Whether honeymooning, valentines, celebrating an anniversary, on a first date, or if you need to recharge your relationship, nothing is more romantic than dinner out at your favorite restaurant.  Trust us for that  perfect   meal  to  add  spice to your love life.   Eating an exotic, well prepared multi-course   

dinner with wine is the ultimate aphrodisiac in and of itself. (Especially when you don’t have to cook or clean dishes).  The heady aromas and flavors of expensive, exotic spices have been known since ancient times to create a “stimulating” environment.  Cinnamon, nutmeg, fenugreek, cumin, clove, saffron, ginger, vanilla and cardamom—“queen of spice”—has been used for thousands of years for their sexual powers.   And accordingly, every ancient culture can testify to the sexually stimulating properties of certain foods—from the ancient Romans and Greeks; the Hindu’s spice-charged Karma Sutra;  Chinese ‘Handbooks of Sex’ (written 5,000 years ago by Emperor Huang-Ti), with it many references to spice and food as sexual stimulants;

The book of The Arabian Nights tell tales of the fertility powers of a certain spices; even the Japanese and Aztecs lay claim to aphrodisiac foods.  The great and very wise king Solomon acknowledges the seductive power of aromatic spices in Proverbs of The Old Testament stating a warning: “I’ve perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let’s drink our fill of love until morning.” Back in the old day spice was a luxury commodity—with trading power greater than gold;  Used as currency, and horded by the wealthy as real estate and money are today;  Frankinsence and myrhh was regarded as the ultimate sacrificial offerings to appeasing the gods. America was “discovered” during Columbus quest to find a quicker route to India for its valuable spices, namely black pepper—which he confused with the hot chili peppers of the “New World”. Columbus actually thought he had reached India and called the native inhabitants Indians, thus the terms West Indies and West Indians.   However, it was the Portuguese to first reach India by sea and the Dutch that controlled the spice trade for centuries.  Enough history lets talk sex! 

An aphrodisiac is generally any “thing” which is believed to increase sexual desire, performance and or pleasure.  It can be a scent, color, object, food, (hopefully your partner), drink, music or the right mix thereof—known as ambiance in my profession.  It is an unproven fact that certain types of food and drink are good for your libido.  Foods that are high in stuff that are healthy for the reproductive organs make the best, most logical aphrodisiacs; food that are rich in vitamins  A, Bs, E, phosphorus, potassium, copper and zinc – like certain seafood—oysters, whelks (large sea snails), snails, conch, steamer, mussels, clam.  The word aphrodisiac derives from Aphrodite the Greek goddess  who  arose out of the sea  on  an  oyster 

—the most popular aphrodisiac.  The whole concept of aphrodisiac foods likely developed for health reasons, as in medicinal purposes. People during ancient times were more concerned about better health and increasing fertility, than romance and passion.  Spice concoctions were experimented with to treat infertility, impotence, poison, diseases and other ailments.  Eventually overtime knowledge was gained as to  what  works  as  aphrodisiacs. Common  wisdom  points  to  the  following  tried  and  true aphrodisiacs.

Certain herbs, spices, food and drink are known to boost sexual drive.  Some spices include cloves, cinnamon, oregano, cumin, anise, turmeric, cilantro, nutmeg, chilies and cardamom.   These spices contain essential oils and alcohols that contribute their unique properties of smell, taste and sensory powers.  For example, anethole is an aromatic compound that accounts for the distinctive sweet “licorice” flavor of anise, cayenne, fennel, and star anise (a key ingredient in Absinthe).  Cinnamaldehyde is a chemical in cinnamon, and eugenol is present in cinnamon, clove   and  allspice.    When    ingested,    the   magic begins.

Pharmacologic effects ranging from increased circulation in the brain and other areas; lowering inhibitions, euphoria to mild hallucinations are possible.   When combined—as in our hand-blended curries and masalas—wild things start to happen. 

Like spices, certain food and drink are believed to stimulate the sex drive and increase sexual pleasure.  They include shellfish, chili peppers, mushroom, garlic, truffle, plantain, yam, papaya, passion fruit, mango, chocolate, anisette, red wine, and rum to name a few. 

At  Sweet Plantains we celebrate the multi-sensual aspects of dining out.  We invite you to come in, sit back, relax and enjoy the pleasures of sight, aroma, flavors and textures.  Our dinning ambiance is romantically charged—surrounded by the sound of the surf;  the Rose Room over looks our lush tropical garden which is laden with plantains, bananas, passion fruit, papayas and exotic flowers.   The wine colored dinning room walls  exudes  passion,  and  romance,  adorned  with  “sexy”  Caribbean art  pieces.  Every night can be  a

 celebration of love at Sweet Plantains Restaurant: On Latin nights the air is filled with Latin oregano, Spanish olive oil, and sofrito;  The aromas of long simmering aromatic spices, hand-blended curries with up to 20 exotic herbs and spices, coupled with the  sweet perfumed scent of expensive, fragrant basmati rice will stimulate your appetite and who knows what else;  We take it slow on French Caribbean nights with long braised short rib of beef, rich Creole seafood ragouts and decadent sweet endings (Best Desserts in the USVI, Daily News Reader Poll 2009 Chef Rose Adams).  Dessert is very seductive, especially our aphrodisiac charged

• Star Anise.  We use star anise in some of our masalas, jerks, and to garnish our popular  Erotic Spiced Martini.  It’s a well known  aphrodisiac in many cultures; sucking on this spice is said to increase sexual desire. 

• Cardamom “queen of spice:”  Is prized in India, Arabic and Chinese cultures for its sweet, perfumed seductive scent.  We use showcase the seductive powers of cardamom in our cardamom spiced tapioca pudding. 

• Caviar.  We occasionally top off our Seviche  with fine caviar on New Years, Christmas, Valentine ’s Day, and around honeymoon season.  Caviar is loaded with vitamins and minerals and that will make you feel good; Enjoy our caviar top Seviche with a glass of Champaign to complete the experience. 

• Chili & Curry.  Food spiced with Hot peppers are supper aphrodisiacs.  Spice up your love life on Indo-Caribbean nights at Sweet Plantains.  Along with vitamin C, capsaicin the other stimulating ingredient in hot chilies.  (Located in the seeds and membranes…more so in red than green chilies).  Capsaicin triggers the brain to produce endorphins, which makes you feel good.  The physical reactions experienced when eating spicy foods—increased heart rate, circulation, sweating and euphoria—are similar to how your body reacts during sex. (Think about it).

• Chocolate.  The modern day king of erotic foods.  The Aztecs referred to Chocolate as “nourishment of the Gods”. Chemical components in chocolate do in fact stimulate nerves in the brain to create an euphoric feeling. A great side benefits is that chocolate is rich in antioxidants.  Try our Chocolate du jour paired with an old tawny port and see what happens. 

• Garlic. A powerful antioxidant and aphrodisiac—despite the odor.  It improves blood circulation especially in the erogenous zones;  and contains a chemical that stimulates the production of an enzyme responsible for erections. (So my research uncovered). Need I say more.  We use garlic in almost every dish.  Our garlicky cilantro mojo is the ultimate stimulant! 

• Exotic Tropical Fruits:  Mango, passion fruit, plantains  and  Papaya  are  perfect  foods  for hand  feeding your

lover. Christopher Columbus called the papaya "the fruit of the angles." Everything about this fruit is sexy...Ripe papaya is sweet, soft and creamy with a slight musky nuance;  Hanging from the tree papayas resembles a woman's bosom. (See for yourself in pic below).  The seeds are called papaya 'caviar'; they are peppery and spicy like garlic and arugula (two well known aphrodisiac).  Papaya and its seeds contain a natural digestive, vitamins A, C, Bs, E,  K and antioxidant nutrients, such as carotenes, flavonoids, the minerals potassium and magnesium; combine these nutrients promote good digestion, and a healthy cardiovascular system—for good blood flow.  We serve our quick pickled green papaya slaw as a tasty digestive side; we also  feature three desserts made with exotic fruits—aromatic passion fruit, caramelized sweet plantains and mango. . .  just for you and yours. 

• Plantains – Versatile, exotic, and delicious, this phallic shaped supper fruit is rich in all the necessary vitamins and minerals for sex hormone production. (Want to learn about plantains....click!)

• Rum tasting at Sweet Plantains—Pleasure for all your scenes.  Sipping exotic premium rum with your lover can be an erotic experience.  Enjoy the pleasure of sight (rich hues of amber), aroma (intoxicating bouquet of vanilla, cassis, clove, cinnamon, tobacco, oak, etc.), mouth feel (silky, warm, smooth), and taste (ha…).   

• Seafood—Conch, oysters, conch, steamers, whelk (large saltwater snail prized in these Virgin Islands), scallops, mussels all are loaded with vitamin E, Bs,  protein, zinc, phosphors and all the necessary ingredients to stimulate your body to produce sex hormones. (Try our seviche on Latin nights).    

• Truffles & Mushroom.  The musky, earthy aromas make these funguses prized aphrodisiacs by just about every culture. The scent of certain mushrooms and truffles are similar to sexual pheromones found in nature—acting as an attractant and stimulant.  We love shitake, chanterelle, morels, truffles and especially the pungent Haitian   black  mushroom called djon djon (Creole for mushroom).

• Wine.  Wine will get the party started….right!   Red, red wine in particular is known to lower inhibitions and stimulate the libido.  Wine helps us overcome shyness, as it relaxes and stimulate our senses.  Drink the good stuff for that special occasion—Montes Purple Angle, great Pinot Noirs from Oregon, France and California;  big rich Cabernets from Chile, or your favorite celebratory red.  Published scientific research documents real “aphrodisiac” powers in wine.  Research done by the British Science Journal shows that alcohol raises the testosterone levels in women, thus exciting those who lack sexual interest and desire. (You didn’t hear it from me).  And let’s not overlook the sensual qualities of Champaign and sparkling wine, especially those of the Pinot Noir varietal. 

• Yams Certain yams (Brazilian Wild Yam & the Jamaican Trelawny Yam for example) contain steroidal sapogenins, a compound nearly identical to human testosterone—so Bolt senior could be right when he told a Reuters reporter: “it is definitely the Trelawny Yam,”  seconds after his son Usain Bolt smashed the world record landing one of the biggest gold medal in sports history.  Come in and load up on provision (yams, plantains, etc.) served the day before the 8 Tuff Miles race here on St. John, USVI. (Read about our yams...)

When it comes to that perfect intimate dinner, we've covered all the basics: Delicious, sexy food, attentive service, and romantically-charged ambiance.  Please consider dinning at Sweet Plantains for your next romantic evening out on the town. 
 

© 2009 Prince Adams

TROPICAL AMBIANCE / AUTHENTIC FLAVORS / COOL LIBATIONS
16118 little plantation, coral bay, st. john, usvi / tel: 340-777-4653 / em: roger372@hotmail.com