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Key West: Food on Dry Land
April 28th, 2009 | Stephen Bailey
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Ok, so there I was in Newark Airport, looking for food. As anyone who travels knows, there are very few choices in most airports. Some offer more than others, but most are no better than grade-b mall food courts. And while I did give in to the call of a McDonald's chicken sandwich and fries, I would make better choices once in Key West. We won't talk about that one late night stop by the Wendy's near my Hotel.
The hotel's Open-Air Cafe was my first stop for food on the morning after my arrival. It was the usual breakfast buffet fare. Eggs, danishes, bacon, yogurt, etc. The cool morning breeze carries the sound of Steely Dan as I sip my tea. The only downside is I forgot people are allowed to smoke here. I haven't had to deal with secondhand smoke during a meal in quite some time.
I liked the atmosphere so much, that I ate my lunch here as well. I like hotel cafes. A decent staff will normally be more attentive than that of a restaurant simply because they represent a bigger picture. It also helps that, at The Inn at Key West, the food is very good. My lunch was the Island Club Sandwich. Chicken salad with tarragon and a layer of pineapple cream cheese on toasted whole wheat bread. On the side was a salad of field greens topped with a delicious honey mustard dressing.
But then there is the downside of hotel cafes. Many have strict operating hours separating the meals. I fell into the void between lunch and dinner as I completed my meal and the entire cafe staff vanished. I was now sitting there alone. Do I just leave? I'd like to pay my tab. Someone from the bar walked by and took care of it. If this was NYC people would freak out over such things, but here in this place I'm OK with things working slowly. It is after all why I left the bustle for this trip.
The next morning, I made my way downtown on the advice of my friend, filmmaker Aaron Dunsay. He told me I had to find a place called Blue Heaven. He travels a lot (mostly road trips) so I trust his opinions about local eats. The nearest stop by my hotel to catch the bus to downtown is outside of the mega supermarket Publix. Nearby is Sears, IHOP and fastfood. Here, just a few miles from downtown is where sprawl is king. Like everywhere I suppose.
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Stephen Bailey | Comments Off
Key West: Food on Dry Land
(via Facebook, MySpace, Digg, email and more)
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