Located in Duval Square, this upscale restaurant opened since 1988 was purchased by new owners this year. Chef Dominique styles the food at the new Square One as New American, incorporating Mediterranean, Latin, and Asian influences into a mostly French cuisine. I could not believe all of the choices on the menu which was both pleasing and daunting. I loved all of the options: meat, seafood and vegetarian. But I had a difficult time picking out what I wanted because it all sounded so delicious.
Our waiter John was very personable and had a firm grasp of the menu and the specials for the evening. Originally from the Northeast, he has been in Key West for almost a year, fresh from living on another chain of islands far away; the Hawaiian Islands. But I digress… Besides being personable John was a wonderful waiter, very attentive and we were never left wondering where he was.
The fried calamari was ordered as an appetizer. It was served with three different dipping sauces, and I thought them all bland. But we were brought out cocktail sauce that worked well enough to balance the lightly fried seafood. The calamari itself was good; I would have really liked a marinara dipping sauce to have come with this dish though.
I ordered the spinach salad, and in all honesty, I really don’t care for spinach salad normally but the menu description sold me on it. And I am glad that it did because the mix of fresh spinach, tomatoes, red onions, candies walnuts, apples, blue cheese crumbles, and a light balsamic vinaigrette dressing was sublime.
Tommy ordered the Caesar salad sans anchovies and it was awesome. It was well dressed without being soggy and the home made croutons added a nice crunch to the garlicy salad.
For dinner Pam got the vegetable risotto which was creamy and delicious with just enough vegetables to add a nice compliment to the arborio rice.
Tommy order the stuffed pork chop after much deliberation. When it was brought out it was enormous and none of us thought that he would finish it, but he did. It was cooked perfectly throughout and was tender to boot which was a welcome surprise given that rarely happens with such a thick cut. The filling of spinach and cheese was a delicious pairing to the succulent chop.
My husband Steven (the seafood pasta connoisseur) ordered, you guessed it, seafood pasta. The shrimp, scallops, clams and mussels were gently cooked and seasoned, served over al dente linguine tossed in a light sauce of lemon, garlic, and basil. Yum!
As an entree I ordered the Shrimp with Risotto which was very good. The shrimp were seasoned and cooked perfectly and paired well with the creamy risotto garnished with yummy pesto and olives.
The nice thing about the risotto dishes, which was one of the reason us girls decided to go with this option, was that while they were delicious and filling, it was just the right amount of food to eat without feeling like we overate, allowing for us to partake in dessert.
We got a Key Lime Pie and a Cannoli Cake. I have to admit that my Italian heritage really showed it self when I saw the Cannoli Cake on the menu. I am pretty sure that I screamed with excitement over this. I am not a huge Key Lime Pie fan, but it was not bad although a bit too tart for my taste. The Cannoli Cake was not exactly what I was expecting taste wise, but it was delicious nonetheless. Very light and creamy and I loved the candied orange on top.
I forgot to mention the seating. Because the weather was absolutely perfect, we opted to sit outside. I was a little bummed that I did not bring Indiana Bones with us since he could have joined us on the patio, but we will save that for another time. We did not even go inside, but from the glimpses that I caught of the interior dining area it looked to be beautifully decorated. The only negative about eating outside was the random squawks of the parrots in the Duval Square Courtyard. Luckily the birds were somewhat removed from us and we already knew that they were there so we were prepared for some noise.
I have to say that this was one of the most enjoyable downtown dining experiences we have had in a very long time. Add to that the location of Duval Square with free parking on site being a huge bonus, and I think that Square One just might be our new go to restaurant for special occasions (last night was our eighth wedding anniversary).
Square One is open every evening for inner at 5:30 PM or just prior to dinner you may enjoy Happy Hour with discounted drinks from 4 to 5:30 PM.
Before deciding where you are going to eat while visiting Key West, be sure to read my other restaurant reviews; check out our restaurant review section of this blog as well as our previous restaurant reviews.
And to see what is happening on the island during your visit, check out our Key West Events Calendar to see other upcoming special events. For more information about the fun side of Key West… things to do and see in our island city, go to our Key West Web Site.
Feel free to Email Me if you have any questions about Key West!!
