Re:Florida
Tue, 09/22/09 10:42 PM
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permalink)
Welcome to Hollywood in advance. With that said, one caveat: Don't go to Le Tub, unless you enjoy being treated badly and dining amongst the bugs. Their world famous burger is not all that, either.
Nicks on the beach offers a view just feet from the ocean, the staff is nice, and you will fare far better there if you go for a burger. It's smaller than Le tub, but comes with fries and is several dollars less. There are no bugs on the ocean side, too. There's also a Nick's in Hallandale which is known as a breakfast place, with colourful clientele. I don't think they're related, though.
Just east of Nicks on Hallandale is Flanagan's, which is a small Florida chain, but the food is really good, and the lunch specials are cheap. It's dark and cozy, with a full liquor bar. I've been going there for 20 years, and it's as good as ever. Good service, nice people.
Ocean's 11 on Hollywood beach is less crowded than further south, has good food, free parking (only while you are in their establishment, you can't just leave your car there), and that unbeatable ocean view. Liz the bartender is awesome. Full liquor.
If you want crab, you can't beat the Rustic Inn. It gets extremely crowded during dinner, though. West of Rustic Inn is the Field, which is an Irish style pub. The food is good, it's dark and cozy inside, but also has outdoor seating. There is no view, but it's a fun and friendly place. They have live music most nights, I think always Irish. Full liquor.
Now for the ultimate Hollywood secret: Tarks, which is just north of Hollywood in Dania. (Hollywood, Hallandale, and Dania run into each other, it's hard to tell where one begins, and the other ends). It's a small clam stand with minimal seating, but the menu is huge and cheap, with raw bar items, fried items, and grilled items. They do a lot of seafood including gator tail, peel and eat shrimp, and conch salad. You can sit inside at a counter, where you watch the cooks work, and they socialize with customers while preparing your meal, and are pretty funny. There is also some counter space outside, and a picnic table. They've been in business since 1966, and are probably the last bastion of the old Florida seafood shack.
