http://www.chow.com/boards/88 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 21:31:50 GMT Keep track of the lastest threads on Chowhound http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/780889#7342177 I had a terrific experience at the STJ Fatty Crab in early February. We ordered roughly 15 plates, and there was hardly a dud in the mix. The weird thing about all the Fatty Crabs (NYC too) is the insistence that you order everything at the beginning of the meal. I get it from a kitchen standpoint, but I'd rather sit at the bar and graze at my own pace with this sort of food. N.B.: Green Mango Papaya Salad is supposed to use unripe fruit. That's the dish. It's basically a vinegary, fish saucy slaw laced with thai chilies. Ripe fruit doesn't work in it. It's not for everyone, but certainly not incorrect. Jolyon Helterman Wed, 16 May 2012 10:28:57 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/780889#7342177 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/832784#7338415 ah, I'm late to the party. I hope you found great things to eat. I really love chicken roti, which is a curried chicken wrapped in a flat bread. We ate last year in the food court of the Rodney Bay mall - had some terrific stewed goat dish. There's a great ice cream shop in Rodney Bay... the name escapes me at the moment - but they have lovely local fruit flavors. jujuthomas Mon, 14 May 2012 18:52:50 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/832784#7338415 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849086#7337548 My husband and I will be in Buenos Aires for a quick trip in a few weeks. We'd like to try both Don Julio and La Cabrera. I thought about Don Julio for dinner on Friday night, and La Cabrera for lunch on Monday, but I am confused about La Cabrera's opening hours (the website indicates that the original location is open for lunch on Mondays and La Cabrera Norte is closed then, but the reservation system on the website only allows you to reserve lunch at the Norte location on Monday...plus I've seen conflicting information online.) Can anyone confirm whether one of the La Cabrera locations is open for lunch on Mondays, and if so, do I need a reservation? I thought it would be a better idea to go to Don Julio for dinner and La Cabrera for lunch since it sounds like La Cabrera would require a long wait for dinner - but any other opinions are appreciated. Thanks! tngirl Mon, 14 May 2012 13:13:58 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849086#7337548 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/795122#7337128 Portofino is terrible. Over-cooked pasta, sauces taste as if from a jar. Soggy (didn't seem to bother with drying the lettice ) salads. Kinda reminded me of "Italian Day" at my high school cafeteria. Total waste. Pickled Onion was pretty good. Nice balcony, cool vibe. Wahoo's Waterside in St George was excellent. Great fish tacos. katetate Mon, 14 May 2012 02:24:51 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/795122#7337128 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849002#7336518 I'll be spending four nights in Condado for the July 4th holiday weekend. I will have two nights free so am seeking advice on where to eat. I've got a few places only radar and would like comments, opinions, and recommended dishes. I would like restaurants with a sense of place, with the emphasis on top quality local ingredients where possible. Would prefer to concentrate on places slightly off the tourist radar, if possible; it seems as this eliminates the popular restaurants of Old San Juan. I understand that local prices are as high as New York city levels; just looking for good price/value ratios. SANTAELLA (Santurce) JOSE ENRIQUE (Santurce) PIKAYO (read mixed reviews of the most recent incarnation in the Conrad hotel; some say it is not as good as in the original location; your thoughts?) Anyplace else? erica Sun, 13 May 2012 17:37:02 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849002#7336518 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/737882#7330844 Susan - Thanks for the tips, particularly the descriptions of specific dishes, I'm looking forward to the food in Bogota. wanderlust21 Thu, 10 May 2012 04:54:11 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/737882#7330844 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/848256#7327162 Hi! I'm leading a group of college students on a two week trip to Santiago and Valparaiso (we leave tomorrow!!!). Since we're college students, our budgets are limited, but good food is obviously a priority. :) I've never been to either city before (or Chile at all, for that matter), so if you have any specific restaurant/cafe recs or general recs (types of street food, great drinks, etc...), please let me know! Thanks in advance!!! Foodierunner4 Tue, 08 May 2012 17:45:47 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/848256#7327162 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/847781#7326359 The summer is hurricane season but the predication this year is that it will be a less active than average season. There is less chance of hurricanes in July than August, although I have gone in August without problems. Most condos are have specials making the rate about 1/2 the regular rates. A good source to look for condo is VRBO or Homeaway. BigGeorge Tue, 08 May 2012 12:16:14 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/847781#7326359 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/841678#7325627 To great really great food in BA -- you need to get off the beaten track to closed door restaurants -- here is my favorite: Casa Mun - best sushi (without creme cheese) + Asian fusion cuisine www.casamun.com. Sushi Lush Mon, 07 May 2012 23:14:45 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/841678#7325627 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/825087#7325575 In true Caribbean fashion, the nomenclature for the island residents and their food is fun & quirky. St Thomas = St. Thomians, St John = St. Johnians (pronounced jone-ian) and St. Croix = Crucians. Just a little FYI. That being said, I would recommend Victors New Hideout - up on the hill overlooking Crown Bay. Good view, good food and affordable to boot. Check it out! http://www.victorsnewhideout.com/ quimbydog Mon, 07 May 2012 22:51:32 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/825087#7325575 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/787105#7322519 Two updates: -Viva Honduras has been converted into something different, i forget the name. It's changed from what sounded like a nice casual place to an upscale and overpriced restaurant. Nachos are still on the menu but the other stuff we read about is not... they seem to specialize in waffles. Not sure what the nachos were like before but we were not pleased with these... raw tomato, lettuce, and a very sparse application of unmelted cheese and cold ground beef. Even forgiving the unmelted cheese and cold preparation (this seems to be a thing in Central America) this was a big ripoff because they were so skimpy on the cheese and meat. Very disappointing. -La Esquina is gone. barryg Sun, 06 May 2012 04:44:48 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/787105#7322519 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/836638#7322511 I spent a couple days in Antigua and tried a bunch of places, here are my opinions to throw in the pot: Los Cebollines -- Had the vibe of a chain restaurant and apparently it is. Very nice courtyard. Lunch started off great with fresh tomato salsa made table side. It was delicious, which made the quality of the rest of the food all the more surprising. This place had the only legitimately bad guacamole I had in Central America, tasted pre-made and like it had filler. The rest of the food wasn't much better--crappy cheese sauce for "nachos" and pre made tasting tomato salsa served with the entrees. Expensive for Antigua, but at least the service was good. Avoid. La Tienda de La Canche -- This place lived up to the hype. Great pepian and caldo de res and the abeulitas running the place are adorable. Of course it is a great value, too. It's filthy but I would return in a heartbeat. Don't miss it. La Cuevita de Los Urquizu -- The spread of traditional food at the entrance looks amazing but we were only hungry for a snack. Got a couple pupusas and have to disagree with rworange here… we did not like these pupusas very much. They were too dense and maybe overcooked. Some of the filling had escaped and was burnt onto the patty. We had much better pupusas from street vendors in Pana and Tela. Nice place though, and good service. Frida's -- Decent Mexican food in a fun atmosphere. They seem to serve late. Queso fundido was sort of weird, tasted like swiss cheese. Enchiladas were good. Chilaquiles bore little resemblance to Mexican chilaquiles, this was more like American nachos, but was tasty. Service was bad even by Antigua standards. We ended up here because we couldn't find the place we were really looking for, I would go back again as a Plan B but not a Plan A. La Escudilla -- A really cute place with a great courtyard, made for a very pleasant breakfast. Good omelette was served with a crepe with jam, chicken-egg soup was something different and hit the spot for those of us that like soup for breakfast. Good coffee. Food was solid all around but atmosphere takes it up a notch, would return. Casa Del Flan -- Tried the eponymous flan. As mentioned on this or another Antigua thread, the flan here is not the traditional version, or at least not what most Americans would expect; it is a square of custard over various fruits including figs. My gf, who was craving typical flan, did not care for it but I liked it quite a bit. I also got to try Moza on draft, which was delicious; I like it from the bottle but it was better on draft. They have hamburgers and sandwiches too but we didn't try any. Try the flan here. Sobre Rico -- I wanted to love this place. The garden was gorgeous and the bird cages were a nice touch. Fresh fruit smoothie with wine was great. But the food… tortilla soup with black tortillas was good, a nice portion, but nothing special. The sandwiches… lamb burger (actually a lamb/beef blend) was overcooked into a dry hockey puck. The Sobre Rico sandwich, braised beef, was also dry and bland. Roasted potatoes served on the side were underdone. Ciabatta bread was way too soft. On the way out I checked out the other breads they were selling.. the "baguettes" were pathetically limp with a mushy crust, looked like an American supermarket Italian roll. Sorry I can't get down with this place, they talk a big game but seems like they can't back it up, gotta give it a thumbs down. El Sabor Del Tiempo -- Very nice atmosphere in this converted general store, and a refreshing change of pace from all the courtyards and gardens (not that those are not nice!). Started with the margherita pizza, crust tasted like cardboard but the sauce and cheese were good quality, and tasty. This could have been great pizza if it had a good crust. Even despite the crust we enjoyed this very much. Entrees were rabbit in white wine sauce and duck confit with a mango sauce. The preparations and sides (plain white rice, steamed mixed vegetables) were not creative but the food was very well prepared and tasty. Rabbit and duck were both cooked appropriately. Definitely one of the better meals we ate, would recommend. Super Something Juice Bar -- Sorry don't remember the full name of this place. It's a newer place on 6th Calle between 5th and 6th Ave run by an American couple. Huge menu of smoothies and juices, they say all the produce is organic. Smallish menu of breakfast food, burritos and I think sandwiches. The juices we tried were good. Also tried their breakfast bowl--rice, beans, egg, cheese, salsa, guac--and the Caribbean burrito (had coconut and some other Caribbean things on it). Food was fine but a little dry.. they are trying a little to hard to be healthy I think, some extra cheese and sauce would go a long way. Pleasant place for an expat, though. La Esquina -- CLOSED -- It appears La Esquina has closed. There is a club-looking place in the location now. A bummer for us because we really wanted to try it. Pollo Compero -- We actually didn't get a chance to hit this in Antigua but felt like we had to try it at the airport on our way home. I was prepared to be unimpressed but this was very good fried chicken. We liked the thin breading and seasoning. Definitely better than our fast food fried chicken chains here, and compares favorably with the best fried chicken I've had. barryg Sun, 06 May 2012 04:32:05 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/836638#7322511 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/784059#7319548 I am on extended stay in BsAs -- here are a couple of my favorites: Spring Vegetarian - best lunch buffet for fresh veggies http://www.springrestaurante.com.ar/ Casa Mun - best sushi (without creme cheese) + Asian fusion cuisine www.casamun.com Sushi Lush Fri, 04 May 2012 14:51:19 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/784059#7319548 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/838567#7319538 I am on extended stay in BsAs -- here are a few favorites: Spring Vegetarian - best lunch buffet for fresh veggies http://www.springrestaurante.com.ar/ Casa Mun - best sushi (without creme cheese) + Asian fusion cuisine www.casamun.com Sushi Lush Fri, 04 May 2012 14:46:25 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/838567#7319538 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/847167#7319528 I am on extended stay in BsAs -- here are a few local favorites: Cafe San Juan - delicious rabbit stew http://www.guiaoleo.com.ar/restaurantes/Cafe-San-Juan-1060 Spring Vegetarian - best lunch buffet for fresh veggies http://www.springrestaurante.com.ar/ Casa Mun - best sushi (without creme cheese) + Asian fusion cuisine www.casamun.com Sushi Lush Fri, 04 May 2012 14:43:52 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/847167#7319528 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/847396#7319522 Thank you. Any specific suggestions of places on island to try? And yes, St. Maarten was first island I took my husband to...Then Aruba, Curacao, Antigua, Anguilla, Barbados, Grenada, Bahamas, Cayman, Turks and Caicos, Canouan, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, St. Lucia, St Kitts, .St. Croix, St John, Tortola, etc etc etc. you get the idea.... JulieF Fri, 04 May 2012 14:42:07 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/847396#7319522 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/841724#7316901 IMHO: Giuseppe Grill - I prefer Esplanada Grill over Giuseppe Grill, but I think they are both overpriced for what they offer. If you are willing to venture outside of the Ipanema-Leblon neighborhood, try Majorica (a la carte churrascaria) in Flamengo (Rua Senador Vergueiro @ Paissandu) - ask only for the "linguica" (I don't think the couvert is worth), and order the "picanha" plus sides such as "arroz ao camelo" (I always ask them without bacon, it is rice with garlic and parsley), "batatas portuguesas" (potato chips) and "farofa dolabella" (manic flour with lots of eggs). If there are only two of you, order only one or two sides (and you will still have leftovers). You can order the picanha in slices or small pieces - it all depends on how many of you will be eating: the picanha especial usually is good for three people... CT Boucherie - from french-"brazilian" chef Claude Troigros. I think they still have a lunch menu which is an option of fish/baby beef and the all-you-can-eat sides. I get full just eating the sides which will vary but will usually have a tomato confit, a vegetable gratin, a manioc-type (batata baroa) puree, etc. Very yummy. Also, I like the watermelon carpaccio for appetizer. Gula Gula - pretty good combination of salads. Not really a place to eat meat. Guimas - there is only one location now (the one in Ipanema closed, the original one in Gavea is still open). I haven't been there in ages... I used to like their brie "pastel" (fried savoury) Garcia & Rodrigues - closed. Rumor says it will be replaced by Porcao... Artigiano - I am really sensitive to salt, and their dishes in average are on the saltier side... But, I recall there was a ravioli type of pasta with almond sauce that was pretty tasty (and not salty!). Note that they only take cash (or Brazilian checks). I prefer Osteria dell' Angolo just around the corner (Prudente de Moraes at corner of Paul Redfern) for Italian food. Via Sete Grill - I haven't been to the one in Leblon. The one in Centro is a good option for light fare (salads used to be good) Venga - I went once to the Ipanema location (I heard the Leblon one, the original one, to be better) and although the location is hip, totally not worth the price. They don't even know how to make decent "croquetas"! Spanish croquetas are different to Brazlian croquetes (creamy fililng vs. potato filling). For Spanish food, I recommend Entretapas in Botafogo (Rua Conde de Iraja). Fratelli - went once ages ago. I can't remember what I ate, but definately did not make an impression on me... Neither good or bad... Bar Astoria - I never been there. I recomend Astor in Ipanema - it's a bar from Sao Paulo. Really good drinks, decent appetizers (some really tasty, others so, so). Their alheira is very yummy (the Portuguese Jewish sausage version - no pork meat, usuallly rabbit and such) Belmonte - I only like the one in Flamengo, which have always kept their standards and it is the original one... Other branches(I've been to the ones in Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon, Jardim Botanico & Urca) have not kept the same quality in my experience. The one in Urca is still ok, service in Copacabana was the worst, food in the one in Leblon was the weakest compared to the main branch in Flamengo - so, I have not been to this branch in a while. Jobi - it's a traditional bar that I used to go a lot in the 80-90's... now, with so many other options, never returned. Better food at Chico & Alaide, they used to work at Bracarense - another "traditional" bar in Leblon. She makes great savouries - don't miss out on her bolinho de tutu (black bean). Chico & Alaide is almost acroos the street from CT Boucherie. In Lapa, I recommend A Capela/Nova Capela (it's the same kitchen, two separate entrances at Av.Mem de Sa, 96) and order "Cabrito Assado" (roasted baby goat with broccolli rice). As for churrascaria, my favourite place is Majorica (I detailed above). Porcao Rio's at Aterro is the best one among the other branches. There is a sort of a new place, Fogo de Chao, but I did not like it... The salad bar option is poor, price was more expensive than Porcao, and I could not get rare meat... I kept asking and asking and they only kept bringing me medium meat!!! Don't waste your time eating sushi in Rio... I agree that Sushi Leblon is a great spot, nice ambiance, but no good sushi. It is ok by Rio standard but it is expensive... I have not been to Claude Troigros' new Italian restaurant, CT Trattorie (where was Bistro 66) in Jardim Botanico (Rua Alexandre Ferreira). It just opened recently... Also, since you will be heading to Buzios, try to check the restaurant at Sollar. Chef Danio Braga opened a restaurant there - he was previously chef/owner of Locanda della Mimosa in Itaipava. I have not gone to his new restaurant yet, but he is one amazing chef and I plan to go there once winter comes (low season in Buzios...) Hope it helps! akibr Thu, 03 May 2012 12:31:29 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/841724#7316901 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/845634#7315427 annmorris, Toot is right. Except for high end places, most places will be ok to serve kids (as long as they are well-behaved). As opposed to many places that I'v been in US, most places will be ok to substitute an ingredient of the dish, change sauces and so forth. I think Rascal (shopping leblon and shopping rio-sul) have lots of space and they used to have coloring pencil and paper on the table... I did not like their pizza, and thought the a la carte menu was not worthy. The all-you-can-eat buffet was pretty good, but also quite expensive. akibr Wed, 02 May 2012 19:22:03 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/845634#7315427 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/846386#7314672 According to an article at Folha de Sao Paulo it is R$400.00 for the tasting menu, which has 8 cousers plus cheese plus dessert, I guess 10 courses altogether. Last time I was at D.O.M. was 2004 I remember it was expensive but not that expensive. Toot Wed, 02 May 2012 14:56:21 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/846386#7314672 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/847241#7314609 Just got back and wanted to update on some restaurants. We stayed at the Hyatt and ate twice at their Las Ruinas Del Mar which had excellent food, especially their grass fed steaks. We also ate at Piccolo, Japengo and the Palms there and you really can't go wrong. Other than that we went to the Aqua Grill which has terrific seafood, I highly recommend. In Oranjestad we went to a quaint place which specializes in Aruban food The Old Fisherman (it's very close to the bus station) - the atmosphere was perhaps a little better than the food. We ate keshi yena, an Aruban specialty, at Iguano Joe's which is a tourist trap catering to people from the cruise ships but it has decent food. All in all, the diversity and quality of food and restaurants in Aruba is amazing! It's definitely a foodie destination. bronwen Wed, 02 May 2012 14:38:55 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/847241#7314609 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/846922#7313701 If you're staying out at the Southampton Princess, I'd suggest going around the corner to The Dining Room, its up at the lighthouse on Gibb's hill. Mainly Italian leaning with thin crust pizzas, I think pretty good value and the room is cozy and if you get a window table, it's got nice views being up on the hill. http://www.primaverarestaurant.com/The_Dining_Room.html A new discovery of mine, if you're sightseeing up at Dockyard's is The Pastry Shop, it's across from the visitor's centre. They do pastries and sandwiches and serve tea in the afternoon. It's a nice little afternoon break when the weather is nice, get a tall table and people watch. Service might get a little slow if they're packed. bdachow Wed, 02 May 2012 01:21:07 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/846922#7313701 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/772218#7312763 UPDATE as of April 2012 Not sure just where El Rincon was located when RWO wrote her review, but as of a year ago it moved back to it's original location at Plazuela del Conquistador on the road to Ciudad Vieja. It is open for lunch on Saturday and Sunday and for dinner on Friday and Saturday. If the menu was contemporary Guatemalan before, it's pretty much straight French these days and Guatemalan only in it's use of fresh, local ingredients. It's a fairly long walk from town, so you'd probably want to take a taxi or a tuk-tuk, although one of the owners told me that next time I want to come I should just give him a call and he'd come pick me up. RWO was right. The caracol soup was spectacular. And so was the rack of lamb, charred on the outside, perfectly medium-rare on the inside, and juicy and flavorful as one could hope for. My friend had excellent scallops with a cauliflower puree as a starter and a gorgeous hunk of what we'd probably call salmon trout. My friend ordered a fruit crumble for dessert, but they ended up bringing us a dessert sampler with a minty tapioca pudding, chocolate mousse, a chocolate-sauced profiterole, and some kind of chocolaty/Kaluha tasting drink in a shot glass. They had a very nice looking wine list, but just one white and one red by the glass. Both were good, but not as good as the food deserved. El Rincon del Conquistador is among the very best restaurants in Antigua. The ambience isn't as charming as some places, but the excellence of both the food and the service more than makes up for it. So glad I finally got here; so sorry it took me so long. JoanN Tue, 01 May 2012 18:21:20 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/772218#7312763 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/828734#7310625 So we got back over the weekend and had a great time. We stayed at the Club Hotel RIU Negril (there are two RIU resorts in Negril, this is the smaller of the two) which is all inclusive. On the property there are buffets available for breakfast, lunch and dinner. At various times we ate at the buffets and they were better than I expected. They had your typical dumb-downed touristy fare but they also provided some local cusine at every meal (beef patties, curried goat, ackee and salt fish). For lunch there was a gentleman grilling up jerk chicken on the beach which was outstanding and our go-to spot for lunch daily (12-3 or until he runs out). On the property there are three reservation required restaruants: a steak house, a brazillian bbq and a "gourmet" spot. As we arrived late on a Sunday the earliest we could make reservations was on Monday morning at 8 am. Arrivng at 9 I was told that everything was sold out for Monday and Tuesday so I made reservations for the gourmet place for Wednesday evening (we ended up cancelling our reservation for the steak house on Thursday). While the food at the gourmet restaurant was not bad it was not worth the time either and we all were disappointed. The red snapper I had was tasty but a bit overcooked. The alcohol selection at the RIU consists of Red Stripe beer, J Lohr wine, M&R vermouths, Campari, Appelton rums and Fernet Branca(!!). The rest of the offerings are your generic well selections. On the advice of our taxi driver we had dinner at Kuyaba which was outdoor dining near the beach and had an outstanding meal. For apps we had the lentil dip, the conch bits (fried), the sauteed conch, and jerk chicken. For my main course I had the crab cakes which were good and had good amount of crab in each. My SO had the conch stew which was in a brown rich sauce that had a good amount of scotch bonnet peppers. Service was friendly however there was a lag between apps and mains and the place was on the slow side. One other note: there were many local stray cats that would wander around the dining room area. While our group didn't mind them others might. One other evening we made the pilgrimage to Rick's Cafe to watch the sunset. The food was mostly regretable. We had the beef patties (dry and flavorless), sheddy shrimp (fried shrimp with cocktail sauce), jerk chicken skewers (best tasting item but chicken was dry and overcooked), the jerk pork taco and the fish taco both were underwelming. Sunset and cliff jumpers was great and drinks were reasonable for what they could be charging. Service was also very friendly and professional. Our other night off the resort we went to Sweet Spice on the recommendations of our driver and had a great meal. We had a bit of everything between the four of us: jerk chicken, conch, curried goat. For my main course I enjoyed the spicy lobster which wasn't hot but had nice flavor. To drink I had a Ting soda as this restaurant is alcohol free. Please take care if you plan on paying by CC: all the prices are in Jamaican dollars but they convert it to USD for MC/Visa and the exchange rate they gave us did not seem to be the best. Otherwise a very good local restaruant. Overall, a very good trip and I would recommend the RIU for the Fernet alone. :) mats77 Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:10:17 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/828734#7310625 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/837537#7309916 It's been a few months, and I didn't take notes to report back (usually, I keep more detailed notes in my head if I have to report back to chowhounder suggestsions, but since there were none...) However, I did have a few memorable dining experiences. For a really good steakhouse, go to Ox. For a more varied menu, go to El Mestizo. grandgourmand Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:36:47 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/837537#7309916 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/845602#7309047 I'm wondering about some of the puertas cerradas. We really enjoyed the ones that we went in, and the food was wonderful. Prices were great as well. SusanB Mon, 30 Apr 2012 01:47:49 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/845602#7309047 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/845231#7307796 I forgot to add Metropole's link : http://metropolpr.com/default.html Also a MUST is Casa Dante in Carolina. Their rice and beans and sangria are memorable. Carolina is the airport area so a minute from Isla Verde. The setting is casual but you find this your favorite dining spot. 39 Isla Verde Ave Carolina, PR 00979 (787) 726-7310 I liked Mi Cocina in Isla Verde as well. Very local. Waterclub is a trendy hip hotel in Isla Verde. I have been many times and love their roof top bar for drinks and snacks. The hotel restaurant has rave reviews but I only spend layovers here for 5 hours or so at the hotel and beach. Down the road 15 minutes is Pamela's located in Ocean Park at Numero Uno Guest House. A MUST for beachside lunch. Not cheap but not bad either. phelana Sun, 29 Apr 2012 13:19:25 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/845231#7307796 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/846635#7307703 Leaving in about two weeks for five days at the Pink Sands on Harbour Island. Looking for recent dining recommendations there. I understand everything is casual. Thanks, mskleinmd Sun, 29 Apr 2012 11:17:44 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/846635#7307703 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/751209#7306665 There’s a reason Hector’s is one of, if not THE, most popular restaurants in Antigua. I’ve been at least three times in the past two months (probably 10 times in the past two years) and it’s still as good as ever. The menu is modest, but the ingredients are all top drawer and everything is very well prepared. There have been a few minor changes to the menu since rworange reported on it above. Here's the menu as of April 2012: Appetizers: A large mixed salad with various lettuces, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and Parmesan croutons served with a honey/mustard dressing on the side; roasted tomatoes with Gouda, fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, and garlic; beef carpaccio with olive oil, lime juice, capers, red onion, and Parmesan; traditional pommes frites with homemade ketchup; and the soup of the day. Any one of these would make a fine lunch. Prices are about $5 to $6. Main courses: a vegetarian quiche (ingredients change depending on what’s in season) served with a small green salad; a steak sandwich served with the above mentioned pommes frites; a traditional boeuf Bourguignon; grilled duck breast served on a carrot and potato douphinoise with roasted grapes and creme fraiche; and 8-ounce beef tenderloin medallion served on spinach with a blue cheese and chipotle cream sauce with a side of deep fried potato disks. The most expensive of these mains is the duck, which costs about $19. There is at least one, often two, specials every day, and on Tuesdays and Fridays it’s usually fish, often a shrimp dish and usually corvina or other fish that’s been delivered that morning from the coast. Desserts (which I admit to having been to full after a meal ever to have tried) are: chocolate fondant with almonds and Amaretto served with an orange/rum cream; a creme brulee that changes flavor profile from week to week; and vanilla ice cream served with a hint of olive oil and black salt. The wine list is also modest, but with a decent selection of wines from Spain, Argentina, and Chile that can be bought by the glass or the bottle (although for at least 6 weeks now they’ve been out of the Carmenere. My favorite dish is still the grilled duck breast; it’s just spectacular. But it’s hard to beat Hector’s steaks, either the medallion or the sandwich. This may be one of the few places in town that believes you when you ask for medium-rare. The only dish that is less than outstanding is the boeuf Burguignon. Not that it’s bad, mind you; not at all. It’s just that other dishes are so superb you sort of hope it will be the best you ever had and it just isn’t. The place is still tiny and it’s not at all unusual for there to be up to a half an hour wait at prime time in the evening. And don’t try to go with a group of 8 or 10. It ain’t gonna happen unless you're the first ones in the door when they open. JoanN Sat, 28 Apr 2012 17:58:31 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/751209#7306665 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/713371#7306651 LA CASEROLE IS NOW CLOSED. JoanN Sat, 28 Apr 2012 17:53:32 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/713371#7306651 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/826346#7298047 We wound up at the SandBar on Front Street across fromt he SaltRaker Inn. Deck on the beach. Cracked conch and Fish Bites. Two women running the place, and I mean they were both running to keep up with the lunch crowd. Cold Turks Head. We were looking for Regel Begel and a "belonger" steered us away saying it had closed. food being served at Bohio Beach didn't look that appetizing. FWIW, there is a spot on the beach between Margaritaville and Jack's callled Local Village that has a preety decent beach food menu on its blackboard. Might try that next time. Truly little on the island beyond the cruise center and resorts. crewsweeper Tue, 24 Apr 2012 17:51:07 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/826346#7298047 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/682802#7294626 Thanks for posting back, it's always great to get feedback and sounds like you had a lovely trip. Come again soon! bdachow Mon, 23 Apr 2012 02:08:16 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/682802#7294626 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/845492#7293530 This restaurant is near my school and my apartment so I’d passed it often. I’d never stopped in before because the waiters wear kitchy uniforms that screamed “tourist” to me and are often at the front door trying to lure you in in a way that seemed a tad too desperate. But after hearing some good reports from locals, and during one of my steak cravings, I decided to give it a try. The main courses are pretty much all beef and only beef, although there’s a token grilled chicken and a breaded, grilled shrimp. And seemingly popular among the locals is a mixed grill of steak, sausages, and ribs that can be ordered for two or for a large group, as can many of the steaks. They advertise that all their meat is imported and aged before being grilled over oak coals. Also on the menu are appetizers and salads, but I was there for the steak so I got right to it. I asked the maitre d’ (excellent English) what was the best steak on the menu and he said the 14-ounce rib-eye. I decided to go with it, even though I knew I’d be taking at least half of it home with me. I was given a choice of potato or salad as a side and went with the salad. After ordering, I was brought a hot mug of very tasty, well-seasoned broth. If it came from a can or cube, which I suspect it probably did, it was very nicely doctored. The steak, which I ordered medium-rare (in a country where “medium” is considered as rare as anyone could possibly want any meat cooked) was served on a sizzling metal grill with unmentioned-on-the menu but terrific grilled onions on the side. The waiter cut the steak in half and put it on my plate which contained a simple salad of greens and sliced tomatoes. The salad was not dressed, but served with cruets of oil and vinegar--a touch I appreciated since so many salads are heavily overdressed. The meat was a little less rare than I would have liked, but I’m used to that here. Although these are not the big, thick, heavily-marbled and dry-aged prime steaks you’d get at a top steakhouse back in the States, it was a very tender, nicely marbled, well prepared and tasty piece of meat. My craving was happily sated. The wine selection, at least in half bottles, is limited, but I had a perfectly decent Trapiche malbec. They advertise live music on Friday and Saturday nights, although while I was there on a Saturday night there were only pop and soft-rock videos playing a little too loudly (at least before the restaurant began to fill up later in the evening) on a huge TV screen above the bar. Service was excellent throughout. I was very pleased that I overcame my initial reluctance and gave it a try. JoanN Sun, 22 Apr 2012 15:47:00 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/845492#7293530 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/564280#7291269 Never knew. Will check it out in May.. Anyone else been recently... Foodandwine Sat, 21 Apr 2012 01:18:49 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/564280#7291269 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/844646#7290993 Don Camillo is closed Mangita Fri, 20 Apr 2012 22:21:54 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/844646#7290993 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/844633#7282750 So this year the gang headed to Antigua. The Island (there seems to be some confusion on this Board) For the past 5 years we've been going to St John USVI. The major difference... CHOICES! There are about 50 million places to eat on Antigua from roadside stands to $150 pre fix and we pretty much ran the gamut. And there are BEACH BARS! This might not be a revelation to most, but on St John the only drinks on the beach are the ones you carry... So nice.... so convenient... We stayed in the Jolly Harbor area and really didn't hit St John the city, so I'm going to pass on all the St John restaurants. Next time... Beach Bars: The Nest made a rum punch that was somehow so much better than all the others that I still have the taste in my head. Rumkin Pie was what we called it... Castaways had good jerk chicken, Darkwood good BBQ, Gibsons made some mean drinks... Turners had some nice chicken curry. Guess we didn't get much food for lunch now that I think about it... But the stand-out was Pepperz N Lime - really great mexican on the beach - the fish balls were memorable. The other place overlooks Cliff Bluffs, can't remember the name but has a Cuban theme'd bar - the cook cranked out lots of nice lunches but then offered to make us curried chickpeas - she was from India - WOW!!!! And a killer view. Dinners: Miracles - right next to the entrance of the Jolly Harbor resort is incredible. It's only been open for a few months but the kitchen is cranking out the best lobster on the island. No kidding great. Dennis's - suckling pig. Really great. The rest of the BBQ is equally good but that whole pig was special. The view is nothing to sneeze at either. Sugar Hill Restaurant is a really great place to have a drink and maybe an app but the dinners were average. Not bad, just average. Went into the English Harbor area and had a great meal at a place who's name I can't remember - they had pork schnitzel on the menu but the fresh caught wahoo was amazing. The Copper and Lumber was a real step back in time. Fish and Chips were great and the atmosphere is outstanding. Abracadabra gets some hype - or maybe they just seem to advertise more than other places - but our friend at The Nest used to work there and highly recommended it. We had a really great meal and a really great time. The owner is genuine and friendly, highly passionate about his food and from the number of repeat customers that he was greeting as they came in - his service wasn't some one-off for the tourists. His suckling pig was great , as was the tuna and lasagna. Overall, a great experience, memorable meals and amazing beaches. We'll be back, oh yes, we'll be back... timwhoeatsalot Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:46:02 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/844633#7282750 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/842929#7281821 Mare Nostrum was wonderful. All seafood, perfectly prepared, enormous portions Delucacheesemonger Tue, 17 Apr 2012 02:53:53 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/842929#7281821 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/844527#7281333 Just looking for advice ? I dont know if I should get the Dining Plan at Atlantis Bahamas? Has anybody been there recently. It costs $125.oo per day per person? Help cat1293 Mon, 16 Apr 2012 23:37:43 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/844527#7281333 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/843400#7268331 We were there in February for a week. I didn't post a 'food' trip report here, but I'm doing a cut & paste from my trip report on a couple of travel sites. As you can tell, we did splurge a couple of times (it was our 25th anniversary), but we also had a number of meals that were $30 or under. B/fast was included at the place where we were staying. Hope this helps. Food in Cartagena is very good, and while it may be more expensive than other areas in the country, we didn’t find it outrageously expensive. Like other places, you can go high end and spend a lot or you can spend very little. (I should mention that my husband does not drink, so that probably helps to keep prices down!) We celebrated our 25th anniversary on Feb 7 at 8-18, a lovely restaurant in the old city. It was a fabulous dinner. I started with a special daiquiri – I don’t know what the fruit was, but it was excellent. I ordered the seafood soup in coconut milk and John ordered the grouper carpaccio, both excellent, although I think I preferred the carpaccio. It was so fresh and tart! For my main, I ordered a risotto with blue cheese and squid. The waiter literally gave me the thumbs up on that choice and John ordered the oxtail in a red wine sauce with mashed potatoes (probably the most popular choice on the menu). Both meals were very rich, very delicious. We finished the meal with a molten chocolate cake & ice cream – definitely one of the better ones and a sambuca for me, cafe con leche for John. (They were out of 2 of the 4 desserts.) Total bill came to about $130 – pricey, but definitely not out of line for what we had. Twice we had ceviche at El Boliche Cebecheria, a small restaurant in Getsamani (where we were staying). The ceviche was fabulous – we each ordered a separate dish and shared – the flavours were amazing and they were served with thin plantain chips. The chef makes the ceviche to order, and it’s so fresh and delicious. I can’t remember the prices, but it was very reasonable. Twice we had dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant (Di Silvio Trattoria) that I would highly recommend. It’s in Getsamani and is located just off Plaza Trinidad. Their pizzas are amazing – super thin crisp crust and the toppings are wonderful. (Example, when we ordered a Hawaiian pizza, the pineapple was caramelized before it was put on the pizza.) We ordered a spaghetti carbonara one evening, and it was as good as the one I make (and I think I make a pretty good version of it). Desserts are served in little shot glasses – perfect size after dinner. We ordered a pasta, a pizza and a couple of drinks and it came to about $30. It’s a neighbourhood restaurant, and I wish it was in my neighbourhood! We also had lunch twice at Crepes & Waffles, a Colombian chain. Both times, we each ordered the salad bar (which is quite a good deal with quinoa, white beans, egg, etc. as well as various vegetables) and a crepe. Prices are really reasonable (under $30 for the 2 of us). We ate in 2 different Crepes & Waffles and it seems to be entirely staffed by women (as far as we could tell) – apparently it is their policy to hire women in need. One day, we had lunch at La Mulata, a restaurant in el centro. It was packed with locals. John ordered the seafood rice, which had my first choice, but I ended up ordering the chicken dish. Both meals came with soup. His dish was really tasty, mine was ... well, unexpected. It was a huge chicken breast, cut in half and pounded a little thinner. There were mozzarella cheese melted on it (ok), but it also came with a little bit of salad, some French fries and a hotdog (wiener). It was the wiener that seemed odd to me! I could only eat maybe ½ the meal – it was way too much food. We both ordered the limonada de coco (delicious). Again the bill was very reasonable. Another evening, we had dinner at D’Arte, which is on the corner of our street and is owned by Edgardo Carmona, the artist responsible for many of the wonderful and amusing metal sculptures in the city. A bonus was that there was live music scheduled for later in the evening. Truth be told, I wasn’t all that hungry, but I ordered the tuna with the coconut rice. The tuna was covered with sesame seeds and was perfectly cooked, nice and pink in the centre. The rice was to die for! John had the shrimps with the same rice. Service was erratic. Our waiter reminded me of a co-worker of mine – he looks efficient and busy, but seems out of it somehow. After dinner I ordered a brandy. He came back 15 minutes later to tell me that they had no brandy. So I ordered sambuca. He brought me a glass of ice with a shot of what turned out to be vodka. Ugh. But it was still a pleasant evening and it only came to $50 for the 2 of us. The artist, btw, was present at the restaurant – very friendly guy and I wish we had gotten to talk to him. He had a couple of posters displayed of past exhibitions in France. The art in the restaurant is all music based. He also had some art that was done on tiles, some of it with metal . I wished I had $ to buy. (And room in my luggage allowance). Another lunch was at a restaurant called Krioyo. They have a lovely patio area, but we sat inside where it was cooler. I ordered an avocado salad with shrimp & crab and John ordered a Serrano ham sandwich. My salad had too much dressing on it, but it was really delicious and definitely enough. John was thrilled with his sandwich. Interesting art on the walls, fairly good service, a nice place that I’d recommend. When we had lunch with a couple of fellow travellers, we went to La Cevicheria, made famous by Anthony Bourdain. I found the ceviche quite expensive, especially compared to ‘our’ cevicheria in the neighbourhood. I didn’t order ceviche, but I ordered a vegetarian sandwich. I was expecting slices of grilled eggplant and peppers on pita bread, according to the description on the menu. What I got was more like baba ganoush – quite pleasant, but not what I was looking for. (Note - we did meet someone later who raved about the ceviche there.) Our final dinner in Cartagena was at La Vitrola. The food and service were excellent. I started with a warm tomato, grilled cheese and Serrano ham appetizer. John had beef carpaccio. Both were excellent, but I’d say mine ‘won’. For our mains, John chose fish in a tamarind sauce and I chose a seafood rice. Dessert though was the highpoint – we shared a piece of coconut cake with vanilla ice cream. Sounds simple, but it was fabulous. Cost came to about $125. There was also a band playing Cuban style music – pleasant enough and not too loud. The restaurant was quite busy with locals. Cartagena has a number of places where you can have ice cream, and one of them looks like a genuine ice cream parlour. The choices were incredible and over a couple of visits, we had zapote, tamarindo, uchuva, lolu and maracuyi ice cream. I think that uchuva was my favourite, but they were all delicious. SusanB Tue, 10 Apr 2012 23:48:59 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/843400#7268331 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/804286#7267865 I'll be staying at Cambridge Beaches in October, so I share your interest in restaurants in the western part of the island. Last time I was in Bermuda I stayed at the Fairmont Southampton and really loved the Waterlot Inn. Planning to return. ellenost Tue, 10 Apr 2012 20:28:50 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/804286#7267865 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/827565#7265658 I have not been to The Grenadines in a long time but Mac's Pizza was the rage in Bequia. If you see Roti on a menu, do try it.....it's a burrito type pastry filled with curry. Have some Ting while you are down in the Eastern Caribbean..some love with vodka or rum, I love it on the rocks..lovely grapefruit soda. phelana Mon, 09 Apr 2012 22:06:50 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/827565#7265658 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/842899#7261051 I am looking for a restaurant/place in old San Juan, PR with "can't miss" desserts. Any recommendations? Branizooke Sat, 07 Apr 2012 00:38:50 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/842899#7261051 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/840756#7259938 An absolute must is the Mercado del Puerto. All the restaurants there are great and it's a beautiful building architecturally. I recommend too El Fogon downtown. Food is great in Montevideo and most hotels pride themselves on extensive buffet breakfasts with sandwiches and cakes, don't eat too much or you won't have room for lunch! bronwen Fri, 06 Apr 2012 14:31:18 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/840756#7259938 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/842697#7258752 I will be going to San Juan with my wife for the first time and I will be staying at the Ritz... can anyone recommend any good places to go for breakfast lunch and dinner around there? Also is it safe to go out around there? Thank you in advance... tursiboy216 Thu, 05 Apr 2012 20:09:25 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/842697#7258752 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/842557#7257302 6a. AV. Norte#14 @ 4a calle Sometimes I just don’t get it. This restaurant receives almost uniformly rave reviews on TripAdvisor, my Spanish school teacher told me it was her favorite restaurant in Antigua, and when I stopped by to check out the menu, a couple of tourists who were leaving said to me “Go on in. You won’t be sorry. Everything is terrific.” Well, not quite. Based on all these recommendations, I went with three friends. We ordered margaritas that had obviously been poured out of a bottle. There’s just something about that margarita mix junk that’s always a dead giveaway. We ordered three appetizers: tostones with guacamole, garlic fries, and a mixed salad. They told us they were out of tostones with guacamole. Excuse me? How can you be “out” of fried plantains and guacamole in Guatemala? Go into the kitchen and make some more! Or did both come out of packages and they’re awaiting a new delivery? I’d prefer not to think about that; not here in the land of plantains and avocados. The fries were definitely out of a package, pre-cut and frozen and were served with roasted garlic on top of them. If you ate the fries alone, there was no hint of garlic. False advertising as far as we were concerned. The salad was edible, but that’s about it. The greens were limp, the only advertised cheese was in the ranch dressing on the side, and the croutons, like the fries, were out of a box. Not a good start to the meal. Three of us ordered steaks: two of us the steak "Las Palmas" which the menu said was an imported 8 oz. sirloin American cut grilled with home made barbecue sauce and served with baked potato, butter, corn on the cob, tortillas, and avocado salad. Didn’t look like an American sirloin to me. It looked exactly like the filet mignon that another of us ordered just a bit larger. Nonetheless, the steak was well prepared and tasty; the barbecue sauce was really more of a glaze (a good thing) and had a bit of tang to it. Quite nice. The “baked potato” was a quarter of a potato cut lengthwise that I’m pretty sure was boiled and sauteed, not baked. But the piece of corn (not an entire cob) was good and that’s unusual here where an awful lot of the corn on the cob tastes like cattle feed. Not much in the way of comments pro or con from those who had the filet mignon wrapped in bacon and the grilled longaniza, but both finished at least the protein on their plates. We had no desire to see the dessert menu, and that from at least half a table of serious dessert eaters. The venue is pleasant and there was nice live music. Neither was enough to lure me back. JoanN Thu, 05 Apr 2012 01:33:51 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/842557#7257302 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/842357#7255013 This is a new French deli, opened at the end of 2011. It’s located at 4a Avenida Sur No.1, just half a block south of the Cathedral off Parque Central. The owner, Bernard, a young Parisian expat, is very happy to give you samples of the cured meats and cheeses. Most people seem to be buying sandwiches, and he has a quite an impressive list. But I go for the superb imported prosciutto and simply outstanding house-made and jarred pork and duck rillettes. I’ve never had better rillettes anywhere, not even in Paris. There’s only one table in the shop so this more of a takeaway than eat-in place. But there is no better place in town for putting together a little picnic basket. Cheeses and meats vary, depending on what he’s been able to buy locally as well as import. But everything I’ve tried has been good to superb. Especially those rillettes. Not cheap, at least not by Guatemalan standards. But worth every quetzal. JoanN Tue, 03 Apr 2012 23:53:24 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/842357#7255013 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/842237#7254306 Go to Potter Cay under the bridge to Paradise Island. Local kiosks with a variety of grill seafood. At the strawmarket next to the cruise pier and Sr Frogs is a Filipino restaurant with very good food. There are a number of locals diners and dives downtown. On Friday's in Arwak City there's "Fish Fry" where they serve great seafood too fromt he local places there. All the local restaurants in Arwak City are reasonably priced. Some mor eresaonble than others but then some better than other too. crewsweeper Tue, 03 Apr 2012 18:43:17 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/842237#7254306 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/841959#7250391 Don Martin is a charming, surprisingly inexpensive, restaurant with half the menu offering international food (with quite a few pastas) and the other half with more traditional dishes. It's located on a quiet street a block east and half a block north of the arch at 4a. Avenida Norte No. 27. Dinner started with a lovely amuse of ceviche with homemade, super crispy, blue tortilla chips. For an appetizer I had the green mango salad from the traditional side of the menu and it was excellent. I had gone out specifically for a steak and there were three choices on the menu. I chose the one with a red wine and mushroom sauce. As are so many restaurant steaks here, this was a piece of filet mignon, not usually my favorite. But this one was very well prepared and was served with perfectly cooked miniature zucchini, squash, turnips, green beans, and carrots along with a scoop of slightly pasty rice that ended up being just fine for mopping up the mushroom sauce. The steaks, by the way, were the most expensive dishes on the menu and cost just a tad over $10. There is a modest wine list, but a good selection among the limited offerings of half and quarter bottles. The co-owner/host/server speaks excellent English and is attentive without imposing. The restaurant is evidently quite well-known to locals (it's been around for nearly forty years; the chef and former manager bought the place from the original owner, Don Martin, about 8 years ago) but seems to have flown under the tourist radar. That should be remedied. JoanN Sun, 01 Apr 2012 23:30:55 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/841959#7250391 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/752903#7249719 Not a fan of the pizza in BA. But the best pizza is at Piola. Nice thin crust, not the doughy over cheesed version. LaPerlaMia Sun, 01 Apr 2012 17:16:08 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/752903#7249719 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/827967#7248815 Jacala is real good, it's near Blanchards and Straw Hat. Blanchards is my favorite, the food is delicious. Smokey's for BBQ right on the beach , even the fried calamari is amazing foodwhisperer Sun, 01 Apr 2012 00:55:15 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/827967#7248815