On Super Sunday, we sat with the manager of Bamboo Bernie's and in the<br>course of cheering the Pats to a fantastic victory, we learned that<br>Bamboo Bernie's had replaced the hapless Baywatch Restaurant, and was<br>having a "soft opening". Back in the US this means invited guests as the<br>restaurant goes through a shakedown with new facilities, systems, and<br>staff. Here it seems to mean that as they lacked the necessary operating<br>permits, it was not "open", but sure was doing a hell of a business! I<br>won't comment too much on the food, as they really weren't open, but the<br>ribs were the meatiest that I have had in a while and the sushi was<br>pretty good.<br><br>Atlantis Casino has opened several new restaurants and on Monday we<br>tried Montmartre. Like all places at this casino (and most casinos)<br>the view is not spectacular, but the interior is well thought out and<br>quite pleasing. They bill themselves as a Parisian Brasserie and the<br>decor hearkens back to the time when Monmartre was overflowing with<br>artists. Monet's famous "Luncheon of the Boating Party" is on the wall<br>(OK, it's a copy as the original is actually in the Philips in DC). The<br>awning at the top left of the painting is a soft gold/yellow and this is<br>carried over all the walls of the dining room and several more pictures<br>and/or frames continue the color scheme. One side of the room is a<br>series of colonnaded mirrors, a period touch that also serves to make<br>the room seem larger. The waiter, also manager, chief napkin folder, and many<br>other titles (as he explained) is quite pleasant, very efficient, and<br>fluent in English. When was the last time you heard the subjunctive<br>tense ... with a French accent! We had the salad with smoked duck breast and<br>pine nuts. Smoked duck breast is taking over the island this season. It<br>certainly added quite a bit of flavor to this salad, as did the tiny<br>tomatoes. The main course was a duck confit surrounded by wedges of<br>small potatoes and covered with a mushroom sauce. Intense and beautiful.<br>The other dinner came from the specialties: choucroute straight from<br>Alsace. Corned beef and cabbage taken to a whole new level. There was<br>ham, bacon, and three sausages atop a mound of sauerkraut simmered in<br>white wine. All of this has been done before, nothing terribly<br>innovative, just good, hearty, time-tested French combinations prepared<br>well at very reasonable prices. The compromise on wine (the duck wanted<br>a hearty red and the choucroute wanted a riesling or a gewurztraminer)<br>was the Cotes du Rhone from Chateau Mt Redon and we were both happy. Add<br>in two coffees, four free orange/rum after-dinner drinks and a 15% tip and the bill was less<br>than $80. Hard to beat for an extremely filling and tasty dinner in<br>beautiful surroundings with good service.<br><br>Wednesday lunch was at L'Amandier Plage (http://www.AmandierPlage.com)<br>on the eastern end of Grand Case Bay (http://www.GrandCase.com). It is<br>quite the establishment, having a beach, pool, spa, bar, boutique, and a<br>restaurant. As they are open for lunch it is a great place to spend<br>the day: loaf on the beach, have a great lunch, and loaf some more. We<br>had a Salad Riviera (Salad greens, olive, tuna, anchovy, sweet pepper,<br>scallions, hard-boiled egg) - a Salad Niçoise on steroids - and a bit<br>of tuna on a bed of mashed potatoes with a drizzle of olive oil and<br>fresh tomatoes. It was a fine lunch with great views across the Bay.<br>With three glasses of chablis and a bottle of Badoit, the bill came to<br>about $50.<br><br>Wednesday evening was another trip to Grand Case. This time it was to<br>Sebastiano, a venerable Italian Restaurant on the other end of the Bay.<br>Christine has been running Sebastiano for 20 years. Currently, the food<br>is among the best on the island, the interior of the building is<br>beautiful, and the view across the bay is unbeatable. Add in superb<br>service that starts with valet parking and things can't get too much<br>better. We started with the beef carpaccio with parmesan and olive<br>oil - great: tender beef and tangy parmesan. Our dinners were two<br>approaches to veal: one covered with thin slices of parma ham, fresh<br>sage leaves, and fresh mozzarella and another with shrimps, tomato sauce,<br>basil, oregano, and fresh mozzarella. Two very different and very tasty<br>variations on veal scaloppini. The fresh spices and fresh mozzarella<br>add to the flavors, and to the prices. This is one of the most expensive<br>restaurants on the island (most main courses are between $25 and<br>$30), and surely worth it. If you can afford it, this is one of the best<br>in every category: food, view, service.<br><br>Friday night was a trip to Auberge Gourmande in the center of Grand<br>Case. (http://www.GrandCase.com/aubergegourmand). It is an old Créole<br>house on the land side of the street, ie no great view, but it is a<br>pretty place with great service, a large menu, an even larger wine list, and<br>good prices. We started with one of their signature dishes (it is in the<br>Grand Case cookbook) pan fried sea scallops in a crust of roasted<br>sesame, soy sauce, and marinated ginger. Our dinners were a very<br>tender veal chop and veal sweetbreads with shrimp. We were a party of<br>five and started with the white Mercurey ($28) from the southern end of the<br>Burgundy region for the appetizers and moved on to the red Mercurey<br>for the main courses (also about $28). Finding wines under $30 is<br>getting difficult, but Pascal, the owner, has an extensive list. This in no<br>way implies that a $600 Petrus is not on the list, but there are several<br>wines that I feel I can afford and even half bottles. The list is<br>particularly strong in the second wines of various chateaux in<br>Bordeaux. Desserts are another area that Pascal feels his restaurant<br>does a superior job. If you like chocolate, the "Concert" of three<br>chocolates, with a cup of coffee, and a glass of Armagnac is a wonderful<br>way to end a meal. With a 15% tip (the menu says it is not included), our bill came to only<br>$108 for two fine dinners. Christophe, Nancy, and Aurore all speak<br>excellent English and do a splendid job.<br><br>Saturday night was yet another trip to Grand Case, this time to one<br>of our favorites: http://www.BistrotCaraibes.com. Two of the nicest<br>gentlemen on the island run this restaurant: Thibault and Amaury<br>Meziere. Great food, especially strong on fish and lobster, fine<br>service, good wine list.<br><br>


Erich Kranz
www.SXM-Info.com