Shrimp Pizza / Key West 4

EATING DOWN HIGHWAY ONE

With Gene Morgan and his favorite traveling companion Nancy

Our food journey now takes us into the Lower Keys. To get there we must cross the longest bridge In the islands. Two bridges leave Marathon heading for Big Pine Key seven miles away. The picture shows two roads heading out across the deep blue sea. The bridge on the left is the new one that will get us to more good food. The one on the right has been closed since 1982 and has rusted away since, then being used as a jogging track and a fishing dock. Notice how narrow it is. It was built over an old railroad track. It was a real adventure getting to the Keys back before the early eighties.

The last time we were in the Keys we stayed on Big Pine Key. There are lots of cool things about Big Pine, but this is not a travelogue. You want to hear about food. Right around mile marker 30 you can find lots of good places to eat. A block off highway one is the Win Dixie shopping plaza. There is a great place to have breakfast at Bagel Island café, fresh baked and so much better than MacGreaseburger. A nice little Cuban café called Co Co’s Kitchen gave Nancy her Cuban food fix with Cuban mix sandwiches and Cuban pork with black beans and rice. (one of her favorites)

A real hard place to find is No Name Pub. It’s a funky little bar hidden away among the million dollar hurricane houses about 3 miles north of the Overseas Highway. It’s a place with lots of history because it was an early railroad stop and near where the old car ferry landing was on No Name Key. It also had a brothel upstairs. Now it is better known for having really good bar food. We had a tasty shrimp and white sauce pizza there one evening. But, the most memorable food was a lunchtime half pound cheeseburger which was so good and filling we didn’t even have to eat supper that night. (OK, we did have a late night snack.)

Rob’s Island Grill is pretty much a sports bar right on highway one between the welcome center and mile marker 30. After eating shrimp about 6 days in a row we decided it was time for a change. Even though it wasn’t on their menu we talked the nice waitress into getting the cook to make us a shrimp pizza. OK, not much of a change, but shrimp and pizza sauce are a great combination.
 

Note from Carrie:

I had to add this picture, because one of the stories emailed to me was about how he stopped their car & "asked" for a slice of leftover pizza...  ; )  Plus, he's a cutie!