Spring Breaks

In January and February the island is busy with part-time residents (I've heard 'snowbird' isn't really a nice term). There is definitely more traffic on the roads and the grocery store is more crowded, but this is a very civilized group of visitors. Polite, well dressed. We tend to get to church earlier on Sunday morning so we get a seat, and we rarely go to dinner in Old Town....reservations only during this busy time of year.

In March, we get the college students. Oh my. They take over Smathers Beach during the day and Duval Street at night. I saw large groups walking all over the island, coolers in tow, heading for the beach from their hotels. I also saw them at Publix....more of them than I wanted to, to be honest. This year there was a big contingent of 'let's go to the store with our bums hanging out' folks. Never good. They do sell bathing suit cover-ups at many local stores, just sayin'.

The third week of March is spring break for us locals. No school for an entire week. If my news feed on Facebook is any indication, the majority of local families head to Disney and Universal. Lots of camping and shopping on the mainland as well. We headed north to an area new to us, Aventura/Hallandale Beach, but one that we will definitely return to.

After five years of shopping excursions, I finally found my perfect source of all those those things we can't get in Key West. The Hampton Inn there is sparkly nice and quite posh for a hotel at that price range. Less than a half-mile up the road sits a huge Target (next to a Whole Foods Market, no less) and a large, clean Michael's craft store. Aventura Mall is the next right, with a ton of high-end stores and a Nordstrom that makes the big one in Tyson Corner, VA (my old stomping grounds) look like small potatoes.

Leave the hotel and head a short distance in the other direction and you'll see the Village at Gulfstream, upscale shopping and dining next to Gulfstream racetrack. West Elm, Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, Williams-Sonoma, and my personal fave, The Container Store. I was in shopping heaven for sure. It was fun, and I filled the back of the truck with stuff I've needed (ok....wanted), but all that consumerism had a downside.

Before we headed back to Key West, I insisted on a stop at Williams-Sonoma for Easter supplies. My girls, who had been just delightful during our short trip, kind of lost it. As they were grabbing fancy marshmallows, gourmet jellybeans, and expensive chocolate bunnies, Josie started crying. She wanted to eat them NOW, not wait until Easter. And then Mari joined in. I realized that they were completely overstimulated and just ready to head home, so we put everything back and found Route 1. I think everyone breathed a sigh of relief when we left the mainland. And we were all happy to hit Key West three hours later.

Yes, you can definitely have too much of a good thing. And jelly beans and chocolate bunnies from Publix will be just fine.

Rusty Anchor

When we first moved here in 2010, I would often hear older people talk about eating at the Rusty Anchor, so for a while I assumed it was too old-school for me. But it has become one of my favorite lunch spots, with the kids or without. Yes, the decor and ambiance are definitely a throwback to seafood houses of the past (the same family has owned and operated it since 1983). But go more than a few times and the waitress will bring you your favorite beverage without you saying a word. The fish and shellfish is super fresh and prepared well, and the daily specials can seriously rock. So maybe I'm a bit more old school than I thought. And I'm not the only one - I see the same diners every time we go in there....young, old, and from every walk of life.

One of the first things that got me hooked (excuse the fishing pun) was the White Conch Chowder. It's served every Friday, and on Saturday if they happen to have any left. Seriously good stuff, made with a flavorful creamy base, tender chunks of potato, and lots of conch meat, cut small so that you get the flavor and not the chewiness. I enjoy ordering this soup at several restaurants in the lower Keys, but I think  Rusty Anchor's version just may be my favorite.

I love the women who serve lunch there, and the way they serve it. You don't just get an iced tea, you get a pitcher in case you need a refill. All seafood orders come with chilled squeeze bottles of both tartar sauce and cocktail sauce so you can use as much, or as little, as you prefer. Extra napkins, 'to go' boxes, and inquiries about the family are delivered without request. Food is served quickly. Maybe that is why it's so popular with large groups of local businessmen and the staff of the Sheriff's office?

Rusty's Fish Sandwich is served on Cuban bread with lettuce, tomato, and onion. I prefer the yellowtail snapper if they have it, fried, but you can also get your choice of the day's catches grilled, blackened, or lemon peppered. The Fish Reuben is really good, as is the Cuban Mix, dressed with mustard as it should be. If they have Pulled Pork as a daily special, order it! One sandwich is enough for two people, easily.

Along with fresh fish and local shrimp, the dinner menu offers spiny lobster, conch steak, and fresh tuna steak seared with sesame seeds, served with wasabi and soy sauce. They cut the Delmonico steak in house. That and baby back ribs make sure that the non-seafood eaters won't be hungry. Every Wednesday is 'Prime Rib Night.' I hear it's very popular. And kind of old school. At the Rusty Anchor, that's a good thing.

White Conch Chowder at Rusty Anchor

Breakfast at Azur

Short Rib Hash & Eggs

Breakfast is an important meal in Key West. We need fuel to start a busy work day and to take in the sights on land or water. There are quite a few who count on breakfast (no matter what time it is eaten) to 'get right' after a long night of fun. It's great that the island offers so many good places to choose from. Cuban coffee windows, healthy smoothie spots, diners, and more upscale options all abound. 

One of my favorite breakfast spots is probably better known for lunch or dinner. In fact, many locals don't seem to be aware that Azur is serving up a great breakfast Monday through Saturday mornings on a quiet corner in Old Town. Guests at Eden House, just a few doors down on Fleming Street, are invited to start their day there, but everyone is welcome.

Azur's breakfast menu is divided into sections, just like most morning menus, but the sections here are rounded out with some unusual and delicious choices.

First off, the Benedicts. Yes, an entire section devoted to them. Five options, each topped with two poached eggs. It's the rest of the plate that makes it special. How about a crisp flat bread with a layer of grilled tomatoes, two excellent crab cakes, and lemon hollandaise? Or maybe you'd like crisp yellowtail snapper filets atop grilled ciabatta with wilted spinach and caper hollandaise? Even the more traditional choices aren't so traditional. The Azur Benedict is made with the house-cured fennel salmon, crème fraiche, and tobiko (flying fish roe) hollandaise. The Roesti Benedict reflects the owners' time in Germany, with a crisp potato pancake as the base, and Brie, prosciutto, arugula and hollandaise on top.

Next, look at the frittata section. Another five enticing choices. These open-faced omelets are tender and full of flavor from combinations like spinach and sheep's milk Feta, Prosciutto di Parma, Fontina, and caramelized onions, and Brie, Herbs de Provence, and mushrooms. Potatoes and ciabatta toast are served alongside.

For those who like to start the day with a sweeter meal, Azur's key lime pie stuffed French toast should do the trick. It's made with thick bread slices soaked in vanilla custard then grilled. Add a same-size slice of real pie between each piece of toast and a wild berry compote, and you should be ready to face the day no matter what. 

The winner on this menu is the Carbonara Breakfast, listed under the Hearty Breakfast section. What, you say? Isn't that a pasta dish? I was skeptical but as I watched the plates of it pass my table on numerous visits I had to give it a try. Amazing! And not as heavy or sinful as it sounds. Azur's breakfast/dinner mash up features crisp pancetta, mushrooms, and soft onion throughout the pasta, with two poached eggs on top. The egg yolk blends with Parmesan Reggiano to make a sauce that is, well, just trust me and go try it. I've heard from the servers that they consider taking it off the menu sometimes, but that customers beg them not to. It's that good.

Yellowtail Snapper Benedict

Proscuitto & Fontina Fritatta

 

 

 

Cold Spell

If you happen to be reading this from Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, North Dakota, or any place with a high of 4 degrees and a sea of white snow covering everything, please know that I REALLY don't think our recent cold snap here in the Keys was TRULY cold. I feel your winter pain, and I have experienced many cold and snowy seasons in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Washington, DC. Frigid temps, major storms, snow plows burying the car, kids missing countless days of school....been there, too.

All of that said, Key West is coming out of a week of record-breaking temperatures. This morning, when I drove the kids across the island for school, it was a balmy 69 degrees....normal winter temps for this part of the world. Last week it was 20 degrees below that. People joke that Conchs get out their Uggs and scarves when the temp goes below 60 degrees. Well, you should see what they do when it gets below 50.

First off, some people don't seem to have clothing for chilly weather, so they just wear ALL their clothes in layers. It's quite a look! Every time I saw someone in this state it reminded me of the 'Friends' episode where Joey put on all of Chandler's clothes. Pajamas as pants, socks with flip flops....I even saw a woman walking her dog on my street and she was wearing one of those winter hats with the ear flaps, like Elmer Fudd wore when he was hunting rabbits.

The girls' school sent out an email reminding parents to dress children appropriately for the frigid temps so that they could continue to have PE and recess outside. Apparently some parents didn't get the memo....Josie said they actually had PE indoors that day. Science wading trips were cancelled. If it's too cold to play on the playground, surely the kids can't be knee-deep in water looking for turtle grass. And on the coldest morning, all elementary students were ushered into the cafeteria from car line. I am pretty sure that is the first time that has happened in the five years we have gone to this school.

By Sunday afternoon, I started seeing the change on Facebook. After a week of screen shots of the morning's lowest temperature (48 was the lowest I saw) and lots of 'brrrr!!' status updates, friends started venturing back out to the beach. One friend actually referred to yesterday's high of 77 as 'hot.' That cracked me up as much as the rest of it. It's all relative. 

Nocturnal Creatures

Ah, winter in Key West! Beautiful blooms on the bougainvillea, blue skies, and highs in the 70s. With nights in the mid- to low- 60's, it makes for some perfect sleeping weather....all windows open, my linen curtains blowing in the breeze. Unfortunately, we had to close the windows this week to get some uninterrupted sleep. It is sad to have the air conditioner on in this gorgeous, breezy weather, but the comings and goings in our front yard have been keeping us up. We had new sod put in while we were traveling over the holidays. It is just gorgeous - bright green and uniform, unlike the straggly stuff we had before. We are enjoying it, and sadly, so are many of the feral creatures that roam the streets of mid-town Key West at night.

It started with the chickens. I started hearing a strange noise through the open windows, and eventually caught a rooster and his girlfriend making baby chickens in my new green grass. I scared them off many times and he must have found a new date spot. Until this week. Mr. Rooster must have realized that while I may yell out the window or squirt him with the house during the day, I'm probably not going to get out of bed to do it in the middle of the night. So he's been back. And he's been busy. Apparently word has spread to the cats who call this area of town home, because they have been making one heck of a racket as well. Without getting too graphic, mating cats produce a terrible sound, a wail/growl/scream combo that is hard to forget. Not something you want to be woken by....scary! And loud if it's right under your bedroom window.

I feel like we should start charging rent! What is going on? There are lots of places chickens and cats can get busy.....why do they have to do it in my yard in the middle of the night? Last night was peaceful with the windows shut, and John and I got a good night's sleep. We need to make a plan to keep these amorous creatures out of our space so we can enjoy the rest of the winter with the windows open. I haven't been keen on getting another dog, but this week I'm thinking we just might need one. A big one with a taste for chickens and cats.

Generousity

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind....the stuff of daily life with kids and a house to keep in fairly decent order, plus girl scout cookie season and a large fundraising event at our church. As I sit here at the laptop in my office (wow, where does all this stuff on my desk come from??), on probably the first morning in several weeks that I haven't had a place I needed or wanted to be, I am feeling kind of emotional (just a little!) about all the kindness I have witnessed in my recent travels.

First off, I want to thank all the awesome people who have listened to the members of my girl scout troop's impassioned pleas and explanations on the business of cookie selling. Sometimes you may have gotten WAY more information than you were looking for, but you didn't show it, and I'm sure you felt as good as I did when you walked away from our little table with a armful of Thin Mints and Samoas. Key Westers are kind-hearted souls. So far we've sent many boxes to the troops deployed overseas, and I know the donation jar will be filled again in these last two weekends. Filled with not just dollar bills, but with fives, and tens, and twenties for cookies you will never taste. Thank you! What an example for the girls - giving to others may just be the sweetest treat of all.

Next, I would like to thank the generous business owners on this small island for their overwhelming support for the fundraising event. As a member of the silent auction team, my main job was to hit the streets. Armed with a thick file of donation request letters, I visited restaurants, gift shops, jewelry stores, and bars. And more often than not, I left with a gift certificate or a specialty item.  If the manager wasn't there, I left a letter with my cell number, offering to come back and pick up anything they may like to donate. And sure enough, they called me back. It was fun to answer my phone and hear 'Hey Kendi, I'm the manager of Margaritaville....your items are at the hostess station!' and 'Hi, it's Sean from Eaton Street Seafood. Lunch rush is over so your gift certificates are ready and waiting!.' There are many, many fundraising events in Key West throughout the year. And the island's businesses somehow manage to donate to many of them. One more reason to shop local and support them. They deserve it.

It's Cookie Time!

This morning I read an interesting piece in my new Food Network magazine regarding the annual Girl Scouts of America cookie sale. Every February, just as most Americans are trying to maintain their New Year's resolutions of healthier eating, girl scouts across the country sell literally TONS of Thin Mints, Samoas, Trefoils, Tagalongs, and the like. I think it's a combination of' but I've been so good since January 1st' and 'the girls are so cute and it's a good cause.' Whatever it is, it works. When I told friends and family that I was starting a Brownie troop here in Key West (my girls wanted to get involved but there wasn't an open troop) the first thing everyone said was 'GIRL SCOUT COOKIES!' Years and years of door-to-door sales have made girl scouts and cookies synonymous. And since you can only get them during January and February of each year, they are sort of a hot commodity, especially if you are a fan.

This past Saturday, a truck full of cookies arrived on the island after the three-hour trip through the Florida Keys from Miami. Even though the Keys aren't heavily populated, there are many girl scout troops from Key Largo to Marathon to Big Pine Key to Key West. We formed a 'cookie line,' passing boxes from the truck to our sorting area in a space donated by the local Catholic parish school. We sorted, we stacked, we checked our inventory sheets....the girls all loved it.

Selling cookies isn't mandatory, and each family treats sales as they choose, but it is a great chance for the girls to work together. I look forward to manning booths with my girls and some of their Brownie friends in front of Winn-Dixie, Publix, and NASKW's Commissary in the next few weeks. I'm sure we will have some good 'Key West stories' when we are done. There's a good chance our booth time will include chasing chickens and talking to pirates.....or at least people who THINK they are pirates. The sale at the Commissary should be our troop's best one, since the girls all attend school on base (75% of students there are military) and the snowbirds camping on base are all retired military members.They can even donate their cookies to the troops overseas.

As the adult members of the troop try to get this all in motion this week, I think I can speak for all of us when I say I am envious of those transporting/storing cookies in winter climates. Leave some in the car! Put them on a pallet in the garage! So many more storage options when you aren't worried about the Thin Mints melting. But this Saturday, when we set up for our first sale in front of Winn-Dixie, it's safe to say we will all be in shorts and t-shirts.....not a mitten in sight.