In actuality, this is another of those situations where Hubby and I generally have to work all or part of the day, but we do so in the spirit of the holiday. In my case, it’s only part of the day today and at the moment, that’s the same for Hubby. That part, however, can change very quickly as it often does with someone signing up with short notice to dive. It happens often enough that we are accustomed to it. We also usually attend the City Of Homestead Fourth of July bash at the Speedway. It’s a big event that they handle well. The only drawback for me as a morning person is that means I’m out later than normal since it takes a while to get through the heavy traffic after the big fireworks display. The police flow traffic as well as they can under the circumstances, but when there are thousands of attendees, you can only do so much.

Anyway, on to the topic of appropriate Fourth of July foods. Yes, I know that everyone in Maine does lobster and I have no doubt that there are other regional specifics. For us, however, the acceptable meals are burgers, hot dogs, ribs, fried chicken, or BBQ. My husband, born and raised in Georgia, insists that only pork can be referred to as BBQ and that’s a point on which we shall always disagree. Side dishes aren’t much more expansive – potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans, corn on the cob, macaroni salad, deviled eggs, and French fries if you’re dining out. Chips and dip are fine and I never am sure if watermelon is supposed to be dessert or just something to eat which then also includes displays of blueberries, strawberries/raspberries, and whipped or ice cream. And speaking of ice cream, it’s fine along with fruit pies, certain cakes, cupcakes, and cookies. What’s your Fourth of July food list?

R10 Social House in Redondo Beach, CA

Even on a rushed trip, we try to do our best with trying different restaurants and our hotel was within easy walking distance of several. For Saturday, I had intended for us to do kind of funky for lunch and somewhere nice for dinner, but as it turned out, we reversed that. Our hotel was located near the King Harbor Marina and the long business lunch that we had was at the Bluewater Grill. It was a lovely setting of course and the only disappointment was no Dungeness crab on the menu. I did have shrimp and it was delicious.

One of the objectives in our wandering all around the harbor later that afternoon was to decide about a restaurant for dinner and the boardwalk area was pretty much on the funky side. A little place called the R10 Social House caught our interest with their farm-to-table and artisan beer claims. How are you going to pass that up? As it turns out, they actually bill themselves as a gastro pub which is a term that the British have adopted – “a pub that specializes in serving high-quality food”. Anyone who has dined in London will understand why they had to come up with a special term. Anyway, back to the R10. Their menu was limited, but intriguing. The beer and wine were both the kind that you don’t routinely get here and since we had done seafood at lunch, we went the other way for dinner. The server highly recommended the beer-braised short ribs with special onion rings atop a cauliflower puree. Hubby ordered that and I had the hangar steak. The food was excellent and in smaller portions which was perfect with no ability for us to deal with leftovers. The other dishes that passed by us looked equally good and we decided not to try the live music in the lounge upstairs. It had been a busy day and we had an fairly early departure planned for the next morning.

The new Redlander Restaurant Open at Schnebly Winery.

Those who have been to Schnebly Winery have often thought how good it would be to have a restaurant. (http://www.schneblywinery.com) However, they have been careful with how they have grown over the years and added piece by piece in a savvy business manner. The setting is beautiful and until recently, having a food vendor on site on the weekends and having the cheese and cracker refrigerator options has worked to give people a food option. The opening of the Redlander Restaurant has now added that new dimension and they have done it in the correct way.

The chef comes from a great background and every effort is made to do farm-to-table. Right now the menu is limited, but that makes sense for a) being in the early stages and b) insisting on fresh and preferably local ingredients. There is something for everyone though with beef, chicken, pork, seafood, and vegetarian. Hubby had pork in a creative sandwich with excellent French fries and I had grilled chicken on mixed salad greens with a superb mango-citrus dressing. There are about sixteen tables inside and I couldn’t tell if the tables in the other section could spill out onto the patio. Their hours are shortened for the summer months, so I do suggest checking their website or calling.

Now I shall venture into the only potentially touchy subject, but I have to be fair if someone reading this isn’t familiar with Schnebly. Their wines and beers are all crafted from exotic fruits – avocado, carambola (starfruit), mango, etc. They are unique and won’t necessarily be to everyone’s taste. So, if you can’t find one to your liking, it might have to be a lunch or dinner without alcohol. However, most people can find at least one of the wines or beers to enjoy. The Redlander is definitely a place to go.

Enjoying German Draft and a Riesling at Lucy’s in Key Largo

Okay, Lucy isn’t really a German name and there are most assuredly dishes on the menu that have nothing to do with German cuisine. On the other hand, the array of schnitzel (jaeger, rahm, zeiguener, peppercorn) brings back fond memories of dining in Germany and they have Spaten and other excellent beers on tap. Lucy’s has followed the rule of being a restaurant in Key Largo if you aren’t on the water. Make it a fun place and pay attention to the food. They have done both quite well as they’ve taken a space that has seen a couple of restaurants come and go already. You walk in and have to smile at the “gastropub” and enjoy the atmosphere even before the friendly staff greets you. It’s a place run with an extended family and the latest addition is one of the family members who’s come down from up north and happens to be a pastry chef. Dessert, anyone?

Their Facebook is at https://www.facebook.com/lucy305 and they are located Bayside across from the plaza with Diver’s Direct. That’s 99620 Overseas Highway if you need a street address and they’re open every day except Tuesday from 12-10 p.m. Prices are reasonable and the portions won’t leave you hungry. Check them out and have a good time. We hope they do well and will return again before too long.