Portofino

Instead of slaving over the stove for your Cayman Christmas, why not try a different type of day? Sleep in, open your gifts, lounge around, sip coffee, go to church if you like, but instead of the usual potato peeling, ham glazing, turkey stuffing, and pie baking, just relax! The chefs at Portofino Italian and Local Restaurant are busy all week gathering up the most delicious things you can imagine for a lovely Christmas buffet. All you have to do is make reservations! Dine by the Caribbean sea, and enjoy a wide selection of delicacies prepared by some of Grand Cayman’s finest chefs. Portofino is located in the East End district of Grand Cayman. Yes, it’s a little bit of a drive, but there will be absolutely zero traffic on Christmas Day (everything is closed except the restaurants & hotels) and it’s a beautiful drive!

Check out the delish 2009 Christmas buffet menu:

Soup Course: Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Salads: Mixed Garden Salad, Avocado Salad, Chicken & Mango Salad, Gravlax of Norwegian Salmon, Mussels with Relish, Caprese Salad, Peel & Eat Shrimp

Carving Corner: Roast Rib Eye Steak with Gravy, Traditional Christmas Turkey with Cranberry Sauce

Hot Buffet: Seafood Lasagna, Turtle Stew, Chicken Tikki Masala, Curry Goat, Jerk Pork Ribs, Sauteed Snapper with Lemon Butter Sauce, Sauteed Veggies, Fried Potato Wedges, Saffron Rice, Rice & Beans

Desserts: Christmas Pudding, Fresh Fruit Salad, Yule Log, Ice Cream and Toppings

Adults: CI $26.95 + 15% Gratuity, Kids CI $14.95 + 15% Gratuity. The time frame is 11:30 AM to 3:30 PM, Christmas Day, December 25th, 2009.

Portofino 345-947-2700

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Pappagallo

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, November 26th) and who will have to time to stay home and baste turkey in the glorious Cayman Islands? Thanksgiving Day in Cayman can be spent any number of ways: snorkeling, sailing. strolling on Seven Mile Beach, shopping for a new Rolex downtown, swimming with the stingrays at Stingray city-the possibilities are endless. The last thing you need to worry about is pulling together a traditional Thanksgiving Day feast with all the trimmings when it’s 85 degrees outside and sunny with miles of beautiful beach to enjoy! Why not make reservations instead, at one of Grand Cayman’s finest restaurants. Slip into a lovely outfit, and head over to Ristorante Pappagallo for a relaxing evening of gourmet food prepared by experts with over 25 years experience in the Cayman Islands. They will take care of all the cooking, and you’ll have a Thanksgiving feast for only CI $29 per person!

Check out this amazing menu:

Choice of starter: Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Maple Cinnamon Sage Brown Butter Or Chopped Apple Salad with Toasted Walnuts, Blue Cheese and Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Main Course:Roasted Turkey with Citrus Rosemary Salt, Country Stuffing, Gravy, Homemade Cranberry Sauce, Garlic Whipped Potatoes with Marscapone, Roasted Carrots and Parsnips

Dessert: Almost Famous Pumpkin Cheesecake Or Bourbon Pecan Pie

Telephone: 345-949-1119     www.pappagallo.ky

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Happy Halloween

If you’re not into the whole huge party scene, or if you want to catch a delightful meal before you head out for a big night out on the town, consider the $30.00 Halloween menu tonight at Guy Harvey’s Island Grill. Since today is October 31st, the chef has concocted a spooktacular meal guaranteed to tease your palate, delight your senses, and leave you feeling spoiled. It’s priced reasonably, and there’s a security guard in the parking lot until closing, so ladies-don’t worry ’bout a thing. If the evening stretches out till the wee hours, they’ve got you covered.

Here’s the yummy menu for tonight:

Jumbo Lump Crabmeat-Fiiled Crepe with Pumpkin Coulis or Mixed Green Salad with Pumpkin Vinaigrette or Pumpkin Bisque

Filet of Red Snapper with Pumpkin Sauce or Sweet and Sour Pumpkin Chicken Breast or NY Steak with Pumpkin Jam

Pumpkin Pie or Chocolate-Pumpkin Creme Brulee

Guy Harvey’s Island Grill        55 South Church Street   345-946-9000

www.harveysgrill.com

If you’re looking for something to do afterwards, pick up the Cayman Compass newspaper at any gas station or grocery store. There’s a whole section listing the parties, family oriented events, and where to buy costumes. There are lots of fun things going on in Cayman this weekend; get out and find some Halloween entertainment that tickles your fancy!

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Gourmet Pepper Jelly

There’s one thing you can always find in my pantry: Gourmet Cayman Pepper Jelly. This delicious jelly is a blend of sweet, hot, and tangy flavors and if you pick up a jar, you’ll never want to be without it in your kitchen again!  It’s made by one special Cayman Islands lady, Carol Hay, who on weekends, manages to produce about 36 tasty batches a week of her magical, top-secret recipe and supply us Cayman folks with this delicacy. Her production size allows her to maintain her incredible devotion to quality control and consistency of flavour, colour and texture, all without dyes or preservatives. ( I can’t personally see the need for preservatives anyway; we gobble the jelly up in no time in our house!)

Crackers

The jelly is yummy eaten on Triscuits and with a good cheese. Pepper jelly fanatics swear by cream cheese, pepper jelly and crackers. It’s also lovely with Jamaican water crackers (a plain and very inexpensive biscuit-type cracker that can be found at any Cayman grocery store). My gang slathers it on toasted wheat bagels or Hardough bread (another yummy Caribbean treat-widely available in Cayman) and just about anything that looks cracker-like. It’s great on hot dogs, as a chutney, on pizza, or as a ham glaze. Try a dab on waffles with butter. Try it on rice cakes if you are watching calories. A little goes a long way!

Gourmet Pepper Jelly is a cook’s best friend. I use it frequently in many dishes. It’s great for sweet and sour sauces, dips, glazes, barbeque sauces, basting meatloaf, and all sorts of other uses. Some of my “famous” sauces owe quite a bit to Miss Carol’s secret mixture of locally grown Scotch Bonnet and special seasonings.

Carol Hay

Carol is purist when it comes to her product. She even grows her own Scotch Bonnet peppers, and has over 45 bushes of varying species. She keeps most of them in pots so she can pull them in to the safety of her garage during hurricane threats. The Scotch Bonnet is one of the hottest peppers in the world, and Carol wears a mask and snorkel when she makes the jellies. All this effort just so we can enjoy the best tasting jelly in all of the Caribbean!

In addition to having a jar around the house, Gourmet Pepper Jelly is the best possible welcome gift or departing gift for visitors to our lovely island. It’s 100% made in Cayman with tender loving care. Pick up your supply at Foster, Kirk’s or Hurley’s Supermarkets, all Cafe Del Sol locations, Pure Art Gallery, Pedro St. James, the Red Sail Sports Shop at Rum Point, The Bodden Town Art Shop, The National Trust Gift Shop,  all Jacques Scott locations and Guy Harvey’s Gallery.

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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!

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Are you in need of fine wines or spirits for your home liquor cabinet? The time to buy is Wild & Wacky Wednesdays in October at any Tortuga Rum retail location, because the folks at Tortuga are offering an unheard of 15% off of any wine or spirits purchase! Stock up now for the holidays, hostess gifts, parties, or for your own personal enjoyment! Tortuga has a fantastic selection of wines and spirits at every location. I don’t know a gosh-darn thing about wines, and the helpful staff is always terrific when I’m shopping for a party or a gift. They know their products, can help with food & wine pairings and can assist even the most clueless wine buyer (like me) with making an intelligent wine purchase. The selection of spirits and wine is excellent. My picky houseguests always make a stop at Tortuga to get a bottle of their favorite top-shelf indulgence when they stay with us, since they know Tortuga has everything from the basics to top of the line spirits and wines.

Stop in at any of the five Tortuga locations (see flyer) and pick up your favorite libations for 15% off, this Wednesday or any Wednesday in October.

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I purchased some of these sausages at the Market at the Grounds, the local farmer’s market held here in the Cayman Islands. I was thinking they would be a good alternative to the supermarket variety. I had no idea that my family would go completely WILD for these amazing, gourmet, perfectly seasoned masterpieces.

David comes from a long line of butchers in Ireland. He moved to the Cayman Islands six years ago where he met the love of his life, Miss Jackie, and the rest is history. David worked for The Cracked Conch, The Westin Casuarina, Mezza, and The Ritz Carlton, Grand Cayman. He had owned a restaurant prior to living in Cayman, and he wanted to be the captain of his own ship again. His dream was to produce his own locally made sausages.

Today, his dreams have become a reality. Caribo Sausages is a well-known brand in the Cayman Islands, and the company supplies many of the top restaurants here. However, they have an extremely loyal following with local households…like mine! The flavors are a fusion of global, European, Caribbean, and distinctly Caymanian.

Caribo’s extensive sausage menu includes choices such as Seafood, Pork/Cranberry-Stilton, Jerk Chicken, Hot Italian, Chorizo, Beef & Cheddar, Bratwurst, British Bangers, Jerk Pork, Korma Curry Chicken, Cuban Style Sausage, Lamb Merguez, and Hickory Smoked Maple Ham Steaks, and many more. If you like, you can choose a 3 pound “Selection Pack” and sample to your heart’s content!

David tests, samples, and researches every new product extensively before introducing it. (I will post any updates if he is hiring any “tasters”!)

Caribo’s delivers, too! Just give them a call to order your tray for home, office or beach party deliveries. They freeze beautifully. Minimum order: 6 lbs. Otherwise, Call 324-1207, or 946-1999 or visit them at The Grounds Market Place at The Stacey Watler Agricultural Pavilion in Savannah (at the Farmer’s market) Saturday’s 7:00 AM to 12:30 PM. If you get the chance, introduce yourself to David & Jackie and talk to them about how they make their product. They are two of the nicest people you’ll ever meet, and you’ll be amazed at the dedication they have to their product. And if they are giving out samples, by all means, get your hands on one! De-lish!

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The Reef

This summer, “de-stress” with some relaxation at The Reef in Grand Cayman. Picture cool tropical breezes blowing through your hair as you lay in your beach chair with a mudslide in your hand. Imagine a place where time stops and all your daily worries and stresses are just washed out to sea. Private and secluded, the Reef is the perfect place to unwind for a weekend. Panoramic views are standard in every room, and the staff’s mission is to make sure your stay is as relaxing as humanly possible. If this means a weekend of activities like snorkeling or tennis or simply reading a book under perfect blue skies, there is not a better place in the Caribbean to do it than the Reef.

This summer, enjoy these fantastic staycation rates in the Reef’s all the beachfront suites:

Studio Suite: CI $119.00

Deluxe Studio Suite: CI $139.00

1 Bedroom Suite: CI $179.00

2 Bedroom Condo: CI $239.00

Ask The Reef about the special rates for stays of 5 nights or more!

Also enjoy in your staycation $6 mudslides and $3 beers at the Rusty Pelican Beach Bar.

10% off any Whitesand Watersports Excursion

10% off Spa treatments at Le Soleil Spa

To reserve your spot, email reservations@thereef or call 345-947-0100. Valid local ID required at check-in. Subject to availability. Even if you aren’t a local resident, ask The Reef about their excellent rates-they have some of the best prices in the Cayman Islands!

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Chardonnay

Sip fine wine, enjoy beautiful artwork from photographer Dubabuh Boldeau and nibble on free appetizers from Agave Grill at the complimentary wine tasting event at Tortuga Liquors at Governors Square Thursday, August 27th from 5PM-7PM. (Yes, you heard that right: free appetizers from the fabulous Agave Grill!)  If you haven’t made your way over to the elegant Tortuga Store, you simply must stop in soon. The showcase Governors Square location is stocked with fine liquors and wines and is the perfect spot for tonight’s wine tasting.

Once you taste the yummy wines, you will be tempted to take some home for yourself. Tortuga has priced these fine wines at special SALE prices for the event so you can snap some up at a discount! Chat with the expert staff about what foods to pair with these lovely wines-they really know their “stuff” in the wine department. If you attend the Tortuga wine tastings each month, you’ll be a wine expert in no time!

Featured artist/photographer: Dubabuh Boldeau

Featured Wines: Finca Flichman Chardonnay & Malbec Volteo Tempranillo Shiraz 

Appetizers Provided by: Agave Grill

Agave Grill

By the way, mark your calendars: this event takes place on the last Thursday of every month. What better way to expand your wine knowledge and have a bit of fun!

Tortuga Liquors      Governors Square, West Bay Road    

Telephone (345) 946-6864

http://www.tortugarumcakes.com/

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