Bill's fajitas consisted of nicely rare beef slices, warm tortillas, and that homemade salsa, but no sautéed peppers or onions, as we've become accustomed to. Nonetheless, he was happy with it, as well as with the deliciously seasoned black beans and the "Spanish rice" — rice mixed with peas.
When we learned that one dessert was a "granola sundae," I asked where the ice cream was from. Our helpful waitress, who had disappeared downstairs to ask the provenance of several other items, didn't pause a beat before replying: "The store." "Not a local ice cream shop?" I countered. "Nope," she stated.
So we decided on the homemade Key lime pie. This can be tricky, since our many Key West sojourns have made us picky about this dish, and I worried when she told us it was green. But, in fact, it was its true yellow color, with a very buttery and not-too-sweet graham cracker crust, an authentically tart filling, and whipped cream for a topping.
Mermaid Café's food and atmosphere more than lived up to its magical, mythical name.
Johnette Rodriguez can be reached at johnette.rodriguez@cox.net.
