Fine dining, Caribbean style: memorable meals can enhance your vacation pleasures

Black Enterprise, May, 1996 by Ann Brown

Just as savvy businesspeople know a good meal can help seal a deal, most of us must admit that what and where we eat can help make our vacation memorable. Taking a clue from businesspeople who travel and dine frequently in the Caribbean can offer hints for the rest of us about where to go when we're there on vacation.

Don Scott, broadcast director for the Uniworld advertising agency. prefers holding his business meetings at two major hotels when he's in Puerto Rico. He prefers the Dar Tiffany (809-791-7272), a fancy seafood and steak house in the El San Juan Hotel for power dinners (lunch is served during the summer). Exotic concoctions, such as the Red Snapper with passion fruit, highlight the menu; entrees range from $22 to $60. His other favorite is Bruno at the Condado Plaza Hotel (999 Ashford Ave.; 809-721-1000), which he describes as having "a classy, beautiful setting." The menu is seafood and steak with a Caribbean touch; dinner entrees start at $25.

In Grenada, check out La Belle Creole (Morne Rouge Rd., St. George; 809-444-4316) at the Blue Horizons Cottage Hotel near Grand Anse Beach. Both restaurant and hotel are owned by a black family, the Hopkins. "The food is 100% Grenadian with a continental flair," says co-owner Arnold Hopkin. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, a sample prix-fixe, five-course dinner ($40 per person) includes such delights as Grenadian caviar and conch lobster fondue appetizers.

Name the fish and they'll serve it at Lynette's Grill & Seafood in Simpson's Bay on the Dutch side of St. Maarten (Simpson Bay Blvd.; 011-599-55-2865). Lynette's is the only black-owned dining spot on the island's restaurant strip. Open for lunch (about $11) and dinner ($26), it's popular with business-people, tourists and locals alike.

In Jamaica, Devon House in Kingston (26 Hope Rd.; 809-929-7046) is the top choice of Vivian Scott, vice president of urban music at Sony Records. The relaxed setting and traditional Jamaican fare is great for lunch or dinner. Alison Ross, public relations pro for Peter Martin Associates in New York, also suggests Jade Garden (106 Hope Rd., 809-978-3476), a Chinese restaurant at Sovereign Center in Kingston.

Those visiting St. Barts may choose to power lunch at the Hotel Carl Gustaf dining room (11 Norman St., Gustivia; 001-590-27-82-83), which offers a lunch-for-two deal ($60). In Nevis, the dining room at the Four Seasons Resort (Pinney's Beach; 809-469-1111), with its exceptional blend of international, Caribbean and Asian cuisines, makes an elegant formal setting for dinner in which to impress a client or loved one.

In the USVI, Anabelle's Tea Room (King Cross St., 809-773-3990) in St. Croix provides a lively and refreshing outdoor setting for casual dining on a unique mix of local and Cuban fare. In Christiansted, St. Croix, Antoine's (58A King St.; 809-773-0263) offers a mix of international and Caribbean fate, a great view of the harbor and marina and the largest selection of beer and exotic drinks on the island. In St. Thomas, black-owned Eunice's Terrace (66-67 Smith Bay, Rte. 38; 809-775-3975) is still a favorite of local business-people for the best West Indian food. Or ferry across to St. John for dinner at the Ciao Mein restaurant in the Hyatt Hotel (Great Cruise Bay; 809-693-8000) for great Chinese Italian cuisine.

With its eclectic mix of tourists and locals, the Pick-A-Dilly Restaurant (Parliament St., 809-322-2836), in downtown Nassau, is a lunchtime and happy hour favorite among businesspeople around the government offices. For dinner, the five-star Graycliff (West Hill St., 809-322-2796) off Blue Hill in downtown Nassau makes a lasting impression. Bon appetit!