As our vacation came to a close we managed to sneak in one last restaurant and appropriately, one last restaurant review. The place is called Marker 88, just south of Key Largo, in Islamorada at… yup, you guessed it, Mile Marker 88.The establishment offers both interior and exterior dining and while the outside might have added to the spectacular views at sunset, I’ll wait until it is just a bit cooler before I try that. Instead we chose inside, by a window and with that, fine dining took place.
We began with cocktails (of course) and Sheb had a Blood Orange Margarita and I had the Hemingway; an interesting concoction of vodka and rum, cola and citrus. I’m certain this is just the kind of drink that ‘Papa’ would order.
Our appetizer course was highly interesting and incredibly flavorful warm flat bread topped with goat cheese, herbs and sliced tomatoes. In a word, fantastic!
Salad course was just a house salad, but at Marker 88 they do simple salads up right, from the threads of micro greens, to the crumbled bacon to the chopped egg. You will be hard-pressed to remember that this is just a house salad. As for dressings I can only speak to the one I had, an Asian Ginger Dressing that added a nice zip and zing to the dish. Who knew salads could be so good.
Our main course was the Filet Mignon and Lobster Tail Combo with a side of sautéed button mushrooms. The steak was incredibly flavorful and had the consistency of butter. The lobster was poached in a house specialty broth that brought a succulent tenderness to the dish and complimented the sweetness of the lobster.
For dessert I again delved into the land of Florida Crème Brule and while it wasn’t the best thing I ever ate I can say that it was the best I had eaten on our trip to the Keys. If I had to give it a grade then I guess B+ is where it would land.In all, Marker 88 is cozy, scenic and a provider of top-notch dining in the Florida Keys and is well worth Chez ‘Thumbs Up’.
- Chez
