Food: Places to Eat in Key West

Our first bite to eat in Key West was Louie's Backyard, an upscale place on the south side near the "Southernmost Point" in the U.S. The food was not worth the price, but it was still serviceable. While my Bahamian conch chowder didn't really live up to the hype, I found my Dad's chicken salad and my Mom's mozarella caprese to be workable. The drinks there seemed better - Mom's mojito smelled of mint even before you drank it. Since the view was excellent (literally right by the ocean), I'm willing to give the place the benefit of the doubt...

(Preliminary) Rating: 2/4 stars

El Meson de Pepe, located on Mallory Square, is a decent but uninspiring Cuban joint. While the walls are festooned with neat artwork depicting Havana, the food is by-the-numbers. The sangria we ordered was tasteless, but the ropa vieja and lechon asados were pretty good, at least when paired with the mojo and spicy dressings that were brought to the table.

(Preliminary) Rating: 2/4 stars

There are a metric ton of seafood restaurants in Key West, but the Half Shell Raw Bar, where we went to for lunch, seemed like it was a cut above the rest. The raw oysters were pleasingly fresh and served with Tabasco, horseradish, and lemon, and the fish and shrimp were all better than average. It was pretty dead there, as were all the places on our trip (it's the off season), but during the wintertime at night I bet the place gets pretty crowded.

(Preliminary) Rating: 3/4 stars