The best way to get your restaurant some free publicity before it even opens its doors seems to be to give it a racy or controversial name. Remember all the hullabaloo about El Carajo when it first opened? Here's another one: Better Than Sex, a bakery opening today in Key West. The opening has been covered in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Naples. Granted, they all ran the same AP story, but still — do Orlando residents care that much about a bakery that is opening an eight-hour drive away?

According to the story, a sampling of menu items includes: Missionary Crisp, Pump-in Pie and Pop My Cherry Cheesecake. We'll work on getting the rest of the menu, as soon as we can find a phone number for this place...

Better Than Sex dessert shop to open in Key West [Sun-Sentinel]

When you come to Sundowners on the Bay (mile marker 104), the hostesses greet you with the traditional restaurant question “Indoor or Outdoor?”, but add the not-so-traditional: “On the Deck or the Sand?” Intrigued at the possibility of more beach side dining, we promptly responded, “Sand!” The friendly hostess then directed us to a sweet table ten feet away from the water. The sun began its descent as the waiter took our order. We ordered drinks while we drank in the sunset: a Key lime martini for us that tasted exactly like Key lime pie and even had a graham cracker rim, and a Peroni for the fiancée.

After perusing the menu, we both decided to go for the Friday night fish fry: all-you-can eat dolphin fingers, fries, corn, and coleslaw. For $16, this dinner surely left us satisfied, but we saved enough room to try the white chocolate crème brulèe with raspberry sauce, a sweet finish to a stunning evening. Although, we think we had the best seat in the house, there isn’t a bad place to sit at Sundowners. The restaurant faces west towards the bay and floor to ceiling windows ensure that even those sitting inside feel the nearness of the water. The indoor part of the restaurant also sits on higher ground which slopes downward to accommodate a bar and the sandy seats. The stadium effect ensures that everyone has a clear view of the sunset and the boats coming into the adjacent marina.

Sundowners on the Bay [MenuPages]
Sundowners on the Bay [Official Site]

This Friday our plans for a pre-concert tailgate at the BankAtlantic Center had to be postponed due to the untimely death of Danny Federici, organist and accordionist for the E-Street Band. With our cooler full of goodies, we headed instead to the quiet splendor of John Pennekamp Park in Key Largo to diminish our sorrows. The Keys did not disappoint. The nearly empty park seduced our senses with a cool breeze and the gentle lap of waves against the mangroves. We drove down to the Far beach, just past the Visitor’s Center and the kayak and canoe rentals, to set our tailgate turned beach-nic up on a shady spot. Top-notch Publix subs hit the spot, as did the Doritos and Krispy Kreme crullers. These made-to-order subs, fresh from the Publix deli, are one of the city’s best kept sandwich secrets. For under $10, the hair-net wearing deli ladies will concoct a twelve-inch monster sandwich using premium Boar’s Head deli meats and all the fixings. Publix is also a great place to get the rest of your tailgate or picnic needs, including beverages and utensils. At the beach, we weren’t the only ones enticed by our Publix products. Pennekamp is populated by some of the most audacious squirrels we had ever seen. The bright-eyed and bushy-tailed little monsters jumped right on the picnic table and seemed schooled by Yogi and Boo Boo in the fine art of stealing picnic baskets. They loved the Doritos, but didn’t seem to care too much for black olives.

John Pennekamp State Park [Official Site]
Publix [Official Site]

Yes, it's true. Our jaw just dropped while reading the press release. Norman Van Aken was at Tavern-n-Town what, three months? Here's what Beachside Resort developer Robert Spottswood had to say about it:

I have the utmost respect and admiration for Norman; however, his creative vision doesn’t coincide with what we feel Beachside Resort needs at this time. Our parting is amicable, and Norman is remaining on as a consulting corporate chef for Spottswood Hotels. In that position, he will be exploring our participation in high end food and wine events and other culinary projects we have slated for the Florida Keys.

We’ve created a simple steak and fish house menu for Beachside that adheres to the high standards of quality that Van Aken instilled in the project. The new menu at Tavern N Town focuses on wood-grilled local fish, prime steaks, poultry and savory daily specials, along with steakhouse-style side dishes and a menu of small plates, served in a beautiful but laid back atmosphere.

Ask The Chef: Norman Van Aken [MP: South Florida]
Tavern-n-Town [MenuPages]
Tavern-n-Town [Official Site]

For $15.95, you can get a fair amount of food at Kaiyo in Islamorada, provided you show up between 5 and 7 p.m. Start with a miso soup or a salad of greens with gorgonzola, Asian pear and citrus dressing. Dessert is a chocolate torte or vanilla ice cream. Entrees can be any one of the following:

• Tuna Trilogy: yellowfin tataki, maguro sashimi, and bigeye sushi
• Grilled pork tenderloin with black beans, rice and plantains
• Shrimp with Thai red curry sauce and jasmine rice
• Sushi Plate: chef's selection of sushi, sashimi and roll
• Chicken teriyaki, jasmine rice and stir-fried vegetables
• Macadamia hogfish filet with mango sauce, jasmine rice and broccolini

Kaiyo [MenuPages]
Kaiyo [Official Site]

The BLT is one of our favorite sandwiches. It's especially good when we use our home-cured bacon, which we cut in thick, meaty pieces. (Mostly out of necessity; we don't have the equipment necessary for thin slices. But for the purposes of a BLT, thick slices are perfect.) This sandwich, from Marker 88 in Islamorada, takes the typical BLT a couple steps further by adding blackened shrimp. You'll also note that the contents of the sandwich are held together by a split croissant. Because we can always use a bit more butter in our lives.

Marker 88 [MenuPages]
Marker 88 [Official Site]

Photo: Flickr

When we first read that the Conch Tour Train in Key West was giving out free key lime cupcakes to celebrate its 50th anniversary, we thought it was free cupcakes for everyone. Then we read more closely (this is what happens when you monitor dozens of sites each day -- you scan and misinterpret things easily) and learned that the cupcakes are only for the passengers. So if you want that cupcake, you're going to have to pay for the $25 tour, which will take you to all of the usual touristy spots (aquarium, shipwreck museum, Hemingway house, Sloppy Joe's , Truman's Little White House, etc.) in an adorable choo-choo train tram thing. You probably won't, but we just wanted an excuse to post the photo of that tasty key lime cupcake. That can't be too hard to make, right? We might give it a try.

Conch Tour Train Marks 50th Year In Key West [NBC12]
Conch Tour Train [Key West]
Sloppy Joe's [MenuPages]
Sloppy Joe's [Official Site]

Photo: Flickr

We know it's already back to 70 degrees, but remember a few days ago, when everyone was shivering? Whenever there's a chance of a freeze, we get the same stories about farmers in the central and northern parts of the state picking fruit rapidly and spraying their oranges and strawberries. (So that the water freezes around the fruit, protecting it.) But we rarely hear about what goes on underwater. According to this story in the Key West Citizen, a number of fish died during the cold snap when water temperatures plummeted:

A brief but steep drop in water temperature last week is blamed for killing scores of fish, including barracuda, snook and goliath grouper.

Everglades National Park rangers and backcountry fishermen who braved a cold front that blew through South Florida last Wednesday and Thursday reported multiple fish kills from the shallows of Florida Bay to as far south as Boca Grande.

Early Thursday morning, water temperature in Florida Bay just north of Long Key had dipped to 58 degrees, down 20 degrees from a recorded high of 78 degrees at 2 p.m. on New Years' Day.

Air temperatures hit a recorded low of 36 degrees at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park last Thursday morning.

Of course, a fish's misfortune is a cause for celebration in the pelican camps:

As with much of nature, death to one species may mean extended life for another.

"The white pelicans have been pigging out on the dead fish," Christi Showler, an interpretive Everglades park ranger at the Flamingo Visitor Center, said Friday.

"I just conducted a canoe trip into Noble Hammock, a little north of Hell's Bay, and there are dozens of little fish floating on the surface," she said. "The white pelicans are having a field day on the floating fish. They're to the point where they are too full to eat."

Cold weather triggers fish kills [Key West Citizen]

• Head to Vino Miami for a mix of soul, Latin, funk and jazz music tonight at 10 p.m. No cover.

• It's soca night at Piola in Hallandale tomorrow night, from midnight until 4 a.m. There will be a full bar, although it is unclear what, if any, discounts on alcohol will be provided.

• If you're going to be in Key West this weekend, you might want to check out the Bahama Village Cooking Class series. The next installment is this Sunday at noon with chef Nancy Nelson, who will present recipes for holiday entertaining at the Restaurant Store's demonstration kitchen. Cost is $100, and all proceeds benefit kids in the Bahama Village Music Program. For more information, call 305-292-9628.

We recently got a chance to exchange e-mails with Norman Van Aken, who is currently busy launching his biggest project yet: Tavern-n-Town at the Beachside Resort & Conference Center in Key West. Tavern is open, but Town's opening has been delayed until early January. We asked the local culinary legend a few questions about the new project and how it feels to be back in Key West.

MP: Norman’s in Coral Gables. Lots of people miss it. What was the reason for closing? Did you feel you needed to do that to focus on the Key West restaurant?

Norman: The Key West project was the biggest of my career from the standpoint of number of outlets. We operate two restaurants, the pool bar restaurant, room service and banquets for up to 400. I don’t think we could have accomplished it by visiting it alone so moving was necessary. We had the greatest 12 years imaginable in Coral Gables. Perhaps one day we will return in a “five star hotel” as we are in the Ritz Carlton in Orlando with Norman’s there.

MP: Key West is where you got your start in the culinary world, if I’m not mistaken. What has it been like going back and opening a restaurant there? What’s been the community response?

Norman: Key West is where I got the calling to be a Chef. I did have one job as a cook in my native Illinois but I hitchhiked to Key West in 1973 and started cooking at an all night barbeque place called The Midget. I remained learning my craft for the better part of the next 15 years. Then it was on to Miami for 17 years. To come back to Key West has been wonderful. I missed the water and the architecture of the Keys. The community has responded with genuine warmth and appreciation about my decision to return. We have high season just ahead of us and I look forward to all of the Key West citizens who love good food to join in with the visitors to make “Tavern N Town” a fantastic addition to the island.

Continue reading "Ask The Chef: Norman Van Aken" »

Ever since the closing of Manny & Isa's on Islamorada, we've had difficulty finding a regular key lime place down there. (To be honest, we haven't done much looking...) Instead, we've taken to making our own, with a big layer of meringue on top, just like the one in this photo from Blue Heaven. Definitely a must-try on our next visit to Key West.

Blue Heaven [MenuPages]
Blue Heaven [Official Site]

Photo: TomOHaver on Chowhound

Just yesterday, we managed to get menus for a few more new (new to the site, that is) restaurants onto the site:

• Kefi Restaurant & Lounge, 18851 NE 29th Ave in Aventura, 305-466-1115

• Surf Road Taco, 101 NE 3rd St in Hallandale, 954-239-0128

• Tavern-n-Town (just the Tavern menu; Town opens in December), 500 Simonton St in Key West, 305-296-8100

• Pilikia by the Pool, 1751 Collins Ave in Miami Beach, 305-538-1411

• Hot Shots Bar, 3868 N University Dr in Sunrise, 954-748-4232

How did we miss the story of Miami's current favorite basketball player partnering with a local restaurant? Yes, Dwyane Wade apparently enjoyed his meal at Bucky's so much that he has decided to invest and help the two-restaurant chain expand in South Florida and Chicago, Wade's hometown.

The two are working together to open a restaurant in Key Largo, but it's going to be called D. Wade's. According to a Craigslist ad for a general manager, they're going to open in 2007. That seems a bit ambitious, given that there isn't much of 2007 left. But hey, maybe they'll be able to pull it together. Let's hope the restaurant business doesn't distract him from his on-court duties.

Bucky's Bar-B-Que LLC Partners with Miami Heat's Dwayne Wade [PR Newswire]
D. Wade's Hiring General Manager [Craigslist]
Dwyane Wade [Official Site]
Bucky's Bar-B-Que [Official Site]

If you're looking for a good street festival this weekend, head down to Key West for the Goombay Festival in Bahama Village. A "goombay," as we've learned recently, can be either a goatskin drum beaten with the hands or the music made by said drum, popular in the Bahamas. A Google search shows us that it's also a common name for Bahamian festivals. There will be music, crafts, dancing, general merry-making, and lots of Caribbean-inspired food. We hear it's the locals' favorite festival; that is high praise indeed.

Goombay Festival [Official Site]

We mentioned the start of the stone crab season (October 15) in a recent post. Today we found a few videos of two chefs from Fulton's Crab House in Orlando and Fulton's on the River in Chicago catching some of the first stone crabs of the season off of Key West. There are four installments on YouTube, and while they would have benefited from tighter editing, they're still worth watching. By the way, did you know that pigs' feet are used as bait in the crab traps? Fascinating.

Flight of the Crab [Levy Restaurants]
Flight of the Crabs [YouTube]
Fulton's Crab House [Official Site]
Fulton's On the River [MenuPages]
Fulton's On the River [Official Site]

Norman, who closed his restaurant in the Gables this past year, is back, about a three hours' drive south of the city. His restaurants Tavern N Town are opening in the new Beachside Resort & Conference Center in Key West on October 15. He's calling it a "hyphenated restaurant:" Tavern will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and will feature a small plates menu, while Town will serve only dinner in a more upscale setting.

We had originally heard an October 15 opening, but that's been set back a few weeks. Now it's October 19 for the hotel, October 22 for Tavern and Blue Bar (the poolside lounge that will feature cocktails, fritters and fish tacos) and December 1 for Town. The menus haven't been completely set yet, but on the website we did find a working menu [PDF] that's missing a few things (like some prices), but gives a good sense of what's to come in Key West.

Beachside Resort & Conference Center [Official Site]

The Waterfront Market, one of Key West's best sources for produce, seafood, and high-end food products was supposed to close for good at the end of September, but because of a 90-day lease extension with the city, it's going to stick around until at least the end of 2007.

According to the Key West Citizen, Buco Pantelis, the market's owner, can no longer operate the business on his own. He's got 90 days to find a buyer — it's a good opportunity for a group of investors with good capital backing, he said. If not, he'll liquidate his supply and close the store at the end of the year.

The market's possible closing could cause problems for both local foodies and restaurants; it's got both a retail and wholesale business, and through the latter the market is the main produce and seafood supplier for many Key West restaurants.

Pantelis: I'm open another 90 days [Key West Citizen]
Photo: Flickr

• The chowhounds spill on where they get their doughnuts. [Chowhound]

• The Palme d'Or at the Biltmore Hotel is delicious, says one chef. [ReMARKable Palate]

• A menu board that features "Roast Ass" and "Tun Alad." Ah yes. Only in Key West. ["Klotz" As In "Blood"]

If you've been looking for a way to help those hurt by Hurricane Dean, talk to Warren Leamard. He's the owner of Jamaican Me Hungry in Key West, and he's collecting supplies to send back to his countrymen:

Leamard, owner of Jamaican Me Hungry in Key West, is collecting food, clothes, tools, toiletries and anything else the hurricane victims may need. He plans to ship the items no later than Monday.

"We're in a hurricane zone in Key West, so we know what the people need," he said.

The eatery, at 300 Front St. in Key West, is accepting donations from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. through Sunday. Among the requested items are: candles, clothes, diapers, personal hygiene products, nonperishable food, flashlights, batteries, shovels, chain saws and hand tools.

Restaurateur collects donations for hurricane victims [Key West Citizen]
Jamaican Me Hungry [MenuPages]
Jamaican Me Hungry [Official Site]

The lobster eggs benedict from Blue Heaven, our favorite place to get breakfast in Key West.

Photo: Flickr

The commercial lobster season is underway, and those crazy conchs down in Key West want to celebrate. So go join them, because we all know nobody throws a better party. Fifteen bars and restaurants are participating in the Key West Lobsterfest, which starts tonight with a concert and a bar crawl and ends Sunday morning with a brunch. Tomorrow, Duval Street will be overrun by a street fair, with arts, crafts, and lots of lobster. Leave now and you can beat the weekend traffic on US1.

Key West Lobsterfest

A post on Chowhound by someone with a desire to cook gator meat (and also with the Caps Lock firmly in place) reminded us of the first time we were offered this Florida delicacy. We were sitting with our parents for lunch years ago at Doc Dammers (remember that place?) and ordered the gator burger. We thought it was just named for the UF Gators, until the waiter kindly leaned over and explained that the burger was actual gator meat. We switched orders then, but a few years later, when we were more adventurous eaters, we tried gator chili elsewhere and found it quite satisfying.

Continue reading "How To Tackle An Alligator Without Risking A Limb" »

Dear MenuPages,

Yours, Hungry in Hallandale

Continue reading "Ask MenuPages: Do You Really Eat Dolphin?" »

At 12:01 a.m. today, thousands of divers descended into the ocean to catch their share of Florida lobster during the two-day sport season. OK, so we're not sure that they dove in the dark just after midnight (although we wouldn't totally be surprised), but the point is that they were allowed to.

For those of you who prefer terra firma, here are a few Keys restaurants where you can sample Florida lobsters without having to dive for them yourselves. Just keep in mind that the commercial season starts on August 6, so restaurants likely won't have local lobster available until then.

• The Florida lobster tail at A & B Lobster House in Key West comes broiled and served with coconut pecan rice and baby vegetables.

• Fish House in Key Largo offers a standard half Florida lobster tail broiled with drawn butter.

• You can get your Florida lobster fried at Rusty Anchor in Key West

• Marker 88 in Islamorada offers Florida lobster three ways: steamed in bouillon, baked and stuffed with crab meat, or Lorenzo style.

Think you can tackle this guy and win? Here's your chance to try. The two-day lobster mini season starts on Wednesday morning at 12:01 a.m. and ends exactly 48 hours later. We'll run down the rules for those of you who plan to dive in the Keys or elsewhere for lobster:

• You need a saltwater fishing license with a lobster stamp. If you don't have one already, you might want to get one. Now.

• No more than six lobsters per day per licensed harvester in Monroe County, no more than 12 per day elsewhere in Florida.

• No diving at night in Monroe County, and no diving within 300 feet of private property in the Keys.

• And there are a few prohibited zones: Biscayne Bay/Card Sound Spiny Lobster Sanctuary, the Everglades, the Dry Tortugas, and John Pennekamp State Park.

2007 Lobster Mini Season in the Florida Keys [Florida Keys Treasures]
Photo: Flickr

Miami is apparently a bug-lover's holy grail. Ten of the USDA's 50 entomologists are stationed here: one at the port and nine at the airport, where they inspect crates, bags, even cruise passengers' hats for hitchhiking bugs.

But what caught our attention was the lede:

MIAMI (AP) - The feds recently busted a bug at the Port of Miami.

Not just any bug. It was a three-inch, hissing, six-legged giant harlequin beetle that could have wreaked havoc on the mango trees of Florida.

Let us pause for a moment to reflect on the idea of a Florida with no mango trees. The mere thought raises the hairs on our arms and almost brings tears to our eyes. Thank God for these entomologists who keep our favorite fruit trees safe.

Craving mangoes? Check out the chilled mango gazpacho at Mangoes Restaurant & Catering in Key West. Or a mango shake at Don Pan in Dade or Broward.

Port of Miami has bugs! [WINK-TV]
Mangoes Restaurant & Catering [MenuPages]
Don Pan International Bakery [MenuPages]
Don Pan International Bakery [Official Site]

• Those are the closed doors of The Deli Restaurant, which has offered a pie cart to Key West diners since the 1950s. It's gone, along with another local Conch favorite, the Dennis Pharmacy. [PB Post]

• In Miami Beach, Danny DeVito has branched out into the restaurant business. [Miami Herald]

• Fort Lauderdale gains Avra Taverna, a Greek restaurant with a focus on fresh fish. [From the Test Kitchen]

Photo: Flickr lee_3dhighway