I cleaned out my spice cupboard last night-yea!  I came across the Dean & Deluca  Jerk Rub that was given to us as a wedding favour.  We have friends who wed in Jamaica but assembled friends for a lovely brunch at The Gates upon their return.  Perhaps you know that my mind is like a long winding spaghetti noodle…..the discover prompted me to remember that I had been recently sent this delicious recipe by Granny’s Poultry.  Our plan is to try it the next sunny barbecue day.

2 kgs Chicken legs, back attached

2 T of olive oil

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

2-4 hot chili peppers chopped

2 bay leaves

3 bunches green onions., chopped

1 T ginger, chopped

1/4 c dark rum

2 T fresh limes juice

2 t salt

1 1/2 t ground allspice

2 t fresh thyme

Add all ingredients except chicken to a food processor and pulse until just finely chopped.  Prick the chicken pieces with the point of a knife and then rub with jerk marinade. *Skin may be removed first.  Cover and refrigerate for 4 -24 hours. Cook slowly over medium heat on the oiled grill of a barbecue for 45 minutes, turning once after 20 minutes. Chicken is done when the juices run clear or internal temperature reaches 170°F or 80°C.

For an extra hot marinate use Habanera or Scotch Bonnet chilies. For a milder version use Jalapeno chilies.

Recipe courtesy Chef Jason Wortzman of Granny’s Poultry.

Kath’s quote “Eating highly seasoned food is unhealthful, because it stimulates too much &  provokes the appetite too much.” -Catharine E. Beecher (1846)

I was reminded this morning by a posted comment that I have readers who share our mutual love of Isla Mujeres.  I wrote and saved a couple of entries after my most recent trip:

“I have been tempted to sample Coconut Shrimp here in Winnipeg when I been to the  The Star Grill on Portage Ave or their sister at The Conservatory in the park.  For me tasting is a multi-sensory experience, Winnipeg even in June is not quite the right setting-I need to smell the sea and hear the whoosh of the palm fronds around me.

Sounds like I’m making a case for my constant treks to Isla Mujeres. My first taste was in 2005 at the Sunset Grill.  We were staying on the south end of the Island and it was our first full day.  With our fabulous map reference we found the Grill on North Beach and ordered exactly what Laura the writer of the map suggested and I was hooked.  We’ve returned to the Sunset other years hoping to enjoy the same quality.  One year I was with Sister #2 and our girls and we had the privilege of witnessing the most romantic wedding on the beach.  That same year our kids treated my husband and I to a progressive dinner and we shared the shrimp as our first course before meandering elsewhere for dinner.

On another trip with Sister #3 and an Honourary Sister, we tried the shrimp at El Pulito near Punta Sur.  The restaurant is mostly outdoors with a little covered kitchen.  The views are stunning and shrimp pretty darn good.

My husband and I have only been alone to the island on one occasion and we stopped at Chili’s Loco right on the main street of Hidalgo.  I was very impressed but for some reason the taste is enhanced by sitting right on the beach when the shrimp is consumed and so we head to the strip of restaurants along Medina.

You can’t get nearer the sea than the Miramar.  I’ve been to the restaurant twice-once with my adventurous friends from TO who took a chance on IM with me and are now hooked  and the second time with my friend V who also happens to be the mother-in-law to my son.  Along this strip of sand where the ferry arrives from Cancun, is where the locals mend their nets sitting on overturned pails.  The shrimp is beautifully cooked in a crunch coating and the huge serving comes with all the trimmings. “

Kath’s quote:  “We’ve been sold on the idea that travel is no longer a luxury  It’s a staple, like soymilk.”-James Morris

I should taken notes or asked to take a copy of the menu -what kind of foodie blogger am I?  My head was spinning with the whirlwind of food that started arriving at our table and was soon divided up and devoured.  A couple of these items are referenced on the Segovia website so I know that I have gotten them right but for the details that I am just trying to pull from memory…forgive me please.

This was one of their specials-braised beef tongue served over succulent baby peas.  I was going to pass and let the guys enjoy this one on their own.  Good thing I got brave or I would have missed out on the most amazing dish.

I truly don’t remember what this was but it had a poached egg on top and was smooth, creamy and delectable.

This dish was part bruschetta/part salad and totally delicious.  I recall fresh basil, grilled tomatoes and crispy pancetta.

We had two orders of these…even without the enhancing drizzles, they might have been the best “french fry” I have ever tasted, rivalled only by the papas frites at La Lomita on Isla Mujeres.

We had two orders of these too….we call them croquettes and Sister #2 is a master maker of them, having been taught be her Italian mother-in-law.  The bechamel was rich and substantial and the creamy/salty/crunchy combination so much fun.

Salt and pepper squid with apple saffron aioli-a curious taste twist on calamari, highly successful.

Seared scallops atop of cauliflower puree.  Scallops may be my favourite shellfish especially when they are expertly seared as these were, leaving the inside moist, firm and bursting with flavour.

We thought that we should start winding down with this platter arrived brimming with cured and smoked meats.  Duck, tongue, salami, ham-each taste made unique by the substance, heartiness, spice and length of cure.

This  was the bread grilled and brushed with olive oil that accompanied the platter.  I could have been happy with just the bread and a little sea salt!

Kath’s quote: “Man does not live by bread alone”.  -Deut 8:3

The dining style of grazing has always been part of our life from the little tastes that D & I would treat ourselves to when he was a hospitality student in Toronto,  to the beach picnics that we have had annually to celebrate our wedding anniversary, to the love that my family has of dim sum, cocktail parties and little plates served in front of the TV for the Superbowl and Academy Awards.  We love mini tastes of a variety of well-prepared food.  And so the stage was set when Joel, the server with so much charm, tried to explain to us that dining at Segovia was going to be different and unique.  In reality, we have desperately waited the arrival of a little plates restaurant  since our cherished Lux Sole and Tap and Grill both closed.

My office had been next door as we watched with interest as half brick walls were hammered down and new rooms and kitchen equipment was moved in.  I was so impressed that they maintained the original integrity of the old home and yet added elements of bleached drift wood hanging from the ceiling and very ambient lighting.  So many of my foodie friends beat me to the punch and have been enjoying Segovia since it opened this past winter.  When Daughter #1 and Neice #2 enjoyed a birthday dinner there recently, they declared that it would become my new favourite restaurant.

It was the only place that I wanted to go when we chatted about celebrating my upcoming birthday.  Was it worth the wait?  OMGoodness-yes.  But I guess you’ll have to wait for another time to hear the delicious details and see the photos.  Will it be worth your wait? OMGoodness –yes.

Kath’s quote: “Anybody can make you enjoy the first bite of a dish, but only a real chef can make you enjoy the last.”- Francois Minot

We made a happy discovery this weekend-we were out of coffee and so headed to a local cafe for a cup.  We’ve noticed that The Frenchway Cafe in our neighbourhood is always bustling and a reader commented here that their breakfasts are exceptionally good.

Typical of our enthusiasm to experience new places, our cup of coffee turned into selections from the bakery counter-bread pudding and a cinnamon bun which were both exceptional.

When we glanced at the menu (for another day) we couldn’t resist and ended up ordering breakfast.  At least we had the restraint to share.  Perfectly cooked eggs, grilled sausage and freshly sauteed potatoes-yum.  Next to us, a European woman ordered a soft cooked egg in an egg cup and across the cozy room we saw the french toast come out of the kitchen,  looking as if they were topped with strawberries.

We met young Alix, blog author of frenchkisscook.com and exceptional Pastry Chef  trained at the Cordon Bleu in Ottawa.

D and I sat side by side as we did for many meals during our memorable time in Paris together.  And for a moment on a rainy Saturday morning in May, Paris did not seem that far away.

Kath’s quote: “I compare a pastrycook who makes good colifichets to a distinguished fashion designer, endowed with perfect taste, who can make charming things with very little material. In the same way, out of almost insignificant scraps of pastry, we have to create pleasing and graceful things that also tempt the appetite.”-Antonin Careme (Marie-Antoine Careme) (1783-1833)