The other day we were waiting for a plane to arrive at Key West International Airport. We were a few minutes early, so we drove a few blocks down to Higgs Beach for lunch at Saluté, a breezy little open air restaurant that not only offers a spectacular view of the beach, it is right on the beach itself. Talk about sand in your shoes!
While waiting for your meal, you may be tempted to join in a volleyball game or offer your services as a judge in a bikini contest. But you won’t want to miss the drinks, from a variety of chilled wines and frosty cold beers, to a full bar of cocktails and frozen concoctions. This is the kind of place that reminds you of why you came to the Keys. If we didn’t have a flight to catch, we could easily hang out here for hours. If a windy day brings you a bit of sand and salt spray, or a brief shower passes by, don’t worry, you can easily move under cover without missing a bite.
It wasn’t very long ago that this eatery was just a simple hot dogs-and-hamburgers beach stand; that was before new owner Francis Gonzon came to town and worked his magic. That included the hiring of chef extraordinaire Eric Catalano—that’s the same guy who owns Eric’s Bottega over on Simonton Street. Saluté specializes in what Catalano calls Mediterranean beachside dining—fresh coastal cuisine in the spirit of the "quayside restaurants of southern Europe, where restaurants are social centers where people meet both by arrangement and by chance, where food is shared and celebrations are improvised."
The ever-changing lunch and dinner offerings include Italian pastas, antipastos, soups and dishes such as lobster ravioli with sweet sage butter and baby greens, and grilled black grouper with curry butter and basmati rice. At lunch there are bruschetta, panini, and mussels and calamari marinara, as well as a fresh fish sandwich. A popular dinner favorite is the Antipasta Platter Dinner for Two. Other specials include the three-cheese lasagna, spaghetti carbonara, and cappellini.
After a delicious light lunch of calamari (very tender, served in a great tomato sauce) and bruschetta (perfect for dipping into that great sauce), we made the short drive back to the airport and met our passenger with time to spare. This sure beats hanging out in an airport waiting room!
Saluté, Higgs Beach near the Martello Museum and White Street Pier, 1000 Atlantic Avenue, Key West, Florida. Phone: (305) 292-1117. Web: salutekw.com. E-mail: salutein@bellsouth.net. Plastic accepted. Open for lunch and dinner (5:30 pm).