B.E.L.T.

     I'd been enjoying some good food at touristy places for the first few days in Key West.  But now I was ready to find out where the locals eat.  So one morning I ventured out to locate Harpoon Harry's, one of the breakfast restaurants on the list I was given when I first arrived.

     Perhaps the word "restaurant" is misleading.  Harpoon Harry's was more of a diner with counter seating in addition to booths and tables.  But it was more than that.  In addition to serving up meals to the citizenry it also had a mercantile section as well as a liquor sales corner.  It was more of a brick and mortar emporium than the previous establishments I had visited.  And it had an atmosphere not unlike the TV bar "Cheers" where everyone knows your name.  As I took my place at the counter just after they opened at 6:30 the seasoned staff began to greet all the regulars who were stopping by for their first meal of the day.  The menu listed what I would term "real food" and at reasonable prices, the kind that every day people would eat and could afford.  I ordered up the B.E.L.T. with home fries, toast and coffee.  That's the breakfast take on the standard BLT with the addition of scrambled eggs.

     It wasn't long before my meal was served.  The portions were generous, the coffee was hot and strong and the company was convivial.  I finished every last morsel and left filled and content, but without a T-shirt or a flask of Old Grand Dad.

Harpoon Harry's for breakfast: A