St Maarten/St Martin 22 February 2009 Newsletter Other newsletters Contests | Restaurants | Bargains and Happenings ISLAND NEWS Weather: Sunday morning was hazy on the horizon, but the breeze died and the sun came out, pushing the temperature up to 79F. This sunset was taken from Rainbow Beach Club later that day. It continued into the photo below left and ended in a green flash. Monday arrived looking even better. There was little wind, Saba was quite visible, and even parts of Statia were visible through the haze. By sunset, there was considerable haze and clouds on the horizon off toward Saba, but the west was clear and we got our third green flash in as many days! The crowd on Tango had one of the best sunset cruises of the season (lower right). Tuesday arrived to a mirror-like lagoon and the slight breeze that was blowing was coming from the south. Saba was lost in haze, but it was warm - 81F at 10am. As the day progressed, planes were taking off toward the west and the heat cleared up some of the haze such that even Statia's two hills appeared and we were rewarded with our fourth green flash. The wind turned around overnight and by Wednesday morning it was howling across the lagoon. The eastern sky was a totally gray and the temperature had dropped to 73F.     Later that day the breeze had cleared out the clouds but kicked up whitecaps on the lagoon and the temperature just reached 79F. By the evening large rollers were crashing on Cupecoy. They continued overnight as the temperature dropped to 69F. Thursday featured whitecaps on the lagoon, big rollers on Cupecoy, a very gray sky, and a rain shower at lunch. It cleared up after that and the sun came out but it only reached 75F. Friday turned out to be lovely, blue skies, puffy white clouds, the wind died, the waves stopped crashing (but were still large, see beaches below), and the temperature reached 79F. Saturday was even better, less wind, it reached 81, and the waves subsided a bit more. Here's the current local conditions and here's the forecast from Weather Underground and here's one from the Weather Channel. We've passed the winter solstice, so for the next six months we'll be getting more sun every day. Sunset today is at 6:10 and the moon is waning. Full moons for 2009 are 11 Mar, 9 Apr, 9 May, 7 Jun, 7 Jul, 6 Aug, 4 Sep, 4 Oct, 3 Nov, and 2 Dec.   SXM-Beaches: It's been a strange week. It began with four green flashes, deteriorated into high winds, waves, and rain, and then turned out quite well. These photos are from Friday, taken at Cupecoy. On the left are the big rollers coming in, even though the day is fairly pleasant. On the right is the monolith, actually a bi-lith since last year when it cracked into two parts. This shot was taken off the main beach at the northwestern end of Cupecoy in front of ShorePointe. The monolith is just a bit offshore in front of the stairs off the cliff to an old dock. Ten years ago the monolith was surrounded by sand and it was quite easy to walk from the little cove further to the south to the monolith and on to the beach at the northwestern end. Hurricane Luis made that difficult in 1995 and Hurricane Lenny made it impossible in 1999.   Beach reading: Martha has started Dead Heat by Dick Francis, a former jockey who has turned to mystery writing and done quite well at it, winning three Edgar awards and being named a Grand master of the Mystery Writers of America. In this book, he introduces a new hero, chef Max Moreton, who runs a thriving restaurant near the Newmarket racetrack. Moreton has a complex background; he's afraid of horses yet fascinated by the world of horse racing (his father was a steeplechase jockey and racehorse trainer). Most reviewers found Francis to be completely convincing when it comes to the track, but his efforts at depicting the challenges and delights of cooking seem labored and secondhand (his son, Felix, is credited with the research for this book and chef Gordon Ramsay gets a note of thanks). The action is first-rate Francis and centers on Moreton's travails as chef. First, food poisoning hits his guests and staff at a racing gala. The next day, a bomb shatters the grandstand box where Moreton has catered a lunch. Obviously, given our ties to Saratoga Springs, we have always liked Francis and his horse racing stories. This one that ties in a chef had yet another hook for us.     Activities: On Sunday night after dinner, we zipped over to Pineapple Pete's to catch the Ronny "Santana's" last set. We still think he's the best guitarist on the island and certainly like his playlist, including Santana (of course), Clapton, Eagles, and more. This could also go as the small island story as we walked in to find Marci from the Mega Gym 2000 just sitting down to dinner after watching a movie across the street at the MegaPlex. As we continued in we said hello to the people who will be joining us for dinner at Brad (owner/manager of Skipjack's) and Tekkie's next week. We caught up with Cover to Cover at Peg Leg Pub on Wednesday night. Bob and David are packing them in at Peg Leg's new location at entrance to Port de Plaisance's Princess Casino. On the right is Bob doing his Mick Jagger imitation.     Construction: Here's a shot of the Cupecoy Yacht Club. It's still moving forward, but that's a lot of earth they have to move to create the yacht basin. Eventually, I think it will look quite nice, achieving the Mediterranean port village they said they would construct. Notice the dam they built to wall off their dredging activity so that silt does not flow out into the lagoon. Some form of silt prevention is supposed to be required by law, but the dredging operation at the new marina across from the airport isn't quite as visible from the road and they "forgot" the side curtains. The Indigo Bay project in Cay Bay has gone dormant. All the equipment and containers have been parked ever since we arrived a month ago. I've heard that Rainbow Beach Club has three lawsuits pending. We haven't seen much action on the remaining open roof at Caravanserai. The "retention" sign is off the fence at the Simpson Bay round blue building, but I've seen no workmen. Alcohol: On the right are two white burgundies that we picked up at Select Wine Cellar, Girard's 2006 Savigny-Les-Beaune and Tremblay's 2007 Chablis. Though not contiguous with Burgundy's famous Cote d'Or, Chablis is a Burgundy and makes white wine from chardonnay grapes. The flinty, chalky soil tends to make them crisper. Select carries three of them from Tremblay, a Petit Chablis, a Chablis, and a Premier Cru Chablis. We regularly sample all three and generally choose the $18 Chablis as the best balance of price versus quality. I may require a government bailout as my price points seem to be dropping with each decrease in the Dow. Which brings us to an article by Eric Azimov (the other famous wine writer named Erich, or something like that) on the Côte Chalonnaise in the NY Times. This area in southern Burgundy includes Bouzeron, Rully, Mercurey, Givry, and Montagny. I have often recommended a Rully with the salmon at Bistrot Caraïbes and suggested Mercurey and Givry as good, sturdy alternatives to their more famous and more expensive cousins to the north. The truly bored who actually waded through our dissertation on our recent vacation in France may remember that we stayed in Mercurey and wrote a piece on Burgundy for the 26 October newsletter.

Sapphire Beach Club: Our condo will be available again in low season (starting 15 April) for $1000 per week. The rental includes about $500 in coupons from several of our website clients. Check the calendar on our website for available dates. 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.

Shopping:: DK Gems had a Tacori Trunk Show on the Thursday before Valentine's Day. Haig Tacorian left Europe in 1969, arriving in California. He and his wife, Gilda, devoted themselves to creating fine jewelry with a unique and distinctive European flair. There were some fabulous pieces on display and Martha found a very nice necklace to go with the Tacori pendant that she got a few years ago. Groceries: We haven't done much grocery shopping this week as we have been dining out frequently. There is a major strike in Guadeloupe and Martinique. Consequently tomatoes, rhum agricole, and melons are in short supply. Grand Marché had what looked like Guadeloupe melons, but the sticker said Dominican Republic. We'll let you know what it tastes like after it ripens which usually takes five or six days at room temperature.

Travel: Jet Blue has started flying non-stop from Boston to SXM on Saturdays. They have a great website but I didn't find any dirt cheap non-stop fares from Boston to SXM. A month out I could get here for $294, but there were no non-stop return fares and the connection through NY cost $234. A round trip flight with connections in NY was listed at $423. All this was before taxes and fees. I went to Expedia and the first fare they listed for a flight at the end of February was on Jet Blue for $401 including all taxes and fees. In any event, that seems like a cheap airfare. Then again, oil is at $34 per barrel. Nature: This is a shot of a mother hen and three chicks that I took from our balcony overlooking the lagoon. A Haitian squatter is raising goats and chickens in the far corner of the vacant lot that is part of the now defunct "Villages of Cupecoy" project. Frankly, I'd rather look at his goats, chickens, and tin (or as they say zinc) shack than the side of a highrise.

Traffic: Deep Bleu runs a water taxi around the Simpson Bay Lagoon. I've seen one cruising around the Cole Bay area outside of Skipjack's while we were having lunch, but I think he may have dropped a fare in the area and was trolling for another fare. Their website does not say they have scheduled service, but does say that you should call them on 580 3314 (Dutch side) and they will pick you up. The fare for the longest ride in the lagoon (Cupecoy to Cole Bay) is $22 for a couple. It seems like a fine way to avoid the 4:30 and 5:30 bridge traffic as you head over for the various happy hours followed by a dinner. After that, it's a great way to avoid the gendarmes and traffic cops. They can easily take you to many places from Port de Plaisance (the new home of Peg Leg Pub); Pineapple Pete's and several others in Three Palms Plaza; Saratoga, Jimbo's, and Valentino's in the Simpson Bay Marina, Skipjack's, Halsey's Restaurant, Pizza Galley, and many more on the east side of the Dutch Bridge; Rancho, The Stone, even the new Blue Martini and Lal's on the west side of the bridge. They also can get into Marina Royale on the French side for a great meal at Chanteclair or great bistro food at Belle Epoque Restaurant. Ti Sucrier is on the lagoon in Nettle Bay and has a dock. Nearby Le Cigale does not. A special case is Mario's Bistro on the French canal: you step onto the tiny dock and walk directly into the dining room. The really special part is that you don't have to look for a parking spot! Crime: The Daily Herald said that Dutch Law Enforcement, French Gendarmes, the VKS, Checkmate, and Sheriff Security as well as an expertly trained search team from the United States were doing another search for Leta Cordes at an undisclosed location on the French side. The next day they reported that the cadaver dogs found a couple hot spots that will require further investigation. The next day's paper reported that further investigation showed nothing. The Friends of Leta Cordes still seem to feel that her husband Frank killed her, but the local police eventually released him for lack of evidence. One of the big pieces of evidence would be a body. There were 10 deaths attributed to murder and manslaughter on the island last year. Leta was not one of them as she is still listed as a missing person.

Small island story: Five years ago we were at a wedding on the beach at the Horny Toad Guesthouse. It was for a couple youunger than us, but not their first marriage. They were blending a family and had left the children with relatives, hoping to escape for a low-key marriage on the beach. The Toad's owner, Betty any-excuse-for-a-party Vaughan, would not let this happen. She bought Champagne, rounded up the most of the guests to cook up a banquet, got another guest to give away the bride, asked Martha and me, having a local address, to be witnesses, and got our house guest to take some fabulous photos that we edited via Photoshop and gave to happy couple on a stick drive. The small island part is that the next year I got the stick drive back when they returned and they have returned every year since then. If you've been here, you know why people keep coming back, if you haven't been here, come on down and find out.

Current Contest: 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 - $40 gift certificate
GCBC Watersports - Two for One snorkel trip to Créole Rock
Tijon Perfume - One free bottle
Peg Leg Pub - $50 off a dinner for two
PassportMD - Six months free service
Radiant Gems - $50 off a purchase of $200 or more

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. You can enter five of the drawings on one entry. Thus, you could win a rather nice vacation at a considerable savings by combining accommodations with dinners and activities.

Future Contests:

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 - $40 gift certificate
GCBC Watersports - Two for One snorkel trip to Créole Rock
Tijon Perfume - One free bottle
Peg Leg Pub - $50 off a dinner for two
PassportMD - Six months free service
Radiant Gems - $50 off a purchase of $200 or more

Pizza Galley We drove out to Simpson Bay with two other couples for a visit to the world-famous Pizza Galley run by Lorna and JP. All right, maybe not world-famous, but certainly famous in our little world down here. They have regularly won (or placed) in the best dessert category of the Daily Herald's reader's survey and this year they finally captured the Best Pizza award, and I can guarantee it is not for their posh accommodations, although a roof over a few tables have been added to the establishment shown on the right. JP and Lorna used to make daily dinner cruises, taking the Lady Mary around Simpson Bay Lagoon from 1991 to 1999, when she went down in Hurricane Jose. We knew of them and the boat and when we came back at the beginning of the 1999/2000 season we bumped into them in Friar's Bay. They told us they were going to stay off the water for a while and manage Turtle Pier. A few iterations later, they were building this small shack in front of the Lady C Floating Bar in Simpson Bay. The rest is history. The house wine is the Mon Redon Cotes du Rhone for about $25. It's a quality rhone blend that is fine with pizza.   We ordered caesar salads all around ($5) and two bottles of wine plus some water to go with a JP Special (Pepperoni, Italian sausage, green peppers, mushrooms, caramelized onions, black olives and mozzarella cheese), a Shrimp Diablo (spicy sauce, black tiger shrimp, roasted peppers, mushrooms, mozzarella and goat cheese), and a concoction of caramelized onions, mushrooms, and peppers (all about $15 each).     Despite the crowd, our salads and pizzas came out rather quickly. They tasted as good as they look. The total bill came to $55 per couple with a tip. That's a pretty good price for a pretty good pizza. They are open from every night from 5 to 11.

Le Tastevin On Monday we headed over to Grand Case for a dinner on the water at Le Tastevin, one of the oldest restaurants in Grand Case, and one of the newer restaurants, courtesy of renovations requred in the aftermath of Hurricane Lenny. We had made reservations, so a very nice table awaited, although the staggered waterside wall offers many waterfront tables with quite a bit of privacy because of the lovely plantings along the waterfront. The wine list is long and deep and there is a glassed-in wine "cellar" tucked into the corner of the dining room to back it up. We started with two flutes of Gosset Champagne and ordered a bottle of the 2005 Beaune du Chateau premier cru from Bouchard (59€). They own several premier cru vineyards and blend up the best premier cru they can. They name it after their lovely chateau, selling it as "Beaune du Chateau". We've liked this wine ever since we served magnums of the 85 at our wedding in 1998. We had purchased them at Vinissimo.     Top right is Beaune du Chateau and to the left is the view from Tastevin. Our champagne was followed by an amuse bouche of yellow pepper soup with a cube of feta cheese. Just as we finished these, our special appetizer of a salad with baked St Marcellin cheese and smoked duck breast arrived. The Beaune had been opened and was poured at that time - superb service. Steven Jenkins in his Cheese Primer calls St Marcellin "a cheese to worship". Baking it and adding smoked duck breast makes it even better. Our dinners were two specials: Martha choose the seabass stew with mushrooms, bacon, and artichoke bottoms (28€) and I had the lamb filet with tarragon on a bed of olive-infused mashed potatoes (26€). Both were very flavorful and great with the wine. We finished with espresso and balloons of 1998 Bally Rum. Our total bill was about $170, but the wine was about $80 and there are less expensive alternatives, such as Chorey Les Beaune and Crozes-Hermitage. We both felt that this was one of the most pleasant dining experiences of this season. Of all the places on the water, they are the one with ability to have plantings just outside their dining room. The owners, Christine et José MANRIQUE, and the chef, Patrick GUILLERM, have been here for some time. Even the waitstaff is fairly stable. It all comes together as very good food delivered with very efficient, yet friendly, service in a lovely setting (both the interior and the view) backed with a superb wine cellar. They are open every day for lunch and dinner.

SkipJack's On Tuesday we headed over to SkipJack's for a lunchtime photo shoot. There are many more photos on the site and the menu is up to date. I've been promised a new wine list. After taking photos, we ate some of the props, starting with this lovely Asian plate featuring Seared Sesame Crusted Yellow Fin Tuna, a spicy Calamari Salad, Steamed Shrimp, Wakame Seaweed Salad, and Wasabi with a Soy/Ginger Dipping Sauce ($17). We had tastes of the crab-stuffed stuffed shrimp and the shrimp kebab. We then had the 20 ounce ribeye steak with a baked potato some tossed baby greens with a choice of a wine mushroom sauce or a cognac bleu cheese sauce. I remember ordering this when Martha was back in the US tending to her mother after surgery. There was so much left that I was making Philly cheesesteak sandwiches for three days after my dinner.

On Wednesday evening we made a short drive to the other side of the lowlands to Ti Sucrier in Nettle Bay. It's a lovely spot with a view back across the lagoon toward our condo in Cupecoy and the setting sun. Bear in mind that the sun is currently setting a little after six, but showing up early for sunset cocktails is not a problem. The airport is directly across the lagoon and a rather pretty sight at night from this distance. We came over with friends and started with four flutes of champagne as we looked over the menu. We were with clean-living, healthy people. They ordered a Ceasar salad and a tomato and mozzarella salad to start, while Martha and I split the giant moules topped with grated cheese. The tomato and mozzarella salad arrived with a basil-infused olive oil and a bit of mâche, in English lamb's lettuce or corn salad, although it has nothing to do with corn. It's difficult to germinate and not machine-harvestable, so it's rarely seen in the US. Our friends ordered a snapper and salmon dish (right) and the red snapper with pesto (below left). Martha had the cod and shrimp, essentially mini-bouillibaisse (below center), and I had a lotte and moule combo (below right). Notice that the last three dishes look somewhat similar but actually had three different sauces on them. It's a very interesting menu with several intersting combinations and very flavorful and different sauces. Despite having four fish dishes, we ordered the Crozes-Hermitage (29€). It's a rather sturdy Rhone, but chef Sylvain Boulais's sauces loved it. The lotte goes by the name monkfish in English and American fisherman used to call this a trash fish, eventually learning that there was a market in Europe for it. It's a pretty ugly creature, so much so that the Dutch call it something that translates as devilfish. Nowadays, it can sometimes be found in US supermarkets. Obviously, it's more likely to be found in large cities on the coast rather than our backwoods area in upstate NY. It's called the "poor man's lobster" as it has a texture approaching lobster. All the aps except for foie gras selections were in the 8 to 15€ range, including some interesting Asian concoctions. I've enjoyed the nems here on earlier visits. The main courses ranged between 18 and 25€. We skipped dessert and coffee as we wanted to see Cover to Cover at Peg Leg Pub, so our total bill was $233 for two couples or about $116 each, relatively inexpensive, especially as the wine portion was about $72 total, or $36 per couple. The wine list was fairly extensive had had an entire page of better, though more expensive, wines. In addition there were several less expensive wines that would have been very good with our fish, such as a Bourgeil and a Saumur Champigny.

Il Nettuno On Friday we stopped in at the Tijon Parfumerie at the far end of Grand Case. It's taken some time for Cyndi and John Berglund to put it together, but it is a lovely place. They are open in the morning from 10:00AM to 1:00PM and again in the late afternoon 6:00 to 8:00PM - the perfect time to stop in before lunch or dinner in Grand Case. We had stopped in before lunch and after our tour, the four of us took a short drive to Il Nettuno, parking in the central lot directly across for the restaurant. The lot is free at lunchtime and as the other free lot across from Pressoir is currently a construction zone, this one is quite convenient. I had made a reservation, but it rarely gets busy at lunch. We arrived to one other table and only one more showed up as we dined. The view is spectacullar, especially as the sea out here has calmed down a bit. We ordered Orvieto, a dry, but not super crisp, white wine from southwestern Umbria, about halfway between Florence and Rome. Our lunches were a chicken pizzaiola, a veal ravioli (left), a mahi filet with spinach wrapped in phyllo dough (center), and a veal brachiole (right). No complaints were heard and the plates were clean. My mahi had interesting flavors given the spinach and a basil sauce and a satisfying crunch from the phyllo dough.

News and Changes: It appears that the Blue Martini on Airport Road in Simpson Bay will be presenting semi-famous musicians: John Cafferty and Beaver Brown Band with Eddie and the Cruisers on 22 Mar and Firefall and Al Stewart on 11 April.

Sopranos is featuring Diana De Prez this month. She's been compared to Janis Joplin and her repertoire includes Bonnie Raitt, Tina Turner, Annie Lennox, Dido, Bon Jovi, Madonna, and more.

Karakter, on Simpson Bay Beach near Mary's Boon, is having a beach dance at 6:30 on the first Friday of every month.

Tuesday Night in Grand Case: Grand Case is again having a Harmony Night on Tuesday. Restaurant Row will be blocked off and filled with street vendors, music, dancers, and parades. Here's some photos from previous years.

Our condo: We are here until 15 April and have a good bit of the following two months rented already. The condo will be available for rent at $1000 per week from 15 April 2009 to 15 December 2009. The rental includes about $500 in coupons from several of our website clients. The holiday weeks will be available at $2000 per week and the balance of the high season that is available will be $1500 per week. It will be unavailable from 15 January 2009 until 15 April 2009. Check the calendar on our website for available dates. The rate is so good and the coupons are so popular that we get about 60% occupancy in the low season (we are already at 30%). If you want a week, it's best to book early.

		SXM-Info has chosen SkyMed as our preferred medical travel insurance partner. Any medical travel insurance will get you back to the US, but SkyMed takes you home. Where's home? From their website: "Our definition of home is simple: Home is where you say it is. When struck by the unexpected, our service takes you home.
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Our article featuring four recipes from four restaurants from Cupecoy to Sandy Ground has been published in St Maarten Events and is available on the island. Look for a moules appetizer from Mario's Bistro, a vichyssoise from Ti Sucrier, lamb chops from Montmartre Restaurant, and a blanc mange dessert from Boucaniers. I had taken several photos for the article and Michael Dingemans, the publisher, was on the island just before high season taking more photos. As always, his wife, Carina, turned it into a beautiful layout. The magazine is distributed free throughout the island and contains a useful island map as the centerfold. Amazon: I'm not convinced that the Kindle e-book from Amazon is the best thing to take to a beach, but it sure is a lightweight way to get some of your favorite books to the Caribbean, especially now that the second bag costs $25 or so on most flights! They just came out with the newer version and it's barely a quarter inch thick and weighs about 10 ounces. It has 16 shades of gray for the page background and reads well even in direct sunlight. Maybe it is the best thing to take to the beach? Martha has been downloading audio books from our local library to her Zune (an iPod knockoff) and that has been working rather well. Obviously, these are audio books and it's not the same as "reading" the text, but it works quite well.

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:

Bikini Beach Beau Beau's Escargot Kakao Beach Oizeau Rare Paradise View Pirate Beach Bar Tai Chi Select Wine Cellar Endless Summer Beachwear Radiant Gems

The Mario's Bistro Cookbook is still available online. 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. La Siesta Residence is right on the beach in Simpson Bay. It's close to everything in Simpson Bay, has this lovely pool, and great views of Saba. Check out the website for more details.