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Here's a food report:

Trip Report (Food) 2007
I confess that this one was a hard one to write. I went thinking this year that the development would be too overwhelming; that “regular people” would not be as welcome; and, that the beaches would no longer be ours to enjoy. Based on all those “woulds,” we felt it was a time to keep returning to all of those places in Anguilla that are so special and that keep us on the plane to paradise in the fall of every year. So, this is a different report, not chronological, but a report of what and who comforts us, makes us comfortable, welcomes us, envelops us, and keeps us dreaming in turquoise for 3 weeks every year.

We started at Veya after a most unpleasant trip (SXM closed and left us circling in turbulence for nearly an hour – for anyone who doesn’t know: I HATE TO FLY) and what a welcome: a beautiful tree house where we were met at the door with a plate of the best hot johnnycakes. Carrie and Jerry kept the wine flowing; the choices of fresh, fresh fish (any way you want it) were unbelievable. My spouse opted for the grilled butterfish; I went with the shrimp cigars and calamari appetizers, all of it was perfectly prepared and although I can say that those are the greatest johnnycakes, I do not want to give short shrift to the pumpkin bread. All in all, they are perfect, gracious hosts, the setting is remarkably green and treed, and the food is beautifully and lovingly prepared. Put it on your “must list” if you haven’t already.

The next day, Sandy Ground was it because that says to me “you are here.” Jill & Graham have done such a wonderful job with Barrel Stay and are neighbors at one of the villas where we stay so we went to watch the harbor on a lazy Sunday and dine on sublime lobster cakes and tender shrimp tempura. We went back time and again and highlights included conch tempura, great Caesar salad, grilled blackened fish, and burgers. All the dishes come with wonderful Asian-inspired sides; good selection of wine; and Jill, who is a warm, sunny, saucy, earthy, funny addition to our island friends.

Dinner at Tasty’s – I love seeing Dale in his starched white chef’s jacket – again, a place where we are home. The tuna and grouper that first night were so fresh that I swear he ran out and caught it while we were waiting. A special treat that may have made the menu by now: he had just been to St. Martin and found fresh sardines and tried them out on my more adventuresome spouse. They bear NO resemblance to the canned things soaked in oil and I am told that they were delicate in flavor and, of course, perfectly prepared and presented. We’ve been devotees of Tasty’s since it opened in 1999 with plain white walls and about five tables and, hard as it is to believe, it just keeps getting better. We went numerous times for breakfast, lunch and dinner – can’t beat the omelets and hash browns, the seafood and lobster salads are legendary (or should be), the grilled snapper and crayfish are perfection on a plate. Accustomed as I am to fabulous food there, I had two dinner entrees that made me want to insist that nothing else be served those nights but these dishes. The first was a lobster tempura that was delicately light, yet substantial; the second was lobster in coconut curry sauce that was so subtle that I couldn’t relate it to any curry I’d ever had before – it very simply enhanced but never overpowered the coconut flavor. Truly delicious. Dale’s sister makes the desserts and the banana crème brulee and the chocolate covered banana mousse were outstanding.

Smokey’s is the beach bar that does it for me. Love the food and I’m considering pursuing a new career following the Musical Brothers (Saturday afternoons at Smokey’s; Pumphouse on Thursday nights) as an aging groupie. But, I digress. Back to the food – I think I could live and die happy on a diet of Smokey’s sweet potato strings, grilled fish sandwich, and rum punch. What more could you want? The occasional onion strings? The succulent ribs? But the fact is, it’s all good, and the music is the sauce. Never missed a Saturday and on the other days, it was just a very, very good island vibe.

Couldn’t wait for Straw Hat to open and then we were there, floating under a starry mooned sky. I think we ended up there 4-5 times and we find it to be a place familiar, welcoming, and just so consistently good. The highlights are Peter, Armel and Doris but since this is about food, the encrusted tuna and anything grilled (shrimp, tuna) are fabulous; the scallops got a rave review from a friend with us; I had the conch croquettes every time; my carnivore spouse decreased the cow population by a lot with his choices of rib-eye and porterhouse (twice!) steaks, all of which he declared to be superbly and perfectly prepared; my favorite was curried prawns with mushrooms. The whole place -- the ambiance, the warmth, the food, the view, the wine – just shouts: Pinch me, I’m here. (Note to other carnivores: the ossa buco was veeeery close to being back! Stay tuned.)

Picante was another place where people have to be thinking “OMG, they’re back & they won’t stop coming!” (Just kidding – Chloe & Theron are wonderfully gracious in every respect but we did show up there a lot.) Amazing hosts who just keep smiling through a crunch of hungry people but the food is abundant, reasonable, well-prepared and just first-rate: fish tacos, seafood enchiladas, wings & riblets, such smooth margaritas. We ran into the chefs from Veya and Straw Hat there one night so you know it’s a place to be reckoned with, food-wise.

E’s Oven evokes a different time for me. The proprietor/chef was the chef at Cinnamon Reef when we started going to Anguilla many years ago and his cooking takes me back to those happy days. Vernon is a genius with sauces and I think his coconut encrusted grouper is THE best on the island: light, flaky, delicate with tantalizing seasoning – a veritable work of art.
What better way could there be to start a day than a breakfast at the Overlook? The goat cheese and spinach crepes are the highlight for me but that French Toast is pretty darn inviting, too. Could (and did) sit there for hours – gorgeous. And on the subject of Deon, things are looking up at Ku. The menu is vastly improved; the salads and burgers are well beyond beach bar fare; and, I have it on good authority that the lunch chef at Ku makes the best wings of anyplace on that island and probably all of the neighboring islands. The people with me were raving and the entire wait staff at Ku was eating them. If they’re not on the menu, sidle up to him & ask (or beg) – they’re worth it. P.S. I’ve completely sworn off mango coladas due to Myra’s coconut ginger colada at Ku.

Only got to Trattoria twice as it was late opening due to the chef getting stranded in France (Hey, I’m only there once a year: charter a plane for him!). Calamari, duck pasta, grilled tuna salad, ricotta tarte, lobster ravioli, turquoise everywhere, wine flowing, hours passing. My favorite place for lunch anywhere in the world; Alan, the perfect host, and Kim & Gladys taking care of every little thing (re-filling the bread basket should be illegal!). I defy anyone to come up with a more perfect day than our last on the island: coffee on the deck at 18 Degrees North; shopping at Bartlett’s with a smoothie; lunch at Trattoria; walk and swimming at Rendezvous Bay; dinner at Straw Hat. Case closed.

Koal Keel, which we’re very fond of, is greatly enhanced this season by the presence of Bart who poured the wine and regaled us with island stories. He adds a much-appreciated level of warmth and charm to the surroundings. Our shrimp rolls and scallops in ground nuts were superb appetizers, and the lobster and blackened shrimp were exceptional. The dessert, of course, was ridiculously good. We sprung for a really extraordinary bottle of wine and it made for a very nice, comfortable evening with an old friend (Bart, not the bottle).
Hibernia is always a special night for us and this was no exception. Although I had a flash of nostalgia for the missing crab trio on the appetizer menu, all was forgiven when I tasted the crayfish in coconut with Thai spices. Poetry on a plate -- this dish alone is worth the drive. Mary Pat’s inestimable charm and grace, the crazily good ice cream, the nearly private dining (only one other table a little later) made for a memorable night in every respect. It’s an experience that’s hard to describe but I urge people to try it.

In addition to Veya, there were three other new places for us: Zurra, Cote Mer, and Un Amore. We spent two decadent afternoons at Cote Mer, mesmerized by the bobbing boats of Isalnd Harbour. Debby from the late, great Altamer restaurant works there and so we immediately felt welcomed and Michel, the owner, is funny, gracious, talkative, sweet. The specials there are wonderful: I had (twice) a dish of cheese wrapped in spinach in a beautifully light white mushroom sauce (roulade???) and the grilled sandwiches are done to perfection. Definitely a place to wile away the hours. Zurra was quite fantastic. The homemade chips and dip to start are tasty in the extreme; the paninis and grilled fish sandwiches are huge in and of themselves and they come with 2 sides (Note to all: pick the onion rings & roasted veggies!). The view is beautiful (those gigantic villas have been painted – they were concrete block when we were there last year); the wait staff is very professional; the drinks are generous. For a change of pace: Un Amore. Really tasty pizza, very reasonable, and Armel is there all day & Charmaine (Cinnamon Reef, Sunsets & English Rose) at night. You can carry out or get delivery if you’re mid-island (the kitchen staff had pizza delivered one day when we were eating at Smokey’s).
Wing Night (Wednesday) at the Ferry Boat Inn is fun & packed – big, fat wings done 4 different ways and then and always the infamous rum punch. Marjorie was doing crowd control and everything seemed to be running smoothly – fun to see people stacked 2-3 deep at the bar for once!

Those are the highlights – the places where we go for fine food, good friends, great conversation. We (obviously) ate well and came home nourished in body, spirit and soul.