Do Brazil

I've blogged about St. Barths before, so I won't go into details about the island. I will simply tell you about my experience in heaven.

Got that? Heaven.

Do Brazil Restaurant is nestled in Shell Beach, at Gustavia, St. Barths. We decided to give turkeys a break this year for Thanksgiving, but backing down from a delicious meal was out of the question.

St. Barths weather is usually fantastic, and although it rained for a while on Thanksgiving Day, it cleared up really quickly. If you're not familiar with the island at all, the idea of having a beautiful beach in the port city will probably not be the most obvious to you, so most crowds totally miss it, aside from the fact that it's kind of tricky to find if you don't know your way around and don't have a map. Since it's high season, restaurants fill up quickly for lunch all around Gustavia, and for someone who's used to the shock of St. Barths' beauty and sick of American crowds, I made a beeline for Do Brazil as quickly as I could.

As soon as I sat down, I ordered a Ti Punch. What's a Ti Punch, you ask? Well, the waiter will tell you it's "local rum." Let me tell you something about St. Barths' meaning of "local": it's a scam. Nothing is "local," they don't export anything except a line of beauty products, Ligne St. Barth, and even then I'm not entirely ready to believe they actually make the products in the island. Ti Punch is basically gold rum with ice and lime, and it's usually some rum from Guadeloupe or Martinique -or you know, sometimes it's just Bacardi Gold. But most probably, it will be Mount Gay Rum, from Barbados - not St. Barths, and not even French at all!

So anyway, where was I? Oh yes. I order the Ti Punch. The waiter looks at me with a classic incredulous French face, "it's very stong," he warns. I chuckle. This guy doesn't know we're Puertorican. We bleed rum. Give it to me now.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Well, at this point, imagine that you're getting totally sloshed on rum and looking out at a really, really spectacular view. I think of everyone I know, how they're all spending Thanksgiving with their nagging families, feeling pressured to sit through dry turkey and annoyingly poignant questions about their lives... and I smile. I rule.

Buzzed, I pick up the menu. A-ha. The cheapest dish starts at about 16€ (20$), and that's just a Gazpacho appetizer, ranging up to 38€ (50$), not counting the Lobster, which starts at 8€ (11$) per 100g (3oz). Meh, what the hell! Everything looks extremely good, so it's very difficult to choose; we decide the Ti Punch is enough of an appetizer at 6€ each, so we go for the main dishes.

My boyfriend, Clyde, goes for the Daurade- Sauce Créole et son Gratin de Patates Douces, which means: Mahi-Mahi with Creole Sauce and Sweet Potato Bake. The Mahi Mahi was well-cooked, but I found its taste to be bland; the sweet potato bake was delicious, though. In the end, the dish was exquisitely prepared, it is French cuisine after all, and you do run the risk of encountering something bland.

Now, Clyde's usually got the luck of the Irish on his side, and his picks tend to be better than mine, but I gotta say, I freakin' WON this time.

Behold...

Marmite Dõ Brazil (Daurade, Gambas et Noix de St Jacques), Citronnelle et Lait de Coco
Dõ Brazil hot pot (Mahi-mahi, shrimps and sea scallops),
lemongrass and coconut milk

...With a side dish of Jasmine rice, garnished with ginger and some wasabi. You know, just 'cause. I immediately remembered Food Network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate, and decided that this is it for me. I can't even begin to describe how wonderful this dish was; I hardly touched the garnish because it was just so perfect on its own. Clyde was so jealous XD

Do Brazil certainly is an above and beyond culinary experience, and it is worth every penny. The best part of it is getting to look at the gorgeous view all afternoon.

St. Barths' reputation isn't at all exaggerated. The culinary and service experiences may surpass anything you will ever experience, so saving a few bucks and watching the prices on Priceline is definitely worth a shot.

As for me, I'll definitely be going back as soon as I can. For now, I'll be mixing some Don Q Gold and sitting on my balcony, trying to make my own Marmite until I can repeat my Do Brazil experience.

I promise I'll share the recipe if I ever pull it off!