house guests.13: part 2

Warning: I've been taking more photos than ever lately. I'm officially addicted to photography, which results in more images than most readers probably care to sift through. Many photo collages to follow!

Brunch at Agua

We sort of split our visit with P&L into two periods: Pre-race and post-race. The pre-race activities were highly social: Lobster fishing with the guys, a bonfire, a Christmas party with almost all our friends… We tried to wear them out while they actually had energy!

Then, of course, we had the race. Energy = sapped. (I speak for myself, of course, but I'd bet that NS would be inclined to agree with me.) 

According to my running watch, I burn about 100 calories/mile when I run. That’s not a lot, but after running 13.1 miles, those calories do add up. It seemed only fitting, then, to follow up our half marathon with a full breakfast. And by full breakfast, I mean brunch.

Lots of gourmet bite-sized offerings.

Our one and only brunch experience on the island was at Luca. I had trouble calling that brunch, or lunch, or even dinner... our consumption of such vast amounts of food and beverage more or less qualified as gluttonous behavior! Plus, the CI$50 price tag gave me an extra measure of guilt.  B&K had written rave reviews about their brunches at Agua, and since Agua offers a non-bubbles option for CI$33 (or CI$45 with bubbles), we saw this as a golden opportunity for a post-race treat.

Oh, glorious variety! Oh, fabulous made-to-order eggs!

Christmas had arrived at Agua, which suited me just fine. It's nice to have something pretty to look at while polishing off your (ahem) third plate of food. (Sorry! It's all-you-can-eat!)

Along with the Christmas decorations, we were surrounded by these lovely faces.

What's great about the Cayman brunch experience is there really is no concrete beginning or end time. So while you might start with eggs and bread and cheese, you can then move along to salad and ceviche, then to prime rib and pasta, and finish with dessert. All this can take a few hours, like a long grazing session while enjoying friendly conversation.

My dad says you should start your meal with dessert. That way, you always have room for it. And who wouldn't want to have room for all this:

If nothing else, I'm glad the Cayman Islands Marathon is always held on a Sunday. I think all participants deserved a meal like this after a race like that!

Seven Mile Beach, Sunshine Grill, and Michaels

Most of P&L's visit took place during our workweek when they were left to fend (and drive) for themselves. But we did get the chance to chill on SMB after a delicious lunch at Sunshine Grill.

Brightly-striped beach chairs and red snapper sandwiches make for a pleasant afternoon.

No one leaves Sunshine Grill hungry. A full meal for lunch means something lighter is required for dinner. My go-to for small plates and finger food is Michael's Genuine Food and Drink. Their creative (and always changing) food menu and extensive beverage list are sure to please everyone in the group. As long as I can get my hands on some of that mango-topped homemade ricotta, I leave a happy customer.

Pasta night & Old-fashioned ice cream

Grand Old House is one of the many well-situated western-facing restaurants in Grand Cayman which will boast a fabulous sunset to accompany your dinner. The weekly Thursday night pasta buffet begins just after sunset this time of year, so we arrived early to capture the sky's final display.

Apparently navy and coral were our team colors that night.

Meanwhile, Z99 was sponsoring free manicures and makeovers by Posh Salon and Spa. We caught a bit of the beautification process while watching the sunset and waiting for the pasta station to open.

We must have still been in the carb-load frame of mind, because after a full pasta dinner, we had to introduce P&L to George Town's premier ice cream: Seaside Old Fashioned Ice Cream Parlor along the waterfront.  With so many colorful flavors on display, we always have a hard time choosing.



The ice cream is made fresh each week and has a very light, refreshing texture. My only complaint with this parlor is that since they like to keep only fresh ice cream on hand, they often run out of their most interesting flavors. I think they had only one version of chocolate in stock when we visited!

Fortunately, they're more than willing to let you sample a few before making a decision.

As difficult as it may be to choose between mango and carrot/ginger (and I can vouch for the tastiness of both), we never have trouble eating our selections.

                

All too soon, our guests had to turn around and head home again. Fortunately, this friendship has stood the tests of both time and distance. We feel near these two no matter what their locale.

It's good to know that whether it's Stateside or seaside, I'm confident we'll see this couple again before long.