Monthly Archives: July 2012

Top Restaurant Picks for Key West

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Florida Keys and Key West Restaurants
Florida Keys and Key West Restaurants

There are so many places to eat in Key West, however do you choose which restaurants to try during your visit? Maybe this list will help. We have chosen restaurants of all different types to fit anyone’s palate or desires. As most of my readers know by now, I am a little bit of a foodie, or as my husband puts it, a food snob. The places listed below have consistent good food that keeps me going back. Restaurants with an asterisk (*) next to the name will also cook your catch for you! So now you have someplace to take that fresh fish that you caught on your fishing trip with Dream Catcher Charters or one of our other talented colleagues to get prepared island style!  (more…)

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Key West Celebrates the 32nd Annual Hemingway Days

Hemingway Days is here again! And I know this for sure because when out and about Key West this week I feel like I have just stepped into a movie like Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris. Have you seen it? Well, if you haven’t I won’t ruin it for you. But everywhere you go this week you will see Hemingway lookalikes. For the last 32 years Key West has celebrated it most famed resident’s birthday with several events, the most famous being the Hemingway lookalike contest and the Drambuie Marlin Tournament. Here is a complete list of celebratory events:

DAILY

  • Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum guided tours. Visit the home where Hemingway lived throughout the 1930s and wrote some of his most enduring classics. 907 Whitehead St. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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La Trattoria Oceanside | Updated Review

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Our friends Amy and Kevin are in town this week celebrating their anniversary and they invited us out to dinner with them and their son Kyle last night.  Amy is an avid reader of my reviews and so she asked, “where would Island Genn go to have a nice dinner?” She decided on La Trattoria Oceanside because of my last review but also because it has a nice view, it is not downtown, it is a classy place, and has good food and service.

We had reservations for 7pm but we arrived a few minutes early. We decided to sit at the bar and have a drink before being seated at our table. La Trat, as the locals call it, is known for their martinis. But I had to be difficult and asked the bartender for a mojito which is not something he normally makes. He ran to the kitchen, got some mint, and made me a refreshing mojito even though he did not have to.  (more…)

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ZaZa Pizzeria | Updated Review

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I know that I said that I would probably not be going back here due to the service I experienced last time I was there, but ZaZa Pizzeria is across the street from my house and since we were going out of town the next day we went there to get an overpriced pizza. The inside dining area is still way too loud, so we once again sat outside.

This time our waiter was really good. Yay! He kept on top of everything and was really nice. We ordered salads and pizza. Initially when ZaZa’s opened they did not have pepperoni or other traditional pizza toppings as they were not “traditional Italian” foods. But I guess due to high demand they have added pepperoni to their list of pizza toppings much to my husband’s delight. The salads were good like last time and the pizza was much better than our last experience.  (more…)

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My Dining Pet Peeves: From Point Barrow, Alaska to Key West, Florida

I love going to a good restaurant, and I don’t care if it is fancy or not. Sometimes casual places are just what is called for. But certain things should not happen at any restaurant.

  1. Children screaming
  2. Children running around the dining area
  3. People yelling at each other, especially in a foreign language
  4. Rude and/or absent staff
  5. Bad food

Some of these things are obviously not the fault of the restaurant, but there are things that they can do to fix the problem.

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Chico’s Cantina | Review

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Chico’s Cantina, located at 5230 US HWY 1 on Stock Island serves traditional Mexican fare at reasonable rates. It is a regular spot for Key West locals to gather for lunch or dinner. The casual setting offers both indoor and outdoor seating. I myself eat here often, usually for a quick and delicious lunch.

By far, Chico’s has the best chips and salsa anywhere, and it is prepared fresh each day. But there is a danger with filling up on these before your food arrives. You can choose from steaks, seafood specials, tacos, burritos, fajitas, enchiladas, chimichangas, quesadillas, eggs, soups, and salads. Fillings include bean, ground beef, shredded beef, chicken, shredded pork, and cheese. You can choose from several sauces as well, like Verde, chili, melted cheese, and several others. They also have gringo foods like hamburgers and hotdogs (two of the few items that I’ve never eaten here).

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