News from The Restaurant Store

HS 2 Fundraiser

This past Sunday we hosted a little get together in conjunction with the Hemingway Day's Sidewalk Art Show at The Green Parrot Bar. Master loin roaster Bob Jameson did the meat honors, ably assisted by the Hairy Potter, Jay Gogin. My lovely bride Cathy brought the homemade sides of potato salad, coleslaw and Cole's Peace cookies and Cuban Bread. I drank beer. We raised over $1,200.00 for the HS 2 home school out at Florida Keys Community College and a good time was had by all. You cannot have a bad time at the Green Parrot Bar. It's simply impossible.

 

 

Vandenberg Sinking

We got invited to witness up close and personal the historic sinking of the U.S.S Vandenberg. This WW II relic of a troop transport and latter retro fitted into a missile tracking ship is now an artificial reef, dive site extraordinaire and working classroom for our local Community College, FKCC.

 

There was a slight delay in the scuttling timetable while a couple of sea turtles swam by but once they were safely away there was a red signal flare followed by a muffled explosion 1 minute latter. In under 3 minutes the 550 foot, 8 story, 17,000 ton vessel disappeared from view.

It was a momentous occasion for our community. Big thanks go out to a lot of different people who made this 8 years in the making dream a reality. Our hats are off to Joe Weatherby who had the idea and worked tirelessly to get it done and to City Commissioner Bill Verge who cleaned up every obstacle throw in this projects way and tied up every loose end to make this a reality.

 

White Clam Chili with Hillary Clinton

The boat racers are gone and this past Saturday brought a peaceful calm accompanied by the kind of spectacular weather that Key West is famous for. My lovely bride and I took advantage of the 78 degree sunshine by strolling the waterfront to have lunch at one of our favorite haunts, the A&B Lobster House.

We settled into a dockside table to enjoy a repast of their famous White Bean Clam Chili and a couple of orders of Malpeques Oysters when much to our surprise, Hillary Clinton came strolling down the dock. Now I don't agree with Hillary politically, but we here in Key West have a profound tolerance and she couldn't have been a nicer person, posing for pictures and chatting with the locals. She was in town to raise a couple of bucks for her Senate run. Bill was with her and he looks much thinner than anyone can remember. They spent the night at The Little White House but I can't say much more than that.

Here's a picture of Colleen, the General Manager of the A&B posing with Hillary. You've got to come down to the A&B and try their White Bean Clam Chili for yourself. It is delicious. The recipe is a secret, but I can tell you that it is made with two kinds of pork, two kinds of beans, black-eyed peas and redskin potatoes and a mixed vegetable mirepoix, with lots of herbs and spices topped with sour cream and blue corn tortilla chips.  It's so good that even if Rush Limbaugh saw Hillary he wouldn't lose his appetite.

Wine and Cheese at the Grand Vin

If you are one of the lucky ones who know Dan McConnell, owner of the Grand Vin, you might find out when his next raclette party is going to be. Dan is a local raconteur who bides his time between his homes in Key West and Paris. When he is in the Keys, Dan presides over the evening's events at the Grand Vin, a wine bar, wine store and gathering place for wine lovers at the corner of Duval and Virginia.

Last Thursday, Cathy, my brother Brian and I were invited to one of Dan's raclette parties; we parked the kids at Flamingo Crossing, the ice cream parlor next door while we enjoyed Dan's hospitality, a delicious red wine and authentic raclette.

At first thought, raclette seems out of place in Key West. Raclette originates in the alpine regions of France and Switzerland and is usually served in the winter time. But eating raclette on the veranda of the Grand Vin on a warm evening has a genuine Key West feel to it, and Dan's gatherings have become more and more popular.

You see, raclette is above all else a social food, which makes it perfect for Key West. You begin by warming a half wheel of raclette cheese in a unique appliance designed specifically to heat the topmost layer of cheese. The word raclette means to scrape and refers to the method of scraping the layer of warm, bubbling cheese onto the traditional accompaniments of bread, boiled potatoes, pearl onions and cornichons. Each participant takes his turn scaping and enjoying this special treat -- best followed by a sip of wine.

These raclette parties are impromptu affairs. Dan's friends and Grand Vin regulars mix freely with tourists and visitors who happen upon the gathering -- no doubt drawn by the toasty smell of raclette that fills the air. That's the way it was last Thursday; every seat on the veranda was taken. I don't know if it was by chance or on purpose but some of Key West's leading wine experts were also on hand: Steve Calderwood, who writes the Wine Lizard newsletter and a wine column for the Key West Citizen; Buzzy, local oenophile who over the years has presided over some of Key West's best wine spots; and Stacy, who consults with some of the finest restaurants on their wine lists. Good food, interesting company and great wine ...just another Thursday night in Key West.

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The Restaurant Store is one of the few places in the United States where you can get your own imported, half-wheel raclette machine. Click Here

Homes for Sale

Real Estate is going through the roof in Key West. I looked on the Real Estate website and found 97 homes for sale above 1 million dollars. Most of these homes are in Old Town, the historic area where the island gets all of it's unique charm. Better hurry, these prices will surely go up!

Breakfast in the Keys

One of the great pleasures in life is to go out to eat breakfast with the family. And there's no better place to do it than Key West.

Like a lot of people -- whose mornings start way too early -- my breakfast most days consists of a large Con Leche. If I'm lucky, I'll get an order of Cheese Toast from the Paradise Cafe. That's about it. Sunday is a different story. It is usually the one day of the week Cathy and I get to spend the whole day together with the Kids.

Deciding where to eat breakfast in Key West is never an easy decision. There are so many great places. For years we would have our breakfast at Pepe's and watch the Island slowly wake up from one of the outside tables. There is an early bar crowd at Pepe's and one of the local favorites is a Dutch Omelet (2 eggs and a Heineken). Pepe's has gotten very busy at breakfast, but it's definitely worth the wait.

Whenever, I have guests in from out of town, I take them to Blue Heaven (on Thomas St in Bahama Village). You sit outdoors under the trees and eat among the chickens, roosters and cats that are everywhere in Key West. The food is great here no matter the time of day, but breakfast is especially nice. Try Richard's pancakes with Bananas or pecans and maple syrup. On Sunday, they serve breakfast until 2:00 pm.

Not everyone in Key West has Kids. Denise and Michael from Camille's have kids who and we all hang out at the beach together. They also have a great restaurant on Simonton Street. Breakfast is a favorite. Combining standard ingredients like eggs, waffles and pancakes with fresh tomatoes, Norwegian Lox, Asparagus or Lobster is a Camille's specialty.

When my brother is in town, we usually go to the Banana Cafe. They have a wide selection of Crepes and other french specialties and serve his favorite, the Croque Madame. Cathy and I usually split a Savory Crepe with Swiss Cheese and Béchamel Sauce. The kids like the chocolate crepes. Madame, the owner, always comes around to our table to see how we are doing.

Locals know the Deli has a great breakfast menu and there is usually a line for a table (unless you're early). The deli serves classic American breakfasts. Cathy usually gets a western omelet, I get two eggs up and the kids get sausage gravy. It's all good and the service is great. The Deli is on the corner of Truman and Simonton. There's no parking, but on a Sunday Morning you should have no trouble finding something on the street.

There are a lot of great places in Key West to have breakfast, and these are just a few of our favorites. It's really hard to choose -- since we know most of the owners and chefs in town. There are some restaurants that we only go to for dinner (but I've heard they have great breakfasts too). It's really hard to go wrong when it comes to eating in Key West.

The best thing to do after breakfast is to grab the papers (New York Times, Miami Herald, Solares Hill and the Citizen) and head to the beach. If it's not good beach weather, you can always stop by The Restaurant Store. We open at 11:00.