If you haven't had the pleasure of dining at Iguana recently, you're missing out on one of Provo's truly exceptional and absolute dining experiences. A refreshing and imaginative 'metamorphosis' is now complete featuring an innovative and exciting menu and 'a whole new look' to al fresco dining. You'll love what Iguana has done with their popular outdoor courtyard - now more expansive, yet still intimate, a lush tropical garden setting is illuminated with romantic, ambient lighting behind a screening of privacy creating an engagingly affable and mellow dining milieu under an incandescent evening sky.
Bring the Caribbean indoors and discover an appealing and distinctive décor - a striking and contemporary mix of chic sophistication and elegance yet still casual, comfortable, and completely unpretentious and . oh, so pleasantly air-conditioned. The U-Shaped bar is the focal point of the dining room, with a stylish and chromatic façade accented with a gleaming black granite top. The lighting is beautifully eclectic, featuring enormous suspended lights that hang from an impressive vaulted maroon ceiling while delicate, fluted wall sconces and dramatic textured art adorns the walls. Furnishings of dark wood upholstered chairs are set at tables with linen tablecloths of white on black effectuating a beautiful contrast of colour. Tropical accents include palm trees and of course, evidence of the infamous island character which this establishment is named for, the Rock Iguana.
General manager, Bruce Migden, an experienced chef in his own right, invites you to experience what he affectionately dubs, 'the island version of Morton's', world famous and reputed to be the ultimate steak house on the planet. Owner, Mark Pankhurst, recruited the talents of Migden to create a new menu, while still preserving many of the popular and original Iguana favourites prepared by culinary craftsmen, Executive Chef, James Redmond, and Sous Chef George Walker. Their main focus is fresh - with a definite emphasis on fresh seafood and maintains you will never be served frozen fish here, making every effort to procure fish right here on island.
Superior service is par for the course, invariably friendly and always efficient under Restaurant Manager, Karel Rodney. Our server for the evening, Ashacker, wore a perpetual smile, and consistently yet discreetly ensured our party of eight was taken care of. We began with a basket of fresh, baked rolls, deliciously sweet and light and baked daily by their on-site pastry chef, TCI's own, Tomas De La Cruz.
Iguana's Crab Cakes take on a new twist and are destined to become legendary - from the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, indulge in two jumbo lump crab cakes with 'jumbo' being the operative word here. Big chunks of real crab with little filler are pan seared and served with a spicy cocktail sauce and remoulade sauce. If the stars are aligned, and it's your lucky night, Seafood Plateau may be among the menu offerings. Are you ready for this? Mussels, scallops, Florida stone crab claw, snow crab claw, jumbo shrimp, clams and oysters presented in a 3-tier tower configuration with 3 traditional sauces - cocktail, Creole and minuet sauce. Presentations of vivid colours heightened by exceptional flavours arrive in a martini glass as the classic Shrimp Cocktail - rich and juicy jumbo shrimp atop a bed of mixed greens, served with traditional cocktail sauce. Be sure to try the Helix snails in the Escargot Bourgogne, sautéed to perfection in creamy butter and finished with a splash of white wine, and fresh Maine mussels served Mariniere style, in their own juice. Their prize-winning Conch Salad is made using an island inspired recipe with a distinct punch from the unexpected addition of Jalapeno pepper. This ceviche style salad was remarked to be, "good till its gone". The unmistakable earthy flavours of fresh, ripe tomatoes sliced with soft, creamy buffalo mozzarella and drizzled with balsamic vinegar make a Caprese Salad quite simply, simplicity at its finest. Unique and unusual, the Watermelon and Feta Salad is a very refreshing and appealing taste combination - you wouldn't think these flavours would complement each other, but they most definitely do, and this is a delightfully light appetizer alternative. The infamous Caesar Salad at Iguana deserves to be hailed and packs a notorious yet palatable and spicy bite; the dressing and croutons are homemade with just the 'just right' addition of compulsory anchovy. A trio of soup selections are also available, with a soup of the day, classic French Onion and their deliciously decadent and hearty, Seafood Gumbo.
Decisions . decisions . decisions - Iguana's Entrée Menu leaves no doubt in my mind that this is THE seafood and steakhouse. All of the bases are covered, several prime cuts of steaks, including their outstanding prime rib, pork, lamb, catch of the day, lobster (when in season) shellfish, Cornish game hen, pastas and even a Caribbean madras curry. If you're a regular reader of my restaurant reviews, you know if there's a filet mignon on the menu, it's going to end up on my plate! Indeed it did, a heavy portion bordering on 10 ounces, this filet was bacon-wrapped to give it that incredible smoky taste, pan seared to perfection and finished with a rich and creamy peppercorn and brandy sauce. Mine came with a side of steak fries of 'hungry man' proportions . not to be misconstrued with any run-of-the-mill French fry - these were gigantic and came stacked log cabin style with that great flavour only achieved by leaving the skins on. One of our dining companions took the liberty of always asking around the table to see if anyone wanted to sample his meal . you're thinking - how generous? Let me explain - the offers came when his plate was empty! Once served, he became a man of few words, and while busy masticating, I did manage to get him to divulge that he considered the NY Peppercorn Steak to be "gorgeous". The 'islands favourite' Prime Rib lived up to all of Iguana's historic accolades and expectations. A colossal 'slab' of Black Angus, slow roasted to your level of personal perfection and served with horseradish whipped potatoes and natural jus. Oftentimes when I see a pork chop on a menu, I have to admit that I overlook it in favour of red meat (a.k.a. filet mignon), but never again . here at Iguana the everyday pork chop takes on a whole new meaning. Comparable to a spa treatment for pork, first, a slightly dry rub is massaged into a choice, 12 ounce French cut rib chop, followed by a lingering soak in a honey, Dijon and citrus marinade and then sizzled and grilled to perfection. I think you've got the picture. An evening special of Pompano fish, sautéed in a light white wine, lemon and butter sauce was simply outstanding. Firm, moist and delectable, the Pompano is a member of the jack family, a flat, saltwater fish revered for its mild and exquisite flavours. The Chef's Signature Dish, Yellow Fin Tuna is lightly spiced and served with a spicy mango sauce, and do consider the Catch of the Day, caught by our own local fisherman and always creatively served. Surf and Turf is available in the off-season, with a grilled filet and shrimp. For vegetarians, a mouth-watering combination of fresh market vegetables are grilled to perfection and served platter style, or you can also customize from several traditional pastas, which can be ordered with seafood, chicken and shrimp, or without. A lovely combination of daily vegetables was served with all of our main courses with everyone remarking on their fresh, lively and crisp taste. The one feature on Iguana's menu that I have always applauded is the melange of side dishes that are available as just that . sides. Those little things that you have a hankering for that you can easily add for only a few dollars more . everything from sides of potatoes to rice to salads to garlic shrimp to sautéed mushrooms . even a side lobster tail.
Iguana touts its desserts as 'to die for' . you don't have to twist my arm! The Chocolate Pate was a slice of pure, unadulterated, sinful, immoral, guiltless - yes guiltless, decadence. I am a firm believer that everyone should have their cake . and eat it too. Speaking of which, the Tropical Cheesecake was firm with subtle flavours of coconut, mango and papaya and served with a mango coulis. Oh yes, that generous dinner companion - was emphatically NOT sharing this one. If the stars are still aligned, you may be fortunate enough to find the ultimate in decadence, a 20-layer cake - yes, that was no typo! Layers upon layers upon layers of sweet, elegant paper-thin crepes, filled with luscious, creamy mascarpone cheese, exotic, ground macadamia nuts and drenched in caramel sauce. Divinity on a plate. A few enterprising members of our group went back to the cocktail menu to choose desserts. Almond Joy was an ambrosial combination of coconut rum, Crème de Cacao and Bailey's. Key Lime Pie came in a glass with vanilla vodka, Bailey's and limejuice . the more conventional can order it by the slice, served with whipped cream and drizzled with mango sauce. Perfect endings of coffees and espressos were deliciously aromatic with incredibly rich and full-bodied flavours. Absolutely, an impressive and memorable metamorphosis has taken place at Iguana.
A rare and fascinating species, the Iguana has been called "a great specialty of our islands"* a befitting and felicitous parallelism to our local restaurants' namesake, indeed.
*Quote from: The Birds of the Turks & Caicos Islands by Richard W Ground, OBE QC, Published by the Turks & Caicos National Trust.
By Mandy Rostance-Wolf
Reprinted from "Where When How - Turks & Caicos Islands"
September/October 2007
