cracked conch

For our last meal in Grand Cayman, we headed up to West Bay again on the northwest end, past the turtle farm, to the Cracked Conch for a lunch. With the hot Caymanian sun, we sat inside near the windows, under the breezy fans, looking out on the gorgeous blue water.

 

 

 

We all started with a round of the dangerously delicious house rum punch...mmmm perfect.
 

 

We shared a bunch of appetizers: the conch ceviche with tomatoes, red onions, cucumber, lime juice, avocado, and cilantro...
 

...the conch chowder with spicy tomato, bacon, leeks & coconut milk (which I was very excited for, but it wasn't spicy and the flavors melded a bit too much). We also split the cracked conch with pickled fennel and the best curried tartar sauce, along with some super fresh crispy calamari with cardamom marinated carrots, homemade hot sauce, and tomato mayonnaise (this was my faaaavorite).

For our main courses, I had the open faced braised short rib sandwich with baked homemade flat bread & pomegrante seeds (which was delicious but large) and T had the  chef's burger with a beef patty, brie cheese, sweet soy caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato and truffle parmesan fries, which was also massive. Full of food, we headed to the jet to fly back to the Keys.

 

 

Halfway through the (short) trip, T started to let the jet get to him and he enjoyed partaking in the free snacks.

 

 

Upon our return to the Keys, the remainder of our stay was spent relaxing with the pelicans...
 

 

...and out fishing on the boat. Mind you, although this fish may look small, I caught smaller, the second is a barracuda (which gains me some credit), and for my middle school graduation I was gifted a fishing pole.

 

 

After rummikub tournaments every night, a quick ER trip for a pulled ligament, and a bunch of relaxation, we headed back home to Boston.

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welcome to grand cayman

Last week we headed out for the week to the Florida Keys and Grand Cayman for the weekend to relax in the warm weather. We left a snowy northeast for the white sand beaches.

The morning after we landed in Florida we jetted out to Grand Cayman. After a quick one-hour flight over Cuba and the prettiest blue water we landed and immediately set up shop on the beach.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a day of beaching, we cleaned up for a nice first meal at Luca. An Italian restaurant located in the Caribbean Club, serving massive portions of fresh seafood along with well-prepared meats and homemade pastas, it was a nice choice for the first night. You can find more information on Luca here. The only drawback ambiance-wise was the close proximity of the tables, with loads of full tables, the buzz of the restaurant was more of a roar at times.

T started with the spicy yellow fin tuna tartare and avocado, fennel salad, and a soured tomato coulis. A perfect start to the island weekend.

 

I started with the largest salad I have ever been served, an arugula salad with poached beets, local tomatoes, goat cheese, spicy pecans, lemon and olive oil dressing.

T went with the special duck with roasted cabbage, mashed potatoes, bacon wrapped asparagus and a spattering of jus. All I kept hearing was "you have to try this...and this...and this and this".

On the other hand I decided to get the most seafood-y dish offered, taking advantage of the location, and went with the whole wheat linguine, crab meat, rock shrimps, calamari and scallops, in a garlic white wine sauce. Served as a massive hill I was super excited when it arrived, and let so far down when I tasted it. 

With little sauce, and small seafood bits scattered everywhere overpowering any taste the pasta may have had on its own, I was a bit sad. I may have been somewhat settled with it if I hadn't tasted all of the other amazing dishes that were served at my table that night. Of note, the lobster ravioli served with a creamy lobster bisque, arugula, and a touch of cherry tomato was outstandingly rich and delicious...and I had a bad case of food envy. 

To make up for dinner we just had to order dessert. We played it safe and went with the warm chocolate molten with marinated oranges. Fluffy and decadent, the warm chocolate molten washed away my recent memories of my underwhelming entree. 

We enjoyed a small glass of limencello-vodka slushy and petit fours before waving goodbye and heading back to our hotel along the beach by moonlight, dipping our toes in the warm Caribbean sea.

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vacation

Off to the keys & Grand Cayman for the week...fingers crossed to return to the snow-burdened northeast with a mild tan!

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