No visit to Key West is complete without a trip to Café Marquesa. Adjoining the hotel on the corner of Simonton and Fleming Streets, Café Marquesa offers "Contemporary American Cuisine." Specialties include grilled meats and fresh, local seafood, complemented by inventive appetizers and salads as well as fresh baked breads and desserts made daily.

The 50-seat restaurant has a theatre-kitchen set behind a trompe l'oeil wall of a kitchen scene. The walls are painted yellow-gold, set off by large mahogany-framed mirrors, giving diners a view of the entire restaurant. Specialties include Peppercorn Dusted Seared Yellowfin Tuna, Feta & Pinenut Crusted Rack of Lamb and Grilled Marinated Key West Shrimp.

Awards:

• 2001 Triple A 4-Diamond Award
• Zagats Survey - "Top Restaurant"
• DiRona Award

Café Marquesa is open 7 nights a week, from 7-11 p.m. in the summer and from 6-11 p.m. in the winter. The Cafe is completely non-smoking. Reservations are suggested.