Adventures in the Dominican Republic

A week ago my plane touched down in Atlanta after a whirl-wind week in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. My Mom and I made the pilgrimage to see our Dominican family and celebrate her (*gasp*) 60th birthday. Although I could possibly write a novel about the 5 days I spent in paradise, I'll cut to the food-centric details.

THURSDAY
When we arrived to my sister Tiffany's apartment, we were starving. Mom and I didn't have time to forage for food during our layover in Miami. We sat down to eat a wonderful late lunch/early dinner cooked by Angela (my sister's culinary savior)- Ropa Vieja, lentils, salad (cabbage, avocado, tomatoes, EVOO), and chicken. Although most Dominicans eat other beans, Tiffany insists on lentils, so Angela has come up with the most amazing (and secretive) way of preparing petite lentils. There is also something distinctly different about Dominican cabbage. It is not as bitter as the cabbage in the states, and enjoyable with only a drizzle of EVOO.

For our evening adventure, the Taveras girls (my sister, mother, and I) tried out Nu-Bar for ladies night. Since we were "early" to the bar- 9:00pm. The modern, clean white decor adorned with Mediterranean tables and mini glass chandeliers felt clean and sophisticated. Our waiter was Jason, a man from South America. He enthusiastically helped us choose drinks from their extensive menu of adult beverages concocted with fresh fruit juices. While my mother and sister sampled kiwi and melon martinis, I tried a strawberry mimosa. We truly enjoyed the drinks Jason tailored to our tastes, especially the mojitos.

FRIDAY
When I complain about my kitchen, I will make sure to think of my sister's tiny kitchen. The stove is smaller than average American stove, stuck in the corner corner of the kitchen, lit by a match with every use. Turn away from the stove and your hands are in the little sink. To the left of the sink is a little cabinet built by a friend of my sister's, and a small refrigerator. I am not sure how Angela works her magic in that small space, but Tiffany tells me it's typical to have small kitchens like this in apartments.

I failed miserably at pumping water out of the big 5 gallon plastic water jugs. (It took me until Monday night to master this task.) I let Tiffany collect the water and light the stove to prepare the morning's coffee in the greco. Dominicans make their cafe in these simple stove top percolators. (See the tiny one, front left burner?) Tiffany has 3 sizes of grecos- tiny, medium, and large. The large one is multiple coffee cup size, while the tiny little one is an adorable one-shot of espresso. I made sure to take home one of the cute little ones and the medium-sized one for home use. Now I am ready to prepare a little pick-me-up, or demitasse service for 8.


SATURDAY At about 9:s0am, Tiffany and I realized we had better pull ourselves together and run out the door- we had food and champagne to buy for Mom's birthday party, food to prepare, hair and nails to be done, and lunch to be eaten at our uncle's house (not in that order).

Lunch at Tio JM's was paella and an amazing wine (Perez-Cruz) my cousin Miguel brought over from Chile. I think I might add paella to my list of dishes I would like to master. This paella had little lobsters and shellfish in it.

Our party-food menu was vast. My cousin Sandra and her husband own a company that imports foodstuffs. They provided the triple chocolate cakes and empanadas (made in the company's food testing lab). Juan Carlos (my cousin's husband) is a Spaniard, and made Spanish tortillas out of eggs, veggies, and chorizo. I'd never had a Spanish tortilla before, but if we had more time in the DR, I would have demanded tortilla-making lessons from Juan Carlos. Tiffany bought lamb chops, and we marinated them in red wine and rosemary. My sister and I created a random chicken marinade for skewers, only to find out the grill was out of service. (We stove-topped all the meat, which managed to turn out tender, juicy, and delicious.) We also had mozzarella and cherry tomatoes, prosciutto-wrapped melon, and a few other sundry items. The party was a huge success. The only thing that may have topped the food was the mariachi band playing as a present for my mother.

SUNDAY
After a few (and I do mean a few) hours of sleep, 6 of us (yes, 2 men and 4 women) piled into a Camry and headed for Las Terrenas. To get to Las Terrenas, we took the new "private" road that cuts straight up the island. Driving up the toll road, we first rode by a beautiful coco palm forest, where they harvest coconut oil. Next, we went through los haitises, perfectly rounded emerald hills. The haitises are a natural phenomenon reminiscent of Dr. Seuss illustrations. After them, we stopped at the top of the mountain to take a look at a gorgeous view of the Bay of Samana. Once we came down the mountain, we travelled over hole-laden roads through a few small towns, with brightly colored wooded homes and the occasional water store or colmado. Once we hit Las Terrenas we headed straight through the touristy areas for the dirt roads that lead us to an amazing beach.

On the beach was Luis', a restaurant consisting of tables in the sand, a huge grill, a tiny kitchen, and about 5 guys running it. Our order was literally made from scratch to order. It was about 2 hours before we were served our food. We all did various things while waiting- chatting at the table, walking the beach, reading on a blanket in the sand. The food was worth every minute's wait. My fish melted on my tongue, and the lobsters were delectable.

MONDAY
My last day in the DR was without new and exciting food experiences. Tiffany cooked a delicious piece of meat on the stove, and we continued to enjoy Angela's leftover cooking.

TUESDAY
We took a tour of CERIMAT with women from Fundacion Juan M. Taveras (www.fundacionjuantaveras.org/biografia.htm)- my grandfather's legacy work in the DR, and I hopped on the plane home...

... now I'm back at work with cups of cafe on my way out the door.