Raúl Musibay: What's your hurry?
Jorge Castillo: We've never been able to figure this out. You're here on vacation, you want to relax, but when you decide to take that side trip to Key West, you act like you're in the Indy 500.
Glenn Lindgren: Part of the reason we suspect is that many tourists look at the Florida map and figure they can get to Key West in about 45 minutes!
Raúl Musibay: This might be possible if there was a modern four-lane freeway.
Glenn Lindgren: And you were driving across Montana.
Jorge Castillo: But we're talking about what is at best a two-lane road most of the way.
Raúl Musibay: And it's a lot farther than it looks on that map.
Glenn Lindgren: Our suggestion? Slow down, take your time, enjoy the beautiful scenery and stop frequently. Key West may be the Holy Grail for most tourists, but there are many Keys between Homestead and Mile Marker 1.
Jorge Castillo: When we drive down to the Keys, we like to break up the day with lunch. A great place to stop is Don Pedro's restaurant in Marathon.
Glenn Lindgren: Conveniently located at Mile Marker 53 -- more or less half way to Key West -- Don Pedro's serves authentic Cuban food in a casual setting.
Jorge Castillo: I especially like Don Pedro's churrasco steak, expertly grilled and smothered in a tart chimichurri sauce.
Glenn Lindgren: We're lucky that they serve basically the same menu at lunch and dinner, as we have never timed our trips to arrive there at dinner time.
Jorge Castillo: I especially like the deditos de cangrejo (crab fingers) or what we would call croquetas de cangrejo.
Glenn Lindgren: Whatever you call them, they have a rich crab flavor surrounded by a crisp breading. Don Pedro's also makes an excellent Cuban tamal.
Jorge Castillo: One thing they don't have at lunch is a fish entrée. Here in the middle of the Keys you'd expect more seafood on the menu. For dinner, they serve a whole yellowtail, which I would love to try sometime.
Raúl Musibay: The lechón asado at Don Pedro's is good. All I need is a plate of pork, some black beans, some rice. That is the best lunch!
Glenn Lindgren: They have several traditional Cuban desserts and a pretty good rendition of Key lime pie. My advice: try something Cuban. If you spend any time at all in the Keys, you're going to get awfully sick of Key lime pie.
HOURS: Lunch: 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM Monday through Friday | Dinner: 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM Monday through Friday | Sunday CLOSED
PRICES: About $9.00 to $18.50, lunch prices slightly lower
DRESS: Casual
BAR: Wine and Beer
CARDS: AmEx, MC, Visa, Diners, Discover
WEBSITE: donpedrosrest.com
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