Photo: In addition to providing art for the walls and even the menus at Bahama Breeze, Bruce also recently designed billboards for them, like this one near the restaurant in Seattle.

At the end of a near perfect summer, fall came to town bringing with it wet skies and chilly temperatures. Our friends and neighbors are pulling out boots, sweaters and parkas. But not us. We’re packing our bags with summer duds, gearing up for a winter in the Caribbean aboard our “good ship,” Woodwind. The boat has been safely huddled with dozens of other yachts at the Virgin Gorda Boatyard in the British Virgin Islands awaiting our return.

So far so good, as far as not being in the path of the parade of hurricanes in the Tropics. ’Tis the season, though, until the beginning of December. We keep our fingers crossed and hope our luck continues.

This summer one of our favorite missions was to visit the local farmers’ markets to hunt down and consume the freshest food grown right here in the Pacific Northwest. Hood Canal oysters; Yakima Valley fruit; Puyallup-grown vegetables. It’s apple season now and they’re rolling out of the Wenatchee Valley in every color and size imaginable. It’s been a pleasure for these two-ocean sailors’ palates, after months of stale produce and a trail of canned grub.

Some of the best food we’ve encountered this summer, though – and we’re not saying that just because Bruce’s art graces the walls of all 23 of their restaurants -- came from Bahama Breeze, where they promise to give you the feeling of a Caribbean escape. Lucky us to have one just 30 miles from our door!

When we first heard about the concept of a Caribbean chain restaurant in the mid 1990s, we wondered how on earth anyone would make money on “beans and rice.” After all, West Indian food can be downright plain and simple. Sometimes even funky. Roti, for instance -- a sort of curried stew stuffed in a doughy, cooked jacket -- is often made with chicken or goat, bones included, no extra charge.

When we’re in the islands we occasionally enjoy a bit of “shack food.” In these small, box-like establishments, standing-room only, the offerings usually run with a theme. Barbeque ribs, barbeque chicken, goat (not barbequed) and conch fritters.

It’s all tasty, but the fare at Bahama Breeze is definitely a cut-above most shack food. For us, a visit there starts with either a Lemon Breeze or an Aruba Red Beer, accompanied by an order of West Indies Patties. Those little beef-filled pastries are nothing like shack food, yet each bite oozes with the aroma and flavor of Anguilla, Antigua and the spice island, Grenada. When friends accompany us, we encourage them to order the Bahamian Conch Chowder, the only conch in town.

Over the years, many great dinner selections have rotated on and off the Bahama Breeze menu. Bruce’s favorite, the West Indies Ribs, and mine, Seafood Paella, have remained constantly delicious and available. We’re also big fans of the many chicken dishes and anything prepared with jerk seasoning. All of Jamaica would approve of those flavors, accompanied by an artistic presentation of pleasurably prepared yams, sweet potatoes and roots like yucca. In the islands, these are called “ground provisions.”

Invariably we request a box to take home half our dinner, leaving room for Rebecca’s Key Lime Pie. Or Dulce de Leche Cheesecake. And if the desire to enjoy the one not chosen isn’t enough to bring us back soon, the new Warm Chocolate Pineapple Upside Down Cake certainly is!

Jan