Cheeseburger in Paradise

If I claimed to be a huge Jimmy Buffett fan, I would probably run the risk of offending REAL parrotheads. I've never been to one of his concerts, I've never read one of his books, and I know none of his songs outside of the "Songs You Know By Heart" greatest hits album. If fact, I'm probably a "real" Jimmy Buffett fan's worst nightmare. But I still really, really like the guy (from what I know of him), and "Songs You Know By Heart" would definitely make the list of items I would want with me on a desert island - so that has to count for something, right?

When I was in Key West during Spring Break 1994, I sought out his restaurant and ordered a Cheeseburger in Paradise. Unfortunately, the place was kind of a dump (at that point in time... I've never been back, but I have a feeling it must be nicer now), and I lost my appetite after seeing huge cockroaches scurrying down the hall near the bathroom.

That didn't stop me, however, from checking out the Margaritaville restaurant in Las Vegas last year. In fact, hours before flying back to Chicago, I literally ran there by myself and drank a frozen margarita alone just to be able to say I'd been there - how's that for dedication?

This past weekend, I had a chance to visit the restaurant properly, and not a moment too soon. We were making our way back to our hotel (The Paris) from the Wynn, and in the 110-degree weather, I was about to keel over. As The Venetian is adding on a huge new wing and is therefore generating major construction, there is no option but to walk outside on the pavement in full-on sun for about 10 minutes. By the time we got to Margaritaville, I was positive I had lost ten pounds in sweat alone.

There was a 35-minute wait (at 2 PM on a Friday?) and the bar area was PACKED, but because I am an EXCELLENT stalker, I moved in within milliseconds on a table at the bar that was leaving, much to the chagrin of a not-quite-as-aggressive couple who had been waiting much longer than we had. Too bad, suckas!

Once we were seated with frozen margaritas in hand, the world became a much happier place. While I didn't get the Cheeseburger in Paradise this time around, my husband did - and as you can see above, it comes complete with Heinz 57, French Fried Potatoes and a Big Kosher Pickle. If you like Jimmy Buffett in the slightest, and/or if you like frozen margaritas (they truly are better there, no lie), then I highly recommend a stop at Margaritaville... they are in cities all over the place, not just Vegas and Key West. Attached to the restaurant is a store of related merchandise (of course) and there are some great finds in there. My husband had to drag me away from the "Yes, I am a pirate!" wall hanging. Since I'm still thinking about it, that signals to me that next time we visit, I definitely need to buy it!

- e