Travel
The Morning Glory Inn: A Sweet Retreat02.14.12
Renate Wilhem serves breakfast
“My heart is in America, but my soul is in Germany,” said Renate Wilhem, owner of The Morning Glory Inn, a cozy Bed & Breakfast located in the northern wine region of Long Island, New York. On an unusually cold night this winter, we drove 2 1/2 hours east to find ourselves in a part of the state best known as the escape of choice for sun-starved New Yorkers. We soon discovered that two short ferry rides to the north of the Hamptons put us in the middle of New England wine country. more »
The Herbfarm Restaurant: A Gift of the Earth05.12.11
Edible herbs and flowers from the garden
My cheeks were flushed. My head swirled in wine-induced hyperreality. I raised the silver goblet of water to my lips to help dilute the copious amounts of wine that were now coursing through my veins. The sixth dish of the night arrived, “Young Milk Lamb”, with luscious and delicate slices of suckling lamb contrasting with a firm and juicy medallion of pastured lamb. They were nestled in a lime green whip of shallot mashed potatoes and punctuated by a spiraled fiddlehead fern, which I had seen at the market earlier that morning. The lamb had been sourced from a farm nearby. “This is the perfect example of sustainability,” said Chris Weber, the 25-year-old chef that headed the kitchen at the HerbFarm restaurant in Woodinville, Washington. more »
Turtle Stew and Chicharrón08.06.09
At first glance, you may think this pairing comes straight out of Bizarre Foods. However, at Luz Restaurant in the Cayman Islands, these two dishes are bestsellers on the menu. Staples of the Caymanian and Honduran kitchens come together in this casual Georgetown eatery which serves traditional Caymanian fare like turtle stew and stewed conch and a list of Honduran delicacies like garnaches (corn tortillas topped with cheese, cabbage and beans), chicharrón con yuca(fried pork rinds with yucca), and carne asada (roast beef). On my last trip to this sunny sanctuary, I learned about the important Honduran presence in the Caymans and that people from the Bay Islands of Honduras have been crossing the Caribbean Sea and settling in the Cayman Islands for years.
It started in the 40’s and 50’s, when local Caymanians traveled to the English-speaking Bay Islands by catboats for food and resources limited by the arid local soil. Located about 145 nautical miles away, they were easily accessible. The Bay Islands’ history includes many disputes between Spain and England during colonial times, so much so that English is mostly spoken here despite the fact that Spanish is the official language of Honduras.
To Caymanians, Spanish is synonimous with people from Honduras. It’s incredible to think how Latin America is alive in the most unexpected of places.
Bananas on your burger?03.20.09
I have a new found appreciation for bananas. The miracle fruit, as it is sometimes referred to for its valuable nutritious content, found its way into my heart on a recent escape to St.Lucia. This island on the West Indies with a population of about 150,000 is drenched in English, French and African hues, and resulted in a surprising discovery. Geographically, it combined the lush terrain of the Brazilian Amazon with emerald beaches. Driving along its curvy roads, banana plantations stretched along the way, its tiers covered in blue plastic for protection from the sun and insects.
Bananas are one of the island’s main crops and along with tourism, one of its primary sources of revenue. And understandably so, each St.Lucian banana is a sunny gem of nature that’s honey sweet and spiced with cloves. They were a ubiquitous snack, sprawled on a roadside stand by the jungle and on a boat that took me sailing along the island’s coasts.
Cramming my suitcase full of them would have brightened up my kitchen in New York for days to come. But instead I opted for the next best thing: banana ketchup. Locals use it like our beloved Heinz and smear it on their burgers and fries.Yellow, tangy and mildly sweet but infused with an authentic banana essence, it is the sunniest condiment in my pantry to date.
Food For Thought