The Southernmost Dessert in the Continental USA

My friend Denise and I were in the Florida Keys for one cloudy day. We had Kenny Chesney’s “Key Lime Pie” song on repeat for the majority of the Miami to Key West drive. Yes, this day was about one thing and one thing only: The first bites of Key Lime Pie were at Bob’s Bunz in Islamorada, which is the second “town” you hit after leaving mainland Florida (Key Largo being the first). We shared a slice and to top things off I also had a Key Lime bundt cake. A mini one. I’m a little ashamed to say that I liked the bunt cake better than the pie. After driving the rest of the way to Key West and visiting the Southern Most Point in the Continental USA (which was next to the Southernmost House in the Continental USA, the Southernmost Deli in the Continental USA and the Southernmost Seventh Day Adventist Church…) we headed to Jack Flats restaurant for mahi-mahi sliders and more key lime pie. Both were good, but key lime wise, the mini bund cake was still my favorite desert. Denise liked Jack Flats pie better than Bob’s Bunz, but possibly because of the whipped cream presentation (see the picture above). Jack Flats is in downtown Key West at 509 Duval Street, Key West, FL, 33040. Call them at 305-294-7955. I was getting pretty full, but was prepared to soldier on with the task at hand. So we headed to the dollar-bill-infested Willie-T’s. Apparently the thing to do here is to write something cute on a bill and staple it to the bar. This made me realize that I hadn’t brought my stapler along on this road trip. I had scissors, tape, and markers. How could I have forgotten my mini-stapler? Quite the oversight. Anyways, I ordered a Key Lime Pie Mojito, which was disgusting (as evidenced by the picture below). I tried to drink it all because it was $8 (apparently Willie T’s thinks they are a hot Las Vegas nightclub). I failed. Not that I was particularly hungry, but when we passed Upper Crust Pizza and saw the sign for chocolate covered frozen key lime pie on a stick, I had to check that out. It came individually wrapped, and I was afraid it would just be an ice cream bar with a lime-flavored ice cream, but oh, no. It was WAY better. The lime-y flavor was tart and delicious and there was even a layer of graham-cracker crust. After vowing to run twelve hundred miles the next day, I ate the whole thing. Denise got one bite. A small bite. The ice cream bar trumped the bundt cake.On our way out of town the next morning we had to stop at Mrs. Mac’s Kitchen for one last key lime pie. I really didn’t want a frozen chocolate covered ice cream bar to be my favorite key lime dessert. According to my friend’s friend’s friend who spend a couple of years in the Keys, Mrs. Mac’s is the best. It’s a cute dive-y type restaurant, and when we ordered a slice of pie to go the waitress gave us two because apparently the first slice she’d dished up was too small. We grabbed our to-go pie and hit the road. Somewhere after West Palm Beach we remembered about the pie sitting on the floor. It was melted.I ate it anyways. It was like key lime pie soup with graham cracker crust crumbles. If it hadn’t melted, Mrs. Mac’s pie would have probably been the best. The crust was especially good, all buttery and rich.So to re-cap: I went on a key lime pie tour, liked a stupid chocolate bar the best and melted a slice of pie. Good thing I’m not a food blogger.If you are heading to the Keys and want some real food advice, check out the blog of a "Florida Keys Girl." Amongst other entertaining posts, she has reviewed most of the restaurants on Key West. There’s no way this chick would let her key lime pie melt.