Florida Agenda

Best of Florida – PEOPLE

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Best Local Hero: Father Bill Collins

Father Bill Collins is the outspoken Jesuit priest who founded the Poverello Center and has become one of the LGBT community’s most beloved individuals. In the early ’80s, before there was an actual name for what we now know as HIV/AIDS, Collins, a priest at St. Coleman’s Catholic Church, would visit the hospitals and see people dying from some unknown disease. He found out that the patients who were fortunate enough to go home to live out their lives no longer had an income.

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 Sports Bar sponsors a number of sports teams throughout the year. The most incredible team they sponsor is the Sidelines Cyclones, which started shortly after Sidelines opened. The Cyclones have won numerous championships in their class and have brought the trophy home to Sidelines many times.

Best female impersonator: 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

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

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 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)

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 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.

Speaking of cupcakes, our readers also love the cupcakes at Sweeter Days Bake Shop on N. Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale. In addition to cupcakes, Sweeter Days also makes their own cakes, cookies, brownies and other items to tempt your sweet tooth. They can also create custom indulgences for special occasions. They have a gift shop for some last-minute shopping to go along with their cakes, as well as bake ware and decorating supplies so you can make your own.

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.