Anybody here from around that area? Or maybe vacationed down here back in the late 1970's through the 1980's ?

Some of the clubs I worked in were:

Club Top Draw (79th street causeway)
Bonfire (79th caus.)
Place for Steak (79th caus.)
Carino's (125th and Biscayne)
The Forge (Arthur Godfrey Causeway)

Villa Perrone (Hallandale)
Bootsies (Hallandale))
I.T Chips (used to be Bootsies)
The Round Table (Hallandale)

Top of the Home (Hollywood)
Hemmingways (Hollywood)
Joe Sonkens Gold Coast (Hollywood)
Grand Saloon (Hollywood)
Tre Amici (Hollywood)

Septembers (Ft.Lauderdale)
Mr.Pips (Ft.Laud)
Pier 66 (Ft.Laud)

Back then many of those clubs were crawling with real wiseguys all down from up north for the season. There were also a shitload of "wannabee's" too. The'd show up with the black shirt and white tie etc. buying drinks for everybody....

Many of the posters here are real experts in this stuff. I thought some of the older guys (like me) might have a few stories/memories about some of these places.

Over the years I met Terry Zappi, Jimmy Alo, Johnny Cerella, Tony and Frank Galgano (Bobby Rubino's) and Believe it or not I played a party at Mr. Pips in the private party room for John Gotti. I didn't really even know who he was back then. I'm not sure if it was before or after Castellano.

I'm not saying I knew these guys personally. Just that when they came into a place where I was working whispers would spread across the bandstand....

Those days are pretty much over down here. Although I have seen Skinny Joey a few times around Boca Raton. But nothing like the old days.

Anyway, I love to hear any old stories any of you might like to share.

Sal

The Forge was and is an amazing place. Thats was were all the big time drug dealers would party along the likes of professional athletes from Miami and some Mobsters. THey had an amazing wine cellar with a private table for the heavy hittes. They had wine there that valued $100K. A lot of blow went on there. Fancy cars, Chicas and champagne! After dinner everyone went to, I think it was called Jimmy's next door for some more partying! The 80's and 90's were wild at The Forge.

I worked at the Forge in the late 1980's and yes that place was $$$$$$.Every night there were at least three of four Bentley's parked out front.

It was not a nice place to work. The band played behind the bar and right after every break they had this little shitty room that we had to hang out in between sets. The Forge has been on the beach since the 1960's. Over the years probably close to a hundred different bands played there. Someone had written on the wall in that little room..... "Forge=purgatory for musicians"

It was owned by a guy named Alvin Malneck. supposedly he was friends with a lot a heavy guys and even counted Sinatra as a friend. Funny though, that's one of the few places where I never saw any "famous" wiseguys. There might have been some major blow dealers in there, but that was also at a time when the beach was really starting to turn Spanish.

The outfits we had to wear were called "Guarachera's" (wa-da-chair-das). Those big puffy "I Love Lucy" shirts with the big ruffles on the sleeves. They sucked.

Salvi, I used to go to Mortoranos for dinner. He was relagted to the Mortorannos in Philly. So so place, big waiting lines and if I recall he would have either The Godfather or Scarface on on all his TV's all night long. Then we would go up the street to Christophers. That place was one big party! Beautiful women everywhere.
Fun times back then!

I work at a small jazz club about a block away from Mortorano's. You're right, you can NEVER get in that place unless you go early. The guys done real well for himself.

They have never had live music in there as far as I know, but I do know that's one of the places the wiseguys love to eat at around here. I know Johnny Sideburns loves that place, and another guy they call "Vinnie the Fish" (?)

Christophers was always a blast, just like you said LOTS of women.

I'd love to hear from some of the guys in their (at least mid 50's) who remember some of those places I've listed.

All the places I work now are full of mostly old people (like me). No young broads. Everybody called me "the kid" back then, now I gotta find somebody past 90 to call me "kid".....

I play all types of music (obviously not rap) but if I had my choice it would always be jazz. That's what I was trained to do. One day this beautiful young girl comes into this club I'm working at and starts asking me all these questions. At the very end of our talk she said she was doing a report for college on "old jazz music" and thanked me and left......Oh well.

LOL Salvie!

I know of al those clubs .Miami was the place for the BOYS.My father was with AL ,he was also the one that did St.valentine shooting and got Dillinger out of Crown point jail.History has it all wrong .I grew up with all the heads ...Nice people

My crystal ball shows a dumping on this thread coming.

Well perhaps so. But my dad can still beat up your dad.

I know that many of you live in the northeast. In South Florida right after Christmas you'd start to see all the out of state plates. Tons from NY and Jersey, Philly, CT etc.....

It was a very happening place back then. I was hoping some of you might have some stories. When I grew up here in the early 1970's their wasn't a single person I knew or went to school with that wasn't born "up north"

Sal

Nice, Sal. I don't know if you remember, but you and I had a nice exchange about Florida last year .

http://www.gangsterbb.net/threads/ubbthr...true#Post747786

That's right PB, I totally forgot (it's true what they say about musicians and drugs....lol)

There is a good chance I posted this in the wrong place but I also wanted to know if anybody had any wiseguy stories from around here in the old days.

I notice that you're in DelRay part of the year. If you are interested PM me and I'll tell you were I'm working. I'm working this one place that has a 2 lobster special for 21.95 with salad, potato and fresh bread. The lobsters are excellent.

I'm 55. Too old for young girls, but too young for the Early Bird .

I crack myself up .

Salvie did you work any clubs in Oakland Park or Fort Lauderdale By The Sea?

I LOVE LBTS. I wanted to buy there but Mrs. Pizza needed to be closer to her parents in Jupiter.

Yeah,

I'm working two clubs right now in LBTS. The lobster place (and it ain't an early bird place, they only have those in Boca Del Vista.....) and a little jazz club around the block from "Mortorano's"

And back in the 1980's Mr.Pips and Septembers (I believe those are considered in Oakland Park) Plus many different clubs along Las Olas Blvd. (Mango's, O'Hara's, Timpano's etc....)

I agree PB I LOVE LBTS also Lighthouse point and parts of east Pompano are still nice. Back in the old days pretty much all of ft<laud and the surrounding areas were nice.

You ever play Adam West's club?

Cool stuff Salvie. Thanks for sharing!

NNY78,

I knew Adam West was around here somewhere cause when I was a kid there was a girl in middle school who never shut up about the fact that Batman was her uncle.

What was the name of the club?

Hey, I see you live in Boca, so do I . East or West?

Re LBTS:

I can't see a jazz band there, but are you familiar with Aruba's at the end of Commercial?

Gold Mine. And a fun place with decent food and fair prices .

They have rock and "island" type music there.

I work caddy corner from the place and yeah its always packed....