GlutenFreePrincess

Agua is a restaurant and bar located near seven mile beach. We went there for dinner based on recommendations and the fact that they have a gluten free menu.

It was nice and cozy and not too fancy (put on a sundress but don’t try too hard, you are on vacation after all). We sat inside but there was also a large outdoor patio that looked lovely.

The staff was friendly and the gluten free menu made ordering easy.

I had the Arugula salad with walnuts, pears, blueberries and goat cheese to start. It was huge! The pears were a bit past their prime but the blueberries were a nice touch and the rest of the salad quite yummy.

The main course was Wahoo with Thai basil sauce and sweet potatoes. The portion was huge but I managed to stuff myself. I was surprised at how well the sweet potatoes went with the fish.

I had said I didn’t need dessert but Mike insisted so I ordered the panna cotta and was glad I did.

This is certainly a place we would return to due to the relaxed atmosphere, quality of the food and the ease of ordering gluten free.

Dinner on Friday evening was at Blue by Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin. They feature a fish heavy menu and the meal was fantastic. It was also the most expensive dinner we have ever eaten!

The restaurant is located in the Ritz Carlton which made getting to and from dinner easy. No worries on transportation there. Mike had let them know ahead of time about my gluten free requirements and they did an outstanding job throughout the evening.

The staff was very attentive and everyone knew about my gluten allergy. I was presented with some gluten free biscuits that were hot out of the oven and obviously freshly made – no frozen toast here.

## The rest of the pictures are not fantastic due to the lighting, but I just could not bring myself to turn on the flash for pictures. What is the etiquette with picture taking in restaurants (particularly fancy ones) these days? ##

My first dish was king crab salad with avocado, lemongrass and green apple. I love crab, love avocado and this was delicious.

Next up was the langoustine and it was amazing! It was my favorite dish from the dinner. I don’t remember the preparation details but it was heavenly and wish it had been a larger portion. Really – I should have ordered this again as dessert.

My main course was Dover sole with almond and pistachio crust and brown butter sauce. I’m stumped at how they made it taste like a brown butter sauce without flour, but it did and was so surprising to taste that flavor again – it has been many years. The fish was perfectly cooked and with the combination of tart lemon and the brown butter sauce it was delicious.

Dessert was a caramel concoction that was the least memorable part of the meal. Not bad, but the fish dishes were far and away the star of the show.

The only true complaint was how long it took to get the check. It was almost as if once they dropped off desert they forgot we were there. This was in stark contrast to the attentive service during the rest of dinner. No one stopped by to check on us for quite some time – to the extent that my water glass was empty! This is a huge misstep in a place where one is paying hundreds of dollars for dinner for two.

Despite the empty water glass at the end of the meal, we had a great time and both agree that we would do it again if we ever end up back on Grand Cayman.

We spent the weekend on Grand Cayman. It was gorgeous! I love Caribbean blue water.

The drawback is that everything in the Caymans is expensive. Enter Eats Cafe.

This is a modern – read nice – diner type place that was located about 400 yards from our hotel. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.

We started off there right after we landed. Mike and I were hungry, but also tired, so not up for a long, drawn out meal. We also wanted casual.

Eats was a perfect fit. Mike had a fantastic Chicken Masala that if he had not dipped Naan in it would have been completely gluten free. I had grilled Wahoo with lemon butter sauce. I love Wahoo (ono for the Hawaiians out there) and they did a great job cooking it – not too dry. The fish was served with rice and vegetables.

In an effort not to break the bank on the Ritz’s million dollar (ok not really but close) breakfast buffet, we walked down the street to Eats for breakfast as well. We went early (7 ish) and never had to wait though it seemed to fill up as we were finishing up.

Breakfast was a bacon, pepper, onion and cheese omelet with breakfast potatoes. Nothing spectacular but good, filling and a nice quick, filling, inexpensive way to start off the day.