Blond Giraffe Key Lime Pie Factory in Tavernier, FL

I went down to Key Largo and decided to get some key lime pie. I ended up at a place called Blond Giraffe Key Lime Pie Factory in the town of Tavernier. They had several variations of the pie available, including plain, dipped in chocolate, but I decided on the key lime pie with meringue topping. The pie was nice and tart and the meringue was very fluffy. That was all good, but we really don't want to talk about the food, do we?

We want to talk about the bunnies. Blond Giraffe had a fenced in yard behind the restaurant. This yard was filled with rabbits! Apparently they have chickens back here too, but I visited after dark so they were all roosting for the night.

I ate my key lime pie rather quickly, but stayed much longer petting rabbits...

Keys Bite in Key Largo, FL

I was in Key Largo on New Years Eve and it was decided that key lime pie should be eaten while there. Restaurant choices were thin since it was a holiday. Based on what was open, we ended up at a restaurant called Keys Bite. They had a diner-like menu, and luckily they did have the pie we were seeking.

The key lime pie was served with whipped cream and a lime slice. It was creamy and tart. Everything that I would have expected a slice of key lime pie to be in the Keys!

Robert Is Here

I was down in South Florida for a weekend and decided to do some sightseeing. My first stop was the Coral Castle. It was definitely an interesting place to stop, but they pushed too much of the woo with their theories of how the place was built. It seemed pretty well established and obvious how the castle was built, but this is a food blog, so I won't complain much more about roadside attractions adding more hype than actually surrounds a place.

My next stop was the Robert Is Here fruit stand. I found out about this place their brochures in the rest stops along the Florida Turnpike, so they must be pretty touristy. There advertising works though, because I visited as a tourist.

Robert is Here sells all sorts of tropical fruit that grows locally in the Redlands area south-west of Miami. They had some of your standard tropical fruit like mango and papaya (grown on the trees out back), but then there was more exotic stuff. They had locally grown Jackfruit, and then there was fruit I've never heard of.

Besides from the tropical fruit, Robert is Here's milkshakes also seemed to be a big draw. I bought myself a key lime milkshake. This very thick shake tasted just like a key lime pie in a viscous, semi-drinkable form. Really good!

I also had to buy myself some of the locally grown fruit. I choose a Florida Mango and a Mamey Sapote. When I went to pay for these two fruits, I found out why Robert is Here can afford to advertise in all of those Miami brochures. These two fruits came out to $8 and change. It seemed really overpriced to me, especially since mangos can often be found in supermarkets for under a dollar during the season. I was doing the tourist thing though and I really wanted to try the mamey, so I ended up buying th fruit anyway.

Lately, mango has become one of my favorite fruits. I've noticed that there is quite a difference between fruits depending on where the mango is grown. If the mango comes from South America or Mexico, they have a lot more juice and are slighly stringy. A Florida mango doesn't have the stringyness and has a creamier texture. Out of the two types, Florida mangos are definitely my favorite. The mango that I bought from Robert is Here was a prime example of a really good Florida Mango.

I bought the mamey sapote because I was totally unfamiliar with the fruit and the sign said it tasted like a pumpkin pie. You would never know from the brown fuzzy skin on the outside of the fruit that the inside flesh was a brilliant deep orange color. The flesh had the texture of an avocado and really did taste just like a pumpkin pie. This fruit could probably be put in a pie crust, and you would have an instant pumpkin pie with no work! It would probably be a lot healthier too! I've never seen a mamey in a store up in the Orlando area, but I'd definitely buy the fruit again if I see it!

Happy π (Pi) Day!

Do you know that today is π Day? It's one of the better obscure holidays out there, just about on par with International Talk Like a Pirate Day. In celebration, this post is being published on March 14, at 1:59, or to be more specific, 3.14159...

Enjoy the many types of pies that I've taken photos of in my travels, like Key Lime Pies from a fish market in Lake Mary, FL and Sleuths Mystery Dinner Show in Orlando, FL.



Then there is Chicken Pot Pie. The first is from Toojay's in Altamonte Springs, FL and the second is from Ruby Tuesdays in Florence, SC.



Then there is this Spinach Pie from the Capital Diner in Harrisburg, PA.


And to end out this series of pictures of pie for Pi Day, who could forget everyone's favorite type. The Pizza Pie, such as this pesto pizza from Il Porto in NY and this vegetable pizza from Louies at Universal.



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Sleuths Mystery Dinner Show

I ate at Sleuths Mystery Dinner Show on International Drive in Orlando, Florida for someone's birthday.

The eating experience started out with some appetizers that were served in the lobby while in line to get your tickets. The food was all gone by the time I got to it, thanks to all of those ravenous British tourists. What I saw didn't look all that special anyway. Mostly cubes of cheddar cheese, celery, and something wrapped in a tortilla.

Everyone was escorted into the main theater by a guy dressed up like a detective with a fake British accent. Waiting on the tables was rolls, crackers, and salads. The salads were way too small and the salad dressing (blue cheese?) seemed a bit watered down.

The first portion of the show began after all of the food on the tables was devoured. I found this portion of the show to be a bit too long and tedious, with way too much nonsense leading up to the murder that the rest of the show was based upon. When this portion of the show finally ended, the main course was served. The three choices were prime rib, lasagna, or cornish hens. I went with the hen, and although I don't find it very appetizing to rip the flesh off of a dead chicken's bones before eating it, the hen was actually quite tasty. They served half of the bird with string beans, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and a sweet potato. I really had no complaints for this part of the meal, which was surprisingly good when compared to other Orlando dinner show food.

The show continued after the main course, in a much shorter and less tedious interval this time around. Dessert was then served. I ordered key lime pie. It was disappointing. It tasted like instant key lime flavored pudding that you buy in the supermarket poured into a pie crust. I wouldn't be surprised if that is what the pie actually consisted of. It was pretty bad and I ended up leaving some of the pie. I should have gone with the chocolate cake instead...

The dessert was followed by the conclusion of the show, and that was that. Sleuths was definitely better than some of the other Orlando dinner shows in regards to the show and the food, but there was still some room for improvement. At least it was better than the horrible Capones dinner show or the short lived and even more horrible Fiascos dinner show where nothing happened in the show and the food was delivered from multiple take out locations all over International Drive...