Charlotte County Florida Weekly

Try this food crawl up the Keys




The surf and turf at Ziggie & Mad Dog’s is the perfect way to cap off your road trip. COURTESY PHOTO

The surf and turf at Ziggie & Mad Dog’s is the perfect way to cap off your road trip. COURTESY PHOTO

Living in paradise full-time is a dream come true 364 days out of the year, but sometimes it feels necessary to change up the usual routine in favor of something less … Key Westy. And while it’s practically vulgar to complain about the particular strain of bourgeois malaise that comes from having too much access to the finer things in life — caviar at The Roost, briny oysters at Thirsty Mermaid, small-batch ice cream from Flamingo Crossing or a Nutella-smothered crepe from La Creperie hidden on Petronia Street — those of us lucky enough to call Key West home, or those in town looking to simply change it up for a day, needn’t look too far for a good meal off the island. There’s a whole archipelago’s worth of delicious divertissement located right on the other side of the Cow Key Bridge. So fill up the gas tank and buckle up: we’re heading up U.S. 1 for the day on a Florida Keys foodie road trip — hope you brought your appetite.

Stock Island
» Roostica Wood-Fire Pizzeria
5620 Macdonald Ave.
Roostica.com

Save room for the Viennese chocolate gateau at Ziggie & Mad Dog’s. COURTESY PHOTOS

Save room for the Viennese chocolate gateau at Ziggie & Mad Dog’s. COURTESY PHOTOS

You don’t have to venture far from “the rock” to hit our first must-eatery, home of what some would argue is the best pizza in the Keys. Eating at Roostica, owned by husband and wife duo and restaurant rainmakers Bobby and Michelle Mongelli, is like having Sunday supper with your big fat Italian family. The pizzas are a study in textural perfection, crunchy on the outside and soft and pillowy on the inside and bubbly in all the right places from the blaze of the wood-burning oven, and the ingredients are of the highest quality — only San Marzano tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella will do on a true Neapolitan pie. If you’re not much of a pizza eater (do those people even exist?), the rest of the menu reads like a hit list of Italian favorites. You can’t go wrong with the hogfish piccata, the chicken parmesan or the veal marsala … or anything else, really.

Don’t sleep on the tacos at Bad Boy Burrito.

Don’t sleep on the tacos at Bad Boy Burrito.

Big Coppitt
» Bobalu’s
301 US-1
Bobalusrestaurantandbar.com

You should plan on arriving ready to gorge yourself at this down-home favorite, where owners Tina and Steve DiGiovanni serve up family-style (read: enormous) New York pizzas with names like Garbage Pie (sausage, pepperoni, ham, bacon, mushrooms, onions and bell peppers), Key West Flare (ham, pineapple, bell peppers and onions) or New Haven Classic (clams, bacon and garlic, served red or white). The vibe is decidedly chill, the décor modest and the parking plentiful. Homemade desserts and reasonable prices make this an excellent choice for families, or those who simply enjoy a bargain.

Saddlebunch Keys
» Baby’s Coffee
3180 US-1
Babyscoffee.com

Anti-establishment French press fans and Starbucks snobs alike will feel at home at Baby’s Coffee, a highway-side coffee shop and mini-grocery at mile marker 15, whose symbol — a red-rimmed eye, wide awake and visibly caffeinated — communicates perfectly the strength of their famous brews. They’ve been doling out caffeine fixes to drivers heading to and from Key West for decades but have, in recent years, added an increasingly gourmet selection of snacks and swag to their menu. Load up on treats and an iced coffee that will keep you wide awake for the rest of your drive.

Cudjoe Key
» My New Joint
22668 US-1
Mynewjoint420lounge.com

For years, legendary Cudjoe Key restaurant Square Grouper Bar and Grill has drawn huge crowds (and correspondingly huge wait times) thanks to its consistently incredible menu of excellent food, artisanal beer and wine and friendly, funky atmosphere. Those who often found themselves twiddling their thumbs in the parking lot waiting desperately for a table were understandably thrilled when the restaurant announced it was opening a second location … in the same spot as its first. Plunked directly on top of the Square Grouper itself, the groovy My New Joint is easily accessible, although its popularity has (predictably) reached the same stratospheric levels as its downstairs neighbor. That said, the innovative menu of sharable small plates, creative cocktails and not one, but two fondue offerings, is absolutely worth the wait.

Big Pine Key
» Big Pine Rooster
29943 US-1
Bucktoothrooster.com

If you’re looking for some down home, stick-to-your-ribs, comfort food cookin’, Big Pine Rooster, formerly Bucktooth Rooster, is the spot for you (and we hope you brought an army). The menu is a smorgasbord of scrupulousness from the Rooster Wraps (pulled pork, roasted chicken, veggies and cheese stuffed into an egg roll wrapper and fried until golden) to the World’s Ultimate Lobster Roll (served on a home-baked hoagie roll) to the six variations on a Reuben — and that’s not even a fraction of the options available. Come hungry and find out why the Big Pine Rooster is serving “food worth crowing about.”

Big Pine Key
» Good Food Conspiracy
30150 US-1
Goodfoodconspiracy.com

Just down the road from Big Pine Rooster is local hippie haven Good Food Conspiracy, immediately recognizable from the road by its rainbow flag and Technicolor murals. Good Food Conspiracy has been in the business of selling fresh organic produce, juices, dry goods, amenities and raw and cooked vegetarian and vegan cuisine for over 35 years. It’s the kind of place that makes Whole Foods look like an Olive Garden. The walls are lined from floor to ceiling with all manner of wellness-focused pills, potions, exotic herbs and tinctures — not to mention about a zillion gluten-free products. It’s famous for its fresh homemade soups, which change daily, and its made-to-order smoothies. Order one of the vegetarian sandwiches, paired with a Carrot Colada (carrots blended with fresh coconut nectar), and your body will thank you. Namaste.

Marathon » Keys Fisheries Market & Marina

3390 Gulfview Ave.

Keysfisheries.com On the north side of the Seven Mile Bridge (make sure you wave at Fred the Tree as you zoom past!), Keys Fisheries is the kind of shack-chic, authentically rustic roadside eatery that screams “insider secret.” Casual, dockside fried fish and fritters, beautiful sunsets and a catchy little slogan — Good Fish Isn’t Cheap, and Cheap Fish Isn’t Good — make this a great place to grab a quick no-frills bite, enjoy the view and then order some fresh fish to take home with you. (It also offers a comprehensive online seafood market for those who prefer ordering their mahi-mahi filets from the privacy of their own home, but it’s the unfussy, in-person experience that sets this place apart from its imitators.) The much-lauded Lobster Reuben, loaded with sauerkraut and served via a walk-up, to-go window, is by far the most popular dish. Eat it while throwing a few fries to the tarpon who patiently wait beside the docks, hoping for a free meal.

Islamorada
» Bad Boy Burrito
103 Mastic Street
Badboyburrito.com

First, they conquered Key West with their fresh, flavorful take on Mexican standards. Soon, a certain spikey-headed Food Network star took notice, all too happy to make the trek down to sample the restaurant’s Kobe beef burritos and locally-caught fish tacos. Now, they’re set on world domination. First stop: Islamorada. Beloved Key West restaurant Bad Boy Burrito, home of the famous thick-rolled “phatties,” has been churning out the island’s best, baddest “Floribbean” food for years. But a couple of years ago, owners Chris and Erin Otten decided the upper Keys were ready for a dose of their particular brand of cool-kid Mexican food. You can bookend your trip with a Key West pink shrimp burrito from both the Key West and Islamorada locations. Whatever you choose, rest assured it will pair particularly with whichever fresh juice-based concoction is on the menu that day.

Islamorada
» Ziggie & Mad Dog’s
83000 US-1
Ziggieandmaddogs.com

At the end of a long drive up the Keys, sometimes all you need is a nice glass of wine and a good steak to unwind from a strenuous day of stomach-stretching. If that’s the case, Ziggie & Mad Dog’s is where you want to nab a reservation for dinner. Their wine list is among the best on the island chain, from rare Bordeauxs to Dom Pèrignon and everything in between. Start with the phyllo encrusted escargot, dig into a perfectly cooked Delmonico and pray they have the Viennese chocolate gateau for dessert — it’s absolutely divine. ¦

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