I can only imagine how Curtain Bluff Managing Director Rob Sherman is going to react when he stumbles upon this story focused solely on the hotdogs served at his incredibly upscale resort. Regular readers know the drill, though. If there’s a hotdog somewhere in the world, I need to try it. Curtain Bluff’s contribution will now stand alongside those from Reykjavik, Stockholm, East Anglia and Madrid. It’s just something I have to do.
Pass the calm swimming beach [LINK:previous day] and walk over to the beachside restaurant where lunch is served. Instead of sprinting for the extensive buffet, wait a moment for a menu and order the hotdog. Just do it once, and order it in addition to something “real.”
With British cultures, the definition of “hotdog” varies. The one I had in Cambridge, England was more sausage than hotdog, but East Anglia was decidedly the latter. Since Antigua’s history was shaped by British rule, I was unsure of what to expect. The result was waiting for me when I returned to the table (having abandoned my wife to run back to our room to get my cameras), and it was a hotdog – a thick hotdog. Not as long as what I had at King’s in Bury St. Edmunds, its girth was much more impressive. You’ll have to open wide just to take a small bite.
Despite the appearance, the Curtain Bluff hotdog tasted a bit more like a sausage than a hotdog. There was a hotdog taste to it, and the color and texture were certainly dog-esque, but there was a pretty substantial sausage contribution, as well.
So, how did it taste?
Order the damned hotdog! It’s worth it. The crisp crack that comes with the cutting of your teeth into this “lesser” cuisine unleashes a rush of juicy flavor that will dominate your taste buds. Supplement the experience with ketchup and a line of Grey Poupon mustard, and you’ve got a winning dog.
The best approach to lunch, I found, is to mix your hotdog with the buffet: get a little bit of everything. Order your hotdog, then run to the buffet for a salad. Don’t go overboard, just put enough on your plate to take the edge off a bit. When your dog arrives, scarf it down like an animal – it feels nice to be subhuman in such luxurious surroundings. Then, let your civilized self return, sample the grilled chicken, and pick something up for dessert (all of which is prepared perfectly in the pastry kitchen).
Finally, lie to all your friends about having eaten something as low as a hotdog at a place like Curtain Bluff.
Disclosure: Curtain Bluff did pick up the tab for this trip. Honestly, a prolie blogger like me wouldn’t be able to cover this destination without support from the resort. And, would the resort have “bought” a story about hotdogs? Let’s be a tad realistic about that, shall we? That said, my opinions are my own. Worried that my experience was positive? Blame the resort staff for doing a kickass job. I could lie and say it all sucked, but that would come at the expense of my editorial integrity.