Bye, bye, Grand Cayman beach

Today, I travel home, so today I also say goodbye to this wonderful place.

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The weather remains bad by local standards and great by me.

I cannot recall when I felt so relaxed and energized and healed.  I'm sure I'll turn into a stress monkey quickly enough, but right now, I feel great.  I'm going to hold onto the feeling as long as I can.

I love being at home, so I'm looking forward to that, but I found this vacation so great that I am already planning to be back at the 2019 Cayman Cookout for the same amount of time.

Bad weather makes for great walking

What passes for bad weather here--seventy-five, overcast, windy--is still so lovely I could sit on my balcony and stare at it for hours.

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Walking on the beach is particularly fun when the waves are crashing a bit and the sky is constantly changing.

Sunset was beautiful both from my room

and from inside the Seven restaurant.

I accept that my love of this place is irrational, but I do love it here.  Having a vacation of this length has been wonderful, and I will enjoy every moment until I board the plane tomorrow.

What passes for bad weather in Grand Cayman continues

and I continue to love it. 

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The high is only 77 or so, the skies are cloudy, and the water is cold enough that I don't go into it every day or for long.  For sitting on the beach and enjoying the ocean and sipping a virgin mango daiquiri, though, the weather is just fine.

I did exactly that today after a small but quite satisfying lunch at the club lounge.

Dinner was at Blue by Eric Ripert, this time the Blue menu.  It was, as always, superb.

Cayman beach life is relaxing life.

Georgetown, chicken, and chickens

The weather continues to be cloudy but warm, with occasional hints of rain but, so far today, no actual showers.

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Heading down the island to Georgetown seemed like a good plan, so a taxi ride later and I was eating jerk chicken and conch fritters at the Caribbean Kitchen.

Even sharing the fritters, I finished barely more than half my sandwich and less than half my fries.  It was all tasty, though not outstanding.  The conch fritters were the star of the meal.

Chickens are all over this island (well, except at the Ritz-Carlton, where I've never seen any), strutting around as if they own the place.  This rooster and hen felt as if the road and the sidewalk were theirs and we were mere trespassers.

It all feels just fine, though, as humans and chickens seem to share the space easily and happily.

I've accomplished remarkably little each day here, and yet I'm fine with that, enjoying resting and reading and doing little.  My capacity for doing so little continues to amaze me.

Cayman beach life is low-demand life.

A lazy Cayman day

After a delicious long sleep and a bit of futzing around, and despite all the clouds and the strong breezes, the ocean beckoned.

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Lunch was in a Ritz chair on the sand, a lovely tradition.  A grilled cheese sandwich with tons of bacon and a side salad, along with my frequent beverage, the virgin mango daiquiri, made a delicious feast.

After getting quite warm--temperatures were in the high seventies and the sun was peeking through the clouds a lot--I spent some time in the chilly water enjoying the waves, then repeated the process in the much calmer pool.

A red sno-cone was a nice treat along the way.

The rest of the day proceeded similarly:  slowly, lazily, and entirely, for my purposes, perfectly.

Cayman beach life is easy life.

A windy last Cayman Cookout day

I absolutely love storms on islands.  The waves and the wind and even the rain fill me with happiness.  So, when I saw the rough chop and heard the breakers and the wind today, I was very pleased.

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Others on the island seem less happy, but for me, particularly on a day when events occupy most of my time, this weather is grand.

The big daytime event was the Bon Vivant Amateur Chef Competition and brunch.

As the amateur chefs on stage compete in a TV-style cooking competition, the judges (chefs Emeril, Irvine, Andres, Boulud, and Ripert) watch them work and eventually eat their creations.  Meanwhile, the huge crowd enjoys brunch from something on the order of two dozen stations scattered down a reception area and porch outside the ballroom.  I focused on not over-eating and on sampling only things I knew (from the reports of others or knowledge of the food and the chefs) to be good.  The approach worked well:  I enjoyed every dish and left full but not overly stuffed.

The next event, Rum and Robusto, is basically a drink-and-smoke-cigars gathering around a pool. I usually make only a quick pass through it, but today I ended up in a few interesting conversations and also just enjoyed the breezy weather--which served to keep the smoke away from me.

This guy had the best job of the event.

A nice addition was a pair of stations at which people could paint.

I liked more of the artwork than I would have expected.

All in all, the attendees seemed to have a good time,

and I enjoyed my brief visit to it.

The traditional final Cayman Cookout event is a dinner at Blue for which each major guest chef prepares a course.  This year, the tenth, brought a gala dinner with, naturally, ten courses.  The table settings were lovely,

and the menu promised amazing treats.

The chefs delivered on the menu's promises.  I enjoyed every single course, but the most amazing was the last, the dessert. 

By description and first glance, it was an apple with a side sauce.  After you pushed into it with your fork, though, it was so much more.

Sweet, complex, and entirely lovely, this dish was a complete success. 

Hats off to all the chefs, but particularly to Chef Thomas Raquel, the pastry chef of Blue, for this wonderful finale.

And so the Cayman Cookout event draws to a close.  I am fortunate enough to be staying here and enjoying this wonderful place until Friday, but I have to admit that I am both done with huge meals for a bit and also already looking forward to next year's Cayman Cookout.

Way too much of everything

was the Cayman Cookout's motto for today, or so it seems.  Way too much beauty and sun. 

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Way too much fun, with Chef Jose Andres arriving in a helicopter, from which he leapt into the ocean, where a jet-ski picked him up and dragged him to shore.  He made his hour presentation as much fun as always, his manic energy both boosting the crowd and feeding off it.

He also had his team prepare and share with us an absolutely sinful creation:  Jamon Iberico with Ossetra caviar.

Wow, was it delicious.

Way too much food at Chef Sean Brock's delicious but heavy four-course lunch at Andiamo.

His country ham--a special one he'd started some time ago--with local fruits and heirloom peanuts he brought with him was the lightest of the three savory courses, and it was filling.

Way too much heat under the pavilion tent for Chef Daniel Boulud's presentation, which despite being oceanside managed to wilt many of the audience members.  Despite that, Chef Boulud himself stayed calm and gracious throughout the hour. 

I'd like to say Chef Rick Bayless' presentation had way too much information, because he shared an enormous amount of data with us--as well as serving us a great taco--but it really wasn't.  Chef Bayless is a great communicator who comes across as an amazingly nice guy. 

Way too many people at the Barefoot BBQ on the beach, where a wide assortment of food stands served freshly made delicious small treats while a live band played and people ate, drank, and mingled.  Oh, and we watched a guy in a jet pack perform in the dark over the ocean for us. 

All in all, it was a typically great Friday at Cayman Cookout, which is to say, quite an amazing day.

Excess is now the norm

At least for the duration of the Cayman Cookout, too much is the baseline, and we go only up from there.

Today's events began with a caviar and champagne (I skipped the champagne, of course) lunch that Paramount Caviar hosted at Blue by Eric Ripert.  The menu promised many treats

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and the chefs delivered: every dish tasted great, including the dessert, which fortunately for me did not taste too strongly of coffee.  It's hard to complain about a lunch that includes a dish with Ossetra caviar.

Meanwhile, outside the weather rewarded the organizers with a perfect day.

After a short break, I spent an hour sitting under a tent on the beach, listening to and watching a demonstration from Chef Dominique Crenn and her team.  I've never eaten at one of her restaurants, but after tasting her food here, I will hope to do so the next time I'm in San Francisco.

On the way to her demo, a grackle in a nearby bush decided to announce her/his presence.

He clearly was not afraid of me.

Back at the room, the hotel had left this odd treat.

It proved to be surprisingly tasty.

Another break, during which I was lucky enough to enjoy this dusk view. 

It was then time for one of the many Cayman Cookout traditions: the auction and wine fair/buffet dinner.  This is the place at which years ago I bought the week in an Italian villa. The event was the most crowded I've seen it.

Fortunately, the food remained good--though not great--and I managed to escape without buying any stays anywhere in the world.  Though I would have preferred it far less crowded, on balance I have to call it a success.

A trip to Caymana Bay

All the usual weather sources forecasted rain for today, but they were all wrong; it was absolutely beautiful.  This late-afternoon shot shows about as bad a sky as we had today, and no rain fell from it.

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Almost all day, the sky was sunny and mostly clear, with only lovely white cloud tendrils ambling overhead.

Instead of sitting oceanside, I opted to go into Caymana Bay, enjoy some Indian food for lunch, walk a bit through the small local farmers' market, and eat a cup of gelato.  A rooster and hen were also taking the air; you see a lot of chickens around here.

A few folks enjoyed the fountains whose sole purpose seems to be to let people choose to get wet.

After some time doing email and reading, I walked over to Andiamo, the resort's Italian place, for a lovely waterside meal of Caesar salad and pasta.

I love being here, doing little, and (mostly) not feeling guilty about it.

Rain and sun and ocean and sand

Today brought rain and sun and despite it all was still beautiful. 

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Rather than risk my usual lunch outside, I grabbed a small plate of snacks and a Diet Coke from the club lounge.

I'll miss my privileges there, which vanish tomorrow and don't reappear until next week.

When the rain stopped, it was time to sit in a chair on the beach, sip a virgin mango daiquiri, and contemplate life.  After enough of a walk on the beach to heat me up, I worked up the stamina to go into the ocean up to my neck and then to dive underwater.  The water felt way better after the walk than it had before that time.  I followed this up with about two minutes in the equally cool pool and was completely refreshed. 

Dinner tonight was at the marvelous Blue by Eric Ripert.  I won't hit you with pics of all the courses, but I have to show off their signature tuna foie gras masterpiece, which was every bit as delicious as ever.

It's hard to explain this dish, but suffice to say that it's been on the menu at Le Bernardin and here at Blue since Chef Ripert first created it. 

A good day despite the rain.

Out came the sun

Clouds still littered the sky, and occasionally gray fingers of dense clouds raced across the beach, but overall today was a much prettier day.  I took advantage of the weather to move to the beach for a chunk of the afternoon.  I forgot to bring my phone, so you'll have to settle for this view of the beach from my room in the later afternoon.

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I enjoyed lunch--sliders, side salad, water, and a virgin mango daiquiri--from a covered chair facing the ocean.  I walked into the ocean only up to my knees, because the water was so cold, and then it was back to the chair.  I dipped only my feet in the pool as I enjoyed the late-afternoon tradition here of shaved ice, in my case a cone with half raspberry and half strawberry.  Eating it was almost as much fun as watching the many kids enjoy theirs.

My capacity and need for resting and sleeping continue to amaze me, but I'm indulging them and doing very little here.  That seems to be just about right.

The club lounge continues to be a nice retreat for snacks, healthy and, in this case, otherwise.  After dinner, dessert was two nibbles from the offerings on display there.

Being here makes for a very easy life indeed, and I am doing my best to relax all I can.

Gray sky, lazy day

Stronger, larger waves and gray skies showed the effects of nearby storms.  For me, the message was clear: take it easy.

So I did.

After a ton of sleep, I woke up in time to attend the huge brunch at the Seven restaurant.

A non-alcoholic, very tasty fruit drink started my meal.

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My main course featured a custom omelet (cheese and some veggies), way too much bacon, sausage, an egg Benedict, and a side plate of grilled cheese with lobster and tomato soup.

All of it was tasty, above average brunch fare--with a view to the ocean to die for.

Yes, the dessert station was amazing.

I sampled a few of its offerings later. All were good, though none exceptional.

The afternoon continued to deliver the morning's message, so I passed my day in dozing and reading and writing, all to the soundtrack of the waves.

I accomplished very little and am completely fine with that.  Others are complaining about the weather; I am enjoying the cool air.

An entirely lazy day at the ocean.  Exactly what I needed. 

Back in Grand Cayman

It's Cayman Cookout time--well, it will be in a few days--so I'm back in Grand Cayman to enjoy this beautiful place, relax, write, and attend this wonderful foodie event. 

The view from my hotel room window is spectacular, as always. 

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It even looks great at night. 

With the door open, the sound of the waves is a soothing lullaby that turns me first contemplative and then sleepy, in rapid succession. 

This time, I even have access to the hotel's fancy Club Lounge, where food and drinks and quiet are available much of the day.  Here's just one of its several areas.

If you zoom in on the mini-fridge, you can see it's full of Pepsi products.  Fortunately, the hotel knows I prefer Coke Zero and Diet Coke, so they stocked some for me and keep it behind the counter.  It's not that I'm particularly special; it's that the service here is that good.

Just off the lobby, the hotel is keeping the holidays going to the very end.

Dinner was sushi at the hotel's own sushi place, which is a better than average but not outstanding restaurant.  Oddly, the highlight was the miso soup, which is one of the better renditions I've tasted. 

Adding the lime further improved it.

Tomorrow, my plans include sleeping late, eating brunch, going to the water, and not accomplishing much.

I do love this place.