DiningTaste of The BahamasBy Beth D’Addono Bahamian cuisine is a product of the country’s rich ethnic heritage, a never-bland gumbo of Spanish, West African and British cultures, stewed until perfectly cooked. In Nassau Paradise Island, the natural bounty of the sea is on the menu for every memorable dining experience, from the simplest down-home lunch to an upscale dinner enjoyed under a blanket of stars. Like the Locals
There’s no shortage of breezy, casual dining here, at places like Anthony’s Caribbean Grill on Paradise Island, a sunny little café that serves everything from coconut pancakes for breakfast to tasty fritters, burgers, salads and fresh grilled fish for lunch and dinner. Going Gourmet
At Café Martinique, chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten recreates the original cafe made famous by its appearance in the 1965 James Bond classic Thunderball. Located in the colorful Marina Village at Atlantis, Café Martinique is reimagined in a contemporary setting by New York designer Adam Tihany, with dramatic features including a wrought-iron birdcage elevator and a dramatic mahogany staircase. The elegant French menu includes dishes like lobster thermidor, steak au poivre and duck à la orange. Artful Italian
Luciano’s of Chicago, which opened on the Nassau waterfront in 2004, is located in the impressive former mansion of the late Sir Roland Symonette, the country’s first premier. Both Northern Italian and Bahamian dishes are featured, including classic escarole and sausage soup, fresh Nassau grouper piccata and Fruitti di Mare, fruits of both the Mediterranean and Caribbean seas. Or try the Roman specialty, spaghetti Amatriciana, pasta tossed with bits of pancetta, fresh tomato, onions and red pepper, perfectly rendered here in downtown Nassau. A feast for the senses, dining in Nassau Paradise Island offers the perfect recipe for romance
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Take a number 10 bus from town towards Cable Beach and visit the Arawak Cay Fish Fry, a row of informal bars and eateries that specialize in inexpensive, local fare. Order a couple of cold island-brewed Kalik beers, a bowl of zesty tomato-based conch chowder, conch fritters and a shrimp snack, a plate of six large fried shrimp served with fries and cole slaw on the side. The service is friendly, and bright Bahamian smiles come with everything you order.
You’ll want to dress to impress for an evening at Dune, New York chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s stunning Asian-fusion restaurant at the posh One&Only Ocean Club. Located in a whitewashed plantation setting overlooking a private section of Paradise Island’s 3-mile long Cabbage Beach, Dune features starters like the Black Plate for Two, a selection of quail grilled with Thai spices, crab spring roll and shrimp satay presented like artwork on a lustrous ebony platter. The menu also includes exotically spiced grouper, rack of lamb served with cucumber mint relish and a mammoth veal chop spiked with sage, papaya mustard and Madeira, enjoyed in the dining room or outside on the patio, accompanied by a soundtrack of breaking waves.
If you and your sweetheart have a fondness for Italian cuisine, you won’t soon forget Carmine’s. This hallmark of the New York theater district gracing Atlantis on Paradise Island brings a classic Italian-American restaurant experience from the 1920s to the islands. Specialties include linguine with clams, penne à la vodka, veal parmesan, chicken saltimbocca and a grilled porterhouse topped with Italian tomato sauce and melted mozzarella cheese.