THE CAYMAN ISLANDS --WHERE TO EAT

WHERE TO EAT

The Caymans are home to more than 140 nationalities and offer visitors a great selection of more than 140 restaurants. With such a diverse culture, dining is always an adventure and there are tasty treats to explore that'll please every palate.

For a great listing of Cayman Island eateries try caymangoodtaste.com, caymanrestaurants.com or fodors.com.

Here is a short list of restaurants to try compiled from various Internet resources:

Local Fare:
Amelia's Kitchen
Local and Spanish specialties
1 (345) 949-0732

Harry's Caribbean Bar & Grill
Local Caribbean food with entertainment
1 (345) 945-2025

Corita's Copper Kettle
A GeorgeTown tradition, Corita serves local down-home fare
1 (345) 949-2696

Rankin's Jerk Centre
Local fare in a fun outdoor setting, complete with life-size cow
1 (345) 947 3155

Other Specialties:
Fidel Murphy's Irish Pub
An Irish bar that serves great food and ales
1 (345) 949-5189
Cobalt Coast Bar
Next to the turtle farm, great food and sunsets out of the way setting
1 (345) 946-5656
Cracked Conch by the Sea
Oceanfront dining with flair, live music, private rooms
1 (345) 945-5217
Senor Frogs
Family fun is on the menu along with Mexican food, karaoke and more
1 (345) 946-3764
Grand Old House
Celebrating 100 years, award winning wine list, exceptional service, waterfront intimate dining
1 (345) 949-9333
Lobster Pot Restaurant
Specializing in local fresh seafood, Austrian wine list, exotic drinks
1 (345) 949-9333
Hammerhead's Brew Pub and Grill
Oceanfront sports bar with casual atmosphere and great happy hour sunsets
1 (345) 949-3080

RECIPE SITES:

The Internet offers some great local recipes to try if you want a taste of the Caymans at home. Check out the following sites:

• caymanrestaurants.com
• caribbeanchoice.com
• theworldwidegourmet.com
• epicurean.com

Tortuga Rum Cake, Cayman Island.
This recipe for rum cake originated from the owners of the Tortuga Rum Company Limited more than 100 years ago, and it has been passed down through the family generation after generation. Made with a special Tortuga gold blend of rum that is not bottled or available to the public. You can probably approximate it with this recipe, by using a very good, very dark rum. Courtesy of epicurean.com and for personal use only.

Rum Cake

• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 small package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup dark rum (Tortuga Dark preferably)
• 1/2 cup oil
• 4 eggs

Secret Sauce

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup dark rum
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 stick butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease and flour a bundt pan. Sprinkle walnuts over the bottom of the pan. Blend dry cake mix, dry pudding mix, water, rum, oil and eggs for 2 minutes. Pour over walnuts in pan. Bake for 1 hour. Prepare secret sauce 10 minutes before cake is finished baking. Combine water rum, water sugar and butter into sauce pan. Heat over medium heat, stirring until boiling. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove cake from oven. While in pan, gently stab cake with sharp knife. Slowly pour sauce over cake (will look like too much sauce, but cake will absorb it). Let the cake cool in the pan for 30 minutes before removing from pan.

Caymanian Coconut DinnerThis recipe is courtesy of recipeisland.com and for personal use only.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds yam
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 to 2 lemon or lime
• 1 bell pepper (green)
• 3 to 4 pounds of fish
• 1/2 to 3/4 pound of flour
• 3/4 pound of fine cornmeal
• 1 hot scotch bonnet pepper
• 2 pounds sweet potato (Bonita)
• 2 cans or packs of coconut milk
• 1 to 2 pounds frozen yucca (cassava)
• 1 Bundle of green onions (scallions)
• garlic and onion to taste

Instructions For Preparation:
First cut up the fish in slices and clean by using lime juice. Add the cut up hot scotch pepper, scallions, salt, the green pepper to season the fish then set aside. In a large pot, pour in the coconut milk then bring to a boil (be careful not to let boil over). If you decide to use the concentrated coconut milk, add 3 to 4 cups water to dilute (also it would help if some of the cut up onions are added along with the garlic). Add the peeled yucca, potatoes and the yams into a pot of boiling water. You can start making the dumplings by adding cornmeal and flour with the sugar to the batter, now add to the pot. At this time add the fish because you don't want it to boil away by cooking too early. The "Ground Provision" and all the seasoning fish should now be simmering. To thicken, add a little of the gravy and mix with flour to your consistency. For about 25 minutes simmer until its tender. Note: You can also squeeze a little bit of the lemon juice on the fish for flavor. Enjoy!

CONCH FRITTERS This recipe is courtesy of recipeisland.com and for personal use only.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of water
• 1/2 cup of ground carrot
• 1/2 cup of ground onion
• dash hot pepper sauce
• 1 tablespoon of accent
• 3/4 tablesoon of thyme
• 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon of seasoned salt
• 1 tablespoon of black pepper
• 1/2 cup of ground sweet pepper
• 4 to 6 cups of flour (self-rising)
• 3 pounds of fresh ground conch meat

Directions:
First, mix the first 6 ingredients. Add enough of flour to form a thick batter, then add the remaining ingredients. Note: The batter should be stiff enough to roll like a meatball. Next, roll in flour and drop into oil heated to 350 degrees. Cook until brown. Serve with tangy cocktail sauce along with the tartar sauce. Serves 15 (cocktail guests.)