Key West Lou / AFTERNOON LUNCH AT GEIGER KEY

A great lunch yesterday at Geiger Key! The location, atmosphere, people, and food!

I had a ton of things to do between late morning and early afternoon. Decided to go north for lunch rather than south. Geiger Key.

Geiger Key is a ramshackle open air restaurant located on the ocean. It has been there as long as I can remember. A place I have been eating at least once a month for 25 years.

A good crowd still lunching when I arrived. One end of the bar was empty. Six seats. There I opted to sit. Away from everyone.

It felt strange to be around people with my mask off.

From the moment I sat, this is a good choice Louis kept running through my mind.

One of the waiters stopped by. “You’re Louis Petrone the lawyer, aren’t you?” I was apologetic. I could recall neither his face nor name. Politely told him so.

He said he was not surprised. It was 20 years ago. He was a waiter at Louie’s Back Yard when I frequented the place.

He called over two waitresses and another waiter to introduce me to them. I was embarrassed. He kept stressing “lawyer” like I was someone important. They appeared impressed, however. Chatted with me a while. Returned off and on to talk a bit more.

Introduced me to Lou. The bartender. Roughly a 21 year old beauty. She had finished college and came down to the Keys in October. Loves the area. One drawback, however. Everyone a bit old and on vacation.

I probably would have felt the same if I were she.

Key West and the lower Keys have changed in various ways over the years. Thirty years ago there were an equal number of young and old. What impressed me the most was they socialized together. Many parties back in those days. The mix always the same.

Today primarily a 50ish place. Still friendly and fun. Though the disparity in age is obvious.

Bobby came in and came over to say hello. Bobby owns Geiger Key. As well as Hogfish. The same menu at both places.

We got into the pandemic. Bobby was excited. He had received his second shot yesterday. Amazing how people are thrilled to have received their shots!

My fish was spectacular. A huge thick piece of fried Mahi Mahi. Accompanied by some sort of avocado sauce.

Spent well over 2 hours at Geiger Key. By the time I got home, it was pushing 5. I decided the day had been good. I felt good. Did not feel like going out again. Stayed in and watched TV.

I recommend Geiger Key. It is about 15 miles up U.S. 1. Then a left on Geiger Key Road and a 3-4 mile ride on Geiger Key Road to the restaurant.

It is 11:30 and I have just begun the blog. Began as usual at 6 am. For some reason, I could not get on the platform for my show till an hour ago.

Running late.

Guy deBoer contributed to the lateness. He called me at the last minute to fill in on his morning show. Which I enjoy doing, so I cannot complain.

Spoke with Sheila Cullens soon after arriving home. She was all excited. She was on her way to the Airport to pick up Jean and Joe Thornton who were arriving. Key West will shine brighter with them here for the next month.

The blog is shorter than normal today. Reflects however a happy Geiger Key afternoon.

Enjoy your day!

[livemarket market_name="KONK Life LiveMarket" limit=3 category=“” show_signup=0 show_more=0]