Although I'm many days late, I thought I would share my recent trip to Key West, Florida and the great food I found there. As we drove around in the cute little electric GEM car, my sister would point out this and that restaurant and what she'd had there that was good. When I asked her if there were any bad restaurants in Key West, her answer was a thoughtful "not really." This was an all girl trip with my mom, my niece and I visiting my middle sister.

After our Sunday afternoon flight from Greensboro, we had a light snack of cold shrimp, hummus, cheese and crackers etc. mid-afternoon before our dinner at Salute. Their most well known specialty is hogfish - a delicate, white fleshed fish that they very lightly bread and pan fry - I forget what the sauce was, but it was delicious. The vegetables plated with my hogfish were wonderful, especially the whipped carrots. Delicious glass of Riesling with my meal.

Monday morning featured a visit to the Butterfly Conservancy - a must see when visiting the island. Lunch was at The Cafe where the four of us shared numerous dishes: veggie burger bites, cold peanut noodles, sweet potato french fries, pot stickers, spring rolls, and falafel. We loved the food here enough to order two small pizzas for dinner the same night. That left room for a quick trip in the GEM to Kilwin's for some ice cream. I had maple walnut which I always get when I can.

Tuesday's brunch was at Blue Heaven, a Key West tradition, and we didn't even have to wait for a table! The day was sunny, temps in the 70s, and the mood there....about as laid back as it can get. We ate outside surrounded by the roosters and hens searching for dropped bits of pancakes and enjoyed the blues guitar male singer - on a Tuesday morning? Only in Key West! My sister and niece ordered their lobster eggs Benedict, mom had eggs and bacon with the yummy fried potatoes and I had the Chef's Delight Omelet filled with spinach, Jack cheese, and shrimp served with grain toast and fresh salsa.

Dinner Tuesday night was at Cafe Marquesa - fabulous place that reminded me of a French bistro - if I had ever been in an authentic French bistro. I had seafood dumplings with kimchi and seaweed to start - delicious, and a chance for me to try kimchi and seaweed for the first time. Diver's scallops with pumpkin risotto and swiss chard made a memorable entree and we all shared a bottle of Jermann Pinot Grigio. I was too full for more than just a bite of my niece's warm chocolate souffle.

Wednesday we made a quick trip to Help Yourself!, a small cafe/store focused on healthy eating and brought our purchases home to eat on the porch. My hummus wrap was very good if a little messy to eat but it held me all afternoon for our flight back to NC.

My reflections on this first trip to Key West? Now I understand why folks have been going to this small island in south Florida for so many years. Harry Truman, Ernest Hemingway, Jimmy Buffet, and others knew a good thing when they found it. And maybe there are not any bad restaurants in that city. There is a reason why there were only ice cubes in the freezer at my sister's home.

Teresa