YOU SAY TOMATO, I SAY BLOODY MARY

HUNGRY TARPON’S CONCOCTION HAS IT ALL

Samantha Dellilo

is a Keys native who has a passion for all things food. She runs the local food blog, “Florida Keys Eats.”

If you’re a local, you’ve definitely had a bloody mary as a liquid breakfast. If you’re reading this as a visitor in town, you need to have one of these tomato-based drinks as a meal replacement at least one morning. It’s a rite of passage. I know just the place.

Okay, hear me out. A slim jim for a straw. Sounds crazy, right? That’s what I first thought when I was browsing the menu at the Hungry Tarpon restaurant, located at MM 77 inside Robbie’s of Islamorada. My curiosity got the better of me and I went through with the order. As soon as it was placed on my table, I realized this “drink” is more solid than liquid.

It’s sporting bleu cheese, pickles, pimento stuffed olives, pickled green beans, celery, a perfectly-cooked bacon strip, plump cocktail shrimp and the best part as mentioned, the meat straw. You won’t leave this drink hungry, that’s for sure. The cocktail’s name is just as unique as the presentation, the Trailer Trash Bloody Mary.

Starting my day with this libation gave me enough liquid courage to feed those horse-sized tarpon that call Robbie’s home. It was also the ideal power snack before a kayak trip out to the mangrove trails. I now certainly understand why they call it the breakfast of champions.

I love tomato-based anything but I was never a big bloody mary fan due to my aversion to vodka. One day a bartender blew my mind when he stated the obvious, that he can make it with any spirit. He told

Spotlighting The Amazing Individuals Who Live And Work In The Upper Keys

No matter how many individuals appear in the pages of each edition of Keys Weekly, there are always so many more of our community members who deserve to be recognized. In an effort to shine a spotlight on more of the incredible individuals who live and work in these islands, Keys Weekly is proud to spotlight our Neighbor of the Week feature, dedicated to celebrating a community member with each issue.

This week’s neighbor has been a full-time resident of Islamorada since 1994. She spent nine years in the classroom at Key Largo School — an experience she remembers as wonderful. This fall will make her 11th year as a real estate agent. In between teaching and real estate, she spent a few years at home with her kids during their younger years.

me a lot of people actually choose to have their bloody marys prepared with whiskey or bourbon. That’s all it took to get me on board and that’s how I’ve ordered them ever since. The Hungry Tarpon was happy to accommodate my liquor change request.

A tip I’d like to pass on to you which was learned from trial and error: when ordering, please specify the Trailer Trash version of this spectacular drink. If you simply order a “bloody mary,” you will get just that with none of the fixin’s.

If you feel any guilt starting your morning with so much fun, just remember this is one of the healthier drinks out there, right? You can tell yourself that, at least. I once read somewhere “Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad. And philosophy is wondering if a bloody mary counts as a fruit smoothie.” All good things in moderation, people.

What’s one thing people don’t know about you? I can’t handle scary movies or spiders.

What can people find you doing when you’re not working? Playing tennis. I’m pretty much obsessed.

What would you do if you won the lottery? I’d buy a big boat with a Seakeeper, travel with my family and take a tennis lesson every day when not traveling.

If you could meet anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be? Tom Petty.

What is the best and worst part of the Keys? Best: the community and the water. I love how small-town it is. People care for each other. It’s always true, but after Irma it felt especially palpable. I don’t have a “worst,” but I don’t love that it takes so long to get to the airport. If it was easier to get here, the Keys would be different, so even that I don’t mind too much.

If you could improve one thing in the Keys, what would it be? I wouldn’t mind a Trader Joe’s or buried power lines.

What is your spirit animal? Ever since I was little, I thought I’d like to be a river otter. They are active and seem to have a lot of fun.

The title of my autobiography would be? My senior yearbook quote was a line from a James Taylor song. It was, “The secret to life is enjoying the passage of time.” I think I’d steal from him again and go with, “Enjoying the Passage of Time” for my autobiography title. I don’t mean it’s okay to ‘let life happen to you,’ just that it’s good to make a point of enjoying all of it.

Your favorite movie: “The Blues Brothers.”

Favorite app on your phone? I use Instagram more than I should. … But my favorite is Tile. It works with little trackers and helps me find my wallet, my keys and my Airpods which I leave all over the house.