade coffee and espresso, delicious teas, Italian sodas, imported beer and wine, pastries and a fresh mix of Italian and Cuban light fare including their original Ybor Sandwich.

Best place for Dinner: Le Patio (Wilton Manors) and Cityfish Restaurant (Orlando)

Tucked away in a little, unpretentious corner off Wilton Drive on NE 11 Avenue is Le Patio Restaurant and Wine Bar. Though the restaurant is small in stature, it’s big on quality. It’s Las Olas quality without the Las Olas prices.

Le Patio offers a great variety of French cuisine, and the French Onion Soup is very addictive. A high percentage of their business is from repeat customers who return time and time again to enjoy one of the finest eateries in the area.

Cityfish is a neighborhood seafood restaurant in Orlando that features daily fresh seafood and seasonal items. They offer a large menu of traditional and non-traditional seafood fare including seafood sandwiches. They have beer, wine and offer a full liquor bar. You have to check out their Panko and Potato Chip Crusted Broiled Sea Scallops. Cityfish represents an urban interpretation of the classic coastal fish shack and features a relaxed atmosphere with indoor and outdoor seating.

Best Place for Sunday Brunch: Rosie’s (Wilton Manors) and Palace (Miami Beach)

Rosie’s Bar and Grill is an institution on Wilton Drive that features outdoor or indoor dining (with an outdoor flare). Most people seem to prefer eating outside as Rosie’s is a great place to people watch. Rosie’s offers a campy atmosphere, lots of great burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, wraps and snacks and a full liquor bar. The staff is always upbeat, and they always seem to be having a good time. Rosie’s Sunday brunch is a good reason to wake up and go out on a Sunday morning.

You know those places that look or make you feel like you’re in part of the backdrop for a movie? Well, at The Palace on South Beach you’re right in the middle of one of the most fun parts of Miami Beach’s famed Ocean Drive, and you’re also right on the corner by the 12th Street Gay Beach, which offers plenty of sights with all the girls and guys walking by. The Palace features a lot of healthy wraps and fun finger foods. If you’re in the mood for breakfast, they feature an all day/every day breakfast.

Best Place for Lunch: Painted Pickle (Wilton Manors) and Pasha’s (Lincoln Road Miami Beach)

Ever since it opened, the Painted Pickle on Wilton Drive has become the lunch time people pleasing place in town. Their goal is to stuff people with huge sandwiches: pastrami, corned beef, roast beef, honey smoked ham, smoked turkey, tuna, chicken and egg salad and more all on your choice of breads. Stop in for morning coffee, tea or espresso, and enjoy a hot bagel with a variety of spread choices, a plain or filled croissant or a fresh baked muffin.

Pasha’s offers healthy Mediterranean cuisine on Lincoln Road in South Beach (plus five additional locations in Miami-Dade County). Their Lincoln Road location is a beautiful two-story venue with both indoor and outdoor seating. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and have a terrific champagne brunch on weekends. Pasha’s foods are all natural with no preservatives, additives, trans-fats or MSG.

Best World-Famous Eats: Joe’s Stone Crab

In 1913, Joe Weiss opened up a small lunch counter on Miami Beach. At that time, Miami Beach was just a quiet, backwater town where people would stop by for a fish sandwich and fries. It wasn’t even known that stone crabs were edible, but Joe’s Restaurant decided to give it a try due to the urging of a Harvard ichthyologist in 1921. Weiss figured out how to cook them, serve them and what to serve them with.

Joe’s Stone Crab was born, continuing to this day and has never looked back. Joe’s Stone Crab was mentioned so many times on the ’80s television show “The Golden Girls” that the landmark deserved (but never got) a formal co-starring role. Oh, and don’t forget their Key Lime Pie.

Best Local Diner: Andrews Diner (Fort Lauderdale) and Christo’s Café (Orlando)

Alice might not live here anymore, but her spirit is carried on at Andrews Diner. It’s nothing fancy — but they don’t pretend to be. Andrews serves a great meal, large portions and great service at a more-than reasonable price. Andrews is particularly well-known for its breakfast menu, and you’d be surprised at some of the people you will see eating there before heading into their offices downtown.

After a night of debauchery, there’s nothing like an early morning stop at Christo’s. Their coffee is amazing, their food is hearty, and make sure you check out their omelets or biscuits and gravy. They also have great sandwiches, and you can eat outside on their patio. There’s something utterly lovable about Christo’s Diner. It’s cozy, inexpensive, and they serve up delicious comfort food.

Best Late-Night Dining: Courtyard Café (Wilton Manors) and Pizza Rustica (Miami and Fort Lauderdale Beach)

Some people think that the Courtyard Café never closes, which unfortunately, is not true. They are closed for about four hours on Monday mornings. (Don’t these people ever sleep?) Courtyard serves great food, indoors and out, with friendly, fast service. Their prices are more than reasonable, and the menu is longer than Cher’s farewell tour. You’re sure to find something you like.

With locations conveniently located near Score, Twist and Cameo in the Miami area and even more in Broward County, there’s no excuse for going to bed hungry after a long night on the town. Open every day until 4 a.m., Pizza Rustica offers terrific pizzas and Italian specialties, all served quick, hot and ready to please. If you’re looking for that perfect Italian dish, Pizza Rustica will leave you begging for more.

Best Breakfast: Simply Delish

As long as anyone can remember, there’s been Simply Delish on Wilton Drive. Everyone loves the two dining rooms with their eclectic collection of art and antiques, and everyone raves about the food, especially breakfast. Their near-endless breakfast selection is one of the best you will find anywhere, all served fresh and quick by their friendly staff.

Best Place to Watch a Drag Show While Dining: Lips (Fort Lauderdale) and Hamburger Mary’s (Ybor City)

Lips brings the best in drag dining from New York to Fort Lauderdale. The hottest divas can be found in this restaurant/lounge located near Wilton Manors on Oakland Park Boulevard. Lips is undoubtedly the world’s most-famous drag palace with fabulous food and delicious divas all under one roof. Make sure not to miss their Sunday Gospel Brunch; no kneeling required.

Eat, drink and be Mary at Hamburger Mary’s in Ybor City. Hamburger Mary’s offers nightly shows including their famous (or perhaps, infamous) Diva shows on Friday and Saturday nights which offer twice the fun. Hamburger Mary’s is always a great place to see and be seen in the greater Tampa area.

Best Dessert (Tie): Humpy’s Cupcakes and Sweeter Days

Humpy’s has become as famous for their great homemade cupcakes as they have their terrific pizza. You may also see them being delivered to some of the other local restaurants. Always tasty, always sweet and almost the size of large muffins instead of cupcakes, give one a try today.

Cupcakes from Sweeter Days

Best Romantic Restaurant: La Lupa Di Roma (Miami) and Hi-Life Café (Fort Lauderdale)

Since 1997, La Lupa di Roma has been a favorite of local Italians for its authentic, home-style meals, premiere wines, warm hospitality and casual, al fresco dining. La Lupa Di Roma is owned by the Nisti family, which includes Giorgio, Giorgia, Flavio and Rosanna. With more than 600 varieties, the restaurant is widely recognized for having the largest selection of Italian wines in South Florida. The family started with a restaurant near Piazza Navona in Rome, and after a customer commented that it was easy to do Italian food right in Italy, Giorgio decided to show him that he could also do Italian food right in Miami Beach. It’s the next best thing to dining in Rome.

Hi-Life Cafe has been named one of Florida’s top 40 restaurants by Zagat. The menu includes a wide variety of seafood, chicken, duck, beef and pork. With their award-winning contemporary American cuisine, Chef Carlos Fernandez and host Aude Weis receive you in an ambiance that feels as if you are a guest at a private party in their own dining room. The menu also includes pasta and salads. No hamburgers here. Their extensive wine list and dessert menu are to die for. Try the Southern Derby Pecan Pie and you’ll see what we mean. Each candle-lit dining table is adorned with a fresh rose in the romantic, softly lit dining room. Hi-Life Café is a unique, intimate restaurant featuring fine food in a great atmosphere.

Best Celebrity Chef: Paula Deen

Paula Deen has been a staple on Food Network since 1999 when she started to appear in episodes of other chef’s programs. She was given her own show in 2002 called “Paula’s Home Cooking.” Since that time, Deen’s been given additional shows on Food Network including “Paula’s Party” and “Paula’s Best Dishes.” Her down home southern country charm and recipes (some of which are so tasty and hearty looking you can hear your arteries clogging) has made her a favorite on the network talk show circuit. She has also written a total of four cookbooks. She was featured in “Extraordinary Comebacks: 201 Inspiring Stories of Courage, Triumph and Success” and launched a lifestyle magazine called Cooking with Paula Deen.

Best Day Spa: The Grand Resort and Spa

Everyone likes to be pampered every now and then and no one does it better than The Grand Resort and Spa located near Fort Lauderdale Beach. Lay back and relax as you receive one of their specialty facials, body wraps, body scrubs, massages, manicures and pedicures, waxing, derm-abrasion or hair styling. You can also enjoy their oversized heated pool which is great for lap swimming or carelessly floating on mats soaking up the South Florida sun. The hotel also boasts a fully-equipped fitness center.

Favorite Clothing Designer: D & G

Dolce & Gabbana, also known as D & G, is a famed Italian fashion house started by the Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana in Milan, Italy. Their clothing designs are usually black in color and geometric in shape. Dolce & Gabbana actually includes two fashion lines: Dolce & Gabbana and D & G. Dolce and Gabbana specializes in luxury items more influenced by designers and is more formal and “timeless,” responding to long-term trends rather than seasonal changes. The D & G line is the more casual line and attempts to set trends. The line includes jackets, pants, denim, swimwear, underwear, eye glasses and fragrances.

Sexiest Underwear Brand: 2(X)ist

It’s not surprising that 2(X)ist hit the top of the list as it was one of the first underwear designers to target the gay community. (About the same time that Marky Mark showed us his tighty-whities for Calvin Klein.) Known for its cutting-edge fashion, contoured shapes and superior comfort, 2(X)ist creates fashion-forward designs to fit men’s lives. Since its founding in 1991, 2(X)ist has grown to become an iconic men’s lifestyle brand with a style and fit for every occasion and leads the evolution of fabrics, materials and technology to create better fitting underwear, apparel and accessories for the fashion-forward.

Best LGBT Boutique: Bottoms & Tops

Bottoms & Tops has two stores – the main boutique in the Shoppes of Wilton Manors and its outlet store a few blocks down Wilton Drive next to Sidelines. Both stores offer the top trends in fashion at the lowest prices on denim, shirts, swimwear, underwear, watches, jewelry and gift items. Owner Jon Anthony knows the value of a dollar and negotiates the best possible prices when purchasing for his stores and passes those savings on to his loyal customers. There are also great sales always going on, so keep an eye out for the sales racks. Of course, Bottoms & Tops also includes the D & G and 2(X)ist brands along with dozens of other designers.

Best LGBT Guest House: Royal Palms Resort (Fort Lauderdale) and Island House (Key West)

We don’t think anybody realized the impact Richard Gray would have on Ft. Lauderdale when he opened the Royal Palms Resort in 1991. Gray and his Royal Palms turned Fort Lauderdale into a major gay destination and one of the most desirable places for the LGBT community to live, work and play. Now, 20 years later, Gray is reinventing and greatly expanding his property by adding several additional locations in the same area, which will include a bar, full gym, spa, a café and much more, all within a few steps from Ft. Lauderdale’s famed Sebastian Street Gay beach.

Imagine a place where everyone is gay – and you have the Island House in Key West. Island House is a very tropical and a not-so-far away all-male compound that’s safe from the influences of the outside world. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner poolside and is one of the most complete resorts in Key West offering a steam room, sauna, weight room and both an indoor and outdoor Jacuzzi.

Florida’s Most Entertaining Pride Festival: Miami Beach Gay Pride

Best Gym: Island City Fitness (Wilton Manors) and David Barton Gym (Miami Beach)

After a day of tanning your body on the beach, you’re ready to tone that body, and there are two fitness gyms that were voted the best by our readers.

Island City Health & Fitness in the Shoppes of Wilton Manors on Wilton Drive is the choice in Fort Lauderdale. Here you can transform your body, mind and spirit in their state-of-the-art facility. They offer experienced trainers and professional equipment. This spacious club offers incomparable amenities in a comfortable atmosphere which makes becoming fit a truly inspiring adventure.

The David Barton Gym won out in South Beach, and you have your pick of three locations. The first step to a healthy body is just walking through the door — any of their three doors. The equipment is top notch: a huge selection of free-weights, top-shelf equipment from Hammer Strength and Cybex (among others) and the cardio equipment, such as elliptical trainers and treadmills.

Best Abs: Brady Frost

Brady Frost

This year we broke down the awards into four categories: people, restaurants, nightlife and “shop, fit and play.” In each category, there were approximately 20 awards and, in many cases, there is more than one winner per category representing the various large and diverse areas of the state we serve.

So sit back, relax and enjoy this year’s 2010 Florida Agenda’s Best of Florida and if you don’t agree with some of the results of the vote, look for it again next year and make sure to vote participate.

Best Of Florida – PEOPLE

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE WINNERS – PEOPLE

1. Best Local Hero
2. Best Local LGBT Sports Team
3. Best Female Impersonator
4. Best Celebrity Meltdown of 2010
5. Best Tattoo on a LGBT person
6. Sexiest Online Profile of Local LGBT person
7. Best Facebook Qoute
8. Least Favorite Right-Wing Celebrity

Best Of Florida – EATS

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE WINNERS – EATS

1. Best Gourmet Market
2. Best Coffee Shop
3. Best Place for Dinner
4. Best Place for Sunday Brunch
5. Best Place for Lunch
6. Best World-Famous Eats
7. Best Local Diner
8. Best Late-Night Dining
9. Best Breakfast
10. Best Place to Watch a Drag Show while Dining
11. Best Dessert
12. Best Romantic Restaurant
13. Best Celebrity Chef

Best Of Florida – NIGHTLIFE

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE WINNERS – NIGHTLIFE

1. Sexiest Lounge
2. Networking Event with Most Intelligent People
3. Best Place to Get Your Drink On
4. Best LGBT Place to Bring Your Straight Friends
5. Best Drag Show
6. Best Place to Hook Up
7. Best Music
8. Club You’re Most Likely to Run into a Celebrity
9. Best Dance Club
10. Best VIP Area
11. Most Entertaining Happy Hour
12. Best Theme Party
13. Sexiest Servers
14. Hottest Bartender
15. Best DJ
16. Best Charitable Event
17. Best Sports Bar
18. Best Late Night Gay Venue
19. Best Stripper Bar
20. Best New Bar or Club

Best Of Florida – SHOP, FIT, & PLAY

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE WINNERS – SHOP, FIT, & PLAY

1. Best Day Spa
2. Favorite Clothing Designer
3. Sexiest Underwear Brand
4. Best LGBT Boutique
5. Best LGBT Guest House
6. Best Abs
7. Best Gay Vacation Spot for Floridian’s Staycations
8. Florida’s Most Entertaining Pride Festival
9. Best Gym