Birds of a Feather Visited 6/10/2017 4 Forks

Birds of a Feather  191 Grand St., Brooklyn, NY 11211

If you've been to China Cafe or China Blue, you'll recognize the owners and food at Birds of a Feather as they are one in the same, so you know at the very least you're going to be getting a solid, if not great sichuan meal.  I had walked past this place right as it was opening and was instantly intrigued as there is a complete dearth of quality Chinese food in Williamsburg - I'm talking the nice sit down kind, not the greasy ass delivery kind.  So it was thrilling to see a legit place open up that had no a trace of a poo poo platter or Beef and Broccoli. 

The decor is sleek and modern with a giant communal table in the middle.  I'm not a huge fan of communal tables but we were in a hurry to see a movie afterwards, so we didn't really have a choice of where to sit but I would ask for a regular table next time.  There were two huge parties flanking either side of us, which was kind of annoying but I guess that's what happens at a communal table. The only good thing was that we could see what they were ordering first and tailor our decision.  The menu is long and a bit overwhelming.  I've always known this but it is usually better to come to places like this with a large group of people because everything sounds delicious and is served family style.  So Aarti and I had our work cut out for us.  There is a lot of authentic and non-Americanized Chinese food on here, so that was a real positive.  Our waiter convinced us to get the thousand year old egg and tofu rolls ($8), which is really out of character for me since I've usually shied away from the thousand year old egg whenever my mom offered it to me.  But since it was vegetarian and I was with Aarti, I was willing to give it a try. We also ordered the sichuan cold noodles ($7), pork dumplings in chili oil ($8) which was my one meat dish, snow pea shoot ($17), and the fried eggplant accordions ($12).  We were considering ordering a fried rice dish as well but I'm so glad we didn't because there would have been no way we could have given come close to finishing all that food.  If I were here with a larger party, I would have definitely gotten the steamed whole fish, ma po tofu, or spicy cumin lamb. 

As a kid I was anti-thousand year old egg mostly because of the way it looked - it's a black preserved egg with a gelatinous outside, but after having this dish, it was actually ok.  It really didn't taste like anything and mixed with the egg and tofu, it was actually a light dish.  Next I tried the pork dumplings in chili oil and this was the biggest disappointment of the night.  The pork dumplings weren't very plumb or stuffed fully and they were just drowning in chili oil with not a ton of flavor beyond it.  I would recommend you skip it and save room for something else. And that something else could be a giant plate of pea shoots.  It's nothing that you can't get in Chinatown and clearly nothing fancy but it's so damn good because it's dripping in garlic.  There is really nothing like a plate of fresh pea shoots and garlic - the best.  The sichuan cold noodle was a mix of chili oil, peppercorns, peanut paste and sesame and you could definitely feel the heat.   Maybe I'm just getting better at spicy food but despite all the spicy elements to this dish, I didn't find it numbing or inedible as some really spicy sichuan dishes can be.  I also really enjoyed the fried eggplant accordions - it was was huge dish that looked like it was possible made up of 2 huge eggplants.  But it was crispy and lightly fried and smothered in a sweet and sour sauce.  While it wasn't anything super innovative or crazy, I really enjoyed this dish when mixed with the noodles and a bit of pea shoot - sweet, salty and garlic-y. 

Overall, this is a very welcomed addition to the neighborhood.  While it's not like what you would find in Chinatown or Flushing (I mean it's still Williamsburg afterall, so the waitstaff is very hipster and trendy), it's a much needed option that I would be happy to return to - especially if you're going to the movies afterwards, as Williamsburg Cinema is literally right around the corner.  Gratuity is included in the bill which is nice.  Total bill:  $27/pp with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Fedora Visited 6/5/2017 4 Forks

Fedora  239 W 4th St., New York, NY 10014

Fedora belongs a group of other really solid West Village restaurants such as Perla, Jeffrey's Grocery, and Joseph Leonard.  They're all small, cozy, and excellent restaurants - so it's hard to go wrong with any of these choices.  Previous to this, I had been to all of them except for Fedora, so I figured it was time to complete the list.  

Fedora is located in the basement of a rowhouse in the middle of the Village but it's not as hard to find as it sounds.  VA and I were there on a random Monday night and when we first got there, it was pretty empty but as the night went on, it filled up quickly but then again, it's quite small so it's not hard for it to be packed in here.  The menu leans towards Modern American with roast chicken, skirt steak and sea bream as the main entrees.  Either we were really hungry or everything sounded amazing to us - we totally over ordered and would have ordered more if our waitress hadn't stopped us half way through.  We started with a dozen oysters ($3/each), deviled egg ($7), spring pea salad ($16), ricotta gnocchi ($24), roasted chicken ($32), and miso eggplant ($10).  The prices are definitely on the high side - especially for the 1 deviled egg we split and the roasted chicken but the quality of all the food was excellent, so I'm wiling to overlook it in this instance.

The oysters were a mix of 2 different kinds that I can't remember but they were super clean and fantastic.  They were shucked to perfection - not a single shell in sight.  The deviled egg was literally 1 egg for $7 but I guess it did have trout roe on top of it and well, it was quite the beautiful sight (and delicious).  I'm glad I had it but I probably wouldn't order it again given how much I like a basic deviled egg without the roe on it.  The spring pea salad was light and refreshing - despite having a fried oyster on top of it!  Then came the ricotta gnocchi, roasted chicken and eggplant and it was quite clear at this point that we were in way over our heads.  If I had to cut one dish out, it would have been the gnocchi - I've always been a bit indifferent about gnocchi and this one was no exception.  It was good especially with the braised lamb and english peas but gnocchi just never wows me.  The chicken on the other hand was amazing.  I know it sounds lame to rave about chicken when it's pretty easy to prepare at home but this one was juicy and came with foie gras stuffing and fava beans (be still my clogged heart).  There wasn't a single piece that wasn't tender and soaking in au jus.  It was so much chicken that we couldn't finish it all and that made me incredibly sad to leave half of it behind.  The miso eggplant was a side dish and it was also done well - not too mushy and served with toasted sesame - but we probably could have done without them too just from a stomach space issue.

Overall, it was a great place to catch up with an old friend.  It's intimate but not too loud (as many small places can be) and has a really solid line up for food and drinks.  The staff was super friendly and accommodating when we had to move our reservation a few times.  Gabriel Stulman seems to have built a really strong foothold in the West Village of neighborhood favorites.  While the prices are a bit expensive here, I would put this place on your Village rotation of places that don't disappoint.  Total bill:  $110/pp with tax, tip and drinks

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Sushi Katsuei Visited 6/2/2017 4 Forks

Sushi Katsuei  357 6th Ave., New York, NY 10014

I could have sworn that I had been to the Park Slope location  but when I looked back at my blog, I didn't see it, so I guess I'm reviewing it now.  Sushi Katsuei is known around various food blogs for having one of the more affordable high quality omakases in town.  So when they opened a West Village location, I was eager to try it out. 

To be totally honest, I stumbled in here after inhaling two scotch cocktails and then proceeded to have a sake and beer here, so the nigh is a wee bit fuzzy.  Even though it's located in the West Village, you could very easily walk right past it.  It's pretty non descript on the outside and frankly on the inside too.  It's pretty austere and traditional - much like their menu.  It leans towards the traditional/authentic side - so no giant rolls with spicy mayo on it.  It's all clean and simple servings.  The list of a la carte sushi and sashimi is actually quite impressive and if you know your sushi, you can really have a field day here - uni, botan shrimp, orange clam, and a variety of mackerel selections.  While Holly and I didn't get the omakase, we did try a bunch of other things here.  We started with some tempura (if memory serves me correctly it was shrimp and kabocha) and then split the sushi combination ($30), the fatty tuna scallion roll ($11), and spicy scallop roll ($7.5). There might have been another roll but it's escaping my mind now - damn sake.  The tempura was lovely - not greasy or soggy. 

The sushi combination had a nice variety of high quality sushi.  There was the usual suspects of tuna, salmon, yellowtail, scallop, red snapper (I think), salmon roe sushi and a plain tuna roll.  Fresh, simple and clean tasting with the right amount of rice.  The spicy scallop was the night's overall winner but I also really enjoyed the fatty tuna roll, I mean who hates fatty tuna?!  The problem with small, more authentic sushi is that it's not super filling.  For some reason, we got another waiter half way through our meal - a very nice and very knowledgeable older Japanese man.  He started telling us about that night's specials at that point, not sure why our first waitress didn't tell us about it.  This is where the night gets fuzzy - I'm pretty sure we each ordered a piece of uni, another spicy scallop roll and a fried oyster roll.  I usually steer away from any roll that has fried or tempura elements to it but this one was pretty darn delicious.  To be honest, we finally got full after these two rolls and probably didn't need both of them but they were both great. 

As I looked around, all the dishes that everyone got looked amazing.  All the cuts of fish looked luscious and wonderful.  Based on what I had and what I saw being served around me, I would definitely come back and try the omakase.  Total bill:  $100/pp with tax tip and drinks

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Miss Paradis Visited 5/30/2017 3.5 Forks

Miss Paradis  47 Prince St., New York, NY 10012

The first thing you notice about Miss Paradis is the beautiful decor - it's got floor to ceiling windows which is lovely during the spring/summer time.  Unfortunately, we were there on a chilly night, so the windows were closed but they had mentioned that when it's nice outside, they open up the windows. I can see it being a great summer time brunch spot. 

The menu here is described as healthy French Mediterranean.  It's mostly tapas style and the majority of the dishes are veggie friendly which was perfect for celebrating Amy's birthday.  They also have a great line-up for yummy sounding cocktails - especially the ones that had infused rose in it!  We ordered a bunch of items to share: beets ($10), brussels sprouts ($10), eggplant ($10), black pizza ($19), spicy shrimp ($15), and Chilean sea bass miso ($34).  With the exception of the sea bass, everything else was tapas/small plates.  I found these prices to be a bit high for what we were getting but I guess that's what you get for dining in prime Soho.  In short, everything was good but not great. So while I enjoyed most of the dishes and found no real fault, nothing wow'd me or felt like a must have.  I will say that the black pizza was very unique though - it was made with activated charcoal, which I guess it is all the rage these days because it supposedly helps your body get rid of unwanted toxins (although to me, it kind of seems like a marketing gimmick).  It makes for a very interesting dish visually but it doesn't actually taste any different than regular pizza dough. Given the small sizes of the dishes, we (or mostly me) were still hungry and ordered the local burrata ($18) which came with cherry tomatoes, pea tendrils and covered in a tomatillo dressing.  This was the highlight dish to me and again, while it wasn't anything new, there's nothing more delicious and screams summer time than fresh burrta and tomatoes.

In the end, I left satisfied with my meal and it was a lovely place to have a veggie friendly birthday, complete with great drinks.  The staff was great and entertaining as well.  But despite all of that, it wasn't a super memorable place food wise and the prices were too high for what they were serving. One of the pluses to this place though is that it's a good option for vegetarians and pescatarians alike as there isn't anything with meat on the menu.  I'd definitely say if you're in the neighborhood, it's a nice place to sit, have a cocktail and a few bites with the windows open but I wouldn't necessarily call it destination dining.   Total bill $121 with tax and tip split between 2 people for 3

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Where to Eat in the British Virgin Islands - Visited 5/18-5/22 3.5 - 4.5 Forks

CocoMaya   Spanishtown,  Virgin Gorda                                                                               4 Forks

After our dinner debacle at our hotel, we decided we need to venture off the island for our next meal. We asked our lovely concierge where we should go and she said that the best restaurant in all of the BVI was on Virgin Gorda.  The only caveat is that due to the timing of the multiple ferries we had to take, we had to eat early (like 5 or 5:30pm) so that we could eat, relax and then catch the last ferry home.  So this meant, taking a 3:30pm ferry from Scrub Island to Tortola, and then catching the 4:30pm to Virgin Gorda, which would get us to Virgin Gorda around 5pm and then it's a 5 mins taxi ride to the restaurant.  The ferry ride from Tortola to Virgin Gorda is $30 RT, so technically you are spending an extra $30 to eat here but it's worth it.

Since we got there super early, we decided to sit at the bar and have a drink and relax first.  The restaurant is right on the beach and it's beautiful.  It reminded me a lot of Potato Head and the other beach side restaurants in Bali.  They've got a a few couches to lounge on right by the water and a fire pit as well as a swing by the bar.  We got there right at happy hour and the bartender was super nice and funny.  We nibbled on black bean dip and root chips at the bar which was addictive and very filling.  As the bar started to fill up, we decided to take a seat at our table but we could have easily sat at the bar all night.

The menu here is Asian Latin - which is something you definitely don't see in the Caribbean at all.  I was excited and skeptical to see sushi and other Asian food on the menu but it was worth a shot.  The waitress said that most things on the menu were tapas/share size with a few large plates being entree sized.  We were so excited to see so much variety that we totally over ordered.  We got the truffle fries ($8), vegetable empanadas ($9), fried rice w/out pork belly ($12), misa rasta sushi roll ($13), ceviche tacos ($16) and tuna sashimi ($18).  If the waitress hadn't stopped us, I would have tried to order the pad thai or korean rice cakes too.

The truffle fries were plentiful and very thick and crispy and not overpowering with the truffle oil. They were so filling and it felt like every time I ate a fry, they kept multiplying.  The waitress even commented how we didn't eat any of them, but I felt like we were constantly eating it!  The vegetable empanadas were ok - a bit bland and we probably wouldn't have ordered it again.  The fried rice was nice and albeit a smidge greasy (but when is fried rice not?!) and served with sriracha and a fried egg over it.  Yummy - flavor!! The ceviche tacos was 3 small hard shell tacos - one filled with salmon, one filled with snapper and another with tuna.  I forget that I really don't like hard shell tacos as I usually find them to be dry and overpower the rest of the dish.  It was the same thing here and the filling wasn't as much ceviche as it was raw fish with some guac and ponzu sauce.  But I would take that over a piece of boring grilled fish any day.  The tuna sashimi was pleasantly good - basic clean slices of tuna sashimi.  It felt so refreshing to eat healthy like this because resort food is so fried or greasy so this was a nice change of pace.   I didn't try the mista rasta roll which was basically a vegetarian roll with tofu, radish, cucumber, green onion and sesame seeds but it was nice that it was a viable option after the sad vegetarian experience from the other night.

While the concierge said that this was considered one of the best restaurants in the world, I wouldn't go as far as to say that but I will say that it was definitely a highlight to the trip.  It made me wish I was staying on Virgin Gorda so that I could hang out there longer, but alas we had to catch the 8pm ferry back to Tortola, but we did spent a good 2 1/2 hours there which was nice.  I would highly recommend this place no matter where you are staying in the BVIs for the atmosphere alone but the fact that it's Asian food makes it even better.  Total bill:  $71/pp with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Cocomayarestaurant.com 

De Loose Mongoose   Trellis Bay, Tortola                                                                                3.5 Forks

Since the Scrub Island ferry lets you off at Trellis Bay, it's easy enough to hop into one of the nearby beach bars/restaurants for a bite to eat.  Apparently all the locals eat here so it was worth checking out.  Whereas Cocomaya was more bougie and catered to the rich British tourists, De Loose Mongoose was definitely more casual and laid back.  There was a good mix of locals and tourists which was nice.

It located all the way at the end of the bay to the left of the ferries but it's only a 10 min walk.  I liked the rasta-like vibe they had here and I could see it being a nice place to chill out during the day with a few beers or rum punches.  The menu is a mix of resort food like burgers and fish sandwiches but they also had other dishes like ribs, rotisserie chicken, and best of all Caribbean roti.  I was tempted to get roti since it's a local dish but I opted for another local dish of pan seared cracked conch ($21) and Aarti got the vegetarian roti ($10).  Unfortunately, the place also has 2 cats running around and Aarti was having a particularly bad allergic reaction to them that night so that kind of put a damper on things.

We tried to get our food to go but it was taking a while.  By the time the food came out, she was feeling better so we decided to quickly eat our food so that we could catch the next ferry home.  If you haven't had conch before it's kind of like escargot in terms of consistency and texture - these were dripping in a garlic oil and served with mashed potatoes (they called it chef's potatoes which I actually thought was going to be potato salad).  I could have done without so much oil to the pan seared-ness of the conch but it was good local dish that you definitely can't get outside of the Caribbean.  I had a few bites of Aarti's roti which was pretty good because of the curry kick to it and the actual roti was soft and chewy.

As with most places in the Caribbean, the service was a bit slow but I had a direct view of the kitchen and it was literally one man in the back making everything so I had to cut him some slack.  Also, don't order the wine here.  As if you didn't need to be reminded of that in the Caribbean but definitely stick with beer or cocktails here because Aarti's white wine was undrinkable.  This was a nice low key dinner and given how close it is to the ferry, I could see this being a go-to option for those staying at Scrub Island who need to get out of the resort for either lunch or dinner.  It's nothing mind blowing but it's close, easy and local - what else could you ask for?  Total bill:  $35/pp with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Bare Boats BVI

The Last Resort    Bellamy Cay, Trellis Bay                                                                            4.5 Forks

I really love this place.  It might be a bit hippie or cheesy but I loved that our trip ended here.  We had originally wanted to go on Saturday night but they were having a charity event and it was a $75 cover.  No thanks!  So we went on Sunday night instead and I'm so glad we made it - I would have been really sad if we missed out on this experience. 

First, it's on this tiny tiny island in between Scrub Island and Tortola.  We kept seeing it on our way back and forth the two island but couldn't figure out what it was.  Finally we were told it's like an eco-friendly island with its own bar,  restaurant, and "museum".  The fun part is that you have to take another small speed boat from Trellis Bay to this island - when you get to the ferry docks, you call them on this funky walkie talkie at the docks and then they come get you in a speed boat.  But our ferry captain was so nice and called ahead for us, so that by the time we got to the docks, the guy was already waiting for us with the boat. Stepping off into the island, it reminded me a bit of Ruschmeyer's in the Hamptons but in a totally non-douchy way.  It had this large open air restaurant with a backyard/garden that has a giant life sized Connect 4 and Jenga to play with.  Plus it's got swings, couches and corn hole - all surrounded by the beautiful waters of the BVI.  

Unfortunately when we got there it was already dark, so we couldn't really play around in the garden but we did have some really nice fancy cocktails while we walked around.  The staff there are all adorable Brits who seemed to have quite the hippie life - they live on this tiny island where there isn't any tap water (they purify their own water) and the guy who picked us up on the speed boat was telling us how he works there in the summer and then travels around the world surfing during the other times of the year.  Seriously, what am I doing wrong with my life?!?  What's also nice about this place is that they have a live music section and normally I hate that shit but this was kind of nice to enjoy some music while sipping a cocktail in an outdoor restaurant - it was a cute 20-something kid playing the guitar, so it wasn't some loud crazy bar music but really chill and mellow.  I heard they have a no Margaritaville/Jimmy Buffet policy which I love and respect. 

The menu here was also surprisingly eclectic.  The website calls it West Indian, North Africa, Spain, South Pacific, and South America focused food.  Ok - I can see that.  Everything here sounded great and I ended up getting the Swordfish and Aarti got a hodgepodge of veggie side dishes from sweet potato mash, curried coconut polenta, and Mexican corn (see Caravela - you can have decent veggie side dishes and not have it be a plate of steamed vegetables).  Our waiter could not have been any nicer and sweeter and gave us the low down on the history and background of this place while we waited for our food.  

The swordfish was delicious and lovely - it came with Mexican street corn made into a risotto like consistency, pickled red onion, tomato salad, and Spanish red pepper romesco sauce.  Swordfish is a tricky fish to cook since it's thicker and firmer than most fishes but it was cooked just right here and with the romesco and corn mixture it wasn't dried out at all.  It was really satisfying dish.  Since it was our last night here, we wanted to go all out and saw another table with a fat piece of chocolate cake and ice cream.  The waiter was like "umm, the ice cream is for special occasions" - which I'm assuming he meant engagements or honeymoons but he relented and brought out a huge piece of cake with a big scoop of ice cream on top of it.  He kind of made it sound like he stole the ice cream out of their own personal food stash -which is possible since it sounds like everyone here lives in a hippie/commune like place.  The only bummer was that he charged us for 2 desserts here at $10 each! If I had known that, I would have nixed the ice cream. 

Luckily the night we were there is was super quiet and chill but I could see it getting rowdy during the day with some of the yachting crowd.  But it was a great way to end our vacation and I was sad that we hadn't discovered it earlier so that we could hang out in the garden some more.  It's definitely a unique place and I hope that it sticks around some more even with all these new luxury resorts popping up and stealing its thunder.  Total bill:  $68/pp with tax and ti

Photo Credit:  Lastresortbvi.com 

Where to Eat on Scrub Island - Visited 5/18-5/22 2 -3 Forks

Tierra Tierra Scrub Island Resort, Spa and Marina                                                                 3 Forks

I had been wanting check out Scrub Island in the British Virgin Islands for awhile because Marriott often has some really good travel agent discounts - so when I saw some openings in mid-May for $125/night I snapped up the opportunity.

Scrub Island is a private island that's a 10 minute ferry ride from Tortola and there is literally nothing on this island besides the hotel.  So it can be a bit boring and limiting but once you get of get used to taking the ferry to the bigger islands, it's not that big of a deal and the views there are stunning.  I have to chuckle a bit at the title of this entry as the only places to eat on Scrub Island are the two restaurants they have on property:   the fine dining establishment Caravela and the more casual Tierra Tierra!

After enduring a 6AM flight out of JFK, Aarti and I landed at Scrub Island around 1pm exhausted and starving.  The only real lunch option here is Tierra Tierra (although you can order pizza from the deli which we did one day and I would highly recommend it if you are being lazy AF), which over looks the pool and marina. It's your typical resort beach bar and restaurant that you'd find in the Caribbean - the menu consists of salads, sandwiches and a variety of burgers, sandwiches and wraps.  ince we were in the Caribbean, I opted for the Scrub Island Fish Sandwich ($18) and Aarti got the veggie burger ($16).  The fish sandwich was blacked grouper on fluffy Jamaican coco bread with sofrito sauce, slaw and a side of fries.  The sandwich was as expected from a resort restaurant - the fish was grilled fine but the bread was a bit too much and I had to tear pieces off of it otherwise I felt like I would be eating a week's worth of carbs.  The fries were overcooked and very bland but I was so hungry that it got the job done when I covered it with enough ketchup.  I didn't try Aarti's veggie burger, but it also looked like standard fare.

As with most places in the Caribbean (except for Barbados and maybe Jamaica), food is not the star attraction on this vacation.  I knew the food would be standard, at best, and expensive.  I will say that our lunch wasn't nearly as expensive as I expected it to be and we did eat there again on our spa day where we both got salads.  Obviously there isn't a whole lot of vegetation on these islands so the types of greens and vegetables used in any salad here is super limiting - the garden fresh salad I got that day was just a bed of mixed greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, and red onion with balsamic vinaigrette ($14) - so it was definitely no Sweet Green type of bougie salad.  Overall, it's what you'd expect at a casual resort restaurant, so I don't have any real complaints, I just wished that maybe they could change the menu up every now and then to give it some variety, especially when there are no other options on the island.

Caravela      2 Forks

Caravela is the resort's "fine dining" establishment and they insist that you make a reservation even though the resort was practically empty.  The woman who checked us in at the front desk said that there was no dress code and even the concierge was saying how the BVI in general is super causal. We didn't wear beach wear but I rolled in with white jeans and a grey top and Aarti was wearing flow-y pants and a regular t-shirt.

When we got to the front the hostess looked us and up and down and refused to seat us because we weren't dressed appropriately.  WTF?!  We looked around at the half empty restaurant and there were people there literally wearing shorts and a t-shirt.  But since there was no where else to go unless we went back to Tierra Tierra, we begrudgingly obliged and changed into "nicer" clothes.  It was totally ridiculous.

The menu here is pretty much seafood focused except for a few small salad appetizers.  I felt bad for Aarti but she's usually good about rolling with the punches and when we had asked the hostess if they could make something vegetarian, she said it wouldn't be an issue.  What we didn't know was that the veggie plate they said they would make was literally a plate of steamed carrots, broccoli and zucchini with nothing else.  It was right out of a movie or something where you just had to laugh.  Some of the other meat or seafood dishes had other more appealing veggie friendly side dishes like roasted potatoes, broccoli with garlic herb butter, mashed potatoes or jasmine rice - so they clearly would have jazzed up her plate instead of sending out a sad looking steam veggie plate.  I guess the only good news was that they were steamed well and were crispy? Aarti ended up asking for a side of mashed potatoes but it was just crazy to think that they wouldn't have at least offered that up as a vegetarian option when we asked.  The most offensive part of all of this was that they charged us $28 for that plate of vegetables.

As for me, I wanted to get the crab stuffed salmon but apparently at 8pm they had already run out. Seriously?! So I went with the blackened mahi mahi ($33) which came with a mango and black bean salsa, jasmine rice and my own medley of steamed vegetables.  It was a totally fine fish dish - very typical of the islands and nothing to write home about at all.

Obviously, we were both still hungry so we got the chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream ($12) - this was clearly the best part of dinner.  It hit the spot and we joked that if we had to come back here for dinner (which we wouldn't), we would just get dessert and wine and call it a day.

Mediocre food aside, the whole experience was tainted by the uppity rude hostess and then our server was also painfully slow.  We had ordered a glass of wine each to start and it didn't come out until after our entrees were served.  I know it's the island and everything is slower but this was just ridiculous. Since we were staying at the resort, we had to try this place at least once but thank god there were other more fun and better restaurants a 10 min ferry ride away, otherwise this experience would have most definitely ruined my vacation.