Eats in Key West

My friend's birthday and a $59 flight from AirTran was a great excuse to head to Key West for the weekend.  First stop, lunch!  We were starving by the time we got off the plane, took a cab ride from the airport to our B&B and then a had hike to our cottage. 

We did a little window shopping on Duval Street and while chatting with the Friday artist at 7 Artists Gallery, he made a suggestion that we try Lobos Grill (http://loboskw.com/). Tucked behind a Mexican restaurant in the 600 block of Duval in Key Lime Square, it is a funky little tree shaded shack with 6 picnic tables and 1 server.  The food is fresh and yummy.  My friend Carla chose a basil infused Chicken Salad wrap and I opted for the Luau Tuna wrap.  The chicken wrap was yummy and so was the Tuna Salad with sweet pineapple.  So yummy in fact that I forget to photograph them.  Rather than show an empty plate, here is a pic of the mimosa that I made with a tiny carafe of OJ and split of champagne. 

We stayed at the Andrews Inn, a lovely little bed and breakfast, in "Hemingway's backyard."  We rented their Eyebrow Cottage which is actually a few blocks away from the main property.  It is a 1 bedroom unit with ample living room, dining room, large full kitchen and private deck with hot tub.  The only downside of this unit is that breakfast is not included in the rate, although happy hour is.  We enjoyed happy hour on our second day with cocktails by the teeny A-shaped pool. 

No worries, we have our favorite breakfast place...Blue Heaven.  I was a little disappointed that the birthday girl chose to eat there 3 mornings in a row, as I had my eye on Croissants de France, but Blue Heaven didn't fail to satisfy us with good food and good times.  We were happy to wait at the bar for a much coveted table at the extremely popular restaurant known for their casual, funky atmosphere and scrumptious breakfasts.  Here is the birthday girl with a goblet of Heaven's Punch, a fruity rum punch that goes down way too smoothly(...one leads to two and then you fall down on the way to your table!) Once seated amongst the chickens, under the trees, with live music you could imagine yourself much further south in the Caribbean.

Carla ordered the Rooster Special, a hearty combo of 2 eggs, any style, bacon or sausage, grits or toast and potatoes AND pancakes.  You can get this with pecan pancakes which are fluffy and full of nuts.  Real Vermont maple syrup is available for a little more, but we opted for the house syrup which was just fine.  As I always do, I ordered the Shrimp and Grits, decadently enhanced by sharp white Vermont cheddar cheese and a poached egg.  Creamy grits, tangy cheese and big perfectly cooked, perfectly spiced shrimp were filling and delicious, paired with fresh fruit and homemade banana bread.  The banana bread was a little dry and could have been helped with a little butter, but our server didn't offer and I was so wrapped up in the grits I didn't ask.  Full of breakfast and totally relaxed we set out to do some shopping while we waited for our 3rd partner in crime to arrive.


Cocktails by the pool and Cheesy Poufs were a delightful afternoon diversion in the Andrews Inn's miniature A-shaped pool.  Despite its small size it was the coolest place to be and we enjoyed the shade under an umbrellas at a poolside table and chairs.  The 3 of us made it back to our cottage, showered and changed for the evening festivities.  We ended up at Amigos Tortilla Bar on Front St.  It wasn't until we were seated at the bar looking out on the street that we realized we had a great view of Captain Tony's and Sloppy Joe's.  Amigos is home of the square taco...no round tortillas here. We ordered some chips and salsa while perusing the menu.  The salsa was smoky and flavorful and the chips were hot and freshly made.  Maryann chose Carne Asada Quesadillas, Carla picked a Burrito platter and I had the Shrimp Tacos.  All three were accompanied by more of the smoky good salsa or pico or salsa verde.  Refried beans, potatoes with chorizo and guacamole rounded things out.  The people watching was awesome from our perch and the margaritas weren't too bad, either.

The next day while at Blue Heaven, we learned about their new place on the beach, Salute!.  After another morning walk and window shopping we were melting and decided to rent a little golf cart like vehicle.  What a great idea!!!  We zipped around the island in relative cool and comfort and got to see some of the further flung spots in record time.  After tooling around the West Martello Tower Garden, a beautiful beachside botanical garden, we dropped by Salute! to check it out.  Right on Higgs beach, this was a perfect place to escape the afternoon heat with some cool cocktails, a Rum Runner, a Pina Colada and an Italian Lemonade. 

The cocktails were cool, rich and strong.  But we were missing something...a snack!  The menu was not really geared toward snacking.  Very mediterranean with mussels and calimari and just not what we had in mind.  A slice of their mile-high meringued key lime pie would have to do.  Three forks and we made fast work of this confection.  The filling could have been a little more tart for my taste, but I confess I didn't leave any thing behind on the plate.  Must mention that the staff was fun and the bathrooms though outside were artful and fun.  Had we not had to return our buggy and have other places to stop, this would have been a great place to linger away the afternoon and maybe part of the evening, too.

One last stop for dinner the night before we left--Cheeseburger Key West.  We had walked past this place so many times during the weekend.  For some reason, a burger sounded good.  The fun Hawaiian decor should have been a hint that the food would be fun as well.  The walls, covered in the best 50's, 60's and 70's tropical kitsch were a treat to view.  The menu of appetizers, burgers, sandwiches and entrees was sprinkled with Hawaiian flavors like pineapple, teriyaki and such.  I chose a California Burger with avocado and grilled pineapple.  It was perfectly cooked and served with melted provolone, grilled onions and a side of sweet potato fries.  I wish I had remembered to take a picture before I devoured it, but there's my empty plate.

So, we had the comfort of our old familiar Blue Heaven each morning for breakfast.  And found a few new places.  I think that's the beauty of a place like Key West...always the comfort of your old favorite places, but always something new as well.  I guess that's why I always like to go back.