Florida Agenda

By BOB KECSKEMETY

At the “tender” age of 31, Jason Tamanini, general manager of The Manor Entertainment Complex in Wilton Manors, already has an impressive list of accomplishments. And with ten years of restaurant, nightclub, and bar management under this belt, Tamanini has no intention of slowing down.

A Philadelphia native, Tamanini took accelerated classes in high school, and graduated at the age of 20 from the University of Pittsburgh, with a major in psychology and a minor in business administration. At Pitt, Tamanini became vice president of Alpha Epsilon Pi, the international Jewish fraternity; and during his senior year, came out to his fraternity brothers.

“They were very accepting,” he recalls. “I was really nervous and I
ended up coming out to everybody in one day. I just ripped off the
bandage and, thankfully, everybody was accepting. Some of them said
they weren’t surprised and were just waiting for me to say it.”

As a summer job, Tamanini went to work at the Hilton in Key West,
which gave him an opportunity to study their business model as well as
to put his degrees to good use. They could come in handy again when he
moved to the Boca/Delray area to attend FAU, to study for his Master’s.

To earn extra money, Tamanini got a job at Dakota 624, an upscale
steak house and nightclub where he accepted a management position
at the age of 21. While Dakota 624 closed not long after, Tamanini barely
paused to catch his breath, having been introduced to the owner of the
about-to-open China White, a youth-oriented nightclub in downtown
Fort Lauderdale. “It was a learning curve,” admitted Tamanini, “but I
think he was impressed with my work ethic. Some people live to work,
others work to live. I work to live. I enjoy setting a concept, a goal, and
moving forward with it.”

Tamanini believes his own youth at the time had something to do with
getting the general manager’s gig at China White. “I was young. Older
managers bring older habits with them and [the owner] wanted to start
fresh, young, creative, and fun.” Tamanini started at China White in
2002 and remained there until 2006. Essentially a straight club, China
White had a number of successful weekly gay nights.

While still at China White, Tamanini was contacted by the management
of Halo nightclub in Washington, DC., who convinced Tamanini to join
them in opening their Miami Beach location on Lincoln Road in 2007.

Tamanini remained at Halo for two years until October 2009. It was
then that he was contacted by Paul Hugo, The Manor’s co-owner (with
business partner Brett Tannenbaum), and offered the position of general
manager at the soon-to-be-opened entertainment and dining complex.

“I had heard about the project and found it interesting,” remembers
Tamanini. “Rarely does a 16,000 square foot restaurant, bar, and
nightclub open, and I knew it would be an interesting opportunity for
me.” That opportunity has taken him to the present, with The Manor
building an impressive following both from within and outside of Greater
Fort Lauderdale where Tamanini serves on the board of the Rainbow
Business Coalition (RBC) as its co-chair.

Where does Tamanini see himself 15 years from now? He says he
would like to own a venue that he can call his own, as well as have
children—two of them, not for the legacy, but to help him settle down.
“I would like to get them soon,” said Tamanini. “I don’t want to be in
my 70s with two 18 year old kids.”

BY BOB KECSKEMETY

Halloween, the unofficial gay national holiday, is upon us.

Your costume is all ready. Each stitch has been crafted with the care of Susan  B. Anthony or Martha Stewart. The BeDazzler is all but worn out making sure all the bling is in the right place. Each feather has been carefully placed in the proper position and correctly fluffed. And, if you’re planning on showing a lot of flesh, you’ve already visited your favorite tanning salon for “just the right look.”

You may even have accidently glued your glue gun to the coffee table. You’ve been planning your costume for this year since November of last year and now it’s all come together nicely. The best part of Halloween? The more trailer-trashy you look, the more fashionable you are so put away those designer labels for the weekend.

There has been much confusion this year as to when Halloween will be  celebrated – or if Halloween will be celebrated at all. For the last two years, Halloween has fallen on a weekend evening but this year, it’s falling on a Monday. Some places are celebrating on Saturday, others are Sunday, some more are celebrating on both nights. However, a party is a party so many are celebrating all three nights which means three nights of costume contests.

Then there are the other pertinent questions. Will there be a large block party? The answer is yes. Will Wilton Drive be closed? The answer is no. However, as last year proved, you can have a great and safe time on Wilton Drive without closing down the street.

WilMa’s finest will be out in force making sure the traffic yields to the ghosts and goblins and peacocks that are certain to line “The Drive.” (But it is still your responsibility to cross the street with care.) The WilMa City Commission even voted NOT to charge for parking on Monday night. The city has also extended drinking hours to 3 a.m. It can’t get any sweeter than that.

The following is perhaps the most complete list of parties, costume contests, and themes available anywhere.

THE PRIDE CENTER

Halloween at The Pride Center will be held on Saturday, October 29 with both day and night time events.

During the day will be a Sheriff’s Department Community Outreach Day and a Kid’s Costume Contest. The Broward Sheriff’s Office will be out to show off their finest equipment to the kids from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will also be a fire truck, snow cones, a bounce house, MacGruff the Crime Dog, music, food and a sketch artist. Come out to meet BSO personnel and Quiggley, the BSO mascot.

Free child fingerprinting will be provided by Crime Stoppers of Broward.

While BSO activities are being held outdoors, a Kid’s Costume Contest will take place inside the Main Hall. Prizes will be awarded for the best costumes at 2 p.m!

From 7 p.m., to 11 p.m., there will be a Halloween Youth Bash titled “Halloween Madness.” In addition to the dance, there will be a costume contest, food and drinks, music, prizes and more. Admission is $10 per person, $15 per couple ages 14 – 21.

“A LITTLE NAUGHTY”

“A Little Naughty” is the annual art exhibit and fundraiser to be held at the Broward Art Guild Gallery, 3280 NE 32 Street in Fort Lauderdale, FL. “A Little Naughty” is a one-night-only, multi-discipline erotic art event, with alluring art and installations, tantalizing treats, provocative performances, and an audacious raffle to benefit the programs of ArtsUnited on Saturday, October 29 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Costume contest judging starts at 9 p.m. with a $100 prize for Best Naughty Costume sponsored by LeatherWerks.

MANORS MASQUERADE

Two Halloween events are being held on Sunday, October 30 in Hagen Park in Wilton Manors.

From 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., “HOWL-O-Ween,” a Halloween party for your pets and their best friends. Include a pet expo, various pet activities, entertainment, trick or treat bags for people and their pets, food and beverages plus the highlight of the afternoon, a HOWL-o-Ween pet costume contest starting at 2:30 p.m. Admission and parking in Hagen Park is free for this event.

From 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., Hagen Park is transformed into “OUTrageous Fantasy,” this year’s Manors Masquerade theme with DJ Roland Belmares. Includes dancing, a lounge tent with food, beverages, raffle and café seating, trick or treat bags. The costume contest will be judged by celebrity host and judge, fashion designer Jay Carroll, the winner of the first season of the television series, “Project Runway.” Admission is free, closed-in VIP parking in Hagen Park is $10.

“WICKED WEEKEND”

Alibi – Proving that you can’t have too much of a good thing, Alibi’s Halloween festivities begin on Thursday and continue through Monday. That’s five full days of fun using the theme “Horror High.” Thursday night, Alibi is having a theme party called “Guy Spy.”

GuySpy.com is the newest cross-platform, all male location-based mobile social networking app for iPhone and Android. Users who download the free mobile gay dating app are able to find, meet and chat with men seeking men faster, easier and with more features than any other dating app. Friday night is the “Pep Rally from Hell.” Saturday is “Horror in the Halls,” costume contest at 10 p.m. hosted by Nichole Halliway as Elvira, 1st place $500, 2nd place $300, 3rd place $200. Sunday night’s theme is “Detention” with a costume contest at 10:30 p.m. hosted by Nichole Halliway again as Elvira. Finally, on Monday, Halloween night is “Prom Night,” with a costume contest at 8 p.m. hosted by Florida’s own Dame Edna, 1st place $500, 2nd place $300, 3rd place $200.

Bill’s – Bill’s on Wilton Drive will be celebrating Halloween for four nights, Friday through Monday with the blanket theme, “Cirque de Freaks” where anything can happen. Friday night is “Growl O’Ween” in conjunction with GuySpy.com. Saturday night is “Sideshow Freaks” with a costume contest at midnight. Grand prize $350, 1st runner up $250, 2nd runner up $150. Hosted by Nicole Halliway as Elvira. Sunday is Misty Eyez’s “Trannie Palace – Nightmare on the Drive.” Show and costume contest at 11 p.m. Grand prize $250, 1st runner up $150, 2nd runner up $100. The big night, Monday is “Cirque de Freaks” hosted by Jennifer McClain. Show and costume contest at 10:30 p.m., Grand prize $250, 1st runner up $150, 2nd runner up $100.

Boardwalk – Friday through Monday is “Angel Rock” at Boardwalk presented by JetSetMen.com. On Monday, Halloween night, is a fundraiser for Bernadette from 7 p.m. to midnight with a drawing for the Allure Cruise at midnight.

Boom – Boom will be celebrating Halloween on Monday, October 31 with a “Haunted Forrest” theme and a costume contest at 8 p.m.
The Depot – “Hallo-Bear-Ween” T-Dance/Costume Contest poolside as special guest DJ Barry Thomas Huffine spins the spooky hits for our first “Hallo-Bear-Ween T-Dance” on Sunday, October 30 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. with the only poolside costume contest in Ft. Lauderdale with cash prizes. Hosted by guest Anita Barr.

Johnny’s/Ft. Lauderdale – Friday, October 28 is a “Scorpion Halloween” hosted by Cire Citron, Mr. Situation, Sushiman and others. Free admission before midnight, free drinks 11 p.m. to midnight, $5 drinks all night, $69 Moscato Bottles, DJ TPromix spinning. Sunday, October 30 is “Super Hero Halloween Event,” no cover all night long, MC Gemini Stone, $5 Margarita Madness midnight to closing, Florida’s largest strip contest, $1,000 prize.

The Manor Entertainment Complex – The Manor is planning their own block party which includes their newly paved parking lot on the west side of the building. On Friday, October 28 at 10 p.m., “Lost in the Devil’s Triangle,” $1,000 cash & prizes for best costume contest, DJ JPS, M.C. Daisy Deadpetals, $3 drinks 10 p.m. to midnight, $100 Rokk Vodka VIP bottle service all night, live band at 9 p.m. in the lounge. Saturday, October 29, it’s “Mutiny” with DJ Oren Nizri. Sexy pirate dancers with big shows and surprises. Noche Latina Room hosts Salsa music and drag shows. Live band entertainment at 9 p.m. No cover, extended liquor hours. Costume contest at 1:30 a.m., $500 in cash and prizes. Free raffle for a basket valued at $500 with DJ Larry Larr. For Sunday, October 30 at 9 p.m., it’s “Survivor Island” with DJ David Knapp, no cover. Finally on Halloween, Monday, October 31, 6 p.m. it’s “Pirates of the Manor” an indoor/outdoor block party. $2,500 cash and prizes, best costume contest, MC Daisy Deadpetals, DJ Kidd Modonny, no cover, extended liquor hours.

Matty’s on the Drive – Saturday, October 29 from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., don’t miss DJ/comedian, “Cazwell Live!” performing his hits, “Ice Cream Truck” and “I Seen Beyonce at Burger King.” With DJ Jared Michael, mixing from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday and Monday, October 30 and 31, costume contests both nights at 10 p.m., $250 cash and prizes each night.

Mona’s – For Halloween, Monday, October 31, Mona’s presents its “Halloween Extravaganza,” karaoke with Freak Boy Freddy at 9 p.m. “Burlesque or Cabaret,” dig into your closets and put together your most fabulous outfit. “Hallow Weenee Cookout” from 6 p.m. 11 p.m.

New Moon – Saturday, October 29, 8 p.m. don’t miss “Night of the Living Dead,” get your Zombie on or any other costume your rotting little brains can come up with Saturday night for a down right creepy Halloween Weekend. $500 in cash and prizes. Sunday, October 30, another costume contest with $500 in cash and prizes.

Ramrod – Monday, October 31, costume contest at midnight. Two categories: best costume and butchest costume.
Rosie’s Bar and Grill – Monday, October 31, “Villains & Vixens.” Costume contest at  9 p.m.

Royal Palms Resort – For fun on the beach, the new Royal Palms Resort will be celebrating on Friday and Saturday. On Friday, October 28 from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. they are having a “Best of Rio Headdress Contest.”  Bring your best headdress and you can win $200 cash. With DJ Jason Gonzalez and hosted by Nikki Adams. Giveaways all night long. Saturday, October 29, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., don’t miss “Zombie Lane” hosted by Twat LaRouge with DJ Lydia Prim and giveaways all night long. Enter their costume contests and you can win a two-night stay at The Royal Palms.

Scandals Saloon – On Saturday, October 29 don’t miss “Muppet Ranch” with your favorite bartenders dressed as your favorite Muppets. Lady Fancy will be holding her “Gospel Jubilee” on Sunday, October 30 starting at 6 p.m.

Shoppes of Wilton Manors – The parties at Boom and Alibi spill into the parking lot with music and shows on Saturday, Sunday and Monday nights. The block party includes outdoor costume contests, bars and food and all the great stuff as Java Boys, Humpy’s and the other stores and restaurants in the shopping center join in the fun. Festively decorated, outdoor stage and plenty of good times.

Sidelines Sports Bar – Sidelines typically enjoys a “Parade of Costumes” for Halloween and his year will be no different. This year is no different as, Sidelines presents “A Ghoulish Weekend at Sidelines” on Sunday and Monday, October 30 and 31. Costume contest on Sunday, October 30 at 10 p.m. Don’t miss out on the prizes and games and drink specials.

WILTON MANORS – According to Broward House’s Terry DeCarlo, last week’s “A Toy’s Story” held at The Manor Entertainment Complex produced two truckloads of toys to be donated to Kids in Distress.

Approximately 500 people attended the event, which also featured a concert by the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus.

On Thursday, Dec. 9, starting at 7:30 p.m. there will be a benefit for Broward House and Kids in Distress. The Manor Entertainment Complex is hosting “A Toy Story – A Night for Giving.” Door charge is $10 (which will be donated to Broward House) and an unwrapped toy (which will be donated to Kids in Distress). Entrance fee includes one free drink. Entertainment includes an indoor circus and the Gay Men’s Chorus. Daisy Deadpetals is scheduled to emcee.

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

Click on Thumbnails to View Fullsize

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.