{"id":529,"date":"2007-11-29T15:02:00","date_gmt":"2007-11-29T21:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2007\/11\/best-dining-on-a-bahamas-vacation\/"},"modified":"2016-12-17T23:26:38","modified_gmt":"2016-12-18T05:26:38","slug":"best-dining-on-a-bahamas-vacation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2007\/11\/best-dining-on-a-bahamas-vacation\/","title":{"rendered":"Best dining on a Bahamas vacation"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Lena Katz<\/em><\/p>\n

Though some visitors seem to subsist on nothing but rum during their Bahamas vacation<\/a>, I strongly recommend eating something, sometime, somewhere \u2026 for your own health, please! Here\u2019s a brief introduction to Bahamian food and some good places to get it.<\/p>\n

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Conch<\/strong>, pronounced "conk," is a large, chewy shellfish. Locals love it any which way: fried, cracked, frittered or even raw in a salad. They swear it has powerful aphrodisiac qualities, particularly when raw. If you test this, remember it doesn\u2019t always sit easily in more delicate American stomachs.<\/p>\n

Grouper, snapper and pompano<\/strong> are three of the tastiest Bahamanian fish. Locals eat them boiled with grits, deep-fried, grilled, stewed and \u201csmuddered\u201d in fresh tomato, onions and hot sauce.<\/p>\n

Souses and stews<\/strong> are always popular, made with anything from fish and chicken to goat and pig. Yes, that does include snouts and knuckles. Order with caution. Hot sauce is the favored condiment \u2014 the hotter, the better. Unless Mexico\u2019s hottest habaneras frequent your stomach, once again, eater beware.<\/p>\n

When you ask Bahamians about dining out, the first thing they\u2019ll say is \u201cFISH FRY!<\/strong>\u201d Every island has its own version. On smaller islands, it\u2019s just a backyard shack where fresh fish go from an ice chest onto the grill, and then are served up on paper plates. In Nassau<\/a>, it\u2019s larger and a little more formal. An open-air mall with a bunch of little restaurants and food stalls, plus live music on the weekends. You can order fresh grouper, crack conch and cold Kalik beer for a fraction of what it would cost in a Bahamas hotel<\/a>. <\/p>\n

If you want something just a tad more upscale, I like the Poop Deck<\/a><\/strong>, a popular local seafood restaurant with two locations. The crack conch, peas & rice, and gravy here get the thumbs-up, and the atmosphere is breezy and nautical. In fact, the Yacht Haven Marina<\/strong> branch is located right on the harbor.<\/p>\n

For that special occasion, once-a-year dinner where you\u2019ll splurge on the French wine and have the waiter take your picture, I recommend Graycliff.<\/strong> It\u2019s not flashy or news-making, and it\u2019s even a bit out of the way, but this is the Bahamas\u2019 culinary crown jewel. It serves five-star cuisine in a stunning mansion that\u2019s nearly 300 years old. And it\u2019s a great place to indulge your inner wine snob \u2014 the cellar holds 250,000 bottles. Graycliff<\/strong> even has its own brand of house-rolled cigars. Gentlemen, wear a jacket here, and leave your Tommy Bahama sandals back at the resort \u2014 the atmosphere is old-school formal. <\/p>\n

Related Orbitz resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n