Sammy--the 'best of SXM' poll from the Daily Herald, I have personally found to be kind of full of crap, and the French side is vastly under-represented in it. It depends on what type of food you are after, but I have found very few French restaurants on the Dutch side that can compete with a good half dozen restaurants each in Grand Case and Orient Village. Now, for anything OTHER than French, there are lots of good choices on the Dutch side.