Martinique

Restaurants

About Martinique Restaurants

Most critics and jetsetters regard Martiniquan cuisine, a hybrid of French and Creole standards, as some of the Caribbean's finest. Professional and family-trained chefs use such tropical staples as plantains, guava, yellow soursop, sea urchins, and okra; combine them with fresh-from-the-water fruits des mer like red snapper, sunfish, Caribbean lobster, and soudon clams; toss in a mélange of zesty Creole flavors – siv (chives), green peppers, filé powder, and pwawo (leeks); and prepare it all using traditional French techniques. The end-result is a unique gastronomical treat – perhaps langouste (lobster) soufflés, minced conch or chatrou (octopus) cassoulets, or mahi mahi mousse in sea urchin sauce. While most of the higher-profile eateries in and around Fort-de-France have English-version menus, most of the small, privately owned restaurants in the surrounding countryside offer French-only menus, making pocket dictionaries somewhat necessary. In Port-de-France, noted establishments like Le Planteur, Marie-Sainte, le Belle Epoque, and La Mouina tempt guests with their open-air dining areas, plush greenery and flowers, and friendly Martiniquan service. Meanwhile, adventurous types will want to explore the island's less-congested eastern coast, where family-owned treasures like Chez Tatie Simone in Ste-Anne and Basse Pointe's la Plantation wait discovery. -- Kelly Boland, Contributing Writer