Little Room Jazz Bar

When sensory overload hits, and you need to decompress, head south to 821 Duval and the smoothest spot on the island -  The Little Room Jazz Bar. A recent discovery for me, and a spot I can't wait to get back to. 

Step inside and take a moment to let your eyes adjust to the dim light. Saxophones, Violins and Mandolins adorn the rich maroon walls. Candles light the dark wood high top tables and a flat screen running footage of sharks and other fishes creates a relaxing backdrop behind a portion of the bar. 

Though performers aren't on an elevated stage, the main seating area offers plenty of room for jazz lovers and two side rooms feature stuffed chairs and a couch for a more comfortable listening experience. 

Live jazz starts at 8pm nightly and the club offers two daily happy hours. 2-8pm and 12:30am to 2:30am. Don't ask for a well drink though. The Little Room's offerings are limited to craft beers and wine. For my party, that worked just fine. My son grabbed a glass of white wine and my friend James and I downed a couple of beers. (James and I are pictured below)

You can check their website, for a list of daily performers, though I'm not sure it's current. We were there this past Tuesday and what we heard didn't sound anything like the Haitian infused Jazz I was expecting. Whomever it was, entertained the crowd with a couple of sets that mellowed us enough to continue our crawl up Duval.


Update:  I should have actually read the white board I wandered past at the front door - a duo called, The French Connection was the featured act that night. 

Happy Hour - Alonzo's Oyster Bar

I can't count the number of times we've walked past A& B Lobster House and Alonzo's Oyster Bar, on our way to someplace else. In the last year, Mark had suggested dinner a few times, but the word Lobster always made me leery of prices.  And then, a couple of days ago, he pointed out that the two were separate entities and suggested happy hour at Alonzo's.  Oh yeah. There's that word bar at the end of the sign.


Alonzo's is located in a great spot, on a corner of the pier in the Key West Bight,  next to where they feed the Tarpon everyday at 4 pm.  If you've never watched a swarm of Tarpon (many topping 150 pounds), fight over super sized chunks of fish, you're missing one of the best shows in Key West. Occasionally, you'll spot a Nurse Shark or Manatee gliding through the scene. Feeding starts promptly at 4, so arrive 10-15 minutes early for a good spot. After the show's done, at about 10 minutes after 4, turn around and hit Alonzo's.

There wasn't room at the bar, so we asked if we could get a table for happy hour. Some bars in Key West won't honor the happy hour menu unless you're at the bar, so it's always good to check. Alonzo's didn't mind and we were seated at an inside table after about a ten minute wait.





Happy hour is from 4pm - 630pm daily with all appetizers and drink specials half price. Mark went with a mojito, his favorite, and I jumped onto a key lime martini.  The mojito wasn't as perfect as Bahama Bob's mojito over at the Rum Bar, but he thought it was pretty darn good.  My key lime martini was the best, by far, that I've had on the island. It was sweet and creamy with the traditional graham cracker rim. Some places skip the graham cracker rim which violates all sorts of happy hour rules and thusly nullifies their ability to call their monstrosity a key lime martini.

More importantly, it's a direct violation of the Key West By-Laws,

Rule 4, sec 4,

For a drink to be declared a "Key Lime Martini", said drink must have graham cracker crumbs around the rim.  A drink without graham cracker crumbs, can, however, call itself a Lime Martini but must omit the term "Key" from the name.  

Just like every sports bar in the world has buffalo wings, every eating spot in Key West has their own versions of fish dip and ceviche.  Since we're fans of both, we had to order one of each and neither disappointed. The fish dip was on the mild side, light on the spices, and topped with capers and chunks of red peppers. It was served with 3 different type of crackers. The ceviche was a excellent with onions and peppers with the conch meat, giving it a decent kick. Still hungry, we ordered the fish fingers and were a bit disappointed. They were okay, as far as fish fingers go, but the sauce was basic tartar and there was really nothing that stood out about the dish.

In the end, my fears of an expensive bill were unfounded. We ordered two specialty drinks, two sodas, three appetizers and the bill was only $30.  On our next visit, I'll request an outside table for some people watching. A true spectator sport here in Key West.

New-to-Me Small Crawl: Round 1

Guess who? Mark, of course. Pretty soon, I'm gonna demand co-author credit for this blog.  I bet I could even swap out Melissa's profile and picture and she wouldn't even notice.

We've been down here over a year now and, although we arrived with heartfelt intentions to experience a wide variety of the restaurants and bars, we quickly found places we liked and settled into a routine. That's sooo wrong.  We had taken a solemn oath to maintain a wide knowledge base of the Duval Street area for our future guests. We devised an easy fix; the New-to-Me Bar Crawl. The primary rule is simple, we can't go to any bar unless one or more of the participants have never had a drink there.

When we jumped on the bikes and headed to town, yesterday, we intended a full-fledged NTM Bar Crawl.  Unfortunately, we got a bit of a late start and then, later, had a hang fire on a food order. Both miscues cost us precious Happy Hour time and, in the end, we were only credited with a small crawl.

Under the Key West By-Laws, Rule 3, sec 5,

"No adventure shall be deemed a Bar Crawl unless participants order drinks in, at least, 5 establishments.  In the event that participants experience between 2 and 4 establishments, said adventure shall be deemed a "Small Crawl."

Our first stop was Grunts. It's a small place on the north side of Caroline St about a half block west of Duval.  It's a marvelous spot. Just around the corner from the livelier times of Duval St, it gives you all of the comfort of a neighborhood bar.

 They only offer beer and wine but that's just fine for a neighborhood bar.  The servers and bar staff are sociable, pleasant and professional.  Debbie's also pretty darn cute, isn't she?

During Happy Hour, draft beers are $2.75 and domestic bottles are $3.

After 5:30, you can order food and that seemed like a smart idea.  The menu is limited but we ordered the fish tacos. Somewhere along the line, our order got lost but I prefer not to blame Debbie. I'm sure it wasn't her fault. We probably lost about 30 precious  minutes of Happy Hour. That meant one less stop. When the tacos arrived,  though, I loved them.

When you stop by Grunts, you can have a seat inside, at the bar, or relax at a wrought iron table in the courtyard.  Either option is well worth your time.

Next up, we stopped by the Smallest Bar. Its the ultimate hole-in-the-wall.  You could probably fit about 4 people inside. (Challenge accepted?)

John, the bartender was a really engaging guy.  That big ole smile is real. He's as friendly as a puppy. We decided to test him with a couple drinks and he nailed the mix.

Like us, John's only been down here about a year and a half. I could have hung out and BS'd with him for hours.  We'll definitely stop back to see him.

  Our final stop for the night was the Hog's Breath Saloon. It may be a bit surprising that we hadn't been there yet, but, as a rule, we tend to avoid the more commercialized places.  It was a disappointment. The service was perfunctory and the place just didn't feel warm at all.  Unless we are with someone else who wants to stop there, I doubt we'll be back. There are too many other places that feel more welcoming.

Stay tuned for the next installment of the New-to-Me Bar Crawl.  We haven't go it scheduled yet but I've got a couple weeks off so it could be soon.

Happy Hour Series - Schooner Wharf

Anyone who's ever perched on a bar stool between 4 and 6:30 pm knows it's not just the drink that makes the hour happy. The bartender, the band, the view, and the company absolutely make or break a spot.

In the interest of science, and because we have nothing better to do with our afternoons, we've decided to hit every bar in Key West looking for that sweet mix that makes the perfect happy hour.

Okay, we've just discovered that over 360 places in Key West have liquor licenses so we're narrowing down our parameters to bars we find while wandering around the island.

Schooner Wharf kicks off the series with the earliest happy hour on the island - 7 am to Noon.  You read that right. 7 am.

Since they also serve a great breakfast, Mango Mimosas's are the perfect complement to any item on the menu.

Trust me, there's no better breakfast than one you wash down with a Mango Mimosa.







The music starts at 12 on most days and 6 days a week you'll hear Michael McCloud kick it off. While his dog, Cindy, hangs by his side, Michael will treat you to some outstanding folk tunes. His original music is currently played on five XM/Sirius channels. Be sure to listen for his song about an ex-waitress that he didn't like. It's hysterical. Also, be sure to give Cindy a scritch. She's a sweetie. In the evening, you may hear the Doerfels, a unique and talented family group that is great fun. Look for their guitars made out of old hockey sticks.

Look for us most weekdays around 9am.

 You can check out the place on their webcam


When you leave, be sure to head out along the waterfront. You are sure to see some huge Tarpon lolling around just below the surface or you might even be treated to a Manatee. Manatees are cool.

Happy Hour - Rum Punching up Duval

Mark had a evening off work, so we jumped on the bikes and headed into Key West. The plan was to rum punch our way up Duval Street. Since booze on an empty stomach is never a good idea, we started at Kelly's Caribbean Bar, Grill and Brewery for Jerk Wings. These plump meaty wings are sweet yet have enough heat to keep you reaching for your cocktail.

Happy hour runs 4-7 and is always crowded. To get the specials, you have to be at the bar, so get there early. We arrived about 5 and were lucky to find two seats near the door. I ordered a rum punch and Mark immediately abandoned the plan and ordered a mojito.

This is a tricky drink to get right. Bartenders almost always blow it when it comes to the sugar mix. Too much and it's sickly sweet. Too little and all you taste is club soda. This one had a nice mix of lime and mint and leaned just a tad on the sweet side.

My rum punch was nearly perfect. For me, perfection is equal parts of dark rum, coconut rum, pineapple juice, orange juice and a splash of grenadine for color. No one part of the drink should stand out more than any other. Kelly's came pretty close to the mark with just a splash too much pineapple juice. It wasn't enough to knock the other ingredients out of balance though, so if we hadn't been moving on, I would have been quite happy to stay for a few more. Happy hour prices: well drinks 2.50 and one pound of wings, 4 bucks.

Kelly's has two claims to fame. The building is the original site of Pan Am Airlines, and Kelly is none other than Kelly McGillis of Witness and Top Gun fame.  She left Key West after a divorce and the bar is now owned by her ex-husband.  If you go, look for her Top Gun jacket in a small case above the bar. It's not well lit and out of eyesight, so it's easy to miss.

Back on the bikes, we pedaled south on Whitehead, to avoid the crush of tourists on Duval, and made our way to the Rum Bar. This intimate little place, on the ground floor of the Speakeasy Inn, has tables on the wraparound porch and enough seating inside for about a dozen.

Our favorite bartender, Bahama Bob had just gotten off work and we made a mental note to get here before 6 pm next time. Bahama Bob uses a secret recipe, perfected in Cuba, for the best mojito on the island.  The man is worth an entire blog post, so we'll come back to him later.

I grabbed a table for two, by the window, and Mark got the drinks. Still in a mojito mood, he took a chance. I stuck with rum punch.

The sweetness of the mojito was closer to where it should have been, but it suffered from an extra splash of club soda.  My drink must have been nearby when the bartender was mixing because some of that club soda, a non ingredient in rum punch, ended up in mine and it's not a tasty addition. Club soda cuts the flavor of the juice and turns the drink into an odd second cousin of the rum punch. It wasn't a disaster, mind you, I had no problem finishing it. It just wasn't a true rum punch. If there were happy hour price, these two drinks weren't included.

One more stop felt in order, so we continued south up Duval to the Southernmost Beach Cafe.

If you get here before sunset, this is the best place on the island to watch the orange ball drop below the horizon. A long pier stretches into the ocean offering a sensational view. The pier does fill up quickly, with lots of bulky tripods, so you need to be in place well before the sun goes down.

The satellite dish in the far distance is on the Naval station, the true southernmost point in Key West. If you're not military, you'll have to settle for a photo at the buoy, just around the corner from Southernmost Beach Cafe.

me at the buoy back in Jan of 2012

If you're not interested in the view, head straight to the bar. Specialty drinks, during happy hour, are just 3 bucks, so this place fills up fast. There was no room at the bar so we had to sit along the wall with a tiny shelf for a table. Mark stuck with mojitos and I went with a rum runner. (from the happy hour menu) It's basically a rum punch with blackberry and banana liquor. These bad boys are potent, so don't drink 3 and then try to get on your bike to ride home.

At this point, we forgot to take anymore pictures so just imagine one of the glasses from above. If you've seen one rum punch, you've seen them all. It's the taste that sets them apart.