Key West Pirate Museum

For my long weekend in Key West, my chosen cheesy tourist activity was the Pirate Soul Museum. Between my love of Buffett music & pirate movies, my interest in Caribbean history and my general (admittedly romanticized) fascination with pirates and sailors, I just had to check it out. The story is that the museum, located at 524 Front Street, started as a way to display Entrepreneur Pat Croce’s collection of pirate artifacts. Unfortunately, they don’t allow you to take pictures of these artifacts. I was a little disappointed about that; but I do understand that camera flashes can damage artifacts, and that this is a fairly common restriction in museums.

You're not allowed to take pictures in the Pirate Museum. But they never said the gift shop was off limits...

Lack of photo-ops aside, I enjoyed the Pirate Museum. There are displays of the weapons, medical equipment and navigational tools that were used by pirates. The museum also houses one of the two remaining Jolly Roger pirate flags and the only known surviving pirate treasure chest. There are interactive exhibits and a number of Blackbeard- centric displays. Everything is displayed with signs explaining what the artifacts are, mixed in with general anecdotes and blurbs about pirate life both on and offshore. Having recently read James Michener’s Caribbean, I found the descriptions of life in Port Royal particularly fascinating.

The charm bracelet I've been adding to since Christmas 2008. I wear it almost every day. The pirate charm resides happily between the pelican from a previous vacation to Florida and the graduation hat my husband got me when I received my MBA

Post-museum, it was time for shopping and lunch. I have a silver charm bracelet that I add to when I travel. I still hadn’t located the right charm from Key West. I was looking for a margarita glass. I never found one that I liked. But every time I looked, I was drawn to the skull & crossbones charms. On our way to lunch, I found a silver one at a little shop on Duval. The owner was even nice enough to weld it to my bracelet immediately.

View of Blue Heaven's courtyard from upstairs, indoor seating

I’m not sure really sure how we found Blue Heaven, located at 729 Thomas Street. Honestly, we probably just wandered off Duval Street until we found a promising restaurant. Like many Key West restaurants, it is located behind a tall garden wall in a courtyard with limited indoor seating. In the past, Blue Heaven has been home to a billiard hall, bordello, dance hall and gambling arena. Though it is currently a restaurant and bar, Blue Heaven pays tribute to its shady past. For instance, several of the tables have been decoupaged with cutouts revolving around jazz musicians and pinup girls. They also have live jazz in the evenings and a signature cocktail that is, of course, blue.

Decoupaged tabletop at Blue Heaven

Blue Heaven’s menu is similar to many of the other Floribbean-styled menus in Key West. This means it’s heavy on seafood, jerk chicken, black beans and fruits and vegetables. They’re open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We were there around 2:00pm; and they were steady but not overwhelmingly busy. While looking over the meal selections, I ordered the Blue Heaven martini (it’s 5:00 somewhere, right?) which had blue curacao, vodka and fruity mixers. While it was a pretty blue color, the drink itself wasn’t all that great. It was too heavy on the curacao, making it more bitter than sweet or tart.

Luncheon Tortilla with Jerk Chicken and Avocado

For lunch, Jared ordered the Jerk Chicken Plate while I chose the Luncheon Tortilla. His meal consisted of boneless jerk chicken breasts with black beans, rice and cornbread. My meal had the same jerk chicken (or tofu, if I had chosen that). It was served on a tortilla and topped it with black beans, rice, melted cheese, avocado and cilantro salsa. Jared found his meal bland. I thoroughly enjoyed mine. It was not as spicy or as salty as some jerk, but it was well-seasoned and went especially well with the tortilla and toppings. I also loved how cozy the restaurant was. We wound up conversing and laughing with other patrons while waiting for our meals, and lingering over our drinks after we had eaten. To me, this is the mark of a really good vacation meal – good food and drink, punctuated by fun conversation.

Blue Heaven dining room, where we sat after lunch and chatted with fellow travelers and Key West locals

Our trip down U.S. 1 ended at the Key West airport where we dropped off the rental car. Here’s my second Key West travel tip: stay on the west side of the island. The east side has a small airport, several hotels and a waterfront view, but not much else. The west side is where most of the restaurants, shops, bars and attractions are located. Now, Key West isn’t that big (2 miles by 4 miles). So you could taxi, bike or walk across it. But it’s much nicer to be close to the action. That being said, I don’t imagine that actually staying on Duval Street is very nice either.  My recommendation is to stay a block or so off Duval.

The Duval Inn has rooms available in the main house, the yellow cottage, and the bungalow

When traveling, I prefer to avoid large chain hotels. I adore bed & breakfasts and am a sucker for cheesy old-school motels. If you’re like me, I recommend staying at one of Key West’s many B&B’s or inns. I found The Duval Inn on Tripadvisor, where it gets rave reviews for its location, price and service. This B&B is located on Angela Street, within a block of Duval Street. It offers a range of room options, from basic rooms to suites. We opted for a cozy and very affordable poolside bungalow room. The only downside was that it had a shared bathroom (which was really not a big deal at all). And for $129 a night, the room was a steal.

One of my favorite things about B&Bs is that they’re a lot more social than hotels. The Duval Inn’s amenities enhance the social aspect. There is a complimentary happy hour every night with good cocktails, music and company. Breakfast, which consisted of bagels and pastries, hard-boiled eggs, fruit, yogurt, coffee and juice, is set up in the B&B’s registration area. Guests often choose to eat their food in the courtyard, sharing travel tips while they enjoy their meals.

After enjoying a nap, a margarita and some laughs at happy hour, Jared and I headed out in search of El Siboney. This Cuban restaurant was recommended to us by one of Jared’s friends whose family owns a house in Key West. The taxi driver who took us to the B&B also had good things to say about it. This brings me to a couple more travel tips – Taxi drivers are a great source of information and dining recommendations. Also, you’ll find some of the best and most affordable meals off of Duval Street.

My sangria & bistec de palomilla from El Siboney (told you the portions were huge!)

El Siboney is located at 900 Catherine Street, in a residential area. It is a local favorite that we probably wouldn’t have found if people hadn’t told us to seek it out. From the outside, the restaurant is unassuming. Once inside, you are greeted by the aroma of roasted meat and garlic, and the sight of happy people enjoying huge portions of good Cuban food. El Siboney has a fairly small selection of menu items; but they do them all very well. Jared ordered the Puerco Asado (roasted pork). I ordered Bistec de Palomilla (grilled steak). Both meals were served with Cuban bread, black beans, saffron rice and fried plantains. The meal was amazing. The meat was tender, well-seasoned and covered with a generous portion of grilled onions. The Cuban bread was soft and sweet, the beans had a rich meaty flavor, and I don’t think I could ever say anything bad about fried plantains.

After such a filling meal, we definitely needed to go for a walk. Fortunately, Key West lends itself very well to walking. Jared and I wandered through El Siboney’s neighborhood, down Duval Street and to the waterfront at Mallory Square. We spent several hours people-watching, wandering in and out of shops and bars, and just talking and relaxing before heading to the Margaritaville Cafe for live music and a late-night snack.

I’ve been to several of the Margaritaville restaurants and have always liked them. They’re full of Jimmy Buffett-related items and serve decent pub grub with a Floribbean twist. This was my favorite Margaritaville experience though. The Key West Margaritaville is a lot smaller than the others, giving it more of a local bar feel. We lucked into a seat front and center of the band and ordered a plate of  Volcano Nachos and a couple drinks. The nachos, while huge, are nothing special. They are covered in cheese sauce, melted cheese and all of the standard nacho toppings (guacamole, sour cream, green onion, jalapenos, etc). But then again, I don’t think you go to Margaritaville for incredible food. You go because you are a crazy fan who enjoys the atmosphere and the experience.

When we arrived, we hadn’t intended to spend the whole night at the Cafe. But the drinks were good, The Key West Band did an excellent job of covering Jimmy’s songs, and we were surrounded by fans of all ages singing along. So we passed a pleasant Saturday night  “wastin’ away again” with a soldier who was about to be deployed to Afghanistan, a bachelorette party, businesspeople on vacation, a guy who lives on his boat and several old hippies and beach-bum types. This is what I love so much about the Parrothead community – you meet people of all ages and backgrounds and instantly become friends with them, if only for a night.

Jared and I decided to order an appetizer and sandwiches. To start, we split an order of Flash Fried Sweet Plantains. Shortly after ordering, a basket full of plantains arrived. They had been coated with a thin layer of seasonings (I think this was salt and cumin with a dash of cinnamon and maybe something else) and fried. Being a fan of salty/sweet combinations, I liked them right away. The plantains were great on their own, and even better when dipped in the accompanying Ya-Ya sauce. This was a sweet sauce with a strong habanero bite. The end result was a spicy, sweet, salty flavor that was full without being overwhelming.

Jared ordered the Little Havana Cubano with a cup of black bean soup. The pork, ham, swiss and pickle sandwich was served on pan cubano. The pork was sliced thickly and had a slight citrus flavor. The bread reminded me of focaccia in both taste and texture. It wasn’t the most authentic Cuban sandwich; but it was satisfying. The soup was even better. It was a thick black bean soup garnished with cheese, sour cream and green onions. The meaty, earthy flavor makes it a definite comfort food. My only complaint is that it could have used a little more heat.

I had the Calle Ocho sandwich with sweet potato fries. This sandwich also had thick pork slices, which were complimented by a salty olive and caper salad and a smattering of manchego cheese. It was served on the same thick bread as the Cubano. The pork and cheese tempered the salad’s saltiness quite well, making the sandwich quite flavorful. I preferred this sandwich since it had less meat and a more interesting flavor. The sweet potato fries were crinkle-cut and slightly salty. They were nothing special, but were perfect alongside the sandwich. Both sandwiches were large. Neither of us could finish them after the heavy plantain appetizer. We took the leftovers home to eat for lunch the next day.

I’m now two for two on satisfying trips to this restaurant. Too often, foods revolve around only one flavor. They’re either really hot or really sweet. Even worse, they are just plain bland. Combining salty, sweet and hot flavors into one dish can be a tricky business. The Banana Bean manages these somewhat unexpected combinations very well. Their food combines flavors so that they compliment one another and taste good without being overwhelming. Since their menu is full of tempting items, I’m sure I’ll be back very soon.

Banana Bean Cafe Info
Location: 340 Greenlawn Ave. Columbus, Ohio 43226
Phone: (614) 443-2266
Website: http://www.bananabeancafe.com
Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-9pm, Sun 9am-3pm
Type of Food: Floribbean cuisine and cocktails