Once again, there’s something new — and shiny — at MM 22, where the Square Grouper and Morning Joint continue to expand the food, drink and merchandise offerings of the Lower Keys.
Morning Joint opened in early 2023 to complement the ever popular Square Grouper restaurant and its upstairs lounge, My New Joint.
The coffee shop and cafe is equal parts delicious, welcoming and irreverent, playing as it does on the marijuana theme that has made Square Grouper owner Lynn Bell a Keys favorite.
(“Square grouper” is the term Keys boaters, fishermen and smugglers used to describe bales of mairjuana and kilos of cocaine that were found floating in the ocean.)
Bell owns the building that now houses Morning Joint, which is owned and operated by Austin and Miranda Gagnon.
Austin Gagnon has now expanded his irresistible reach by opening Icestream at Morning Joint, a homemade ice cream shop housed inside a shiny renovated Airstream trailer right next door to Morning Joint.
Employee Rachel Moloney makes the handcrafted, small batch ice cream treats every week, with a deep freeze located right on the property.
On a recent Saturday afternoon, she proudly served an apple cider float, which tasted like homemade apple pie in a cup, as well as a slice of coconut ice cream pie, complete with shaved coconut on top and a graham cracker pie crust.
The ice cream flavors and specialty treats change each week, with some popular mainstays remaining on the menu, she said.
Recent flavors included sea-salted munchies, strawberry cheesecake, peanut butter & jelly and even sweet corn ice cream. (Don’t knock it ’til you try it.)
Icestream is open six days a week from 2 to 9 p.m., but closed on Tuesdays.
“We’ve really put a lot of work into our outside area to make it a community space that is super kid- and pet-friendly,” Austin Gagnon said. “We’re also pairing it with fun events like upcoming farmers markets.
“We really want to be a fun and inviting place for people in the Lower Keys community, because there really is no place in this neighborhood for people to gather, hold a small meeting, or just relax and hang out,” he added.
A grand opening and ribbon-cutting celebration will take place throughout the day on Friday, Nov. 8, and the community is invited to see for themselves the latest highlight in the Lower Keys.
