Tourist food in the Keys. Hey, it wasn't all paddling and sight seeing. I am sure there was a grocery store and market somewhere. Those of us with efficiency units cooked some. Next time I am in the Keys I will probably go this route.
I am not a "foodie" per se. But I am always hungry, always. I can get a little excited about food but tend to have a limited menu.
I did a bit of culinary exploration while on my trip. I normally won't eat wheat/gluten, or fried food, nor fish. And I skip desserts, I had maybe only ever eaten one piece of key lime pie in my entire life.
But the stories are true: Brian was on a quest; a quest to find this elusive perfect fried fish sandwich. Fried Grouper on a bun. Also a perfect piece of Key lime pie.
We tended to eat as a group most nights. It had a nice feel to it, gathering to eat together in the evenings.
Sunday night at Robbie's I had a well-put-together Cobb salad. I don't think I had the pie there.
Monday night we ate at Ma's Fish Camp, and I think I had seafood and cheese grits. It is a nice place, and accommodating considering how loud and rowdy our group was. Brian ordered a slice of pie and offered me half. I thought it was good, but not special.
Tuesday night's original dinner plan was a bust. Brian and I ate at the Island Grill, which some one had recommended. I had this "crunchy hogfish sandwich," also recommended. It was breaded in corn chips and was pretty crunchy and tasty. Noms! Brian ordered a slice of Key Lime pie and again I ate half. It was tart creamy goodness! I am now a pie-eater. Oh my.
Wednesday night we tried Craig's again (Tuesday night we missed their closing time). Brian swore the Craig's World Famous Fish Sandwich was the best of the lot. We waded through a deluge to get there, and brought the group with us. This sandwich I also tried, I actually ate the bun this single time as there was melted cheese and some kind of dressing adhered to it. The slab of fish was huge! Like a steak, huge! Sadly the pie did not match the sandwich in magnificence, merely rating a "meh," tasting a bit chemical.
Thursday night the whole group returned with us to the Island Grill. The hogfish was all sold out. I tried the grouper, without the bun and ate some calamari appetizer, which was quite good. We had already established that the pie there was good. Actually, theirs might be the best.
Meal prices tended to be somewhat high, so eating definitely needs to appear in one's budget when planning a trip down there. I had set a budget of $50 per day for food. I stayed on budget while eating a really good breakfast at the Midway Cafe in the mornings (I highly recommend their goat omelet and their coffee is great!) and eating with the group for dinners in a different restaurant each night. Lunch was always a granola bar, or some slices of pepperoni and cheese, eaten on the go between excursions or while on break on the water.
I only blew the budget Friday night when we ate at Toro's Spanish Garden, a tapas place in Islamorada. The food was fantastic but the prices, whew! The pie there came in its own little crock and was more than a "slice." Mike even tried it. It was good but the meringue on top was a bit much.
Saturday night, last night there, we ate outside at Robbie's. I ordered the Yellow Tail Roll. It came with tempura (fried batter) and so I was afraid it was cooked through but no. It was raw and delicious on the inside. The wasabi dressing drizzled over it added the perfect note. The pie was good. Not the best, but good.
Who would have thought I'd be rating slices of pie? Hmm.
With all this eating, I was surprised that I didn't gain a single pound while there. Must have struck the right balance between intake and burn.
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