Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
-The Florida Keys for Fresh Fish, More Fresh Fish and Happy Hour
Welcome back readers! So 2012 is came to an end and looking back on
some of my posts from here it's been a great year of indulgence for me. I'd like to thank all the loyal readers for their patience as blogger was switched out of nowhere and I'm not computer-literate. The site will go on and it will be right here in the meantime. If there's anywhere in US territory that has that laid back
Caribbean vibe going on it's the Florida Keys and Key West to be exact. I had wanted to get this up before Christmas but was too much in that laid back state of mind. Happy new year to all. 2013 is going to be tasty.
A Key West Christmas
Another Foodventure for y'all
I
recently had a chance to meet quite a few fellow LTH posters and
regular readers who dont post but really enjoy what others do. I took
joy in the fact so many folks from here love the posts I share so I
wanted to get this up on Christmas day as gift to those that are
entertained by them. Happy Holidaze y'all. Key West style.
Enjoy the ride
While
it's possible to fly into key West it's most certainly not cheap. If
you're staying for a few days or going with family, a car can come in
handy though they rent electric cars, bikes and scooters everywhere on
the island. Most people just fly into Miami and rent a car and take the
wonderful 160 mile drive down A1A which ends in Key West. I was already
in Florida on an extended stay and took off for the Keys after spending a
couple nights in Miami.
Knaus Berry Farm
There's a popular exotic fruit stand called Robert's Last Stand in homestead that I really wanted to stop in
but failed to en route back. My buddy who lives in Miami told me I must
stop at another Homestead farm for their cinnamon buns before heading
down. The best "by far" he told me and he wasn't lying. They go thru
them like its nothing so they're baking them fresh and served hot all
day. Don't miss this place for breakfast.
Knaus Berry Farm is a popular South Florida Family Stop
A strawberry shake and the worlds greatest cinnamon buns are a must
As
always I went prepared. This wasn't my first rodeo down there as I fell
in love with the vibe when we went on a family vaca a few times in my
grade school years. I also stopped thru on Spring Break but back then
it was all about drinking and seeing, maybe getting. This time around I
wanted to see what else was out there for the ride down there and back. I
used this wonderful
Florida Rambler Website to find some great stops on their
Mile Marker guide.
Holiday Isle Tiki Bar
Where the Rum Runner was born (Islamorada)
Keys Fisheries
Just off A1A halfway between MIA & KW a sign leads you past truckloads of lobster traps...
...to some of the freshest fish in the Florida Keys (Marathon)
This
was actually a spot we stopped in at on the way back but had I known on
the way down how much I was going to enjoy this family run fish
business in Marathon. Its about the halfway point, I should have stopped
both times. You can walk up to a window to order your seafood and they
call you when its ready. Eating options are alongside the water at the
tables or upstairs at the bar area which also has a raw bar. This is the
way to go.
Raw Bar Upstairs (21+)
It doesn't get much better for a local watering hole
My View from the Bar
We
got some lobster bisque and lobster fra diavolo from downstairs but the
almost all day special upstairs is where its at. Grab an ice cold beer
and kick back on some super fresh seafood while you stare at the blue
waters ahead. I've come to learn I'll never have a lobster fra diavolo
like that from this place in Providence until I get there again but
enjoyed this version which was enough for two. The soup was pretty good
and if you're there from 5-8p they cook stone crab hot to order. If not
no worries, they offer them up by the 1's and 2's upstairs as well as
some super tuna sashimi.
Lobster Fra Diavolo
All Day Happy Hour (1-9p) $1.50 Stone Crab Claws and $4 Tuna Sashimi
There's also a fish market on site, I had them put 3 pounds on ice to take back to South FLA
Bahia Honda State Park
We
didn't stop here on the way there or back but drove here one of days I
was down there for some rest and relaxation. It's about 40 minutes from
Key West and well worth the visit. Easily one of the best state parks
I've set foot in. It's the top ranked beach in-state at the reliable
Florida Rambler Website.
There's two beaches and one has the feel of your typical Florida
oceanside beach while the other sits below the bridge in a tropical
Caribbean setting with crystal clear waters.
You
can walk up to the end of whats left of one part of the old Bahia Honda
Bridge. It was started in 1905 and completed in 1912. Built by oil
mogul Henry Flagler it's was also called "Flaglers' Folly" We saw an
amazing sea turtle from up above, it must of been at least 300 pounds,
it was huge even from far way. There are great views up here and it's not a long walk up at
all.
View of the park from the old bridge
Hogfish Bar & Grill
I take great pleasure in finding the spots the locals like to eat and drink at while on the road. The Hogfish bar is a perfect example why. This Florida
Rambler rec'd bar and restaurant was so good I went there three times.
Located on Stock Island which is where the local commercial shrimp boats
used to sail out of. Located off the beaten path past some trailer
homes, hey if you're going to live in one it might as well be here.
Hogfish is near the beginning of town and well worth finding. Not all
that hard either, if you have a GPS in your car or phone.
The Famous Hogfish Bar & Grill on Stock Island
This
is a great local watering hole with some stereotypical fitting Key West
characters lurking inside, especially during the night. They had a
great mom and daughter bartending team and they specialize in hogfish.
It's spear-caught and available when they have it so when they do make
sure to get some. The house sandwich was sensational. Blackened hogfish
smothered with Swiss Cheese, Onions and Mushrooms on fresh Cuban Bread.
So good I had it twice.
Specialty of the House: "KILLER" Hogfish Sandwich
Fried Hogfish Tacos
Sights from Key West
Happy Hour
Happy
Hour is a big part of the lifestyle down here so you might as well
embrace it. Key West always has that chillaxed vibe going for it and
there's quite a few places to take advantage of the food and drink
deals.
Alonzo's is my pick for best food and drink Happy Hour in Key West
The
best of the bunch is Alonzo's Oyster Bar. The entire appetizer page as
well as drinks are half off. I tried them all. Their famous Key Lime
Martini isn't a bad way to end a meal of their addictive beer steamed
shrimp and mussels in marinara which were my faves. I prefer cold water
oysters and their $2 ones from Vancouver and Martha's Vineyard were
really good too. get there early to take advantage of the bars seats.
Happy Hour Eats
Right
next door to Alonzo's is a place that serves ice cold bottles of beer
for $2/3 and freshly shucked gulf oysters for 50 cents a piece, all day
everyday. Just be sure to tip your shucker. We had some great chats
about his homeland Jamaica,
another favorite Caribbean getaway of mine.
Also a popular happy hour stop is Half Shell Raw Bar but I didn't think
the food or drink specials were nearly as good as Alonzo's. The coconut
fried shrimp were tasty and the rum punch did its job but we ended up
back at Alonzo's the next day.
The Raw Bar next door to Alonzo's - Half Shell Raw Bar and their Coconut Shrimp
B.O's Fish Wagon
This
place has long been a popular spot run by a longtime Key West
character. It's a no frills open air bar where they make a mean groper
sandwich. It comes perfectly fried with a light cornmeal breading served
on some really fresh bread. Their handcut fries show you they dont mind
taking the little extra time to serve a superior product even though
Key West is a place where you can get away with doing half assed things
as far as food goes. Though I was told it's getting alot better.
An amazing little open air fish shack in town
BO's Famous Fried Grouper Sandwich and their fantastic fresh cut fries
Nightlife
In
case you didn't know Key West has a big gay community. But that's just
one part of it. It's a partying and drinking town enjoyed by folks from
all walks of life. I was really surprised this trip by how international
of a destination it is. There were visitors from all over the globe.
Asia, Spain, Ireland, England. Families, couples, college kids, you name
it. It's a must visit for anyone who likes to travel and explore the
different cultures of our country.
Where Hemingway used to drink
Duval
Street is where most of the bars and many restaurants and shops are
located at. You can walk with drinks and most places stay open until
4am. Sloppy Joe's is a longtime mainstay and there are drag shows if
that's your thing and regular dance shows with girls in no clothes if
you swing on that side. Be not afraid single straight guys, it's a very
popular bachelorette weekend getaway destination and that just means
theres more you know what for you. My GF said she didn't even recognize
the rainbow community. Everyone's there for the weather and great times.
Be not afraid.
Chaos erupted at the original on Duval Street when the namesake himself did a pop up show
Sandy's Cafe
24 hour eats in town
If
you find yourself hungry after a few too many rum runners and it's 3 in
the morning you need not worry. Sandy's Cafe is attached to a laundry
mat and it's a 24 hour walk up window with a few seats outside
surrounding it. I had a very tasty Medianoche (Midnight) sandwich that
hit the spot in the early wee hours of the morn. A medianoche is a close
cousin of the Cuban sandwich with the difference being the bread. It
uses a soft sweet egg dough bread not too different from challah.
Medianoche Sandwich
Kim's Kuban
One
morning and early afternoon was spent on my friends yacht whom he had
someone take us around in. Instead of getting stuffed before we even set
foot on the boat I ran over to Kim's Kuban which isn't far from the
harbor. They make a tasty Cuban sandwich and some very good toasted
bread with butter. In the pic you can see the pepperoni which isn't all
that unusual as in Tampa (where the sandwich was born) they add salami.
These were perfect for a snack later on the water.
Cuban Sandwiches or other options from Kim's Kuban are great for boat trips
Higgs Beach
"Life's a beach and then you fry"
Quite
a few folks I talked to mentioned how they thought Key West has no
beaches but that's not the case. Higgs Beach in the southeast corner of
town is a great place to catch some rays. They have chairs and umbrellas
that can be rented for $25/day. That's a pretty good deal which I found
was the case with drinks in KW too. They could hike up the prices but
they dont so cheers to them for not doing so. Aside from the chickens
you might have to walk around a few Key West beach bums as well, dont
worry they dont bite.
"Jersey Strong"
Freshly Caught Seafood for Sale
If staying at a rented condo or house you can cook up some great locally caught fish while here. Both Fausto's Grocery and Eaton
Street Seafood Market as places he gets his fish from. Fausto's is the
Keys oldest grocery store and a very good one I'd be happy with here.
Started by Fausto himself he came over in 1910 to work the old cigar
factory in town and eventually started his market.
Fresh Local Caught Fish
Eaton Street
isnt nearly as old but they make a point to buy their fish from only
local fisherman. They also sell food to order like fish sandwiches and
have cracked stone crab for your consumption on the bench outside.
Wahoo, cobia, snapper and so on were a few of the local fish species we
ate.
Fausto's Grocery (Top) and Eaton Street Seafood Market (Bottom) are great for fresh fish
Garbo's Grill
Garbo's
Grill is ranked as the top rated place on TripAdvisor to eat at. This
is the type of spot you're going to remember eating at in the Key's.
Nothing fancy here but the mahi mahi fish tacos with mango and jalapeno
were some most amazing fish tacos you'll ever have. This is what Key
West is all about as far as food goes. Nothing fancy but oh so fresh and
so good.
Some of the best eats on the island come from this cart
Mahi Mahi Tacos are almost worth the trip alone
Peppers of Key West
Across
the street from Garbo's is Peppers. Its a shop that sells all sorts of
different hot sauces and allows you to try whichever ones you want
before you buy any. They have a bunch of their offerings across the
street for you to use on your fish tacos. I ended up trying
Dat'l Do It
with my tacos. Its a brew made with Datil peppers in St. Augustine that
loved it so much I bought three bottles from Peppers to take home with
me.
Amazing selection of hot sauce and a chip bar for you to try them
More sights in Key West
A
walk around the town is a must for anyone who likes to see some amazing
old homes and great old Colonial architecture to boot. Key West is as
friendly of a place you're ever going to visit and everyone leaves their
door open and hangs on the porch at some point during their day. The
other not misses are of course Ernest Hemingway's old home, the haunted
cemetery where some great stories are told and sunsets at Mallory
Square. The Square is where you'll find many of the Key West weirdos
doing their freak shows for a few bucks. Some fun stuff to watch.
Unique architecture seen along the walks & sunsets at Mallory Square are classic Key West
A Key West Sunset
Seven Fish
I
had read and been told by my boss to get to this place located just off
the chaos of Duval street. Even though I had just ate an hour before
and wasn't all that hungry, I squeezed it in on my last night in town.
Its small and reservations are most always required. We didn't make them
but were able to get a seat around 9p after putting our name in. The
menu focuses on simple fresh good food with an emphasis on fish.
Just off Duval Street this little stop is a must
The
folks running this place from the waitresses to the owners were really
friendly and warm welcoming. Me and her were sharing and started with
another excellent example of a fish taco, this one made with local cobia
fish. The plan was to share a seafood dish made with some homemade
pasta but our waitress asked if we were sure we didn't want to try their
signature dish. It wasn't hard to convince us especially seeing her
enthusiasm for it.
Cobia Fish Taco Appetizer Special
Holy
shit am I glad she did. One of the best dishes I ate all year. The
snapper was sauteed with fresh garlic and ginger and served with a
creamy curry coconut sauce over sticky rice with fresh local veggies.
Fan-flipping-tastic. On top of that she split our plates up for us and I
would of been satisfied with the portion I got as a whole. Well worth
the few extra bucks in my book. Don't miss this place.
The Signature Snapper Curry Dish is one of the best plates I ate in 2012
On
our last night both before and after the fantastic dinner at Seven I
had realized I hadn't even tried two of the signature local eats on the
island. So while we waited for our table at dinner I over indulged in
some conch fritters from the Conch Shack.
The Conch Shack
Sitting amidst the bars of Duval Street is some tasty food to get you thru the night
We
chatted with one of the owners who started this place up in 2009. He
and his partners worked in catering and use the same recipe one of the
caterers 90 year old Bahamian grandmother used. The old family recipe is
a fantastic rendition and brought me back to the Abaco Islands where we
went on a family vacation years ago. These seemed to be the most
popular in town and I could taste why. After dinner I grabbed a slice of
Key Lime pie at Kermit's because it was open and near. It was a nice
treat to have when I got back home and popped open one last cold one in
the open warm air.
Kermit's Key Lime Pie Shoppe
Another popular stop on Duval Street for the islands signature dish
It's the end of the road...
...See y'all next time
@chibbqking
Knaus Berry Farm
15980 Southwest 248th Street
Homestead, FL 33031
(305) 247-0668
Holiday Isle Tiki Bar
84001 Overseas Highway
Islamorada, FL 33036
(305) 664-2321
Keys Fisheries
3502 Gulfview Avenue
Marathon, FL 33050
(305) 743-4353
Bahia Honda State Park
36850 Overseas Highway
Big Pine Key, FL 33043
(305) 872-2353
Hogfish Bar & Grill
6810 Front Street
Stock Island, FL 33040
(305) 293-4041
Alonzo's Oyster Bar*
700 Front Street
Key West, FL 33040
(305) 294-5880
*Random Raw Bar with .50 oysters all day next door
Half Shell Raw Bar
231 Margaret Street
Key West, FL 33040
(305) 294-7496
BO's Fish Wagon
801 Caroline Street
Key West, FL 33040
(305) 294-9272
Sandy's Cafe
1026 White Street
Key West, FL 33040
(305) 295-0159
Kim's Kuban
2300 North Roosevelt Boulevard
Key West, FL 33040
(305) 296-2878
Fausto's Food Palace
1105 White Street
Key West, FL 33040
(305) 294-5221
Eaton Street Seafood Market
801 Eaton Street
Key West, FL 33040
(305) 295-3474
Garbo's Grill
603 Greene Street
Key West, FL 33040
(305) 304-3004
Peppers of Key West
602 Greene Street
Key West, FL 33040
(305) 295-9333
Seven Fish
632 Olivia Street
Key West, FL 33040
(305) 296-2777
The Conch Shack
118 Duval Street
Key West, FL 33040
(305) 295-2494
Kermit's Key Lime Shoppe*
200 Elizabeth Street
Key West, FL 33040
(305) 296-0806
*2nd location on Duval Street
Santouka
only serves one type of ramen which is pork broth based. It's also the
only ramen I've ever known outside of the stuff you eat when broke and
hungry in college and that's not the good stuff. The tonkutsu version pictured above was
comparable to Santouka but I didn't think the broth was quite as rich or
the noodles as chewy but the Toroniku (cheek) meat was as tender if not more.
