Dinner at 2 Cents, Key West

I have reviewed 2¢ moments after they opened, when we just had snacks, and again when we had brunch there. FKGuy was recently lamenting how we have not had the pain perdu in way too long. We will remedy that soon, I am sure. But this time we went for dinner. Somehow on the Saturday night of Memorial Day Weekend, the place was not packed. I was surprised.

We ordered a bottle of the Owen Roe Sharecropper’s Cabernet Sauvignon, 2010, which was quite good. Although I am generally

opposed to paying absurd restaurant markups on wine, I do not believe that 2¢ allows corkage. At least they do have a few reasonably good wine selections on the list.

I have one wine-related, nit-picky thing to say here, so I am just going to get it off my chest and move on, OK? If FKGuy orders the wine, I full well expect the server to bring it over for his perusal and have him taste the wine. If I order the wine, I expect to be shown the wine and then do the tasting. I have perfectly good taste buds. Just because I do not have a penis, does not mean that I am incapable of determining whether or not a wine is flawed. I can detect TCA taint a mile away, often before some of my male friends.

I ordered the wine. FKGuy was poured a taste. He not-so-subtly moved the glass over for me to sip. This type of behavior usually have a very direct impact on the tip we leave. I must have been in a really good mood, because our waiter seemed to have bounced back. I will be paying attention to see if it happens again.  Moving on…

The menu is eclectic, to say the least. The folks at 2¢ have an obsession with bacon, so you can get it on just about anything. During happy our, they offer free bacon at the bar. Fortunately for me, you can also not get it on just about everything. The menu, though small, is organized to please everybody. With options from shellfish to fresh catch, meats, pasta and even a burger, something has got to sound good. Of course, it all sounds good to me.

The gruyere cheese puffs are the kind of thing I could eat every day. Really. They are light, fluffy, cheese-y without being cheese filled and come with a wonderful mustard-horseradish dipping sauce. I’m telling you, these should be an every day treat.

The duck confit nachos come atop house made tortilla chips and are slathered with beans, cheese, and a chipotle sour cream. Low fat, it is not. Tasty? Absolutely. I have some friends that think duck confit is the best thing on earth, and am pretty sure they would approve of these treats.  The burger comes with fries, but they also have the choice of a salad instead. I like the option of only one thing on the plate being hugely fattening, plus, I really like salad.

2¢ is located on Appelrouth Lane in Key West. Go. Enjoy the lovely outdoor garden, and delicious food, but let the man in your party order the wine. (See? I couldn’t really let it go.)