It's rare that I eat out and fail to find a flaw with the restaurant or its food: as the wife of a private chef, I know what good food is.

So when I say that I was thrilled with the food at St. Kitts Marriott's trio of upscale restaurants, I mean it: the meals at Blu, Royal Grille Steakhouse, and La Cucina were flawless. Ingredients were fresh, recipes were creative, and the result... well, my consistently clean plate was evidence that the chefs were doing a stellar job.

I asked Lavern Stevens, public relations manager, if she'd ask Chef Marlo Tobias of La Cucina to share one of his recipes for Washington Times blog readers, and both Stevens and Tobias obliged.

Tobias, a self-taught chef, joined the St. Kitts Marriott Resort in 2003 as Lead Cook. His culinary experience began at the tender age of 3 in his mother’s kitchen; he loved to sit and watch as she prepared the family’s meals, and he eventually became her helper. As his passion for cooking grew, Tobias eventually took over family cooking duties as he grew into manhood; he later realized, he would enjoy pursuing cooking as a career. 

As a professional chef, Tobias has participated in numerous competitions throughout St. Kitts and the Caribbean. Most recently, Tobias was most recently in New Orleans, representing the St. Kitts Marriott at the Caribbean Chef Training Program. He is currently the Restaurant Chef for the La Cucina Restaurant.

Poached Grouper in White Wine Lemon and Butter

Ingredients:

-8 oz grouper

-1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped

-1 Tablespoon butter

-Juice of 1 lemon

-2 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

-1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil

-4 oz lentils

-Salt and pepper to taste

-1/2 cup white wine

Directions:

In medium pan, put lentils to cook for 8 minutes, along with salt, pepper, and half of the white wine. Poach grouper in medium pan; add remaining white wine, lemon juice, butter, basil, salt and tomatoes.

Place a bed of lentils on the plate, put grouper on top, garnish with the tomatoes, and serve!

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