By Forbes Travel Guide Editor Michelle Doucette

Tuna Foie Gras at Blue By Eric Ripert

If the Kahlua-spiked, chocolate-drenched mudslide cocktail is the first treat that comes to mind when you consider Grand Cayman’s culinary contributions, it’s time for a return trip. The Cayman Islands’ most popular vacation destination has a serious supply of innovative chefs, a melting-pot population inspired by many international cuisines, waters full of fresh seafood and produce that fills farmers markets despite the island’s famously difficult soil.

Given these gifts, it’s no surprise Grand Cayman is home to a growing number of food festivals including Eric Ripert’s Cayman Cookout — the January 2015 edition will welcome chefs Anthony Bourdain, José Andrés, Daniel Boulud and Michael White — and Slow Food Day, a celebration of local farm fare. To experience the best of Grand Cayman’s burgeoning food scene, step away from Seven Mile Beach, if only for the evening, and point your sandals toward any of these standout dishes.

Tuna foie gras at Blue by Eric Ripert

The signature dish at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman’s esteemed Eric Ripert restaurant, this impossibly thin tuna carpaccio appears à la carte and as part of the Eric Ripert tasting menu, which is a selection of the chef’s most popular dishes from his Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Le Bernardin in New York City. Savor the thinly pounded local tuna atop a foie gras terrine and a toasted baguette slice.

Lionfish with wood-roasted breadfruit salad at Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink

Technically two dishes, this dynamic duo bursts with Caymanian flavors. Enjoy chunks of potato-like roasted breadfruit with local tomato, avocado, basil and shaved red onion in a citrus emulsion before digging into your lionfish; when we were there, it was pan-roasted with baby bok choy. Chef-owner Michael Schwartz and his team have been leaders in the effort to hunt the invasive, spiked lionfish from Grand Cayman’s waters and bring it to gourmands’ plates. Luckily, this maligned sea creature is also a palate pleaser.

Ortanique

Ceviche at Ortanique

Like its Camana Bay neighbor Michael’s Genuine, Ortanique is the first international outpost of a successful Miami eatery, and chef Cindy Hutson has added local flourishes to her already tropical menu. The daily ceviche is a signature start to any meal here. A recent shrimp edition was created with local lime juice, oranges and orange juice, Scotch bonnet and bell peppers, Bermuda onions, cilantro, and scallions, and accompanied by chunky guacamole and plantain chips.

Red papaya gelato at Gelato & Co. Cremeria Italiana

When it’s time to cool off from the Caribbean sun, head to one of Camana Bay’s newest dining options for the best gelato this side of Florence. The owners, recent transplants from Italy, churn impossibly creamy cones of classics such as stracciatella and hazelnut, but for an island twist, go with the local red papaya. The savory-sweet flavor will satisfy your craving for authentic gelato until the next time you hop the Atlantic.

Pozole at Agave Grill