Rendezvous

I'm not entirely sure where the last two months have gone.  It was early September now it is only 10 days until Thanksgiving.  Some crazy stuff went down in my life the last 8 weeks, all good mind you.  I attended my first music convention/festival/awards show, The Americana Festival (AMAs).  The following week I took a rather bizarre, but good, trip to Raleigh, NC for the IMBA conference and awards show (International Bluegrass Music Association.)  My gym had a HUGE high level Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournament, and we moved to a swanky new location.  I busted my ass getting some amazing costumes together (Dany [blue tunic] and Jorah from Game of Thrones and Richard Harrow and Angela Darmody from Boardwalk Empire) for our first con, Wizard World Nashville.  That was incredible!  And I went to the CMA awards... that was the strangest, most uncomfortable live show I've ever attended.  

Oh, and did I mention that next Tuesday I will be an aunt?!?!  Utter insanity.

Being so busy, we've gotten into some serious food ruts.  Stir fry is a staple.  Chili, salads, tacos, roasted winter squash soup, and too much [delicious] take out often make regular appearances as well.  Food ruts make me reminisce hard.  Lately, I've been dreaming about sushi.  But not just any sushi, we get American style sushi every few weeks here.  This sushi is more authentic and so freakin' fresh is might just come back to life if you drop some water on it.

Rendezvous Sushi Cafe in West Bay, Roatan, Honduras is a tiny little place that is part sushi bar part art shop perched on the side of a hill.  It is owned by an American and his French-Canadian wife.  There are seats for about 10-15 people, so you have to make a reservation.  Even if you end up being the only people, you need them.  Don't plan for a quick meal, and bring plenty of cash.  They have a menu with stuff that they usually have, but I recommend asking what is fresh and local.  Those fishes will be the most delicious and won't be listed on the menu.  One thing that they almost always have, but isn't listed is local tuna quickly seared with a sesame crust.  Definitely order that.

That's a lion fish, if you didn't know.

This past year, many restaurants on Roatan started serving up lion fish, a species that is invasive and has been attempting to wreak havoc on the local reefs.  They've been doing a pretty good job of disrupting several species, but local divers and fisherman have banded together with special licensing to hunt these suckers.  One of my top priorities of vacation was to eat lionfish.  The first dish we had at Rendezvous was lion fish sashimi.  It was so light and delicate with a sweet, mild flavor; the translucent flesh melts in your mouth.  A light sprinkle of sesame seeds and a quick dip in soy made it perfection.

We ate quite a bit that night.  I remember a conch something, it wasn't one that is on the menu, but the spicy conch that they regularly have is fantastic.  The other stand out dish we had (which we ordered seconds of) was local marlin.  It was super fresh, so it wasn't funky or oily (which can happen with marlin).  It was meaty and assertive, similar to mahi mahi, and was dressed with a spicy sauce which complimented the heartiness well and didn't overpower the fish.

The wakame salad is always good, as is the coconut ginger soup.  Order the house juice if they have it, it's wonderful.  And all of the desserts are home made.  There may not be a huge selection, especially if you are there in the summer which is low season, but you will not be disappointed in any dessert you order.  Her fruit tarts are incredible, so it the chocolate cake.  Last time, we had a key lime semifreddo that was perfect for a warm night with only the gentlest of breezes.

It was a last minute decision to go there 5 or 6 years ago, and has become one of the restaurants we absolutely have to go to now.