Champers

Our obsession with shrimp in Barbados continues unabated.  Here is another plate of delicious jumbo shrimp - this time dusted with shredded coconut, deep fried, then served with a thai chili sauce.  This little piece of heaven can be found at Champers Restaurant, near Accra beach.

Oistin Fish Fry, Barbados

The line continued beyond the stall onto the sidewalk and main street.

This line went into the parking lot...

Uncle George Grill, Oistin Friday Night Fish Fry

Barbados is a Caribbean foodie's paradise where you can escape the tourist traps and visit the local fish market on Friday and Saturday nights(Oistin Fish Fry) to sample the freshly grilled fish and seafood at the many food stalls. Our surf instructor Russell (Dread or Dead Surf Shop) suggested that we hit Uncle George Grill early, before the lines start forming. Sure enough, by 7pm, there was a throng of locals and tourists alike lines up around the stall. The tuna was grilled to perfection with a fantastic side of macaroni pie. We heard the marlin was also fabulous, but ran out of space in our stomachs. Other stalls which were extremely popular include Pat's Place and Roslin's Fish Fry. This night was when I almost wished I were a ruminant like a cow so I could have enough stomachs to eat all the grilled and fried seafood at these stalls.

Macaroni pie and grilled tuna

The Crane, Carriage House

Best grilled shrimp ever. Ever.  Would definitely fly back to Barbados just for this grilled shrimp and nothing more.  Plump, succulent, sweet, savory.  YUM.

Lone Star Restaurant

The Lone Star was originally a garage owned by mechanic and Hollywood Western fan Romy in the 1940s.  At the time, the Lone Star was the only garage on Barbados' west coast licensed to sell petrol and Romy called himself "Lone Star of the West Coast".  Since then, the Lone Star has been converted into a high end boutique hotel and restaurant located right on the beaches of Barbados' famous west coast.  Retro-chic on the outside and just simply cool-chic in the inside.  We had an amazing appetizer (not pictured here) of king fish sashimi with a wasabi & cilantro dressing.  Andrew had the grilled scallop and jumbo shrimp, and I had the classic lobster thermidor.  All in all, a very promising start to our adventures on the island!



Casimiro Bigua

I've been reminiscing about eating in Argentina lately, and wish Casimiro Bigua was not so far away on the southern tip of the Earth in the distant Argentine Patagonia.  This restaurant showcases incredible food with a large selection of equally incredible Argentine wines.  We pigged out on an asado of different cuts of meat.  Each cut had its own distinct beefy flavor, even though all the cuts were grilled in the same argentine-asado manner.  Pat La Frieda would have loved this transcendent experience of subtle (and not-so-subtle) differences in tastes and textures of different cuts of grass-fed beef.  We also had a fantastic fish dish - lightly seared, moist, delicate, which was quickly polished off by me (Andrew was obsessed with the beef).  The waiter recommended a couple of Salta wines for us to try - Salta is the secret gem of Argentine wines.  Because of the high altitude, the grapevines are exposed to a good amount of sunlight and minimal precipitation (the soil is mostly irrigated by water from melted snow from the mountain peaks above).  Summer temperatures reach a 100F in the daytime, while cooling down to 55F in the evening.  Similar to the Californian Paso Robles wines, this climate allows for the Salta grapes to acheive a high sugar content, and hence the wines have a high alcohol volumes of 15% to 16% (but remain incredibly smooth).  MmmmMMMMMM, Salta wines = happy times.  No wonder our waiter waxed poetic about Salta wines.   

  

Centolla Crab

At the very southern tip of continental Americas lies Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego in Argentina.  Darwin sailed through these waters back in his days (hence the name, Beagle Channel).  It's a place where the mountains meet the seas, and windswept trees pepper the land.  It's also a place where you can try the deliciously sweet Centolla crab, the Southern King Crab.  Sweet and savory, the steamed Centolla crab is best served steamed with just a light touch of melted butter and parsley.

Serenbe

What a fantastic weekend retreat away from urban Atlanta! Serenbe is a model for sustainable living and green construction, just 30 miles south of Atlanta in Palmetto.  There are trails for hiking, horseback riding, biking, and fly fishing. And stargazing at night.

The Farmhouse at Serenbe

Serving farm-to-table wholesome goodness since 2006.  The restaurant, owned by Marie Nygren, is located in a large farmhouse nestled within an idyllic sustainable living community called Serenbe, about 30 miles south of Atlanta. The drinks (I had the blueberry lemonade) were fresh and delicious, and the green onion biscuits were amazingly fluffy, moist, and savory.  The limited weekly menu is based on the available fresh local produce - this week we had an arugula salad with the sweetest tiny tomatoes, and a moist, sweet pork chop with molasses and sauteed cabbage.  The only thing missing from the menu was vegetarian options.  Otherwise, a perfect weekend getaway.

Cafe Mami, Porter Square Exchange

The more things change, the more they stay the same.  I loved Cafe Mami when I was in college and still love their garlic lemon chicken to this day.

At home, Atlanta.

Inspired by Pat's awesome vegan black sesame tea cake, I attempted one back in Atlanta.  It's good, but not as good as Pat's.

 

Neptune Oyster

No text needed for this homage to Neptune Oyster in the North End (Boston).

 

Clam Box

I used to escape to Ipswich when I needed a break from the myopic and insular world of medical school. Only 45 minutes' drive north of Boston lies this refreshingly real and unpretentious seaside town with some of New England's best fried clams. 

Blue Hill Grills at Stone Barns

Mid-winter outdoors barbecue grill complete with fire and snow at the Blue Hill at Stone Barns' third annual Blue Hill Grills.  The custom-made grill, a modified Argentine asado from GrillWorks, burned wood on one side, away from the food. After the wood turned into charcoal, it (sans fire) is moved to the other side to cook and smoke the meat.  Because the meat is never grilled over direct fire, it has a lovely smoked taste without any dry bitter black burnt crud.  All the dishes had at least one main ingredient that was grilled, even the grilled apple strudel dessert and the smokey-flavored vanilla ice-cream (how the heck did they do that?). 

Communal seating meant we ate with John and Nathalie Fischer from the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park.  Because many of the staff at BH@SB graduated from CIA, they worked hard to please their former mentor.  Our entire table benefited from this extra TLC from the staff, although I have to say the ballet-like synchronized serving was kind of weird.  The 4 waiters would circle our table of 8 diners, wait for the head waiter's cue, and then place our plates on the table in perfect unison.  It was like watching synchronized swimmers - fascinating, but kind of weird.  Also at our table was Greg the Farmer.  Except Greg the Farmer could also talk in depth about carbon footprint, how to turn lobster shells into charcoal, and sustainable farming issues.  There are only 3 official farmers at Stone Barns, and it appears being a scientist/genius is a prerequisite.    

Billy's Dream

Why are there so many Billy's Bakeries popping up all over NYC?  Regardless, this is to all our benefit, as their cupcakes are phenomenal, and you can go to their store(s) without running into the annoying Sex In The City Tourists who throng the lines at Magnolia Bakery.