Triple D and Crusing in South Florida and the Keys

After working a long and hot summer (I think we had more 90 degree days in the DC area in 2016 than we had in many years) it was time to get away for a vacation.  My friend Jeanne had suggested a cruise and I thought that was a good idea so we booked a cruise for Labor Day weekend.  As I was planning my travel I thought it would be a good time to take a day or two before the cruise to try some of the DDD places in the Miami area and in the northern area of the Keys, Islamorada and Key Largo. 

I had to fly from Dulles to Ft. Lauderdale via Newark, I know, not the most direct routing but when you fly on United you sometimes have to pass through Newark!  I arrived just after noon and had several texts from my good friend Jennifer.  Jennifer and her husband Eric are two of my closest friends and their daughter, Bella had just begun her Freshman year at the University of Miami in Coral Gables.  As it worked out two of the places I was planning to try were very close to "The U". 

Early morning flight to Newark

My Ride to Newark, a Dash 8-300

My snack to Newark, I love Stroopwafels

Newark to Ft. Lauderdale

The Big Apple

My First Class meal

Grapefruit Shandy - This was pretty good!

The Flight Map

After settling into my hotel for the next two nights, I headed out to try a few places.  You would think that living in the DC area I would be used to heavy traffic, but Miami is a whole different animal!  My first stop wasn't on my GPS, either the name of the place or the address.  This was one of the first time I ever used the Google Map function on my phone.  Another fun part of driving in the Miami area is trying to find parking! After diving around the place a few times I found a spot and went to my first place "Miami Smokers Urban Smokehouse".  I entered a storefront place and had to wait a few minutes before even being acknowledged in the restaurant.  Miami Smokers makes their own meats and Bacon and I chose the Smokers BLT.  The sandwich had probably the best bacon I have ever had.  It was thick cut with leaf lettuce large tomatoes and instead of mayonnaise there was a Guacamole and mayonnaise spread that really enhanced the sandwich, which included a side of tasty pickled slaw.  On a side table there was a small "spread stand" where you could enhance your meal but they seemed to be very spicy spreads and in my opinion the sandwich I was served was good just as it was presented.  Before leaving I was able to chat with the smoke master and we talked about their episode on the show and he signed my book.

Miami Smokers - Urban Smokehouse

The Smokers BLT with Pickled Slaw

Urban Smokers Condiment table with some really fiery spreads

I headed out to my next stop which was in the Coral Gables section of Miami.  Coral Gables is a whole different world from most of the Miami area.  I would liken it to a "Gated Community".  Coral Gables is also home to the University of Miami.  I found a parking spot and headed a few blocks to my next stop, "The Local Craft Food and Drink" is in a store front strip of shops.  The roads in this part of Coral Gables were all torn up and under construction.  I arrived before 430p so only a small plate menu was available which was perfect for me.  The place is very small and I sat at the bar and was served by a very nice and gracious bar tender.  I decided to ty the Crab Fritters.  The plate of 4 fritters came with a dipping sauce.  For me fritters are a hit and miss type of thing, sometimes that come filed with the meat filling and sometimes it's mostly breading.  In this case. some were hits and some were misses.  Two were filled with Crabmeat while the others, not so much.  The chef came out and signed my book and we chatted a few minutes about the show. 

The Local Craft Food and Drink in Coral Gables

Crab Fritters at The Local

Not as much Crab meat filling as I would have liked!

I headed out to the University of Miami to meet with my friends, daughter, Bella, who had just started out as a Freshman at "The U".  We met up and headed out for dinner.  Not only was the traffic bad but trying to find parking seemed nearly impossible!  I finally found a spot on the street and had to "feed the meter" and believe me this meter was hungry!  We were seated at a table next to the large open kitchen.  It gave us a good opportunity to see the cooking in action and there was a large number of cooks working that night.  We decided to try a few small plates.  Bella chose the Crab Cake and I chose the Shrimp and Grits and we shared the Fried Green Tomatoes.  While we waited for the food the Executive Chef came over and taked to us about the restaurant and the show and how it changed the restaurant.  He had nothing but great things to say about the show and how it has been such a god send to them and many of the featured restaurants.  He had to get bac the busy kitchen but he signed my book.  The food arrived and Bella enjoyed her meal and I really liked the Shrimp and Grits, the Shrimp were perfectly cooked and the grits were tasty and firm with a nice sauce .  The Fried Green Tomatoes, deep fried with a nice crunchy coating were accompanied with a Ranch style sauce and were pretty good.  Bella really enjoyed these. 

Whisk Gourmet Food and Catering in the Coral Gables area of Miami

Wonderful Shrimp and Grits

Fried Green Tomatoes

Whisk's busy ad open kitchen

It was fun to spend some time with Bella and hearing about the new adventure in her life.  It had been a long day for me so after dropping Bella off at her dorm I headed off to my hotel for the night and rest up for my next day's adventure to the Keys.

I got up and headed out for the 2 hour drive into the Florida Keys.  I would get to a number of places in towns of Islamorada and Key Largo.  I was really looking forward to this as I had never driven into the Keys.  I was really looking forward to seeing the bridges and driving along the water,  My first stop was on the southern end of Islamorada, which is located near the middle of the Keys.  The "Green Turtle Inn" is one of the oldest restaurants in the Keys and is very popular.  It is sort of a whole destination that includes the restaurant, a general store and a gift shop.  I was seated at a small table in the center of the restaurant.  My server noticed my book and I told her that I'd love to get someone to sign it before I left.  She pointed out the items that were featured on their Triple D episode and told me that even though it was traditional breakfast hours the entire menu was open.  I chose a cup of the Turtle Chowder and the Smoked Fish Dip, both were featured on the show and since I was planning to try 4 or 5 places I was planning on small items.  After a few minutes I was told that he Fish Dip was not available, a bit of a disappointment, so I ordered the Smoked Salmon plate which included a toasted bagel, cream cheese, smoked salmon with onions and capers.  The chowder was presented with a bottle of peppered sherry.  I wasn't sure if the sherry would add to the chowder but it really did, it made a soup full of flavor, turtle chunks and vegetables even better!  The bagel was also very good.

Green Turtle Inn in Islamorada, Florida

Good thing it was hot and humid outside!

Turtle sculpture welcomes you!

Turtle Chowder, the Green Turtles Inn's specialty

Peppered Sherry to add to the chowder

Salmon Plate

The manager cam over to sign my book and we talked about Guy's visit at the Green Turtle Inn.  Before I left I walked around the restaurant to check out all of the photos and memorabilia that adorned the walls.  The owners take a lot of pride in their rich history and there are a lot of photos to look over.  They also have a Guy area ad a board tat features the food they had on Triple D.

The main area of the Inn

They all sounded great!

Guy Ate Here!

I headed out and had some time before the other places opened so I decided to drive south on the Overseas Highway (US Route 1).  So far I had seen very little of the water that surrounded the islands and wanted to drive over one of the many long bridges.  It took about 20 minutes but I finally got to one of the long bridges that brought me into Conch Key.  It was pretty windy here and the sea was looking a bit choppy but I was I heaven this is what I wanted to see!  A one point I passed a beautiful bird and was able t get a pretty good picture of it.  No sure exactly what type of bird I think it was a heron, you decide!

What a majestic bird!

Conch Key; Southern Most Point in my Key adventure

I love this!  Love the bridges and the surrounding seas

Fishing choices from Conch Key, what to catch and not to catch!

Maps of the Keys

I headed back north to Islamorada to my next stop.  I arrived a few minutes before it opened and as soon as they opened I went into the "Islamorada Shrimp Shack".  I was greeted by a very friendly staff form the greeters to the severs to the cooks, they couldn't have been nicer!  This was something that I encountered all day in the Keys, not only are they laid back but everyone truly appreciated their restaurant guests.  I chose to try a cup of their She-Crab soup and their signature Shrimp Fritters.  The soup was great with thick chunks of crab and the fritters were a "hit" the fritters were filled with big chunks of shrimp and a side of Remoulade sauce. 

Islamorada Shrimp Shack

My Meal at Shrimp Shack

Meaty She-Crab Soup

Shrimp Fritters

Meaty shrimp fritter

The Islamorada Shrimp Shack bar area

I talked with several of the restaurants staff about their episode and my travels before getting my book signed.  I really enjoyed my visit, the food and wonderful staff made for a very great experience.  I left and headed north and stopped at the Islamorada visitor's center which really was a center for all of the Keys.  There was visitors information for all of the towns along the Overseas Highway including the Key West at the southern end of the Continental United States.

Islamorada Tower at the Visitor's Center

My next stop was a few miles north in a small village called Tavernier, which is the extreme northern part of Islamorada.  "MEAT Eatery and Taproom" is in a small strip mall and is very different from most places in the Keys.  MEAT is a charcuterie where they make their own cuts of meats and do their own butchery and features a number of craft and micro beers on tap.  I took a seat at the bar and was really not sure what to get.  I ended up choosing the Grilled Chicken wings with a craft brewed root beer.  The root beer was sweet and had a great root beer flavor.  The wings were big and covered with a very spicy sauce and toped with bleu cheese chunks.  The sauce was way too spicy for my tastes, if you like spicy barbecue style sauce you'd really like these.  The great tings about these wings were that they were grilled, the grilling sure beats frying any day!  I should have ordered them without the sauce!

MEAT Eatery and Taproom

Inside MEAT

My Wings at MEAT, featured on Triple D

I got my book signed by my server, who was also the bartender and headed north into Key Largo.  I got to my next stop which truly lived up to it's name, "Pilot House Marina and Restaurant".  The PIlot House is at a full time marina with yachts docked by the restaurant.  I chose an outdoor table, which is not normally my seat of choice but the inside dining area was empty and the outdoor area was full and lively.  The table was glass bottomed!  I could look down from my seat and see into the water, pretty cool!  I was served by a very friendly server who went through the entre menu with me.  She was incredible, we talked about Triple D, ther episode and my travels, just a great person!  I chose the Caribbean Crab Cake, which is a take on a favorite that I had never tried before.  The cake came out with a mango salsa on the side.  I was skeptical  that it would be mostly cake but was pleasantly surprised by the good amount of crab, both lump and fin, very good. 

Pilot Hose Marina and Restaurant in Key Largo

My very cool glass bottomed table

The marina view from my table

Caribbean Crab Cake with a Mango Salsa

Very Craby meaty!

I was wearing a shirt that was given to me by my friend Robin the owner of Lauer Krauts in Brighton Colorado and I promised her that I would wear it in an exotic place and I could think of no better place than on the pier at the Pilot House.  After signing my book my gracious server took a couple of pictures of me in the Lauer Krauts shirt, thanks Robin I hop you enjoy them!

Me at the Pilot House Marina earing the Lauer Krauts shirt

I headed out to my last stop on my Keys tour in the northern area of Key Largo.  "The Fish House" is a very unique place.  It's sort of a restaurant complex on the Overseas Highway, there is the main restaurant and next door there is the Fish House Encore, whch has a totlly different menu and atmosphere and is only open for dinner.  The Fish House a a very unque vibe to it, it' s dark and there are no windows!  I took a seat at the bar and got to talking with my server about the show.  She told me she had never seen the show prior to Guy visiting and was taken aback because she said that they are not a diner or drive in and felt that they were being called a dive!  This place is no dive!  She told me that they are the only restaurant in the area that can do their own fish purchasing and butchering.  They buy directly from the fishermen, where other restuarants have to purchase from a fish company, this gives them an advantage on both type and quality of fish that they use.  I chose the Smoked Fish Dip wich was served with a basket of crackers and wafers.  I finally got some!  It was pretty good, they use Smoked Whiting, which is smoked on premises.  I met the manager who came over and sgned my book and then headed out for the hour trip back to the Miami area after a fun day of travels into the Keys.

The Fish House in Key Largo

The only restaurant n the Keys that can say this

Triple D was here and Guy left his mark

Smoked Fish Dip at The Fish House

I had come down to Florida to take a cruise with my friend Jeanne and her family and they would be flying in the next morning around noon so after a restful night I decided to try a couple more Triple D places in Miami Beach before they arrived.  I checked out of the hotel and made the drive into Miami and to  Miami Beach.   Driving along the causeway from downtown Miami to South Beach I passed 4 ships in the Port of Miami that would be sailing out later in the day, the next day I would return to the port to board the Empress of the Seas.  The two places I would be trying are so close together that I could park in one spot (parking in Miami Beach can be a real challenge) and walk between the two spots.  This would be the first time I had ever used my IPhone as a walking GPS.  I walked a couple of blocks to a small outdoor café called "Taquiza".  It was in the ground floor of a hotel or condo and had outdoor amphitheater style seating.  They were serving breakfast and most of the menu was in Spanish so I had to try and guess.  I chose the only non-egg dish and it turned out to be a good choice.  I got a cheese stuffed blue corn tortilla with chorizo sausage and refried beans on the side.  The meal was very tasty and not your usual breakfast meal. 

Taquiza in Miami Beach

Taquiza is an outdoor café

My Taquiza breakfast meal

After talking with the staff briefly I headed out for the 5 block walk to my next stop.  As I was researching for my trip I noticed that my next stop was open form 6am until 4 am and wondered why they just didn't make it a full 24 hour joint? "La Sandwicherie" is a sandwich stand that serves great sandwiches all day and probably does a huge business to the late night bar crowd.  I was able to talk to talk to owner who said that every time Guy is in South Beach he visits to get their Prosciutto and Mozzarella sandwiches.  I ordered the Pate sandwich on a really fresh French baguette with sour French pickles.  Now I must admit that I'm not the biggest fan of Pate but I wanted to try it from a real French style place and it was pretty good, I did enjoy it.  I ended up taking it with me and eating it in the car as it was pretty humid and La Sandwicherie is an outdoor seating stand.

La Sandwicherie in South Beach, Miami

My Take Out Bag

Pate on French Baquette

Sour French Pickles and light mayo made it tasty

I headed out of Miami Beach and north to exchange my rental car to a van and pick up Jeanne and her family to start our cruise adventure. 

Jeanne and her sister's Susie and Jennifer and Jennifer's husband Steve arrived into Ft. Lauderdale around 1p and after settling into the hotel w headed out to dinner at another Triple D place that was my 3rd Triple D visit ever in 2008.  I had bee to "Scully's Tavern" one other time and it is still one of my favorite places that has ever been featured on the show.  The fabulous Miami traffic made the usual 40 minute drive to South Miami take almost 90 minutes and during the entire drive I was worried that the others might think that it wasn't worth the trip.  My worries were unfounded, we had a great time and the food was great!  The owner and chef Chris came over and talked to us for about 15 minutes and told s about every time Guy is in the area he visits and Chris has taken Guy, Guy's family and the crew on Everglades air boat camping trips.  He brought out a photo album of his Everglades adventures with Guy.  We tried a variety of the foods that Guy tried at Scully's during his Season 1visit.  They include the Scamp Wings, Escargot and Potato Chip encrusted Mahi Sandwich.  Chris was the first person to ever sign one of my books ad I had him sign the book again.  Scully's is a MUST of you are in the Miami area!

Scully's owner Chris with Susie, me, Steve, Jennifer and Jeanne

Spinach Dip

Jeanne makes the dip!

Scully's unique Mushroom capped Escargot

Scully's Potato Chip encrusted Mahi Sandwich

We headed back to the hotel after a long day for all of us to rest up and start our cruise adventure.  Before heading to the port I indulged Jeanne and the rest for w has become for me a South Florida pre-cruise tradition, breakfast at a Triple D classic joint, Grampa's bakery in Dania Beach just south of Ft. Lauderdale International Airport. 

After a great breakfast we headed to the Port of Miami for our 5 night cruise n Royal Caribbean's Empress of the Seas.  I had cruised on this ship in it's first year of service in 1991 when it was called the Nordic Empress.  Royal Caribbean had transferred it to their European line, Pullmantur about 10 years ago but moved it back to Royal Caribbean in late 2015 to get it ready for service to Cuba.  While waiting for approval to go into Cuba they are running very inexpensive 4 and 5 night cruises in the Caribbean. 

The boarding was pretty smooth and we settle in n the ship and was able to visit with one of the main reasons we booked the cruise, our favorite bartender at sea Latch.  We headed out to sea at about 4p for an overnight sail to Key West.  Leaving Miami (or really any port) is very exciting, no matter how many cruise you take the sail away is the beginning of a new adventure!

Leaving the dock

Carnival Sensation enters the port turning basin

Following the Carnival Glory out to sea

Passing the Norwegian Escape

Fisher Island car ferry

Passing South Beach

Carnival Glory entering the Atlantic Ocean

Passing South Beach

We enter the Atlantic

After sailing overnight we arrived into Key West about 7am and were scheduled to stay there until 5pm.  We docked in the middle of the Westin resort and is only a short walk to Duvall Street, the main hub of shops and restaurants in Key West.  I was really looking forward to this port as Guy had done an entire episode here, so there were 3 places to try, but we were here on a Sunday and two were closed on Sundays, oh well, I guess I will just have to make another trip!

We got off the hip about 1030am and headed into town.  My only plan was to try the one Triple D joint that was open.  We walked up to Duvall and stopped at some of the unique shops.  There are a number of iconic Key West watering holes including Sloppy Joe's, Captain Tony's, The Hog's Breath, and Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville.  Our day was hot and very humid so after making a couple of shopping stops we decided to may a hydration stop at Magaritaville.  It was a nice, refresing break in our day and I tried the Wild Berry Cooler, a berry smoothie.

My ship docked in Key West

Jimmy Buffett's place and our hydration stop

My Wildberry Cooler

One of Key West's mst famous Waterng Holes

Captain Tony's Saloon, the original Sloppy Joe's where Hemmingway hung out

After a nice, cooling stop we headed out to "DJ's Clam Shack" for lunch at the only Triple D joint open on Sundays.  DJ's is an open air restaurant in the middle of Duvall Street and is very popular.  They are known for all types of seafood and on their episode they featured he clams and Lobster Roll.  I was not sure what to try, I was torn between the Lobster Roll and the Fried Cracked Conch so I decided to try both!  DJ's has an open are patio behind the service area with picnic style tables and we got a large table for our lunch.  They really celebrate Guy's visit with the "Guy Ate Here" painting on the wall, photos from is visit and some original Guy artwork displayed it was very cool.  The meal arrived and I enjoyed the Lobster Roll, which was loaded with large chunks of lobster in a mayo based sauce.  The only downside was that the sauce was a bit overpowering.  My Fried Conch was really good, it tasted like Fried Clams but with a milder taste that I really enjoyed.  One of the managers came over to sign my book but was unable to visit and DJ's is a very busy place.  The funniest site was the Dog Bar just outside of DJ's, it's a decorated water bowl, only in Key West!

DJ's Clam Shack on Duvall Street in Key West

Guy Ate Here!

Love the artwork!

DJ's Lobster Roll

Fried Cracked Conch, like Clams but milder

Only in Key West!  A Dog Bar

After finishing the other's headed back to ship and I just walked around before heading back to the ship.  Key West is a very neat place, they have sayings etched into the sidewalks, iconic buildings like the old Customs House which is now a museum and the Mel Fisher Museum, which features items that Mel Fisher rescued from ship wrecks.  I made one last stop before returning to the ship, my favorite pie is Key West's iconic Key Lime Pie so I stopped at the birthplace of the pie, the Key Lime Pie Bakery to try the frozen chocolate covered Key Lime Pie on a stick, it was delicious!

Sayings etched in the sidewalks

Former Customs House now a museum

Key Lim Bakery where the Key Lime Pie was invented

Frozen Chocolate Covered Key Lime Pie on a sick

Our cruise left Key West on time at 5pm.  It would have been nice to stay in ort about 3 more hours s we could have visited Mallory Square where there is a daily sunset celebration street fair.  Our cruise was headed to Cozumel in Mexico.  We had a reay good time on the cruise and ate and drank very well.  My friend, Latch, is a bartender on the ship and it is always good to see and visit with him.  His brother Sharn is also a bartender but is on a different Royal Caribbean, both are from the Caribbean island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Sights of leaving Key West, Florida

Latch manning the Viking Crown Bar on the Empress of the Seas

Viking Crown bar

Kahlua and Cream after dinner drink

Fancy and Frosty libation

 I the next few days on the cruise which would end on a Thursday.  I had a very dearly morning flight home on Friday so I decided that if I could find a cheap car to rent for the day I would get one if it would be cheaper than a cab and I found one so after we left the ship, Jeanne and her family took me to the Ft. Lauderdale Airport.  I took the opportunity to head north to try another Triple D place that had been elusive in my other South Florida trips.  I headed about an hour north of the Lauderdale area to the town of Lake Worth.  "Havana Hideout" is a small place on one of the main streets of downtown Lake Worth.  I do a lot of research before making these trips.  The website for the restaurant and the google website shows that the restaurant is open from 1130am until about 10pm.  I arrived a little before noon and found a nearby parking spot on the street.  I approached the place and it was closed!  I was stunned!  I tied to call and checked the website again and as I was about to leave another guy came by.  How can a business operate when they don't even follow their own operating hours.  What a huge waste! 

Downtown Lake Worth - Check out the time!

Havana Hideout - They may love everyone but they don't love to follow their open hours!

Havana Hideout's locked doors!  What a waste of time!

 I was hungry and not sure where to go and then remembered a place I had visited about 5 years earlier and is a Triple D place.  Deerfield Beach is on the way back to Lauderdale and my hotel so I decided to have lunch at "The Whale's Rib".  This beachfront restaurant is a very popular place and was ding a pretty good lunch business.  I was greeted by the greeter and manager and told them about my raves and problems in Lake Worth and she told me that my visit at Whale's Rib would be the bet f any of my visits and they were too far off with that statement!  I chose to try the Fried Oysters that came with their signature Whale Fries.  The Oysters were perfectly cooked and the Whale Fries weren't like French Fries but house made potato style chips and were delicious, I prefer whale fries and any normal fries!  This was a great visit, not only was the meal great but half of the staff came over to visit with me and sign my book: the owner, head chef, cook and several servers.  I look forward to going back The Whale's Rib on my next visit to the area.

The Whale's Rib in Deerfield Beach

My Fried Oyster and Whale Fries lunch

I left and ended the day celebrated Jeanne's birthday that night on the main restaurant and area of Ft. Lauderdale, Las Olas Boulevard.  The next morning I flew home after a great, but all too short vacation (aren't they all)!  I was able to get to a number of places and my Triple D count was now at 524, 600 is not too far off!