I loved when Chef Dawn was the head of the kitchens at Cheeca. She opened a great eclectic restrurant with a sushi bar. But the day Allen, Ziggi’’s son, got killed on the Overseas Highway was the worst day in Keys gastronomy. I knew his dad but Allen, while a bit nutty, did a great job of keeping the food quality top notch. The Old Conch and the Warm Springs Inn in Ketchum, ID are the too best food memories of my live. Many meals and many pounds added to my waste line. Before we moved full time to the Keys way back a couple of decades ago we would call for reservations at Ziggi’s weeks in advance. I liked it a ton better than even ‘88 during the haydays. My other favorite place was the little fish market across from the Malibu.
Chef Dawn is no longer at Caiyo a sushi restaurant in front of Cheeca. But they are still operating.
And we all miss the original Ziggy. He was a trip no one would ever forget. When he came to your table, sat down beside you and gave you a 15-20 minute recitation of the menu that he had planned, helped cook and supervise you knew that you were in the world of Conch royalty. When he left and the Coral Grill closed down it was never the same.
We now have "Ziggy Maddogs" a creation of former Miami Dolphin football player now turned sports talk radio jock in Miami, Jim Mandich. He's a good enough guy and has done a fine job at the restaurant from what I hear.( I can't eat there, don't have that kind of budget yet)but its just not the same.