Nothing says "Summer" like nachos & margaritas on the patio

We have Jimmy Buffett to blame for this post. Like I mentioned when I blogged my Key West trip, I am a proud Parrothead. And it was at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville restaurant in Las Vegas that Jared and I decided nachos were an acceptable dinner. The Margaritaville restaurants have something on their menu called “Volcano Nachos”. These nachos are basically a huge pile of tortilla chips topped with chili, cheese and all the standard nacho fixins’. They’re served on a platter, and are piled high enough that they actually do resemble a volcano. Also, they’re awesome. Then again, I’m not sure there’s such a thing as a bad nacho.

Anyway, we certainly couldn’t finish the whole appetizer, much less eat a meal on top of it. So we decided to make the nachos our meal that night. And, every once in awhile, usually on a Sunday when we want to drag out the weekend, I’ll make a plate of nachos for dinner. Healthy? Not at all. Yummy? Oh yes. So, in continuing with my summer isn’t over theme, here’s a recipe for some great, Key West-inspired nachos I made a few weeks ago.

Tilapia Nachos
Serves 2-4 as a meal, more as an appetizer

Nacho Ingredients
Yellow corn tortilla chips
2 tilapia fillets
1 lime
Goya brand Adobo
1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 bag shredded Mexican-style cheese
2-4 jalapeño peppers, sliced thin
1/4 red onion, diced
Kernels from 1 grilled ear of corn (optional)
Pico de gallo & guacamole for garnish (my recipes follow)

Pico de Gallo Ingredients
2-3 large tomatoes, diced
1-2 jalapeños, seeded & diced
1/4 red onion, diced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Salt & pepper to taste

Guacamole Ingredients
2 avocados, peeled & seeded
1/8 onion, diced
1/2 jalapeno, diced
1/2 tomato, diced
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp. fresh cilantro
1 tsp. minced garlic
Splash of tequila (optional)
Salt & pepper

Directions
1. Make the pico de gallo by combining all ingredients in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. The longer you refrigerate your pico de gallo, the better it will taste.
2. Lightly coat tilapia with lime juice and a light sprinkle of Adobo. Broil for 3-4 minutes per side. Chop broiled tilapia and set aside.
3. Reduce oven heat to 350°. Cover a round pizza pan with aluminum foil and coat with non-stick cooking spray. Layer tortilla chips on the foil-covered pan. Follow with a layer of tilapia, jalapeños, cheese, beans, corn, onions and pico de gallo. Add a second, smaller layer of tortilla chips and top with remaining nacho toppings. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted and other toppings are heated.
4. While nachos are baking, make the guacamole. The easy way to do it is to throw all the ingredients in a 2-cup food processor and turn it on. If you’re into manual labor, mush (yes, that’s a technical term) everything together with a fork.
5. To serve, top nachos with guacamole and enjoy with a margarita!

My thoughts & suggestions

• For once, I don’t have many suggestions. They’re nachos. For dinner. Anything goes!
• That being said, here are some notes and explanations. I put the pico de gallo on before baking the nachos because I like the taste & texture of warm tomatoes on nachos. I know there are people who put more or less things in their pico de gallo. I roughly follow what my host mom in Mexico did when she made hers. This recipe is heavy on jalapeños because Jared & I like hot food. Feel free to reduce or eliminate them if you’re not a fan. I have to admit that I feel like a bit of a slacker because I didn’t shred my own cheese after going through the trouble to make my own salsa & guacamole. But part of the point of this meal was to use up leftovers & staples before they went bad. One final note about the guacamole. I do sometimes put tequila in mine. It’s a suggestion I came across on the internet a few years ago. You can’t taste the tequila; but it definitely enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.

Leaving Key West, driving north on U.S. 1. I thought this stretch of road looked like something out of Miami Vice

Tuesday morning in Key West came too soon. The last day of vacation always does. After a final breakfast at Duval Inn, a taxi took us to the tiny Key West Airport to pick up the rental car. The taxi driver had a lot of suggestions about our drive north on U.S. 1. Chief among these was that we veer of the main highway on to Old Card Sound Road and have lunch at Alabama Jacks. Alabama Jacks was, he said, the best place to get fresh seafood and an atmosphere that was unique, even for the Florida Keys. Not being one to argue when good food and interesting people-watching are at stake, we opted to take the detour.

Upgrade!

But before getting to Alabama Jack’s, Key West had one last treat in store. The compact we had reserved was not available. Since we couldn’t get the car we had been promised, Budget upgraded us to a Mitsubishi Eclipse convertible! Drive over the sea on a sunny day with the top down and the music up? Yes please.

Alabama Jacks, as seen from Old Card Sound Road

I am grateful for our taxi driver. If he hadn’t suggested the little detour, we never would have found Alabama Jacks. It is located at 58000 Old Card Sound Road in Key Largo, just outside of Key Largo Hammock State Park. The restaurant is built over the water on a couple of large, floating barges. The dining area is completely bordered by water on one side. If you arrived by boat, you could actually dock alongside the restaurant. Like B.O.’s Fish Wagon, it’s mildly surprising that Alabama Jacks is standing and in one piece. It is exposed to wind and water, giving it a weathered character that can’t be duplicated. It is decorated with nautical paraphernalia and has an area for a live band to perform. The service is friendly, but slow. I found this to be the case almost everywhere I ate in the Keys. Honestly, it was a good reminder to me to slow down, relax and enjoy the good things in life.

The view from Alabama Jack's dining area

The menu at Alabama Jack’s is heavy on seafood, much of which has been battered and deep-fried. Their alcohol selection is limited to beer and wine. Before this trip, my dad told me to eat a conch fritter for him. Since Jack’s claims to have the best conch fritters in Key West, I decided this was the place to do it. I order the conch fritter platter while Jared ordered (I think) a fish sandwich and fries. The conch platter was served with a salad (iceburg lettuce with a tomato wedge and ranch dressing) and lightly-seasoned fries.

Conch fritter, on a styrofoam plate with plastic utensils. I absolutely love how laid back Keys restaurants are

Having never eaten a conch fritter (at least, not that I could recall), I had no idea what to expect. I had thought that, being shellfish, it would have a fishy flavor and a chewy texture. I think I had fried calamari in mind, actually. This was nothing like I had expected. For one thing, the conch meat was sweet. And it wasn’t much chewier than any other fish I have eaten. I really enjoyed it. The batter was light and not greasy in the slightest. For condiment options, I was given ketchup, tartar sauce and lime wedges. While the conch was good on its own, it was even better with a little Tabasco sauce and a generous amount of fresh Key Lime juice. My only complaint was that it was so big I couldn’t finish it all.

After lunch, we split a slice of Key Lime Pie, relaxed and chatted before resuming our journey back to Ohio

Waiting for the plane. Call me crazy. But I absolutely love airports.

Shortly after lunch, we arrived at Miami airport, much earlier than we needed to be there. Not being able to resist a bookstore, I purchased a newer Tim Dorsey novel to read while waiting for the plane. For those that don’t know, Tim Dorsey writes satirical novels revolving around a Florida history buff/serial killer named Serge A. Storms and his pothead sidekicks. Dorsey’s zany novels have quickly become a vacation reading staple for me; and I’d highly recommend them to anyone who loves Florida and silliness. This book was especially nice to read after finishing The Devil’s Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea. (A quick aside, because it’s my blog and I can veer off-topic if I want to: Urrea is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors with his poignant fiction and nonfiction tales of life in Mexico and on the Mexican-American border. I love all of his work. The Devil’s Highway, the true story of 26 Mexican men trying to cross into the United States through the deserts of Arizona, is compelling but not exactly light reading. If you are going to read him, I suggest starting with The Hummingbird’s Daughter, a novel about Teresita, the Saint of Cabora and Mexican Medicine Woman).  With a new book and my husband by my side, I ended my Key West vacation reading, people-watching and daydreaming about future travels to faraway places.

The sunset at Miami Airport. Not nearly as impressive as the sunset over the water. But still gorgeous in its own way.

The famous Key West Beach Sign shows the distance in miles from the beach to a number of other locations including New Orleans, London and Cancun

Several things about Ft. Zach’s beach surprised me. I had expected the beach to be crowded. It was relatively deserted, making for a peaceful atmosphere. I had also expected nothing but soft sand and warm water. While there is gorgeous white sand, the beach at Ft. Zach is also rocky. Since it was mid-February, the water was cooler than I’d expected. Fortunately, years of swimming in Lake Erie have made me used to swimming in cooler water and wading on rocks. And I absolutely could not resist how clear and sparkly the water looked. I splashed around, watched the seagulls and pelicans, and took lots of pictures before settling into that beloved beach pastime – reading & sunbathing.

Sometime in the afternoon, I began to get hungry. I checked out the selections at Ft. Zach’s concession stand, and decided against what were likely to be mediocre burgers & hot dogs. This turned out to be a good decision since it started to drizzle as we were leaving the beach, and because we stumbled onto the best fish sandwich I have ever eaten.

B.O.’s Fish Wagon, located at 801 Caroline Street, doesn’t look that great from the outside. It is constructed out of a random selection of planks, plywood, sheets of metal, and even old garage doors; and is decorated with fishing nets and license plates and graffiti left behind by past patrons. Honestly, the place looks like it could fall down at any second. Being the type of person who prefers holes-in-the-wall and little local joints to trendy restaurants and big, pristine chains, B.O.’s is my type of place. Upon arriving, you’re greeted by a sign that essentially says “if you’re in a hurry, prissy or whiny, this is not the place for you”. The girl taking orders sits on top of the cashier’s counter and answers questions about the menu. Behind her, you can see your food being prepared. Upon placing your order, you sit down at a picnic table or on a barstool or at an old cable spool and wait for your food to be delivered.

There is a lot of love for Ohio, especially Lake Erie & Put-in-Bay, in Key West

Jared & I both ordered the fried fish sandwich with fries. At the order-taker’s suggestion, we shared a “small” order of fries. This turned out to be more than enough for both of us. The fresh-cut fries were good, especially when seasoned with salt and malt vinegar, but nothing special. It was the sandwich that was the star of this meal. The snapper was battered and fried, and served on cuban bread with cheese, onion, lettuce, tomato and Key West Lime sauce. It was perfectly-fried and crispy without being greasy. One of my fried-food pet peeves is when there’s more batter than there is meat. This was not the case with B.O.’s sandwich. While it was coated in a generous amount of batter, there was even more fish, giving it the perfect fish-to-batter ratio. The sauce complimented the other toppings very well. Overall, the combination of soft bread, crispy fish, fresh lettuce and creamy-tangy sauce made for a perfect fish sandwich. I hear that their sandwiches are best when washed down with a beer. Not being a beer drinker, I had the Key Limeade which was also delightfully refreshing.

The one problem with B.O.’s is that its construction makes it a bit risky on a rainy day. We lucked into a table that was covered. Some of the others were not. This was fortunate because it rained harder as the afternoon went on, derailing my plan to return to the beach. Lazing around moved to our room at The Duval Inn, where we read, napped, and generally enjoyed being away from the snow and cold of Ohio and the stresses of work.

No sunset. But I did get to watch the boats on the water

When we decided to go to Key West, one of the things I wanted to do the most was go to the Sunset Celebration at Mallory Square. Growing up on Lake Erie, I have seen more than my share of beautiful sunsets over the water. There is something magical about seeing all those reds, oranges and purples reflected onto the water. Being a night owl, I also like the sunset because it signifies the start of my favorite time of day. I knew that because of the clouds and rain, Sunday wouldn’t be a good sunset night. But we went to Mallory Square anyway. Sure enough, the sky stayed a steely blue that eventually faded to gray then to black. But that didn’t put a damper on anyone’s spirits. Several vendors, street performers, and tourists braved the drizzle to come out and bid the day goodbye.

Mallory Square in the rain

Once the sun set, it was time for dinner. The Upper Crust was not my first choice of restaurant. Pizza places never are. But if Jared didn’t care about things like eating a balanced diet and gaining 50 pounds, he would eat pizza for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day of his life. We had passed The Upper Crust, located at 611 Duval Street, several times while walking around town. We decided to give them a try that night.

Upper Crust Pizzeria, Key West

Upper Crust is a casual restaurant with hardwood floors, stainless steel tables and TVs showing the Olympics. We decided to split a pepperoni pizza with bacon on one half for him and jalapenos on the other half for me. This was another beer-only place, so we both got pop to go with our food. The Upper Crust is yet another place that you wouldn’t want to eat if you were in a hurry. I think that by this time, I’d decided that if you wanted food quickly in Key West, your best bet was Denny’s or Wendy’s. Being in no hurry, we settled in to watch the employees toss our pizza crust, top it and bake it.

Eventually, we were presented with large pizza. From looking at the pizza, it’s obvious that Upper Crust pays some attention to the quality and freshness of their ingredients. They use full strips of bacon instead of the crumbles that so many places use, and freshly-sliced jalapenos. The sauce had a strong tomato and garlic taste but wasn’t sweet at all. The crust was on the thin side, but airy and perfectly cooked. All-in-all, it was a good pizza. It wasn’t the best I ever had. But it certainly wasn’t the worst (that dubious honor goes to Gino’s soggy deep-dish in Chicago).

Post-pizza, we passed another relaxing Key West night exploring the nightlife, making random friends and enjoying life and one anothers’ company.

At night, Duval Street is a mellow, beachy version of Bourbon Street

This is one of the many pictures I took as our car sped along U.S. 1 to Key West

Here’s my first Key West travel tip: Don’t fly to Key West. Seriously. Flights to Key West are stupidly expensive; and the drive down U.S. 1 onto the island is one of the best parts of the trip. You don’t want to miss it.

Friday afternoon, we left work and got on a plane. By midnight, we were in Miami. This was a great time to arrive because everything – the airport, the car rental shop, the highways – was empty. We avoided Miami traffic by driving about 40 minutes south to Florida City, where we stayed the first night. The motel, a Days Inn, wasn’t in the greatest area. There wasn’t much to do, nor did the neighborhood strike me as the safest. But we were just looking for a bed for the night, so I didn’t care. The motel was old, but clean with a super friendly staff. And, they have free WiFi.

Normally, I don’t care a whole lot about the internet during weekend getaways. It’s handy if I want to look something up, but not necessary. But Saturday morning was an important day in the life of every Parrothead – Jimmy Buffett tickets went on sale at 10:00am! His concerts sell out in 10 minutes; so it was important that I have a good internet connection. After frantically refreshing Ticketmaster.com, I scored 4 tickets to his Noblesville, Indiana show by 10:04am. It was a great start to an island vacation.

After that was taken care of, we hopped into our rented Ford Focus and began our little road trip. I had heard and read about U.S. 1 in the Florida Keys. But it’s one of those things you have to see to believe. The road runs along the eastern side of Florida, and, once you get into the Keys, it’s completely surrounded by water. In many places, it’s simply a two-lane bridge over nothing but water. You can see the Gulf of Mexico on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. The only things separating you from the water are some small walls and the road underneath your tires. From this highway, the views of the glittering blue waters, vibrant green plants and colorful islands are breathtaking.

Even when it’s not passing over the water, U.S. 1 offers plenty to see. It’s lined with hotels, marinas, stores and random little shops. U.S. 1′s homes and businesses seem to have embraced their tacky tourist reputation and run with it. They’re painted an array of colors and decorated with flamingos, fish, nautical paraphernalia and tiki masks. In Key Largo, one of these businesses caught our eye as a perfect place to stop for lunch.

Outdoor dining area at Marley's

Marley’s Bayside Grille is officially located at 99530 Overseas Highway in Key Largo. But if you’re not careful, you’ll miss it, since it’s actually below the road and must be accessed via a ramp off U.S. 1. While it has nice indoor seating, it’s true highlight is the outdoor bar and dining area. In addition to traditional tables, the deck railing along the water is lined with barstools. Jared and I took two of these, ordered Diet Cokes, and settled in to watch the boats and the birds while we enjoyed our first meal in the Keys.

The view from our barstools at Marley's

The menu at Marley’s is pretty standard for Keys restaurants. It consists of a selection of salads, burgers and seafood with Caribbean, Cuban and Mexican influences. I opted for mahi-mahi tacos. Two large flour tortillas were filled with shredded red cabbage, pico de gallo and mahi that had been seasoned with salt and pepper. They were served with a lemon wedge, which I promptly squeezed over my fish, and sour cream. This was one of those meals that was incredible because it was so simple. It relied on good, fresh ingredients rather than intricate flavors. Jared had a fish Cuban, which was similar to the traditional sandwich with melted cheese and dill pickles. But instead of pork or ham, it had the same grilled mahi that was in my tacos. It was served with rice and black beans, which were good enough, but far from the best we had on the trip. The sandwich was interesting; but I preferred the tacos.

Marley's Bar

On our way out, we were lucky enough to run into the owners. They were friendly, asking us how we liked the food, talking about Ohio, and introducing us to their two Shelties. They were thrilled that we were so pleased with our experience. It turns out that Marley’s has partnered with its neighboring boat rental company, PonTunes. I could picture myself spending a day out on a boat, then stopping at Marley’s for a cold margarita and some fresh seafood. But that would have to wait for another trip. Key West was calling.

So we got back on the road. During this part of the drive, I saw one of the more interesting parts of U.S. 1. Before U.S. 1 existed, Key West was accessible via the Overseas Railroad. While it was partially destroyed in a 1935 hurricane, portions of the Overseas Railroad bridges can still be seen from U.S. 1 today. The old bridges are a popular spot for fishermen, bikers and pelicans. Watching the birds, the people, and the increasingly watery lands go by kept me occupied for the rest of the beautiful drive into Key West.

Pelicans along U.S.1. I have a charm bracelet that I add to every time I travel. When I went to Ft. Myers, Sarasota & the Everglades in March of 2009, I added a pelican charm to the bracelet.