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BEST NIGHTCLUB DISGUISED AS A HOTEL

Biltmore Lounge

Maybe it's the giant photos of movie stars on the walls, the pretty women at the bar, or the Sinatra oozing out of the speakers, but the Biltmore Lounge seems like it would be more at home in Hollywood (California, that is) than Coral Gables. Tucked inside the Biltmore Hotel, it's a quiet, sophisticated place for rat-packish boozers to throw back a few classy cocktails. The service is worthy of the fattest cats, and there's always a room upstairs for those who get lucky or just need to crash after a few too many.

BEST SPORTS BAR

Players

Wouldn't it be great if the next time a Dolphins quarterback threw an interception you could give him your two cents on the subject? What if you could challenge the Heat's Eddie Jones to a shooting contest and then go dance with him to the beats of a WMC DJ spinning live? Well, sports fans, there's a place you can actually do such things, which -- in addition to its serendipitous location down the street from Gold Rush (for those hard times after a loss) -- raises the question: Why go to any other sports bar just to watch the pros on TV? At this place they actually show up, in person. Aside from the fact that it's relatively easy to spot your favorite athlete chugging some brew and scratching his parts, Players is open 24 hours on weekends (in case you like 4:00 a.m. cricket), all the TV sets (and there are plenty of them) are high-definition, and pool and air hockey tables abound. The food isn't half bad either.

Readers´ Choice: Flanigan´s Seafood Bar and Grill

BEST SPORTS BAR

Players

Wouldn't it be great if the next time a Dolphins quarterback threw an interception you could give him your two cents on the subject? What if you could challenge the Heat's Eddie Jones to a shooting contest and then go dance with him to the beats of a WMC DJ spinning live? Well, sports fans, there's a place you can actually do such things, which -- in addition to its serendipitous location down the street from Gold Rush (for those hard times after a loss) -- raises the question: Why go to any other sports bar just to watch the pros on TV? At this place they actually show up, in person. Aside from the fact that it's relatively easy to spot your favorite athlete chugging some brew and scratching his parts, Players is open 24 hours on weekends (in case you like 4:00 a.m. cricket), all the TV sets (and there are plenty of them) are high-definition, and pool and air hockey tables abound. The food isn't half bad either.

Readers´ Choice: Flanigan´s Seafood Bar and Grill

BEST NEW BAR

Transit Lounge

Pull up a stool and dig the story of a Miami girl, Isabel Aguero, who loved to travel the world. She ventured far and wide, through towns and cities, seeing new places and faces, always meeting interesting people along the way. And when she came to a new place, she would park herself at the local pub and make friends, her favorite thing of all. So when Aguero wound up back in Miami, she set out to re-create the kind of convivial watering holes she encountered on her travels. She fixed up a barely used warehouse just west of Brickell and a block south of Tobacco Road, built a long wooden bar in the center, and through her own warmth and charm proceeded to attract all types of people from all walks of life. Transit Lounge is the kind of clean, warmly lighted place that can make Miamians feel like members of a neighborhood, no small task indeed.

BEST NEW BAR

Transit Lounge

Pull up a stool and dig the story of a Miami girl, Isabel Aguero, who loved to travel the world. She ventured far and wide, through towns and cities, seeing new places and faces, always meeting interesting people along the way. And when she came to a new place, she would park herself at the local pub and make friends, her favorite thing of all. So when Aguero wound up back in Miami, she set out to re-create the kind of convivial watering holes she encountered on her travels. She fixed up a barely used warehouse just west of Brickell and a block south of Tobacco Road, built a long wooden bar in the center, and through her own warmth and charm proceeded to attract all types of people from all walks of life. Transit Lounge is the kind of clean, warmly lighted place that can make Miamians feel like members of a neighborhood, no small task indeed.

BEST OPEN-MIKE NIGHT

Magnum Lounge

It's been around for only a few years, but the Magnum Lounge has a lived-in feel. It's dark and homey, and it comfortably pulls off a combination of gay-bar and restaurant atmospherics. If any one element does this trick, it's definitely the piano, which sits between the two halves of the lounge. This is a place where you're likely to see an Elvis Costello look-alike sipping his red wine and mooning over the bartender, despite the adorable object's questionable taste in tattoos. Across the bar a pretty woman picks idly through a dish of mixed nuts as a man, much too old for her, whispers eagerly into her ear. As the ice melts in your third drink, you will perhaps reflect on your own poor taste in men, which runs to early Brando -- gorgeous, tortured, distant. Never mind. Listen as piano man Walter Lena delivers a campy rendition of "New York, New York," drawing a smattering of applause. "Thank you, music lovers," he replies cattily. "Screw the rest." Good advice, dear friend, in so many situations. Each night offers a different player and sometimes an additional singer, but generally, if the spirit moves you to torment fellow patrons with a Broadway number, no one will stop you. Thursdays in particular are popular evenings for aspiring crooners and drunken sing-alongs.

BEST OPEN-MIKE NIGHT

Magnum Lounge

It's been around for only a few years, but the Magnum Lounge has a lived-in feel. It's dark and homey, and it comfortably pulls off a combination of gay-bar and restaurant atmospherics. If any one element does this trick, it's definitely the piano, which sits between the two halves of the lounge. This is a place where you're likely to see an Elvis Costello look-alike sipping his red wine and mooning over the bartender, despite the adorable object's questionable taste in tattoos. Across the bar a pretty woman picks idly through a dish of mixed nuts as a man, much too old for her, whispers eagerly into her ear. As the ice melts in your third drink, you will perhaps reflect on your own poor taste in men, which runs to early Brando -- gorgeous, tortured, distant. Never mind. Listen as piano man Walter Lena delivers a campy rendition of "New York, New York," drawing a smattering of applause. "Thank you, music lovers," he replies cattily. "Screw the rest." Good advice, dear friend, in so many situations. Each night offers a different player and sometimes an additional singer, but generally, if the spirit moves you to torment fellow patrons with a Broadway number, no one will stop you. Thursdays in particular are popular evenings for aspiring crooners and drunken sing-alongs.

BEST NEIGHBORHOOD BAR/NORTH

Shuckers Bar & Grill

You're the kind of person who owns a boat instead of a turntable. Your favorite pastimes are fishing and baseball, not wine tasting and yoga. You prefer cooked meat to raw fish. You think house is something to live in, not something to dance to. In other words, you'd rather drink a six-pack at home in your underwear than subject yourself to the "fashionable" bars and clubs in this town. Well throw on some jeans, buddy, because Shuckers has an empty barstool with your name on it. This may be the last place in the north county where you can park your truck öround the back for free, sit outside on the water, enjoy a cold beer with a burger and fries, and listen to some good old-fashioned rock and roll. No covers. No DJs. No club kids. No velvet ropes. Just your new favorite neighborhood bar.

BEST NEIGHBORHOOD BAR/NORTH

Shuckers Bar & Grill

Photo courtesy of Shuckers Bar & Grill
You're the kind of person who owns a boat instead of a turntable. Your favorite pastimes are fishing and baseball, not wine tasting and yoga. You prefer cooked meat to raw fish. You think house is something to live in, not something to dance to. In other words, you'd rather drink a six-pack at home in your underwear than subject yourself to the "fashionable" bars and clubs in this town. Well throw on some jeans, buddy, because Shuckers has an empty barstool with your name on it. This may be the last place in the north county where you can park your truck öround the back for free, sit outside on the water, enjoy a cold beer with a burger and fries, and listen to some good old-fashioned rock and roll. No covers. No DJs. No club kids. No velvet ropes. Just your new favorite neighborhood bar.

BEST DRINK SPECIAL

Hooligan's Pub & Oyster Bar

Before all the hoopla over slot machines, one place was making winners out of the locals by washing down their gambling needs with their choice of alcohol. Every Sunday and Tuesday from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. patrons can order anything they desire and then leave the bill to the whim of the fates. Just walk right up to the bar and order an expensive shot or whatever you prefer. The bartender will pull out a coin and flip it. Call it in the air. If you guess right, the drink is free. Aside from the fact that it's possible to go the entire night without dropping a dime, this idea keeps the folks coming back for their chance at that big score. The big winners are always easy to spot. They tend to be blasted beyond coherence.

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