Coconut Grove, Nevis, West Indies
We had the privilege of traveling to Nevis. Coconut Grove is a most wonderful restaurant right on the beach staring at the Caribbean. If you go to Nevis you cannot forget to visit Sunshine's on the beach either...it is a landmark as well as Coconut Grove and the home of the most famous "killer Bee" cocktail, it is a must!
You cannot go to Nevis and not visit the landmark of all time………….. “Sunshines”. There is no doubt that you need a driver on this evening if you are going to participate in the famous experience of consuming one of the islands most wicked drinks…………………..The Killer Bee! There are two other bars, I would say they are outdoor, classic walk up open air huts as well. One is Limes and the other is Chevy’s. They all three are right next to one another and right on the beach. This is a cultural experience that you owe to yourself. Remember though, they are rustic and a real Rastafarian experience. When you arrive to Sunshine's, out comes the real thing….Sunshine himself. He is a tall, happy guy ready to give you the real Sunshine experience. He is not shy, we took many pictures with him and his picture is wall papered all over the bar with many of celebrities that had to have the sunshine experience too! We all started out with the Killer Bee of course. This drink is not only delicious, but, smooth. So be careful, it is a sneaker upper if you know what I mean. I should have stopped at 2, but, no, I had to go one step further. We ate a delicious barbecue there. I really enjoyed the lobster appetizer, it was very good. The visit was a great one, and now we can really say we had the classic reggae experience with the original Sunshine. I didn’t have a headache the next day, but, let’s just say, I wasn’t 100 %.
Our location on the island was so perfect. We were right in between everything. But, the best part of our location at Nelsons Springs was that our favorite restaurant was right next door…..we walked out of our villa and walked right next door in the sand to the most beautiful Coconut Grove. Owned by Gary and Karin Calt, two magnificent visionaries. Gary and Karin live have lived in Nevis for quite some time now. Gary is from France and is a sommelier , his lovely wife Karin is German in addition to the restaurant she also has a great hair salon in front of the property , We cannot forget about mentioning the love of their lives, beautiful, sweet little Miava their precious 2 ½ year old little girl who is lucky enough to have the best backyard a child could ask for. Situated right on the beach with a pool, outdoor seating and huts for shade Miava has it all. The moment of glory is when you walk up to the large thatched roof to find you are in a most brilliant dining room that you can only dream of. It is all open air, with many wonderful tables scattered for you dining. The roof’s design from inside is mesmerizing, it is really a piece of art. The bar area is made of small twig like timbers and the bar stools are woven of a strong sea grass keeping with the theme not letting you forget you have been transported into a Caribbean mecca. There is a lounge area with two sectionals for your comfort to enjoy a cocktail from the only bar in town that has a beer tap, and the bar with the largest wine selection. Gary hand picked all 4,000 wines himself.
We were seated by Gary and had the lovely pleasure of sharing many stories and two lovely evenings of indulging in his most amazing food and sipping his incredible wines. The first evening we dined with Gary, we started out with 3 appetizer s that were most unique and so delicious. How about imagining a beignet, ( not from New Orleans), but, a beignet at Coconut Grove from Gary, stuffed with goat cheese?I am just sorry I didn’t think of this first. It was so innovative and a huge twist on something that is usually a sweet dish. This was a perfect balance of savory and sweet. A real delight. We didn’t stop there, my husband thoroughly enjoyed the Rare tuna served with Tuna sushi. The tuna was visually consumed way before we tasted it. It was a beautiful , bright and fresh piece of Tuna. It melted in your mouth. The two soy based sauces served with the tuna and the most delicious seaweed salad were the perfect pairings to finish this mouth watering experience. Our daughter enjoyed the grilled grouper sandwich. It was so fresh and delicate. The grouper was served on toasted ,herbed foccacia bread and frites of course. She loved it.
I indulged in a very unique dish that was a special that evening and that Gary was very excited about. It was a homemade stuffed ravioli full of a most flavorful sauce with a soft anchovy pop of flavor that marveled your taste buds. Gary explained this dish as, they put the sauce in the ravioli so as when you cut into it, the sauce would flavor the ravioli when it oozed out. A stellar performance indeed, the ravioli only needed one take, it did exactly that to perfection. I am Italian and a have been all over Italy, and I have never had such a ravioli before. We all were very smitten with Coconut Grove that evening, so we promised to join Gary again the next evening and so we did!
The second evening at Coconut Grove, I had remembered that with Gary being French and French onion soup being a staple on his menu that I could not leave Nevis without indulging in this treat. It was amazing. The real thing, if you will. The french cheese was amazing.
The special on this day was Grouper cooked with tomato, capers and shallots in a wine sauce. The seasonings were perfectly done. The fish was so fresh, I think Gary might have caught it that day himself, of course I am kidding, but, that is how fresh it was. Tender is an understatement. I think this was my favorite grouper dinner I have ever had the pleasure to enjoy.
All the food we ate at Coconut Grove both days were very thoughtful and cooked perfectly. I highly encourage you to visit Gary and his family at Coconut Grove if you ever have the pleasure of visiting St. Kitts or Nevis!
Thanks for traveling with me.
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