Tag ArchiveEverywhere Once |

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.

Mallory Square Monday

by Brian on February 8, 2011 in Florida

Sunset at Mallory Square is one of the big celebration events on Key West. Every night tourists and performance artists gather at the square to watch Selene chase Helios from the sky. Every night, that is, except Monday. On Mondays, Mallory square becomes a parking lot for cruise ships so large they blot out the sun, and the celebration.

Key West Travel Tip: Skip Mallory Square on Mondays and head straight to Sloppy Joes instead.

Wasting Away Again . . .

by Brian on January 24, 2011 in Florida

Posting has been slow recently because we’ve been stuck on island time in the Florida Keys for most of January. This picture (one of my favorites from our trip so far) was taken from our bedroom window in Grassy Key. It’s hard to get motivated when just sitting here is so rewarding. I imagine we’ll have more to say on Miami at some point. But at the moment I have more pressing matters to address; like finding my lost shaker of salt.