A Break From Winter in Key West Part 3

DAY FIVE

Sunday called for brunch, so we headed back to Stock Island for Pizza and Prusecco. Roostica is a fairly new restaurant. I would have to say it's a great addition to the islands. There were a variety of breakfast pizzas, yummy veggies and even a chocolate pizza for dessert. It went well with the cranberry mimosas that were served. It was great to be able to sit outside in the morning and listen to live jazz while eating breakfast.

Of course we spent the afternoon lounging by the pool. Another couple flew in from our area that day. They were so glad to be with us as the temps at home were in the single digits all week. Brrr!

The event of the evening was the sunset cruise we had all booked together. We boarded the boat, had some beverages, some food and some dancing. Unfortunately it was overcast so no sunset :( but on the way back to the harbor, the sky cleared and we got to see a beautiful moon rise over the island.

The food on the boat was a little scant so we decided to go truly tourist and spend some time at the original Margaritaville Cafe. Southern Drawl was playing live and as luck would have it, they were making a video, so guess who can be seen dancing through it in a conga line? Yes, it was our goofy crew.

DAY SIX

Although all our friends were staying for longer periods, Bob and I were heading home on this day. Mary Ann and Scott said we couldn't leave before having breakfast at Blue Heaven. We actually got to dine in a beautiful outdoor garden, complete with Key West wild chickens clucking and strutting under the tables. They served some tasty omelets and eggs Benedict here. After breakfast there was just enough time for goodbye hugs and pictures at Mile Marker 0 before catching the shuttle to the airport.

This was truly one of my favorite trips. When I think about it, the reasons are everyone could enjoy their time in the Keys in their own way and on their own schedule, the weather was beautiful and it provided a much needed break from Winter and we got to share a lot of new enjoyable experiences with some great friends!

Have you been to Key West?  If so, what were your favorites?

A Break From Winter in Key West Part 2

DAY THREE

Friday was an "on your own" day for us because we weren't signed up for any events. We ate breakfast at the hotel beach cafe and then took the Olde Town Trolley for a sightseeing tour of the island. When we returned, we had lunch at a tiny little Cuban Cafe. The rest of the day was pool and sun time.

That evening, Todd found a place on Duval Street called the Smokin' Tuna. We listened to Scott Kirby, who can be heard on Radio Margaritaville. No cover and the food was good too. We met one of Bob's One on One Fitness buddies and her husband. They had just arrived and flew out of a snowstorm to get there. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at the Cork and Stogie. Mary Ann and Scott know the owners. We spent about an hour just sitting on the front porch steps watching the characters on Duval Street. I love to people watch so this was a highlight for me.

DAY FOUR

Saturday was a big Wine and Food Fest Day. Bob and I worked out in the hotel gym in the morning and went to the little cafe across the street for a light breakfast. After a short rest, we boarded the trolley for a trip to Stock Island. This is where the "working folks" live away from the tourist area of Duval Street. We went to The Hogfish Bar and Grill for a shrimp boil. On the way in you could get white or red wine. It was a little better quality wine then at some of our previous stops.  "Barry Cuda" and his band entertained while we enjoyed our lunch.

The appetizer was coconut shrimp, one of my favs. The main course was a bowl full of boiled shrimp, Key West Lobster, potatoes and cornbread. I was a little apprehensive at first. The shrimp came, legs, heads, eyeballs and all and they smelled, well, fishy. The meal was already paid for so I dug in and hoped for the best. It's good I did because the shrimp were delicious and probably about as fresh as you could get. There were shrimp boats parked in the harbor right behind the restaurant. They say most people either prefer Maine Lobster or Key West Lobster. I prefer Maine, although Key West wasn't bad.

After lunch we pitted the wine pourers against each other in a facebook battle over who could give one of us the tallest refill. That made our table pretty festive until the trolley came back for us!

Another short rest by the pool was in order before we headed for the Duval Uncorked event. This featured 46 businesses on Duval Street. Each offered a wine and food taste. This was about two hours of walking, eating and drinking. Some highlights were Leather Masters (no more description here, this is a G rated blog!) a Western bar with a mechanical bull and a boutique that offered a sample hand washing with Secret of the Islands salt scrub. I'm going to order some of that soon for nice soft hands.

Duval Uncorked wrapped up around 8 p.m. We walked back to our hotel with Scott and MaryAnn but it was way too early for us to call it a night, so we met Deb and Todd at the Smokin' Tuna for some more live music.


Part 3 to come soon......

A Break from Winter in Key West

From January 23 to 28, my hubby, some friends and I took a break from the cold Northeast and headed to Key West for some warm weather, good food and good wine at the Key West Wine and Food Fest 2013.

DAY ONE

One nice thing about this trip is that we all made different travel arrangements so that we could come and go as our schedules allowed. Bob and I decided to fly to Miami and drive the famous Highway One to Key West. What a great way to start our winter escape! We touched down in Miami, picked up our Chrysler 200, rolled down the windows (aahh, what a treat in January for a Centra PA native) and headed down US 1 for an adventure.

Bob got me a CD for Christmas called, "Florida Keys Road Trip". It told the story of the Florida Keys as we drove. What a great way to start our trip; with some "us" time before we met our friends. At one o'clock, we stopped in Marathon to eat at Fish Tails, a sweet little diner with the best Wahoo you ever tasted. We also tried conch (pronounced conk, like a conk on the head) chowder for the first time. Yum.

Not long after lunch, we started getting texts from our friends who had flown straight to Key West. They were anxious for us to get there because they were already knee deep in the party! At about 3:30 we pulled into the parking lot of the Southernmost Hotel. We checked in and found Deb, Todd, Scott and Mary Ann at Wine School. We changed into our swimming suits and joined the fun of live music, sunscreen and mohitos by the pool.

Mary Ann and Scott have been to Key West many times. This was our first time and they were excited to share some of their favorite restaurants and bars with us. When the sun set we headed to Cafe Sole to try some raw conch. I had some blackened grouper that was to die for. Scott suggested the hog fish (it's kind of like snapper) that Bob really liked. We also shared some really good white wine. Key lime pie topped off the meal.

The next day we needed to walk off that dinner so we walked all over the island of Key West. It was a beautiful day to walk and see the sights.  Naturally after all that walking we were hungry.  So we walked into Camille's for a tasty breakfast of omelettes and Cuban toast.

It was pool and sun time for the afternoon, then the Key West Food and Wine Festival began with the Flip Flop Beach Party.  We tasted a variety of wines and foods while the sun set over the water. What a gorgeous day.  You just haven't seen the most beautiful sunset until you have seen it set in Key West. When it slipped into the sea, we all applauded.  What a show!

Our evening fun was the Mallory Square stroll.  We visited about seven different restaurants where we sampled food and wine at each.  It gave us a chance to experience places to dine that we would not have visited otherwise. It was a warm and breezy evening, a thoroughly enjoyable time to be near the harbor with good food, good drink and good friends.

Stay Tuned for Part 2....


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad