Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Pub Crawl - I Drive/Sand Lake Rd: Dewey's Indoor Golf and Mango's

I went to these to places on Saturday night. 

Dewey's Indoor Golf - I have always seen this place driving by and never really knew what it was. Golf equipment? Sports bar? Arcade? It turns out that it is more bar than playground. They have golf course simulators (around eight), Football simulators (around three) that may double as golf ones. Pool tables. And even a small arcade. It seems like a bachelor party/baby sitting the kids/birthday party type place. They serve food. They have an outdoor patio. They have a back room with plusher seating. There is a section of high tops in the middle and bar at the end. It was all new though they have been there for a few years. It is across from the strip mall with the Gold or World's Gym on Turkey Lake Rd just steps from Sand Lake Rd. Kids seemed welcome. They had the hard stuff plus beer and wine. I had an Arnold Palmer red for $8.

Mango's - I went here after dinner and stayed until twelve. It replaced the old sports themed place and some other chain before that near the corner of Sand Lake Rd and I Drive. I parked in the lot at the Ferris Wheel because they don't have enough. If you ever wondered what the bar from Scarface would like if it was inside a Rain Forest Cafe on a cruise ship then wonder no more. They advertised a branch in Miami and that is the vibe. I'm not sure what was going on or if they were responsible, but, it seemed like the Puerto Rican Day parade on I Drive on Saturday (minus the whistles and banging pots and cries of "Puerto Ricoh). And there was no shortage of them (yes I know the difference between nationalities and how you all hate being compared and think yourselves superior to each other and they weren't all Puerto Rican) inside here. A real Expats of the Caribbean here. The place is akin to a cruise ship's theatrical area because they run a "cabaret" all night long. Think Michael Jackson impersonators and Mardi Gras type dancing. And it seemed that they have a leaky roof because it kept raining men - hallelujah. The main room is huge and on two levels. The second floor has a balcony area and a more hip hop like club called Vodou. They charged $10 for a glass of wine and it some how became $11.32 with tax. The cover was only $10. I had heard it was $40 ish. I think that may be the charge if you have dinner there. They had bottle service tables. In all seriousness, I think they are trying to recreate one of those pre-Castro like night clubs. I never felt like one of my previous incarnations liked those places, so, I never feel a pang of nostalgia when I see them in old movies or visit them in modern day Orlando. However, it is kind of a spectacle and this would be the city for that type of entertainment. So, don't be shy and bring an umbrella. Damn, I should have used a Birdcage reference rather than Scarface.

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