February 23rd, 2012
Going to Baltimore for the day is no brainer. The Delaware Beaches are so close to major cities, like Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia. A day trip is an easy one.
I lived in Baltimore years ago. I have always liked it. It is a small city comparing it to the nearby ones. Like all of them it has the good, the bad and the ugly. I tend to concentrate on the good. Baltimore is a city of many firsts. Many U.S. cities would love to have what Baltimore has to offer.
A City of Firsts, yes indeed, with innovations throughout its history. Advances and inventions in industry, transportation, science, and education. Hospitals that are world renowned; a port, the Orioles, the Ravens, ethnic neighborhoods, fantastic restaurants. A Farmers’ Market in its 35th year, right in the middle of the city. Visit the website http://www.Baltimore.org/about-baltimore/baltimore-firsts.
Can’t wait to see the celebrations kicking off the Bicentennial of the War of 1812. Fort McHenry is the birthplace of our National Anthem; The Star Spangled Banner. http://www.baltimore.to/fort-mchenry.html.
People don’t tend to move from Baltimore. And, if they do, they always come back. They do drive a lot of Volvos too. I have never seen so many.
We invited my sister in law, Susie, to have lunch. Our choice was Petit Louis Bistro. This is a classic French bistro located 4800 Roland Ave., Baltimore. Tel. 410-366-9393. Website? http://www.petitlouis.com.
There is more to where this bistro is located. The neighborhood is called Roland Park. It was the first planned suburban community in North America, developed beween 1890 and 1920.
Also, the actual building is very interesting. You see, this single Tudor style, small, shopping strip where Petit Louis is located, is the world’s first shopping center; opened in 1907.
As you enter, you will find a full bar and two dining rooms. They are both very comfortable.
 
Petit Louis opens for lunch and dinner. They also have a brunch on Sundays.
 
Our server was friendly, and immediately presented us with sourdough bread and homemade butter.
For lunch we had the choice of a Prix Fixe menu for $22. 3 courses included iced tea and coffee. We liked the choices so Susie and I decided on this type of menu.
We both chose the Petite Salad de Mesclun. Local Mesclun greens, Reggiano and a red wine vinaigrette. Nicely seasoned, and simple.
Susie chose the Croque Monsieur. This was a sandwich of sliced Madrange ham, Gruyere cheese and frites. Even though this is a standard on their menu, Susie thought it was the best one yet.
I had the Louis Casse-Croutes which was a steak sandwich, medium temperature, with caramelized onions, frites and a delicious horseradish aioli. It really was so good.
My husband decided to go a la carte with all hors d’oeuvres for his lunch.
The first was a Terrine a la Mode Landaise. It was a Foi Grass Terrine, without the grilled baguette, due to his gluten allergy. Loved it.
Ris de Yeau which was a Sauteed Sweetbread with button mushrooms in a Madeira reduction. Sweetbreads are not served in many restaurants; Baltimore seems to have them available. He thought they were perfectly cooked.
He also had the Gravlax, which was the House Cured Salmon Gravlax, with capers and creme fraiche. Paper thin and beautiful.
Susie and I had the choice of desserts.
I loved the Mousse au Chocolat. I always forget how good this dessert is.
Susie had the Fruits de Saison; a citrus custard on top.
Coffee and an offering of cheese, which was greately enjoyed, ended a very nice lunch with family…
Talk to you later…
February 16th, 2012
Out of a scene of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives we came upon the Galley Grill Restaurant. We had just left Key West for our hike back to Delray Beach, when everyone wanted some breakfast.
Don’t judge the book by its cover, it’s just what I have to say. Stop and enjoy one delicious breakfast. Casual? You bet. We had good service, always with a smile on her face.
The Galley Grill is located between Key West and Marathon, at 24863 Overseas Highway, Summerland Key. Tel. 305-745-3440. Breakfast or Lunch? Hey, you decide. For us, it was definitely breakfast.
The Galley Grill opens 7 days a week. Weekdays from 7 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. and on week-ends from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m.
You will find an extensive menu offering everything from granola and fruit to Eggs Benedict in many different ways, grits, home fries, country gravy and……I almost passed out when I saw they had scrapple. You know, I really do like scrapple. I have friends in Florida and California that do love it as much as I do. I hope Missy, Jim and Louise are reading this post in case they make it to the Keys.
The portions were huge. We were hungry so no problem there. This is what we had.
Eggs Benedict over Crab Cakes with a side order of gravy, biscuits, and home fries.
An Egg Scramble with Chorizo to give it that kick; onions and cheese. That was a special of that morning.
My Scrapple, ordered crispy. Sooooo good!!
Eggs Benedict without the bread and grits satisfied my husband, gluten free.
We talked, we ate, we paid and off we went….
Highly recommended by AboutMyBeaches…let me know if you do stop.
February 15th, 2012
Islamorada Fish Company was one of the restaurants a friend told us to stop by on the way to the Keys. It could be visited either when driving south or north, depending on the time of the day. This restaurant is located at 81532 Overseas Hwy., Isla Morada, FL 33036. Tel. 305-664-9271.
Islamorada Fish Co. opens for lunch and dinner 7 days a week; 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. It is 1 1/2 hours south of Miami or 2 hours north of Key West. This restaurant is part of the Bass Pro Shops that are found around the country. They say that Isla Morada is known as the “sportfishing capital of the world”.
We were getting hungry so the moment we saw it, we stopped. The first thing we saw was the seafood market. We continued to the back of the market and found a beautiful setting for this waterside restaurant. I could not believe how cool it was; 68 degrees!!
Islamorada Fish Co. is a venue for special occasions; weddings, rehearsal dinners, birthday parties, etc. etc. It is also kid friendly.
All of a sudden the water was splashing; tarpons, nurse sharks and pelicans were all eating some of the fish thrown at them.
The restaurant was casual and comfortably crowded. We decided on an appetizer of flash fried alligator. It had been a long time since I had alligator. This one was tender; the taste was more like veal.
2 Greek Salads were ordered with grilled lobster on top. We were not sure if the lobster was going to be too dry; it was perfectly cooked and it was delicious.
My husband ordered the dinner entree of grilled lobster and he thought the same thing. The lobsters were juice and certainly very good.
All we needed was a little bit of sun….we would have to wait until the next day for sunshine.
Talk to you later…
February 15th, 2012
The first restaurant in Key West handled the gluten allergy very well. They were very comfortable in going back to the kitchen and asking the chef what recommendations or substitutions should my husband have. That was Blue Heaven which I wrote about a few posts back.
I had been checking menus from different restaurants in Key West when I decided to talk to Stephanie, the Concierge at Casa Marina, where we stayed. I told her about the gluten allergy. She did not have to think twice. She mentioned Camille’s. She called the restaurant and spoke to the owner, Denise. A reservation was made and off we went later that evening to a funky, casual and very colorful restaurant.
Camille’s is located at 1202 Simonton St., precisely at the corner of Simonton & Catherine Sts. Tel. 305-296-4811. Website? www.camilleskeywest.com. This restaurant opens for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The menu changes every day. Take-out is available.
Denise was in charge and the moment she heard us say our names she immediately told our server that we had a gluten allergy. Denise was so friendly and full of energy.
I was only able to take a few pictures of the restaurant; patrons were dining, you know how it is.
Camille’s loves to meet food challenges; Denise said that they can accommodate the fussiest dietary needs.
So this is what we had.
Yellowfin Tuna Tartar, diced with fresh avocado, tossed in their sweet’n spicy Thai chili sauce. Two of us ordered this appetizer and hands down, we not only agreed that it was the best we had ever had but it turned out to be the best dish of the evening. Very very good.
Fresh pan fried Hog Snapper, topped with a Mango & Pineapple Salsa and paired with fun rice and veggie medley. After having the full flavor yellowfin tuna tartar, he thought that there were some seasonings lacking on this dish.
The Mahi Mahi was ordered. It was grilled and topped with pineapple and canteloupe salsa, served with fun rice and veggies. When I asked how it was, the answer was good.
I decided to have the Yellowtail Snapper encrusted with fresh panko, served with Island Tartar sauce (sweet chili & green onions) topped with avocado and a Balsamic reduction and paired with fun rice and veggies. I thought my fish was overpowered with all the sauce and garnish; I did want to taste the fish, since it was so fresh; not hide its flavor.
For dessert, we shared the Key Lime Pie. In Key West? A must in every restaurant. I had it also at Blue Heaven, but the one Denise made was definitely better. Tart; just like I wanted it to be.
So, another dinner in Key West. Each eatery had its specialty and we loved dishes more than others. Restaurants in Key West were certainly crowded; I was surprised to see the food coming out of the kitchen looked as good as it did.
Writing from sunny Delaware!! Talk to you later…
February 13th, 2012
The peanut gallery made the statement “I told you we should have waited”. I said “it opens at 11 a.m., I am calling, he is late”.
I had asked one of the best informed Key West taxi drivers; Where can I get fresh conch?
We were standing at the corner of Truman Ave. and White St., precisely at a Chevron Station. This was a scene from Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. The signs were scaring me some. I dialed 305-849-2078. When are you opening?, I asked. He said “Do you want seafood?” I answered, I want conch salad and conch fritters. “I’ll be there in 10 minutes.”
We stood there as the blue truck came in and out came Armando, The Pirate. He wanted a few minutes to set up. He also told me that the conch was not coming until the afternoon. By law you cannot get conch out of Florida waters. It usually comes from the Turks and Caicos. When did that become a law? About 17 years ago, he said. I guess it was over harvested. He said that there is plenty of conch out there, though.
So I started to check out his spot. He had a menu. Fresh fish and all kinds of other delicacies. You can eat in or take out. His name is Armando but everyone calls him Mundy. His wife, Mercedes, is Cuban and she can cook too. Mundy has been providing seafood to Key West restaurants for about 20 years. Pirate Seafood is the name of the company. Website? www.pirateseafood.com.
All of a sudden Mundy brought the bag of stone crabs. They were so big. He said they had been out of the water for about 5 hours. You could still smell that salt water. You could not get stone crabs fresher than these ones and at a fraction of the price. Mundy started separating them.
In the meantime, Mundy told us he had conch fritters, made by him and Mercedes. I first had conch fritters in the island of Exuma in the Bahamas and fell totally in love with them. Pop them in your mouth, is all you have to do. Have not had them like that since. Mundy did not disappoint. These conch fritters were fantastic. The fritters were full of conch. Worth waiting for. The Key Lime mustard for dipping was delicious, as well.
Since there was no fresh conch to make conch salad we opted for lobster and shrimp ceviche. By the way I told Mundy I was writing about him on my blog. He said, “be honest”. So, here it goes. I thought that both ceviches had too much vinegar. I like lots of lime, olive oil, hot sauce, a tablespoon of tomato sauce, a little bit of onion and even hot peppers in it. Throw some cilantro and you have a great tasting ceviche.
Also another highlight of the trip; the stone crabs. We ordered the jumbos. Huge. Mundy was separating them by size. Then, he cracked them with a shucker; cracked in just the right places for easy access. More Key Lime Mustard, please? You can find this shucker at www.shucker.com.
Mundy opens Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. Closes Sundays and Mondays. You can call him at 305-849-2078. Guess what? He delivers, so if you are in Key West for an extended period of time, call him. But, really, to capture the local color, you should go to the corner of Truman and White.
Talk to you later…..have a good one!!
February 12th, 2012
Once I mentioned to a few friends that I was traveling south, to the southernmost point of the U.S., I got plenty of suggestions for restaurants to try. I am so glad that on our first night we decided to visit Blue Heaven. This restaurant was referred to me by Cheran; and good choice it was. It is located at 729 Thomas St., Key West, FL. Tel. 305-296-8666. Website? www.blueheavenkw.com.
Blue Heaven has been in business since 1991. It has is own history. The building is over 100 years old. Can you believe that it has been a bordello, an ice cream parlor and even boxing matches were refereed by Hemingway. As they say, if these walls could talk. Better yet, if those trees could talk. Dining under the stars was our choice for the evening and the “backyard” had huge trees that served as canopies.
We had to wait a little bit when we arrived, we did not care. We were on vacation. No schedule. We got our drinks and enjoyed the Bahamian music being played by the band.
Chickens usually run all over the place. At that time of the evening, they were tucked in. Soon we were called to our table.
We were seated on a nice corner and near one of those huge trees. The feel of eating outdoors was enhanced by the music and the atmosphere of the restaurant.
We told our server about the gluten allergy and even though it was a full house, she did not even blink. To the chef she went to ask a few questions regarding gluten in the items my husband had chosen.
For an appetizer 2 of us had the Carrot & Curry Soup. It was garnished with chutney. This soup was thick and filling and I am sure not low in calories. It had a nice kick to it. The taste of the curry was well defined, and it was absolutely delicious.
Our choices for entrees were:
My husband had the Sea Scallops sauteed with a Sauce Provencal with Wild Rice. The sauce was outstanding and the scallops seemed to disappear in no time.
One order of a 14 ounce Pork Chop. Well, check the picture out. He thought it was too well done; a little more sauce took care of that.
Mine was a Yellow Tail Snapper, sauteed and served with a beurre blanc sauce and angel hair pasta. A garnish of mango. It was good, but the Carrot & Curry soup was my favorite of the evening.
Oh, wait, not yet….a coffee and their Key Lime Pie. A twist to this pie was the meringue topping. I would have loved it a little more tart, nevertheless, we finished it all.
Our service was good even though it took longer than expected between courses. It was pretty crowded, though.
So, if you are visiting Key West, now you know where to go. Have a good one.
February 11th, 2012
I have been coming to Florida for so many years. I even attended a small college in central Florida long time ago. All those years I have heard people talking about Key West. So, after being in Florida for over a week and not seeing the sun, we decided to go to the southernmost corner of the United States and see if a few rays of sunshine would make an appearance before heading back to Delaware. Believe it or not, it did happen.
I had some preconceived ideas of how Key West was going to be. Pristine water, fishermen, cottages and bungalows; the influences of New England, the Bahamas and the Caribbean. Let me get it off my chest; some things I really liked; others I did not like at all.
During the 4 hour drive to Key West I found that the bridges were so neat with spectacular views of the water. But, I also saw too many signs offering sales for this or that and more than the share of run down places.
When we arrived in Key West we probably did what everyone else does; go to Duval Street. Sorry, but I did not like it. Too crowded, too noisy at all times and even too many bars. I love music but blaring music 24/7 is not my thing. Ghost tours? Trains and Trolleys? Too much of a carnival atmosphere. Too commercialized. At that moment I thought, what the heck am I doing here? Almost like someone adjusting their eyes to darkness; that’s what slowly was happening to me.
The moment I saw Casa Marina I fell in love with it. It is one of those hotels that have great bones. Understated elegance. This hotel did not need any other embellishments. The woods throughout the hotel were so rich and wonderful. Very classic. It is located at 1500 Reynolds St., Key West, FL 33040. Tel. 888-303-5717 Website? www.casamarinaresort.com.
Everyone in the hotel was so nice. This friendliness and genuine happiness was not just at Casa Marina, we also found it with everyone we encountered in Key West.
 
Casa Marina was very comfortable. Since the 1920’s when it opened its doors on New Year’s Eve, this hotel has had impressive visitors; business tycoons, artists and dignitaries. It was the vision of American Railroad Tycoon, Henry Flagler. Mr. Flagler died before the construction even started in 1918.
I found it to be an oasis. It was quiet and tranquil with beautifully kept grounds. The setting was really pretty.
It has the largest private beach in Key West. You were not crowded on the beach, everyone had their own privacy.
 
Those palm trees were holding some inviting hammocks.
 
Thatched roof huts gave privacy to Spa Al Mare.
Our rooms were very nice with really comfortable beds. The hotel has 311 guest rooms. If you are interested in water sports, I think you will be satisfied with what they are offering.
I talked to Stephanie, a Concierge at Casa Marina; her restaurant recommendation was very good. I was looking for a restaurant who would be aware of gluten allergies and Camille’s was her suggestion.
Really loved the Casa Marina. I could never get tired of that view.
Have a good one!! Talk to you later.
February 8th, 2012
I don’t remember how many times I have visited this small and intimate Asian restaurant located in Boyton Beach, Florida. Sushi Simon was recommended to us by someone that was at another dining table and heard us talking about sushi, a couple of years ago.
The address is 1614 South Federal Highway, Boyton Beach, FL 33435. Tel. 561-731-1819. It is in a shopping center on the corner of Woolbright and South Federal Highway.
Sushi Simon definitely has a following. The restaurant can get crowded. Back in December I went with my son and sat at the bar. We had a great dinner. We talked to Simon and he told us he had worked at Sushi Jo, also in Palm Beach County. On Monday, Simon was at his usual spot, behind the bar fixing sushi and other delicacies. His rolls contain plantains, strawberries, macademia nuts. His Crazy Lucy soup is not just a Miso soup but the inclusion of different types of fish; another twist from the usual.
Just a few diners at that time of the evening. I must admit that since my husband has to eat gluten free, at times is a little hard to find a gluten free interesting roll. That was the case on Monday. The rolls he wanted, he could not eat. He finally settled on one and to tell you the truth I don’t even remember what it was. He said it was good, but with not enough enthusiasm.
He also had 2 orders of Escolar, sashimi style. Escolar is a snake mackerel and is found in deep tropical and temperate waters around the world. Some restaurants call it white tuna.
I, on the other hand, started with Conch, sashimi style. We also ordered fresh wasabi. It is so good and a big difference from the wasabi they usually serve you. Conch is usually a little tough but I did not mind it. I, actually, expected it. It was a little boring so I probably would not order it again.
I wish I could remember the rolls I had. They were so good. Part of the evening’s special. Usually I can write the description from the menu but only the names were written and I can’t even remember those. They were funny names.
These are the pictures of my rolls. Very good, indeed.
If you do not like sushi or sashimi and think you can get something else at Sushi Simon, then, think again because this restaurant does cater to sushi and sashimi aficionados.
If you have to eat gluten free then be flexible and bring your own gluten free soy sauce.
I almost forgot to tell you that the service has been constant; friendly and willing to help with the menu.
Sushi Simon has reviews that go from excellent, to terrible, rolls are too small, or best ever, and the usual too pricey. It’s personal thing, so check it out and decide for yourselves.
Short and to the point. Next time I will make sure I get those descriptions before I get too comfortable.
Have a great day!!
 
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