A few friends and I arrived on a Saturday night around 7, and the restaurant was just getting its first dinner customers. We ordered a few drinks at the bar downstairs (my husband had a bottle of Chimay, a Beligian beer and I had a glass of Pinot Grigio). The restaurant has a wonderful selection of bottles of wine, though your choices are limited if you only want to order a glass. Within minutes, the hostess was guiding our group of nine upstairs and seated us at a round table at the corner of a spacious outdoor wraparound deck with a magnificent breeze on a warm Key West night. The table overlooked busy Duval Street, but still managed to stay quiet. I later learned that Bagatelle is housed in an old home built by a sea captain in 1884. I can imagine him, sitting out on his expansive porch, chatting with friends in the same way we did.
The menu includes small plates, salads and dinner entrees, and features fresh seafood in most dishes. I ordered two small plates: the crab cakes with mango salsa and a plate of fresh jasmine rice; my husband opted for the shrimp and scallop linguine in a pink garlic romano sauce. We swapped bites halfway through. The sweet mango salsa perfectly complemented the salty blue lump crab, while the scallops in my husband's dish were just how I like them--cooked thoroughly but still melt-in-your-mouth soft. The prices were reasonable for Key West seafood haunts. Our total bill, including tip, was less than $75.
A few weeks ago, I went to Bagatelle and never made it upstairs; instead my friends and I ordered a few drinks at the large bar area downstairs (the bartender was nice, but not nearly as amiable as our waiter Saturday night). I recommend a happy hour at the bar or a dinner upstairs or down with friends. But really I'm just looking forward to a private dinner there, just me and my husband, with a bottle of wine and good food by candlelight.
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