Culinary Delights in St. Kitts

Unlike Nevis, its tiny, placid sister island that’s a mere

seven minutes away by water taxi, St. Kitts buzzes with

an overabundance of large cruise ship activity, with

travelers gravitating to casinos, zip lines and ATV vehicles.

However, I sought out and found the serene side of this

island, including chill restaurants that satisfy all tastes,

whether vegan or confirmed meat eater. The photos (below)

reflect some of the scrumptious desserts served at the

MangoLand Cafe, an informal eatery where guests sit in

the placid backyard in the shade of, what else, but

mango trees. This is my latest article for Forbes on St. Kitts. 

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A Five-Star Accommodation for Garden Lovers

I have a love affair with botanical gardens or actually gardens of any sort. That's why finding a boutique accommodation in Madeira, a Portuguese island, that's enveloped by blooming flowers and other verdancy was a surprise. No matter where you walk on this property, whether one of two swimming pools, any of the restaurants or cafes, or your accommodation, you'll have garden views. To find out more, check out my recent article for Forbes on Estalagem Quinta da Casa Branca.

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An Innovative Portuguese Restaurant In New York City

    Chef George Mendes of Aldea fame, the Michelin-starred Portuguese restaurant in New York City, recently opened Lupulo -- the name translates to "hops" in Portuguese -- a restaurant distinctly different in terms of its design and menu concept. While Aldea is fine dining and more traditional cuisine of Mendes' homeland, Lupulo has a  contemporary decor with traditional touches, and the same can be said for the cuisine.

    An immense oval bar sits smack in the middle of this expansive space that's suffused with natural light. Portuguese blue and white tiles line one wall while heavy maritime-type ropes act as vertical room dividers. An open, non chaotic kitchen takes up one entire wall.

    This gastropub  specializes in dishes that are an homage to Portuguese, but with a welcome creative twist. A mackerel spread had none of the expected bold fishy flavor. Instead, the kaffir lime, Vinho Verde wine, olive oil and a  touch of sea  salt lend a complex but mild flavor. The bowl of mackerel spread is ringed by ultra thin pieces of toast. This dish is one of several tasty petiscos (Portuguese tapas or small dishes) that include the light and flavorful grilled green asparagus with a dollop of dried sea urchin, plus sorrel and walnuts.

    For main courses -- though we shared everything -- I recommend the green peas made with diced chorizo, and topped with sunnyside up eggs along with parsley,Vinho Verde and kaffir lime. (The latter two appear in a number of dishes and, I must say that I never tired of the tanginess they gave each dish.). Another creative entree is the red snapper crudo, served in a bowl of coconut milk and kaffir lime broth, made spicy thanks to serrano peppers plus benne seeds.

    Unlike most people who love Portugal's traditional egg-based desserts, I find them cloyingly sweet. Thankfully, Lupulo's desserts are Portugal made modern. We opted for the chocolate "salami" sprinkled with sweet chocolate powder, and served with a side of olive oil ice cream.

    Of course, because Lupulo is named for the Portuguese word for "hops," it's no wonder that you'll find a wealth of craft beers, including the Sagres Pilsner and varieties from Japan, Belgium and Germany. Lupulo's wine menu features only wines from Portugal including the region I'm most fond of: the Alentejo. 

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Luxembourg: 15 Myths

What do you know about Luxembourg? If you're like most of the people I recently spoke with, you probably haven't ever visited this petite country (it's barely the size of Rhode Island) that's bordered by France, Germany and Belgium. And, also like most everyone I polled recently, not only have you not thought about visiting Luxembourg, but you probably haven't given this country a second thought. And, yet, everyone I asked about Luxembourg City's night life, culinary scene, topography and more had an opinion, that just wasn't based on facts. Many thought that this center of finance was plenty boring. (It's not.) That it's a wide expanse of flat land. (Hardly.) And that the cuisine is so dominated by rich, meat-laden meals that it's a vegetarian's nightmare. (Wrong, again.)

Check out my article on 15 Myths About Luxembourg that just appeared in the Huffington Post. It'll give you a whole new perspective on this vibrant country. So much so, that you might want to just jump on the next plane bound for Luxembourg City. Just remember, even three days -- the number of days I spent in the capital -- isn't long enough.

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A Little Bit of Portugal - in Westchester, NY

As many of you know, Portugal is one of my specialties. So when I found out about gourmet Portuguese cuisine being prepared by the teaming of an American chef with Portuguese roots, Anthony Goncalves, and a well-respected guest chefs from Portugal, including Marco Gomez, I jumped on the next train to Westchester.

I never thought of Westchester, let alone the Ritz Carlton Hotel, as a bastion of well-crafted Portuguese gastronomy. But that's what I recently found and wrote about for the Huffington Post.

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Iceland's Curious & Creative Cuisine

I always approach travel with a sense of curiosity and that applies to the local food. When I visit Iceland, one of my very favorite countries for its pristine landscapes, sense of adventure around almost every corner, wealth of geologic variety, and one of the most charming capital cities around, I’m always searching for authentic food. There’s no lack of it in Iceland, which has plenty in the way of culinary delicacies at upscale restaurants such as the Fish Market that serves blueberry cured filet of lamb or the Fish Company, which offers an international menu that includes blackened langoustines with truggle gnocchi.

But then there are those odd assortment of creature body parts that make up traditional Icelandic cuisine. Cod cheeks -- you probably didn’t know codish have cheeks? -- pickled ram's balls and the hardly tasty, fermented shark meat. Yes, I’ve eaten all of these items, some inadvertently. I recently wrote about Iceland’s curious cuisine for AAA’s Home & Away magazine (make sure you input this zip code, 73106, to access the article) where you’ll find out which restaurant has boiled sheep head on the menu, and why I ended up accidentally consuming fermented shark meat -- though I vowed never to eat it.

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Loving Molecular Gastronomy

Some of you may know that I'm a scientist by training (microbiology, nutrition & exercise physiology). And given my love affair with food, it's always fun to be able to combine food and science. That's what happened recently when I attended and reported on a symposium held at New York University. At the Experimental Cuisine Collective, chefs, the press, students and all manner of scientists get together to discuss what's new and interesting in the culinary world. If you love all things about food and you're in New York City, check out their schedule of events.

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