I had the great pleasure of joining Kim Chesure of FM 103.1 and Terry Albury of the Green Turtle Inn in Islamorada for Tuesday’s Girls’ Night Out. The weekly show is live from the Green Turtle Inn and as a plus to just having a good time with several guests, it was our first experience at the iconic restaurant that was opened in 1947. When you consider how often restaurants come and go being in business for more than sixty years says something, even with changing hands upon occasion. This is one of those places where you have laid-back Keys combined with white tablecloths and an atmosphere that draws you in when you step through the door onto the plank flooring. The U-shaped bar is a focal point of the main room and it was easy to see why people filled it for both drinking and dining.

The menu is selective and if what we had is typical, I know we’ll be back for more. And by the way, I admit that I had never considered the idea of “tater bites for grownup”, but if you take those little goodies, flavor them up with garlic, parmesan cheese, and I’m not sure which other spices, you do get a taste that is not like when you were a kid. As tempted as we were by the concept of lobster lasagna, my husband hadn’t had veal Osso Bucco in ages and he couldn’t pass that up. I decided on the “Flight” of three dishes paired with three wines; a special that they have during Girls’ Night Out. We didn’t indulge in dessert, although the description of the Chocolate Decadence Mousse Cake was intriguing and I’m sure their Key Lime Pie is excellent.

Now about those awesome women – in addition to Kim and Terry, I mean.  On the way down to the Green Turtle Inn, my husband and I ran by Island Dolphin Care, an incredible facility in Key Largo that provides therapy for children, wounded veterans, and others. This unique dolphin-human interaction is a result of the determination of Deena Hoagland, supported by her husband, Peter, after they had attempted numerous traditional therapies for their young son Joe who was partially paralyzed. Deena’s remarkable vision has now helped thousands of people and I’ll talk more about her and Island Dolphin Care in my next post.

Denise Nedimyer, one of the Directors for the Coral Restoration Foundation, was another guest on the show and we chattered away before and after our times with the headphones and mike. I’ll also explain more about Denise and their program in another post.

There were other guests as well, but I got rather caught up in the hub-bub as I often do, and missed some segments of the show. And that was even before I had a glass of wine! It was a terrific night and I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of it.