25 Dec 2001 to 6 Jan 2002<br><br>It has finally stopped raining. A bit more exploring shows that<br>there is a beach under the Cliffside Beach Bar at Cupecoy Beach Club. Still,<br>nothing from there up to Ocean Club. <br><br>Christmas dinner at Rainbow Café (http://www.Rainbow-Cafe.com) was<br>great, as expected. The appetizers were a aumoniere (pocket) of<br>phyllo dough holding a medallion of lobster (among other things) and a<br>plate of almond-crusted shrimp. A '99 Rully ($33), rather unknown and<br>therefore a better buy, was the white wine that accompanied these admirably. We<br>had a guest so we got to sample three diners: duck breast (magret de<br>canard), swordfish (espadon), and blackened monkfish (lotte). Duck<br>breast has been Rainbow's signature dish, and while changing a bit<br>through the years, never fails to please. The other two were as<br>fresh as could be and served with great sauces and sides. A red<br>Chorey-Les-Beaune '96 ($42) stood up to the duck and blackened monkfish without<br>overpowering the swordfish. The negociant for both wines was Joseph<br>Drouhin, a well-respected producer, but as they were less well<br>known areas, the prices were pretty good, even for a burgundy with some<br>age to it. Dining on the water at Rainbow is not cheap however. The<br>entire dinner came to about $230 with the included 15% service charge. Add<br>in a bit more money on the table for the excellent service and it came<br>to over $80 per person.<br><br>Wednesday night dinner was at Chez Martine<br>(http://www.GrandCase.com/chezmartine), a charming small restaurant<br>on the water in Grand Case. All the restaurants throw some light on<br>the waters of the bay and the picture of a few boats in the harbor with<br>the entire length of Anguilla in the background is about as good as it<br>gets. Add a waxing moon casting a pale glow over the entire bay, and you<br>have it. Chez Martine started us with a simple amuse bouche: a spicy<br>spoon full of chopped peppers, chives, and smoky bacon to put on a slice<br>of toast. With two guests our aps were a mild French onion soup with<br>an authentic gruyere cheese topping, some very tasty salmon roulades,<br>and a vegetarian salad of carrots, cabbage, and tomatoes. A Chablis made<br>them all taste better. The dinners were a sliced duck breast, a rack of<br>lamb with basil, curry and bay leaves in a thyme infusion, a roasted red<br>snapper fillet with creole spices in lemon butter, and sautéed<br>shrimp with basil, risotto, and vegetables. A bottle of red Mercurey<br>worked well and even with four coffees, the total bill with an additional<br>"pour boire" for Caroline, the hard-working waitress, was only $176.<br><br>Thursday was a great sunny day starting with a beachside lunch at<br>Bikini Beach (http://www.SXM-restaurants.com/orient/bikinibeach). Just a<br>simple lunch of salads: very tasty beef variety, a calimari variety, and a<br>smoked fish variety. Having tasted all three, I can only report<br>that they were all good - can't pick a favorite. A couple bottles of the<br>Drouhin LaForet Chardonnay and some great beach views made it all<br>better. The check came to about $100 for four people.<br><br>It appears that Caribbean Liquors and Tobacco at the head of Pburg<br>has a 25% off sale at the end of the year. The prices in St Maarten are<br>pretty good to start with, but 25% off is a real bargain. We bring<br>styrofoam containers that fit in large suitcases and take back a dozen or<br>more bottles. It's all legal as long as you declare it and pay minimal<br>duty. Last year we paid $2 per bottle and still saved several hundred<br>dollars by picking up singlemalt scotch for $15-20 per liter and VSOP<br>cognac at $25 per liter, XO for $35.<br><br>Thursday dinner was at small restaurant in the Marigot marina that<br>serves Créole and French cuisine: Le Petite Auberge des Iles. They<br>don't have a website but Ray Mann has a lot of photos and info on his<br>SXM-site (http://www.angelfire.com/il2/sxm). They have a $21 three<br>course dinner every evening that features a salad, onion soup, or<br>smoked salmon as an appetizer, your choice of several main courses, and a<br>raft of desserts. The choices for the main course always a mahi-mahi and<br>chicken breast, but also include the specials of the evening which<br>were a ragout of very tender veal with mushrooms, a swordfish steak in a<br>mango/bananna sauce, faux filet wellington, and a major seafood<br>salad. Dessert possibilities included ice cream and sorbets and crepes in<br>all manner of combinations. If you like chocolate sauce and vanilla ice<br>cream with whipped cream on a lovely crepe (guaranteed no<br>calories), ask for it and it will arrive. The wine list is equally inexpensive.<br>There are house wines and about a half dozen wines in the three major<br>colors. We started with a Saumur-Champigny from the Loire valley. Though<br>red, it is best served chilled and it was a fine apertif and stood up to<br>the first courses. The most expensive wine was the for a '99 St Emilion<br>Chateau de Puy Bonnet (about $26) that was a lovely smooth addition<br>to the veal dishes and some spicy conch dishes. The total bill for<br>five people with an extra $20 tip (a bit over 10%) was about $200.<br>Certainly, two people could have two three course dinners with<br>large portions and a bottle of wine for less than $70.<br>http://www.SXM-Restaurants.com shows their location in the Marigot<br>Marina complex. They were full during the evening rush. We had<br>reservations and you should also, call 87 56 31.<br><br>Most people think that there are long days of sunshine in the<br>tropics. Not so. If you want long sunny evenings, go to the land of the<br>midnight sun, but be prepared to dodge icebergs while you swim. A better<br>solution is to come to SXM during the full moon. 30 Dec was spectacular and<br>New Year's Eve will be almost as great. Watching the moonrise over<br>Orient Beach, or behind Grand Case (see the photo at<br>http://www.SXM-Info.com/info.html#weather), or over the lagoon from<br>the lowlands is spectacular. Dining with the moon shining on the water<br>is quite pleasant after that.<br><br>On Wednesday from 5 till 7 (caribbean time) Texas Pit BBQ<br>(http://www.SXM-Restaurants.com/simpsonbay_east/texaspitbbq) put<br>together a jazz session featuring a pianist who is also a professor<br>at the med school, Don Martin (the owner) on drums, and a bassist. It<br>was surely pickup and improv all the way, but happy-hour beer prices<br>(Carib for 75 cents) made them all sound great.<br><br>True to the Caribbean Time Standard, they quit about a half hour<br>late, making us a bit late for dinner at Spartaco<br>(http://www.SpartacoRestaurant.com). You should visit the site to<br>see what a corner of Tuscany dropped on a hillside in the tropics would<br>look like. The building is one of the oldest on the island, a sugar<br>plantation owner's home perched a bit above his loading docks down<br>on the lagoon. The walls are stone about three foot thick and there is<br>a wraparound porch with views over Cole Bay to the lagoon. The menu<br>features Tuscan or northern Italian food. We split a plate of fresh<br>pasta with artichokes and parmesan cheese in a saffron sauce. The<br>dinners were an involtini (rolled veal scallop stuffed with Italian<br>sausage and served with a mushroom sauce) and a Vesuviana (Sautéed<br>veal scaloppini served with mozzarella, tomato, and oregano). We asked<br>Spartaco to recommend a light red wine and he suggested three. We<br>settled on a SanGiovese. The aps and pastas range from $12 to $15<br>and dinners from $20 to $25. The wine list starts in the 20's and goes<br>way beyond my range, but our choice was only $26. The total bill came<br>to $83 and a 15% tip was added, and noted on the bill. Given a small<br>crostini lagniappe shortly after we were seated and a cold lemon after<br>dinner drink, we had more than enough to eat and drink for under $100.<br><br>This brings me to tipping. After public speaking, this is one of<br>the greatest fears in America. Most restaurants on both sides add 12 to<br>15% to the bill automatically. Many don't mention this although it may<br>be on the menu. Some show it on the bill and then put the total amount on<br>the credit card spot leaving the tip section of the credit card slip<br>blank, hoping you will add more. This is especially true in French-side<br>restaurants that help you by converting the bill to dollars and<br>putting that on a dollar-denominated credit card slip which has a spot for<br>a tip. The normal French credit card slips in Francs (now Euros) have<br>no such box to fill in because the tip was included. Should you leave<br>more? Some people knowingly leave 5 to 10% more for good service,<br>frequently in cash on the table, as a little something for the waiter to use<br>in purchasing a drink: a pour-boire. Thus, if asked, they always say<br>that it is up to you, hoping you will add the usual US 15 to 20%, rather<br>than the expected 5 to 10%.<br><br>Lunch at The Old Captain (http://www.Philipsburg-Info.com/oldcaptain) is <br>a wonderful experience. The restaurant is owned by Mario, a<br>Dutchman with an Italian mother, and Molly from China. The food is<br>predominantly Chinese (Cantonese and Dim Sum), but Mario has plenty of Italian<br>items available. A few American items slip in and Japanese sushi and<br>sashimi are available. As it is on the shore of Great Bay, there is even an<br>outdoor bistro on the sand. Indoors is quite well appointed, well<br>enough to seat the Queen of Holland a few years ago. The hot and sour soup<br>was both spicy hot and sour and loaded with interesting comestibles. We<br>switched to sushi and had a combo plate of 10 items for only $14.<br>Add in a few beers and for about $35 we had a lovely lunch.<br><br>Dinner on Friday was at Le Perroquet<br>(http://www.PerroquetRestaurant.com) on the lagoon near the airport<br>in Simpson Bay. It is is one of the oldest restaurants on the island.<br>Even though the operation is old, the physical plant is new courtesy of<br>recent hurricanes. It presents an unassuming stucco facade to the<br>street, but the insides resemble a Créole cottage with shutters<br>open wide to the views across the lagoon to Sandy Ground and Marigot.<br>For those who remember, Pierre Castagné was the chef-owner until his<br>untimely death this last fall. His wife, Thea, who handled the<br>bookwork, now handles the meeting, greeting, and seating as Pierre used to do<br>and his sous-chef of many years now is in charge of the kitchen.<br>The menu is much the same with a few Italian additions and less<br>emphasis on the cart with its many specials. We started with a pheasant paté<br>that had a pheasant breast running through the center of it, presenting<br>an interesting contrast in flavor and texture. Our dinners were a<br>Milanese veal scaloppini and a veal scaloppini in a three mushroom sauce. In<br>both cases the veal was tender and the portions were large. The sauces<br>were well done and the accompanying carrots and spinach and potato were<br>fine. A bottle of '98 Hautes Cotes de Beaune rounded out the dinner well<br>and coffees and a touch of Calvados brought it to a fitting end. A bill<br>of $126 (with the 15% service charge clearly shown) testifies to the<br>fact that Le Perroquet is not cheap, but it brings together the best in<br>classical French cuisine and superb service in a romantic setting<br>with a lovely view.<br><br>Anybody who has followed the happenings on the island will be aware<br>that the electric plant workers on the FRENCH side went on strike on New<br>Year's Eve, turning off the power and ruining the plans of many<br>restaurants, churches, and even people having a party at home.<br>Since then, rolling blackouts have demonstrated their ire. You may have<br>noticed that the restaurants mentioned since last Thursday have<br>been on the Dutch side. Last night as we had cocktails at a friend's house<br>on the lagoon and as we dined at Le Perroquet, we could see the lights<br>of Sandy Ground and the French Lowlands. When we arrived at our unit<br>and looked out from six stories up, we could see that Marigot was back<br>in operation. The morning paper announced that an agreement was<br>reached but an afternoon radio show said there was a snag. A later radio<br>announcer said that things were back to normal and it appeared that way last<br>night. Thank goodness.<br><br>Euros are another problem. The electrical strike has kept banks from working as they should and that has kept Euros from flowing into the economy, making it difficult for businesses to give change in Euros as they should. Thus, very few people have any Euros. I have none and there is no place to get them. I have heard that it is not much better in Paris, only colder. Come on down and ignore it. Dollars are still quite usable!<br><br><br><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Administrator on 1/22/02 04:45 PM.</EM></FONT></P>