We went to Key West last week for five days. We normally go in January for the Key West Literary Festival and the weather is usually perfect. The first one I attended was in 2011. The theme that year was The Hungry Muse– about Food Writing- obviously right up my alley. This year the theme was Family, which obviously covers a wide range of topics.

Actually, some years I don’t know many of the authors, but this year’s keynote address was given by John Irving- of The World According to Garp fame. We got there a day early and made a trip to the Dry Tortugas, something that’s been on my bucket list for a while and was a present to my husband for Christmas.

We went by seaplane (Key West Seaplane Adventures), which was a great way to visit Fort Jefferson, the military fort on the Dry Tortugas. It was named Tortugas by Ponce de Leon in 1513 for the sea turtles surrounding the island, which were a source of welcome, fresh food. We actually saw sea turtles, sharks and dolphins from our vantage point on the plane. I even got to be the “co-pilot” on the way home, much to my husband’s chagrin.

Unfortunately, the fort itself has not been very well kept up and there are no park rangers to give tours. It’s a self-guided tour, but many of the placards have fallen down and the Visitors Center was closed. The most famous person to reside there was Dr. Samuel Mudd, who was arrested for his role in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. If you’ve ever heard the expression “Your name is Mudd”, that’s where it comes from. There was a pretty beach we walked down and some people went snorkeling, but not us! It was too cold.

At any rate, whenever we go to Key West we try to find new places to visit. We ran into another couple on Dry Tortugas who do the same, so we compared notes about places we’ve enjoyed in Key West. They really liked Old Town Tavern (they’re open until 1 am!) and Vergilios, which is a bar down the street from La Trattoria, serving the same Italian food, but not in a fancy, white tablecloth atmosphere.

We didn’t get a chance to visit those places, but we did check out the Chart Room that they recommended that night. It’s located inside The Pier House hotel and it’s a definite hole-in-the (hotel) wall kind of place. With maps on the ceilings, music cranked up and popcorn, peanuts and some dubious-looking hot dogs being served, this is definitely a local’s hang out. Apparently, Jimmy Buffet would play here in exchange for drinks early on in his career and, later, would hang out here with Mel Fisher, of treasure hunting fame.

It was a little noisy for us there, but we did appreciate the bar in our hotel- Tropicado in the newly refurbished La Concha on Duval Street. It’s got a beautiful, upscale bar with delicious cocktails and Cuban-inspired bar bites. I really enjoyed my Margarita and a Guava drink I can’t remember the name of. Very friendly servers as well.

It was a very adventurous day because dinner that night was at Latitudes on Sunset Key. You take a ferry to the island and it’s about a 10 minute boat ride to the restaurant. We had a really lovely, romantic meal there and the ambiance is tropical, warm and relaxed. We split a bottle of wine and Beef Carpaccio with a cured egg yolk (!). I got Pan Seared Snapper with rice and a cucumber ribbon salad and Zeke got Key West Pink Shrimp Carbonara. Our servers were on the ferry on the way home with us. Two thumbs up!

On Friday night, we tried Seven Fish, which Zeke had heard of. It was located in a residential part of Key West. I wasn’t crazy about the ambience- it was in a big, blocky building, lit with neon and stainless steel light fixtures. It also didn’t help that we got stuck in a room full of big parties of people. But, our server was nice and the food was good. Our sautéed calamari (a special) was ho-hum, but my Thai Curry Yellowtail was very good and I appreciated the broccolli and carrots that came with it. Zeke got Sea Scallops, which he enjoyed and then we went to the Rum Bar for a Key Lime Martini.

It was recommended by a friend for people-watching and the Key Lime Martini, made with rum, was quite good, but there was this really loud girl at the bar who was basically screaming at her fellow bar flies. Not very peaceful for an after dinner drink, but what did I expect? It is Key West and Duval Street. Things in Key West come and go, but drunk people on Duval Street are a constant.

New things in Key West?

The Pickle Bar, hot dog carts on the streets and cigar rollers selling cigars, all over the place were new things. The hot dog stand, in true Key West fashion, is kind of obscene. It’s called Chubs and the “Erection Selection” includes a full Chub, a half Chub and a burger I can’t even write the name of here. I didn’t partake in any of these “new things”.

We like to watch the Keys channel at our condo in Key Largo and the host of a Food Recommendation show- Margit Bistray– recommended getting a Bloody Mary at The Saint hotel, right near our hotel. When we arrived and asked for it the bartender laughed, saying they haven’t served it in years. The bartender who invented it had left, but she promised to try and make me something similar. It was delicious and The Saint’s bar- Tempt– with pink lights, lucite chairs and red chandeliers- has a hip and cool vibe. When we returned that night for Happy Hour it was slammed.

Another place Magrit recommended, but in person to my husband at the last Literary Seminar, was Atlas Izakaya, so we tried it for dinner our last night. It’s located in a strip mall and is decorated with tons of teal, velvet and gold accents. It’s an eclectic, pretty space with a fun, cozy vibe.

Izakaya is a type of Japanese bar where a variety of small snacks are served. We ordered one thing from every section, which we split. Crispy Rice with Tuna, Hot Karrage (chicken) Bao Buns, Steamed Pork Dumplings with Chili Crisp and a grilled Shrimp Skewer. It was all delicious, but I think my favorite was the dumplings with chili crisp.

We came back to our hotel, full and happy.

Here are some other “oldies but goodies” we tried while in Key West.

Kojin Noodle Bar for soup (I got Red Curry Shrimp)- perfect on a chilly day! D.J.’s Clam Shack on Duval- easy, quick and affordable, we got Steamed Clams and a Shrimp Roll. Alonzo’s Oyster Bar– for oysters and a drink at Happy Hour (4-6 pm). Great people-watching at the marina, where you can watch the ships come in and go out.

I also love Flamingo Crossing Ice Cream on Duval. They have a great selection of tropical fruit flavors. I tried the Tamarind ice cream cone and it was delicious! The Cuban Coffee flavor is also muy buena.

Unfortunately, we both got a stomach bug and had to miss the last day of the seminar and the Farewell Conch Chowder Lunch at the Oldest House. C’est dommage! Better on the last day than the first and when we return to Key West we’ll have a new list of things to do and places to eat.

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