Attention, foodies! Key West, the sunny subtropical getaway known for its fantastic fresh fish and stunning seafood, is hosting its first-ever full-fledged restaurant month. And on an island where even the air smells delicious — combining salt breezes, tropical blossoms’ perfume and aromas beckoning from local eateries — that’s big news.
Waterfront eateries including the Southernmost Beach Cafe are showcasing their cuisine during WineDine KeyWest. (All photos courtesy of WineDine KeyWest)
It’s called WineDine KeyWest, and it takes place Sept. 16 through Oct. 16. And if you’re a cuisine connoisseur, you’d better kick your appetite into high gear … because during the mouthwatering month, you can enjoy multicourse prix fixe meals at as many as 30 Key West restaurants.
The culinary celebration was “cooked up” by the team behind the popular annual Key West Food & Wine Festival (which, by the way, is scheduled Jan. 25-29 and promises to be better than ever). Its purpose is simple and tasty: to promote fine dining and showcase the flavors of Key West.
“Key West has some world-class restaurants,” advised Mark Certonio, co-creator of the sure-to-be-yummy event. “Our mission is to position the island as a dining destination and foodie paradise, and put a spotlight on all that it has to offer.”
“All that it has to offer” encompasses quite a lot. During WineDine KeyWest, Mark explained, 30 participating restaurants are offering three-course meals priced at approximately $20 per person for lunch and just $35 per person for dinner.
The restaurants include casual waterfront spots, trendy bistros, eateries specializing in fresh Florida Keys seafood and award-winning gourmet emporiums.
Diners can toast the featured restaurants’ prix fixe cuisine with fine vintages.
For example, you can savor a dinner of catch-of-the-day ceviche followed by a macadamia-crusted lobster tail and chocolate lava cake at the Southernmost Beach Café beside the Atlantic Ocean.
Or dine on a prosciutto caprese salad, seared ahi tuna and tangy meringue-topped Key lime pie at the Pier House Resort’s One Duval as you watch the sun set over Key West Harbor.
The concept is simple: just register FREE here, and you can take part in the month-long moveable feast.
You’ll discover plenty of details about the featured restaurants and their menus on the website. But that’s not all — you’ll also find other local businesses, from spas to lodging properties and boutiques, with enticing offers for event participants.
As well as delicious meals and other treats, WineDine KeyWest is focused on saluting the Florida Keys chefs behind the selected restaurants’ fare. Click on a special section of the event website and you can “meet” the creative spirits who pour their talent and passion into crafting ever-evolving dishes to delight diners.
As well as the best local cuisine, WineDine KeyWest celebrates the chefs who create it and the enticing island that inspires it.
Among them are Swiss-born Chef Joel Borgeaud, who has spent more than two decades at Camille’s Restaurant and favors an innovative blend of Alpine, French and Caribbean flavors. And Chef Bill Stockton, whose fondness for fresh local seafood and island inspirations infuses his cuisine at the Westin Key West Resort’s Bistro 245. And Chef Tim Hadley of Blue Macaw Island Eats & Bar, who has battled in celebrity cooking challenges and specializes in a self-described southern/island fusion. And, of course, many more.
Literary legend Ernest Hemingway, who lived and worked in Key West for most of the 1930s, once wrote, “I have discovered that there is romance in food when romance has disappeared from everywhere else. And as long as my digestion holds out, I will follow romance.”
For years, the creativity and quality — and romance — of Key West’s cuisine have drawn foodies to the island city. And the perfect time to follow that romance is this September and October … during the first-ever WineDine KeyWest restaurant month.
