[cappyjon431]

I know it's a couple of hours from TV, but I also know many residents to like to plan day trips to Cedar Key, so I thought I would give two thumbs up for dinner at the historic Island Hotel on 2nd Street in Cedar Key.

My wife and I had eaten there about ten years ago and thought it would be nice for a return visit. We spent the day walking around the waterfront, shopping and taking in the beautiful views. We had oysters for lunch at Steamers restaurant--they were god, service was decent and we had a beautiful view of the gulf.

After taking some pictures of the magnificent sunset, we walked over to the Island Hotel for dinner. The hotel is historic and has been around since the 1880s. The menu has a wide variety of seafood and steaks. My wife and I each had the crab bisque which was incredibly rich and delicious. It had plenty of crab which was very fresh and tender. This easily could be enough for a meal, but we wanted to also have what the restaurant is most famous for--its hearts of palm salad. The recipe used is the same one used by Bessie Gibbs in the 1880s. Greens, fresh fruit, and FRESH hearts of palm (not the kind out of a jar or can) harvested from the Cedar Key area. In the center of the salad is a most unusual dressing/topping: it is a concoction of ice cream, pecans, and peanut butter. Allow it to melt and spread it over your salad and it is like heaven. When I first introduced my wife to this salad ten years ago she was very reluctant:"Ice cream on salad...yuck!" But after she tried it, she was sold. I am happy to say it was just as good yesterday as it was ten years ago.

Prices are somewhat high, we each had the bisque and the salad but skipped the entees (and it was still plenty of food!) and with a couple of iced teas it came out to about $40. Not a typical night out dining in TV but for a special occasion it was wonderful--the service was exceptional, the ambiance was romantic, and the food was even better than we remembered. We'll be going back soon.