Dateline: Grenada

Mama’s Lodge is a small restaurant between Grenada’s capital, St. George’s, and the Grand Anse Beach — reservations are mandatory.

Under a corrugated-roofed porch, the place was a menagerie of odd-shaped tables, leftover workbenches and bent-up café counters; and, the joint was empty!

When I queried the lack of customers but the necessity of making a reservation, Mama’s daughter told us that Mama needed reservations to know not how many people were coming, but if she needed to cook at all! And when she does cook, believe me, she cooks!

There wasn’t a menu and if there had been, I probably wouldn’t have ordered a fifth of what we were served. It was a banquet!

After a variation on a rum punch, we started with a bowl of callaloo and crab soup. Delicious.

Next came the main course, or courses, I should say! One after the next, 16 small bowls were delivered to our table in steady procession:

golden apple stew;
chunky breadfruit salad;
cabbage, avocado, bean, and cucumber slaw;
lobster salad;
roast armadillo (my favorite);
pepper pot (a pork stew);
chicken with peppers;
lambi (conch) gumbo;
beef casserole;
grilled turtle;
fried plaintain;
lobster fritters;
tanya fritters;
chrisophene salad (a potato-like vegetable),
and a fried banana with cinammon.

All served on brightly gleaming plates with the obligatory bottle of Carib beer.

When dessert came—first a homemade coconut ice cream followed by a tropical fruit salad—I was convinced that Mama’s was a rare gem that could happily thumb its nose at its posh, and less accomplished, counterparts. On the way out, $18 (!) poorer, we passed another couple who were just entering. They took one look; then, wide-eyed and open-jawed, turned and left. If they only knew.

All the best,

Uncle Ted

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

DID YOU FIND THIS FREE ARTICLE INTERESTING AND/OR VALUABLE? If so, please donate to keep the website free and fund the addition of more articles like this. Any help is most appreciated - simply click below to securely send a contribution through a credit card and Paypal. Please note: The email address in the box below does not always seem to work. A better one to use is eglcarter@yahoo.com   Please email me your travel tales, "postcards," and questions. I'll publish the most interesting, appropriate or outrageous in Correspondence - All the best, Ted (short for Edward)

copyright © 2006, EDWARD CARTER