Riquísimo Belize

Mmm, "riquísimo..." Ok, they speak English there, but nevermind.  The Spanish word for "scrumptious" just looks and sounds cool.



Belize City, Belize

Fresh off a 7 day cruise to Cozumel, Belize City and Isla Roatan with a pretty cool group of people, I can say that I was fortunate to dine at a location that boasted a dish worth blogging about.  Our second port-of-call was Belize City, Belize and we participated in an excursion to the Altun Ha Archaeological Site, which managed to re-convince me of the universe's demise in 2012.  On the plus side, the tour was very educational and our guide has an appropriate appetite for her native food.  She recommended a local spot at our port and upon locating it, we realized it was a bar.  The adjoining restaurant, where were could actually get a meal, was called The Deck and that was where we had lunch.  

Upon looking at the menu, we noticed that the prices were a little more than what we expected.  I had a feeling that we would get our money's worth and was willing to take the chance.  So on a lazy, rainy afternoon in Belize, I ordered the stewed chicken for $10 USD and this is what I received:

Belizean Stewed Chicken

Stewed chicken with stew beans and white rice, potato salad and plantains!  (Un)fortunately for me, there was not enough chicken to complete my serving, so our hostess, Lisette,  offered stewed beef to compensate.  Sucks for me, I know.  The chicken and beef were cooked in a mildly spicy broth; the rice was cooked in coconut milk and the stew consisted of red and green peppers, onions, kidney beans and tomatoes.  I'm usually particular about potato salad and don't eat a lot of it, but this one was muy delicioso!  And to top it off, fried plantains on the side and an ice cold Coke.  The mister had the stewed beef and decided to sprinkle some habanero sauce on it...I thought it was muy, muy caliente and went back to my mild meal. 

We were the only customers at the moment, but as we dined, several of the locals came in to sit and socialize with one another.  It was wonderful to see a sampling of the different cultures and people laughing and enjoying each other's company.  Lisette was quite gifted in her hosting and culinary skills.  She continually asked us how the food was and if we needed anything to make our meal and visit more enjoyable.  As much as her consideration was sincerely appreciated, it was not a stretch of the imagination to figure out what we thought of her food:

Yeah...that was the business!

So, if you ever find yourself in Belize, please make sure to stop by The Deck and see Lisette.  I can guarantee that it'll be worth the time and money.  And tell her I sent you.  She did ask if she was going to see her business on Facebook.  And she's a really good hugger too :)