Belgian Waffle

My new favorite munching place in Cayman is The Brasserie Market, and I’m not alone! The casual lunch bistro next to The Brasserie is wildly popular, and it deserves to be: the lunch offerings at The Brasserie Market are fabulous. Choose from giant made-to-order salads with delicious add-ons like shrimp, prosciutto or fresh caught fish, AMAZING burgers (including Kobe beef, turkey or veggie), yumm-o hearty soups, and terrific sandwiches on Cuban, Focaccia or French bread. The food is fresh and beautiful, and the atmosphere is fun & happening, so this place is always PACKED!

We knew it wouldn’t be long until those clever folks at the Brasserie came up with a lovely “grab & go”, or “sit & savor” Breakfast Menu. You can swing by and pick up a fresh baked scone, muffin, croissant, bagel, breakfast bread, or toast. Or, for a little more fuel, grab some of their “soon to be famous” House Granola & House Made Yoghurt (WOW) or Steel Cut Oatmeal. You can also opt for a Cayman Sandwich, Patties, a Sausage Roll, or a Panini. If you have time to linger over the morning paper, you can do a little people-watching, and enjoy one of these gorgeous breakfasts:

Authentic Belgian Waffle with choice of whipped butter, berry compote, fresh fruit, and whipped cream (CI $7.99 Whole, $4.99 Half)

Two Eggs Any Style with Hash Browns, Toast and Choice of Bacon or Sausage (CI $8.99)

Breakfast is served daily 7:30AM-10:30AM. One more thing: the coffee is superb! Treat yourself soon!

The Brasserie Market     Cricket Square     www.brasseriemarket.com     345-945-1814

Bookmark and Share!

Fort Steet

Cafe Del Sol is Cayman’s largest purveyor of fine coffees, with 3 existing locations in Grand Cayman. The management is proud to announce a fourth much-needed location in busy downtown George Town: Cafe Del Sol Fort Street.

Interior

The bright and airy coffee shop is a beautiful place to stop and enjoy a fine coffee creation or a sandwich. The cafe is decorated with finest of natural materials, such as polished granite, rich honed woods, creamy colored tiles, Mediterranean decor, and fine art. The bustling shop has the usual Cafe Del Sol blend of loyal locals and tourists, all enjoying fresh bakery items, made-to-order sandwiches, smoothies, or top-notch coffee drinks. (Smoothies are made with fresh fruit and come in luscious flavors like banana, blueberry, mixed berry, strawberry-banana, blackberry, melon or mango.) If you like your coffee or tea drinks plain or fancy, Cafe Del Sol has whatever you desire to pick you up or soothe your nerves. An addition to fresh brewed specialty coffee and a large collection of fine teas, the menu features a full range of espresso creations, frappes and coffee alternatives such as Mexican Spiced Cocoa. Swing in and grab a bite to go, or settle in for the wi-fi internet and have your treat on-site. Either way, enjoy what the locals have known for years: Cafe Del Sol is the place to be for coffee, bakery, sandwiches, frozen drinks, and good conversations.

Cafe Del Sol

Pop into the other locations when you’re buzzing around elsewhere in GC: The Marquee Shopping Center off West Bay Road, Camana Bay next to Books and Books, and in downtown George Town on the waterfront in Aqua World Duty Free Mall next to Harley Davidson.

Enjoy!

Bookmark and Share!

Azzurro Caffe

The last time we threw a dinner party, I took the easy and the delicious way out: I picked up the phone and called Azzurro Catering, a division of Azzurro Caffe. I don’t mind cooking for six to eight guests, but anything over that can be tiring. It’s better to call the experts at Azzurro. My recent dinner party ended up with 20+ guests invited, and the folks at Azzuro had the menu figured out in a snap: some yummy cold appetizers (a sample: smoked salmon with a secret cream cheese spread and extra yummy dark brown bread triangles), two kinds of wonderful lasagna (one traditional red sauce & meat and one creamy veggie), orzo salad with caramelized onions (a masterpiece of flavor), crusty garlic breads laced with aged Parmesan cheese, and their signature dish: Caesar Salad with giant homemade croutons, topped with the special “from scratch” Azzurro dressing. For dessert, the pastry chef put together a melange of tiny desserts beautifully displayed on a white platter.

The best part is, for a small fee, someone from the Azzurro staff will turn up at your home shortly before your guests do, with the entire sumptuous meal already warm and expertly prepared. The main dish and the breads will be popped into your warm oven, the crisp salads will be slipped into your fridge, and all the food will be arranged on spectacular white serving platters right out of the pages of Bon Appetit Magazine. All you have to do is chill your wine, arrange the flowers, and slip into a gorgeous hostess outfit.

The next day, you can drop the serving dishes back at Azzurro, or one of the courteous staff will be happy to stop by and collect the dishes if you prefer, for another small charge. I found that the cost of the catered food was comparable to preparing it myself, considering the value of the time it takes to shop for and prepare the food. My guests were extremely impressed with the quality of the food and in fact made fools of themselves when it came to the Caesar’s Salad: there was not a leaf of Romaine lettuce left! Do yourself a favor and order extra servings of the Caesar’s salad; it’s outrageously good! Everything we ordered was superb, and the service was terrific. The staff is great to work with, and if you don’t see what you like on the catering menu, ask for a meeting with the chef, John-he’s delightful and creative.

For your next dinner party, give your guests a lovely meal from Azzurro and a relaxed hostess!

Azzurro

Buckingham Square,  Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Telephone: +1 (345) 946-7745

Bookmark and Share!

The Best of Cayman

It’s that time again where Caymanians, local residents, and tourists from all over the world will be able to vote for their favorite places in the Cayman Islands! This will be The 3rd Annual Best of Cayman Awards, and the polls will be open through the 31st of January. Last year, over 20,000 people from all over the world voted for all the BEST places in Cayman!

It’s easy. Just visit www.bestofcayman.com and vote for your favorite spots. If you are considering a visit to our lovely islands, this website is the perfect place to begin your research! Read up on the best places to eat, drink, shop, play and relax in the Cayman Islands. This exhaustive site has reviews, video clips, classifieds, news, local weather, menus, local events, and just about any other information a visitor or resident might be looking for in The Cayman Islands. Keep www.bestofcayman.com bookmarked in your favorites to keep up with everything happening in Cayman.

Don’t forget to pop by the site soon and vote for your fave Cayman hotspots!

www.bestofcayman.com

Bookmark and Share!

Paperman

Do you know someone who is a coffee prima donna? Someone so ridiculously picky about coffee that they are never satisfied? You can safely take the coffee aficionado in your life to Paperman’s Coffee House in The Strand Shopping Center. The coffee at Paperman’s is positively divine, and hands down the best in The Cayman Islands.The quality is on par with any fine coffee shop in Seattle, and the quality is so exceptional that many of my house guests end up taking a pound of coffee to go.

The fanatic commitment to excellence on the part of proprietor Paul Storey is the simple reason to for the tremendous success of the store. I happened to meet Paul prior to the Paperman’s opening and was impressed with his vision of creating a world class coffee experience in The Cayman Islands. He uses Intelligentsia coffee, a superb brand that has won many awards in the US for superior taste. Paul spares no expense with procuring the freshest beans for Paperman’s; his supplies are flown in weekly. His equipment is top-of-the-line, and his standards of serving coffee brewed within minutes shows in every cup. Being a hard core coffee junkie, I can honestly say that Paperman’s brews the finest cup of coffee I have ever tasted.

The warm, inviting, eclectic atmosphere makes Paperman’s a wonderful place to hang out. Beautifully appointed in Hemingway -style woods and tropical colors, you can snuggle into deep comfy chairs or sit outside and people-watch any time the shop is open. A huge, current selection of magazines, international papers are always in abundance. Wood bookshelves line the walls, stuffed with vacation paperbacks. Paul showcases beautiful local artwork that constantly changes, and pipes in a selection of groovy tunes to relax clients.

The food is wonderful and homemade, with hearty lunch and breakfast fare. The fresh made soups, salads and big crusty bread sandwiches and wraps are delicious. My favorite is the Trinidad style corn soup. Caution Cayman Goddesses who are counting calories…the bakery is to die for! Huge, tender fruit muffins, seven layer dessert bars, palm sized home made oatmeal or chocolate chip cookies, lemon bars, fudgy brownies, raspberry tart bars all tempt even the most committed dieter. My personal splurge is the oversize fresh baked cupcakes with mile-high icing, the chocolate and vanilla versions are equally heavenly. The cupcakes are only offered occasionally but they are worth every sticky calorie.

Count on Paperman’s being packed, any time you go. It’s a who-who of local folks and a wildly popular spot for visitors. Maybe it’s the cool vibe, maybe it’s the coffee, or maybe it’s the food that keep Paperman’s buzzing with customers 7 days a week. It doesn’t hurt that the baristas happen to be drop-dead gorgeous and sweet as can be. You won’t find a prettier staff anywhere in Cayman, and they know how to brew up the best coffee drinks on the island.

Next time you need a boost, visit Paperman’s for a coffee, a bite, some local gossip, and a smile.

Paperman’s Coffee House      The Strand Shopping Center  

Telephone (345) 916-7185

http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/

Bookmark and Share!

Cafe Del Sol

“What do you mean you don’t have a Starbucks here?” Don’t worry; a great cup of coffee can still be found in the Cayman Islands at Cafe Del Sol. Cafe del Sol now has three locations: The Marquee Shopping Center off West Bay Road, Camana Bay next to Books and Books, and in downtown George Town on the waterfront in Aqua World Duty Free Mall next to Harley Davidson.

An addition to fresh brewed specialty coffee and a large collection of fine teas, the menu features a full range of espresso creations, frappes and coffee alternatives such as Mexican Spiced Cocoa. The Caramel Macchiato is worth every wicked calorie, and The White Chocolate Mocha is a heavenly concoction made with espresso, white chocolate, steamed milk and whipped cream.

Smoothies made with fresh fruit come in luscious flavors like banana, blueberry, mixed berry, strawberry-banana, blackberry, melon or mango. Paired with a low fat muffin, a smoothie from Cafe Del Sol makes an ideal on-the-go breakfast.

Stop into the nearest Cafe Del Sol and get your java buzz on.

www.cafedelsol.ky

Bookmark and Share!