The Caribbean/Bermuda/Bahamas

[EnLinea Media]

All the delicious diversity of the islands, melding the tropics with Spanish, French, English, Dutch, and Indian traditions.

More info: http://CairbbeanPot.com.

[David Paul Appell]

Something I recently published in the NY Post:

April 9, 2009
FOOD: San Juan Garnishes Its New Festival

This year more than ever, any destination that gives a fig about its tourist industry is looking for every edge. And on a hop down to Puerto Rico's capital this past weekend I found the local hotel and tourism association determined to do everything it could to burnish its food, wine and rum festival into a savory enough attraction to attract foodies and keep 'em comin' year after year. Ay, bendito! (Oh, lordy!), as the Puerto Ricans say.

Held on a fetching five-acre swath of low, flat bluff next to Escambrón beach -- on San Juan island just before the bridge to Condado -- the weekend-long Saborea Puerto Rico (that's "sah-bo-RAY-ah," meaning "savor") just wrapped up its second edition. "We studied the Aspen and South Beach festivals to see what worked and what didn't," Saborea co-organizer Clarisa Jiménez told me at a pre-opening cocktail on a breezy terrace of the nearby Caribe Hilton hotel. Well, I can't opine re Aspen, but as a survivor of the sprawling, overpriced, and occasionally Dantesque South Beach Wine & Food Festival, I did find this foodfest a winner on several fronts -- beginning with its more accessible, intimate feel and its relatively reasonable cost, $90 for one day's access up to $225 for all the venues and events all weekend.

On a sunny, breezy, 85-degree Saturday afternoon, I found the crowd in a good mood as they circulated with their wine glasses and little plastic plates among the various booths and tents overlooking the crashing surf. After catching some salsa-ish jazz (or jazzy salsa?) at one of the smaller tents, I wandered over to the demo-kitchen tent to watched Michael Psilakis of New York's Anthos and Mario Pagán of San Juan's Asian-Latin fusion Lemongrass restaurant whip up and plate some luscious-looking lamb chops in pistachio beurre blanc before an appreciative audience of 250 or so (other well-known toques on hand included Carmen González, Bradford Thompson, Jacques Torres, Efraín Cruz, Cat Cora, and Roberto Treviño).

Finally, it was time for the main event -- the tasting tent (actually, two side-by-side tents, mercifully well ventilated).

The 50-plus goody-providers under the Big Top were a nice mix of restaurants, caterers, and foodstuff manufacturers, each offering one to three edible or quaffable products. Latin fare (including Spain) predominated, natch. Jordi Quintero's Café Barcelona in Humacao was serving up fideuà from Valencia (like paella but with noodles), while Perurrican in the outlying San Juan area of Guaynabo was offering Peruvian delicacies like fish ceviche and causitas rellenas (tuna-stuffed potatoes). Myrta Vega, a local lady who's made a business out of supplying a moist Latin spongecake called Bien-Me-Sabe, was passing out luscious little cupsful, and from there, on I went, down the row: Ajili Mójili, Arekas Café, the San Juan Hotel School, Inns of Puerto Rico, Bambuddha, Tempo, and so forth. Through it all, I never had to stand on line for long, and everyone was polite and mellow.

Interspersed throughout were a handful of wine importers (mostly labels from Spain, Argentina, and Chile, from what I could tell), and the island's largest company, Bacardi, was of course feely pouring mojitos, cuba libres, and concoctions based on newfangled flavors like apple, melon, and raspberry. At a smaller stand just across the way, competitor Serrallés/Don Q ladled out its own cocktails (ironically, Bacardi may be a world behemoth, but here in the Puerto Rican market it's a carpetbagger outsold by Don Q, born and based in the south-coast city of Ponce). Not far away, Jorge Ramos, owner of Ververena, an outfit brewing "gourmet sangria," hit on the clever idea of attracting attention by having somebody hanging around dressed up in a colorful devil's mask and costume typical of Ponce's festive Lenten carnaval.

Stuffed to the gills after about an hour, I rallied for one last stop and waddled up to the edge of the bluff, where a VIP area had been set up in a former gun emplacement built by the Spanish in the 18th century. Catered by Stella Artois beer, Bacardi (again), and Lanson Champagne, the area seemed dominated at that moment by the family and entourage of a local politician, all lounging, imbibing and getting complimentary massages. But it was still very laid back and unpretentious for all that -- not a velvet rope in sight.

So what's on the menu for 2010, when Saborea Puerto Rico is scheduled for April 8-10? Jiménez says a restaurant dine-around program is in the works, and attendance is expected to climb a bit from this year's 7,700. And let me tell you something -- it'll be a totally excellent excuse for me to get back down to this tasty island.

More info: SaboreaPuertoRico.com, [phone]

-- David Paul Appell

[José Balido]

Love Curaçao! Here's a recipe for KESHI YENA, stuffed Edam cheese, which is practically the national dish. There's an interesting story behind it: apparently the Dutch slaveowners would eat the cheese and leave only the rind, and so the slaves invented something to stuff the empty rinds with to create a tasty dish for themselves. Whatever the story, it's yummy!

[Anil]

Nothing new to report ? I am thinking of doing a quick trip to Puerto Rico over memorial day.

[EnLinea Media]

On our blog: Check out this delish recipe for curry snapper from Le Gaïac in St. Bart's Le Toiny.