The Detroit Foodie

With winter in full effect, i’m sure many of you are longing for warm summery weather; especially with this week’s mini-snowmaggedon. My suggestion, plan a vacation to the Caribbean! Soft sandy beaches. Turquoise waters. Sun beams radiating down. A gentle breeze. Beautiful scenery. Great FOOD & music. What more can you ask for…right?

Earlier this year I went on a vacation to the ISLANDS, on a Carnival Cruise to be exact. At first, i wasn’t so sure about ‘cruising’ because A.) Being on a boat in the middle of an ocean terrified me. B.) Motion-sickness C.) We had an ITALIAN captain - nuf’ said!

Surprisingly, i loved the cruise - enjoy the photos & write-ups below! : )

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Here are a couple CRUISE facts you should know:

(1.) Tip the guy who checks in your bag (dock-side); you’ll get your bag faster!

(2.) DO bring motion sickness pills - i told you so & you’re welcome!

(3.) Go for a weekend or week; seven days was perfect for me (no more/no less)!

(4.) DO get a room with either a window or balcony!

(5.) You have about 10 hours on each island/destination (ex. 8am-6pm), which gives you just enough time to do an excursion (ex. scuba diving, hiking, island tour, etc), take in the sights, relax on the beach and sip away on a Margarita (or two)!

(6.) Speaking of Margaritas, drinking is HIGHLY encouraged EVERYWHERE. I’ve never seen alcohol being hustled so aggressively…geesh!

(7.) The hustlers and cruise ship workers alike, were always hospitable & attentive!

(8.) FREE Carnival Cruise ship amenities included an all-you-can-eat sushi bar & food court, designated pools for kids, teens, and adults (thank you Lord), outdoor movie nights, comedy shows, basketball courts, nightclubs, live music, and so on.

Side note: The formal dining area was all inclusive & delicious (a definite highlight), and the waitstaff (shout-out to Visarut, Made, & Catherine) were AMAZING!

(9.) Patrons of these cruises are NOT all retirees. There was a mix of young & old, families & honeymooners, spring breakers & seniors, and everything in between.

(10.) NO, this message is not ‘Brought to you by…Carnival’. I just so happened to love my first cruise experience, and i wanted to break the common misconceptions often associated with this vacation alternative. If you’re looking for an affordable & fun way to see many places within a flexible amount of time, take a cruise! : )

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Our first stop on the Caribbean cruise was a visit to The Bahamas. Believe the photos people, the waters ARE a crisp turquoise blue with white sandy beaches - absolutely breathtaking! After sipping on piña coladas, taking in the sun, and walking along the beach….we then headed out to the reefs to go snorkeling! : )

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Second destination: St. Thomas (U.S. Virgin Islands). Of all the islands we visited, St. Thomas was definitely the most mountainous & rainforesty. We took a tour around the island and visited Blackbeard’s Castle (with an operating rum distillery), Haagensen House, Amber Museum, the Botanical Gardens, and had dinner at Chez Le Caribe.

The restaurant features freshly caught seafood, so i opted to try Conch (for the first time). Slowly simmered in garlic butter, the Conch was tender & tasty. Not bad! As for the main meal, i ordered a Chilean Sea Bass Burger. Perfectly cooked, but very bland. While the restaurant (Chez Le Caribe) was nice, it was wayyy overpriced (IMO).

After talking with locals we found that St. Thomas has become a haven for the rich, as evident with all the jewelry (gold & diamond) shops EVERYWHERE. With low taxes & available land, the millionaires are flocking to this area building gargantuan sized mansions, while the poorer sections (the majority of the island) are still scrambling to rebuild areas affected by the devastating earthquake.

FACT: A gallon of milk on St. Thomas costs $10!!!

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One of my favorite places on our vacation was a visit to San Juan, Puerto Rico!

Viejo (Old) San Juan is a very walkable city, so no need to take a taxi. It has old world charm with lots of winding cobble-stoned roads, 400+ year old churches (like San Juan Bautista & San Francesco), lovely ornate details decorating all the vibrantly colored buildings, historic sites (El Morro & San Cristobal are a must see), parks, street vendors, cafes, and of course plenty of shopping.

While in PR, i scouted out a local 100 year old diner called La Bombonera. Not many tourists inside (always a good sign), but the only problem was i speak broken Spanish & the waiter spoke broken English….in the end, we got by just fine! The definite highlight of our meal was the Coca de Sardines - a pizza like dish with roasted veggies & fresh sardines, served on a focaccia-like bread. All around great!!!

CAUTION: Be sure to avoid the north end of the city known as La Perla.

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Our last island visit was to Grand Turk (within Turks & Caicos). As our ship docked, beautiful blue hues of water encompassed us & stretched out to the horizon - almost surreal! Enough of my rambling…on Grand Turk we enjoyed the warm sandy beaches, went horseback riding (even going into the water with them…yes i know, crazy…i’m just glad I lived to tell the tale of these adventures), got a taste of REAL Caribbean food, and took a tour through the main part of the island.

As we learned from our tour guide, Turks & Caicos was greatly affected by Hurricane Ike (the same storm that devastated Haiti). You could see the damage done to the island with all the ruble & leveled homes we passed, the boarded up buildings, and the displacement of people…hardly any residents remained : (

On a more positive note, I spotted a small shack on the wayyyyy end of the beach. With the 20 minute walk to get here I was sure there would be AMAZING food…my suspicions were correct! Local Village (the name of the restaurant/shack) had fantastic Conch Fritters & scrumptious Jerk Chicken - def worth the hike! : )

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¡Bienvenido a Miami!

Most cruise ships set sail from & dock at The Port of Miami. So, while waiting for our evening flight we toured Miami’s South Beach (SoBe) area. Pricey. Pricey. Pricey.

Think of South Beach as a mix between a tourist trap & a place to be/be seen type of vibe. Exhibit A: If you’re cruisin’ along Ocean Drive you better be in a Bentley, Ferrari, or Maybach. Exhibit B: $25 Margaritas. Exhibit C: EVERYONE is EXTREMELY FIT & dressed to the nines (yes, even the men are impeccably put together).

Taking a walk along Ocean Drive (SoBe’s main road - pictured above) you’ll see the famed Art Deco architecture of hotels like the Clevelander & Leslie, see Versace’s mansion (yes, it sits right on the main road…crazy), pass various nightclubs, get some sun at Miami Beach, stroll thru Lummus Park, and just enjoy the great scenery!

As for the food, I suggest avoiding ANY & ALL restaurants located along Ocean Drive! Nine is one such example. It was the Medusa of all restaurants, alluring new visitors to South Beach with its outdoor dining (perfect view of Ocean Drive), beautiful decor, and a promising menu. Unfortunately, a combination of horrendous customer service & mediocre over-priced food will deter any future visits to Nine!

Onto the highlights of our food adventures: we stumbled upon Lecca Lecca (of Jersey Shore fame) & the gelato was fantastic - i highly recommend the Nocciola (aka hazelnut)! Another accidental find was Rosemary Cafe. A Brazilian restaurant serving freshly made staple dishes like Coxinha, Pastel, Arroz e Feijão, and so on. The Mango Cucumber Salad was deelish, while the Chicken Empanadas & Kibe were just okay…a bit too greasy.

In the end, it was an all around great vacation!