Spring Appetites
By Margit Bisztray, Food Critic

Yes, I live in South Florida where "spring" means "spring breakers" and the only thing "melting" is a frozen drink or ice cream, but I still think of this season as one of growth, renewal, and newness in general. I still feel that biological clock of the four seasons ticking, and spring has always been my favorite.

This is why, on my last trips to Atlanta and Northwestern Florida, I was so thrilled to get to taste the season's first (and I do mean FIRST) peas, pea shoots, and fava beans. In Atlanta, I even got to see apple blossoms in bloom, as well as a few daffodils. Most of the menus were just in transition (the last beets, the lingering compotes), but the servers were promising spring menus were just around the corner. Still, I loved the brussel sprout salad with apples at 4th & Swift, the sautéed skate with pumpkin seeds and spaghetti squash at Market, Buckhead, and the hamachi ceviche with roasted pineapple and coriander at Craft.

Meanwhile, at Fish out of Water in Watercolor, between Panama City and Destin, chef Philip Krajek surrounded a grouper filet with a spring pea broth that was as bright as new grass. It was springtime in a dish if I ever saw it.

Here in Key West, there's about a month left of stone crab season and, as the water gets more clear and still, we'll be seeing more hogfish (since they're diver-caught). Mangoes are about a month away, and from the blossoms I've seen on my favorite trees in town, it's going to be a plentiful mango season. Florida strawberries are still available, for now, and I even found some Florida mushrooms recently. The thing is to look for them. If you envision the calendar as a food timeline, you always know where you are by what's available to eat, both from the grocery store and at your favorite seasonal restaurant. It's a great way to keep time, and to stay in touch with where you are. Next time I'm "up north" in Panama City or Atlanta, there will be peaches, corn, summer squashes. I can't wait.

That's another quality of spring: restlessness. Some call it stir-craziness. But foodies would just call it appetite.

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.