US Airways - May 2013 - (Page 63)

really experience the place you have to sit outside at well-worn picnic tables while the restaurant’s famous chickens wander at your feet, pecking for bugs and whatever scraps you’d like to share. Of course, after sampling such Heaven-ly dishes as the rich, cheesy shrimp and grits and (in season) gloriously decadent lobster eggs Benedict, you may be inclined to let the chickens fend for themselves, but they’re probably used to it. No chickens, no reservations, and no air-conditioning at the equally eclectic Half Shell Raw Bar, a former shrimp-packing plant in Key West’s Historic Seaport. But there are big platters of fresh oysters, steamed clams, and “peel ’n’ eat” shrimp, all best washed down with ice-cold beers at communal tables just an oyster shell’s throw from the water. There are two ways to tell when you’ve arrived at B.O.’s Fish Wagon, another of the island’s beloved seafood-centric eateries. One is the rusted-out old truck parked in front; the other is fish sandwiches as big around as your head. From the outside, the ramshackle structure could be something a hurricane dragged in, while the cramped interior is a collage of junk the hurricane seemingly left behind. Still, how can you resist a place whose easygoing motto is, “No shirt, no shoes, no problem”? You can dine more regally but still without shoes at Sun Sun, the aptly named indoor-outdoor restaurant at the posh Casa Marina Resort. Sip cocktails around the flickering fire pit and dine on the covered patio. Or take full advantage of the resort’s private beach with a “toes in the sand” dinner, your feet within tickling range of the incoming tide, your table set with boutique wines and dishes like Bahamian-style conch chowder, crab-stuffed grouper, and Key lime crème brûlée. Yet the real strength of the Key West restaurant scene, like so many great dining cities, is its small, unpretentious, neighborhood eateries run by passionate, ingredient-driven chefs. Michael Mosi, for one. The classically trained chef, who cooked his way around Europe and the U.S. before coming to Key West in 1998, hooked up with old friend Drew Wenzel in 2007 to open Azur, a modern “coastal Mediterranean” restaurant in a former gas station in the city’s Old Town neighborhood. He’s had a frontrow seat at the city’s dining evolution. “Not everyone is trying to build these massive waterfront monstrosities anymore,” Mosi says. “[Now] it’s all about the quiet neighborhood niche restaurants — the little bakeries and cafes, the vegetarian restaurants, all these pocket neighborhood Clockwise from above: Louie’s Backyard patio, salmon dish at Azur, Twist and Stout at Better Than Sex, fresh seafood at Half Shell Raw Bar, and Len and Dani Johnson at Better Than Sex

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of US Airways - May 2013

US Airways - May 2013
Table of Contents
CEO Letter
From the Editor
Did You Know?
Making It Happen
Hot Spots: Best Full-Service Hotels
Hub Crawl: Chicago O'Hare International Airport
Wine & Dine: Virginia Wines
Great Tastes: Old Town Tortilla Factory
Diversions: Anheuser-Busch
Great Escapes: Santa Monica's Fairmont Miramar
Great Escapes: Aruba
Golf: Colonial Williamsburg's Golden Horseshoe
Adventure: Heli-Hiking in British Columbia
Great Escapes: Granada Hotel & Bistro
Adventure: Glasgow, Scotland
Adventure: Dipsea Trail
Great Escapes: Iberostar Hotels and Resorts
Gear Up: Gardening
Travel Feature: Hungry in Key West
US Airways: Painting the Past
Chefs Tell: Smith & Wollensky and Robin's
Must Read: Here Is Where
Great Dates
Puzzles
Readers Resource Index
Your US Airways Guide
Video Entertainment
Audio Entertainment
U.S. and Caribbean Service Map
International Service Map
Airport Terminal Maps
US Airways Fleet/Customs & Immigration
Passenger Info/Contact US Airways
US Airways MarketPlace®
Giving: Miles for Good
Window or Aisle?

US Airways - May 2013