Restaurant Review #5: Virginia Wine Week at Molasses Grill in Halifax, VA

No, you aren't suffering from deja vu, and you aren't imagining things, I have already reviewed Molasses Grill. I had to share this meal with you though. Going to school in Charlottesville, I developed an appreciation for Virginia Wine, really wine in general, but especially Virginia Wine. On spring days--prettier than the ones we've been having recently--we would always go wine tasting. Of course, we never skipped class for such an activity...never. After tasting, we would purchase a bottle, a baguette, a hunk of cheese, and some salami or some sort of cured meat and sit on the lawn and enjoy the beauty of Charlottesville, local wine, and each other's company.

Knowing how much I love wine--particularly of the Virginia persuasion--and good food, my mom let me know about Virginia Wine Week. VWW was from March 18 - 27, and restaurants, wine stores, and wineries around the state were having specials. Some were pricing specials, some were free tastings, and some were meals inspired by and paired with VA wine. The event Molasses held on March 24 was the latter--a prix fixe, four-course dinner with wine pairings. All courses for everyone partaking in the event were to be served at the same time.

I called several weeks in advance to ensure I had a seat--Molasses is not too, too large. So at 6:00 my roommate, aunt, mother, and I assembled at Molasses to claim the reserved seats. I expected wines from all over Virginia, but only one vineyard was featured...a local vineyard. I was nervous when I had that realization. The only local wine I had had until then was SWEET to say the least...saccharine probably best describes it. I don't even cook with it. Since I hadn't had anything from Hunting Creek Vineyards, I remained open minded...but skeptical. And much to my surprise and pleasure, this was, hands down, the best meal I have had at Molasses.

The first course was duck two ways paired with a viognier--a wine I don't typically like. It was not as sweet as the viogniers I have tasted before, thank goodness. It was very smooth, too, but not buttery like a chardonnay. I found myself saying liking the wine and wanting to purchase a bottle. This course was served chilled the two ways were 1) hickory grilled breast served chilled over a honey and coriander dressed arugula salad and 2) roasted and pulled duck leg served on a crostini. Both ducks was so tender, flavorful, and moist. It literally melted in my mouth. There were crispy, salty bits of skin atop the duck breast on the salad that added great texture and flavor to the dish. I wanted at least two more helpings. Even those who didn't like duck enjoyed this dish.

Second, we had the "Indulgence" merlot-petit verdot blend paired with a roasted wild striped bass. It was served over grits, braised fennel, cured lemon, country ham, bacon, and a red wine Indulgence sauce. The wine was good--fairly light,  not too sweet, with a smoky finish. The chef said he tried to make uncommon pairings--i.e. duck with white, fish with red, and by using lemon and fennel, as they normally do not pair well with wine. Period. I am not a huge bass fan, but it was alright. I wanted an entire plate of the other stuff--the ham, bacon, grits, and red wine sauce. There was also a house-made potato chip that teetered atop the fish, and it was crisp and salty and better than anything you can find in a store. Oh man. So good.

Then along came "Decadence" with the porterhouse (read: HUGE CHUNK OF) lamb. At this point, we were all feeling good--especially me. This was the first drink I had in at two weeks, since I had been preparing for a half-marathon that was the weekend before. We were also getting full, so we did not enjoy the lamb as much as we would have had we been starving and as much as we really should have. Nonetheless, it was delicious, tender, medium-rare, juicy, and I could have drunk the sauce on the place--made from the Decadence wine, 95% petit verdot and 5% viognier. This was my favorite of the two reds. It was extremely smooth, not sweet, but not rich with tanins, not too heavy--juuuust right. The lamb was served along with fingerling potatoes--used to soak up the wine sauce--and local collards. I love leafy greens, and these were cooked perfectly.

To accompany the dessert, we were served a dessert wine--imagine that! I don't drink anything with notable residual sugars. I think all dessert wines taste like fermented honey. While I like honey, the though of drinking it fermented does nothing for me. Whenever we went tasting in college, I'd pass the wines off to someone else, and tonight was no different. I slid the glass to my right for my aunt to enjoy--she loves SWEET. It did, however, have one redeeming factor--the adorable minuscule wine glass in which it was served. The dessert was a strawberry rhubarb crumble topped with green tea-cardamom ice cream. OH MAN. The crumble was tangy and tart from the rhubarb, and the ice cream was cool and refreshing, a fitting dessert after the heavy lamb dish.

The best part--all of this (four courses AND WINE) was the price tag. $29.95 plus tax and gratuity. If you want to eat like a prince on a pauper's budget, come to Southside VA. Well, maybe not a pauper's budget, but you couldn't have gotten half of this meal anywhere else for this price!

Also, you were fortunate enough to dine with the proprietors of the vineyard. You can't get a meal like this anywhere for this price. Put VWW on your calendar/radar next year if you are from VA, and if you aren't from VA, book your tickets and make your reservations now. You'd be silly not to do so.

Quick Quiche: Sun-dried Tomato and Spinach

I know I really need to pick up the slack for the few people that actually read this. Rest assured, I have not forgotten about my cooking endeavors...I just also have a job...that pays...a little bit, at least. This is also the very end of the busiest season of my job, so I've been a little preoccupied. Also, I have not been inspired when I've ventured to the grocery recently...I cannot wait until I can pilfer my family members' gardens. Just wait for the recipes that will bombard you in the coming months. Although, I will have to find time to post between days on the lake and cooking.  Last year that's about all I did during the summer, so I'll have to squeeze in time to write about what I make from the things I steal from their gardens.

I am sure you've all tried my cornbread recipe, and as you may recall, I was pining for a cast-iron skillet--preferably one that had already been seasoned. My grandfather caught wind of this and scrounged up several cast-iron skillets from one of his storage units. Both of my grandfathers have enough stuff to fill three more households, so it's always fun foraging to see what they have. My mother had three well-loved cast-iron skillets in tow the next time I saw her. There was your traditional, 10-inch skillet, another 10-inch with exceptionally deep sides (think fried chicken), and the super-cute one I used for this recipe.

I decided to try a) a crust-less, b) cheese-less, and c) bacon-less (!!!)  recipe, and this cute pan was perfect for the crust-less part. You could also make this recipe with crust, with crescent rolls as the crust in muffin tins, as muffin-size crust-less quiches, or as a full-size crust-less quiche. As you can see, the varieties are many. You may also add any fillings you prefer--sausage, bacon, cheese, broccoli, peppers, onions, mushrooms, etc.

I chose to use sun-dried tomatoes, because I once had a sun-dried tomato quiche at a B&B in Charlottesville, and I have been drooling over the thought of it since. I also had a jar of sun-dried tomatoes on had from an earlier recipe. I will admit that my quiche was not nearly as good as the one I am remembering, but it was still really, really good! I blame the fact that I used 2% milk in stead of heavy cream...but I reserve heavy cream for special occasions...or any dessert you can put whipped cream atop.

It was still fluffy and flavorful. I have a secret for fluffy eggs...sour cream. I forget where I learned it, but sour cream is 10-times better than adding cream or milk--whether you are scrambling eggs or making a quiche. Give this quiche a try with your favorite ingredients. Make ahead and serve as a quick dinner alongside a lightly dressed salad, or serve for brunch with bacon or sausage.

I promise to post more often, as my life seems to be calming down--although I have a feeling that's just wishful thinking. Don't give up on me just yet!

Thumbprint Cookies

This recipe comes to you by request of one of my faithful readers (read: friends). So keep that in mind. If there's something you want me to make, do not hesitate to make a request. I will try my best to make it no matter how exotic or random.

Every April, Charlottesville is home to a horse race --rain or shine. Everyone at UVa goes. No one sees a horse. You just tailgate in a hot field all day long and wander from plot to plot eating and drinking until it's time to hop on the charter bus and head back to campus. It is quite the spectacle, and I have yet to experience anything like it anywhere else. Chaos always ensues, and inevitably, someone (more like 200+ someones) get arrested and have a video trial with the judge.

But that's not why we are here. We are here for the cookies. The first time I had these cookies was first year at Foxfield. We stumbled upon a plot that belonged to a family friend of a good friend of mine. They had these cookies, but some had pecans and instead of jam, they were filled with orange or blue icing. They. Were. Magnificent.

Second year, my roommates and I really wanted to bake something, but we had very limited resources. Chances are, it was a very odd hour to begin with, so a trip to the grocery probably wasn't the best idea anyway. As you can tell, these cookies do not require much. We found a recipe for thumbprint cookies in my friend's hometown cookbook. They. Were. Magnificent. Again.

One of those roommates requested that I make these cookies for the blog, and it just so happened that I needed to bake something for the wonderful person who has outfitted my herb garden this spring. These cookies did the trick.

There are recipes with pecans in the cookie part or with the cookie rolled in pecans, but I took the simple route sans pecans.

Restaurant Review #4: Table 45 in Cleveland, OH

So remember that horrendous trip to Cleveland? There were two shining moments in the whole snowy mess--my lunch and dinner appointments that day. Thankfully they went well; that was, after all, the reason I was in Cleveland.

Initially, I was going to drive to western PA for a meeting, but the person I was to meet called and said he would be happy to meet me. Thank goodness, otherwise, I would have been found on the side of 80 in a snow bank. Since he was driving to meet me and was getting off at noon, he couldn't arrive before 2:00 for our lunch. No problem, I said and proceeded to polish off the commercial coffee pot that was full earlier that morning (you know the ones with the lever that you press on the top) just to pass the time. The morning proved to be ample opportunity to search for an appropriate place to lunch. It was more difficult than I initially thought it would be, because so many places close between lunch and dinner. I needed a nice place that was nice and that served food for those random people who want to eat a meal at 3:00.

I found a place called L'Albatros that looked awesome. Zack Bruell is the head chef there in addition to three other restaurants in Cleveland. L'A has a fairly Italian perspective, so I chose Table 45, on of Bruell's other restaurants in the area because of it's global fare.

We arrived and the restaurant was dead...I mean there was probably a game of yatzee going on in the back among the bored servers. The decor was very modern, but not so modern that it felt cold. The tables had pine-colored tops and dark placemats; aside from this, there was very little contrast to the sleek lines, brown chairs that look like they are from the 60s or 70s, and frosted glass. Check out the pictures. We sat at a table near the window and had a view of a snow-covered square. Some would have enjoyed the view; it, however, was a constant reminder that I had packed inadequately (I did check the weather and nowhere did it mention over eight inches of snow) and that I could very well be stuck in Cleveland.

We had to take a moment of silence to decide what we wanted to order; otherwise, the menus would have remained closed and we never would have eaten. Weirdly enough, we each decided to order a soup and a fish dish.

I gravitated toward the sweet potato soup, despite the fact that it included curry in the title. I'm not normally a fan of anything curry, because I think it tastes the way a new car smells. I was feeling adventurous (or ravenously hungry, since it was mid-afternoon) this particular time and ordered it despite its curry-ness. The soup was good. Good, not great. My mother spoiled me as a kid and whenever we had anything with sweet potatoes, she removed the strings. It was very simple, all you have to do is run the beater through the cooked sweet potatoes, and the strings will get stick on the metal prongs. Simple. Takes maximum five minutes. This soup did not have the strings removed, and that bothered me. Aside form that, the soup was good...curry and all. The other soup, which was the daily special, was a thin, cream-based onion soup garnished with chives, and they both enjoyed it. I have to admit, I did not expect a white onion soup.

I ordered the salmon which was cooked perfectly. The outside was seared and crispy, and that seared all of the juices in the fish. It was served alongside a tempura futomaki roll and boiled bok choy. There was a side of "spicy aoli" that I thought could have been spicier. The other fish ordered was the mahi mahi with a veracruz sauce--like a tomato, olive, caper stew--and asparagus. Everything was delicious; I don't think you will go wrong with anything from this restaurant, or I dare say, any of Bruell's others.

Since I don't have pictures from this trip and the ones linked above are copywrited, I will decorate this blog with a few stories from the meal and trip to/from the restaurant.

1) The man I met was a doctor. And he loves being a doctor. He was a bit late to pick me up, because he had a procedure that ran late. You're probably asking what type of procedure. It was your standard polyp removal, as it was particularly large and required a bit more time.

I have asked doctors how do they separate themselves from the blood and the guts and he sees it as a job, a process...just as you are able to sort your files without getting queasy. Well, he doesn't quite understand that not everyone can disconnect themselves from the gory thoughts. Fortunately, I have a strong stomach and was able to handle the description of the procedure and allllll of the details...at the table! He even took pictures and offered to show them to me. After lunch and more GI talk, he dropped my off at the bed and breakfast and hopped out of the car. As I was walking toward the sidewalk, he opened the back of the SUV and said, "Wait, you have to see the pictures!"

2) After lunch and several waters, I went to the restroom while the valet was bringing the car; when I came out, the Dr. was nowhere to be found! I saw him just a few minutes later, and he had a small bag from the gift shop in his hand. In the car he passed it to me, and I opened it to find a shot glass adorned with the Cleveland skyline. Did I mention this was a work lunch date? Shot glass, really?

I also received a box of chocolates from the world's largest chocolate store and an antique vase.

3) Finally, we were leaving the restaurant, and he had accidentally clicked his home address in the GPS, so we were riding around the wrong side of the tracks for ten minutes, before he realized the destination was two hours away--the B&B was only 2.5 miles from lunch.

Hope you enjoyed the potpourri from lunch, and if you ever find yourself in Cleveland, go to Table 45.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's not 'the most wonderful time of the year,' but it is 'that time of the year.' I hope most of you tax payers out there know that I am referring to tax season. If you're not a tax payer, I won't hold it against you if you're clueless, but one day you will be ever-so-cognizant of that looming day. This is only the second year that I have really had to pay taxes, so it's still pretty simple to crunch my numbers.

Last year, my parents took my folder of papers along with their box of necessary information, and our faithful accountant was nice enough to throw my taxes in free of charge. I made a batch of peanut butter cookies with chocolate and peanut butter chips as a thank-you-for-doing-my-taxes gift. This year, my monies were no more complicated than they were the year before, so he said he would file for me again...as long as I made a batch of chewy chocolate chip cookies. DONE.

I remembered seeing an episode of Alton Brown's "Good Eats" all about cookies. If you've never seen Alton before, he's a foodie and science nerd, and somehow he marries the two fairly well. On this particular episode he acknowledged personal preferences for cookies and gave the ideal recipes for the chewiest chewy cookie, the crunchiest thin cookie, and the poofiest puffy cookie. I like a good crunchy cookie, because for some reason, I feel less guilty about those than the ones that closely resemble dough. That does not stop me from eating doughy cookies--those are my absolute favorites. But a puffy cookie sounds dry to me.

I made the chewy cookie, because if it's scientifically proven, it's got to be good. I followed the recipe as Alton made it, but I did not have any bread flour. So I made it with regular flour, and they were still chewy and delicious! My tax man was pretty happy and said they were the best he has ever had...so it's not just science, it's scientifically proven!

Spinach, Bacon, and Sun-dried Tomato Ravioli with Creamy Tomato Sauce

Super-simple shrimp recipe to come...

I am stuck. I am in hell, and it has frozen over! I had to come to Cleveland for a very quick--36 hour--work trip. I was looking forward to seeing a new city and having time to explore a little, since I only had a few appointments. Well, the combination of lake-effect snow and a low pressure unit from Michigan (thank you, Michigan) has dumped eight inches on the city of Cleveland thus far, and it's not finished yet. To make matters even more comical, I packed tights, ballet flats, and a light-weight trench coat.

I am crossing every finger and toe I have that I can get out tomorrow morning. If not, I will go stir crazy. I am used to being busy; even if I don't have something I have/need to do, I will create some way to occupy myself. Last year, I reorganized and 'spring' cleaned during the first snow. I'll cook. I'll work out. I'll read or find something to do, some way to be productive. Well, here I am...just sitting...waiting...hoping that divine intervention will occur and the snow will vanish. Leaving me with the freedom to go and do and explore...and not sit. I can't even cook, because I'm not at home.

I have already answered my work emails, an personal emails, and stopped shopping online. I decided there has to be a less expensive way to unproductively spend my time. So I figured I would share another recipe with you. This one is a fresh, but comforting, and extremely versatile pasta dish. There is so much you can do within the basic framework of this recipe, so take your favorite ingredients and make some ravioli out of them. The possibilities are endless.

One day, I will make homemade pasta. That will be right after I invest in the pasta-making attachment for my mixer, but until then, I am going to make these semi-homemade ravioli. The wonton wrappers work so well, that I am in no hurry to make my own. Plus, you want to taste the filling more than you want to taste the noodle in this case. In other dishes, where you're serving noodles and sauce (no filling) the quality of the pasta is much more important. This is great as an entree or side.

Roasted Broccoli

Excuse me if this post makes no sense; I have been traveling since 4:30 this morning and my brain is at that state where it either wants to turn to oatmeal or shut off. I'm going to try to squeeze this post out before I pass out.

I went to my parents' house this past weekend, and my aunt, uncle, and two cousins happened to be in town as well. My family is really close, so whenever my aunt and her family come into town (they are the only family member that doesn't live within walking distance from my parents' house), we all get together. It typically involves pizza and salad on the food front and Blue Moon, white zin, bourbon, and a wine that has been opened since the last gathering (that always gets pawned off on me) on the drink front.

This particular night was no different (old wine included), except I made dinner--no waiting on the pizza man. There are a lot of young kids in my extended family, so I needed to make something fairly universal for the menu. I went with linguine (I think fettuccine noodles are too wide) with an alfredo sauce and sauteed chicken accompanied by roasted broccoli, salad, and bread. This roasted broccoli is a unique way to eat an old-fashioned favorite, so if you're pro-broc, or even if you don't think you are, make this.

Back to my family...my grandparents live on a big hill and their front yard slopes downward, and at the bottom of the hill, there is a creek. We have a family legend called "The Thing that Drags" that dates back to one of my aunt's birthdays (I don't know exactly how old she was). She is the youngest of four, and just before bedtime, my grandfather told the girls the legend of The Thing that Drags. TTD is a man that lives in the bottom (at the time the bottom was swampier than it is now, so there was an added element of scariness). According to the tale, sometimes you can see TTD walking across the front lawn dragging...his bum leg or something...it's never been all that clear. That night, my grandfather had my uncle go down to the bottom and creep across the lawn when he saw the girls peek out the front door. What do you know, they were lucky enough to see TTD that night...and clearly, they didn't sleep a wink.

This past weekend after dinner and drinks, my grandfather decided that it was time to revive the legend. I heard Pop tell my uncle to go down to the bottom; then, Pop got my younger cousins (I'm the oldest by far) riled up by telling the story. Afterward, the whole family piled onto the front porch, and the kids went down the hill to explore. We heard leaves rustling and sticks crunching, and all of the kids were freaking out. My six-year-old cousin, Elle, was the most brave of all and went the furthest...

She has a three-year-old brother...it was understandable that he didn't lead the charge.
My cousin (boy) who is twelve wouldn't even go halfway down the hill...unacceptable!
My other cousin--boy, nine years old--stood about 20 feet behind us saying, "I'll protect you from here." Well, at least he had our back...

It was hilarious. Eventually, TTD stopped making noise, and we heard my uncle come out onto the porch and ask what we were all doing looking into the woods. We all started up the hill, and the kids were watching their backs until the front door closed and everyone was inside. The fun was short-lived, but it was terribly amusing. This is just a glimpse of a Friday night with my family. They are phenomenally loving and very lighthearted and unbelievably supportive.

TTD has nothing to do with this broccoli recipe other than the fact that this recipe breathes new life into a classic, but under-appreciated vegetable, and TTD is a staple in my family that was rejuvenated this past weekend; now that we have all experienced TTD, we have a new love of and understanding for the story. I look forward to hearing my cousins tell this story to their kids and snicker as they go down the hill to check it out. And while the food may not be something that they talk about when they recount this particular evening,  it is certainly something that brought us together and a catalyst for the memories that followed.

Salted-Caramel and Chocolate Oat Bars

 
Oh man, guys. You're going to love this one. This past weekend all I did was bake. I was a frenzied, floured mess all weekend; every mixing bowl got used at least twice. I made at least five different baked goods (I lost count), and some of them I will be sharing with you in recipe form...too bad you couldn't taste them!

I have been so busy with work and going out of town to see friends, that I have not had a weekend to do nothing since before Christmas. Finally, I had a free weekend, so I decided I was going to bake and catch up on my thank-yous. I had various people who needed to be thanked for helping me out in the past few months...from my friend who has been keeping my herbs alive all winter in the greenhouse, to a wonderful family friend who gave me seedlings of every herb and lettuce imaginable (get ready for fresh summer recipes!!), to the maintenance men who do everything I ask no matter how trivial--from checking to see of the flue is open (I now know how to do this), to changing light bulbs (I know, I should be ashamed), to bringing us firewood so we can use the fireplace (with the open flue).

So this weekend, Izzie (my trusty chocolate lab) and I baked all day Saturday and Sunday. And by Izzie baked, I mean she sat on the rug by the back door and kept me company. I don't want to tell you how many sticks of butter, pounds of sugar, and eggs I used for fear that you will never read this blog again. Don't write me off as a Paula Dean...but there are some times when you need to indulge and when you need to say, "Thank you. This was made with love (and a lot of butter)."

The following is a recipe I made in the fall. I tweaked it the first time I made it, and I tweaked it again this time. The first time, they were great, but this time, they were even better. I gave these to a friend who shared them with co-workers, and they all loved them. Chocolate and salted caramel--my new favorite ingredient to use in baking, although making it is pretty laborious--are sandwiched between layers of oats and honey with a hint of cinnamon. It is a unique cookie bar--chewy like some brownies, oat-y like granola (although I'm willing to bet it's not as healthy), and better than a chocolate-chip blondie.

Make these and serve it warm with a scoop of the Edy's Girl Scouts Samoa's Ice Cream. You better hurry, because it will only be available for a limited time (until April). Anyway, this is sure to be a match made in heaven. Run. Don't walk.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with a Kick

The sweet potato is my carb of choice (aside from dessert). I will pick it over pasta, rice, regular potatoes, and bread any day. And this dish is one of my go-to dished when I don't know what else to make at night. It always hits the spot...it's a comfort food, but it's not the type of clog-your-arteries-call-the-doc type of comfort food.

My first introduction to this delicious specimen was a Thanksgiving meal during my childhood...probably, not unlike many of you. My great aunt would prepare them with marshmallows on top...why would any normal kid not like them? It was like having dessert during the main course. I don't remember when the switch occurred, but eventually, my mother took over the handling of the sweet potato dish. She found a killer recipe (both in taste and butter content), and we have had them at every Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter feast since then. My cousin started calling the sweet potato casserole "candy potatoes," and that's basically what they are. The recipe has evolved over time to use freshly baked potatoes (instead of the canned ones in syrup, eek) and much, much less butter, and somehow they are still just as delicious at the first time we had it. Look for this casserole recipe around Easter.

Second year in college, I would eat sweet potatoes all the time, because they were cheap, and I was on a budget. I also ate my fair share of tuna and peanut butter that year--not together. I have since graduated to food that is more grown up; the sweet potato is something, however, that I will eat no matter how much (or little) money I have in my account.

I have baked them, mashed them, hashed them, but this is one of my favorite ways to prepare them...roasted with a bit of spice. You may cut the sweet potato however you prefer. I really like them served atop a salad with dried cranberries and almonds or pecans, it's best to cube them in that case. I started fixing them like that after a trip to France; one of the bakeries at which we ate had a salad with roasted sweet potatoes, a very soft, crumbly cheese that was not offensive or terribly flavorful, arugula, and a very light dressing...I want to say there were dried cranberries and almonds on there, but that could be wishful thinking. If you want them served as fries or as a side dish, then slice them into 1/4" - 1/2" slices. They have just the right amount of spice that pairs perfectly with the naturally sweet and velvety potato. I like to leave the skin on, because it lends an earthy flavor and some texture (plus, it's got a bunch of nutrients--fiber, vitamin C, potassium, blah, blah, blah, you've already tuned me out), but feel free to remove the skin if you're not a fan.

If you don't let these cook long enough, they will be crunchy on the inside, so give them a proper amount of time to roast!

Restaurant Review #3: The HouseBoat in Montego Bay, Jamaica

I am ashamed at how little time I have had to cook recently, and thus, my blog is truly suffering. I plan on having a revival this weekend. Expect desserts galore, as I will be baking many thank-you gifts. I will try to make some real food, too, although that's overrated. For the time being, I am going to take a few minutes to bring a little warmth into your Friday afternoon and transport you (and me) to the islands...Jamaica, here we come.

Pretty.

Ever been to Jamaica? I've only been once (layovers for other trips don't count) and only for a couple of days for work (please insert your sympathy for me here). I was there with a bunch of other people who are in the same line of work.

Frankly, I was not that impressed with J. If you've been and loved it, do tell me where to go, because I'm willing to admit that I had a bad experience and the whole island isn't worth condemnation--with the exception of The HouseBoat. We stayed between the cities of Kingston and Montego Bay in a sketchy 'resort.' I use quotations, because that's what they called themselves. I was terrified I was going to get bedbugs the entire time and the all-inclusive drinks were just sugar and water and a little bit of watered-down rail rum--not my definition of a resort.

Anyway, after one night at the first place (that had me wishing for a fumigated room), we went to Montego Bay, which was much more of a city. There was little strip of bars, restaurants, and shops--a stark contrast from the first compound. We had been referred to The HouseBoat by a contact of one of the other people on the trip. It had to be better than the mass-produced food in the hotel dining hall, so a group of us decided to set out on a dinner excursion.

Everyone else staying in MB that night had the same idea, so we could only get reservations for 10:05--closer to my bedtime than my usual dinnertime. After the reviews I had heard from the staff and others (and seeing the menu in the hotel lobby) I was psyched...10:05 dinner, here I come. Hello, heartburn.