The Dangling Salty Digiddy Dog Angler, or whatever it’s called, the new restaurant, as of a year and a bit. The corner of Duval and Amelia has changed names more often than a wanted felon. The turn over was sometimes due to bad management (read: extreme cocaine habits) or the Feds via the Health Department (read: overrun with varmint). Therefore this corner is cursed.

Can the Damned Raggedy Filthy Angling Fisherman, or whatever it’s called, break that curse?

Maybe, via the ritual sacrifice of ice-cream. Here’s the thing, long long ago, when Key West was just a child this corner was home to a homemade ice cream dispensary. Ice cream was the backbone of this enterprise and it’s death has lingered like an angry ghost. Until now.

Who would have thought that a restaurant devoted to smoked meats and smoked fish and smoked cheeses could cozy up to the ghost of ice-cream past. They only have one single desert. Albeit the Mother of all deserts layering liquor and bacon and of course ice cream and molten chocolaty stuff, but only the one desert, which is almost unAmerican.

Meanwhile, they have dozens of combinations of ‘two meats and a rub’ so sayeth Seth, the very well informed bartender.  Segue here: all the staff are a hot young crew of smart stallions and I am suspicious this is no accident. It might have something to do with entertaining Amy, one half of the management team. The cute crew however are not just pretty faces and they’ll smilingly help you make your choices through the menu-scape of interesting versions of way more than the ‘usual suspects’. The menu continually evolves as the bosses dream up ever more daring concoctions. Brian, the other half of the partnership, is a seer of rubs and smokeable meats and fishes. It’s his passion. Best not to press the issue. His madness is to our benefit.

Taste Bud beamed with pleasure when he sipped his Captain’s Delight and Dirty Thinmint Shake and Salty Rumrunner and even slurped down the dregs of the drinks of other patrons.