Urban Thought Collective

CATCH UP ON THE ADVENTURE HERE…

You might say that I’ve saved the best for last, although any one of these places would’ve made my week in any other place. Arguably, the best food on the island, “Coyaba” was to be the crown jewel in my tour of Provo restaurants.

As it turns out, “Coyaba” is an Arawak Indian word that means “heavenly.” That this restaurant was given this is a name is oh so apropos. First, however, I have a confession to make. Similar to the way that I’ve often got more month left at the end of my money back home, I was in a similar pickle here. I had one night left, and still had two must-visit places on my agenda to choose from. But how do you choose? Do you skip the best restaurant on the island so that you can get to the one place that is the unanimous choice by the locals, “Smokey’s”, for the real live Turks Islander experience? You’ve already gone to several other outstanding restaurants with million-dollar views. On the other hand, do you skip the only true local experience when you’re a person that lives for that kind of thing? A lesser foodie might have made a tough decision and chosen one. I got an early start.

The service at “Coyaba,” like the rest of the places was impeccable, but somehow even a cut above. It was a fairly small place but it seemed like there wait staff numbered in the hundreds. Servers and waiters were coming and going from all directions all the time. One of them brought me one of the chef’s creations while I contemplated the menu choices. It seemed simple enough, baby carrots, slices of red peppers, and pita bread wedges placed just so around a dipping sauce. The pita bread wedges were warm, however, and the sauce was out of this world. I asked 3 different members of the wait staff what was in it just to make sure that I didn’t forget. It was a white sauce (well, i think it was white, but couldn’t really tell by candlelight) made from cream cheese, sour cream, and coconut, but somehow tasted like honey butter…but BETTER! I think I could’ve left right after tasting this and been satisfied.

I ordered a lobster bisque that seemed to be the gold standard for lobster bisques around the world, served in all of its steamy perfection in a large white bowl with colorful designs around its rim. I accompanied this with a hearty duck confit salad and told them to keep the pitas and dipping sauce coming. It was really a shame that I couldn’t stay longer, but even in that short time, I was very impressed. It’s a good thing I did leave though, because it surely would’ve broken the bank. As it was I left there $74 lighter and hadn’t even peeked at the entree menu yet.

So that you’re not brow-beaten by my verbosity any longer, I’ll summarize some other nice spots to drop in on if you make it down to Provo. Drink in these pictures to wash it all down…

Lunch/Casual Dinner:
Mango Reef- a great bar and grill spot right on the beach with a pleasant dining area that makes a good soup/salad and sandwich.

Da Conch Shack- as authentic as you can be without being authentic, but deceptively good. The Curry Conch is a must. Bring your camera because the views don’t get any better than this.

Corner Cafe- A great sandwich shop attached to the grocery store off the main drag. Try the prosciutto if you go there a few times, but definitely do not skip the Corner Club or the Smoked Turkey Club.

Ports of Call/Dive Bar- these are right near the Caicos Cafe and they are your basic low scale eateries that still do a pretty good job on the grub, make a stiff drink and still charge you like you’re at the Ritz.

Smokey’s- This is the spot where the locals eat. If you like your common rib shack, jook joint, mama’s-kitchen-soul-food-spot in any rural part of the Southern United States, this is your spot. Surprisingly, there aren’t any $3 entrees, but if you haven’t noticed by now, the economics on this island are all screwed up. Wednesday is Fish Fry night and the parking lot is the see and be seen spot for the brothas that like to play the funky beats out of the back of their jeeps.

Destah Owens is a single father of two from Northern California and proud UCLA Bruin who travels the world for his job as a computer engineer. His blog, “Soufflés in Saigon,” is exclusive to Urban Thought Collective.