St Maarten/St Martin
6 June 2005 Newsletter

On Saturday evening we had a final dinner at La Vie en Rose in Marigot. It was a lovely Saturday night, very nice for the street fair that had blocked off the widest street on the French side, Rue de la Republique, the street beside the restaurant. The fair ended with a concert. Thankfully, the stage was at the other end of the street, but given the Caribbean motto, "Louder is better," we could enjoy the music more than if we were there. We ordered a 99 Savigny-Les-Beaune from Rodet (39 euros) that was very nice, not overpowering, but smooth and long-lasting. Wonderful walnut bread arrived with a pair of baby baguettes. We decided on an all seafood dinner, despite the red wine, starting with the shrimp because we wanted to see how the chef handled shrimp. In a word, perfectly. They were flavorful and cooked perfectly with a sweet pepper chutney in a vanilla and paprika sauce. The shrimp were flavorful enough to stand up to a chutney and the bold flavors in sauce. Moreover, the dish was fine with the wine. Dinners were a mahi with onion compote and a light brown sauce with balsamic and the yellowtail snapper with a thin-sliced potato crust on a bed of garlic mashed potatoes surrounded by asparagus, carrots, and leeks. These were both lovely full-flavored dishes that had no problem with the smooth, but fairly large, red wine. The textures incorporated into the fish dishes added another bit of interest. We finished with coffees as we gazed out over the waterfront from our second floor perch. The bill was about 110 euros translated to about $140, same as the four dinners in the previous newsletter. This was very interesting food, prepared well, and served well in a lovely place with an interesting view - tough to beat. There were differences in the five restaurants but all are capable of serving good food in nice surroundings. They all have websites, as do most of the good restaurants down here. On SXM Restaurants you can see where they are located and get links to their sites. The sites will show what the interior looks like and most will have menus and wine lists with prices. Don't take my word for it, come on down and sample them yourself!

Monday night we went to L'Oizeau Rare in Marigot. They are serving three course fixed price dinners at 35 euros (about $45) with an amuse bouche and home made vanilla rum to follow. That is a very good deal for food of this quality in this location. The are on a slight rise kitty-corner from La Vie en Rose. The rest of the hill behind L'Oizeau Rare has been landscaped with waterfalls and beautiful tropical gardens. No matter where you sit you get a lovely view, either gardens or the view over the square to the waterfront. The fixed price dinner includes everything on the menu and all the specials, except lobster - fair enough. I ordered water and a 99 Givry Premier Cru aux Moines (32 euros). We started with the amuse bouche: a small glass of gazpacho with a rich velvety texture, a bit of heat, and a carrot stick. Martha got one even though she didn't order the fixed price dinner. My ap was a mille-feuille of goat cheese and crispy phyllo dough with some salad greens and a balsamic drizzle (10 euros), but could have had foie gras with apples (14 euros) as part of my fixed price. My main course consisted of four lamb chops with a cracked pepper crust with an onion compote, fried potato dumplings, a melange of garlic, zucchini, and carrot, and ratatouille (24 euros). Martha had her favorite, the tuna tartare with extra crispy French fries. The tuna was fresh with a nice blend of spices and the fries are our favorite (14 euros). We shared the chocolate fondant (chocolate cake with a liquid chocolate center) with cream anglaise, chantilly, and vanilla ice cream (8 euros) with coffees, a glass of Etienne rum, and two complimentary glasses of the vanilla rum. Our bill was a bit under 100 which became $130 using the real rate. This is an amazing price for all this good food.

Our final dinner on the island for this season was at Montmartre Restaurant. We are most thankful that Montmartre (and Temptation and Gondola) are so close to our condo. Wine was the 97 Beaune Champs-Pimont, quite a bargain at $42. We started with the tuna tartare on a brioche topped with scallops and laced with spices - one of my favorites - and six snails - rather standard, but rather good. Our dinners were the capon leg stuffed with a foie gras and mushroom mixture with a myriad of vegetables - my favorite, but Martha ordered it - so I had the tournedos Rossini, an excellent piece of tenderloin topped with a bit of foie gras. It was a wonderful meal all around with great service and as the crowds have departed, we lingered over coffee and cognac with Karen and the rest of the staff. We like this restaurant very much. It has very good food, great service, fine wines, and good prices for the total experience. It's a bonus to have it so close to our condo and that is why we rent our condo over the summer with a coupon for a welcome champagne cocktail and an afterdinner drink.

That's it for live on the spot restaurant reviews this season, unless some summer visitors send me some. They are always welcome. Until our return in early December, we will be discussing food that is available on the island and similar products available over the internet, such that you could try them here in the US. It's not quite the same, but it is a means to reduce the anxiety caused by being away from the island. I do believe that it will warm up and the sun will come out (even here in the Northeast). That should satisfy our craving for warmth and sunlight. Get a bottle of wine and some interesting food and you're most of the way to a St Maarten vacation. Well, sort of. If you feel you must go, check out our condo below. We'll even give newsletter subscribers $100 on a week's rental, just ask.