Troutbirder II

Troutbirder II
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Friday, February 14, 2014

Good Food


A great vacation location requires some good places to eat out and Cedar Key has many. Our favorite two were Tony’s and Kona Joe’s.

Tony’s Seafood Restaurant opened its doors in June of 2005 on the small island city of Cedar Key, three miles out in the Gulf of Mexico. Featuring fresh gulf seafood, Tony’s 54-seat eatery in the historic downtown area of Cedar Key first introduced its famous clam chowder after being open just one month.Chef Eric, Tony’s founder and owner, created the amazing recipe right in Tony’s tiny little kitchen while working on a variety of other new dishes.

Folks constantly try to guess the ingredients and frequently request the recipe. The secret formula is not available and only Chef Eric knows it’s true identity. Even Bon Appetite magazine’s request for the recipe was politely rejected back in 2007. Many chowder lovers asked Tony’s to consider taking it to the Great Chowder Cook-off held in June each year in Newport, Rhode Island. On Saturday June 6, 2009 Tony’s Cedar Key Clam Chowder won the 28th Annual Great Chowder Cook-off and claimed the title, Clam Chowder World Champion. We went back three times during our two week stay. It was that good.

Our other favorite spot was Kona Joe’s. Gregarious super friendly Joe shares his story,  “Having lived in South Florida for many years, we were getting tired of the crowds and the traffic.  We were looking for a place where we could get away from it all and relax in a quiet and beautiful setting. We found our paradise in Cedar Key, a small fishing village located on an island in Levy County on the nature coast. Here, we have plenty of nature and water and beautiful sunrises and sunsets...once we found this place, we did not want to leave.

 There was only one thing missing: a coffee shop!  So we decided to relocate to Cedar Key and open a coffee shop and eatery where folks can get a quick bite to eat without putting a hole in the pocket.”  Less than a block from our cottage we had lunch or breakfast on the deck several times and it was all very good. Or as Mrs. T. described the chicken salad sandwich “fantastic.” 

                                                             

 
Another option across the street from our cottage was a fish and fruit market. We bought "cooked blue crab" and several varieties of fresh caught fish whose names escape me right now but all good. Nope we didn't starve at all. 
 
 

16 comments:

  1. What a fine place! And that is a clam chowder I wish I could taste. You made me long for it, TB. :-)

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  2. I could use a cup of that soup to warm up...looks good.

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  3. I really like Clam Chowder...that one sounds seriously delicious!!

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  4. Never been to the Keys, but it is on my bucket list. I love it when we get a review of local eateries from someone who has tried them out. Talk about crab!! Living in New Mexico, we do miss fresh seafood, so that is high on my list of delightful eating. Couldn't get enough crab soup in Maryland so we brought 4 cans home. Not nearly the same though.

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  5. Sounds delicious!!! I think anything might taste pretty good in that setting.

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  6. You definitely had some good eating while down in the Keys. It sounds as if you had the perfect spot for your stay.

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  7. I have never tried Clam Chowder..I don't like most creamy soups. Looks like an nice place to visit! :)

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  8. Sounds great, a real gem to find. Been thinking about making a pot, having fresh clams would be nice.

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  9. Yummmmm... The Chowder looks heavenly ♥ I just may have to find me some although I know it won't be anywhere near as good .

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  10. Few things are better than seafood at the beach. My favorite of all is the grouper sandwich at the Mucky Duck on Captiva.

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  11. Looks a nice place. My first experience of clam chowder was in Boston in the US. I've noticed it is sold in tins here in the UK... not a patch on the original methinks.

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  12. Once again you take me back to the wonderful two times that I visited there.

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  13. The food usually evokes the fondest memories of a vacation. It looks like you found the mother lode of memories here! We thought about visiting Cedar Key on our trip down the coast a few weeks ago. We were too eager to get to the other set of keys. Next time for sure...

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  14. Your header -- was that taken in Siberia? -- barbara

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  15. That looks like a beautiful place!

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  16. It's a chowdery time of year, I guess. I cooled a chicken chowder on the weekend. It seemed to have been appreciated.

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