As with the start of so many Key West stories, one day two men went into a bar. They chatted and this serendipitous encounter lead us to the new Mangoes we see today.

Mangoes is an old name but way more than just a fresh coat of paint. For years the corner of Angela and Duval has been dominated by the former Mangoes, a restaurant with a bad attitude. I once tried their mashed potatoes and never returned. When it shuttered I thought good riddance.

Turns out there is a sob story behind it, but as with baleful country music lyrics, I really don’t care. Under entirely new management this new Mangoes has been transformed into a slice of heaven. Which is what you’ll find on the menu. Along with a sophisticated take on what you can do with island fare. These chefs are serious and evolved and I haven’t even mentioned the drinks.

Today’s new Mangoes looks like ‘Caribbean/Soho’ meaning all white and mirrors. Besides smoothing the bricks so that one is no longer tripping on a listing boat there are endless details expressing quiet good taste such as Balinese panels and shimmering tiled backdrops looking like aquariums.

For coffee and desert find the genteel seating area discreetly positioned in the back and overhung by a massive tree dressed up with glass orbs and fairy lights.

I don’t how to explain but they have cancer curing ice-cream, certainly worth a try! Please ask your server!

The lemon meringue pie was, in a word, perfect. The iceberg walls of meringue were exactly seared adding a tiny hint of crunch. Orgasmic. When I inquired of Chef Kathleen Sefcik, one the co-chefs who designed this hi-tek menu, she explained meringue is fussy as a coiffure and affected by humidity, of which there is an abundance here in the tropics. Chef Kathleen told me to wait as there was a pie coming out of the oven soon that would be exactly right, a confluence of the weather and her expertise, as she said, “Our Lemon Meringue Pie is having a good hair day!”