A Hip Hang With Great Food – Matt’s Stock Island Kitchen & Bar

If you’ve never sipped a Pineapple Jalapeño Mojito or a Hemingway Daiquiri in your flip-flops, it’s about damn time.

Just a stone’s throw from Key West is a tiny throwback parcel of land called Stock Island. With its bustling fishing docks and live-aboard marinas, it’s a rustic, eclectic spit of land that reflects the way Key West once was.

It’s also home to Matt’s Stock Island Kitchen & Bar, a hip hang with a seafood-centric menu, inventive cocktails, and industrial-cool design.

Located dockside at the swanky Perry Hotel, Matt’s puts a modern twist on American coastal comfort food. Fresh, local ingredients are at the heart of every dish, and you’ll be hard-pressed to choose what to order.

Whatever you do, don’t pass over the Crab Beignets appetizer. Dusted with lemon powder with a stone grain mustard aioli, it is simply out of this world. The Ahi Tuna Tacos also make an especially good starter.

Described as a “religious experience,” the Grouper with cornbread gnudi, crawfish, thyme butter, and arugula are truly heavenly. Also topping the list: the Pink Shrimp and Grits; Fried Chicken with Habanero sweet and hot sauce, and the full-flavored Kobe Tri-Tip Steak.

Tuesday night is earmarked for a weekly BBQ which may include ribs, pork, brisket, turkey, chicken, tri-tip, and wings.

The daily breakfast here is also a tasty affair, but if you really want to treat yourself, make a reservation for the Wednesday or Sunday Brunch from 8 am – 1 pm. The”Eat-A-Thon” includes unlimited small plates (yes, you read that right!) as well as bottomless mimosas and Bloody Marys.

FYI: Dogs are also welcome on the outdoor patio, where they can wag on farm-to-table homemade dog food. The special menu is available at all Perry Hotel’s restaurants, including the Salty Oyster Dockside Bar & Grill and Sloppy Joe’s Dockside.