Posts Tagged With: Turks and caicos food

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

Caicos Cafe – More Sea-food-gasm

Posted on February 15, 2014 by Ziggy

Previously on as Caicos Cafe turns

Sometime between the second and third course of the first meal, I made an executive decision. Scrapping the plan to only go to Caicos Cafe once on this trip in order to give someone new a shot. A plan I was never comfortable with, and the most likely cause of my Shingles. Crisis averted, vacation saved. Ok, a bit melodramatic I know. But Ziggy’s mind is a mysterious and complex labyrinth, that produces joy via creating anticipations on a whim.

Caicos Cafe in a way represents everything I love about eating in places like Turks and Italy. A masterful use of “backyard” ingredients by a talented chef, and the perfect formula. A formula helped by a menu that screams for repeat visits. A nice mix of old and brand new awesomeness during the recent visit….

Jumbo scallops wrapped in pancetta (bacon for those scoring at home or if you’re alone) on a bed of green pea purée. Expertly prepared, perfectly cooked scallops. Goat cheese roll and butternut squash Brie tart with walnuts, sundried apricot, mushroom vinaigrette. Somehow, I never got to try this so I can only go by Mrs Ziggy’s facial expressions and the words coming out of her mouth… “Ooh yum mmmm ooh need to go peepee”. I think it was good.

It’s listed on the menu as a yellow tail snapper but we got a fresh grouper instead, prosecco flambeed with all sorts of seafood delights including some tasty bay scallops. Another great dish showcasing Mad Max’s skills. A dish of the year nominee for me was a new addition to the menu, Troccoli with octopus. Troccoli pasta is homemade with a guitar like instrument (Chitarra) pressed against the dough sheet. It looks and tastes like the Tuscan Pici but with egg and must be cooked more al dente. With a super tender tasty Octopus (he uses another tool to tenderize the sucker) and Max’s signature roasted tomatoes to balance things out, the entire creation cooked in the locally caught octopus juices. Simply fantastic!

On the last night there it was again on the specials board, Wahoo Carpaccio. People if you ever see it on the board and you love seafood, you must order this. Whenever Max gets fresh Wahoo I believe he puts it up there. Expertly done with a touch of pink peppercorn, melt in your mouth sea butter foodgasm when harry met sally worthy of a run on sentence goodness. Another top dish nominee was the beef tartar. It was tough taking pictures of this one with the strong truffle oil (first time I see truffle oil used here) scent slapping you in the face. I was just anxious to attack this thing with full force. Served with toasted baguettes this was another killer tartar (as is the tuna we enjoyed in the past). The conch and grouper chowder while lacking the spices of Le Bouchon’s version it more than made up for it with hefty chunks of grouper and conch

Seafood Casserole was the last menu classic I haven’t tried yet, and turned out to be well deserved of the classic tag. Like a glorious bouillabaisse, with every seafood known to man in it. Or at least every seafood known to south Caicos fisherman. A sauce you just want to dip anything in, fingers, room keys, anything. Lobster linguine fra diavolo was as good as ever, but with an extra kick this time seems like. Shared Ziggy’s fave Affogato (thats what it says on the menu. Ok, not really, still working on it) and the mango apple tart, possibly my two favorite desserts at the moment.

Categories: Turks and Caicos | Tags: Caicos Cafe, Caicos Cafe Turks and Caicos, food, Providenciales, restaurants, Travel, Turks and Caicos dining, Turks and caicos food, Turks and Caicos Restaurants | Leave a comment

Turks and Caicos – Bugaloo’s

Posted on February 8, 2014 by Ziggy

There were 3 major milestones during our recent visit…

1) I rediscovered the joy of traveling to Provo without kids. Sorry kids, its fun to go with you, but its Soooo much more fun to go without, and now that you are eating like mom and dad its so much more affordable too. The 11 year old would call the manager if she detects her 40 oz. rib eye was not aged properly

2) I discovered a new passion – Beach Yoga!

3) I finally got my conch at Bugaloos in a conch shell.

Besides yet another wonderful conch salad, one of the best things I ate during the entire trip was the freshly caught whole red snapper sautéed with some coconut milk, onions, pepper and garlic. Great texture, flaky, simply mouthwatering piece of fish. The light sauce was just the perfect compliment, letting the fish do the talking. We attacked this beauty in full force.

March 3rd, 2013 post:

So now that this blog has been featured on Trip Advisor, and now that baby Ziggy decided to run for pope, I feel like I have to clean up my act here a little and limit the use of smiley faces. Just had to let you all know. You already see the changes reflected in the new site tagline – “Eating Well, Spelling Poorly” which makes no sense whatsoever now that I think about it as I use a spellcheck. But whatever…

My mission on this trip was to try some new places like Bugaloo’s. Its hard to leave the resort during lunch time, but while the rest of the family is ‘liming’ by the beach, Ziggy has people to see, new conch to try.

The food was terrific.. I think. Its hard to concentrate sometimes when you are eating with great people in a setup such as this. No need for Sevantix here! One of the most spectacular setups in TCI.

I enjoyed my conch salad (bottom) although it was missing some of that heat I was hearing about. But it was fresh and tasty. Conch (pronounced “Conk” if you are scoring at home or even if you are alone) salad to me is the best way to experience conch on the islands. Peruvian ceviche style. Coconut Cracked conch (below) was fine as well but if I have to choose I’d go with the conch salad.

I was here with my new friends Joe and Dash who I met via Trip Advisor. Everything went well until they started ‘seeing things’. Mainly fish doing somersaults. “There it was again, did you see it?”, “Ahhm, ye I saw it” 🙄 But other than that, you will be hard pressed to find a couple as great and better looking if I may say than this two. What a pleasure it was to meet them.

I’ve been very fortunate to meet some great people through Trip Advisor. From RedRox in Sedona to Blamona in TCI. And I’m so looking forward to meeting more like my friend CaribDesi from Atlanta. If you knew CaribDesi you would know that a place like Bugaloo’s is right up his alley. Get well soon Desi! And I’ll see you in Three Queens.

Categories: Turks and Caicos | Tags: Bugaloo's, Bugaloo's Providenciales, food, restaurants, Travel, Turks and Caicos dining, Turks and caicos food, Turks and Caicos Restaurants | 4 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 – 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

Getting Organized. Introducing the TCI Page

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Ziggy

Last TCI post for a while. I have quite a few New York posts cooking on the back burner. The Turks and Caicos link now points to this page, your one stop shop to everything Provo including other one stop shops, dining stuff, photos, directions, Hitler videos, and more. I will try to update the page as needed.

https://eatingwithziggy.com/turks-and-caicos/

Categories: Turks and Caicos | Tags: Providenciales, Providenciales restaurants, Turks and Caicos, Turks and Caicos dining, Turks and caicos food, Turks and Caicos Restaurants | Leave a comment

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

Categories: Turks and Caicos | Tags: food, Hemingway's, Hemingway's Turks and Caicos, Providenciales Dining, restaurants, Travel, Turks and Caicos dining, Turks and caicos food, Turks and Caicos Restaurants | 3 Comments

Turks and Caicos – Seven

Posted on March 9, 2013 by Ziggy

First I want to start this post by saying that I love my mom. I love you mom! With that said… when I was growing up as a kid I really hated fish. I would beg to be seated away from fish dishes and after the first time I tried Gefilte Fish I was the youngest person in my city to file a restraining order against his parents. I really hated fish but that was because the only fish I knew was my mom’s fish which she made quite often. This is possibly the reason for one of my travel rules: Never eat where I stay, and in general I’m not too keen on resort dining. I love staying at the Seven Stars and everyone on Trip Advisor knows that but it took me 5 tries to finally make it to Seven, considered by many one of the top dining options on the island. I am glad I did

Terrific meal all around. Great looking menu that is not over the top expensive for the quality ingredients included and look and feel of the dining place. I normally dont put too much weight on service on the island but the staff at Seven was so professional and knowledgeable it was refreshing. From Allan Duffy who is running the show, and the witty Tuscan waiter to the fairly new executive chef that knows his stuff.

Started with a very nice Amuse-bouche of salmon tartar and a piece of salmon. Half portion of a main of Mushroom Ravioli with truffle cream was very pleasant. Red Beet Gazpacho according to Hummus Whisperer was like the sickest red borscht you will ever eat, with sherry, Avocado Ice Cream, golden beet, another kind of beet, and 2 ingredients that were told to the waiter once at a bar which I’m not allowed to say. Sounded like a terrific starter. Lobster Ravioli was good but could be without the caviar which overwhelmed the rest of the dish slightly. Seafood bisque was outstanding. They put a conch fritter, shrimp tartar and scallop and pour the bisque over. Great flavor although Mrs Ziggy said she’d prefer just the bisque without the accompanied stuff.

Vanilla rum butter poached lobster with papaya buttermilk risotto (above) was rich and tasty. Two people were raving about the duck breast (below). You see I cant try everything as there’s only so much I can eat while dining with a party of 8. The star of show was perhaps the Best End of milk fed lamb (top picture), which is a fancy British way of saying back of the Lamb Neck, or in this particular case Lamb Neck fillets – perfectly cooked medium rare, melt in your mouth deliciousness.

A meal like this screams for a nice finish and the Coconut creme brûlée with almond ice cream was just that. One of the best desserts of the last trip. Kudos to Josu, executive chef from Basque country. Anyone born in Basque country in Spain or Emilia Romagna in Italy is an automatic good cook. My mother was not born in any of those places but is still a great mom.