March 28, 2024

Executive Lifestyles - Dining & Spirits

Old Key Lime House -- With a Twist

Robert W. Tolf | 7/1/2006
? Old Key Lime House
300 E. Ocean Ave., Lantana
oldkeylimehouse.com - 561/582-1889

The reborn Old Key Lime House -- one of the oldest waterfront restaurants in the state.

One of the most dramatic and certainly the most historic restaurant rebirths, after the ravages of last year's hurricanes, occurred in little ol' Lantana, where the Old Key Lime House (300 E. Ocean Ave., 561/582-1889) replaced its destroyed roof and dining room with an authentic Seminole Indian chickee hut.

How authentic? Former Seminole Chief James Billie himself was in charge of the construction, supervising ever so closely the selection and erection of the posts and pillars, cross beams and a seemingly endless selection of cabbage palm fronds, carefully woven and secured to withstand winds up to 130 mph.

It is a stunning sight to see, by land or water, adding mightily to the scene of one of the best waterfront settings and one of the oldest waterfront restaurants in all of Florida. The Lyman family of Lantana built the place in 1889 from rock-hard heart of pine. Founding father, storekeeper and postmaster Morris Lyman named the town that was incorporated in 1921. Sixty-five years later, the Old House Restaurant took over the unique site and two years ago renamed it the Old Key Lime House (oldkeylimehouse.com). At the helm stood one of Florida's most active entrepreneurial restaurateurs with three dozen notches on his belt, Wayne Cordero of Maryland, best known in south Florida for his Crab Pot success.

He's finally focused his considerable talents, narrowing his portfolio to just one, and it's never been better, right down to incredibly good cornbread.

Among the outstanding starters are the gazpacho with or without shrimp, warm blue crab dip with just the right proportions of cream cheese perfectly seasoned, chicken or shrimp nachos, a fish dip dramatically served in a fried tortilla shell filled with diced tomatoes, Bermuda onion and jalapeño vinaigrette. Stunning salads start with an assemblage of greens, peppers, black olives and black beans, cheddar and Monterey Jack dressing up chicken with an avocado-added ranch dressing, and Caesars with chicken, shrimp or blackened sea bass ($5 to $13).

For the more serious eaters under all those fronds, there are 15 temptations, from $11 for meatballs marinara on linguine with garlic bread, to $25 for a pair of those beautiful crab cakes. Seven ounces of sashimi-grade tuna rubbed in olive oil with a touch of basil and cilantro, seared ever so softly and presented with a wasabi kick gentled with sun-dried tomatoes is $19; pan-sauteed coconut-crusted sea bass is $15; and sea bass with lobster sauce is $18. Chicken breast in a Key lime beurre blanc is $13. A wonderful menu with or without all the history, authenticity and the setting.

The recipe for the restaurant's Homemade Key Lime Pie -- which it sells for $5 a slice -- appears in the July issue of Bon Appetit magazine.

Tags: Dining & Travel, Southeast

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