TALKING KEY WEST
An interview w the late and dearly missed journalist and playwright, Jospeh Hayes
When the late, great Orlando based food and culture journalist and playwright Joseph Hayes interviewed me I always looked forward to his Puckish humor and literary depth. Our topics shifted from everything culinary to Jack Kerouac (whose occasional Florida based home back then was not far from Joseph and his wife’s, Jennifer Greenhill-Taylor) to Key West where we were living once again when he did this interview with me. I miss him but am grateful to have the memory of this conversation w him.
JH: Ready? (He smiled mischievously).
Give me four dishes that epitomize the foods you love from your time in Key West.
NVA: Limiting Key West to four essential dishes is tough! Here are four but if your readers want more there are plenty to be found in our cookbooks!
Conch Chowder. This soup is, like conch fritters and conch salad a must have in KW. One place that stands out is ‘The Half Shell Raw Bar’ for Conch Chowder. And you get to sit looking out at the calming waters off the Island City. This bar/restaurant has been rocking along for years and is as comfortable as an ancient pair of blue jeans.
Conch Chowder Not fancy but delicious at The Half Shell Raw Bar.
Bollos. This will put us past the four dishes asked for but if you want to try a unique fritter not made with conch head over to the long-time little grocery store named “Five Brothers” at 930 Southard Streets and get a bag of these hot, crisp, ‘only in Key West’ treats. Grab some of the best Café con Leche in town while you are at it. They make a good breakfast, and you can wander through the old and fascinating Key West Graveyard just down the block. One of the famous gravestones warns, “I told you I was sick!”
Fish Sandwich. We often head out to the island just to the north of Key West where are friends Bobby and Michelle Mongelli operate “The Hogfish Bar and Grill”. It is also on the water and reminds me of the Key West of years gone by.
Cuban Sandwich. Since I have already broken the ‘top four dishes’ I am going to add in yet another with this classic. There are several places to get on in Key West but for excellent old school atmosphere and true ‘Bahama Village’ credibility we love to go to Johnson’s Grocery Store where in addition to things little grocery stores have they do have a small but worth a visit menu. There is mystique to this place that really appeals to me. It is so far off the typical tourist radar you know … it’s the real deal.
Fried Pork Chunks. This is a dish that is much more appealing to the ear in the original Spanish, (Masitas de Puerco) but there is no doubt that Cuban eateries excel at cooking pork. Perhaps my favorite way is the dish on the menu at ‘El Siboney’, a truly neighborhood restaurant. Ask for extra mojo. It is the piquant magical sauce that lifts the meaty/fatty flavors in just the right way. Get the dish with rice, beans and sweet maduro plantains. You won’t be hungry again for hours.
The ever popular “Blue Heaven” restaurant. The chickens of Key West you’ve likely heard of? Step in the courtyard. They roam cage free..
Key Lime Pie. This is, in my view, the “State Pie of Florida”. We have been making it since we first got to Key West and it was one of my early prep cook jobs. The ‘crown’ of who makes the best seems to float from place to place. Some places market themselves very hard as to thinking they own the crown. I’m sure I could find some of the very best in the home of Key Wester’s. But for a fine version that is also a place we love for atmosphere in the great tradition of Key West head over to ‘Blue Heaven’. The place is mobbed at breakfast so I would suggest enjoying your slice of pie in the afternoon when it is quieter and can linger in the natural courtyard under the trees while roosters serenade you. Then you will have the right energy to walk over to our favorite bar in Key West, “The Green Parrot”.
Within the magic of The Green Parrot bar
--Would you share your favorite place(s) in Key West, and explain why?
Old Town has the most. My wife, Janet, and I got to Key West in the early 1970’s and spent many years living there when it was still a quiet little village. We love to walk the streets off the tourist crowded ones and revel in the remaining peaceful vibe Old Town still actually has. The architecture, the exotic trees and flowers, the broken sidewalks and soaring clouds above are still there. Just like the gently rocking waves off White Street Pier. We lived in a number of houses over the years that surrounded the old Key West graveyard and ambling through, reading the ancient stones and imagining the island over a hundred years ago is a quiet, soulful thing to do.
The Pier House Resort and Spa. For the best ocean swimming in Key West the Pier House beach is blessed with the best place to enjoy it. Back in the old days we joined a membership available to locals, and we jumped on that program. Janet and our son, Justin, who was born in Key West spent many Sundays there soaking in the sunshine and then swimming out to the big wooden raft. The ocean floor drops more rapidly there, and the water is distinctly more refreshing than the other beaches in town. And it is a bonus to slip into the shaded bar there right on the beach for a cold one afterward. I worked in that kitchen and still savor those memories.
Bahama Village. If you want to get to the essence of Key West’s historic heart and soul this might be the treasure you seek. It is becoming a bit more upscale, and the tourists are finding it but to walk or bicycle in the areas near the Key West Lighthouse, the Hemingway House, the Southernmost Point and realize what life must have been like here in earlier days is not hard to do when here. There are restaurants, bars and bodegas to keep you fueled as you wander. Don’t miss the Green Parrot Bar around 5 p.m. if you love live, free (!) and excellent music.
The Red Barn Theater. Key West has been the home of some of the greatest writers that America has ever produced. This of course includes the late, great Tennessee Williams. The quality of theater at the Red Barn equals that of much bigger towns and cities. And you can know that you are sitting in the place where Mr. Williams himself watched a production of “A Streetcar Named Desire”. I know because I was there too. I had a bit part …. but did get a kiss on the cheek from TW!
--You paint Key West as a town full of characters. Where’s the best place to find them?
The simple and truthful answer is… anywhere and everywhere. From the local grocery stores like “Fausto’s Food Palace” to “The Half Shell Raw Bar” to the Mallory Square nightly sunset celebrations you will find them. Of course, the busy bars like “Sloppy Joe’s” and “Captain Tony’s” brings out the pirate traditions too. Maybe head to “Pepe’s” on Caroline Street. It is reportedly the ‘oldest eatery in Key West’ and see what that avails.
If you are staying a few nights, you can do yourself a real treat and check in to “The Marquesa” for luxury accommodations. The “Curry Mansion” is also a place that we love for a night or three as it is historic, well-located and itself a ‘character’. And at the risk of sounding like I have a stake in the place, (I don’t) I have to say, the “Green Parrot Bar” once again.
--Anything else you’d like to mention?
Now I want to go back!
https://bookscouter.com/book/9781909487772-my-key-west-kitchen-recipes-and-stories?type=buy
