My relationship with Key West began almost five years ago when by chance I met the mayor of Key West, Jimmy Weekly, during my moonlighting gig as a hostess in a DC restaurant. We met up a few weeks later when I was in town for a business conference. Jimmy, as he likes to be called, is a doll! He proudly proclaimed that the local citizens of Key West gave him an honorary drag queen award. Key West transformed me from a high-strung over-achieving type A into a mellow parrot-head. If only for a few days. And so, when it was time for me to walk down the aisle my husband and I picked Key West as our destination and Mayor Weekly as our officiant. We love Key West. It’s not glamorous by any stretch of the imagination, but it is relaxing and that’s just what we need.
A few weeks ago we were back in Key West with the family as our first port of call on our four day cruise. We knew just where to go to eat! First stop: Sandy’s restaurant for the best Cuban mix sandwich in the world! Sandy’s is literally a hole in the wall. It’s a small walk-up connected to a laundry mat in the outskirts of Key West. Their meats are freshly carved, the bread is tasteful and perfectly pressed. It really is a masterpiece of a sandwich. I also ordered some fried plantains which were spectacularly sweet and delicious. To follow it up we picked up some key lime pie from The Blonde Giraffe. This pie is a perfect mix of tart and sweet and the meringue on the top is perfection. If only we had more time I would have taken everyone to Michael’s steakhouse where we had our wedding feast. I realize it’s on an island, but I had the best steak of my life there. (Perhaps tied with HC Monterrey in Playa del Carmen.)
Another highlight was our deep sea fishing trip. Okay, perhaps it wasn’t all sunshine. The waves were extremely choppy, perhaps seven or eight feet high. And we were constantly being thrown around the boat. So a fraction into our trip we had to turn around. It was a vacation after all, no sense in being tortured. Money down the hole, my father and cousin decided to make the best of it and took the fish we caught to a local restaurant where they graciously cooked it up for us! Mahi mahi several ways. What a sight to behold.
You can’t go wrong with Key West. If you’ve worn out that stress ball on your desk take the next plane down, grab a cocktail and a Cuban mix, and let Key West work it’s magic on you.
Food & Wine Tour Blog 
