The Bar Scene

Boca has a million great bars and lounges; here are a few that have their own consistent followings.

KAPOW! NOODLE BAR, 402 Plaza Real

The bigger and better hot buzzy restaurant and bar hang in Mizner (Karaoke Night Fridays)

HIJINKS, 133 S.E. Mizner Blvd. More upscale sports bar

THE LOCALE, 499 S. Federal Highway

Casual Latin-American food and craft cocktails

Wold Performing

ARTS CENTER AT LYNN UNIVERSITY: “42nd Street” Feb. 17-25

This Tony-winning musical, set during the Great Depression, centers on a small-town ingenue who lands a leading role in a splashy Broadway musical after a star actress breaks her ankle. Full of Broadway standards, the show will feature Lynn’s top B.F.A. drama students.

BOCA STAGE AT SOL THEATRE: “GRAND HORIZONS” Feb. 10-26

Set in the fictitious senior living community of the title, celebrated playwright Bess Wohl’s “Grand Horizons” tracks the familial fallout

In a year’s time, Boca Raton went from zero bowling alleys to two. Both reveal the shifting dynamics of this once-ubiquitous American institution—away from the sprawling megacenters and limited snack bars of Don Carter’s heyday, and toward a boutique, hipster experience with gourmet dining.

Strike 10 Bowling quickly became something of an anchor in Mizner Park after opening last February in the former Uncle Julio’s space. A dance music soundtrack, an always-shifting palette of neon lighting and an enormous video wall above the pins ensure that it’s a destination for youthful partiers. With only 10 regulation-size lanes (and two lanes of duckpin, or “mini” bowling!), the leisure sport is just one aspect of Strike 10’s entertainment options, which also include the only billiard tables in Mizner Park, an outdoor bar and a full-ser-

MAX’S GRILLE, 404 Plaza Real

The Boca staple since 1991 and popular now for cocktails and bar bites on the patio

O’BRIAN’S IRISH PUB, 51 S.E. First Ave. Irish pub with sports bar overtones

SALT & SPIRITS, 180 S. Federal Highway Hipster tiki bar with seafood and live music, games

THE REBEL HOUSE, 297 E. Palmetto Park Road Cool eclectic downtown restaurant with small bar and great bites

THE DUCK, 5901 N. Federal Highway Divey casual pub with live music (including Wolfhawk now and then)

67 VINES, 5050 Town Center Circle, #239 New wine tasting bar (with good food) at Boca Center

WALT’S AMERICAN GRILLE & BAR, 6030 S.W. 18th St. Sleek neighborhood bar (and restaurant) in Village Pointe Shopping Center

STRIKES CIGAR LOUNGE, 514 Via De Palmas, Suite 75 Upscale Royal Palm Place cigars and martinis, sports on the TVs

MOON’S TAVERN, 19575 FL 7 Irish pub, sports bar, darts, etc.

MILLER’S ALE HOUSE,1200 Yamato Road Sports bar vice restaurant; orders can also be taken, and delivered, lane-side, and include fresh wraps, salads, tacos, flatbreads and pizzas. Live DJs spin hits on Friday and Saturday nights, where the wait can occasionally eclipse two hours, so reservations are recommended.

At Bowlero, which opened in the former Strikes alley on Glades Road, blacklights and video walls similarly enhance the experience, playing everything from live sports to music videos to family films while bowlers wait their turn. There’s an onsite sports bar and a video arcade with new and vintage games, and the alley offers nightly bowling specials most nights of the week—like 2.99 games, tacos and select drinks after 8 p.m. on Tuesdays, and unlimited bowling for a fixed price on Mondays and Wednesdays after 8.

Clubland

It’s been a star-crossed spot for Boca’s lone nightclub, Cosmo’s, at 99 S.E. First Avenue, a building formally occupied by Platforms, which was formally occupied by Polly Esther’s. So far, at least, the stars have aligned for Joe Galante and Cosmo Catanzano. They bought the property in June 2021, spent four months remodeling it, and opened just in time for Season. Last October, Cosmo’s celebrated its one-year anniversary with a Champagne bash and live performances.

Taking their cues from the New York nightclubs with which they grew up, Galante and Catanzano elevated the space in a more upscale direction than the former Platforms, which Galante describes as a “plastic cup” sort of place. They added a VIP section, and renovated the bars, bathrooms, floors and lighting and sound systems. And they programmed an eclectic schedule of DJs, including retro Saturday nights with hits from the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s, and salsa Sundays (with free dancing lessons). Thursdays usually attract a younger crowd, featuring today’s Top 40. The location remains, as always, an outlier in Boca Raton. “I can’t tell you how many people come over to me and say thank you for having this place here,” Galante says.“There’s really no place else to go. You can go to West Palm to Fort Lauderdale, and you can’t find a strictly nightclub. A lot of these places in Delray, they’re restaurants, and they try to turn into nightclubs after 10:30 or 11 o’clock. We’re not that. We’re a nightclub; you only come here to dance and drink— that’s it.”

HE MAY BE CRAZY …

In just over four years, Crazy Uncle Mike’s has developed a cult following, its own array of novelty merchandise and an ornery sense of humor. A sign above one of the doors displays its mantra—“don’t be a dick”—while the restrooms are divided between “ladies” and “others.” Mischievous monkeys figure heavily into its branding. To wit, its seating area is lit by bulbs hanging from upside-down beer barrels painted inside with simian rock stars—a monkey Joan Jett, a monkey Ringo Starr. It’s a place that takes everything seriously while projecting the image that it takes nothing seriously.

Founder Mike Goodwin, a night-

Clockwise from opposite page bottom; Joe Galante and Cosmo Catanzano, Mike Goodwin, Crazy Uncle Mike’s and Red Reef Park life veteran who established his bona fides in the Southwest back in the ‘80s, opened his namesake venue in 2018 as part brewery, part restaurant and part live music venue— or, in Goodwin’s shorthand,“brews, bites and beats.” Long before he opened, he hired a brewmaster to build an apparatus to concoct his own beers, and a chef to revamp the restaurant with refined gastropub fare, from mussels to seared tuna.

“Everything from our drizzles to our mayonnaises to our spicy everything is created here,” Goodwin says. “It’s not bought in bags or bottles. … People tell me it’s the best BLT they’ve had in their life.”

A who’s-who of Florida talent has performed on Uncle Mike’s professional-grade stage. On any given week, from Wednesday to Saturday, attendees may catch a classic-rock tribute group, an up-and-coming singer-songwriter or a veteran SoFla jam band. But there’s action every night of the week: Monday nights rotate between karaoke nights and game nights—the latter complete with board games, card games, Wii gaming, table tennis and more. Tuesdays are Latin night, with discounted tacos and margaritas.

As for the name Crazy Uncle Mike’s, Goodwin has long had an avuncular presence.“I’ve got eight brothers and sisters,” he says.“When my siblings had children, I was not having them. I was the uncle that owned bars and restaurants and rode Harleys and showed up to Christmas parties with fun toys.”

Park Life

While most of Boca Raton’s 40-plus public parks officially shutter at sunset, we found at least nine facilities that remain open until 10 or even 11 p.m.—perfect for night-owl exercisers. Here are a few top facilities that, to borrow a phrase, leave the light on for you.

The sprawling, oceanfront RED REEF PARK (1400 N. Ocean Blvd.) remains open until 10 p.m., so evening snorkelers can linger in the water after sunset, enjoying the myriad colorful reef fish that swim amid the six artificial reef modules along the newly extended snorkeling trail.

COUNTESS DE HOERNLE PARK/ SPANISH RIVER ATHLETIC FACILITY (1000 Spanish River Blvd.) includes a walking/cycling trail, complete with an outdoor fitness center, that winds around an enormous lake where large waterfowl congregate. It’s one of Boca’s best spots for sunset gazing.

SAND PINE PARK (300 Newcastle St.) reopened last July with plenty of upgrades, including new sports lighting, resurfaced fields and tennis/basketball courts, and a new playground and fitness equipment.

The anglers’ park of choice, SILVER PALM PARK (600 E. Palmetto Park Road) is open 24 hours a day, and reopened last summer with a renovated boat ramp and a new floating dock.

PATCH REEF PARK (2000 Yamato Road) stays open until 11 p.m. with all your favorite park amenities.

Moonlit Happy Hours

Nearly every bar worth the salt on its margarita glasses has a late-afternoon/early-evening happy hour, which isn’t the most ideal timing for us working stiffs.

A select few intrepid destinations offer discounted libations in the wee hours of the night.

BIERGARTEN (309 Via De Palmas): all day until midnight Sunday

FLANIGAN’s (45 S. Federal Highway): 9 p.m. to close, nightly

LAZY DOG (9636 Glades Road): 9 p.m. to midnight, Sunday through Thursday

TAP 42 (5050 Town Center Circle): 10 p.m. to close, Monday through Friday

YARD HOUSE (201 Plaza Real): 10 p.m. to close, Sunday through Wednesday

The Final Frontier

Should amateur astronomers wish to purchase their own quality telescope akin to the version mounted on a platform at FAU’s Astronomical Observatory, the device and its accouterments would set them back a good $14,785. Plus tax. Alternatively, they could make use of the university’s free public viewing times, on the first Friday or third Tuesday of each month, from 7:30 p.m. until “late.”

Eric Vandernoot, astronomy and physics lab coordinator at FAU, is usually on hand to guide his guests and answer questions.“There’s no way I could ever outdo images coming from the Hubble,” he says. “But what I can provide is a personal, one-to-one connection to these things in space that make it personal and relevant to [viewers].

“It’s one thing to know that Saturn has rings,” he adds.“It’s another to open up the telescope and see it for yourself. … If I train you how to look, you can recognize the Cassini Division inside Saturn’s rings, the different moons, how the shadow will fall upon the rings, and you recognize it’s a three-dimensional body.”

Vandernoot says the winter months are ideal for gazing into the Milky Way,“because images tend to be sharper because the winter sky is drier; it helps with vision capabilities. Orion’s nebula is fabulous; you can look at the surface details and recognize 160 protoplanetary discs. … These are solar systems in the process of collapsing and forming planets.”And twice a month, they’re practically in our backyard.

A CASE OF THE MONDAYS?

Monday can feel awfully tumbleweedy at most performing-arts venues, but the Funky Biscuit starts the workweek thriving and jiving. At 7 p.m. every Monday, for just $10, the local supergroup known as the Funky Biscuit Allstars—often featuring Biscuit owner Al Poliak on the Hammond organ—welcomes a different special guest for the Biscuit Jam. Looser and freer than a typical structured set list, it’s a space for conviviality, collaboration and experimentation.

“Our Monday nights are robust,” Poliak says.“It’s not unusual to have 150 or 200 people in the place.”The same holds for the admission-free Tuesday nights, where the tribute band Crazy Fingers holds court, playing Grateful Dead covers supplemented by taco specials and $5 house margaritas.

Though it nearly became a COVID casualty three years ago, the Funky Biscuit has persevered on the strength of a dedicated audience and its owner’s all-inclusive approach to genre. For the rest of the week and weekend, there might be a classic rock band one night, a jazz legend the next night, and a blues singer the following evening. It is, in a short, a musician-run institution, and Poliak’s reputation has helped him secure performances from big-name artists like Leon Russell, Gregg Allman, Billy Cobham and Larry Carlton.

“They have no business playing a small venue like the Biscuit, but they do,” Poliak says.“I think it’s a combination of the venue itself, the acoustics, and the relationship I have with these guys.”