So what's the first thing to order in the Floriday Keys, after the mojito and conch fritters? Key lime pie, of course. So we did.  We ordered a slice just about everywhere we ate, and the hands-down best came not from a fancy waterfront restaurant or anywhere on Duval Street, but from the Key West Key Lime Pie Co.

We went to the store on Big Pine Key at mile marker 30, next to Pizza Works in the scenic Winn-Dixie plaza. The company sells pies out of about twenty other locations. A creamy, tangy citrus filling topped with just a touch of barely sweetened whipped cream, floating on a crispy thin crust – yum.

A whole pie costs $15.99.  Have a slice after indulging in a sandwich cubano and a cup of sweet, rich Cuban coffee from Coco's Kitchen (closed Sunday and Monday) on the other side of the shopping plaza. Afterward, drive to the end of the road and walk off your cholesterol high at the National Key Deer Refuge.

Hallie Ephron is a novelist and an award-winning book reviewer for The Boston Globe. Her new book, 1001 Books for Every Mood is due out in May. Her web site is www.hallieephron.com.

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