I was on the ground in Key West, The Conch Republic, before noon. After picking up the rental car my next stop was to pick up the house keys from the folks at Key West Vacation Rentals. They couldn't have been nicer. But there was only one problem, the house would not be ready for occupancy until 3pm. But that turned out to be an opportunity to have a casual lunch while I waited. Along with all the other helpful advice I received relative to my stay on Bone Island was where to find a good place to have my first meal.
Only a few blocks away was the Southernmost Beach Cafe. It was a short walk over to the water's edge. I was able to get a table right away and began to adjust to the indoor/outdoor setting that is so common in a place where they have never seen snow and the lowest temperature ever recorded was only 41 degrees.
Wanting to try as much as the local food as I could on this research trip I ordered up the conch chowder. Conch (pronounced konk) is officially a gastropod mollusk, a large edible marine snail and relative to the demure French escargot. It is a popular food source among the Caribbean islands although not legally harvested within U. S. waters. It is used in soups stews and in salads and has been nicknamed hurricane ham by the Bahamians. With a mild, sweet flavor similar to that of abalone, it is also extremely tough and must first be pounded or marinated in lime juice to tenderize it before cooking.
My cup of chowder was excellent. Thick and spicy with plenty of chunks of conch swimming among the vegetables. I followed it up with a Caesar salad topped with freshly sauteed and still warm local shrimp. It was a great way to begin my week long investigative survey of food in the Conch Republic!
Rating for the Southernmost Beach Cafe: A
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