Florida Keys: A Sunset Dinner on the Patio at Marker 88 in Islamorada
20 Apr 2018
Disclosure: Our food was covered by Marker 88 and The Florida Keys. All opinions are my own.
Marker 88
General Manager Andy McGrotha describes the food at Marker 88 as “Floribbean”, a mix of Florida and Caribbean. “Locally sourced fish flavoured with a mixture of island spices and key lime.” He hit the nail on the head with that description!
Situated on the Gulf side, on one of the Florida Keys’ only natural beaches, Marker 88 offers a great selection of food, drinks, and desserts, in a perfectly elegant yet casual setting. And the food – oh my! Fresh locally caught Florida seafood, prime steaks, and chicken, as well as local vegetables and fruits. You can choose to eat inside or outside. A Florida Keys tradition since 1967, Marker 88 is open for lunch and dinner daily from 11:00am to 10:00pm.
Dinner time is spectacular at Marker 88. The patio offers perfect views of the sunset. People lined up along the dock to watch the beautiful sunset, and capture pictures.
I enjoyed a few cocktails watching the sun set over the Gulf Coast. It was spectacular, and made our dinner experience even more enjoyable.
What We Ate
We started off with a few appetizers. The lobster and mango guacamole with chips came out first, and it was delicious! I love guacamole, and adding in sweet mango and locally sourced fresh lobster was like the cherry on top!
This dish was off the hook! Thin pizza dough, pesto sauce, big chunks of fresh lobster, and lots of cheese. We ordered two of these!
There wasn’t an appetizer that arrived at the table that anyone didn’t enjoy, but these coconut shrimp didn’t last long. Crispy on the outside, plump and sweet on the inside. It was my first taste of Key pink shrimp. So good, we had to order a second one!
My main course was a seafood medley of fresh lobster, Key shrimp, and blue crab, all sautéed in a Key lime-Tabasco butter with tomatoes and scallions. It was served over a cilantro lime rice. Mouth watering, and awesome to the last bite.
If you know me, you know I love coconut and Key lime. So when you take two things that I love, and mash them together, you get a wonderful thing. The Coconut Fried Key Lime Ice Cream was out of this world!
The Key lime pie at Marker 88 was amazing! It was the first slice I had while on this trip, and it didn’t disappoint. It was tart, firm, and topped with meringue. It was just perfect!
Sunset at Marker 88
In the week I spent in the Florida Keys, I watched the sun set every evening. While they were all amazing, none were as beautiful as this one.
I’m not sure I can pinpoint the reason why. Was it the because it was the first one I saw in the Florida Keys? Was it because we had just sat down to an amazing meal? The reflection of the sun off the water? Or the people lined up along the dock, some holding hands, taking selfies, or kissing their partner? Or maybe it was little of all of that. It was definitely a great start to our 5 day adventure in the Florida Keys.
Menu
There is something on the menu at Marker 88 to please everyone’s palette. Vegetarian and gluten free menus are available upon request.
Appetizers
• Hot Blue Crab Dip
• Tuna Poke: Avocado, sesame seeds, scallions
• Cracked Conch
• Blackened Tuna Sashimi
• Lobster & Mango Guacamole
• Lobster Basil Pesto Pizza
• Bleu Cheese Potato Chips: Balsamic glaze
• Tomato & Goat Cheese Flatbread
• Coconut Shrimp
• Crab Cake: Pommery mustard
• Calamari: Tossed in sweet Thai child sauce
Soups
• Lobster Bisque
• Conch Chowder
Greens
• Sesame Seared Tuna Salad with Oriental Dressing: Fresh sesame crusted ahi seared and sliced. Served over baby greens with onion straws and soy reduction.
• Alligator Reef Salad: Avocado, tomato, jumbo lump crab, shrimp, green beans, eggs, and hearts of palm. Served over mixed greens.
• Island Tropical Salad: Mixed greens topped with tropical fruits, walnuts, toasted coconut, and mango citrus dressing.
• Grilled Mahi Caesar (or with Chicken): Grilled mani over a Caesar with Haiku tomatoes, roasted red peppers and Reggiano croutons.
• House Salad: Mixed greens, carrots, Haiku tomatoes, hard-boiled egg, smokehouse bacon, and sprouts.
Sea
• Broiled Florida Lobster: Locally caught Florida Keys Lobster broiled and served with drawn butter.
• Captain’s Platter: Broiled Florida Keys Lobster, grilled mahi and grilled shrimp.
• Onion Encrusted Mahi Mahi: Sautéed with toasted onions and finished with Key lime beurre blanc, Key lime juice, and whole butter.
• Shrimp Zoodles: Large shrimp sautéed in olive oil and roasted garlic, fresh herbs, local tomatoes and capers, over zucchini noodles.
• Yellowtail Mauniere: Florida Keys yellowtail sniper dusted with rice flour and pan sautéed. Finished with Key lime beurre blanc.
• Key Lime Seafood: Lobster, shrimp, and blue crab. Sautéed in a Key lime-Tabasco butter with tomatoes and scallions, and served over cilantro lime rice.
Land
• Filet Mignon: Centre cut beef tenderloin, seasoned and grilled. Served with Key lime Hollandaise.
• New York Strip: Aged Prime New York strip, seasoned and grilled.
• Organic Chicken Florentine: Grilled chicken in a shallot cream sauce with sautéed spinach and roasted red peppers. Served over garlic mashed potatoes.
• Smoked Sea Salt Ribeye: Bone-in ribeye steak encrusted with house-smoked sea salt and cracked black pepper. Grilled.
• Filet Oscar: Topped with blue crab, asparagus, and Key lime Hollandaise.
On Bread
• Islamorada Fish Sandwich: Grilled Mahi topped with sautéed onions and cheddar, on a Kaiser.
• Ahi Tuna Burger: Pineapple marinated tuna, wasabi oil onion straws, lettuce, tomato
• Organic Grilled Chicken & Avocado Club: Grilled chicken breast, avocado, apple smoked havarti, mayo, and sprouts.
• Cuban Sandwich: House roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickle planks, mustard, mayo, served on pressed Cuban bread.
• Cheeseburger in Paradise: Ground fresh daily, house ground chuck (ground fresh daily), cheddar, tomato, lettuce, onion, on a Kaiser.
Sides
• 5 Cheese Macaroni
• Garlic Green Beans
• Asparagus with Key Lime Hollandaise
• Homemade Potato Chips
• Black Beans & Cilantro Lime Rice
• Sliced Homestead Tomatoes
• French Fries
• Sweet Potato Fries
• Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Desserts
• Homemade Key Lime Pie: Tart, and topped with meringue.
• Molten Chocolate Cake: Warm, molten centre, served with espresso ice cream.
• Coconut Fried Key Lime Ice Cream: With fresh tropical fruits.
• Bananas & French Toast: Thick Hawaiian French toast, vanilla ice cream.
• Mango & Strawberry Cobbler: Served with vanilla ice cream.
• Ice Cream: Espresso, Vanilla, or Chocolate.
Location and Hours
Marker 88 is located at:
88000 Overseas Highway
Islamorada, Florida 33070
Phone: (305) 852-9315
Email: Marker88@fkrm.com
Open for lunch and dinner daily, from 11:00am to 10:00pm.
Get Social with Marker 88
You can keep up with Marker 88’s posts on Facebook.
Cheers,
Big Daddy
If you would like me to review your product, service, restaurant, or travel destination, please send me an email at craig@bigdaddykreativ.ca or tweet me at @BigDaddyKreativ
Craig Silva
Craig is a husband, father, team leader, travel and food writer, senior youth group coordinator, designer, brander, community builder, volunteer, and social media strategist. He likes to travel, go camping, go on road trips, watch movies, build stuff, operate the grill, and sing with his band. Craig is a member of the North American Travel Journalists Association and Travel Media Association of Canada. If you are a PR agency or brand and would like Craig to review a travel destination, vehicle, restaurant, product or service, please send him an email.
Recommended Posts
The 10 Best Places to Eat & Drink in Houston Texas
19 Sep 2023 - Food & Drink, North America, Texas, Travel, United States
Get a Taste of Traditional London Street Food
15 Sep 2023 - England, Europe, Food & Drink, Travel
Comments
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Oh wow, everything here looks absolutely delicious. I would visit for the lobster and mango guacamole with chips and a pina colada alone!
The lobster and mango guacamole was amazing! You would love it!