Dining Along the Overseas Highway
By Margit Bisztray, Food Critic

With Key TV's expanded coverage of the Keys, I've recently been stopping on the Overseas Highway, not just to fill up my tank but to fill up my stomach. All those restaurants I've driven by and barely registered? Well, I'm beginning to check them out on the inside. No matter which of our destinations you're visiting, there's an “upper Key” to explore: the places you pass through on the way to the place you think you're really going.

First off, Key Largo. You're barely in the Keys (this is if you're driving from Miami, by the way, so north to south), and on the right, Florida Bay-side, is the Big Chill. Now, from the outside, it's kind of a blocky condo structure with not a lot of character, but if you head into the restaurant and outside to the patio it's great. A fantastic view, and I have to say, pretty darn good food. There's bar stuff, of course, and it's done very well, but also local seafood, fish dip, conch fritters and all the cocktails you could want to start off your trip, provided someone else is driving.

On the other side of the road and not too much further down is Fish House. I'm probably the only person who's never been here before. It's embarrassing. They've been there like 25 years and have what they do down to an art. First of all, the décor is priceless. Not just the imitation maritime art but the real stuff. Like, boats made of toothpicks, and string art schooners, and pirate faces made of shells. And then, the ceilings are covered in fish and shell lights. It's worth it just for the appealing kitsch of the décor, but the food is great. They have delicious lobster bisque (I asked for the recipe and realized, I'd never make it: too time consuming), and catch of the day, and smoked fish smoked in a smoker out back. This restaurant has a full-time seafood manager who has relationships with local fishermen and is never short on yellowtail, shrimp and mahi. Fish House is a gem.

In Islamorada, I've already told you about Spanish Gardens, so I hope you've been there by now and enjoyed it as much as I did. They have their wine and beer license finally, so toast with some Spanish wine.

Cruising ahead into Marathon, you probably know Keys Fisheries, but I'm going to tell you about it anyway. It is basically a dock with a kitchen window and a menu on the wall. Their most famous treat is the lobster Rueben, and I'm sure it's as good as they say but not my first choice when there are fresh stone crabs (in season) and giant golden crab legs (to rival King crab, only cooler looking) all year round, and basically you never see these anywhere else, and fresh fish served on giant platters cooked by a guy who has worked with some big name chefs, like Thomas Keller. But never mind that. Grab a cold one, sit at a picnic table on the cement dock and dig the crusty, salty scenery that is so real it's beyond cool.

Where does the chef at Keys Fisheries (Greg) and the manager (Trey, who is also a chef, by the way, and a ton of fun and a big goofball, too) eat when they go out? Cabana Breezes. Trey highly recommended it, so I'm going there next. The menu describes a version of oysters Rockefeller with Pernod, duck potstickers, and a yellowtail piccatta that sounds excellent (why don't more places do yellowtail piccatta style? It's perfect for the fish). So I'm going there next. Chefs always tell you the best places to go, have you noticed that? Not the most famous places or necessarily the best environments, but the best food.

And with that, I leave you with a list of places. Slow down, break up your drive with a meal. I'll be updating you more as I make more stops on the Overseas Highway, and remember, wherever you're driving (Panama City to Apalachicola, Myrtle Beach to Charleston, New Orleans to Panama City, there are great restaurants on the way, in between the gas stations.

NOTE: Margit Bisztray has been reviewing restaurants and writing about food for ten years. She has published three editions of The Complete Key West Dining Guide, and her work has appeared in such publications as Vogue, Gourmet, Islands and Metropolitan Home. To read more restaurant reviews, log your own personal opinions, rate your favorite restaurants and watch streaming video archives of these shows and other reviews, visit Margit's Top 5.