St Maarten/St Martin 8 June 2008 Newsletter Other newsletters Contests | Restaurants | Bargains and Happenings ISLAND NEWS

Weather: The day the last newsletter came out (late April) it was in the mid 80's on the island. That's about typical for the summertime. It gets up into the mid 80's, rarely over 90F, and it is the rainy season. Over half the days have a chance of precipitation from 30 to 80%. Unless a major storm comes, these are generally scattered showers - some areas get wet, some don't and it doesn't last long. Today's (8 June) sunset will be at 6:42PM. It's only a couple weeks to the longest day of the year. SXM gets a bit over 13 hours of sunlight while in NY we will have a bit over 15 hours. What the summer givith, the winter taketh away. On the shortest day of the year SXM still has almost 11 hours of sunlight and NY will have less than 9. That's a sunset take from Restaurant du Soleil in Grand Case at the end of April. Full moon dates for 2008 are: 18 Jun, 18 Jul, 16 Aug, 15 Sep, 13 Oct, 13 Nov, and 12 Dec. Here's the local weather forecast from the Weather Underground and here's one from the Weather Channel.

SXM-Beaches: Here is a shot of the Gandalf taken from the little cove at Cupecoy a bit before we left in mid-May - thirteen years ago. The Gandalf was a party boat that went down in hurricane Luis. The triangular red sails made her quite easy to spot as she sailed about the island. Gandalf is, of course, a wizard in The Lord of the Rings. TravelTalkOnline or TTOL recently had someone complaining that something was stolen from the beach while they were swimming. It happens. Don't leave things on the beach and expect to find them later. You don't need your passport at the beach, leave it in a safe at the hotel. Some people said they use ski locks to secure their cooler to the umbrella or chair. Some people say they put things in a ziplock bag and bury it. The bushes have eyes however. They also watch as you get into your trunk. Leave something behind and they may remove it. Best advice, don't leave anything on the beach or in the car. If you don't know where the island's beaches are, visit SXM-Beaches for maps and photos.

Beach Reading: Martha just got The Tomato Festival Cookbook by Lawrence Davis-Hollander. (about $12) - I know I go on about the wonderful Guadeloupe tomatoes that we get on the island over the winter. This guy is as nuts about tomatoes as I am. There really is nothing like a tomato raised on a sufficient amount of light and allowed to ripen on the vine. Next best is a local tomato, picked at deep pink, delivered to a local store and on to you in a day or so. That is essentially the Guadeloupe tomato in St Martin, but up here in NY we get Shushan Selects from a local hydroponic farm. It is a greenhouse operation and they use artificial lights, but this is a fine tomato available locally and at the Greenmarket in NYC. Farmers will tell you that trace minerals in the soil are important in the taste of tomatoes, wine, anything. The truth is that unless the trace elements are dissolved in water, they won't reach the roots and won't influence the taste. Thus, even hydroponoic tomatoes can taste great because the well water in Shushan imparts some great flavors, but don't take my word for it, a food blogger known as the tastemonger also wrote about these tomatoes on her site.     Random Wind: Here's Capt Leariedr with the barracuda that was caught a few weeks ago. Our new amidships cushions are finally here. Talk about “Island Time” they were 6 weeks in the making! But they are lovely and we added a backrest too! The fishing has been just great, but we have no picture of the Spanish Mackeral that we had for dinner. This is Lacy, our new hostess. Lacy is a megayacht chef who has been to St Maarten many times. She decided to stay, at least for the summer. I don’t mind that she’s doubled my food costs because with Thai Curry and fantastic rice creations, my guests are happier than ever! She is very service oriented and really pays attention to details like noticing if someone’s drink needs more ice. She also likes to party, once on the mooring, she always has a drink with those who are not in a rush to disembark. I may have to have a chat with her about pulling out the blender!   Construction: There's plenty on SXM, but here's some news from Anguilla: Cap Juluca has been sold to a group of investors headed by Adam Aron. It's not exactly construction, more like increased maintenance and some new furniture, but here is what Mr Aron says "Our goal is to make real improvement at Cap Juluca - both in the service you receive as well as the physical state of the hotel - and to make it obviously noticeable to you as the coming winter season approaches. Here are three examples among many... You will see increased color and bounty throughout Cap Juluca's landscaping. You will receive dramatically enhanced service and amenities while relaxing on Cap Juluca's marvelous Maundays Bay Beach. And, you will rejuvenate in new luxurious bedding, new patio furniture and other new amenities in all of the guest rooms." We stayed there in December of 2006. You can read about Anguilla and our stay in this feature or visit the Cap Juluca site. They have many awards, but at $825 for the cheapest room in high season, it better have some awards. Sapphire Beach Club: We have returned to our home in NY. Our condo will be available for rent at $1000 per week from 15 April to December 15, $2000 per week during holiday season (20 Dec until 4 Jan), and $1500 per week at other times. The rental includes about $500 in coupons from several of our website clients. Check the calendar on our website for available dates. Hurricane Special: Any days in September and August for $100. For those of you who wish to sell or rent their week or unit, we have opened up the Sapphire Beach Club website for that purpose. We charge $25 per year. If you wish to rent or sell your unit, send us some text (and $25 to esk@sxm-info.com via Paypal). If you wish to rent or buy a unit without high middleman fees, check out the website. Given the large assessment that Sapphire just levied, there may be a lot of sales. At present, there are 20 sales and/or rentals available directly from owners. Given a 25 to 35% standard rental commission, there should be some bargains in eliminating the middleman and dealing direct. Travel: Jet Blue has followed Continental Continental who has followed USAir in charging for a second bag. With oil over $100 per barrel, I think we should get used to this. American has announced they will charge for every piece of checked baggage. If you have some prosthetic parts (pacemaker, knees, hips - metal, not silicone) you might be interested in this or this from the TSA website. State Department page. Basically, if you have something in your body that would set off the metal detector, it would be best to have a doctor's note, x-ray, etc.   Shopping: Diamonds International still has a discount coupon on their website that offers 15% off on any diamond or gemstone jewelry over $300 or 10% off on designer jewelry and watches. Groceries: We returned from the island with plenty of food. It's perfectly legal and your duty-free limit is more than you would want to carry. You can't bring back fresh meat, veg, or fruits, and unpastuerized/unaged cheeses, but there are plenty of things available only here on the island. Other things to consider are those that are cheaper here or just more readily available. We brought in several hot sauces. My Jamaican secretary used to carry a bottle of Matouk's in her purse for use on our weekly treks to Boston's Chinatown for lunch (She was half-Chinese, also). I have seen Matouk's in the US, but nowhere near our US home. I don't think I've ever seen harissa in the US, but it has been some time since either of us foraged in the ethnic sections of any large city.       Alcohol: When we returned to the US in April, we brought back six bottles of this Caussade XO Armagnac that we purchased at Netco behind the new Ace Hardware Megastore in Cole Bay. It came in a tin container with plastic inserts to protect the bottle and the six of them filled a cardboard box that fit in one of our smaller suitcases. They cost less than $30 per bottle which is great for XO Armagnac and all this fine packaging ensured that they would arrive without mishap. The Fontpinot XO Cognac comes from one of the largest estate's in the Champagne district and is the only estate bottled Cognac. It is very good, and very expensive. It is however, much cheaper on the island than here in the US. You get two liters duty free (about three bottles at 70cl per bottle). In theory you pay 10% on any more than that. We had more VSOP and VS Armagnac, so our 15 bottles cost about $500. Taking out the three most expensive bottles left a dozen cheaper bottles that cost about $370 and the customs people gave us a free ride rather than go to a lot of work for $37. The corkboard trivets are available at Quarry Road Farm store. Nature: This is a Gray Kingbird in the brush above Cupecoy Beach. It's gray above and white below with a black “mask” over the eyes. The tail has a slightly forked tip and rarely visible red crown feathers. It is 8 to 10 inches in length and weighs one and a half ounces. It's call sounds sounds very much like its Spanish name “Pitirre”. It generally sits on an exposed perch such as the dead branch in the photo and catches insects in flight or by gleaning them from leaves. During the breeding season the Kingbird is very aggressive toward neighboring pairs and predators such as hawks, cats, or even humans. There are many to be seen in the open areas around the island. Frequently we see them on the overhead lines near open fields.   Small island story: Historian Walter Hellebrand recently wrote about the Treaty of Concordia (which I believe dates back to 1648, making 1998 the 350th anniversary) proclaiming peaceful relations between the two "countries". However, in 1702 the last representative of the French government had been summoned back to the homeland and the residents were told to move to other French islands. Most didn't move, keeping their homes, but risking an attack by a foreign power. Sure enough in 1703 Isaac Lamont, commander of Dutch forces on Statia, sailed over and convinced the inhabitants that they should renounce the French king and pledge allegience to Holland. They could keep everything they owned and carry on as before and Lamont even hired a French-speaking Vice-Commander, François Lemaire, to rule the island. By 1711 Lemaire had accused the six wealthiest landowners of witchcraft, tortured them into confessions, and was about to take their lands when the Commander came back to their rescue. By 1717, French captain François De Lauriol sailed into Marigot and took over the northern side of the island again, avenging the poor treatment that the residents had received while under Dutch rule, thought admittedly, the poor treatment came from the French Vice Commander.   Hellebrand noted a similar circumstance when there was a minor altercation in 1793 after King Louis XVI of France lost his head (to the guillotine). The Netherlands joined Austria and Prussia in a war against France, somewhat straning the local treaty. Some eager members of the local Dutch Orange Company led by a Heyliger and a Richardson snuck up on Fort St Louis, woke up the guard on duty, and convinced him and the few other members of a local voluntary civil guard that they were in command. At daybreak they hoisted a Dutch flag, renamed the place Fort Willem Frederick, and proceeded to tell their Commander Rink what they had done. He led a group of soldiers over to Marigot dragging a canon but found that everyone had already surrendered. He convinced everyone that there would be no new taxes, everyone would go about their business as before, and like a true Dutchman, he insisted that the French side would be responsible for expenses on their side of the island. (You've heard of the term "Dutch treat". Before all the emails from irate Dutch arrive, I'll note that my maternal grandfather was named Van Note, shortened from Van Notrijk by the good officials at Ellis Island.) The citizens of the French side would have to renounce atheism and regicide and take an oath to obey the Dutch Parliament. Two days later 116 members of the French side said "I do", although exemptions were given to two planters, Richard Richardson and Benjamin Gumbs, who claimed to be colonels in the service of the English King. What's the small island part? Already there were two Richardsons playing important parts in island affairs. Today, much of the phone book is either Richards or Richardson and Gumbs is fairly common. When Martha and I were married here in 1998 we petitioned then Lt Gov Dennis Richardson for the privilege. About six years later we dined with then (and current) Lt Gov Franklyn Richards at a Chaine des Rotisseurs dinner at Claude MiniClub in Marigot. Yes, that is another invasion of the French side by a Dutch official. This time, however, he had to take the oath. The oath was to take an abiding interest in good food, good wine, and good times. SXM-INFO'S CONTESTS Current Contest - now to 27 July 2008 Caribbean View Condo - half price summer rental (May-October) Lagoon Pub Crawl - two for one ticket Skipjack's - $50 off a dinner for two Select Wine Cellar - Wine tasting and a bottle of wine Ti Coin Créole - $50 off a dinner for two Marci's MegaGym 2000 - Two weeks gym admission and two mega-shakes GCBC Watersports - Two for One snorkel trip to Créole Rock Peg Leg Pub - $50 off a dinner for two PassportMD - Six months free service Read our rules, visit the websites of these sponsors, find their contest codes, and enter them on our entry form. One of the rules is that you should enter each contest only once. Future Contests: 27 July to 26 October Caribbean View Condo - half price summer rental (May-October) Azure Guesthouse - seven nights for the price of four Lagoon Pub Crawl - two for one ticket Skipjack's - $50 off a dinner for two Select Wine Cellar - Wine tasting and a bottle of wine Random Wind - Two for one coupon for the Paradise Day Sail GCBC Watersports - Two for One snorkel trip to Créole Rock Peg Leg Pub - $50 off a dinner for two PassportMD - Six months free service 26 October to 28 December Caribbean View Condo - half price summer rental (May-October) Bikini Beach - A DAY AT THE BEACH (including 2 chairs and a parasol, 2 welcome punches and $50.00 credit towards food and drink) Lagoon Pub Crawl - two for one ticket Skipjack's - $50 off a dinner for two Select Wine Cellar - Wine tasting and a bottle of wine Random Wind - Two for one coupon for the Paradise Day Sail GCBC Watersports - Two for One snorkel trip to Créole Rock Peg Leg Pub - $50 off a dinner for two PassportMD - Six months free service 28 December to 1 March 2009 Caribbean View Condo - half price summer rental (May-October) Lagoon Pub Crawl - two for one ticket Skipjack's - $50 off a dinner for two Select Wine Cellar - Wine tasting and a bottle of wine Random Wind - Two for one coupon for the Paradise Day Sail GCBC Watersports - Two for One snorkel trip to Créole Rock Peg Leg Pub - $50 off a dinner for two PassportMD - Six months free service 1 March to 26 April 2009 Caribbean View Condo - half price summer rental (May-October) Lagoon Pub Crawl - two for one ticket Skipjack's - $50 off a dinner for two Select Wine Cellar - Wine tasting and a bottle of wine Random Wind - Two for one coupon for the Paradise Day Sail GCBC Watersports - Two for One snorkel trip to Créole Rock Peg Leg Pub - $50 off a dinner for two PassportMD - Six months free service RESTAURANTS On 27 April the euro was at 1.560. Today it is at 1.573. We no longer list restaurants offering 1 to 1 on the exchange unless we get recent information. Zuzu has written to say that Kokomarina is still doing 1 to 1 but they are closed until 15 June. Rancho del Sol is doing 1.2 to 1 and they are open from 10 to 10 , closed on Saturdays and offer free delivery in the Orient area. Just call 05 90 51 12 12. Both places have free Wifi.

Skipjack's On the Saturday before we left, we went for lunch on the lagoon at Skipjack's with Marci from the Mega Gym 2000 and her two daughters. It was a warm and sunny day, but a bit blustery. Taste must have a genetic component as all three of them ordered the Crab & Corn Chowder ($8) followed by Crab Cakes (left), pan seared with caper mayonnaise ($12). We ordered an Ahi tuna salad (center) and beer-battered fish and chips (left). The fish and chips had a very tasty batter and came with curly French fries, salad, and a tartare sauce. We had a bottle of pinot grigio from Zonin and a Shirley Temple. When it was all added up, the five of us had a nice lunch on the water for less than $120. Daniel's service was quite attentive and we left a rather nice tip on top of the bill, but for $30 per person we had a nice lunch and drinks on the water in Simpson Bay.

Ramps (Wild Leeks) On the right is a ramp as they say down south. We tend to call them wild leeks up here in Yankee country. They grow about a foot tall in marshy areas, generally have two pointed green leaves, and a white bulb. It's one of the first things to come out in the spring and quite tasty. The garlic flavor of the leaves is quite pronounced when raw but mellows a bit when cooked. Chefs frequently celebrate spring by planning ramp menus, including desserts. I'd say that is a bit much, but they make an excellent vegetable accompaniment to full flavored meats. They should be thoroughly cleaned and the papery clear skin should be removed from the bulb. Cut the leaves off just as they bifurcate and cook the bulbs in butter until they are tender. Chop the leaves and add them to the frying pan, cooking them until they wilt. Add some cream, salt, and pepper (maybe some more butter) and there you have it. Below left is a closeup of the cooked ramps. The complete dinner featured our first asparagus of the season, some of our lamb, and cous-cous with the harissa that we brought back from the island. So where can you get this on the island? I think the ramps are not going to happen but for lamb chops that rival the ones we raise, I'll suggest L'Escapade Restaurant when they have imported French lamb chops and nearby Bistrot Caraïbes, both in Grand Case. The photo (below left) shows BC's chops surrounding a dollop of garlic mashed potatoes with slightly cooked tomato flesh and other vegetables in a thyme sauce. They usually have a variation of this on the menu, although the vegetables change. For the asparagus, obviously we did not do much with our first spear of the season, but I would suggest a visit to Mario's Bistro when they have their asparagus with crispy pancetta, poached quail eggs, St Marcelin cheese in an aged balsamic vinaigrette (below center). If they don't have it, merely buy the Mario's Bistro Cookbook and make it yourself! Cous-cous and harissa? No place else but Marrakech Restaurant. Toufiq hails from Morocco and his grandmother came over with her recipes to get the kitchen started correctly. Some of the food is spicy hot, but much of it is not. Moreover, even the dishes that are hot are restrained, but there is homemade harissa for the intrepid. If you have never tried Moroccan food, you have missed quite a bit, and as it is also relatively inexpensive, you owe yourself a vist to Le Marrakech. Our wine with this dinner was a 95 Cote Rotie from Guigal. We especially like the full flavored Rhones with lamb and while a Cote Rotie is difficult to find, Gigondas and Crozes-Hermitage are available on many wine lists and Guigal's Parallele 45 Cotes du Rhone is a very good entry level wine. We went to Boston to watch the Red Sox in mid-May and had dinner at Great Bay just around the corner from Fenway Park. Martha's brother, executive chef at Frank's and Frank's Outback in Pawleys Island, SC joined us, bringing along nephew David. Martha was a chef at one of the finest restaurants in the Saratoga Springs area in the 80's and we all agreed that Chef Michael Schlow does some wonderful things with seafood here at Great bay. On the left is his scallop and pickled ramp dish. This was quite nice as was everything else that we sampled.

Changes: This has been mentioned, but it is worth mentioning again: Peg Leg Pub has moved from Three Palms Plaza in Simpson Bay to Port de Plaisance. There is even better new: they are sponsoring a contest on SXM Info. Check it out and you might win $50 toward a meal for two.

As expected, Sunset Café has changed hands. Pascal decided not to renew his lease on the premises and the board at Grand Case Beach Club has chosen new couple to take over the space. More news as I get it, but I'm told that they will continue the website.

Bruno at Le Cottage Restaurant found some nice reviews of his restaurant on Trip Advisor. We were there at least three times last season, twice with other guests, and all concerned had some very interesting food. The service is superb and sommelier Stéphane is a jewel.

Coupons: Look on the SXM-Info website for a list of all restaurants and others that have coupons for some freebie or discount. There are several coupons there to make your vacation a bit cheaper. Here's a list of what you'll find:

The Mario's Bistro Cookbook is now available. They are shipped via UPS and cost $49 for one, $87 for two, and $123 for three, delivered. Delivery via UPS should take a day or two in the US. Sandy Molloy at Molloy Travel offers personalized service to fit your needs and budget.

L'Esperance Hotel has great rates and is conveniently located. It's quite handy if you just need a night or two at either end of your vacation because of the wretched flight schedules. They have a lovely pool and offer free wireless internet access. On the French side, check out California Apartments on the beach in Grand Case. California Restaurant is right downstairs and the Culinary Capital of the Caribbean is at your doorstep.