Elvi’s Kitchen emerged as winner for the Best Lobster Dish at this year’s San Pedro Lobster Fest and Caliente/Red Ginger/Blue Water Grill chain of restaurants claimed the Best Lobster Drink making it a two-peat win for both establishments, having claimed the same wins at last year’s event. Lobster Fest was celebrated in grand style on Saturday, June 23, 2012, with a grand block party at Central Park.
All the LobSTARS came out to celebrate as the ten-day celebration of all things lobster reached its peak this weekend at the Lobster Fest Block Party. Central Park was alive with music, entertainment and most of all filled with the sweet aroma of lobster! For those who did not make it early to the festival, they had to wait in long lines to get their hands on some juicy Caribbean Spiny Lobster. But nobody was complaining because each food booth was serving some of the best lobster dishes on the island and the music and atmosphere made for a great time.
“I am very impressed with the turnout this year. There are a lot of tourists out here tonight and I am very glad to see them all very happy and enjoying themselves,” commented Steve Schulte Chairman and CEO of Tropic Air to Ambergris Today. He already had chowed down on some serious lobster tails and was enjoying the festival.
Panerrifix Steel Band Performs at Lobster Fest
Chef Jennie Staines of Elvi’s Kitchen hit a homerun with her Curried Coconut Lobster that was just bursting with flavor – succulent lobster swimming in a coconut curry sauce served with rice and fried plantain. Flying out from their booth were lobster burgers (last year’s winning dish), lobster hot dogs and people were shooting up some delicious Wasabi Lobster Vodka Shots! Clearly Elvi’s Kitchen was a head of the game that garnered its second consecutive win.
Also on his A-Game that evening was award winning bartender Enrique Luna of the Caliente/Red Ginger/Blue Water Grill chain of restaurants. Last year his Chocolate Lobster cocktail got him the first prize for best lobster drink for his originality in adding lobster to his drink. This year he shined once again by creating two original lobster inspired drinks. He whipped up a super smooth Papaya Lobster Colada with lobster bits drizzled on top, but the winning drink came in the form of a liquid dessert!
Enrique’s imagination went wild as he recreated a favorite Belizean dessert as a specialty drink. His Lobster Key Lime Martini had all the rich flavors of a Key Lime Pie blended into a super sweet and rich drink that was topped with whipped cream and chewy lobster bits. Innovation, creativity and supreme flavors once again had Enrique winning the Best Lobster Drink.
Ambergris Today Editor was judge once again! Holding a Lobster Slider from Casa Picasso
Ramon’s Village Pineapples Restaurant had a superb Bacon Wrapped Lobster Skewer, El Divino shined with a Lobster Hot Dog, the Creole Lobster from Pedro’s Inn was delicious, besides a super juicy and tender double glazed BBQ Kebab Fido’s Restaurant had the best Sangria at the festival, Casa Picasso’s signature lobster sliders were buttery and finger lickin’, Sunset Restaurant brought a great lobster ravioli in marinara sauce, DJ’s Lobster Trap had a mean lobster sushi and Mojito’s Bar and Grill grilled a succulent lobster tail. These were all the dishes that were presented to the judges, but most of the restaurants had many other lobster dishes available; by the end of the evening most of the food was long gone.
Other booths present at Lobster Fest included Oceana Belize that was selling fun Oceana T-shirts, beach balls, umbrellas and caps while they recruited members to join in their cause to save the oceans, reef and marine environment; the San Pedro Sailing Club also had a fundraising bar on hand and Saga Humane Society had delicious dessert treats and some mean Jell-O vodka shots/cherry bombs, enough to send everybody dancing in the middle of Central Park.
Speaking of dancing; the Lobster Fest Committee did a fantastic job in highlighting top local entertainment. Kicking off the music was Belmopan’s super dynamic Panerrifix Steel Band which hails from Our Lady of Guadalupe School in the capital city of Belize. This amazing group of young boys and girls lit up the festivities with modern, contemporary and Belizean favorites; they were a crowd favorite. Following them and rocking the festival was Gino and the Shack Shakers with rock anthems and good ole rock and roll music.
Highlighting the entertainment was Belizean cultural music at its best with the sounds of the Garifuna Collective, the late Andy Palacio’s internationally renowned group that brings a new flare to the Garifuna music by blending acoustic, alternative and roots music into one awesome sound. These talented musicians and singers closed the festival with a bang! It was a super line up of entertainment that surely had everybody talking about another great Lobster Fest experience.
The San Pedro Lobster Fest is surely becoming one of the best festivals in the country, already receiving international recognition from Frommers travel guide books. If you still find yourself missing out on this amazing festival you should mark your calendars from now so as not to miss out on all the fun held in San Pedro.
Belize’s Garifuna Collective Performs at Lobsterfest
Lobsterfest Winners
Best Lobster Dish: Elvi’s Kitchen, Coconut Curry Lobster
Best Lobster Drink: Blue Water Grill/Caliente/Red Ginger, Key Lime Lobster Martini
Best Booth: (Tie) Blue Water Grill/ Caliente/ Red Ginger and Ramon’s Village Pineapples Restaurant
