When in Grenada, Eat Like a Grenadian

I'm only three sunny days into my Grenada adventure and I've already had the pleasure of consuming some truly sensational meals (tonight I suspect I'll have another when I dine at the acclaimed Aquarium). One place that bears special mention is Patrick's Homestyle Restaurant, found within a lavender house that seems too small to contain a kitchen, no less a real restaurant. Don't be fooled.

Patrick's — owned by the affable Patrick Levine, who learned the cooking craft in the kitchen of the gone-but-not-forgotten Grenada culinary mainstay, Mamma's — specializes in local fare. Real Grenadian dishes. Oh, some restaurants may do one or two island specialties pretty well, but Patrick does them all: 20 deliciously unique island foodstuffs served as a cascading sampler, all for only US$23 per person. It's an absolute steal and a superb way to experience Grenada like a local.
After an appetite-spurring vegetable soup, dish after dish hits the table, four or five at a time, delivered full and retrieved empty by Patrick's good-natured sidekick, Compta McDonald. Cou-cou, crab salad, creole fish, breadfruit salad, saltfish cake, green papaya, ginger pork, sea urchin, stewed beef — they just keep coming, each one as lovingly prepared and unwaveringly scrumptious as the last. A scoop of fresh pineapple sorbet finishes things off, followed by a shot of Patrick's home-made "under-the-counter" rum for good measure. This fearsome spice- and herb-infused concoction, its big jug stuffed with a secret recipe of twigs and leaves, purportedly has medicinal powers. I certainly won't suggest otherwise.

Find Patrick's on the main road south of St. George's, right across from the Port Louis marina. Bring an empty stomach.

When in Grenada, Eat Like a Grenadian