Bajan Fiesta: Barbados Food+Wine+Rum Festival 2012, Lion Castle Polo Estate, St. Thomas

Sunday afternoon, we ventured out to St. Thomas Parish for the Bajan Fiesta, a buffet-style lunch prepared by local Barbadian celebrity chefs at the Lion Castle Polo Estate.  The property was beautiful.

Each chef/station was assigned a theme for their dishes.  

We enjoyed:

• Expressions of Beef by Chef Wilwore, Chef-de-Partie at Sandy Lane Hotel and Certified Angus Beef Brand Ambassador for the Caribbean
• Expressions of Lamb by Angela Garraway-Holland, Executive Chef, Hilton Barbados resort and multiple award-winner, including Minister of Tourism's Chef of the Year
• Expressions of Pork by Henderson Butcher, Private Catering Provider for select guests at Waves Hotel
• Expressions of Soup by Barbados Community College- Hospitality Institute
• Expressions of Seafood by The Crane Resort
• Expressions of Chicken by Chef Creig Greenidge (see below) and
• Sweet Expressions by Chef Janelle Crawford also known as "Chocolate Champion" and "Iron Lady" and winner of Pastry Chef of the Year and Chef Julian Broome, newest addition to the Sandy Lane Hotel pastry team and the Barbados Culinary Team

We arrived early, so I decided to get some behind the scene shots.  Chef Creig Greenidge, Owner and Executive Chef of CM Catering and two time BHTA Chef of the Year was more than happy to satisfy my curiosity.

Here are a few shots of Chef Greenidge and his staff at work prepping his Mount Gay-flavored spiced rubbed chicken flambe served in freshly fried tortilla shell and topped with Cajun spices, Barbadian pepper sauce, and mango chutney.

Chef  Creig Greenidge

Left:  Lettuce+Roasted grape tomato and corn  Right: Fresh tortilla bowls

The final product was amazing and packed full of spice and flavor!  The chicken was extremely tender and hot out of the pan!  The tortilla added crunch and texture and the chutney provided a sweet finish.  Overall, it was a beautiful dish!

Chef Wilmore Jordan, who's attention to detail at his station was fierce and little helpers super adorable, served up a lovely beef salad topped with peanuts and praline-a fresh and delicious combination of sweet and savory, and crunch. 

  

Chef Wilwore also had a carving station with roast and presented a signature dish of braised beef short ribs glazed with honey and spices.  The meat was tender and the sauce sweet and tangy.

A full bar was set up for the young and talented Jamaal Bowen, Resident Mixologist at the Sandy Lane Resort, to work his magic.

Jamaal's signature cocktail for the day: 

Mango Caiparissima

1 1/2 oz. Mount Gay Eclipse Silver Rum

1 oz. mango puree

3 muddled lime wedges

2 dashes Angostura bitters

     

Chef Henderson Butcher lead us to walk on the pork side...ribs, pulled pork, Asian inspired pork balls, oh my!

Ribs

Sauce

Black bean salsa

Pulled pork

Delicious Bajan-Asian Fusion Pork Balls with shallots, garlic, coriander, soy sauce, Chinese five spice, sesame & peanut oil and coconut milk.  Flour-coated, pan-fried and oven finished.

Sauced ribs

Black bean salsa

Throughout the afternoon, I took a few shots of beautiful centerpieces and Chef station embellishment containing sides and condiments:

Mojo Salsa

Curried lamb, lamb roast, mojo salsa over coconut rice

Seafood Soup with shrimp, lobster, scallops, white fish, and mussels!

Fish, steamed rice, and sprouts/seafood salad

Sprouts with seafood

Russian Cuisine...Next time Vodka @Stoli Bar & Restaurant, Brookline Village, MA

Rule #1:  Never go out for Central+Eastern European food when sleepy.

In stating that, I'd like to ensure you that I gave Stoli Bar & Restaurant a fair shake, though I longed for my bed.   

It was a chilly night but I was determined to not allow yet another LS certificate to expire and this was my last chance as I was booked solid in town and then out of the country around the deadline.

Stoli's dimly lit, deep red atmosphere with imposing furniture didn't help my cause, though the live accordion did keep me somewhat upbeat as I sampled dishes with bits of Russian, Ukrainian, and French influence.

Chef Fred Dinov has received accolades which seemed to have expired.  The few that are currently public were awarded several years ago.  By today's standard, based on the quality of the food we received, I would hardly describe the menu as "haute cuisine".

Service was adequate but unenthusiastic.  It seems the server was even bored with the drab Living Social deal prix fixe menu.  Luckily for her, and me I guess, I almost always still order from the full menu when using deals.  Once I asked for the full menu, she perked up a bit and made a few recommendations.

 We started with a nice, fresh Allandale Farm spinach salad with tomato, radish and house oil-vinegar dressing and the hot (warm) borscht that was listed as "cold" on the menu.  The borscht was traditional, made with beets, shreds of potato, carrots, and cucumbers, but lacking the citrus and vinegary highlights I would have like to experience.  It was dressed with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of dried Allandale Farm herbs.
We also ordered the mushroom soup which was purely unremarkable and mundane.

Our second course consisted of the potato latkes (a recommendation of our waitress) was my favorite dish of the evening.  The simply-seasoned, crisp, moist latkes were capped with generous portions of rosebud-shaped house smoked gravlax and red caviar nestled in a line of sour cream.  The velvety sour cream and starchy potato complemented the salinity of the red caviar and gravlax.

The presentation was charming.

Potato latkes with gravlax, sour cream, and red caviar

The Vegetarian Delight crepe was disappointing with its dry shroud and soggy, overcooked vegetables (spinach, onion, zucchini, tomato, and red bell pepper) and mozzarella.

Veggie Crepe

 
Momentum was not gained with our entrees.

The sauteed duck breast in cabernet, prunes, cranberry and apricot sauce was slightly overcooked and sadly without a crisp on the skin.  It was also egregiously oversalted.  It was served with stiff, unattractive mashed potatoes which lacked appeal.  The highlight of this dish was the fruit flambé atop the potatoes.

Flambé:  the highlight of this duck breast dish.

 The Chicken Stroganoff had a decent flavor, but the bits of chicken were dry and overcooked, though drowned in the creamy sauce.  The pickled salad was just OK and at the very least added a bit of color to the dish as the sad mashed potatoes made another lackluster appearance.

Chicken Stroganoff

And dessert:

A Fruit Blintze, no ice cream.  These crepes were much more moist when compared to the Veggie Delight.  The warm apples, bananas, pears, and strawberries were sauteed in red wine, but could have benefited from more sweetness.

A poorly executed meal often leaves me in a sour mood.  I was more than happy to leave Stoli and crawl into my bed to sleep off the disappointment.

I may commit to pulling up to the four-seater bar to try a few of their house-infused vodkas.  I hear they are pretty good and the flavors include: Cranberry, Honey, Cherry, Black Currant, Pepper, Horseradish, Lemon, Mint, Apple, and Raspberry! 
Sounds like a way to warm up this winter.  I think it will be a cold one!