and we're back... with coffee!

Gail and I returned from a wonderful yet all too short vacation at the Paradisus Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic in the early hours of Sunday night/Monday morning. We spent the better part of a week sitting on the beach enjoying the sun, cocktails and the company of some great people. At night we were lucky enough to be entertained by my favorite band moe.
We were treated to an acoustic poolside set the first night followed by 3 2-set full electric shows on the beach. There are few things that can compare to dancing barefoot in the sand surrounded by palm trees and twinkling stars!
We enjoyed a local spirit, Mama Juana a blend of rum, porto, honey, and native plants, herbs and flowers blended together and left to sit and soak. The taste was light and sweet but it did pack a punch! We also ate... and ate quite a bit as the resort contained 12 restaurants. In terms of quality the food varied from passable but nothing special to downright tasty. Here is a look at 2 beautifully plated desserts we enjoyed at the 'contemporary french-romantic' restaurant. First off is a dark chocolate 'sailboat' with a whipped marshmallow center. Next up is coffee mouse stuffed tulip horns with a hazelnut & chocolate ganache all shaped into a grasshopper:

We even brought a piece of the Dominican Republic home with us in the form of 2 bags of local coffee! A bag of Organic Biodynamic coffee and a bag of shade grown Karoma estate coffee. Our grinder is broken so I won't be able to try these until the weekend but they sure do smell nice!

Finally I leave you with a picture of Gail and I at the beach... this trip definitely didn't suck!