New bars in Fort Lauderdale, 6,912 White Castle sliders in Boynton Beach
While neighboring restaurants in downtown Fort Lauderdale have come and gone, Temple Street Eatery has continued to write an unlikely success story.
Chef-partner Alex Kuk and Diego Ng (Two Happy Buddhas hospitality group) opened TSE in 2014 at the end of a new storefront just off Federal Highway that was nevertheless blocked from the view of most passersby. Somehow this became a positive, as nearby residents of Victoria Park and Flagler Village grew to consider the restaurant, with its welcoming vibe and Asian-American comfort food, their own hidden gem.
On Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., TSE will celebrate its seventh anniversary with an outdoor luau featuring a Hawaiian-inspired menu and artisanal doughnuts by inventive pastry chef Max Santiago — best known for Batch, The Cookie Company in the MASS District, check his Instagram @ chefmaxsantiago for Saturday’s insane doughnut menu. You’ll also find a pop-up market of local vendors, Polynesian dancers and games for all ages.
Ten percent of the proceeds from the event will go to the child-hunger nonprofit No Kid Hungry.
Temple Street Eatery is located at 416 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale. Visit TempleStreetEatery.com.
Memphis booze
Not far from Temple Street, in the Victoria Park Shoppes, the intimate tavern to be known as No Man’s Land appears poised to open, but be patient. Insiders said this week that the bar, from hospitality entrepreneur (and “Big Brother” alum) Memphis Garrett, will debut “before October.”
Meanwhile, Garrett will open Point Break Poke House and Blue Wave Sushi, a combo restaurant stall, at Grandview Public Market in West Palm Beach on Tuesday, Aug. 24. Garrett’s original Poke House was in the space that No Man’s Land soon will occupy. Visit PointBreakPokeHouse.com.
They have the meat
Of course, one man’s poke is another man’s very expensive cat food, right? The South Florida-based Red Meat Lovers Club just ordered 6,912 White Castle sliders — the contents of a Crave Pallet, which costs $6,199 at the new White Castle in Orlando —
which were to be delivered to the Smoke Inn in Boynton Beach (91030 Gateway Blvd.) at noon Thursday. There they plan to sell crates of sliders (100 in each, half cheese, half no cheese) for $125 per crate to raise money for medical staff at Boca Regional Hospital and Delray Medical Center. For details on this and other RMLC events, plus information on how to join the group, visit RMLClub.com.
A new hangout
If you like your bars quirky, relaxing and slightly off the beaten path, I have the place. The Deck on 13th opened a couple of weeks ago on Northeast 13th Street in Fort Lauderdale, an evolving corridor of activity north of Sunrise Boulevard already home to Gulf Stream Brewing, Milk Money Bar & Kitchen and LoveLee Bake Shop .A dimly lit anteroom inside the front door is a cornucopia of quirky — thrift store sofas and tables, a wall display of old clocks, another of vintage cameras — giving way to an intimate bar with a thoughtful selection of craft beer and wine. Out the back door is the namesake deck, under a shade sail, surrounded by grass, picnic tables and a large mural of Frida Kahlo. A food truck is parked in a far corner. The lounge is femaleowned, by partners J.J. Rojas and Laura Serrano, and the vibe is friendly and chill — maybe just what you’re looking for. The Deck on 13th is at 545 NE 13th St., west of the traffic circle and next door to LoveLee Bake Shop. Visit Facebook.com/ thedeckon13.
A new rum room
In other downtown Fort Lauderdale booze news, Lost & Found Sistrunk is a rum lounge and speakeasy inside Sistrunk Marketplace & Brewery near Flagler Village that is set to open Thursday, Aug. 26. Accessed through a hidden entrance at the Flower Shop pop-up, Lost & Found has a full bar with more than 75 varieties of rum and also is the setting for Shady Distillery Dinners, part of Dine Out Lauderdale through the end of September. Visit SistrunkMarketplace.com.
Strong visuals
World-renowned photographer Maggie Steber will be at MAD Arts in Dania Beach 4-8 p.m. Saturday to introduce the exhibition titled “The Secret Garden of Lily LaPalma,” a provocative series that examines the mysterious subconscious of her dark alter-ego. The show will have a three-month run Bad Space Gallery 1 at MAD Arts, a space run by local creature agency MAD in the former Gallery of Amazing Things, 481 S. Federal Highway. Admission is free. Visit YesWeAreMadArts.com.
Paige Harvey
Speaking of dark alteregos, South Florida rock goddess Paige Harvey will lead the band Vudra on Saturday night at Propaganda in Lake Worth .A Coral Springs native now living in Deerfield Beach, Harvey’s rock resume stretches from the revered Livid Kittens (who opened for X, Iggy Pop, the New York Dolls, the Cramps and others) to All the V Words (which put out an excellent self-titled album in 2019). An angry stepchild of All the V Words, Vudra is part of a bill that includes recommended locals Lavola, Sweet Bronco and Mega Fluff. Tickets cost $10. Visit Facebook.com/PropagandaLakeWorth.
Weekend movie
If you also happened to have so far missed seeing “Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain,” it continues to screen at Living Room Theaters at FAU in Boca Raton. Writing on the Roger Ebert website, reviewer Brian Tallerico describes “a fascinating, moving documentary that transcends mere profile piece to reclaim a legacy, and it’s as inspirational as its subject.” Visit FAU.livingroomtheaters.com.
‘Dreamlike’ nights
Highly recommended electro-groove experimentalists Electric Kif this weekend begin touring in support of their dynamic new album, “Dreamlike,” with a stop Friday at 9 p.m. at Lagniappe House in downtown Miami (free) and a record-release show at the Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton on Aug. 27 (tickets start at $15). Visit ElectricKif. com.
Weekend laughs
Comedian and character actor Harland Williams (the answer to the question, “Who played the hitchhiker in ‘Something About
Mary’?”) is at the Palm Beach Improv Friday-Sunday. Tickets cost $25. The West Palm Beach stage will host global comedy star Russell Peters Aug. 27-28. Really. Tickets cost $50. Visit PalmBeachImprov.com.
Future laughs
Larry the Cable Guy will bring his Remain Seated Comedy Tour to Seminole Casino Coconut Creek on Nov. 10, with tickets ($60, $50 and $40) on sale 10 a.m. Friday at Ticketmaster. The performance will take place at the casino’s new 3,000seat outdoor venue, Live at Coco. Visit SeminoleCoconutCreekCasino.com.
Beer here
Veza Sur Brewing will celebrate its fourth anniversary in Wynwood with a daylong block party at 55 NW 25th St. beginning noon Saturday, with live music (led by Cortadito), DJs, vendors, food pop-ups and a lot of beer. Included will be the release of Mezcalito Belgian Strong Ale, aged in mezcal tequila barrels. Visit VezaSur.com.
Speaking of anniversary beer, the ruthlessly independent Orchestrated Minds Brewing in downtown Fort Lauderdale (803 NW First St.) will gather the faithful on Sept. 4 to celebrate two years of beermaking. Among the beers to look forward to is 2 Year Anniversary Stout, an imperial stout collab with neighbors at Argyle Coffee Roasters. It’s aged in bourbon barrels and conditioned with cinnamon, coffee, salted caramel, marshmallow, vanilla and cocoa nibs — owner-brewer Davy Martin puts the ABV at a follicle-tingling 12.5%. Visit Instagram.com/orchestratedmindsbrewing.
Are you down?
If you had to pick two guaranteed dance-floor fillers at a ‘90s-themed party, high on the list would be Bell Biv DeVoe’s “Poison” and Naughty By Nature sing-along “O.P.P.” That will be the soundtrack 7-11 p.m. Friday when the two groups team up at the free Summer Jamz Concert at Mills Pond Park in Fort Lauderdale, hosted by James T and DJ DP from Hot 105.1-FM radio. Visit Parks.FortLauderdale.gov.
Tortuga news
With all the news of the day, maybe you’ve been wondering about Tortuga Music Festival. Well, they just added a new act this week, Reyna Roberts (“Stompin’ Grounds”), so that’s encouraging. Tickets are on sale: $138 for single day, $239 for a three-day pass, $1,249 for three-day VIP pass (three-day Super VIP sold out). If you want to break it into two payments, the deadline is Sept. 1. The festival takes place Nov. 12-14 at Fort Lauderdale Beach Park. Visit TortugaMusicFestival.com.
Pickled, jammed
Back on the healthful food vibe, looking ahead, the Grow & Gather edition of the popular Flamingo Flea at Tarpon River Brewing on Aug. 29 will host 20 of South Florida’s top picklers, jam makers, plant growers and food purveyors. This afternoon of shopping, nibbling and community-building runs noon-4 p.m. Visit Facebook.com/theflamingoflea.
Jazz Brunch returning
The popular monthly stroll known as the Sunday Jazz Brunch on the Riverwalk in downtown Fort Lauderdale will open its season 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sept. 5 with free music on three stages and multiple food and drink vendors in and around Esplanade Park and along the New River. Sponsored by the Broward Center for the Performing Arts and Stephens Distributing, the series continues on the first Sunday of each month. Visit GoRiverwalk.com.