Best Sushi in Santo Domingo

rnSQheZhm7nz_ArdDB5HGoqpHojHZXG32XMoTW_GHUH4IvtBrreMwsxCKwNux3cfHdUMnBoj96Xm0--E_SXZnfw9xdsTVl0yVmKyGE1l3ZyfGlZVwyJWYDWWp-rSaem3nIkDZmxnYYXeOEcGpXLVfS69mRb6d5fcl35ppOQPjbWIi_wTiEjmIz1SabI didn’t expect to find a good sushi restaurant in Santo Domingo (sorry, don’t be offended, DR!) but I did. Shibuya is located on the ground floor of the Blue Mall (one of the most expensive high end malls in the city) and it is part of the SBG restaurant chain. SBG has a cafe on the same floor. While Shibuya is Japanese, the dishes are a fusion of Japanese-Peruvian dishes.

ATMpoBjWiFtROkEZn6sdydy_OFjQ8LbB2t283ejU-2_nSr8uK69psYXqZ-NunEjPtqWmUFHk3reBesEGmo4i9M5fftRkdWCi1Kb-yEBUPWTuIeInpw6xWcCj-JjL9iEwqhmehyHKU3vRSl8j1PwDeU5xdhPX5POBnN34zrpJCc5rroEhmJGNwIaTjUFirst, yes, they have a Japanese chef… for those who use this as a marker for a good Japanese restaurant. I don’t think he works every day so I imagine that sometimes the Japanese food is made by non-Japanese hands…

-7nSXy9n4-1OaRa9WOfxHigPGcNOmTFlQucYJFWjiHX9APK8NkT3aqDrPOR4jfcoRI888paTHCZroTmhtXxSP1Vj2AaAVfIC37xLbMo9Dfh8S9RZXZMKkdlMXP_44uCl6yB63hS1C_bPaLTw3tamykrZN6k1j2X4OclN-i7XDp2m37GdT-UTApOV_LThe sushi place has excellent sashimi (raw fish like the salmon in the first photo — a double portion), tiridito dishes (Peruvian “carpaccio” of fish — thin slices with sauce. See the photo of the fish in the yellow sauce, above.), and ceviches (classic Peruvian style in photo above, with deep fried sweet potato deep and Peruvian corn). Many of the other dishes are good as well, as are their cocktails. I liked their “tuna tartare” which was like a large portion of Hawaiian “poke” (raw fish salad mixed with soy sauce, green onions, sesame seed oil, and chili or mayonnaise… you get the idea) with extra ingredients.

CqE2xJy5A5PjmNkdoBglp4BIw3zPQxMZ1FI4g-go2vNa1LNDAYrmMwVFw23t3Q7xgk6jnynQfhDoLWdt3VTGKTpGF9Oaxv-G2aTCPPBWgDjmkcsKK3qxxdO2GpwqBQOjt8Eh9uJGAStxY3VLoC4xWrxpaEFSXJmShxkeKLCdrmviNX8i5PHeqO4V3II ate that this restaurant more than ten times and had almost everything on the menu. Their fried rice is super crunchy. I think they toss quinoa in it to make it extra crunchy.

NXmEAj5nlX-RBFJZvg2FsgKcQmhQtZB_n1nvL0Y8ItoAUK6vzB6TdhbkMgKNT7a04quiDFEvsZZHLzPZn8qD8AGwWoLUp5NJg7kKTERoq-81LQ2HzP76DD7HMyxfkHc6MBKEAf7t8rJoI1yvD2f9GIcCvANbSvMhlRMJhFQUtXTIyNiDVl0PTAFBtmAnother surprise at this place is their coconut cake dessert. Not at all Japanese, but is a nice nod to the Caribbean. Try it! I wasn’t convinced as I recall the straw texture of desiccated coconut… this cake tasted like warm apple pie.

As for this place being the best sushi place in the DR, I didn’t eat at too many sushi places but this place was so good that I looked forward to eating there. Who needs to go anywhere else? It’s not this local fish place…

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Rum Festival 2017 – Nassau, The Bahamas

goat-girlpirateIt’s the third annual rum festival in Nassau, The Bahamas. Going on right now in the Fort Charlotte. Tickets cost $25 per day, or $60 for Friday-Sunday (pre-purchase online, I think). Tickets can be bought at the entrance to the festival. Fort Charlotte is about a mile from the cruise ship harbor. rumThe stalls are all around the bailey of the fort making a natural path past the stalls. There are stalls selling rum, cocktails, rum cake, desserts, food, jewelry, plants (lettuce plant is not what I’d normally buy at a rum festival, but why not?), soap, tea, candy, t-shirts, and art. You can get samples, but mostly, it’s about shopping. There is music throbbing off the walls and pirates waiting to take a photo with you.  There is even a Johnny Depp-look who is very willing to stare glaze-eyed into your selfie. rum-fest-golf-cartsHappening now, February 24-26. I’d recommend it if you like festivals, rum, and a street party… I bought jerk chicken and rum cake.viidThere are also some voodoo elements… and cigars. Overall, not a great way to see Fort Charlotte because the dungeons and other parts of the fort are closed for the festival. But it’s a good use of the fort.

I’ll write more about the foods I tried in a later post. It was spicy!

 

A Day at the Races

At Pimlico.
At Pimlico.

Recently, I went for a day at the races. Not having grown up going to the horse races, attending the Preakness was all new to me. I wasn’t sure if it was all about the hat (or my new fascination — the fascinator), the horses, the betting, or the concerts. It turned out to be a bit of all of it, a sort of combination country fair, concert, picnic, tailgate party, and excuse to dress up and drink cocktails at 11 a.m.

This is the sign above the betting windows...
This is the sign above the betting windows…

I’m not sure if I would go to a horse race again, although maybe in Colombia, as the actual races are very short (a few minutes) and it all goes by in a blur. But, the people-watching goes on all day!

Father and son in matching seersucker.
Father and son in matching seersucker.

One of the hats for sale was about two feet across and cost $496. Yes, almost $500 for a hat. Speaking of fashion, I enjoyed the variety of men and boys in seersucker suits and the ladies and girls in their dress and hats. Also, people were super friendly out at Pimlico in Maryland.

The Preakness.
The Preakness.