Alabama Jack's

Haven't been here in a while! Haven't been anywhere! Too busy working at work and working at home! Finally, on the Sunday following July 4th, I was able to convince my darling husband to drive down to the Keys for lunch. It was a brutally bright south Florida summer day, and, while he was skeptical about how much actual "fun" this would be, he agreed we needed to get out for a bit.

We decided we'd take Card Sound Road, thinking the traffic might be a little less than that along U.S.1. And, we were right. There wasn't much traffic.

I asked dh what he thought about having lunch at Alabama Jack's. We stopped there to eat on our way home from Key West a few years back, but he didn't seem to recall. I couldn't remember exactly where it was.  I knew which side of the road it was on and that it was near the toll both. When we caught site of the toll booth, I don't think either one of us saw anything else.

He paid the toll and we found ourselves on a steep bridge. Coming down on the other side of that bridge was a "thrill ride." Such a great view! (Poor dh.) We rode for a while longer, on the lookout for Alabama Jack's. We rode. And, we rode. And, then, we hit U.S.1. Somehow we had missed it, so we made a U-turn and headed north.

On the return to the toll booth, we noticed it didn't say "Monroe County" as on the southbound side. Instead, it said, "Come Again." We paid the dollar toll and as we exited the other side, we saw it. On the left. We had gone right past it, in the blink of any eye. In our haste to get there, we had missed it.

Alabama Jack's.

It's a weathered restaurant floating on two barges in an old fishing community. It has an interesting history, too. Today, the regulars include motorcyclists, local residents and the upscale crowd from nearby Ocean Reef Club who come not only for the food but to admire the abundance of tropical birds and fish in the nearby mangroves. Dinner has to be early here; Jack's closes by 7 PM, when the mosquitoes start biting.

We were so lucky! We arrived shortly after 12:30 and there were a few people, all seated along the water. For just a second or two we were bummed that all the good seats were taken, then our waitress offered us a waterside table tucked back behind the bar.  The breeze off the water pushed the summer heat and the bugs away and my darling husband was happy. Oh, yes! Can you say "heavenly?"

Calories be damned—the conch fritters are an unusual, mountainous freeform creation of fried, loaded-with-flavor perfection. The crab cakes, made from local blue crabs, earn hallelujahs, too. And, the conch salad is as good as any you'll find in the Bahamas. We shared a seafood platter and I'm here to tell you, there is no better food anywhere in the four counties from Key West to Palm Beach. Given cold beer to wash it down, we couldn't ask for anything more!

It is so totally worth the drive!

As we headed north on Card Sound Road for the return trip home I spotted a mangrove nursery. I had read about these, but I had never seen one. People generally don't know how important mangrove forests are so I hope they will click here and watch for two minutes to see what I mean. My poor husband was startled when I yelled for him to stop the car and back up! Fortunately, there were no other cars on the road at that particular moment. He did back up and I did leap out with my camera. The roadway is narrow and the shoulders narrower. We got honked at and yelled at by tourists in a rush to leave the Keys, but it was so worth it to get this picture! Thanks to my darling husband for participating in that madness! And, for the wonderful lunch!