Cracked Conch

Cracked Conch Review

This longtime institution, rebuilt after Hurricane Ivan, effortlessly blends upscale and down-home. The interior gleams from the elaborate light-and-water sculpture at the gorgeous mosaic-and-mahogany entrance bar to the plush booths with subtly embedded lighting. You can drink in the remarkable water views through large shutters, but for maximum impact, dine on the multitiered patio. Newfangled variations on old-fashioned cuisine include honey-jerk-glazed tuna with cucumber relish, crispy calamari with cardamom-marinated carrots and chipotle sauce, and wahoo tartare in saffron-tomato broth. Sample stellar signature items include the definitive conch chowder or ceviche, short rib ravioli with truffles and Parmesan foam, and mahimahi poached with dark-rum-butter sauce, turmeric, wilted spinach, and tomato chutney. Desserts delight, from a gossamer vanilla crème brûlée with pineapple-bergamot salsa to a miraculously moist guava-glazed bread-and-butter pudding. Locals flock to Sunday brunch or Monday's all-you-can-eat barbecue bash, or they just hang out at the wildly decorated dockside Macabuca tiki bar (fab sunsets, sunset-hued libations), which lives up to its mellow name, indigenous Taíno for "What does it matter?"