Key West Food and Wine Festival: A Funky Island with Culinary Bliss
- Indulge in the Key West Food & Wine Festival – January 26 – 29
When it comes to culinary delights, Key West serves up a fabulous fare that can compete with food destinations anywhere in the world. It’s amazing how far the island has come in the food-and-wine department in last 15 years or so. It wasn’t that long ago that we only had a few gourmet choices, a couple of favorite spots for Cuban cuisine, and several ‘tried and true’ sailor diners. Now I’m not saying those places are long gone, so don’t worry about that. But Key West dining has evolved as our tourist base has become more international and sophisticated. Today, if you’re into seeking out delicious food and fine wine on vacation, you can literally plan your trip around dining and sipping.
The treasured funky ambience of Key West will be with us forever, (we all love that) and this makes the fine dining experience even more intriguing. Consider this comparison. You’re in a fine restaurant in a rather predicable dining room located in a strip-mall in anywhere U.S.A. For me, something goes missing in the entire dining experience. Now, imagine yourself tantalizing your taste-buds in an historic Key West Victorian cottage-turned restaurant, or sipping fine wine in weather worn beach chairs right on the ocean with sand between your toes.
Something magical happens when food is prepared and served in an authentic island setting on Key West. Everyone seems to get inspired … from the chefs-to-the-waiters-to the-wine purveyors, and ultimately to those of us that just plain love to eat. There’s a celebratory feeling that spills from the kitchens to the table. And there’s another thing going on here that affects the whole scenario. This is a tiny island with historic streets that are close together. Our geography has just naturally created a ‘café society,’ where we can easily walk or ride our bikes from wine tasting house to restaurant, from restaurant to bar, from bar to music club.
Indeed, many of us who call Key West home end up developing guarded daily rituals that revolve around food and drink. First we’ll group-up at a bar at sunset for a drink where we wind down the day and catch up with the ‘coconut telegraph.’ Then after a couple of hours we move on to a restaurant to eat together. From there, some folks move on to catch some music, while others of us (who run businesses for example) usually go home to rest and get ready to do it all over again… unless of course it’s Saturday night!
If I’ve peaked your curiosity, that’s good. Coming up soon are our personal favorite ‘well-worn’ culinary-imbibing paths that are sure to insatiate you from every pore. But until then, you can get all excited about the Key West Food & Wine Festival coming up January 26 – 29. Here you’ll experience some amazing creations by some top-of-the-line Key West chefs who are inspired to work on this unique colorful island. The event line-up for 2012 is fun and delicious. Wine tasting and dancing on the beach, food tutorials, strolling through historic neighborhoods to sample food and wine, a pig roast, and bowling with coconuts (now that’s funky) the list goes on.
