Posted by local on February 04, 2002 at 10:38:35:
AWAY IN THE BAHAMAS: Dunmore Sets the Mark
By John Mariani
My idea of heaven does not involve any beach in the world, but when I
occasionally yearn for warmer weather, skies of one shade of blue and water
of another, I begrudgingly repair to an island somewhere, hoping that I will
be left alone to sleep, read, and eat well (not necessarily in that order).
After many disasters in the Caribbean, especially in the food department, I
have finally found a spot reclusive, colorful, and delectable enough to draw
me back when the winter doldrums strike.
It is called DUNMORE BEACH CLUB (242-333-2200; 1-877-891-3100;
dbc@batelnet.bs; www.dunmorebeach.com), located on a three-mile stretch of
powder pink coral sand called Harbour Islands, a five-minute ferry from
Eleuthera in the Bahamas. The town is tiny, and there's not much to do here,
so it's not jammed with duffers, gamblers, families or cruiseship quickies.
The 1,500 locals are very friendly, including model Elle McPherson, who may
be spotted each morning jogging along the water's edge. Indeed, the island
is used for a lot of photo shoots, largely because it is not overrun with
gawkers and because it is very beautiful in an unspoilt way.
Dunmore itself rambles over lovingly landscaped hills down to the beach,
with 14 cottages gaily painted in the usual tropical palette colors. The
rooms inside are extremely comfortable without being effusively decorated,
and the service staff, unlike most in the Bahamas, is happy to help with any
request, led by the remarkable Quincey Percentie, who refuses guests
nothing.
Nor will owners Tony and Cynthia Shogren if they're on property, which
is often during the winter. They've owned Dunmore, once a private club
frequented by the ditsy Duke and Duchess of Windsor, for about a dozen years
now, but their hiring of chef Richard Hamilton last summer has distinguished
the resort from most others in the Caribbean, causing Dunmore to be
competitive with some of the best on St. Bart's, where a tradition of fine
cuisine has been long entrenched. Several Dunmore meals--from breakfast
through dinner--showed me that Hamilton, whose experience derives from
stints at Louis XV in Monaco, Daniel Boulud in NY, and Dean Fearing of the
Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas, is a star on the rise.
If he only served me his French toast (pre-emptively credited on the menu
with being "world famous"), I'd acknowledge his talent. And his lunch
buffets are remarkably free of the usual brunch/lunch clichés. But it is at
dinner that he, with a staff of just two in the kitchen, really shows his
mettle. One evening began with a sparkling stone crab salad with prawn and
apple vinaigrette, then a cannellini bean soup with white truffles, topped
with a quail egg. Local grouper-always better in the Bahamas-came on a
tomato and spinach risotto of creamy tenderness, matched in flavor by a
crisp, potato-wrapped bass on braised leeks with truffled red wine
reduction. The meat course was a duck breast whose essential flavor was
marvelously enhanced with a duck confit hash, and coulis of foie gras. For
dessert a very Caribbean baked pineapple with vanilla, two chocolates, and
coconut ice cream seemed the ideal ending as the moon drifted in and out of
the clouds over the Ocean.
The next evening was every bit as exciting, starting off with a leek tart
with black truffles, and a fricassée of monkfish with white onions, Anjou
pear, and pear chips. This night the main course was impeccably cooked,
richly flavorful squab with five spice seasoning, the salty taste of
pancetta, wild mushrooms, and a Madeira reduction. Only a starter of chewy
scallops with a poached fig and foie gras faltered. "Dueling" crème brulées
finished off the evening. The winelist at Dunmore is not yet anything to
rave about, , though a temperature-controlled cellar is on the future's
agenda, which should improved breadth and depth.
Hamilton changes his menus daily, depending on what's available, which
almost always means what he has flown in, and, with so small a number of
clientele, he can manage these changes with remarkable personality.
For me, flying to the Caribbean out of New York can be a laborious hop,
skip and jump by plane, boat, and taxi, but, given its prices-almost half
below comparable resorts (depending on high or low season, a suite can go
for $480 including all meals!)-Dunmore will draw me out of the increasingly
rare blasts of winter in New York.