Louie's Backyard/The Afterdeck Bar

Louie's Backyard/The Afterdeck Bar Restaurant Review:

Louie’s Backyard started serving cutting edge, regional cuisine more than 30 years ago, and hasn’t stopped. This restaurant is a breezy wooden A-frame that’s all porches, windows and water-views. Seafood creations and contemporary versions of American classics keep both the local in-crowd and the out-of-towners lining up. You may find Florida lobster braised in truffle butter, or a seared tuna cake with orange-sweet chili sauce, or grilled coriander- and pepper-rubbed swordfish. If meat is your request, grilled tamarind-glazed Berkshire pork chop with roasted applesauce will satisfy. Louie’s opened its upstairs as a more casual, small-plate dining room (same topnotch ingredients, wine and service but highly affordable). The Afterdeck Bar is the spot for Key West’s elite and tourists in the know. Sit outside on the massive patio that hugs the Atlantic and receive a free massage from tropical breezes, imported from Cuba ninety miles away. Make your reservation well in advance during the high season: Louie’s Backyard never seems to slow down.