So, we moseyed on back down the deserted road that slices through No Name Key, crossed back over the gravel-strewn bridge, and pulled into the only restaurant we've seen out here.
And nearly threw our jaws out of joint when we walked up on the porch. This is what you see through the doorway:
Are you believing this??? This is only the entryway. Just the front door. Not even the dining area, were dollar bills hang down as thick as shag carpet. The waitress who zoomed over to take our order said they estimate there are between 60,000 and 70,000 dollar bills stuck on the walls and ceiling.
It takes several minutes and half a bottle of ice cold Corona to be able to get your head around sitting in the middle of about $65,000.00 in raw cash. But don't even think about clearing those walls...every bill is identified with someone's name, some artwork, or other "I Was At No Name Bar" mark. You wouldn't even get to first base.
We finally focused on the menu, and here it is in a nutshell:
Home-Made Smoked Yellow Fin Tuna Dip - the best I've EVER had. Period.
Enormous Hand-Patted Angus Beef Cheeseburgers
Amazing Pizzas, loaded with ingredients and drooling with cheese on a crunchy crust.
Crisp garden salads. Gigantic Grouper Sandwiches.
Fabulous little "Half Dollar" Yukon Gold French Fries...and more.
As Husband would say, "Worth the Price of Admission!"
We waddled back to the cottage for a siesta. It was only Tuesday.
So yesterday, emboldened by our exploration and uncovering the $65,000.00 Bar, we ventured farther from home base. This time, we went out to Hwy. 1
and turned south to see what we could find.
Crossing over the bridge to Little Torch Key, we saw a waterfront restaurant.
and turned south to see what we could find.
Crossing over the bridge to Little Torch Key, we saw a waterfront restaurant.
Looked like a promising spot, so we pulled in to the parking lot. And were greeted by this:
This IS the Keys, but are you Kidding Me???
Not kidding. There IS a Big Pecker Wine! And, it is a good little Chardonnay. That, coming from a Chardonnay snob!!
At the Bar-you gotta check out their MENU. |
And that was just for starters. This restaurant is a surprising find for such a quiet area - so good that we prevailed upon Husband to take us back there last night for dinner.
After a lovely Conch Chowder (Red Based) with fresh aromatics and laced with sherry, we had an amazing 3 cheese Mac and Cheese for our entree, topped off with Lobster Chunks, passed under the broiler to brown the top just a tad. Served in a pretty, deep glass bowl. Fabulous.
With lots of Big Pecker Wine.
Home made Key Lime pie topped off the meal, and then once more, we waddled home.
Tomorrow, we rest.
Because right now, we feel like this:
Nothing a little rest and relaxation won't fix...
Mouthwatering food! Even they serve Sasimi, raw fish!! Tuna is the most popular fish in Japan. I love to have Sake, Japanese rice wine with Tuna sashimi. The other day, TV news reported the first tuna caught in Oma, which is well-known for fishing the most high quality Tuna, was sold at the price of 50 million yen. Only one tuna!! Can you believe this??
ReplyDeleteYou made me hungry.
Best wishes,
keiko
Keiko, it was amazing! But, watch for more posts on food from the Florida Keys...we are finally finding the truly fine restaurants here, and they aren't always expensive or well know. I guess that is the same no matter where you go in the world - the best places are always "secret"!
ReplyDeleteAnd, I can only yearn for our men to catch a high quality Tuna - we haven't seen them in our waters for three years. Sigh...
ReplyDeleteCan you believe that I have missed ALL of these posts?! And I finally thought "hum, wasn't Linda going to post about some funky bar she found in the Keys?" and that is how I am getting caught up. What a funky part of the world! Love it!
ReplyDeleteHeather, you have NO CLUE how funky it can be here. So different from the mainland coast...something "Keysie" about this place that I can't get my head completely around. But, what a wonderful place to escape to!
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