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Best Dining Bets
Blanchards (Anguilla; tel. 264/497-6100): On this pricey, fashionable island, Bob and Melinda Blanchard serve a repertoire of dishes that are both sublime and inventive. For their inspiration, they turn to the kitchens of the world. Celebs such as Robert De Niro and Janet Jackson have praised their wine cellar, arguably the best in the Caribbean. Exceptional products are prepared with a finely honed technique.
The Reef Grill at Royal Palms (Grand Cayman; tel. 345/945-6358): Elegant and hip, this hotshot restaurant in the Royal Palms Beach Club opens onto the fabled Seven Mile Beach. Adjacent to a beachfront bar and grill, it is a citadel of fine cuisine, specializing in seafood recently plucked from the nearby sea. The chefs treat seasonal products with care, turning out technically precise dishes that also have imagination (anyone for mashed potatoes garnished with chunks of lobster tail?).
La Belle Epoque (Martinique; tel. 596/64-41-19): The best haute cuisine on this island is dispensed at this long-established gourmet citadel high above the capital of Fort-de-France. This restaurant is about as close as Martinique comes to duplicating the superb viands of Mother France. The cuisine shows a complete mastery of a fertile culinary imagination.
Le Sapotillier (St. Barthélemy; tel. 590/27-60-28): Before upstart Anguilla stole a lot of their thunder, the chefs of St. Barts were known as the finest in the Caribbean, although that's open to argument. Competition has come and gone, and still St. Barts' chefs rank among the top, especially at this West Indian house in the capital of Gustavia. The French-inspired cuisine served here emphasizes seafood, but does a number of other dishes remarkably well. Under its namesake, a sapodilla tree, you can feast on such traditional dishes as duck foie gras or veal stew in a Roquefort sauce.
The Edge (St. Lucia; tel. 758/450-3343): In spite of this lackluster setting, Swedish-born Bobo Bergström is hailed as St. Lucia's finest chef -- and the competition is keen. His European fusion cuisine produces thrilling gastronomic delights, and he also offers the first and only sushi bar ever set up on St. Lucia. In 2003 he was designated as Caribbean Chef of the Year. We'll let you in on a secret: He's gotten even better since then.
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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