Port of Blarney opens with new menu featuring Caribbean, Cajun food

New cuisine is coming to the Chain O' Lakes for the start of boating season.

Blarney Island owner Rob Hardman said the Port of Blarney at 27843 West Grass Lake Road will serve food with a twist of Caribbean and Cajun flair after his menu was revamped under new chef and business partner Karen Montz.

"The menu is completely new," Hardman said. "We wanted to take a different approach from what other places are doing, so we brought in Karen and the menu now features Caribbean, Cajun and comfort food."

The Port of Blarney is a drop off location where people without a boat can board the shuttle to the legendary Blarney Island tavern on Grass Lake.

Blarney Island is scheduled to open to the public May 18, about one week before summer boating season kicks off Memorial Day weekend.

Hardman said Montz was born and raised in Louisiana, and has spent the last six years working as a private chef in Antigua.

She brought those Caribbean cooking flavors and her love of Cajun food to the Port of Blarney when she signed on as business partner and chef.

"We wanted to bring something completely different to the Chain O' Lakes region," Hardman said. "If you look at other places on the Chain, they serve burgers and fries or deep fry everything. Instead, we wanted to make everything fresh and from scratch with a Caribbean or Cajun taste to it."

Montz said she includes "big, bold flavors" to the dishes she serves, adding everything she serves is fresh from the kitchen to the table.

"When you taste the food, the flavor really jumps out at you," she said. "We've had good reviews of the food so far, and we are excited to have people check us out and see what they think."

The Port Of Blarney is open daily at 11 a.m. For information, visit portofblarney.com.