I am by no means a food connoisseur. Hell, one of my favorite foods is the Cheesy Gordita Crunch from Taco Bell. But I do have nearly 27 years of experience in eating. That’s gotta give me some credibility, right?
Living in New York for nearly six years has given me a slight tendency to judge and compare food and dining experiences based on the best meals I’ve had in the city. But from my accumulation of previous feeding time adventures in the Caribbean, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect when asking around for a nice restaurant to go to for birthday dinner. I’ve seen everything from folding chairs and paper plates, to fish covered with melted cheese. Several tourists and locals recommended the Bananakeet Cafe on top of Windy Hill, so we figured what the hell, why not? The name didn’t sound like much more than a simple grab-and-go spot for fruit and coffee, but we were told the view alone was worth it. With the tagline “The Higher You Get… The Better The View,” you can’t help but wonder what’s so great about this view. I can assure you, it did not disappoint my eyes or my tongue for my first dinner as a 26 year old.
Described as “Caribbean fusion with a view,” the open-patio restaurant is situated alongside The Heritage Inn, with a tempting little pool between the two. The covered area near the bar opens up to a full seating area on the deck looking over the entire bay. And the infamous sunset. It could only be described as every cliche you would ever use to describe a perfect sunset, painting the sky with colors and dramatic clouds. The photos just couldn’t do it justice, but I kept snapping anyway. If you go to Banakeet Cafe, definitely plan on being there a bit before the sun goes down!
Plus another great part about being there during sunset, you get a free sunset shot. But let’s just pretend they were free birthday shots because everyone in the world was obviously pumped about my birthday.
I was surprised to see a menu full of things that I couldn’t wait to put in my mouth. So I went with pumpkin soup, coconut fried shrimp, and sushi. Delicious, quality food, and an equally stellar presentation. Stephanie had the vegetarian pasta which she also said was incredible.
The food was delicious and fresh, and the service was great. Our waiter was friendly and kept offering to take pictures of us, and totally understood when I jumped up in the middle of ordering and told him to hold on while I snapped “the perfect sunset photo.” He even gave me a free birthday dessert! It certainly wasn’t a budget meal, but entirely worth every dollar.
And besides, it was my birthday so it was Stephanie’s treat! Thanks Stephanie!
