Pull Up a Chair... in Key West

At some point on our Key West honeymoon, I looked across our dinner table at the world’s most handsome man and said, fork mid-air, “I now know WHY the honeymoon comes after the wedding.” With a twinkle in his eye, he started laughing and said, “Because if it had come first, your dress wouldn’t have fit for the wedding?” Yep. That’s precisely it. Every night while we were in the Keys, one of us would ask “what was your favorite thing we did today?” and you’ll hear about some of those responses in upcoming blogs. By the end of the week, the question had morphed into “what’s the best thing we’ve eaten while we’ve been here?" and the answers to that changed with almost every new restaurant or café we tried.

I forgot to photograph most of our meals (or was too impatient to take the time to) but here are some of the highlights of places you just MUST TRY if you’re ever in Key West.

Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Café

Margaritaville Café is on busy Duval Street, which is the main drag from one end of Key West to the other. It’s probably a cardinal Key West sin to cross the threshold into what is probably known to locals as a tourist trap BUT since we were tourists, and we were happy doing touristy things, we saw it and thought it looked like an energetic happy place so we made our way inside where we were promptly seated. When I saw on the Jimmy Buffett menu Cheeseburger in Paradise with the description that said “made just like the song says”, I immediately started singing the tune in my head. “I like mine with lettuce and tomato, Heinz 57 and French fried potatoes…” Yep, sounds good. I’ll have that. Robert, of course, showed me up and had grilled shrimp with rice and green beans. (He’s such a healthy eater; I’m sure glad he doesn’t fret when I have pizza for breakfast or ice cream for dinner… but that’s another blog for another day.) If you think the Cheeseburger in Paradise is just another burger, think again. I don’t know what they did or how they did it, and no offense to anyone who has ever invited me to a backyard bbq, but the Cheeseburger in Paradise was absolutely the best burger I’ve ever eaten. EVER. And let me just tell you, I’ve eaten a lot of burgers in my time. Hands down, this one was the best. So good, in fact, we ate at Margaritaville twice during our stay and one the second visit, Robert joined me in junk food heaven and had a Cheeseburger in Paradise too!

Sloppy Joe’s

Sloppy Joe’s, also on Duval Street, has been in existence since 1939 and was frequented back in the day by Ernest Hemingway. Joe’s offers a laid-back atmosphere, live music, quick service, and great food. The patrons at Joe’s have never met a stranger and you walk in feeling right at home. I had a buffalo chicken wrap and Robert once again tried to find the best cheesesteak on Earth. He put Joe’s in the top five, at least, of his favorites. If we had a Joe’s closer to home, I think Robert would have permanent seating there.

Blackfins

We tried Blackfins, a quaint café with enough seating for maybe 16 (maybe, if everyone’s all squished like sardines) on a recommendation from Brian, the concierge at The Reach Resort. And if I remember correctly, this meal was the one Robert liked best. My meal of grilled shrimp was tasty but Robert’s Chef’s Special Pasta was beyond amazing. It’s what I’d wished I’d gotten the whole time I sat watching him eat it. I have to figure out a way to institute a half-way-through-the-meal plate swap with him… he almost always orders better than I do.

And to finish it off…

Yes, we were in the Keys. No, we did not have key lime pie. Why did we not have key lime pie? Because we, gasp shock and horror, don’t like key lime pie. One hot humid afternoon, we did have smoothies from a stand in the middle of Mallory Square. I tried the key lime pie smoothie simply because I felt obligated to indulge in the island's most recognized citrus fruit and Robert had strawberry. Once again, I wished for a mid-smoothie swap!

PS- Fabulous friends Blane and Patsy gave us a gift certificate to Seven Fish restaurant to use while in the Keys. Off the beaten path, Seven Fish is a tiny spot that you’d have to know about ahead of time. It’s a well-kept secret by the locals but the line outside when it opened told us everything we needed to know. Salads, grilled fish, and strawberry whipped cream pie are the house favorites and come highly recommended by one and all! Sadly, I failed to capture photographic evidence of all the yummy-ness on the Seven Fish menu. But thanks, Blane & Patsy, for sharing in our special day and for the gift card!

PSS- Since we’ve been home, the thought has crossed my mind to hop on the scale to see what sort of damages were done with our fantastic food adventure in the Keys. I have yet to be brave enough. I don’t know that I’ll ever have that kind of courage.

Pull Up a Chair at... Simon'z

It’s been a while since I’ve invited you guys to pull up a chair at a restaurant you may not have tried. Truth be told, I’ve been packing my lunch lately and when I have been out, I’ve either forgotten my camera or I find myself at a tried and true favorite that you’ve already heard about.

Several weeks ago, when Robert and I went to the Bike Fest, we noticed a car with a sign that said “Follow me to Simon’z” so Friday night, we finally got around to checking it out.

Simon’z is a locally owned and operated restaurant and catering company that has been open for about two years on South Broad Street in downtown Angier, near the park with the gazebo (if you’re familiar with the area); if you didn’t know it was there, you’d miss it. There are maybe 10 tables in the main dining room but Simon’z also has larger rooms that appeared to be perfect for meetings or larger gatherings.

The waitress was friendly and the food was great! Simon’z has a wide variety on the menu- everything from salads and sandwiches to steaks, pork chops and seafood. We had an appetizer platter of cheese sticks, homemade ranch chips, wings, and onion rings. I’m not typically a fan of onions but these rings might just make me change my mind. And the dipping sauce… wow, the perfect amount of zing to be spicy but not overpowering. The ranch chips, with a perfect sprinkling of seasoning- I could have eaten just those and been one happy camper.

When you’re reviewing a restaurant, it probably works best when everyone orders something different but Robert and I violated this cardinal unspoken ‘when blogging about food’ rule and both ordered the cheesesteak sandwich. We were not disappointed! We seem to eat cheesesteak a lot and I’d venture to say that Simon’z is among the Top 3 (if not higher) of all that we’ve sampled as of late.

We did check out the dessert menu but with the appetizer and the size of the sandwiches (I ended up taking half of my sandwich and most of the fries home), we were too full to sample Simon’z homemade cakes and pies. Maybe next time… and rest assured, there will be a next time. J

Simon’z is indeed a hidden treasure; there was no wait, the service was fast, the food was fantastic, and the prices were reasonable. We highly recommend it. Keep in mind that Simon’z is closed on Mondays but kids eat free on Tuesdays with the purchase of a regular meal and Simon’z supports military families by giving a 10% discount to active service personnel.

There’s just something special about supporting local businesses; I believe we’ll make Simon’z a regular stop on our date night rotation. If you see us there, swing by our table and say hello… but don’t even think about stealing an onion ring off our appetizer plate. J

Pull Up a Chair At… McKoy’s Smokehouse & Saloon

It doesn’t take long to figure out that to keep up with a concert moving at the speed of Bill Gentry’s blur, party people must prepare. We must get ready, gear up, and EAT! Oh, OK, if you insist.

Patsy and Blane recently heard Christian Kane mention that McKoy’s Smokehouse & Saloon had the “best bbq in the world” and that was more than enough of a recommendation for us. The Fab Foursome (Patsy, Blane, Jaime, & I) headed to McKoy’s on our way to the concert.

Just our luck, McKoy’s was running a dinner special that included one appetizer, two entrees (each with two sides) for 20 dollars. We thought that was a good idea BUT as it turns out, the entrees were so large that we could have split one entrée and been more than full.

For our appetizer, Jaime and I had chips and queso dip made of cheese, grilled chicken, spinach, and black beans. Blane and Patsy had grit cakes, a signature dish at McKoy’s. Three out of four of us thought both were fantastic; Jaime wasn’t a fan of the grit cakes but then again, she’s also the girl who won’t eat things if they’ve touched on her plate.



Jaime & I had pulled pork platters with mac & cheese and coleslaw. The slaw was recommended by the waitress. We decided that it wasn’t our style but perhaps we should have known better than to take menu advice from a woman whose own style was skin tight jeans and a teeny tiny top emblazoned with “I get paid to rub butts.” The bbq was tasty, with none of those gristly pieces you find so often in big chain restaurants. The sauce was great; a little bit spicy and a little bit sweet. The mac & cheese, however, was fan-flippin-tastic. It was, hands down, the BEST I’ve ever had. There are a few eateries I frequent that have mac & cheese that’s good enough to be dessert. The mac at McKoy’s was the perfect amount of creamy and cheesy, with noodles that were just the perfect amount of chewy and tender. The mac & cheese could have been meal, side, and dessert. I could have had that, skipped everything else, and walked away a happy, happy girl.

But had I done that, I would have missed dessert. The coconut pie at McKoy’s is made by the restaurant owner’s mom, with her own secret recipe. Not exactly a cream pie, not exactly a chess; it was a happy little hybrid of coconutty yumminess that was the perfect ending to a meal that would power us through hours of a rockin' country concert.

With great food, a relaxed atmosphere, and laid back service, McKoy’s definitely deserves a repeat performance. If you go, remember to either split a plate OR go to McKoy’s on a weekend when you have no other plans to eat out; no matter how large your appetite, I bet you could eat leftovers for at least two more meals.

I hope your weekend was, like mine, full of friends and fun. I hope you had a moment as “fan-flippin-tastic” as my McKoy’s mac & cheese. I hope you took a sweet pause over something as wonderful as a four person-sized slice of coconut pie. In short, I hope your weekend was a little bit spicy, a little bit sweet, a little bit special, a little bit… Something More.

Pull up a Chair at... Cameron Bar & Grill

When the world turns upside down and things feel inside out, the quickest and best remedy is to go to lunch with one of my most favorite people on the entire planet. And it never fails that by the end of an hour (give or take a few minutes), the problems are smaller, the blessings become clear again, and the laughter flows with enough force to wash away more troubles than Calgon could ever even think about.

Today was one of those days. A near and dear friend and I met at the Cameron Bar & Grill. With it's fancy black awning and cloth napkins, we thought it might be pricey but we were surprised to find out that the prices were reasonable. The waitresses were friendly and the service was lightening fast.

We fought the urge to resist the specials advertised on the chalkboard- Beefaroni and Martinis. I’m pretty sure the CB&G people didn’t intend for those items to be on a combo platter but we weren’t the only ones who noticed, and commented, on the unlikely pairing.

My friend had some sort of flatbread sandwich with blackened chicken, red peppers (I think) and pesto. She gave it high marks for excellence. I had the club sandwich; I love the idea of a club sandwich- three toasty layers of bread, ham, bacon, cheese, lettuce, and tomato held together with a frilly toothpick. But, is it just me or is a club sandwich about the messiest sandwich in the world? Messy? Yes. Worth it? Also a profound YES! And the fries were perfectly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside so I was a happy camper.



This happy camper could have gotten the Girl Scout badge for Elated when the dessert arrived (which I didn’t take a photo of so as to not embarrass my friend who threatened, while laughing, to take her dessert to her car if I pulled out my camera to photograph the rich, gooey, yummy, off-the-diets evidence). My Oreo pie was fantastic but to be honest, the peanut butter chocolate brownie pie on her plate was sensational. Next time, I’ll skip the sandwich and just go for Fries & Pies, the lunch of champions.

And, as the last swirls of chocolate were scraped from my plate, I realized that we’d done something that was so much more important than just having lunch at a fun new-to-us place (that we’ll go back to over and over again, I’m sure). With laughter, we were distracted from looming work worries. With caring candor, she helped me to resolve an issue I hadn’t even realized I was having. With encouraging perspectives, we gave voice and merit to some solid ideas that, only moments before, had simply been lofty notions rolling around in our creative minds.

Lunch was delicious even if it wasn't quite nutritious (you can't really call fries and pies nutritious) but more than it fed the growling bears in my belly, it fed my spirit and for that, I am forever thankful and eternally grateful. Thank you, friend; today was… Something More.

Pull Up a Chair at... Noodles & Company

Every now and then, as I’m flipping channels, I land on that TV show that shows you what and where the Food Network stars like to eat, The Best Thing I Ever Ate. I usually watch for a little while and make mental notes about where to eat if I’m ever in the cities they’re promoting. 

I thought for the longest time that the chicken burrito with queso sauce from On the Border was my favorite meal of all time. I’m sure OTB has other tasty dishes but I wouldn’t know. I got the chicken burrito on my first visit and have not strayed since. Not once. When something works for me, I tend to stick with it. Creature of habit, I guess. The chicken burrito with queso was the meal I’d choose if I could choose anything in the world to eat… or it used to be anyway.

Move over chicken burrito, you’ve been replaced.

Noodles & Company in Cameron Village offers a wide range of noodle dishes with flavors from all over the world. The dishes come in two sizes so if you order the “regular”, come hungry. Today, like always, I got the small Penne Rosa which is perfectly cooked penne pasta with mushrooms and spinach, topped with parmesan cheese-crusted chicken. I was full, but not miserable, and I skipped dinner because I was just not hungry.  There will probably be a bowl of ice cream in my future though; Penne Rosa is good but it can’t replace a bedtime snack. J

(Apologies for the photo, this was mid-eat. It was much prettier {but the same amount of tasty} when it arrived at the table, before I stirred it all up.)

The fun thing about Noodles & Company is that they offer noodle combinations you wouldn’t normally imagine: they suggest you get meatballs in your macaroni and cheese and while that sounds odd to me, the people who get it swear that meatballs no longer belong “On Top of Spaghetti” (does anyone remember that song from elementary school?). If you’re adventurous, you can go off the menu to mix and match noodles and sauces to make a signature dish of your own. The prices are a tiny bit high for lunch but are very much worth it for a mid-week treat. I believe my penne with chicken and a drink cost eight dollars.

Another thing I like about Noodles & Company is that you order at the counter but they bring your food and utensils to your table. Call me strange or whatever but there’s just something I don’t enjoy about carrying a tray to the table. It’s not that I’m above the manual labor of carrying my own tray, it’s that the trays make lunch feel like I’m back in the junior high cafeteria and let’s just be honest, no one wants to relive those awkward days.

Noodles & Company tends to get crowded so come early (they open at 11a.m.) and if it’s nice weather, you can grab a table outside under one of their huge red umbrellas. If you see us there, you're more than welcome to pull up a chair... but keep your fork far far away from my Penne Rosa.

Pull Up a Chair.... at The Flying Biscuit Cafe

There are certain messages that pop into my email (or facebook inbox, as the case may be) that never fail to bring a smile to my face and a quick clearing to my calendar. These emails come from a phenomenal friend who has taken on the role of master scheduler for The Funky Lunch Bunch, a group of old friends and new friends who meet for lunch, laughter, and usually (but not today) one fifth each of a fantastic dessert.

Today’s FLB adventure was to The Flying Biscuit Cafe, a cute little place tucked quaintly under a bright orange awning in Cameron Village. There are hot air balloons painted on one wall and an eclectic assortment of signs and other wall hangings dot the others. Kitschy, but in an adorable little way. The Flying Biscuit Café is open from 7a.m. to 10p.m. and serves breakfast all day long. While you wait for your order, the friendly wait staff brings you brightly colored plates of sugar-sprinkled biscuits and apple butter. Yum!

I’d like to tell you all about the lunch I had at The Flying Biscuit Café today but in all honesty, I had breakfast. We all did, well, 4 out of 5 of us did… and I was too preoccupied with the tales being told at our table to ask the one who ordered a real lunch how it was. But, I think he left a clean plate so it must have been pretty good. (Follow-up: I’ve confirmed that the 3B Chicken Sandwich was a hit!)

I had a pancake, scrambled eggs, chicken sausage, and “creamy, dreamy” grits… and the aforementioned while-you-wait biscuit. There were several times I thought, “I should stop eating but it is all so good”. That thought quickly turned into, “I’m going to have to do extra Zumba to make up for this” and finally, “I wish I’d worn elastic-waist pants… do I even own elastic-waist pants?”

And we talked, and more than that, we laughed… a lot. We laughed to the point that the people at adjoining tables wanted to join us. We’re fun, we’re friendly, we are the Funky Lunch Bunch. And in the middle of the day, in the middle of a stressful workweek, that’s even better than a flying biscuit.

So, if you see the Funky Lunch Bunch while you’re out and about, come over and say hello; chances are we’ll invite you to pull up a chair and join us. But you’ll probably have to get your own dessert; one-fifth is about as much as I’m willing to share!