The elegant bar and dining room is dimly lit, the dapper staff is dressed all in black with red suspenders and bow ties, and the subtle music playing in the background is a throwback to a bygone era.
The attention to every detail inside the Armory Speakeasy at VFW Post 10211 is nothing short of impressive. It’s an establishment like no other in the Upper Keys and patrons are taking notice.
“I like the music and the atmosphere and I like the way they treat you,” said customer Diane McKinley.
“The speakeasy and the darkness, it makes you want to dress up a little bit more coming in here,” added lifelong Key Largo resident Carolyn Thomas. “It’s kind of like when you go out to Ocean Reef; it would make me feel like I’m in New York or somewhere.”
Thomas is a close friend of veteran John Donnelly, a trustee of VFW Post 10211 in Key Largo, and is thrilled with the new restaurant and bar located inside the post at MM 102.
“This partner has gone beyond our wildest dreams and expectations, not only in the tangible assets here but how they conduct themselves, how they forge relationships, their interest in veterans is beyond compare,” said Donnelly.
That “partner” is restaurant owner Janessa Silvestri. When she learned the lease at the VFW post was available, she jumped at the opportunity.
“I came in here and I met with John Donnelly and he stole my heart,” recalled Silvestri.
Almost immediately, she came up with the speakeasy concept for the restaurant.
“I envisioned it all that night. I went home and I was like, the name is the Armory and it needs to be a speakeasy,” said Silvestri.
Silvestri enlisted the help of her builder father, JR Silvestri, to oversee the project featuring a significant cosmetic revamp. The major transformation in style, look and design took seven months to complete.
“I think she’s come up with a great idea; it is exactly her vision,” said JR Silvestri. He knows a thing or two about building restaurants, having built the Big Chill, Snooks and Skippers. But this place is noticeably different.
“We didn’t want a tiki hut, and we wanted something nice for the community to enjoy,” he added.
Diners will surely enjoy that attention to detail, right down to the soundproof ceiling tiles that help keep ambient noise to a minimum.
The decor is a tribute to veterans of foreign wars. Shell casings and pictures of servicemen and -women line the walls. There is even a cordoned-off missing-man table at the entrance, meant to remind patrons of the fallen, missing or imprisoned military personnel.
“I wanted to make sure that this was a place that the veterans were honored the way that I think they should. They’re out there risking their lives for us,” said Silvestri.
“We love it, we love it,” said VFW Post 10211 quartermaster Mark Birk. He calls the partnership a win/win for this VFW post, which six years ago had fallen on hard times and was at risk of being shut down.
“It’s the VFW but it’s open to the public so they can help us to keep funds going in and supporting the VFW,” added Birk. Monroe County State Attorney and veteran Dennis Ward is the commander of VFW Post 10211 and attended the grand opening.
But there is a lot more to the Armory Speakeasy than military decor. Silvestri believes diners will be impressed with its food. She studied culinary arts and has been working alongside chef Frank Bozza for the last four months, cultivating an international menu that promises to offer something for everyone’s palate.
“We have a worldwide menu,” said Bozza, who hails from Costa Rica but was working in Ohio before landing the job at the Armory. “We have a hummus, we have a ceviche, and our steak is a little bit of a French technique. We’re trying to give the best to our customers.”
During the grand-opening ribbon-cutting ceremony on Nov. 8, Silvestri held her 18-month-old son in her arms. She acknowledges she has a lot on her plate, but this new restaurateur would not have it any other way.
“I hear people say that Key West and Islamorada get all the fun, so I’m happy to bring something fun and different up here,” said Silvestri. “I just felt like there was something missing in the Keys, a place where we can dress up and have a more formal, sexier night out if we wanted to,” she added.
The Armory Speakeasy at the Post will be open from 4 p.m. to midnight and closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. It’s located at 102255 Overseas Highway in Key Largo.
