Posts Tagged With: Providenciales Dining

Turks and Caicos – Le Bouchon du Village

Posted on July 27, 2014 by Ziggy

I have to confess, last trip wasnt exactly dud free. In fact, we had quite a few of them, mostly with new spots I wanted to check out (the things I do for you people, and for what?!?). Le Bouchon du Village in the little picturesque village of “Regent” was most certainty not one of them. Not exactly a shocker since I choose not to write about duds for various reasons.

In fact this was most likely our favorite meal at Le Bouchon, mainly because we got all our favorite Le Bouchon classics and even added a new one. As usual my pictures at Le Bouchon look a little stale, mainly because a) Its a little dark in there, b) we are way to eager to eat the food when it arrives, and c) I suck at photography.

The classics at Le Bouchon according to moi:

The Escargot pictured above – This is how escargot should taste like everywhere.

The Soups – Both the Conch Chowder and the black bean soup are quite good even at extreme heat

Steak au Poivre – The only restaurant in Provo where steak is a must. Perfectly executed, melt in your mouth buttery goodness, each time we have it, without fail

The Tuna – Our newest classic. Fresh, expertly prepared Yellowfin. Lightly seared to beautiful redness you can only get with fish this fresh, and lightly coated with ginger tomato reduction to take this to the next level. It came with avocado, other veggies and Jasmine rice which was the perfect compliment. Great dish

We also had a lovely Snapper, pan seared with light cream. Mrs Ziggy particularly enjoyed this one. And for dessert, their rich chocolate tart is always a hit and Profiteroles this time ended one of the most brilliant meals of the trip. Pictures below followed by the previous post

03/13/13 Post…

Time for a Timeline…

Oct 1975 – Curious Ziggy discovers Snails are edible

Dec 2006 – Ziggy discovers Turks and Caicos

July 2009 – Ziggy eats at Caicos Café headed by Frenchman Pierrik Marziou

Oct 12th, 2010 9:34 pm – Ziggy goes on a hunger strike when discovering two Italians take over Caicos Café, Pierrik retires

Oct 12th, 2010 10:15 pm – Hunger strike is over but Ziggy vows not to eat at the new Caicos Café in protest

Dec 2010 – Ziggy eats at the new Caicos Café, gets Ratatouille moment, drops pen

Dec 2012 – Pierrik comes out of retirement, opens Le Bouchon at the village

Dec 2012 – Present – The Golden Years

So there you have it. Pierrik and his gang are back is what I’m trying to say. And back with a vengeance…

A Parisian like Bistro on a sidewalk at Regent Village is Le Bouchon. A family affair, with Pierrik, Julian (son), Justine (daughter) and any other children that start with a J. Mom is there as well hustling and bustling. A changing chalkboard menu with plenty to choose from adds to the excitement and the homey atmosphere. In fact I did the same thing back home starting this week an today on the menu is cereal with 1%!

During lunch one day we enjoyed a nice Niçoise salad, and a top eat of the trip nominee burger with egg. You need to ask for the egg. With the perfectly cooked sunny side up egg, the result is a messy, juicy goodness oozing with deliciousness. Good to have this lunch option.

Some of the lunch options are available for dinner as well. Like the fun Charcuterie board (I love Charcuterie boards – you never know what you getting) with a nice assortment of salami, ham and duck terrine. Escargot was absolutely delicious! The perfect garlic, butter, herbs balance which very often restaurants cant quite get it right. I still have garlic breath after that Escargot we had in Brooklyn last week and after eating half a head of garlic at lunch today!

Mussels were a big hit that evening as well. The shrimp a la plancha however was a bit puzzling since it was one large shrimp over risotto. More of a tapa dish really than main. Although the wife and my oldest who ordered it enjoyed it

I went for the steak au poivre which along with the chilean sea bass is a staple on the board I believe. Plate cleaner. Covered with light peppercorn sauce that even made the fries taste great. Cooked medium rare as expected after ordering medium (French undercook) and plenty of flavor. A month before this meal we ate at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon in Las Vegas where I had a NY strip with peppercorn sauce. That NY Strip was twice the price and half the flavor of the steak at Le Bouchon.

For dessert the winner was the chocolate mousse which I actually didn’t get to try. That’s how good it was. Tarte tatin (pronounced according to Justin, “Ta”) was good, creme brûlée just ok. Dinner overall – Le Magnifique

Le Bouchon is new but you wouldn’t know it while eating there. This is one of the only dining options on the island that does not need to rely on tourists alone due to the kind of local following established over the years. So needless to say I’m not the only one raving about this “addition”. Bienvenue Pierrik and family!

Recommended dishes: Burger with egg, Escargot, Charcuterie board, Mussels, steak au poivre, chocolate mousse

Categories: Turks and Caicos | Tags: food, Le Bouchon, Le Bouchon Providenciales, Le Bouchon Turks and Caicos, Providenciales Dining, restaurants, Travel, Turks and Caicos dining, Turks and caicos food, Turks and Caicos Restaurants | 1 Comment

Turks and Caicos – Flamingo’s

Posted on July 25, 2014 by Ziggy

7/25/14 Update: Reaffirming island must status. As must as it gets in fact in Providenciales. Besides that celebrated legendary dish, there are a few more reasons to come

1) Rum Punch. You know when you see couples walk on the beach holding hands, to make you go “Awwwe”. Grace Bay can do it to you. But when Mrs Ziggy and I do it, it usually means she just had the rum punch at Flamingo’s and I’m simply preventing her from walking into an Island Vibes boat. Those guys aren’t shy with the rum, and the flavor simply kicks ass.

2) The Curried Grouper. I already talk about it extensively below. Arguably the most celebrated dish on the island. This time around not only it didn’t disappoint but it even had some extra punch.

3) Everything else is pretty good. If you are not into seafood than this is not much of a must, but everything else we tried over the years has been anywhere between ok and pretty good. The ribs are good enough, so is the curried chicken when they have (forgot about what the menu says). But this time we really liked the Grouper burger. Nicely seasoned, great flaky texture. A bit too much bun action so I would just disregard half of it. Respect the fish!

3/18/13 Post:

The Dish! This one is going to be short and sweet and to the point (plus i’m a little tired from dealing with the ~~Devil~~ Time Warner cable for much of the day)

Whenever I recommend this one on TripAdvisor I always pause for a second to think what exactly is the name of this place. Is it Flamingo’s, Flamingos, The Flamingos Cafe, Ricky’s Flamingo’s, Inga’s Flamingos? I’m not really sure. But I AM sure that its Curry Grouper is one of the top dishes on Providenciales.

Once in a while I eat something that makes me turn into Andrew Zimmern. The kids get a good kick out of it. I just shake my head and mumble various Zimmern words that may or may not have anything to do with what I’m tasting… “Its woodsy, its earthy, its gassy”. Sometimes when I try something for the first time my youngest would say “Well dad, is it woodsy and gassy” Yes!

There’s really not that many dishes on the island that give you that kind of pleasure with every morsel. Sweet, smooth, savory, melt in your mouth deliciousness. Like eating the most delicious butter. This is why I come here.

This is also TripAdvisor legend CaribDesi’s favorite dish on the island. Or one of the favorites at least. No, I’m pretty sure that’s his favorite. I hope he’ll clarify with a comment here one of these days. Get well soon buddy. We miss you. Here’s to you.

Categories: Turks and Caicos | Tags: Flamingos, Flamingos Turks and Caicos, food, Providenciales Dining, Providenciales restaurants, restaurants, Travel, Turks and Caicos dining, Turks and caicos food, Turks and Caicos Restaurants | 9 Comments

Turks and Caicos – Garam Masala

Posted on January 19, 2014 by Ziggy

January 19, 2014 Update:

Garam delivered yet again. The new manage who I call “The New Vinni” (because I keep forgetting his name) took good care of us. The new standout dish this time was a very nice Kerala Chicken Masala that was growing on me until I grew a little. Complex, flavor packed stuff that I was enjoying more an hour later via a series of pleasant little burbs just like the ones after the Alba White Truffles at the NoMad a few months ago. The infamous conch Kebabs are no longer on the menu. A shortage of fresh conch according the New Vinni.

BTW, Old Vinni is up to something but not quite sure what. Stay tuned! (dont know to what exactly, its just an expression)

March 16, 2013 post:

I was dead wrong about Garam Masala!

As you probably guessed by now, I, Ziggy, just Ziggy no last name, like Seal, LOVE to eat. I love to eat and I really care about what I’m eating on a holiday (No worries I didnt turn British, just play one on the Telly). And while away we often try to eat things that are not easily available back home (e.g., Grouper, Conch). So you see where I’m going with this. Indian, Thai, Chinese food is something we eat almost on a weekly basis back home, and therefore it’s the last thing I consider eating while on vacation. Also, after many years of trial and error, and palate refinement, I sort of figured out where to get some pretty darn good Indian, Thai, Chinese, Sri Lankan, middle eastern, you name, it in NYC. Therefore, when I see an Indian restaurant on an island somewhere where its quite possibly the only Indian there, 3 thoughts come to mind…

1) This cant be good. They have no other competition here.

2) I would probably eat here weekly if I lived here and its decent

3) I’m sort of getting hungry

Similar thoughts crossed my mind when I saw the new Shawarma and Falafel place that just opened right next to Patty’s Place at Ports of Call. Yours truly is truly a Shawarma and Falafel ~~whore~~ ~~snob~~ fan.

So as you can imagine I needed a little convincing from various island friends over the years to come to Garam Masala. I was very close last year, and this year I finally took that pilgrimage to Tikka Masala Holy Land (i.e., 10 minutes from the Seven Star beach – its hard to leave that beach in the middle of the day)

First of all the place looks very modern. Last year they closed for a few months to renovate and it really looks very inviting now. Part owner Vinnie, former food and beverage head at Amanyara knows his stuff and is very passionate about what he’s serving and how. Everything is made to order using “real” ingredients which he purchases in Chicago every few months.

I can honestly say the food was absolutely delicious. Started with some nice and spicy conch kebabs (above) which had the texture and flavor of the best Falafel you will ever eat. Their Chicken Tikka “pizza” on naan bread was very satisfying. We are naan junkies and their garlic naan is some of the best we’ve had.

Chicken Tikka Masala (below) is perhaps a dish I’ve eaten more than any other in the world. I’ve had it mostly in various restaurants in NYC, in London (Indian food heaven) and eat it by my work often. I could tell when this one arrived by its color that it will be good. The only not telling part was the tenderness and texture of the meat which can be often dry and chewy. This was as close to perfect as I can remember.

Dal Makhani was probably even better. They cook the lentils for 12 hours each night and the result is a flavor festival. As with the Tikka Masala, heat is not very present and not very needed (Indian food is not necessarily about heat). Lamb Kadhai, thick stew like with some heat and big complex flavors was another winner. I kept going back and forth between the lamb and and the Dal saying “this is my favorite. No this is my favorite”, while the Masala was staring at me going “come to Mama..”. Another tasty snack here is the Chicken kebabs, although if I have to choose I’ll take those conch kebabs thank you.

After the meal I did not feel like I just ate something heavy as I often do at home. A fantastic lunch! This is closer to some of the better Curry Hill or even Michelin Star establishments in NYC. To understand the type of dedication by Vinnie all you need to do is ask him about how he found his chefs. He went back to India to look for the chefs that worked in the restaurant he frequented as a kid with his parents, only to find that one of them is working in Japan while the other in Dubai. The story itself is worth the price of admission.

So yes, I was wrong about this one, and highly highly (thats 2 highlys!) recommend Garam Masala in Providenciales. Cant wait for more.

Categories: Turks and Caicos | Tags: food, Garam Masala, Garam Masala Turks and Caicos, Providenciales Dining, Providenciales restaurants, restaurants, Travel, Turks and Caicos dining, Turks and caicos food, Turks and Caicos Restaurants | 7 Comments

Turks and Caicos – Via Veneto

Posted on December 27, 2013 by Ziggy

“Do you come with your own plunger” my friend Elizabeth wondered once she saw me unpack my equipment after running into each other in Via Veneto. “Ahhm, not exactly, its actually my flash diffuser”. I realized right then that I need to add a new flash diffuser to Santa’s list (sitting besides me was the actual island Santa so it was convenient), right between a new car and Mensch on a Bench. This was actually an improvement over last year when I borrowed my brother’s camera bag which had sort of peculiar male genital shape. To any patrons after a few Chiantis sitting there it may have looked like I was really happy to be there. This year I walked everywhere with a plastic bag.

I’ve been waiting to eat in the new Via Veneto for almost a year, after just missing the coming out party in the spring. Luckily owner Aldo subscribes to the “do it right or dont do it at all” mentality, which meant delaying the opening. Coming from a competitive environment such as Rome is a big plus to Provo. Early reviews have been a little shaky but thats the Provo norm these days as building relationships with vendors can take some time. Everything except the meats is imported from Italy; From the chefs, the tiles, the paintings, to the girlfriend, all imported from Rome. Hence, app page a bit pricey but contrary to the forums chatter the rest not too bad at all. This is indeed the closest you get to eating in Italy. Perhaps one Cacio e pepe dish shy from a Roman Trattoria. As with any Italian establishment in the USA, sticking to dishes from one region only is quite impossible and a recipe for failure.

Once we were seated outside, the gods got angry and it started pouring. Those were the Italian tile gods going “go a in to a check out the a tiles”. Our tables were swiftly moved inside on top of the tiles. It felt like eating at a Russian family house without taking my shoes off. We were no there on a saturday which meant “No Pizza for You!”. The pizza is Roman which if true, and I have nothing to doubt its not, expect thin almost Matzoh like crust. The less toppings the better from my experience.

We started with a Coccetto app of mushrooms, bread and ham topped with cheese which was fine. While I’ve had various Russian/French variations of this dish, I never heard of Coccetto

As is often the case with Italian Trattorias the highlights are the pastas. Spaghetti Carbonara was as good as we’ve had in Rome. Creamy, a but runnier than I like, but still quite good. The Fetuccinne with Guanciale (pork cheeks) and black truffles (top) was best of show surprisingly considering its white truffle season at the moment. The dish had plenty of truffle aroma to satisfy all senses and convince the brain that its pretty darn yummy (foodie technical term).

The lamb chops as our shared secondi was slightly uneven but cooked well and quite delectable for the most part. We finished off with a nice ice cream duo, one topped with chocolates and the other with cherry sauce. Cherry won 3 “Mmmmmm”s to 1.

Categories: Turks and Caicos | Tags: Best restaurants in turks and caicos, food, Providenciales Dining, restaurants, Travel, Turks and Caicos, Via Veneto Turks and Caicos | 2 Comments

Turks and Caicos – Jerkey’s

Posted on December 24, 2013 by Ziggy

Sailing Paradise no more. It is now Jerkey’s located in what’s becoming Provo’s Restaurant Row on the road between Seven Stars and Leeward Highway. We sampled more of the same between the two of us. Same sublime Jerk Chicken – moist, juicy, and flavor packed, especially once you add their homemade Jamaican sauce. Still my favorite Jerk on the island. We eat it as if its the last day on the Mayan calendar. Same goes for the succulent, “Sarah Jessica Parker” boney Goat Curry. At some point I looked at both dishes and had to make a Sophie’s choice. BTW, if you dont see something on the menu like the Jerk Chicken, or the Caribbean platter featured in the Top 7 dishes in WhereWhenHow, ask for it

Although we enjoyed this lunch and Jerkey’s is now much closer, I and others I know very much miss the magical Sailing Paradise location. You can still visit those colorful huts, and who knows perhaps the tables are still there so bring some Jerkey’s takeout and a small oven

March 26th, 2013 Sailing Paradise post…

What a difference a year makes!

For the first time ever we opted to do something different on our last morning in Provo. Instead of sit by the beach and drag the agony, only to continue the agony at the airport, staring at the array of Pringles (i.e., lunch) at the terminal store trying to remember our favorite flavors, I decided to leave a little earlier and head to Sailing Paradise for a final feast. And what a feast this was.

Last April, a few weeks after Sailing Paradise reopened with new owners after being closed for some time, we were sitting there discovering our new favorite local spot. It was just the 4 of us and I remember a lady approach Orville, the man in charge, and ask him “Well? do they like it?”. Well, I think we like it even more today. Orville, owner, chef, and sometimes driver (more on that) told me there were moments last year where shutting down looked like the only option. This is not exactly prime location as far as Provo dining goes which is why Orville offers a free shuttle service to the beach potatoes of Grace Bay to bring them to Blue Hills. He does not have much a choice here.

And on this particular lunch we discovered the Caribbean Platter, i.e., The Dish, the mother of all combos, the Kila of Manila (my childhood dream was to be a WWE announcer). Seriously folks this is one sick dish (British readers – sick means good) and the most likely leader of the number of times we said “OMG, this is F**ing good” during a meal. Jerk chicken, jerk pork, fried fish (lightly fried grouper, so so good. Is this Escovitch?), goat curry, plantains, rice and peas.

This is my favorite jerk on the island. Juicy, tender seasoned to perfection, and with that homemade Jamaican sauce (if they dont bring it, ask for it) you got this finger licking, heavenly goodness of the Caribbean. The pork was more of the same. It looks dry, but its moist and tasty. And then there was the goat curry (not pictured, I ate it all) with all that goat glory, a joy ride with every morsel. Easily best dish of the trip nominee. Screw you Pringles – Original

We also enjoyed some tasty “fish tacos” (more like wraps actually pictured above). Or according to my iPhone auto correct, Fish Racists! Those auto corrections are so bizarre sometimes (Reminiscing over “Doomsday and Seven Stars are gorgeous!!” Doomsday of course means Somerset).

Now here’s the thing, obviously all this was made to order as it should be. But I’ve been to some local places where the jerk chicken for example was great one day and dry the next. I suspect in Sailing Paradise you will get better consistency for the same reason Orville has to drive you there.

So check it out everybody. And check out the Dish. Here’s more from Sailing Paradise at Blue Hills

Categories: Turks and Caicos | Tags: food, Jerkey’s, Providenciales Dining, Providenciales restaurants, restaurants, Sailing Paradise, Sailing Paradise Turks and Caicos, Travel, Turks and Caicos dining, Turks and caicos food, Turks and Caicos Restaurants | 1 Comment

Turks and Caicos – Top Seven Large Bites

Posted on July 11, 2013 by Ziggy

As published in the current issue of WhereWhenHow, this is a follow up to the Top Seven Small Bites

Who said that Providenciales is an expensive destination? I did! Approximately 14 times while eating with the kids on our last trip. Gone are the kiddie menu days almost overnight for the Ziggy clan, much to the chagrin of my wallet.

Does this sound familiar? One minute your 10 year old is eating the international kiddie specialty known as Penne with Butter, and next thing you know she is ordering Garganelli with conch and clams, after just discovering that she’s also into Escargot.

Or, one minute both of your kids are sharing a steak (with daddy). Fast forward 8 months later, your 60 pound youngest wants none of that sharing nonsense. The last time she got a kiddie menu, she asked me to leave no tip and write a review on Trip Advisor about the various service issues of the establishment.

So I’m feeling the pinch. And as a result, I already told the kids that they would need to rely on their grandparents for continued education. I told them that while sipping through a straw of my $16 + Tip + tax drink at my resort.

Of course I’m being just a tad melodramatic. Providenciales or “Provo” if you don’t want your iPhone to correct it to “doomsday” or something else that makes no sense (its a mysterious thing this auto-correct) can be as expensive as you want it to be. As I’m about to point out you can have your pick of deliciousness from white cloth to no cloth, from sommelier to.. {shrug} no sommelier. And the good thing about traveling with kids when they are grown up is that you get to share and try a few things as a family.

But I’m not here to audition for “Mommy and Me Magazine”. I’m here to write about 7 large bites as a follow up to the 7 small bites from the previous issue. Can daddys even write for “Mommy and Me Magazine”? Does such a thing even exists? Great, now this is going to bother me for the rest of the day.

At any rate, here are the top 7 large bites from our last trip

Pecan Crusted Conch at Bay Bistro – Schnitzelicious Bliss! Lights Out! Or until we realized we accidentally leaned against the light switch and turned off the lights at the patio. True story! Like a beautiful conch schnitzel, with a mild but potent orange sauce. Its a consistent crowd pleaser for adults and kids alike. Island historians can tell you what happened with the failed Coconut crusted conch with curry experiment.

Strong contender: Grilled lobster (in season)

Best End of Milk Fed Lamb at Seven – Benny Hill? Downton Abbey? Its not exactly clear what motivated the British to name the lamb’s back of the neck differently than the rest of the world. But it IS clear that it can be delicious, and that chef Josu knows what to do with it. Three tender, perfectly cooked (medium rare) neck filets accompanied by all sorts of glorious goodies, too many to mention (i.e Blogger lingo for “I forgot”). And its great to have the knowledgeable Alan Daffy on the floor to make sure everything is running smoothly and remind you what you are eating while under the (fine wine) influence.

Strong contender: Duck breast

Caribbean Platter at Sailing Paradise – A more than worthy schlep just for the plate, and the serene waters and colors of Blue Hills an added bonus. Addictive, tender, juicy, spicy, tastes much better than it looks, Jerk Chicken. Same idea applies to the jerk pork, and if you did not get the homemade Jamaican sauce to add even more pleasant heat than ask for it. Add the wonderful lightly fried fish, rice and peas, plantains and you got yourself a dish. But we aren’t done yet. The glorious goat curry, with all its bony glory requires its own space. Maneuvering through these bones was a succulent adventure. After the meal at the airport we were smelling our index fingers like in a gynecologist convention. (Ahem… Brenda/Kathi, under the belt? ;))

Strong contender: Get the platter!

Tagliolini with Seafood at Caicos Café – White smoke rising from the chimneys of Caicos Plaza signals a new menu at Caicos Café. While black smoke rising suggests someone just burned a toast. Savory fish, scallops, shrimp, mussels, flambéed with Pernod and a lot of love. An Emilia Romagna classic in Providenciales.

Strong contender: Orecchiette (Mike Tyson’s favorite pasta)

Steak au Poivre at Le Bouchon – soi le bienvenue Pierrik and family. A gorgeous rendition of the French classic that normally no one talks about nor knows how to spell, like the 4th and 5th Kardashians. Perfectly cooked, flavorful steak with a deliciously light peppercorn sauce that made me dip the fries, bread and fingers into it. A month before, a similar dish in a renowned similarly named Bouchon in Las Vegas was double the cost and half the flavor. Well Done Pierrik!

Strong contender – Burger with egg (for lunch only – ask for the egg) (Brenda, I’m pretty sure its only available for lunch, I didn’t see it on the dinner board)

Lamb Burger at Lemon – What to order in Lemon is always a challenge for me. A good dilemma. Unlike the choice you have to make before leaving the house on a rainy day between the pink polka dot umbrella, and the one with the yellow circles. Which one makes you look more manly (Mrs Ziggy if you reading, it would be nice to have a plain black umbrella around the house. I have a second job now writing for a major magazine and I dont have time for matters like this. Love, Ziggy). But I digress. An excellent lamb burger! Lamb, hummus, cucumber mint yoghurt, brie, play together like a beautiful symphony with every morsel. Add the delicious roasted potatoes and you got a great dish.

Strong contender: Mushroom Risotto with Pork

Curry Grouper at Flamingos. A customary 10 minute moment of silence normally follows after the dish arrives, reminding us why we come to Turks and Caicos year after year. An Island legend at an Island institution. You will be hard pressed finding a piece of fish with texture more perfect. Sweet, savory, melt in your mouth goodness. Like eating delicious butter. This was love at first bite, and a regular dish since.

Strong contender: No idea! But was told the similar coconut grouper is as good if not better

So there you have it. 7 memorable big bites from our last trip. Enjoy your trip and stay hungry my friends

Categories: Turks and Caicos | Tags: food, Providenciales, Providenciales Dining, Providenciales restaurants, restaurants, Travel, Turks and Caicos dining, Turks and Caicos Restaurants | 4 Comments

Turks and Caicos – Beach House

Posted on March 23, 2013 by Ziggy

The Beach House at the Beach House near Beaches House right by the Beach is the latest addition to Provo’s ever growing and competitive fine dining scene. In a weird way the Beach House at Beach House reminds me of a quote from the Godfather; Don Corleone, I am honored and grateful that you have invited me to your daughter’s wedding…on the day of your daughter’s wedding. Don Eric Vernice is not a exactly a stranger to Provo’s haute cuisine. Classicly trained French Vernice, fromerly with Parallel 23 created an intense and ambitious foie/wagyu/foam filled menu, or as they call it in my village, a “Fufu”. In a way the menu resembles a fine Italian menu, with some good looking pasta/risotto options mid way. The manager of the Beach House left a few weeks ago and so we didn’t get all the farm to table talk as others did. Perhaps the former manager finally realized its farm to freezer to plane to mule to table and found it difficult to believe

You may find the setting a little odd next to the resort pool but it didnt bother me. We did however get the largest round table for 8 (plus baby) we’ve ever seen. Since texting wasnt an option here, in order to talk to my kids I had to ask the always available waiters to deliver them notes.

The dishes at the Beach House ranged from good to very good to exceptional, and overall it was a very enjoyable meal from start to finish. I was joined again by the Conch snob, Pasta snob, Just snob, Chicken snob (1 year), and an Aruba snob (Father in law).

The details here are a little murky. Delicious bread to start things off. Very rarely delicious bread is followed by mediocre food, since this is an indication of the type of attention to detail. Super sized table meant super sized dishes like the Tomato Mozzarella plate (biggest I’ve seen), a gorgeous looking and tasting app of heirloom tomatoes and savory buffalo mozzarella. Conch snob liked his Conch Extravaganza, a true extravaganza of curried conch, conch chowder, and conch rolls of some sort. My favorite app however was mine, perfectly seared scallops (below) with this runny french potato-like puree “espuma” of cauliflower. Thank you dear Jesus for sending me a wife who is not too fond of Scallops.

We tried just about all the risottos and pastas on the menu and there was not a bad seed in the bunch. Fantastic Cavatelli with seafood (more scallops thank you), a nice seafood risotto, Strozzapreti (Priest stranglers :evil:) with ricotta and braised veal shank was so good that I cant even describe it. Meaning the Pasta snob ate the entire thing without offering any to the food blogger. “You were sitting too far”. Nice try! Aruba snob enjoyed his rabbit risotto or I thought he did until… “Is there a place here that sells Schnitzels”. “No”. “In Aruba there is one. They make great Schnitzels”.

Main courses mainly did not disappoint. Nice Wagyu beef special served rare on top a very interesting short rib Shepard pie. A very inventive and delicious dish. So was the Snapper, although perhaps a bit too interesting for mrs Ziggy. A complex combination of flavors in this one with root veggies, and more, where every bite delivered different tastes. Some enjoyed their Branzino special. The dessert sampler was on the mark as well and nicely priced for such a plate.

One thing I should note is that one can get away with ordering a few apps here including a pasta dish but chances are once you see the mains temptation wins. Overall, I think I appreciate the Beach House and the creativity of Eric Vernice a bit more after this post. Chances are this one will be a culinary force for years to come, and I cant wait to come back for more Priest Stranglers and the rest of them.

Recommended Dishes: Scallops, Conch Extravaganza, Tomato Mozzarella, Cavatelli, Snapper, Strozzapreti 😡

Categories: Turks and Caicos | Tags: Beach House, Beach House Turks and Caicos, food, Providenciales Dining, Providenciales restaurants, restaurants, Travel, Turks and Caicos dining, Turks and caicos food, Turks and Caicos Restaurants | 4 Comments

Turks and Caicos – Hemingway’s

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Ziggy

A trip to Provo feels incomplete to us without lunch at Hemingway’s at the Sands. This was our first meal in Provo when we discovered the island back in 2006 while staying at the Sands so the sentimental value is there. But I dont go back for sentimental values alone, nor for just the view, nor for Jojo’s bell which you have to ring when you see Jojo the dolphin. I didnt know at first and rang it when I was ready for dessert.

Ordering at Hemingway’s is quite simple for us. Tacos, Fish and Chips, Conch Fritters please, no menus needed.

The tacos are some of the best on the island. While other popular establishments pack theirs with green peppers, avocado, red peppers, purple peppers and brown avocados, here its pretty simple. Hefty pieces of grilled fish with a hint of sour cream and savory sweet mango chutney that compliment the fish beautifully. Hmmm that reminds me, Mrs Ziggy are you reading? What happened to the fish tacos with spicy mayo you used to make?

Just like the tacos, we also tried plenty of the various fish and chips on the island and this one is our favorite. Lightly fried pretty good size groupers with perfectly seasoned “meaty”, just like I like em fries. I prefer nicely seasoned over nicely sauced.

And just like with the tacos, and fish and chips (Ok I know I’m beginning to sound like Dr Seuss and need to stop) we tried all sorts of conch fritters on the island and this one is one of our favorites. It got that perfect crispy exterior and works very well with the accompanied sauce. And as you can see from the photo above I couldn’t quite help myself and attacked this thing before I had a chance to take a photo

In short, Hemingway’s is good for what it is. Good cheap food, nice drinks, comfortable setting, nice views, Jojo’s bell, what else do you need. Pizza, foie gras perhaps, but that’s just about it, I think.

Recommended dishes: Fish Tacos, Conch Fritters, Fish and chips