Key West - The Garden Hotel for wine and Bien for dinner

A great wine selection at The Garden Hotel

One of the attractions of Key West is that it attracts an eclectic group of people. They are evident in the entertainers of the area. Tonight we went to The Garden Hotel in Key West. On Wednesday through Saturday night they have a piano player that holds forth from 5:00 till 8:00 and plays whatever you desire. Tonight he was playing Broadway tunes and it was just great. There was a woman in the audience that turned 32 that night and volunteered to sing her favorite song - which she did very well.

Choose your quantity

They also have an automatic wine sampling bar where you can choose from dozens of wines in three quantities of a taste, sip or glass. The cost of the wine even in the full glass quantity was less than at a typically wine bar in Key West. They also serve hors-d'oeuvres which are carefully prepared.

What made the night special was the audience that joined in to sing. In addition to the woman with the birthday, another man got up and sang - he was obviously well suited to the role and had experience doing such things.

How often do you get hors-d'oeuvres served with two orchids!

There is just something magical about listening to live performances by musicians that love their work. The piano player was having a grand time and it showed. The venue was perfect with a grand piano in an air conditioned room of the hotel with ample wine nearby for your enjoyment.

Bien is an open air restaurant, nothing fancy but great food

After the music we walked to Bien's, a Caribbean style restaurant with a rating on Trip Advisor that fluctuates between #1 and #6 in Key West from week to week. Their food is second to none for the type they serve. It's not expensive and it's always crowded. After that we returned to Fleetwing for the night, just a great day.