Setting Sail: Bermuda Tourism Luncheon at Asana Boston

By: Finance Foodie 

Well summer has officially arrived in Boston – the birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming, and the weather has warmed. As I congratulated myself for surviving another frostbite-inducing New England winter, I started to brainstorm possible warm weather vacation destinations for my annual summer vacation (a reward for not freezing to death).

The vacation fairies must have been reading my mind (or tracking my Google searches) because the Bermuda Department of Tourism (BDOT) breezed into town last week and held a luncheon to showcase their tropical island and their new tourism initiatives. The lunch was held at Asana in the Back Bay – which I’ve eaten at a few times before (due to its close proximity to my apartment). Needless to say, I was quite excited for this event – both for the food and the learning opportunity.

The lunch began with a few remarks by William Griffith, the Director of BDOT. In all honesty, I had never considered going to Bermuda before since 1.) It seemed like a destination for old people 2.) There are cheaper alternatives – i.e. if I wanted to lie on a beach, I’d do it in Mexico sipping on $1 Coronas 3.) Lack of activities – my type A, always need to be active personality would probably go stir crazy lying on the beach for a week. However, upon hearing Mr. Griffith speak about how people of all ages and incomes vacation in Bermuda, the genuinely friendly locals, the myriad activities available (golf, spa, snorkeling, scenic tours, etc.), and the excellent cuisine (both at the high and low end) had me reconsidering. When he mentioned that Bermuda was only a two hour plane ride away from NYC (and that Jet Blue was selling $149 round trip tickets) – perfect for a quick weekend trip, he had me sold!

Even the lunch got me in a tropical island mood (such wily marketing!)! The first course was a Maine Lobster Salad, served with Papaya and a Thai vinaigrette. My long time readers know how much I dislike salads (I mean, why on earth would you eat the same thing you feed a rabbit?) - but luckily, the meaty and generously portioned lobster made up for the rawness of the leaves. I do want point out that although my lobster was clean and fresh, my fellow writer Simone’s lobster was not deveined – which was disappointing and pretty gross. Even more insulting, the waiter then tried to unsuccessfully pass off the “lobster excrements” as the salad dressing. No words.

The second course I had was a Seared Filet Mignon drizzled in a Sherry sauce and served with an onion compote and a whisp of mashed potatoes. Although I was tempted to go with the more festive Banana Salsa George Bank Cod, the carnivore cave woman in me decided to go with the more traditional steak. Tender, buttery, and full of flavor – this was a very enjoyable dish.

For dessert, I had a Rhum Baba (rum cake) with a side of vanilla cream and chopped passion fruits. A sweet ending to a sweet lunch! And now, if you will excuse me, I’m going to run a few miles to get swimsuit ready for the beach – see you on the island!

Asana at the Mandarin Oriental Boston

776 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02199
(617) 535-8888

********Giveaway!*******

Congrats #10 - Gina

Financefoodie.com, in conjunction with Tortuga Caribbean Rum Cakes, is giving one lucky reader their very own taste of Bermuda – a 32oz Rum Cake in your choice of flavor! I had sampled Tortuga’s cake at the Fancy Food Show last year and whoo wee – the cakes transported me off the (Manhattan) island and on to the (much more relaxing Caribbean) islands! Their cakes are moist and fluffy - and taste like they came straight from Grandmama's oven! 

 

You can enter up to FIVE times:
1. In my comments section, go to the Tortuga web site and tell me what flavor cake you want to try (I’ve tried most – coconut is my fave – but the banana sounds amazing!)
2. Follow Finance Foodie on Twitter (leave separate comment telling me this)
3. Reblog / Retweet / facebook this giveaway (leave separate comment telling me this)
4. Follow Tortuga on Twitter (leave separate comment telling me this)
5. Become a fan of  Tortuga on Facebook (leave separate comment telling me this)

Contest ended Monday June 28 at 5pm EST. Winners will be chosen via random integer generator on random.org announced on the financefoodie.com site shortly afterwards that night!