This adventure of Excited
about Eating takes you through the Southern Caribbean where we visited three different
restaurants for lunch during a seven-day cruise that left from San Juan, Puerto
Rico.
St.
Thomas: Cuzzin's Caribbean Restaurant was off
the beaten path, about a 30-minute walk from the ship. If some kind soul hadn’t
taken pity on our sweaty, tomato-red faces and given us directions, we'd have
missed it.
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| Cuzzin's Caribbean Restaurant |
The calamari appetizer was
excellent, crisp and fresh, with just the right amount of chew, and the dipping
sauce was sweet with a tiny tang from the combination of pineapple, mango,
tamarind and barbeque. We shared the Fried Seafood Combo which included fish
filet, shrimp, and conch fritters with sides of mac and cheese and fried
plantains. The seafood was cooked to perfection, flaky with a light batter
that allowed the true taste of the seafood to come through.
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| Fried Seafood Combo |
The conch fritters
were not sweet or doughy like my wife prefers, but savory and very good. The
mac and cheese had an unidentifiable spice and when we asked, the server would
not give up the secret. Both the mac and cheese and plantains were equally
good. I would rate this restaurant 4
forks out of 5.
Barbados: Mustor's
Restaurant was a 20-minute walk from the ship dock, and from what I’d read,
appeared to be a local favorite. We shared the large portion (read HUGE!) fried
Flyin Fish entrée, Field Peas with Rice, and Macaroni Pie, and had no problem
sharing this meal. Barbados is known as "the land of the flying fish"
and it is the national symbol of the country.
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| Flying Fish |
The fish
was good, not fishy tasting but also not real crispy like I prefer. The field
peas and rice were juicy and full of favor, and appeared to have been cooked
together. The Mac Pie was really good, a thick piece, made from noodles that
resembled elbow mac straightened out. Although they don’t accept charge cards,
they do accept US dollars. No atmosphere and no a/c unless you consider the
open air balcony. I would rate this restaurant 3 forks out of 5.
St.
Maarten: We took the
water taxi to Greenhouse Restaurant,
which offered true Caribbean spirit with their beachy, open air environment in
clear sight of the breaking waves.
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| Me, inside on the left |
I chose the Fish Taco Platter, consisting of
two soft tacos, filled with fried basa vina served with lettuce, fresh
cilantro, jack and cheddar cheese, salsa, ranch dressing and onions. The basa
vina fish are not native to the Caribbean but are imported. The tacos were
huge, with flavor to match their size. The fish was crispy and tender and all
of the ingredients melded together. The fresh cilantro set these fish tacos
above others I have had. They were served with Fried Plantains and fries, also
tasty.
My wife ordered the Fried
Fish Sandwich using the same basa vina white flaky fish, but beer-battered, along
with fries and cole slaw.
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| Fish sandwich |
The fish sandwich was crispy and not fishy tasting.
The fries were cooked perfect, and the cole slaw was sweet and creamy, just the
way she likes it. I would rate this restaurant 5 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving
outstanding food. Dora here. After chowing down on
rich foods for a week on the cruise ship but no brewed iced tea, this is what I
enjoyed most. :)
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| Fresh brewed iced tea |
lol. Seriously, folks, Greenhouse offered a perfect atmosphere
paired with fantastic flavors and a breeze that kissed our cheeks. Who could
ask for more from a restaurant?
Labels: #ameating, Barbados, Caribbean, Carnival Cruise, Cuzzin's Caribbean, eateries, Ernie Hiers, Excited about Eating, fish, food blogger, Greenhouse Restaurant, Muster's, St Maarten, St Thomas