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You know you’re in Key West when…

by Brian on February 16, 2011 in Florida

…you come back from sightseeing and there’s a rooster perched on the roof of your car.

“Gypsy chickens” have the run of the island, roaming streets and sidewalks, appearing in restaurant courtyards, nesting in trees, and making it completely unnecessary for an alarm clock. They’re said to be the descendants of birds brought to the island from Cuba for cock fighting before the barbaric pastime was made illegal.

The gypsy chickens have caused rifts among residents, with some thinking they’re a nuisance and others wanting to protect them. We’re rooting for the chickens, who so far are winning the war. They’re protected by law. Harass the feathered locals, and you’ll pay a steep price: a $500 fine.

Second Time Around

by Brian on February 15, 2011 in Florida, Food & Drink

For two and a half years, since the last time we visited Key West, I had been fantasizing about Santiago’s Bodega, a restaurant that serves tapas-style dishes. We tried completely different items than we had when we first dined there—except for one, my favorite, dates stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped in prosciutto—and thought it was even more divine this time around. Or maybe food just tastes better after biking four-and-a-half miles to get to it. The best part: Brian was inspired to recreate the date dish in the RV kitchen.

Meet Fats Waller

by Brian on February 14, 2011 in Florida

If it looks like this kitten is wearing mittens, its because he has extra toes. About half of the fifty cats that occupy the Ernest Hemingway house in Key West are similarly “polydactyl” and are likely descendants of the six-toed cat, Snowball, who lived here 75 years ago as the great author’s pet.

This was our second visit to the Ernest Hemingway House (you can read Shannon’s original account on her Novel Destinations blog) and even as a rerun, it was still one of the most enjoyable author houses we’ve visited. It’s not just the house and grounds that are interesting, or the hordes of cats that seem to run the place, but the tour guides are a cut above what you normally find in other historic places. Professional and highly entertaining, without employing over-the-top theatrics, our guides at the Hemingway House were among the best we’ve seen anywhere. And Fats Waller–the cat, not the jazz musician–lent a paw by accompanying us the entire time, providing his unique perspective on what it’s like to live the high life in the tropical estate where Hemingway wrote To Have and Have Not. Although he could have easily fit in Shannon’s way oversize pocketbook, I wouldn’t let her smuggle him out.

BYOB Bar

by Brian on February 11, 2011 in Florida, Food & Drink

Key West is known for its bars, but Peppers is the only one I’m aware of that encourages patrons to bring their own beer and chicken wings. Serving up over 100 different sauces, marinades, dry rubs, dips and salsas in their tasting bar, Peppers is a truly unique retail experience. Our “bartender” lined up shot after shot of sauces, twenty in all, to be sampled with complementary tortilla chips. We started with sweet and smoky barbeque sauces and gradually increased the heat.

By the end I had progressed all the way to Melinda’s Original Naga Jolokia Pepper Sauce. The Naga Jolokia pepper, also known as the Ghost Chile, is the hottest pepper in the world. With a whopping 1 million Scoville Units it contains the heat of 200 Jalapeños. That is one mean pepper, and Melinda’s is one mean sauce. I love spicy food, but I had to throw in the towel after a small taste of that one, which isn’t even the hottest sauce in the bar. Maybe with a little training, I can come back and take on the whole line up. But for now, No Mas!

Worth the Wait

by Brian on February 10, 2011 in Florida, Food & Drink

Cuban Coffee Queen is a small shack of a restaurant in downtown Key West that reminded us of the much hyped Red’s Eats of Maine. The one big difference between the two is that Cuban Coffee Queen lives up to its reputation. Here, the food is actually worth the wait. For exactly half the price of a Red’s lobster roll, we had a deliciously slow roasted Mojo pork and provolone sandwich with horseradish mayonnaise and a café con leche (the Cuban version of a café latte).

We waited about 45 minutes for our sandwiches, which seemed like a really long time considering there were only a couple of other people milling around the stand. I know we’re on island time, but that’s a little ridiculous. We soon discovered that locals were to blame. People who knew better called in their orders in advance. So while only a few of us stooges waited patiently outside for our food, the order tickets above the cook’s grill ran the length of the shack.

So one of the things to pack for your next Key West trip is this number: 305-294-7787. Call ahead for some great sandwiches down by the docks. Or better yet, have them delivered.