When you come to Key West you are going to want some seafood and The Little Pearl is a wonderful neighborhood wine bar and seafood restaurant. Brought to you by the owners of sister restaurant Thirsty Mermaid, Little Pearl shines with creative cooking and a killer wine list.

The small, intimate dining room has a casual, relaxed look with exposed beam ceilings, hanging Edison lights, white walls and blue banquettes.

If you are a raw bar person that’s where you’ll want to start here. Choose the ceviche or poke du jour, some chilled King Crab or a selection of East/West Coast oysters.

If not, sample the Wild Mushroom & Blue Crab Bisque or the Shrimp Bruschetta with
heirloom tomatoes, white balsamic and basil.

For entrees, the “Little Pearl” Lobster, Shrimp, & Crab Pot Pie is something you will dream about when you get home. The Grilled Local Swordfish  prepared with sesame garlic broccolini, fingerling potatoes and miso brown butter was fantastic. Make sure to get a side of Key West New Potatoes with parsley & Key Lime butter.

For dessert we shared the delightful Moscato & Ginger Poached Pear with vanilla gelato, walnuts, and salted caramel and paired it with a Royal Tokaji Late Harvest for a perfect ending to a great meal.

The wine list is reason alone to visit here. There are about 15 wines by the glass and about a 1/2 dozen half bottle selections. The list has some well thought out selections under $50 and even some of the more expensive wines are fairly priced like a Chateau de Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru en Remilly Saint Aubin, Burgundy France at $95 and an Archery Summit Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley at $98. We enjoyed a Vincent Mothe Chablis from Burgundy at $58

ROMANTIC QUOTIENT
I don’t know, doesn’t great wine and food make you feel romantic?

WHAT OTHERS SAY…
Magical two-year-old Little Pearl is the kind of spot that feels at once like a special-occasion treat and somewhere you want to be all the time. TIME OUT