Day four in paradise. We started as day we typically have, getting up early, making a pot of coffee, me firing up my computer and checking some emails, while looking over this amazing view. Work doesn’t seem so much like “work” when surrounded by beauty.
We started our day with a hearty breakfast. We took some of the leftover steak, caramelized some onions, added an egg and some cheese and melted it altogether with some English muffin bread. Took some leftover potatoes and fried them up and we feasted.
We decided to hang by the pool and have a chill day. We found out that at Morgan’s Mango in Cruz Bay, has lobster night on Tuesday nights and we planned an evening there. Fresh caught lobster sounded pretty darn good! Since they didn’t open until 5:30, we had plenty of time to relax before taking showers in those gorgeous outdoor showers and get ready for the evening. The day was spent floating in the pool, enjoying some good cocktails and conversation.
We headed for Morgan’s Mango a bit early, parked and wandered through Cruz Bay, enjoying a cocktail at Sun Dogs, along with some really yummy peel and eat shrimp.
We meandered to Morgan’s Mango, and although they looked open, they didn’t quite open the dining room, but we could sit at the bar and have a cocktail while we waited.
The restaurant is open, airy and more upscale then some of the nearby restaurants. The bar staff was not overly friendly, which was quite different then other people we have encountered along the way. We ordered some drinks while we waited for the table. Omar ordered a Phoenix, a Bourbon drink made with Bulleit Bourbon, Fresh lemon juice, Ginger Syrup and Peat Mist. Peat Mist as I understand it is basically a mist of Peated Whiskey literally misted over the top. I ordered a frozen Caribbean Passion. Passionfruit Puree, Passionfruit liqueur, fresh lime and typically light and dark rum. As I was currently on the vodka train, I substituted Tito’s and it was a fantastic change.
We were seated at a nice table near the open patio, allowing a nice view and a light breeze. We all started starving, but after the shrimp and the cocktails we were not quite as hungry as we were. We decided to get a bunch of appetizers and upgrade our lobster dinner to split.
For our appetizer selections, we started with Peruvian Ceviche, made with Red Snapper, marinated in lime juice and tossed with a mango chipotle salsa. The serve yucca chips with it which is an interesting accompaniment. The Ceviche was unlike Omar ever had before but he liked it. I did get brave and try it and although it was ok, it was not my favorite. My sister enjoyed it, being far more an expert on the subject.
Next came the Pan Seared Lamp Lollipops. Now Lamb lollipops is something I do not enjoy. I will eat lamb when ground and spiced, but roasts, chops, lollipops not my thing. I just do not care for the gaminess of the meat. For Omar, the lamb was underwhelming, not due to the flavor, but just for the basic simplicity of the dish. It is just basically meat on a stick. It was served with a tamarind-red wine reduction. Tamarind is a spice popular in the Caribbean. It is an interesting spice. It looks like a bean pod, reminiscent of a legume, but typically considered a fruit. It has an uncanny ability to taste differently based on its pairing with other ingredients. Some call it natures sour candy – tart but sweet.
The Yellow Fin Tuna Tartare – Caribbean Fusion was made with fresh local tuna, ginger, jalapeno, fresh avocado with a sesame orange vinaigrette. This too was served with yucca chips. The tartare was ok, I still prefer Season’s 52’s, with the deep flavor of sesame. I also prefer a nice cracker with my tartare, rather than the yucca chips.
The coup de grâce was the Pulpo Gallego – at least for everyone else! Charbroiled Octopus served over fingerling potatoes, cherry tomatoes, peppers, purple onion and smoked paprika. Omar, Beth and Andreas all loved the octopus. They said it had a deeply charred flavor, tender and the star of the night. I was convinced to try a bite and I still disagree. I thought it was still chewy and too charred for my taste.
I knew that many of the appetizers were not my jam, so I also ordered a house salad. I felt like it had been far too long since I had a good salad. The salad was made with locally grown greens, cherry tomatoes, red onions, candied nuts & goat cheese. The salad was tossed with a passionfruit and mango vinaigrette. The salad greens were very bitter. So bitter in fact it overwhelmed the rest of the flavors, and although it seemed the dressing was flavorful, it was lost among the bitterness. An unfortunate disappointment.
As we were all now stuffed, we decided to split one lobster dinner. We upgraded the $36/1 lb dinner to a massive $108 3 lb lobster dinner. When the brought the lobster out, it was almost as big as the table!
Also served with rice, sweet plantains and black beans. The sides were not very exciting, but the lobster was delicious. Sweet and tender, the 3lb monster was enough for the table and more! The boys worked hard to finish it off, but it was certainly an undertaking!
We rolled out of the restaurant and we were happy to have a bit of a walk back to the car to work off some of our meal. We were stuffed! The drive back to the villa in the dark was far more treacherous than the day trips. The trip back up the mountain was much scarier in the dark, and the “leap of faith” was more of a “please don’t let us die!!” We made it home, grabbed a cocktail and planned the next days adventure!