Lobster Season 2010

Hey everyone!! I just got back from Lobster Season not too long ago… This is what I got… How crazy looking is that beast? But its sooooo yummy! (Sorry little guy). I am a self proclaimed Lobster Queen. Now, I’m not a morning person by any means… but when it’s time to wake up at 6 am and go out on the water… there’s no hesitation!! My family and I go down to Key West for “mini season” and it only lasts for 2 days. Regular season lasts a lot longer, but its so hard to find any then. Probably because I caught them all. Just saying…

So once we’re on the boat we head out. We don’t have to go very far offshore to find those spiny delicious lobsters. They can’t hide from me! Once we’re out there we put on our masks, snorkels, fins, and we grab our nets and “tickle sticks”. “Tickle sticks” are just long sticks that we use to get the lobsters from out of their holes. We dive down about 12-20 ft depending on where we stop. While you’re swimming on the top of the ocean looking down you’ll see a ledge with two long tentacles. Thats when you dive down and “tickle” them with the tickle stick until they walk out of their ledge. When they come out you put your net behind then and hit them in the face so they shoot back into the net. Once you have then in the net you need to twist your net up so it doesn’t get out! That happens.. and it sucks! Then you swim it to the boat and measure to see if it’s a keeper! As I’m typing this I’m realizing it doesn’t sound near as fun as it really is. Just swimming in the ocean and seeing the beautiful fish and big coral heads is what I love. It’s so relaxing (but hard work!) swimming around and looking at the beautiful ocean bottom. Can’t beat that! That’s my dad catching a big one!! Nice daddy-o! So when we catch our limit ( 6 lobsters per person on the boat) we head back to the marina. This is where we dismember the poor things. Sorry guys! But, for the biggest ones we keep them for a traditional lobster dinner that night at our favorite restaurant Hot Tin Roof.

When we get back to the hotel we just rest and get ready for dinner. If you ever go down to Key West you MUST go to Hot Tin Roof in the Ocean Key Club hotel. I’ve mentioned it before in an earlier blog and I can’t express how much I love it there. The chef is so inventive and the service is impeccable. It’s not very often you see people loving their jobs and the people that work there do, and it shows.

For dinner we had lobster ( of course ) with all the fixings. They had Manchego cheese mac and cheese ( <- oh my god), a great ceasar salad, baked tomatoes with mozzarella, and a cucumber crab salad. It was so good!!! The regular menu is amazing as well. A definite must try!

Another place I really recommend if you go down to Key West is…

All I have to say is….. YUM!!! My brother, my grandma, and I went here after a long day of lobstering as a treat to ourselves. We heard from people how great it was and had to check it out ourselves. I can’t pass up a good crepe! We went there and had two.. the crepe with chocolate ganache and strawberries and another one with raspberry cream cheese. They were un-believable. They also serve savory crepes… which I will definitely be trying next time I go! The way they make the crepe is really awesome to watch. They start off with with these flat circle.. things? I have no idea what they are but they’re bad-ass! She puts a little melted butter on it and ladle the batter in the middle. They then take this rake looking thing ( I apologize to the owner for not knowing what everything is called!) and spread it around till its nice and thin. They then flip it over and let it cook a little more. They put the filling in the middle and fold it into a little love package that I cannot resist. Yummy!!!!

The owners are these great French ladies  Yolande Findlay and Sylvie Le Nouail. What I love so much about this place is its cozy and the owners make you feel at home. They even make the crepes for you… which is rare for owners to do. Oh man, just writing this is making me hungry again. Ok, well that is all for now. I’ll keep you up to date on all my adventures and the great food finds! Bon Apetit!!!

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