Best Caribbean Island for Foodies

I’ve been to a lot of islands in the Caribbean, and had some great meals on almost all of them. But for dyed-in-the-wool foodies, it’s hard to beat Anguilla. Usually Caribbean islands give you an A or B choice: fancy hotel restaurant or local dive (reminds me of that classic wedding dinner question: chicken or pasta?) But Anguilla has a real dining scene; close to 100 restaurants, many of them high-end, and they're not always hotel offshoots. Personally, I think it can be a drag to constantly eat in hotels; the ambience can be generic--not so reflective of the island. Some of my favorites:

Tasty’s: Owned by a local who decided that he wanted to cook the food he grew up eating: dumplings, goat, coconut-crusted parrottfish, conch salad. It’s a pastel, hurricane-shuttered wooden building right alongside the road and I loved the mix of locals and in-the-know tourists there.

Blanchards: Run by a couple from Vermont who brought their regional love of local, fresh ingredients to Anguilla. They serve dishes like filet mignon of tuna with Israeli couscous, roasted Anguilla lobster (very sweet, tender meat--not like the sometimes tough Maine variety), a "Slow-Roasted Reggae Stew" with chunks of beef tenderloin and veggies simmered in guava, pineapple, rum and lime. Sweet, savory, yum. This place manages to be elegant, but not stuffy. White linen-tablecloths, wall sconces, French doors opening up to a tropical garden, artwork by the owners' son hung throughout.

Another great spot (though it is part of a hotel) is Pimm’s--the restaurant at Cap Jaluca Resort. It’s open-air, right on Maundy’s Bay; white guazy fabric billows from the ceiling, oil lamps on the tables provide soft lighting. The chef, George Reid, started Anguilla's foodie rep. He trained with Daniel Boulud in New York, and his cuisine is an artful blend of local ingredients and French technique. Pan-seared yellowtail rock snapper with basmati rice, mushrooms and black truffles, a pumpkin-squash soup (a classic Anguillian dish) garnished tableside with a creamy coconut milk, garlic, nutmeg broth. The hostess hugs you when you arrive, which sounds corny, but feels weirdly inviting.

If you’re really going for the ultimate gourmand trip, you should sign up for a tasting/demo meal at CuisinArt. They have a huge stadium kitchen and will let you sit in front of the chef as she prepares dishes with ingredients from their hydroponic greenhouse (their solution to growing fresh produce on a dry island). You get to taste everything she makes, and each dish is paired with wine.

Check out what other tripconnect members have to say about Anguilla and its food.

BBQ In Lexington, North Carolina

I was able to make a quick stop at Speedy's in Lexington, North Carolina to sample some BBQ. Now I am not a BBQ expert. I know about North Carolina's famous vinegar based BBQs, but didn't know the subtle differences between east and west North Carolina BBQ.

"We use pork shoulders only," the Lexington Barbecue menu reminds us. "They are cooked about nine hours over hickory and oak coals. We salt the meat before cooking but we do not baste. This is the true Lexington Style Barbecue." - From A Short History of North Carolina Barbecue.

North Carolina Barbecue: A Primer is also a good read and gives out two other secrets: "Lexington style of barbecue adds a small amount of tomato-base to the sauce, and also roasts pork shoulders in preference to the whole hog."

Now I love slow cooking, but for those of us without a smoker or nine hours to kill, a stop in Lexington is definitely something you should plan on.

At Speedy's, I sampled the plate of sliced barbecue with fries, slaw, and hush puppies. Sure, there are other items on the menu, but if you want barbecue you're ordering a sandwich a plate, or a platter, and choosing between sliced versus chopped meat. You have to admire the simplicity and the price.

And most of all, the taste! It's lean, light, spicy, and tasty. It's not overwhelming (but still very very yummy) like a Memphis or KC BBQ with thick sauces heavy on sugars. There's a balance between the flavors and seasonings that's hard to describe, but reminds me of Thai and Vietnamese cooking. 

So if you're heading to the North Carolina's Asheville, Durham, or Charlotte or even Myrtle Beach - make the extra trek over to Lexington and get a bite out of hog heaven!