Posts Tagged ‘seafood’

Steve

Taste of the Caribbean: Curry Crab & Dumpling, a True Tobago Treat

Curry Crab & Dumpling from Tobago/SBPR

Ewwww, gross!
That’s the typical reaction most newcomers to Tobago have at their first sight of the island’s signature dish, Curry Crab & Dumpling, or CnD for short. I mean just check the photo… That’s about as scary-looking a collection of edible entities as have ever been set before me!
In the case of CnD, though, all that ugly adds up to something insanely yummy, and just as importantly to your visitor experience on the island, something uniquely Tobagonian…

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Steve

Taste of the Caribbean: Experience La Dolce Vida at Tapas on the Boardwalk, Barbados

Entrance to Tapas, Barbados/SBPR

The Boardwalk in Christ Church is one of the great places to hang out in Barbados, especially if you go at dusk as I did recently. Here, at that time, anyone engaged in the simple act of strolling can gain a unique perspective on daily Bajan life. Moms and dads push strollers. Uniformed school kids laugh on their way home. Old men cast lines, suck teeth, curse and repeat, while an endless stream of joggers pass by. It’s the kind of place that begs the visitor to sit, enjoy a drink, and make friends. This is where Tapas comes in…

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Steve

On-Site Nassau: My One Night Stand on Arawak Cay

The New Big 10 on Arawak Cay, Nassau/SBPR

What would you do if you only had one night to enjoy the most developed and commercial (read: touristy) of Bahamas islands? I posed that question to our Facebook fans ahead of a one-night business trip I had planned to Nassau a few weeks ago. The responses were so unanimous, so fervent in their insistence that I just had to obey. Indeed, if I was to have just one night in Nassau, there would only be one place for me: Arawak Cay.

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Steve

Taste of the Caribbean: Ti Toques, Martinique C’est Tip Top!

Cafe Royal at Ti Toques in Le Marin, Martinique/SBPR

Martinique never ceases to amaze me with the absolutely superb quality of its cuisine, and the absolutely innumerous places where you can find it. Whether it’s a roadside BBQ, a shack on the beach, or even a fast food joint, you’re virtually guaranteed an exceptional dining experience anywhere on the island. I’ve traveled here nearly 10 times since 2006, eating at dozens of different places along the way, and never encountered a bad meal (except for one ill-conceived venture to a Tex-Mex place). Yesterday, though, I thought my luck had finally run out.

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Steve

Taste of the Caribbean: Can’t Miss Cracked Conch in The Bahamas

Cracked Conch at Compass Point, Nassau/SBPR

Earlier this year, I wrote about traveling to Grand Cayman and enjoying my first taste of turtle. Predictably, this was not one of our more popular posts. Reader responses generally ranged from outrage to disappointment. Turtles are cute and endangered; how can anyone think of eating them?
I can see where my detractors were coming from (though most ignored the conservation side of the story), but I’m wondering how these same people will feel about the subject of today’s Taste of the Caribbean: the regal, if not ravenous Queen Conch.

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Steve

Taste of the Caribbean: Barbados’ Other Best Spot for Lobster

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Remember last week when we told you about the very best place to enjoy lobster in Barbados? As I noted in the story, Lobster Alive holds the title IMO because the spiny guys served there are the freshest you can find anywhere in Barbados. For most lobster-lovers, that distinction alone provides more than enough reason not to stray anywhere else, despite the rustic beach shack motif that gives Lobster Alive part of its charm.
But let’s say you’re in Barbados with your in-laws…who want you out. Maybe it’s your first business trip with a difficult new boss or client. Either way, if it’s important to you that the restaurant itself make as lofty an impression as the fare it serves up, then the Fish Pot is the place to go.

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Steve

Taste of the Caribbean: Barbados’ Best Spot for Lobster

Photo credit: Patrick Bennett

There are several nice advantages to life in Barbados born of the island’s unique geographic position a good 100 miles further east into the Atlantic than the rest of its Caribbean neighbors. World-class surfing conditions and amazing seaside natural wonders artfully carved by the ever-pounding Atlantic are two of my favorites. Of course, where there are pluses, there are also minuses, and for lovers of shellfish Barbados has a big one: no lobster.
Okay, I shouldn’t say “no lobster” as there’s bound to be at least a small number hanging around the coral reefs that ring the island. There’s also this rare creature some consider to be a lobster, but really it’s not.

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