Old Town Bakery

I've fallen in love!! I've found the love of my life. Oh man, the butterflies, the giddiness, the excitement!  And sorry, it ain't The Hubs I'm talking about here. It's Old Town Bakery.

Oh sweet, yeasty goodness that falls upon my tongue, caressing my delicate taste buds and making me fall evermore in love with the deliciousness you bring into my life. Sigh.

If ya can't tell by my prose, this is good stuff. This, my friends, is a bakery--like a real bakery. Like a they-bake-their-stuff-fresh-every-day, the-baguettes-are-ready-in-the-morning-at-8:30-bakery.  It's a true treat.

On the corner of Eaton and Grinnell stands Old Town Bakery; a humble-looking building with curious vines wandering along the outside walls. Step inside and you will see a simple shop that sells the most beautiful looking (and tasting, mind you) danishes, croissants, cookies, loaf cakes and more.

When The Hubs and I stepped into the shop, I eyed the Chocolate Croissant. He got the Blueberry Cheese Danish. The Chocolate Croissant was deliciously flaky and layered in a way that I had never experienced a croissant before. The chocolate was chunky and bitter-sweet, matching the already butter-rich croissant.

I took a bite of The Hubs' danish and not only was the danish's freshly baked bread taste delightful, the blueberries on the cheese in the center of the danish were fresh--as in not frozen! Imagine that!


We went to eat lunch, but immediately after, we came right back to Old Town Bakery..........we had to get some for the kids.. ;) I indulged in a few of the other types of danishes they had, and I also got a cappuccino. I know what you're thinking: "They serve coffee too?!" I know, I know, try to keep calm.

Get this: not only do they serve a good cappuccino (the foam was delicious), but it's so affordable that a chain (like Starbucks) would be put to sssoooo much shame. You would think this being a locally run shop in Key West, the prices would be far from modest, but oh no, it's better than I could have imagined--which is why we came back.

But wait, there's even more! Not only do they serve fresh pastries and coffee, they sell their own cheeses, meats and other goodies! Such deliciousness-es as Sun Dried Tomato Pesto and House Marinated Artichoke Heart. They even make their own pickles for goodness sake! Not to mention, you could totally stop here instead of your trip to Publix or Winn Dixie or wherever--because not only will it taste a whole lot better, it'll probably be more affordable too. Ha!

The Hubs even mentioned that it reminded him of the great sweet bread and other pastries they had in Venezuela while growing up. It's simply childhood memory-inducing. I mean, look how many exclamation points I've used in this post!

Ok, ok, let's get to it..

So,
The Bottom Line:
Food: uh-mazing. Just go there.

Price:  Very nicely priced. I know that the (not even) comparable Starbucks further down the road is waayy more expensive--and it surely doesn't taste as good.

Service: Service was great. We asked questions, the young lady answered them no problem and with enthusiasm. We even left a tip.

Overall:  Great experience.  If you love freshness, if you love baked goods, if you just love anything that tastes really good, then go there. Simple as that.

The menu:

Shanna Key Irish Pub

Today for lunch, The Hubs and I decided to try a restaurant that we pass frequently, but have never gone to: Shanna Key Irish Pub & Grill.  It's on the corner of Flagler and Bertha--pretty out of the way of the cruise ship-ers that come in daily.  So, if you are a cruise ship-er you'll likely need a taxi if you want to give this place a try.

This picture provided by Google Maps

You can't miss this big yellow and green building at one of the busiest intersections in KW.  After we parked in the back of the restaurant and started walking towards the building, there are picnic tables lining the wall outside with umbrellas providing ample shade for those who want to eat in the cool heat of the city.

When you walk in, you seat yourself in typical pub/bar fashion.  There is a nice sized bar that displays the completely stocked plethora of all of the liquors, liqueurs and mixers that you could ever need.
The decor is........lacking?  There's typical bar stuff: posters, signs, football (soccer) flags, tv's, etc.  They're a "Steelers Nation" pub, so prepare yourself.  The best part is the big time projector and screen that's there, ready to capture the most riveting sports moments right. there.

But it also leaves a bit to be desired.  It's green. Yes, it's an Irish Pub--I get it. But the carpet is green, the walls are green, the moulding bordering the entire room is green.  The worst part, however, is that there are foiled party streamer shamrocks hanging from the ceiling....sigh.

Enough of decor! This is a food blog!

There's a simple menu.  If you're thinking typical Irish/English pub food, you're spot on:  Shepard's Pie, Fish and Chips, Corned Beef and Cabbage...you get the idea. BUT it is a sports bar too, so wings, burgers and fries with somewhat of an Irish flair are there too.

I ordered the Fresh Fried Wings with the Jalapeno and Garlic sauce. 10 wing for 10 bucks. The Hubs got the Shanna Burger with "L.T.O" and opted for a fried egg in addition to the standard way it is dressed.  Oh, and you can't go to an Irish pub and not get a beer, so we both got Miller Lite on draft. **No Guinness for me. Guinness is for those who have the gonads that I do not.**

These wings. were. huge. And freshly fried they were indeed! Nice and hot, with crispy skin and juicy on the inside.  I enjoyed the wings so much that the lacking jalapeno garlic sauce didn't bother me so much. The sauce just seemed to be crushed jalapeno peppers, butter and garlic powder--nothing spectacular (there are three or four other sauce options too). But, oh, the chicken!

The Hubs was very pleased with the fact that he could get a fried egg on his burger.  He reports that it was "tasty and delicious" and that he would recommend it to someone else. Those were all the words I could muster from him about his food..

I included the menu. Just click on it to make it bigger. 

 

So,
The Bottom Line:
Food:  The food was pretty tasty. Although, we went the typical bar food route instead of taking the Irish experience.

Price:  The prices are pretty legit. They offer a 50 wings for $30 (during games and happy hour). Not typical KW pricey-ness; worth the money. And there is a small local discount.

Service:  The service was pretty good. Greeted when we walked in, served quickly and the food got delivered quickly.

Overall: A good experience. Good music. Seems like an excellent place to be on Sundays and Monday nights, or for any big sports event. Oh, and there's Karaoke on Saturdays :)

Thai Island Restaurant and Sushi Bar

I'll admit, I'm not a Thai food expert by any means, but let me say, it was tasty.

When I arrived to Thai Island, I immediately wondered how to get in. There's a great outdoor balcony/seating area that over looks the bridge and bay area where all the commercial boaters dock in. It was cloudy today, but on just about any other clear day I bet the sunset view from the balcony is simply amazing.

They have a pretty extensive menu: fried noodles, curries, seafood, all types of sushi/specialty rolls, bento boxes, and thai and japanese soups and salads. Great selection, but I'm not sure how **authentic** it is--I'm guessing not very.
Their large menu is posted on the outside of the restaurant; there you can see just how many options there are!

Immediately walking upstairs to the restaurant, you're greeted with the option to sit inside or outside on the balcony. It would have been to sit outside, but considering my crew, we sat inside.

After being given our choice of table, we sat and were greeted by a nice young lady, Olga, who helped us out with what's good and great.

Okay, so, I know this is Key West--all touristy and whatnot--but the prices here are kinda high. I ordered the dubbed "Valentine Roll" which consists of "shrimp tempura, eel, masago, cucumber, avocado, asparagus, scallions and spicy mayo topped with tuna and tempura flakes." There are some good things in this roll, undoubtedly. The crispy shrimp tempura isn't too crispy to where your mouth is bleeding with each bite, but not soggy with grease. The masago and spicy mayo set the veggies and everything else off quite perfectly.  It was full of textural differences that I enjoyed, but....I don't really feel that one, single roll was worth $16.

My kids shared the Pad Thai (excuse the chopstick paper).  Olga suggested it for the kids because it's sweet and it's noodles. What kid wouldn't go for sweet noodles? The only drawback that I saw in the description of sweet noodles is ground peanuts. I told her that he's allergic, but said that they could make it without the peanuts, no problem. Good news to me!! Gabriel like it, but....I found it a bit too sweet--but maybe that's what the peanuts would have helped balance out--you try it out and let me know!

The final product? A pleased toddler. Happy toddler = happy mother.

The Bottom Line
Food: Okay. Sushi was good, noodles were too sweet, but overall just okay. Yours may be more tasty.

Price: Pretty pricey. The total bill for 1 sushi roll, 2 noodle plates, and a gyoza dumpling appetizer and an iced tea was $50.51,  with a local discount. It ultimately cost me $60 after tipping, because they were nice.

Service: Friendly. They were nice to my kiddies, which always makes me happy. They offered to make the menu work for us, which is always great.

Overall: Pleased. Not an earth-shatteringly amazing experience, but definitely not a horrible one. If you're looking into it, I'd recommend it.

About me..

Before I head out on my first review, I thought it would be best to let myself be known a bit more.
Me, my two boys and my husband live here in Key West. My husband is stationed here--and that's about the only reason I'm still here.

I won't lie, I'm not crazy about this place--it's really small and secluded and I can't get out to make friends or really do anything because I'm with my boys all the time.

Key West is definitely a vacation and retirement oasis. If you're not vacationing or retiring and are staying here, there isn't much here for you.  Considering the bars, and vacation-like atmosphere it isn't really the best place to have a young family (my boys are 2 and 1). So, the things that I will be paying special attention to is not just how amazing the food tastes, but how it'll be for a family, as well as other types of crowds.

I do know that when I go out to eat with my boys, 40% of the time at that restaurant I'm wondering why I thought it was a good idea to do it in the first place. But I'll be taking my chances.
So my first food adventure will commence tonight. I'm taking the boys to Thai Island Restaurant tonight and I couldn't be more excited to make this my first post!

There are actually quite a few Thai restaurants here on the island, but I figured I might as well start here. And you better believe the others are soon to come. Come back later for good info on some chow down!

Intro to Key West

When you get to Key West, its understandable that all that you could seem to think about is Margaritaville, going to the beach, and snapping a few photos next to the Southernmost Point buoy. But there comes a point in your tour of the city, as you're walking down Duval Street or trying to find your way through the one way street maze, when you realize "My stomach is going to eat itself if I don't find anything to eat soon."

I realize this is hard to conceptualize for many people, but Key West is.....isolated. It's a place where the only department store shopping experience you will have within a 4 hour radius is a single Sears store on Roosevelt Boulevard.

A place where there is ONE Winn Dixie and two Publix. And no, there is no Wal-Mart or Target--and in fact, Cuba is closer than the nearest of either of those two stores. Even Taco Bell and KFC are a delicacy, being and hour away in Marathon. 

Okay, Okay, you get the point: no Olive Gardens, no Chili's, no PF Chang's, nothing of the sort!  So what on earth is there to eat in this wretchedly isolated place? Answer: you have to look.

In this blog, I'll try to reveal some restaurants that aren't so well known around the island, and review some that are. As much as I like and use Urbanspoon in my travels, it just wasn't cutting it with what the good grub is here on the island. 

There are tons of restaurants--many only locals know about, and others only tourists stick to (like Pizza Hut). But, stick with me, and you'll likely be chowing on something good from this unique selection of grub here on the island.