Michael Hayes

Sand between your toes is basically the dress code at the beach shack where my favorite grouper sandwich…

By Michael Hayes · Oct 3

Chili dripped off the end of a foot-long and landed right on my sneaker, and I was too…

By Michael Hayes · Oct 2

Garlic hit the air before the plate even reached the table, and that smell told me everything I…

By Michael Hayes · Oct 1

Banana cream pie should not be the size of a dinner plate, yet here it was, sitting in…

By Michael Hayes · Sep 30

Crunch first, then a rush of salty Gulf water, and suddenly a paper basket at a plain little…

By Michael Hayes · Sep 29

Cheese bread should not be able to stop a road trip cold, but one golden, puffy pandebono in…

By Michael Hayes · Sep 28

Screen doors that slap shut behind you are usually the first sign that lunch is about to get…

By Michael Hayes · Sep 27

Gator bites showed up on my table in a paper-lined basket, still crackling, while a heron stood on…

By Michael Hayes · Sep 26

Two feet of warm bread in a thin paper sleeve can turn an ordinary errand into the best…

By Michael Hayes · Sep 25

Yellow, not green, is the first clue that a slice of key lime pie is the real thing.…

By Michael Hayes · Sep 24

Smoke, sea salt, and banana leaves were not what I expected to smell in a Florida strip mall…

By Michael Hayes · Sep 23

My stomach growled the first time I watched a griddle press flatten a fat loaf of Cuban bread…

By Michael Hayes · Sep 22

My last road trip through Florida ended with greasy napkins, a satisfied grin, and a new rule: never…

By Michael Hayes · Sep 21

My car’s voice assistant made the call, and honestly, I almost drove right past the little storefront it…

By Michael Hayes · Sep 20

My first bite of properly sliced sashimi ruined grocery-store rolls for me forever, and it happened in Florida…

By Michael Hayes · Sep 19

The first bite of a scone straight from the oven, split open while it’s still warm enough to…

By Michael Hayes · Sep 18

Fried chicken piled on a warm waffle sounds simple, until you find a Florida kitchen that treats it…

By Michael Hayes · Sep 17

My first bite of freshly fried schnitzel in Florida happened by accident, at a counter I only wandered…

By Michael Hayes · Sep 16

My stomach growled the first time I caught the smell of collard greens drifting out an open kitchen…

By Michael Hayes · Sep 15

My spoon hit that first mouthful of broth and I actually paused mid-conversation, which almost never happens. Across…

By Michael Hayes · Sep 14

Kids who travel the world declared this the best ice cream they have ever tasted, and that is…

By Michael Hayes · Sep 13

My hunt for the perfect fried grouper sandwich started with a wrong turn and a rumbling stomach somewhere…

By Michael Hayes · Sep 12

Sourdough-tangy flatbread the size of a serving platter arrives at your table, and suddenly your fork becomes optional.…

By Michael Hayes · Sep 11

There’s something magical about being out on the water in Florida when a pod of wild dolphins decides…

By Michael Hayes · Sep 10

There’s a special kind of quiet you only find when you paddle into a tunnel of trees, where…

By Michael Hayes · Sep 9

There’s a special kind of thrill in Florida when you find a place where water pours down like…

By Michael Hayes · Sep 8

Some of the best afternoons in Florida start by accident, when you park the car, follow a shaded…

By Michael Hayes · Sep 7

Somewhere in Florida sits a little spot you might drive right past without a second glance. Then the…

By Michael Hayes · Sep 6

There is a special kind of magic in gliding across the water, tying off your lines, and stepping…

By Michael Hayes · Sep 5

There is something magical about slipping into water so clear you can count the fish beneath your feet,…

By Michael Hayes · Sep 4

There is something thrilling about walking a quiet boardwalk in Florida and suddenly realizing a prehistoric-looking alligator is…

By Michael Hayes · Sep 3

Some of the best meals hide behind the simplest storefronts. Tucked into a busy corner of Florida, there…

By Michael Hayes · Sep 2

Some restaurants surprise you the moment you walk in, turning a random dinner into a story you keep…

By Michael Hayes · Sep 1

Some of the best meals in Florida hide behind a full parking lot and a simple sign you…

By Michael Hayes · Aug 31

Imagine slipping your kayak into a spring so clear it looks like glass, then watching a round, whiskered…

By Michael Hayes · Aug 30

Some of the best meals hide in the last places you would think to look. Tucked inside a…

By Michael Hayes · Aug 29

Sometimes the best places in Florida are the ones you never planned to visit. You wander in following…

By Michael Hayes · Aug 28

Some of the best meals in Florida hide behind the plainest doors, and this cozy Peruvian spot is…

By Michael Hayes · Aug 27

Some of the best breakfasts in Florida hide in plain sight, tucked into quiet corners you would drive…

By Michael Hayes · Aug 26