News from The Restaurant Store

2008 Master Chef's Classic Results

The Results are in and the winners are:

Appetizers

First Place goes to The Rooftop Cafe for their King Crab Cocktail with Citrus & Ginger Vinaigrette.

Second Place goes to the Conch Republic Seafood Company for their Coconut-crusted Pink Shrimp with Hot Pepper Jelly & Hearts of Palm Salad.

Third Place goes to Guy Harvey Grill for their Roasted Artichoke & Asparagus Bisque garnished with Caviar & Crème Fraiche

Entrees

First Place goes to The Sailfish Club for their Lobster Tempura with Southernmost Caesar Salad (Lobster tempura with Caesar dressing, tomato grilled pineapple and Parmigiana Reggiano Tuille)

Second Place goes to The Pier House for their Asian Style Lobster & Tuna Romance with Spicy Vegetables.

Third Place goes to The Conch Republic Seafood Company for their Juju-glazed Grouper Filets with Coconut Couscous & Macadamia Sambal

Desserts

First Place goes to The Pier House for their Fresh Cherry Crisp with Bourbon Ice Cream & Cinnamon Drizzle

Second Place goes to Pepe's Cafe for their Chocolate Macadamia Nut Pie

Third Place goes to Finnegan's Wake for their Chocolate Enchiladas (Chocolate Cake wrapped in a Tortilla basted with Nutella and topped with Belgian Chocolate

Here are some pictures of the festivities. See you next year.

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The Great Green Parrot Pig-Off

A grand time was had by all at the first (and possibly last), Great Green Parrot Pig Off held in conjunction with the annual Off The Wall Art Show. Photo Credits: Nick Vagnoni and Vicki Lapier

February Events Schedule

FEBRUARY 2007 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT +++=+28 ++=++29 +++=+30 ++=++31 +++++1 +++++2 +++3 4 5 6 7 8 Italian Wine Tasting SOLD OUT 9 Italian Wine Tasting SOLD OUT 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 1 2 3 UPCOMING EVENTS: Key West Songwriter's Festival May 2-5

January Cooking Class and Event Schedule

JANUARY 2007 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 31 11-4 Open 1 New Year's Day Closed 2 3 4 5 6 Pan-Asian noon 7 Closed 8 9 10 11 12 13 Pan-Asian noon ~ Fla Keys Seafood Festival 14 Closed 15 Pan-Asian 6pm 16 17 18 19 20 21 Master Chef's Classic 22 23 24 25 26 27 Pan-Asian noon 28 Half Shell Half Marathon Closed 29 Pan-Asian 6pm 30 31 1 2 3

Florida Keys Seafood Festival

December Cooking Classes

It's great to be able to start the holiday season with a new series of cooking classes. These classes are presented by Chef Andrew Berman, one of the most talented chefs to ever work in the Keys. Among his many accomplishments, he has been the Head Chef at Pisces/Cafe des Artistes for the last 17 years. Andrew has a real gift for teaching cooking skills in a fun and informal style -- and his food is extraordinary. Check out our series of classes. You can sign up online or in the store. See you there.

Lobster Mini Season Opens Today

The Annual 2-Day Lobster Mini Season was introduced about 30 years ago to bring some sanity to the lobster harvest. The Mini Season was set up to allow locals and visitors who are not professional lobster fishermen the opportunity to harvest lobsters prior to the start of the commercial lobster season on August 1st.

Every year, the mini-season draws 30,000 participants from all over Florida and beyond. Every hotel room in town is booked and some 190,000 lobsters are expected to be pulled from the near-shore waters of the keys in the two days.

If you are in town to participate in the Mini Season, here's a tip: Stop by The Restaurant Store first so you have everything you need to cook your catch. That way you can start eating right away. Here are some things to check out:

• 3-Piece Steamer Sets
• Double-Jaw Lobster Crackers
• Butter Warmers
• Seafood Picks
• Lobster Bibs

Battle In The Bay

May 13th will forever be remembered as the great Battle in the Bay. This is the day many brave rowers came to the Outer Mole to risk heatstroke, sunburns, sore muscles, and even extreme thirst to do battle and serve a worthy cause.

The first (annual) Dragon Boat Festival was staged to raise money for Community Housing and other local charities. Cole's Peace Bakery sponsored our team, named "Dye Trying" to raise money for the Marc House as well as Habitat for Humanity.

Many of The Restaurant Store Irregulars were in enlisted; including, Cathy, Mari-Lynn (and Scott), Sarah (and Joe) as well as a whole crew of local faves like Bucco from Waterfront Market, Louis and Maureen from Montage and Flanagan from Turtle Kraals.

While "Dye Trying" failed to live up to its name, we did finish in the middle of the pack and raised $750 for the Marc House. We are already looking forward to next year.

Click Here to Look at some Photos.

Slow cooked in Key West

We did the Taste of Key West as a food vendor for the first time. Over 500 portions of slow cooked and smoked pork served open faced on Cole's Peace bread with either choice of Old Ray's or Scott's dipping sauce were served. We cooked them on The Big Green Egg; made a lot of people happy and raised over $2000 for AidsHelp. We had so much fun, we'll definitely be back for the Taste next year.

Join us for The Taste of KeyWest

Here are the details on this year's "Taste" (taken from the official website). The Restaurant Store is always part of this great event and we hope to see you there. -R.T.

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11th Annual Taste of Key West, an event not to be missed, will be held at Truman Waterfront at the end of Southard Street

The 11th Annual Taste of Key West will be held from 6 to 9 p.m., Monday, April 24 at Truman Waterfront at the end of Southard Street as a benefit for AIDS Help, Inc.  Every year the event has grown by leaps and bounds.

More than 70 local restaurants and 100 wineries and vineyards, provided by National Distributing will be on hand to provide food and wine tastes. Admission is free…food and wine tickets cost $1 each with “tastes” ranging from $3 to $8. The 2006 Commemorative Wine Glasses sell for $6 each. Participants can arrive at 5:00 p.m. to purchase their glasses and tickets prior to the gates opening promptly at 6:00 p.m.

Old Town Trolley will once again provide shuttle services from major downtown hotels. There will also be free parking.

2006 Vintner's Dinner Slated for Tennessee Williams

The first organizational meeting for the 2006 Vinter's Dinner was held at the Tennessee Williams Fine Arts Center, the site of this year's event. The Vintner's Dinner is the kick-off event for the 11th annual Taste of Key West. The dinner will take place on Sunday April 23rd, and it's already sold out. Last year's dinner raised over $50,000.00 for Aids Help and it is an unbelievably good time. Vintners come from all over the country to pair their wines with the special 5 course menu that is served to over 180 guests.

Pictures from the 2005 Food & Wine Fest

Check out these pictures from some of the events during the 2005 Key West Food and Wine Festival. At The Restaurant Store we held wine tasting classes all week hosted by distinguished wine experts. Every class was a sellout, and as you can see, everyone had a great time.

I also included a couple of pictures from Alice's Flavors of Summer from around the World Wine Dinner held at her restaurant on Duval Street. This is just one of the great events that has become an annual tradition during the fest.

Mark your calendar for next year if you want to join the fun.

Master Chef's Classic

Well it's Food and Wine Fest time again and we are all eating and drinking at an elevated level. The kick off event was the 10th Annual Master Chef's Classic Benefit for MARC House. A hot time was had by all and big thanks go out to The Pier House, A & B Lobster House, Eric's Bottega, Salute', Willie T's, Alice's, Ocean Key House, The Rooftop Cafe, National Wines and Lolonais Vineyard.

The Key West Food and Wine Festival keeps getting better every year. I've noticed a lot of familiar faces who come to town specifically for this event. A complete list of what's going on can be found at KWRAB.com and if you want to join the festivities come on down next year. We will save you a seat and you'll make a bunch of new friends.

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2005 Master Chef Winners

Grand Prize Appetizer - Ocean Grill at La Te Da - Chef Bill Haines (Roasted Tomato Gateau - plum tomato layer cake with spinach, Chevre cheese and basil)

1st place Appetizer - Willie’Ts - Chef Justin Cucci (Semolina Gnocchi Cakes w/ Oven dried tomatoes, sauté baby spinach, zante currents & pine nuts)

2nd place Appetizer - One Duval Street - Matthew Schee, Chef Tomas Russo (Mussels with Mango-Rum Salsa & Mussels with aioli Amaretto)

Grand Prize Entrée - A & B Lobster House - Chef Buckland (Grill Jumbo Caribbean Shrimp w/ Black beans, fried plantains and tomato mango salsa)

1st place Entrée - Eric’s Bottega - Chef Eric Castalano (Penne Leonardo (spicy Italian sausage sautéed with porcini mushrooms in a white sauce tossed with penne)

Grand Prize Dessert - Alice’s  - Chef Alice Wiengarten (Tropical Fruit and macadamia nut baklava w/candied ginger laced crème Anglaise)

1st. place Dessert - A & B Lobster House - Chef Scott Buckland, Joes Isquerdo, Karol Orton, Monica Pospisilora, Sylvvia Czaykowski, Jim Schuiedo (Pineapple upside down martini w/rum butter sauce and Tahitian vanilla ice cream)

2nd place Dessert - Willie Ts - Chef Justin Cucci (Chocolate Budino cake with Double English cream and fresh berries)

Peoples Choice Awards

Grand Prize Peoples Choice - A & B Lobster House - Chef Scott Buckland (Coconut fried baby conch w/pineapple papaya chutney and key lime aioli)

1st Peoples Choice Runner Up - Rooftop - Chef Brendan Orr (Pork Spring Rolls with spicy aioli and Edamaine salad

2nd  Peoples Choice Runner Up  - A & B Lobster House - Chef Scott Buckland (Pineapple upside down martini w/pineapple papaya chutney and key lime aioli)

Got Fruit?

Come to Bayview Park this Saturday to participate in one of the local's favorite events. The Key West Tropical Fruit Fiesta is produced by the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences in cooperation with Monroe County Extension, so its  a great place to learn about local fruit and the cultivation and care of fruit trees.

There's a homegrown fruit contest, fruit trees for purchase, games for the kids and of course lots of fruit to enjoy. Hey, we love our fruits in Key West. The event runs from 9 until 2 pm on Saturday, June 25th.

We won't be there, we have to work. But you can stop by the store for your favorite fruit juicing implements. We've got 'em. Here's just a few:

		HMB-932 Commercial Manual juicer
		Designed to extract pure citrus juices from oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits. The Hamilton-Beach model 932 Manual Juice Extractor is considered to be...
		CUI-CCJ Cuisinart Citrus Juicer
		This elegant, brushed stainless steel Citrus Juicer squeezes fresh juice quickly, cleanly, and easily! An auto-reversing reamer squeezes more juice from the smallest lime ...
		AMC-85-MULT Citrus Squeezers (Orange, Lemon, Lime)
		Bright colored hand juicers will brighten your kitchen or bar. Perfect for small juicing jobs. Choose from small (lime), medium (lemon) and large (or...
		BRA-MPZ22 Braun Citromatic juicer
		Compact design, easy handling and cleaning. Your orange or grapefruit juice will flow directly into the glass. Enjoy! 60 watts. RPM 100 u/min. Removea...
		MTK-3501 Mighty OJ juicer (white)
		World's largest-selling mechanical juicer Internationally acclaimed design -- featured in many museums. Leverages up to 600 pounds of pressure ...
		KIT-JE Citrus juicer Attachment
		Citrus juicer Attachment for Kitchenaid 325-watt Mixers. Enjoy Fresh-Squeezed Orange, Lemon, Lime or Grapefruit Juice. Strainer Traps Seeds and Pulp. ...
		FOX-4167 Lemon Reamer
		Traditional wooden citrus reamer makes quick work of juicing lemons, limes and other citrus fruit....
		ROY-CJ2L Ra Chand juicer (large)
		The RaChand lever-action manual juicer is desgned for commercial juicing needs, but also makes a great home juicer. Made of durable cast aluminum it i...
		FOX-5515 juicer
		Handy two cup clear plastic juicer. Makes fresh squeezed orange juice in seconds. Dishwasher safe....

Cuban American Heritage Festival

Even in the summer there are always two or three things going on in town every day. Key West is a year-long city. This week it's the Cuban American Heritage Festival (June 12th-18th). It's the sixth year for the event and gives the abundant Cuban-American population of the island a chance to show off their culture and history.  Present-day Key West owes the Cuban Community a lot. Without the Cubans, we wouldn't have Cafe Con Leche, Mojitos, Cigars, or Cuban Mix sandwiches.

Cubans have been emigrating north to Key West since the 1860's. These days many try to come to the US to flee oppression and taste some American freedom. Just last week, 13 people made the 89 mile journey arrived in Key West in a converted 1949 taxi cab. You may have seen it in the news. Locals christened it the "Aquataxi."

We have a lot of great Cuban Restaurants in town. One local favorite is El Meson De Pepe. They have two locations, their original spot is in the old Customs House a block off Mallory Square and they recently added a new location up the boulevard with plenty of parking. If you want good authentic Cuban food, you can't go wrong with El Meson.

If you want to try a little Cuban Cooking at home, here's a recipe for a Cuban Mix sandwich. You'll need Cuban bread, but any broad, soft sandwich roll will do. It must be soft, like a hotdog bun (but broader across to hold the meat), and not hard like a baguette and a Sandwich Press (which you can get at The Restaurant Store).

1. Pre-heat the sandwich press
2. Half the bread and butter the inside generously
3. Add a layer of sliced dill pickles
4. Add a layer of sliced roast pork
5. Add a layer of sliced sugar-cured ham
6. Swiss Cheese, Mayonnaise, Lettuce, Tomatoes (Mustard is optional)
7. Assemble the sandwich and press until flat in the sandwich press (until the cheese melts and the bread is slightly crusty)
8. Slice diagonally and serve.

Special Fishing Tournament Knives

The Key West Fishing Tournament is a 7 month long annual event that brings in competitors from all over the country. This year, The Restaurant Store helped kick off the tournament with a special line of fishing knives from Dexter-Russell.

Dexter-Russell is a great American knife company that not only makes some of the finest commercial-quality chefs tools, but they also use their cutlery expertise to produce some wonderful fishing knives.

These knives feature stain-free, high-carbon steel with a hand ground and honed edge. Their slip-resistant handles are designed to provide a safe grip and stand up to tough use. The handles seal around the blade for a sanitary bond. The entire knife is easy to clean and keep clean.

Even if you don't plan on entering the fishing tournament (it ends in November), these knives would be a great addition to anyone's tackle box or a perfect Father's Day gift idea! Click here to order one online.

The 2005 Vintner's Dinner

On Sunday, April 17th Key West hosted the 7th annual Vintner's Dinner at the beautiful Casa Marina. This event is probably the one of the most anticipated of the year. It always sells out months in advance and it is held the day before The Taste of Key West. Pictured are the usual cast of characters. Artisan Breads were provided by Cole's Peace Bakery, passed appetizers were made by Chef Alice from Alice's and Chef Susan from Cafe Marquesa. The soup course was by John and Judy from Café Solé. The salad course was from Chef Louie and the gang at Great Events Catering. Chef Michael and the crew from Antonia's did the pasta course and the entree was made by Chef Ken and staff from the Casa Marina. The evening came to a sumptuous conclusion with desert by Chef Dawn from Little Palm Island and petit fours from the White St. Bakery. Denise and Chris from National Wines hosted each of the 18 vintners in attendance and everyone had a great time raising more than $50,000 for AIDS Help. What do you say we do it again next year!

2005 Taste of Key West

Monday, April 18th from 6-9 pm - Free Admission

After ten years of success, the Taste of Key West has become a local tradition. Every year over 60 of the Keys' top restaurants are showcased as a fundraiser for Aids Help. It's a great opportunity for local restaurants to give back to the community and Aids Help is a favorite organization that makes a huge diffence in a lot of people's lives. 

Fine wines will be available to accompanying the culinary creations; these are provided by our good friends at National Distributing. Every year a special wine glass commemoratives the event, and they have become somewhat of a collector's item.

This is a great opportunity to discover why Key West is one of the best food destinations in the country. Sample from all of the island's top restaurants in one setting while helping a worthy cause. The Restaurant Store pitches in by providing all of the plates, bowls, cups, napkins and utensils, and we hope to see you there too!

Food tickets can be purchased for $1 each and the 2005 Wine Glass (needed to sample the wines) is $6. This year's Taste will be an exciting new location at the Truman Waterfront (at the end of Southard Street) Free transportation is available from the Pier House, Hilton Resort, The Reach, The Casa Marina and La Concha.

My Brother, the Angel

I have known my brother Richard all of my life, so when Alice's selected him as this year's Angel during "Chef Alice's Fourth Annual Angel Dinner" recently, I was shocked and surprised. But not as shocked and surprised as the honoree himself. It seems that somewhere between counting plastic cups, being late for appointments and not opening a bakery, my brother has found time to assist an organization called Aids Help.

I hope the selection committee knew what they were getting into when they added the name Richard Tallmadge to the list of past Angels like, Alan Van Wieren, Dr. Rudy Marin and T.K. Kraker. Being Key West, they don't award scrolls or plaques; instead, an original work of art is commissioned. This year, local artist Hays Spangler Trott was chosen to create an original painting to commemorate the event. The work is appropriately entitled: "You're an Angel."

As a witness to the evening, I can say that the the room was filled with truly nice people dressed in their Key West finest and they seemed to be enjoying themselves. And the comments directed at my brother appeared to be heartfelt and uncoerced. 

As you might expect from Chef Alice Weingarten and her business partner Bart Hofford, the food was flawless. The wines provided by Bob Larkin and Denise Marchant were exceptional and abundantly served. The staff (who volunteered their time and tips) were on their toes, and everyone ended the evening feeling better than it began.

The purpose of the dinner was never lost amid the festivities, that is, to benefit Aids Help.  AIDS Help is a non-profit community-based organization, providing case-managed health care, housing, food, counseling, referral and support services for HIV-infected residents of Monroe County. The agency also conducts health education and HIV risk reduction outreach programs aimed at reducing the impact of HIV infection throughout Monroe County. Every year, Alice's holds this dinner and raises thousands of dollars to benefit the agency. Talk about Angels!

You can view photos from the event in the Photo Gallery. To make a donation to Aids Help, go to their website.

Race Week

It's the annual Yachting Race week here in paradise and the town is alive. These folks come from all over the country to race their sailboats and Key West has been hosting this shindig for the last 10 years. Click here if you want to track the results.

Last week we had our annual Literary Seminar. January is just a great month in the beautiful Florida Keys. Bye for now, RT

Saying Goodbye to Hurricane Season

What a year! Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne. This has been one of the most exhausting hurricane seasons ever. Four major storms -- at the time, each one -- looked like they were headed right for us. After Charley's near miss on Key West and direct hit on the Dry Tortugas, the whole town started taking things seriously. 

For a solid month, TV's at local bars were all tuned to the Weather Channel. And Happy Hour talk at Pepe's was more like a meeting of hurricane experts. At the height of Ivan, they evacuated the Keys --even the homeless left town.

Now that Hurricane Season is officially over, I guess we can take down the hurricane shutters.

...until next year.

Stone Crab Season

In the Keys, the start of Stone Crab Season is a huge event. While the season doesn't open until mid-October, you mind turns to thoughts of platters of delicious crab claws sometime in September.  This is a natural response designed to give you time to prepare.

People around here treat the first meal of Stone Crab Season with the same reverence normally reserved for Thanksgiving in other parts of the country. By October 1st, you are planning your menu and thinking about where you are going to get your Claws.

This is the time to call in some old IOU's. Most people have a couple of friends in the fishing community, or maybe you have to go to a friend of a friend's sister's neighbor -- whatever it takes. You want a dependable source for large fresh claws. And if more than one person comes through? No problem. You can have a bigger party.

Sure, you could go to Publix, but what fun is that. The great thing about Stone Crabs is having a connection to the person who caught them -- Plus, Stone Crabs in the store are way expensive.

If you've never tried Stone Crabs, you've got to come down to the Keys during Crab Season. You'll find them on the menu of all the great restaurants and you'll even find guys on the corner selling them out of coolers to take home.

Stone Crabs thrive in the Gulf From mid-October to mid-May. Crab traps, small wooden crates actually, are pulled daily during the dailight hours and the crabs are kept in salt water until they are cooked. Cooking usually takes place on board the boat and they are chilled immediately. You never buy uncooked Stone Crabs. Just keep them on ice until you're ready to eat.

The distinctive thing about Stone Crabs is you only eat the claws (and leg joints) and they are traditionally served cold with Key Lime Honey Mustard. Since the shells are very hard (that's why they call them "stone" crabs), you usually get them already cracked. If you need to crack your own, nothing beats a hammer or a meat mallet. Just give them a couple of good whacks and dig in.

If you are a pro, you should look at the EZ Cracker. If ever there were a perfect tool for the job. Every year we sell a couple of these for wives who's husbands are Stone Crab fanatics.

My wife Cathy loves Stone Crabs and will be bringing in the Season at Fishcutters Restaurant up on Summerland Key, Mile Marker 26 if you're in the area.