Five ways to enjoy Antigua

by Tom Johansmeyer on

When you travel to an upscale resort, it’s pretty hard to leave the property. It’s not like you’re held captive, of course. I had no problem actually leaving Curtain Bluff physically, but it was hard to get motivated enough to leave. This is where the accusations of snobbery enter the picture. The elite prefer to stay within the sheltered walls of the property. For some, this is true, though the judgment is often hasty. High-end resorts are designed to make you as happy as possible. Everything is supposed to be perfect … and why would you leave perfect?

Regardless of how amazing your resort is, there is plenty to see outside the gates. Even if you take just one day of your vacation to roam this small island (Antigua occupies only 108 square miles), you’ll walk away without regret.

So, you’re outside the gates in Antigua … now what? After the jump, check out five recommendations to get you started.

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1. Nelson’s Dockyard
This national park boasts buildings several hundred years old and has a small museum chronicling the island’s maritime history. Be careful around the sick-house: once upon a time, there was only one cure for every ailment – rum.

2. Mix with the locals
Every Sunday evening, there’s a part at Shirley Heights. It’ll only cost you around $8 to get in, and the barbeque never disappoints.

3. Open an offshore bank account [Just kidding!]

3. Check out the cricket stadium
Even if Sir Vivian Richards Stadium is empty, reflect on the fact that it accommodates 20,000 people … on an island of only 85,000 (as of a year ago).

4. Hang out with Sir Allen Stanford [It turns out he’s busy right now, and probably won’t be coming back to Antigua for a very long time.]

4. Ascend Mount Obama
Right now, the highest point on Antigua is Buggy Point. In October, the mountain will still bear this distinction, but it will have a new name: Mount Obama. Antigua is an island of Obamaniacs, with cab drivers celebrating the U.S. president on their dashboards and signs scattered across the country.

5. Tempt Fate at the Devil’s Bridge
This small strip of rock was carved by a brutal ocean current. It’s slippery, and even when the waves around it look tame, you’re gambling with your life. One false move, and you could walk be carried away from Devil’s Bridge like one German tourist – with three broken ribs and two broken arms.

To learn more the other reason why Devil’s Bridge is famous, watch the video below.

Disclosure: Curtain Bluff did pick up the tab for this trip. Honestly, a prolie blogger like me wouldn’t be able to cover this destination without support from the resort. That said, my opinions are my own. Worried that my experience was positive? Blame the resort staff for doing a kickass job. I could lie and say it all sucked, but that would come at the expense of my editorial integrity.

The Maitre d’ of Cheese

by Kendra Bailey Morris on

I must confess. I want Carolyn Stromberg’s job. She spends all day surrounded by stinky cheese, nibbling away her work hours immersed in plethora of funkiness. There’s no three-walled office cubicle for this former Cowgirl Creamery apprentice. Only a butcher’s block and a stainless steel cheese slicer, along with one of the ultra-coolest gadgets I’ve seen in a long time– a glass-enclosed cheese cave built right into the wall of the Old Hickory Steakhouse restaurant at the Gaylord National Resort and Conference Center in National Harbor, Maryland.

And, these are no ordinary cheeses, mind you, so get that grocery store smoked gouda and that plastic-wrapped havarti out of your head. Carolyn, whose proper title is Maitre d’Fromage, spends much of her time working with a variety of local and international purveyors in search of the very best seasonal cheeses to present at their ultimate peak.

Each cheese is carefully selected based on origin, texture, taste and appearance, and is housed in the restaurant’s own cave which is kept at just the right temperature and humidity (60 degrees and 80 percent humidity) in order to preserve its optimum ripeness and moisture level. The cave, which is the only one of its kind in the D.C. area, can best be described as a sort of humidor for cheese.

For diners at the Old Hickory Steakhouse, a classic tasting platter might begin with selecting from a fruity cow’s milk Piave from Italy or a piquant Lord of the Hundreds sheep’s milk from England or perhaps an earthy Irish Cashel Blue might be your savory ticket. U.S. artisan cheese makers get a well-deserved nod on Carolyn’s list as well, whether you’re craving a buttery Nettle Meadow Kunik from New York or an Up in Smoke goat’s milk from Oregon.

Boasting more than two dozen artisanal cheeses, the collection can be worth an estimated $8,000 to $10,000 on any given evening.

And, these rare cheeses don’t come cheap. Boasting more than two dozen artisanal cheeses, the collection can be worth an estimated $8,000 to $10,000 on any given evening. With this in mind, cheese lovers are encouraged to choose wisely, which is where Carolyn as Maitre’d comes into play.

After spending all day ordering, slicing and tasting some of the most respected dairy producers in the world, Carolyn fills her evenings catering to the inner-cheese junkie in all of us. Pushing along her trolley of goodness (a custom-made cheese cart), Carolyn presents fifteen or more varieties table side for guests to choose from.

What results is both delicious and educational, as diners are first asked about their personal taste preferences and then offered several options from the trolley. As choices are narrowed down, Carolyn offers her take on the history of the cheeses along with pairing suggestions. The presentation culminates with guests customizing their own cheese plate, which can serve as a tasty beginning or end to a carefully-crafted meal built for the passionate cheese lover.

As part of the Old Hickory’s dinner menu, which is an impressive collection of delights in and of itself courtesy of Chef Wolfgang Birk, the customized artisanal cheese option, is just the beginning. With views overlooking the Potomac and a contemporary design take reminiscent of a Georgetown row house, the restaurant boasts a collection of 130 award-winning wines designed to pair with hearty cuts of grain-fed Black Angus beef (which can be decadently topped with lobster tail or foie gras) and signature dishes such as pepper crusted organic Scottish salmon with butternut squash risotto and truffle leek sauce. Birk, a former chef of the five-diamond awarded Casa Casuarina (a.k.a. the Versace mansion) often culls from local farms and producers in an effort to keep the menu fresh and contemporary.

Service is tight here as well, and the little details make all the difference, such as presenting a wedge of unsalted butter on cold salt stone to accompany the basket of bread. Yet, the most unique aspect of the resort’s restaurant is Carolyn’s table side cheese presentation, which is a foodie adventure not-to-be-missed, so when you’re ready to get your cheese on, hit the Gaylord National for an experience tailored to those who crave a little more pungency in life.

—Kendra

Los Cabos becomes golf hotspot, per Golf Digest

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Naples, Florida. Bethpage Black. Pebble Beach. St. Andrews. These are the sorts of places that come to mind when you think “top spot for golf.” But, Los Cabos? Mexico? Prepare to have your illusions shattered: Fiesta Americana Grand Los Cabos Golf & Spa Resort – a destination whose name you just can’t say quickly – picked up the #9 spot on Golf Digest’s world hotspots for golf (if you can actually call a place known for golf a “hotspot”).

The golf course and resort with the long name pushed into the top 10 in the magazine’s “50 Best International Golf Hotels Outside of the United States” category. The win was helped by The Ocean Course at Cabo del Sol, designed by Jack Nicklaus (or at least under his name) and ranked #1 in Latin American. The other attraction, The Desert Course at Cabo Del Sol takes #5 in Mexico, also according to Golf Digest.

Alberto Gurrola, general manager of The Fiesta Americana Grand Los Cabos Golf & Spa, is understandably psyched about the Golf Digest honors, saying, “The Fiesta Americana Grand Los Cabos Golf & Spa Resort has long attracted guests for its spectacular, idyllic background, where the desert meets the sea as well as its soothing SOMMA WineSPA and, of course, its world-renowned golf offerings.”

Now, I’m not going to say that the spa is a great place to drop the wife when you dash off to play 18 holes, lest I invoke the ire of a commenter yet again. Simply, if I were married to a golfer, I’d run off to the spa while she goes out to chase a little white ball.

The Accidental Chef Travels: An Introduction

by Kendra Bailey Morris on

This post is the first installment of my culinary travel feature column, “The Accidental Chef Travels”. Come join me to discover all that’s delicious!

I think the best way to introduce myself is to begin with the basics. I grew up in an unusual family — part West Virginia hillbilly (we proudly hail from the mountainous coalfields) and part academic, since despite having a few economic and cultural cards stacked against us, the majority of my relatives as well as myself went on to receive advanced degrees, write books and teach university level courses. Go figure.

Because of this dichotomous existence, I’ve spent much of my life straddling the gray area, somewhere between cheesy grits and Chateaubriand. Yet, despite this oxymoron-esque lifestyle, one thing has remained constant — my love of worldly exploration and an inherent need to taste every last bit of it.

I still believe that the best place on earth is my grandmother’s kitchen in Princeton, West Virginia, where she, well into her upper-nineties, whipped up the best fried pies and coconut cake you’ve ever tasted. Yet, while granny’s comfort food remains unbeatable, I still spend my days infatuated with what the rest of the world has to offer.

Whether I’m noshing fresh-fried conch fritters at a roadside stand in the Turks and Caicos, nibbling blocks of Spam musubi while ogling the fresh Saturday morning produce at the Hilo Farmer’s Market or learning how to make Salade Gascogne (an explosion of poultry consisting of grilled duck breast, foie gras and duck confit) with chef/cookbook author Kate Hill in rural Southwest France, like many of you, I am compelled to taste my way across the globe, and I hope you’ll join me for this exciting and delicious ride.

It’s been said, that there are those of us who travel, and those of us who travel to eat. For gastronomes like myself, planning an entire vacation around what to eat and where is the norm. So for all of you food junkies out there, I plan to highlight an array of culinary activities such as cooking schools, food and wine immersion opportunities, food-focused resorts, cruises, even sustainable farm visits. And you can bet I won’t be leaving out off-the-beaten-track treasures such as backstreet markets, paper plate dives and mobile cart munchies. From truffle hunts to salmon fishing, I hope to bring you the best of what’s tasty and where.

I won’t be leaving out those who travel frequently for business or pleasure either, including folks who seek the very latest in restaurant news and reviews, both on the ground and in the air. For my “Mile High Dining Club” installments, I’ll cover the latest trends in taste, whether you’re kicking back in first-class or clutching your knees in coach.

For those looking to further their culinary travel education, I’ll be adding a “How-To” feature. From how to sniff and sip your way through Napa to avoiding an untimely death when eating Fugu, a Japanese pufferfish, I hope to share with you some great insider tips and tricks.

Bottom line? This column is going to fun, lots of fun, and I can’t wait for you to join me as we explore the many exciting tastes, textures and aromas that our world has to offer.

—Kendra

Hot New England deal will help you cool off this summer

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Once Manhattan turns into a pressure cooker, usually in mid-July, I’m looking for the exits … and I fully realize that we don’t have “real” heat up here. So, if you have it worse than I do, check out the latest deal from Samoset Resort. Tucked away on the edge of Penobscot Bay, this property’s new zero-entry pool is a great place to hide from the heat this summer, even if only for a weekend.

Spend two nights at the Samoset, relax in a private cabana, and take a break from the pool in a luxurious, oversized hot tub. Relax your body, a bit … and help this process along with a $50 resort credit at the Splash Pool Bar. You’ll get all this (and breakfast every day) for $259 a night, as long as you visit between Sunday and Thursday. Once August ends, the deal does, too.

To take advantage of the special, remember to use the promo code HOT.