Brunch at Hot Tin Roof, Key West

Hot Tin Roof, the restaurant in the Ocean Key Resort, started serving Sunday Brunch a couple months ago. We were early adapters and wanted to try it out. After all, a Bloody Mary Bar, unlimited mimosas and food for $39/person – what’s not to like? They were slammed instantly and had a less than smooth start. But it is such a good idea, we wanted to give them another chance. So we did.

Six of us landed at Hot Tin Roof ready for a good time. We sat on the back patio, overlooking the water, and although it was a bit windy,

it was beautiful. I will admit that I was surprised when we walked in and the bartender remembered that I like tequila, instead of vodka, in my Bloody Marys. But I skipped over the hard stuff in favor of mimosas.

As we were settling in, our waiter brought over a “tableside raw bar” with shrimp, mussels, oysters and ceviche, as well as a cinnamon roll (with bacon) and monkey bread. Although I have been diligently staying away from such treats, the monkey bread was divine (and I have good firsthand knowledge of that!) By this

time, we started ordering some food. With six people, we were able to sample most of the menu.

The brunch dishes are all referred to as “small plates” and indeed, some are smaller than others, but again, it is unlimited, and we each managed 4-5 per person. We were there a while.

One of the best surprises for me were the salads. I know I am not alone in loving a great salad, and both the wedge with blue cheese and pickled onions, as well as the caprese with balsamic were divine. But brunch is about more than just lettuce and tomato. There are potato skins (yum), and lobster mac n’ cheese (less mac n

‘ cheese-y and more pasta in spicy cream sauce but still delish). Some other table favorites were the bacon wrapped dates, smoked salmon omelet, at the steak with chimmichurri. All really, really good. The Benedicts were also good, but could have used a toast on the English muffin, and a bit more seasoning.

One of the standout dishes was the Banana Foster waffle, complete with ice cream. I could have easily eaten several servings, as it was so good. Fortunately for my waistline, I only managed to snag a couple of bites off of my friend’s plate. Overall, the brunch was nothing short of fantastic. Good food, combined with unlimited mimosas and Bloody Marys all for $39/person make it a must for Sunday Brunch. (I am already planning our next visit.)

Have you been to brunch at Hot Tin Roof? What’d you think?