Alice's Key West Restaurant (Closed July 2008)

[Note: Alas, Alice's closed in July 2008 - there's no word yet whether the restaurant will reopen at some point in the near future]

From its unassuming pink and mint-green exterior, you might not guess that this restaurant on Upper Duval Street serves some of the most refreshingly inspired cuisine on the island of Key West. Alice's is also lovely inside, a colorful space with local artwork on the walls, and staffed by a friendly, fun-loving bunch. Chef-owner Alice Weingarten spent years in New Hope, Penn., perfecting her culinary skills. Her restaurant (305-292-5733) is at 1114 Duval Street and is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. What to eat? Try magic mushroom (portobello, shiitake, and porcini) and goat cheese omelet at breakfast, the conch-shrimp-scallop ceviche martini or blackened-yellowtail Ruben at lunch, or shredded roast-pork empanadas with sweet plantains and Manchego cheese, or Asian-spiced wild-boar baby-back ribs at dinner. The tropical-fruit short-cake with passion-fruit chantilly cream is her signature dessert.