So, it has been a LONG while since I posted! 

During most of the year, I’ve been traveling somewhere just about every weekend.  If not far away such as Grand Cayman or Cabo San Lucas Mexico, I’ve been on numerous coastal and mountain hikes, as well as, camping with family and great friends.  I've ate out way too much and now have to put a plan together to work it all off.  The past few months, besides my normal job, have taken me to many places besides in front of my computer.

That said, I have some major catching up to do!

I’ve thought about “Craving Places” and what it might mean to myself and others who enjoy reading my blog.  Basically, I “crave” many “places” whether it pertains to food or just traveling somewhere different.  I crave unusual and sometimes all too common experiences.  Sometimes I even crave my home and my family’s home where I was raised.  Hell, I even crave my third home which is my Aunt and Uncle’s house in Michigan!

I’ve come to the conclusion that Craving Places will be about my life experiences, the places I crave, the food I crave, and the common and not so common experiences I crave.  Sometimes my post will be about food at a restaurant – even little holes in the wall (those are the best).  Sometimes I will write about travel in general or about specific places I’ve experienced.  All in all, when I look back over a year – I feel very fortunate to check some places off my “craved” bucket list.

I hope you enjoy reading about my new cravings! 

GRAND CAYMAN ISLAND, B.W.I.

Last April, I was fortunate to be awarded a trip to Grand Cayman.  My boyfriend, Ethan, was lucky enough to have a kick-ass girlfriend that took him along – all expenses paid!  We were put up at the Ritz Carlton which is a beautiful resort, taken on the normal “swim with the stingrays” and “kayak through the mangroves” tours, and fed the best of the best resort food.  Those tours were SO much fun and we learned a lot about the mangroves as well.  Who could complain? Okay, I'll complain a bit.  The food is spectacular, but if you want authentic Caymanian food you need to venture out.

On the way to Stingray City

Kayaking Grand Cayman Mangroves

 

Being the “strap on our backpacks and start walking" type of people, we grabbed our cameras and ventured off on foot to find a rental car place.  Besides being mobile on our own around the island we just HAD to try to drive on the opposite side of the road and on the right side of the car!  While we were exploring, we asked locals where we could get authentic Caymanian cuisine.  Most pointed us in the direction of a little restaurant in a shopping center near Seven Mile Beach.  It’s called Myrtles Restaurant & Bar.  This is the first place where we both fell in love with Jerk Chicken – real jerk chicken!

We found ourselves coming back to Myrtles as much as we could.  So much, we found the owner and told him we just couldn’t get enough.  Tex Fisher, the owner of Myrtles, told us “come back tomorrow and I’ll show you how to make jerk chicken so when you go home you can make it yourself!  We couldn’t believe it!  Was this man – longtime local restaurant owner – really going to give us, two strangers that ate at his restaurant,  his recipe for his jerk?  Hellz ya we were planning to come back!

The next morning, before we left the hotel, we wondered if Tex would remember that we were going to come by.  We wondered if he thought we’d actually follow through and come by like we said we would.  After all, it was our last day on the island and our flight was scheduled to depart that afternoon.  So, Ethan and I thought of a plan to spend our precious few hours we had left.  First stop, rent snorkel gear!  We just had to take one last dip in the crystal clear blue waters and catch as last many cool looking fish experiences as possible.  Second, off to Myrtles to find Tex, learn some jerk skills, and grab as much jerk chicken & pork our stomachs could handle to go so we could take it to the beach.

Tex is definitely a man of his word.  Tall, dark, handsome, and dressed so cool in his “island casual” attire, he sat at his bar happy to see we returned.   He made sure to give Ethan some paper so he could take very clear notes on how he was about to explain his jerk chicken.  The funniest part is throughout the conversation he kept asking Ethan to read it back to him to make sure he had it written down right.  Then it was off to the back of the restaurant so he could show us the specifics of how he grilled it.  This was one of those experiences I “crave”.  It’s one of those special moments in life where you feel a bond with a stranger, and the person your with.  Not many people are really going to care or believe us when we say “yes, this local award winning restaurant owner, gave us his private recipe”!

Oh! You thought I’d share the recipe? Sorry – you’ll have to travel to Myrtles, make your appointment with Tex, and hear it straight from the source.  I’ll provide one hint – REAL scotch bonnet peppers and ginger water!

Tex giving Ethan the run down of how to grill jerk properly

If you’re in Grand Cayman definitely look up Myrtle’s.   The staff is friendly, caring, and Tex will stop by your table to make sure you enjoyed your meal.  Let’s NOT forget that he is the Island’s proud recipient of the award for Best Turtle Soup!  It’s the Caymanians "go to" food just like tacos and burritos are to Mexicans, as well as, Californians (let’s just be honest here).

Tex - very proud of his Turtle Soup award

Unfortunately, I could not find a website for Myrtles Restaurant & Bar.  However, you can Google it – it’s right on Seven Mile Beach.

Be on the lookout for Part 2 of Craving Places:  Grand Cayman.  Our private tour guide later turned friend, Gilbert Nicoletta, made our entire trip.  He, and his company “Joe Tourist”, deserve their own separate post!  Plus, I wouldn’t want to miss writing about any great stories from that day!

 

Introducing Gilbert Nicoletta ... to be continued