Blanchards

Frommer's Review

In 1994, when Anguilla was just beginning to attract high-spending foodies, Bob and Melinda Blanchard opened a restaurant that was at the end of a dirt track to the sea. It was rumored to be elegantly casual and said to serve fresh and inventive haute cuisine. Frankly, many wondered how long Blanchard's would survive. Since then, this place with indoor-outdoor dining on the beach (now reached by a good road) has become the island's one must-do place to eat for many foodies. It's not uncommon to see dinner guests arrive here clutching copies of the Blanchards' book A Trip to the Beach, a charming account of how they created their restaurant. Now Blanchards' only problem is how to live up to its reputation. No problem: The crackerjack staff keeps the engine humming night after night.

Behind tall teal shutters (which are opened to the sea breezes), diners enjoy sophisticated but not fussy food with a spirited Caribbean flair. Among the perpetual favorites are sublime lobster-and-shrimp cakes -- worth the trip alone. The specialty is the Caribbean sampler: oven-crisped mahimahi with coconut, lime, and ginger; roasted Anguilla lobster with honey glaze; and jerk chicken with cinnamon-rum bananas. For a real island dessert, opt for the cracked coconut with coconut ice cream accompanied by a rum-custard sauce in a chocolate-crusted shell. You can buy one of the Blanchards' newest tomes on the way out; oh, and those are son Jesse's colorful paintings on the walls.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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