Banana Café on Duval Street

A moveable feast at

BY TERRY SCHMIDA

KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER

When one-time Key West resident Ernest Hemingway described the Paris of his youth as a “moveable feast” he was referring, in part, to the glory of that city’s gastronomic scene.

It seems appropriate then, that one of Key West’s bastions of French food, Banana Café, has traveled far to end up at its present location.

Originally opened as a food truck in Guadeloupe in 1983, it morphed into a small building in the French Antilles in ’87, before landing at a Duval Street Conch house in 1992.

Since 2006, this must-visit epicurean emporium has been delighting tourists and locals alike, at its current digs, 1215 Duval St.

During a recent visit to the café, I was treated to a true French feast, part of which I “moved” home with me when, near the end of my meal, I ran out of steam.

Having skipped breakfast that day, I began my meal with a Seafood Omelette. This delightful plate was bursting at the seams with fresh local shrimp, and scallops, and covered with a rich and creamy pesto sauce, with whole wheat toast on the side.

Next, I was treated to one of my personal favorite French dishes, Classic Baked Escargots. I’ve eaten snails in several of France’s famed culinary regions, and can honestly say that those served at Banana Café, drenched with parsley-lime garlic butter, were at least their equal. Using the accompanying fresh sliced baguette to soak up the butter begat a Proustian moment for me, bringing me back to my days as a high school student in Nice.

The restaurant’s general manager, Mandy Dawicki, looked on with an approving smile.

“I could soak up that butter with the bread all day long,” she said longingly.

Sensing that it was time to taste-test one of the eatery’s many crepes, I tucked into La Mahi Piccata, which, in the evening, is served with a colorful and tasty Petit Salad.

This was a new food experience for me, but well worth it. The generous portions of blackened mahi was a perfect match for the wilted spinach, tomato, capers, avocado, white wine, and garlic butter – and of course, the fresh and fluffy crepe itself.

Sated though I was, Dawicki insisted I try the homemade Key Lime Pie crepe for dessert, and I willingly obliged. Yum! This tangy concoction, liberally ladled with raspberry sauce and whipped cream was celestial.

And the Café au Lait I sipped throughout my meal was also “formidable,” as the French say.

The moveable feast of Paris can be sampled without leaving the island.

Treat your tastebuds to a French vacation at Banana Café Creperie and Bistrot today.

Bon appetit!

Banana Café serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Free delivery is available in Key West.

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