Suga’s Restaurant Week Round-up!

How was Restaurant Week for Suga and her Suga Bears? Not so exciting. The majority of Suga Bears’ responses were ‘meh’, ‘It wasn’t all that’ and ‘I didn’t participate this year or feel the urge to’. I totally agree. Marketing was probably at its lowest this year. It seemed as if the Ambassadors were practically invisible until the week had almost passed by. The Nyam & Jam Food and Drink Festival had a lot more buzz going on. Did the US elections and the victory of Donald Trump kill advertising? It’s partially the media’s event so they should have had control over that.

The lack of creativity and variety in Menus were also disappointing for many this year, causing some not to participate at all.

Though in agreement, I still tried to find and suggest the best Restaurants and got a few to change their mind. One was pleasantly surprised with Nirvanna Indian Fusion Cuisine’s Nyam and Scram. It was not only affordable but filling and delicious with the right amount of spice.

Nirvanna Indian Fusion Cuisine ($1300 +GCT)

 

Suga can’t say the same for CPJ Deli’s Nyam & Scram though. Thankfully I made the right choice with the Pan Seared Snapper Fillet. It was the best of the worse at the table with its bones and all. The Grilled Garlic and Ginger Pork Chop was lacking seasoning and a salivating sauce and the Crispy Parmesan Shrimp Salad was a disaster. The best thing on that plate was the taco shell that the Salad came in. The Salad arrived at the table with no vinaigrette as advertised and the Shrimps were burnt. When my friend was already trying her best to get halfway through, the waitress realised she forgot to serve it with the vinaigrette and Parmesan cheese for the Shrimp. The Parmesan cheese could not help that dry, burnt Shrimp though. Most of the staff were unpleasant and seemed overwhelmed by the Deli full of diners. They usually have good service but last Saturday was horrible. Even getting an extra fork was a production. Their Restaurant Week menu did not include a Soup or even a Muffin but only a glass of wine or a Vodka mix along with the meal. Thankfully we digressed from the Restaurant Week menu and ordered the Chocolate Endulgence. Go to CPJ Deli if you are in need of a proper Chocolate fix! Let it soften from the fridge for a bit and then allow it take your breath away. Endulge!

CPJ Deli Pan Seared Snapper Fillet ($1200 +GCT)

Cannonball Café was a good Nyam & Scram pick as I had suggested. They really were all that and a bag of chips.

Cannonball Café’s Turkey Bacon Ranch Club Wrap with Chips, a Cookie and Medium French Press- $896 +GCT (Photo credit: Randy Burgess)

The Houseboat Grill (Delectable) in Montego Bay was average and the food was described as salty. Have they fallen off? That would be a shame. Suga will have to revisit and see for herself.

The Houseboat Grill (Photo credit: Nicole Goodin)

Mystic Thai (Delectable) in Montego Bay had good feedback. It was said that their ambiance and service were great as usual. They offered 1 of each Appetizer. My Suga Bear was not a fan of the Wings Appetizer and found the Salmon to be satisfactory, but enjoyed the Minced Chicken Entrée and Chocolate Mousse.

Mystic Thai (Photo credit: Nickalia Kinkead)

Marguerites Seafood by the Sea in Montego Bay (Epicurean) has kept up its sensational standards.

I was let down by the build up for L’Escargot (Epicurean). Thankfully the best thing was their Escargots. Long waits, tasty but not so delicious food, desserts that were not decadent and waiters that lacked charisma. Not value for money but will revisit as they have an extensive menu.

Escargots from L’Escargot

I was disapponted that I did not get to try Boardwalk Bistro, Ocho Rios (Tasty) for Restaurant Week. They took a while to greet me as a diner and did not start serving the RW menu until 5:30pm. Since it was literally on the Boardwalk close to the sea and given the casual look of the Restaurant & Bar, I think it would have been appropriate to offer their menu during lunch time was well. The tourists on their Cruise may have also enjoyed that option.

Boardwalk Bistro’s Rum Fire Ice Cream Cake (Photo credit: @jamaicagleaner Instagram Photo)

Sadly I will have wait to return some day to taste their Rum Fire Ice Cream Cake (if available) that I was looking forward to, as well as one of their best sellers, the Fisherman Seafood dish with scallops, shrimp, squid, mussels and fish.

Boardwalk Bistro’s Fisherman Seafood Dish (Photo credit: Jermaine Barnaby; @jamaicagleaner Instagram Photo)

Great Escape at Runaway Bay Golf Club (Savoury) was a pleasant surprise. New kids on the block with great service and food with a picturesque view.

Evita’s Italian (Delectable) also held it down in Ocho Rios. Kudos to them. They had another good year.

Evita’s Italian (Photo credit: Simone Green)

In Kingston, it was reported that Redbones (Delectable) was good but not great. I think they are consistently good but didn’t see based on their menu where they would be spectacular.

Saffron Indian Cuisine (Savoury) was not prepared for Restaurant week. A Suga Bear had an 8:00pm reservation with friends and got seated at 8:50pm at a two seater table for three people. What a shame.

The Regency Room at Terra Nova All Suite Hotel (Epicurean) lived up to its reputation of having the best Lamb Chops!

Many Restaurants may not have been mentioned but these are the highlights for Suga this year based on experiences and feedback given. If you did not choose to participate in Restaurant Week this year, still have a look at the Restaurants at www.go-jamaica.com/rw/ and see where looks interesting that you haven’t visited as yet. Let us remember Restaurants not only treat diners with special offers for Restaurant Week but participate for opportunities to expand their patronage and debut new items on their Menus.

I look forward to trying Bettino by Drax Hall Estate, Ocho Rios and Smoked Marlin in Hanover some day soon.

Well that’s it for this year folks. Until next year!

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By: Gabrielle Burgess
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Suga recommends that you put Great Escape at Runaway Bay Golf Club on your Map!

The Great Escape at Runaway Bay Golf Club is a fairly new Restaurant that opened on August 26th this year. It is a few minutes down the road from L’Escargot and across the road from Jewel Runaway Bay Beach Resort. They offer Guests at Jewel a $25USD surcharge for a 3-course meal if they wish to dine there.

The Great Escape was the last stop for my husband, Randy and I before heading back to Kingston last Sunday and it was the best stop, other than duty free shopping.

We arrived a few minutes before our 5:30pm reservation to the new and well kept property. We felt welcomed from the parking lot to the lobby and then right upstairs to the Restaurant. Such pleasant staff.

We were seated and brought up to speed with what they had to offer by the well informed hostess and then came Ramiro, our unforgettable waiter. He was both charming and humorous and moved quickly and efficiently each time he came to our table.

We felt comfortable overlooking picturesque views of the well manicured Golf Course, a farm and just a touch of the Caribbean Sea across the road.

Before I start with the Appetizers,  I have to mention their freshly baked bread. Yes, the bread. They served two types of bread. There were slices with cinnamon and raisins and slices with swirls of callaloo. The bread was not on ration either. Kudos to them and a promising start.

Randy and I had the ‘Farmer’s’ Pumpkin and Basil Soup with rosemary skewered grilled Shrimp. The Soup was spicy and the rosemary skewer was a nice touch adding more flavour.

‘Farmer’s’ Pumpkin and Basil Soup

We also peeked over at another table and saw that the Runaway Bay ‘Jerked Chicken’ Cigars (Crisp Spring roll filled with Jerk Chicken, orange glaze, red and white cabbage slaw) actually came in what looked like a Cigar box! So creative! When we saw that and how well our Soup was presented, we were instantly reminded of our visit to Blue Ridge Restaurant in Blue Mountain, whose creativity in plating was on a different level.

Our table was cleared as soon as we were finished with our Soup and the Entrees came out right after like clockwork as it should.

Randy’s Free Range Chicken Breast and Crayfish had a sizzling arrival to our table. Plating and presentation were lovely. He had the choices of herbs, salsa and a sauce that were neatly laid out as well to add more flavour.

It was Free Range Chicken so it was not fatty and its pairing with the Crayfish was delightful.

His dish seemed exciting but mine was delicious as well. I had the ‘Appleton-Guava Glazed’ Salmon that was well cooked, floating on shrimp and potato mash, sautéed mushroom, roasted corn, bell pepper salsa and guava.

‘Appleton-Guava Glazed’ Salmon

Our Potato mash was tasty, fluffy and flavourful with a few herbs.

Dessert was not as spectacular but we appreciated that it was freshly baked by the restaurant and at that point we had our fill anyway. Randy had the Hazel Nut and Ganache ‘Fried Brioche’ hand rolled and filled, topped with cinnamon cream, but he could hardly taste any of the filling. I am not a big fan of flourless Chocolate Cake but Randy likes anything with chocolate so he enjoyed taking a few bites of mine, while I enjoyed the Sorbet.

I look forward to visiting the Great Escape again and encourage others to do so too. It is definitely Suga endorsed. Great service, creative plating and menu, lovely presentation and delicious, affordable food. For the Savoury category for Restaurant Week ($2800JMD excluding Bar, Service Charge, G.C.T), it was surely value for money. Keep it up Great Escape!

Great Escape Restaurant, Runaway Bay Golf Club

Location: Main Street, Runaway Bay. St. Ann, Ocho Rios

Ph: 876-973-4239

By: Gabrielle Burgess

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L’Escargot Falls Short of Suga’s Expectations

L’Escargot is owned by Chef Neville Anderson, well known for what was once Café Aubergine in Market Place, Kingston and his Jamaican Restaurant in Munich. 

L’Escargot is also probably the most anticipated Restaurant to visit or hear about this year for Restaurant Week, not only because it is fairly new but because of their raving reviews and salivating menu. So I thought it would be a fabulous, fantastic experience but they fell short of that. It was just good, not great.

My husband and I ​arrived last Saturday night at 8:40pm, a few minutes late for our 8:30pm reservation. 

We were greeted and seated. Staff were courteous but not cordial. The Table setting was exquisite with a fresh, white orchid as the centrepiece that was a nice touch. I can see where the dim lighting and décor with instrumental piano music playing in the background would take guests to France. The waiters were a perfect part of the French theme as well in white attire with red ties and berets.

Randy Burgess waiting to see what L’Escargot has in store

We were shown their regular menu for the night as well as the Restaurant Week Menu. It was a hard decision but we stuck to the plan and ordered from the Restaurant Week Menu at 9pm. If you weren’t ordering a meal over $30USD, there were tempting main dishes available for $20-$25USD so I don’t think the Restaurant Week offer was a huge save, especially if you opted out of Dessert.

Quite a few diners were present and more came in as the night grew older, but the wait for Appetizers was still too long. Also note that this was not just a result of Restaurant Week because I have received feedback from persons who visited before that they had a long wait for their food as well. It was approaching 25 minutes before we got our Escargots and Smoked Marlin. The Smoked Marlin was a huge disappointment. Quite plain, arriving with just the Chef’s special mousse. It was tasty and complemented the Marlin well but at least a salad should have been added to it. We reminisced about Chef Conroy Arnold’s special Marlin Salad from Christopher’s at Hermosa Cove that put that dish to shame.

Smoked Blue Marlin with Chef’s Special Mousse

But serve my husband right, thou shall not go to L’Escargot and not order Escargot.

My Escargots? Decent serving, and it was delicious with just the right texture and taste, not rubbery or salty. L’Escargot specialises in French cuisine and Escargots are usually served as a starter in France, Spain and Portugal so they deservedly get the edge over the Escargots I’ve had at Toscanini Italian.

Escargots sautéed in garlic butter, herbs and white wine

Our table was cleared at 9:30pm and our Entrees did not arrive until half an hour later. Our waiter did not visit during that half hour to reassure us that our Main dishes were on their way either. Luckily we weren’t on a first date because after about 15 or 20 minutes there would be crickets of awkward silence. 

The serving size was decent for our Entrees. Randy’s Beef Tenderloin was savoury and cooked as ordered (medium rare). My Lamb Chops were savoury as well but one of them was medium rare bordering rare and I requested it be medium. I didn’t mind but that may not be the case with everyone. The sauces did not highlight or complement the meats in any special way. The Filet Mignon at Marguerites by the Sea is still a winner for Randy.

We had the Crème Brûlée and Chocolate Mousse for Dessert but they were nothing to write home about. I prefer Rojo at Spanish Court Hotel’s Crème Brulee.

I didn’t see their Dessert menu, but the French are well known for Parisian Cafés and I think they could have been more creative, offering a signature Crêpe, Éclair or Macaron for Restaurant Week.

French cuisine is known for being one of the finest in the world. Afterall, they are the ones that published the Michelin guide and thus award stars for excellence to a select few restaurants. Although L’Escargot is French and Toscanini is Italian, they are often compared considering they are both high end restaurants on the North coast offering similar dishes. I prefer Toscanini. The hostess and waiters at L’Escargot were efficient for the most part but more like robots doing what they were supposed to do, lacking the charisma needed for such a restaurant. 

Even though I wasn’t wowed, I still look forward to returning to L’Escargot to enjoy their ambience again. Randy looks forward to trying their French Onion Soup, while I look forward to trying their Bouillabaisse and Risotto with Escargots and Scallops.

L’Escargot

Location: Main Street, Runaway Bay. St. Ann, Ocho Rios

Ph: 973-5652; 973-5589

By: Gabrielle Burgess
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Top Picks for the Tasty Category for RW!

Suga’s Top 7 picks for the Tasty ($1850) Category (excluding Beverages, Service & G.C.T) are:

KINGSTON

● Crystal Edge Restaurant

Crystal Edge (876-944-8053; 355-3673) is located beside Cafe Blue in Irish Town where it is nice and cool with a view. It’s homey and comfortable. They have a simple but decent menu where the star dish is their Braised Oxtail that slides off the bone!

● Dragon Court Restaurant

Dragon Court Restaurant by 6 South Avenue is an oldie but goodie. Consistently good food for years. Check them out.

● Pizza Hut Dine-In Restaurant

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Great value for money. Complimentary serving of Breadsticks with every meal! Go get your carb binge on.

*Suga usually promotes Sea Deck with their tasty food and large serving size but their service and quality have fallen off drastically. Hopefully they pick it up back soon.

MONTEGO BAY

● Pizza Hut Dine-In Restaurant

Great to have a double up on locations for this category.

● MVP Smokehouse

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MVP Smokehouse on Bogue Road in Montego Bay (1st of 3 gambles for my top picks) looks like a decent option with Shrimp in Cilantro Garlic Sauce, BBQ Ribs and more. Their dessert options look lovely too.

● Debut Fine Wine & Grill (Brick Oven Pizza)

Debut Fine Wine & Grill (Dry Harbour Place, 1-3 Gloucester Avenue – 2nd of 3 gambles for my top picks) looks like it has yummy Appetizers and a good variety of options for the Main, more than just Pizza.

OCHO RIOS

● Boardwalk Bistro

Boardwalk Bistro (3rd of 3 gambles for my top picks) in Island Village Plaza has spicy Tuna and cream cheese dip with Plantain chips, Roast Snapper with Callaloo, Okra and more as well as Rum Fire Ice Cream, all of which I am looking forward to this weekend.

By: Gabrielle Burgess
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15th Street Fisheries in Florida by the Sea!

Suga visited 15th Street Fisheries in Florida over Heroes Weekend a few weeks ago.

I heard many good things about it and loved that they were by the water with a view, offering freshly grilled Fish. They have different menus for Upstairs and Downstairs, where Downstairs is more casual and Upstairs is Reservations only with a more tempting and pricey menu.

My reservation was for a group of 9 on October 15th, a Saturday night at 8:00pm. We were a bit late but they were ready for us nonetheless. We were greeted pleasantly and taken upstairs and seated by our table which was right by the window. Loved the view and activity of boats docking and leaving. The Restaurant was comfortable with rustic décor including old boats, anchors, bottles with chains, lanterns and more. 

The menu had an insane variety of Seafood dishes to choose from for both Appetizers and Entrees. There were options such as Grilled New York Strip, Slow Roasted Prime Rib of Beef and Grilled Chicken Breast for the Meat lovers. A Wine menu was available as well.

The Appetizers came out a bit after 20 minutes, so could have been quicker. We weren’t blown away by the taste of the Appetizers. The Crab Cakes ($16USD) were decent. The Red Shrimp Cocktail ($16USD) had a homemade cocktail sauce that was a bit too tangy, overpowering the shrimp, fresh salsa and cucumber strings. Two of us that ordered the Soup Du Jour ($8USD), a Bahamian style Conch Chowder, were not too fond of it. To me it tasted like a thick Canned soup. 

Fisheries Salad

The Fisheries Salad ($10USD), however was the winner. It was a huge, tasty salad filled with Romaine lettuce, Wild Florida Rock Shrimp, Applewood Smoked Bacon, Sliced Almonds, Fresh Strawberries and Papaya Chutney Dressing.

Dry Rubbed Mahi Mahi

Thankfully, the Entrees were a complete 180 in quality compared to the disappointing Appetizers.

I had the Dry Rubbed Mahi Mahi ($32USD) with crab fried rice, sautéed brocolini and brandy blackened cream sauce. The crab fried rice infused with the brandy blackened cream sauce excited my taste buds. My Mahi Mahi was well cooked and I enjoyed it.

Everyone else was happy with their Entrees as well. Some of which included Sautéed Red Shrimp ($34USD), Spiny Lobster Tail ($37USD) and Pan Roasted Black Grouper ($35USD). I have to highlight that the Pan Roasted Black Grouper was served with red and golden quinoa, wild mushroom, baby clam meat, white Vermont cheddar cheese, lobster sherry cream sauce and potato crisps. It was absolutely fantastic. 

Entrée Servings were large, the Seafood was fresh, well cooked and the flavours were amazing.

At this point, everyone was quite full and content and had no capacity for Dessert. However, there is always one or 2 with a high metabolism like me with the desire to share a huge dessert. 

Their Dessert menu, including Gluten free options was way too tempting. They had Dessert Martinis, Coffee Drinks and Ports/Dessert Wine listed in addition to Créme Brulee, Cheesecake, Sorbets, Brownies and more!

Of course when I saw Lemon Blueberry Bread Pudding ($10USD) with White Chocolate Sauce, Anglaise, served with Vanilla Ice Cream and fresh berries, I could not refuse.

Voilà! Ok it still wasn’t a Fromage Gourmet Bread Pudding but it was divine!

Lemon Blueberry Bread Pudding

Our waiter needed to touch up on his housekeeping manners towards the end of dinner but we did not allow it to spoil our night and the Managers dealt with and appeased the situation accordingly. 

The night may not have been perfect but we were full with delicious Entrees, great conversation and absolutely delicious dessert to top it off. 

Suga would return for sure.

15th Street Fisheries

Location: 1900 SE 15th St., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316, USA

Ph: 954-763-2777


By: Gabrielle Burgess
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Restaurant Week Jamaica 2016 is almost here!

Jamaica Food and Drink Festival has come and gone. Brunch at The Gallery was quite memorable for patrons yesterday. Now on to the next!

Lobster Flambé at Restaurant Week Jamaica 2015 from Marguerites, Montego Bay

Restaurant Week Jamaica starts Friday, November 11 and ends Saturday, November 19, 2016.

Here are your categories. Suga’s picks coming soon!

Source: go-jamaica.com/rw/

By: Gabrielle Burgess
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#FBF to Caterer Trevanne Donegal’s Bon Voyage Gourmet Lunch Special!

 

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Guava Mesquite Smoked Chicken, Baked Penne Alfredo, 3 Cheese Seafood Pasta shells, Chipotle Sausage, Garden Salad – $1800JMD

Trevanne Donegal’s Bon Voyage Lunch Special at Jerkaz did not disappoint last Friday. The food was superb as usual. The stuffed Pasta shells were delish!

Somehow, she always manages to combine unique flavours that complement each other well. Carefully thought out dishes.

Thanks Trev. Good luck on your 1-year journey in London that will make you even more fantastic in the kitchen.

Bon Voyage from Suga!

 

 

 

How was Rib Roast Rum last Friday?

Suga had a decent time at Rib Roast Rum last Friday night. The event was obviously scaled down from the larger venue at Police Officer’s Club to The Grillin’ Pit at the corner of Argyle Road and Musgrave Avenue.

There was Secure Parking and organized entry into the venue. Lighting was superb, items were labelled properly and the labels were visible. Servers seemed happy and were very polite.

The advertised menu seemed to have a few changes as well. I was looking forward to the Pulled Pork Summer Rolls and 3-Cheese Mac and Cheese but they were nowhere in sight. I didn’t miss the Pulled Pork but the Mac and Cheese was missed as the side orders were not that enticing. Loaded Baked potatoes would have been a good option as well. Perhaps the side orders should have gone along with the meats because they stood alone with hardly any visitors.

Anyhow, that was a negligible negative along with the fact that the Chicken Pasta had way too much sauce. There were many other items to fill that tiny void and tantalise the taste buds though.

The Crayfish Soup was a nice starter for me. Then I made my rounds. The winner for me was the Chicken! I had both BBQ and Spicy. Well seasoned and cooked. Lovely texture topped off by unique, flavorful sauces. The succulent BBQ Ribs followed with tasty sauces as well.

Paulette Nelson (L) and Latoya fearon (R)

The Dessert options were a hit. Jodicakes had tasty Mini Banana Nut Cupcakes and D.A.M. Good Brownies had Very Berry Vegan Bites and yummy Black Forest Brownie Parfaits.The Kremi Ice Cream cart with self serve toppings to the side was also guiltful but delightful.

Charlotte O’Reilly

The Bar kept liquor flowing quickly. Video Games, Board games and Dominoes kept some patrons happy and occupied.

Good food, Good vibes, Good music and an overall Good night.

By: Gabrielle Burgess


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