It’s true: I never write a trip report, figuring, “Who cares?” But, I do realize that newbies can use all of the info they can get, so I’ll give some meal examples (with costs) and some highlights and lowlights.

Breakfasts/Lunches:
Piece of Cake (in Simpson Bay) was great. They have very good pastry, croque monsieur, quiche, etc.

Taste of (oh,no ... I forget) is a new patisserie/boulangerie on Welfare Rd., next to SkipJacks. Excellent pastry, baguette sandwiches, etc.

Anse des Pères (Friar’s Bay) - one of our lunches there:
Salade Niçoise, duck confit, a pastis, a beer, 2 expressos = $78, tip included

Karakter lunches: (actually, all day there - chairs and umbrella free for those who drink/eat there) 2 bloody Marys for breakfast; for lunch - Italian character (sandwich); crab cakes; salmon and goat cheese bruchetta, 2 cocktails and bottle of water = $61 plus tip.

Greek character; Italian sandwich special of the day; bottle of water, 2 cocktails, 1 glass of wine = $45

Tropicana lunch: Salade Niçoise, soupe de poisson, sparkling water, 1/2 bottle of wine, assiette de fromages for dessert (cheese assortment) and a glass of Côtes du Rhône. The normal complimentary banana rum (my favorite on the island) = $71, tip included. We left a bit extra since they went way out of their way to find a place where my husband could buy Laguiole steak knives (even ran next door to get a phone book to look up a number for us).

Dinners:
Our first night, we went to 3 Palms (Simpson Bay) but it was closed (more on that, later) and then onto Saratoga, but that, too was closed. Their vacation often overlaps our time in St. M So, we went to Valentino’s. We had a nice dinner of: Me - tuna carpaccio, then penne alla matriciano. My husband had a mozzarella app (similar to caprese) and papparedelle in bolognese. With a bottle of sparkling water, a bottle of Nero d’Avola and 2 espressos = $128 plus tip. Nice meal, not too impressive.

Maximo’s Café in Porto Cupecoy: I had the tuna tartare app which was so monstrous, I shared it with my 3 dinner companions. Two others got a caesar salad and one got a caprese salad. For main dishes, three of us got the Fish Pot, which was similar to a bouillabaisse, with shrimp, scallops, fish and veggies in a lobster bisque. My husband got a saltimbucca. One glass of wine, 2 bottles of sparkling water, and 4 expressos = $240 for the 4 of us, top included, but we added to that because of the excellent service. (10% off with the Privilege card)

Mario’s: excellent, as usual. Me: pastis, gazpacho, tuna steak (cooked to perfection - rare) topped with bleu cheese, surrounded by gnocci. Hub: beef carpaccio, bouillabaisse. Sparkling water, bottle of wine, espressos = $191 incl. tip, to which we added a bit for the excellent service. I did find one interesting item: although the tip (service) is included, when the credit card holder pays the bill, there is a message: “Tips only in cash.” Of course, this was only in English since “tipping” doesn’t exist in France ... but let’s not start the “service” vs. “tip” again

3 Palms: we went back on a night it was open. I wish we hadn’t. It used to be one of our favorite new finds since it opened about 3 years ago, but I’m afraid it has gone downhill, if we can judge from this experience. Me: salmon (way overcooked, although I had requested it rare ... no sense sending it back, since the cut was so thin, it would have been impossible to not cook it well done). Hub: steak frites (“so so”). Two caesar salads, bottle of water, 2 glasses of wine = $81 plus tip. As we were leaving, the waitress ran up to us to ask for her pen, which she couldn’t find. We told her to look on the table, but she said it wasn’t there. Then, I spotted it on the floor under the table. It was very bizarre, since she tried to block the door until she found it. (??) We forgot to use the Privilege card, but there was no way we wanted to return in order to use it.

Topper’s by the Sea: Capellini in pesto; fish and chips. Two gin/tonics, one mojito, one glass of wine. It was fine for a casual meal = $60 plus tip, but two of the drinks were free ( $12.60) due to the Privilege card.

Le Moulin Fou Steakhouse in Cupecoy: As we approached and looked over the menu, a waiter described in lovely detail the preparation of each dish (en français, bien sûr). We discovered that the $15 off from the Privilege card pertains only to the Prestige menu, which means that you must be picked up by limo, etc. as part of a package. But, they decided to deduct a drink for us, instead. We were so glad that we stayed! Me: goat/bleu cheese salad; tuna steak (perfectly prepared), with Japanese sauce, rice and seaweed salad. My husband: coquilles St. Jacques in Reblochon cheese; rognons (three times the amount he expected, based on experiences in Paris) Should I translate this, if you aren’t familiar with it? You may not want to know (kidneys). A pastis; 1/2 bottle of wine, sparkling water, a port (they had no Poire William), 2 espressos = $143 (with a drink deducted), tip included - we left a bit extra for an excellent experience.

Capriccio: (this used to be Halsey’s) We shared an octopus app; stuffed calmari in pesto; veal marsala; 2 glasses of wine; bottle of water; 2 espressos; 1 sambuca (they had no grappa) = $103. Since this is the Dutch side, the tip is not usually included, but the bill (as printed) said “prix net” (tip included) and I knew better than to ask, so I left a tip, but not 20%. We enjoyed this meal, but not enough to return.

Bajatzu: in Maho across from the Casino Royale - upstairs (I didn’t realize that it’s pronounce “Bahyatzoo” - named after 2 dogs) Four diners: seafood soup (similar to a bouillabaisse); Rice Royale (full of seafood); 12 oz. NY strip w/garlic mashed; 1/2 roasted duck w/baked potato; 2 bottles of water; 2 glasses of wine; a grappa; a Poire William; complimentary rum after-dinner drink (as on the French side) = $162 plus tip for four. Nice meal and attentive service from Sophie; all four of us would return.

Temptation: excellent, as usual. My husband had to have his favorite app here (hold on, this will sound crazy) foie gras PBJ. Yes, Dino sears the fresh foie gras and puts it over a peanut butter wafer and adds a dash of tropical jelly. His main dish was osso bucco, which he loved. I’m not a meat eater, but something made me order the rack of lamb - rare- and it was outstanding. A bottle of wine and two expressos = $156 plus tip.

So, MEAL HIGHLIGHTS (3):
Mario’s, Temptation and (our first time at the second location) Le Moulin Fou Coupecoy.

MEAL DISASTER:
3 Palms. There are too many choices to go back there. In fact, there are now so many choices, we never even made it to Grand Case this year (or last).


Miscellaneous Highlights:

SXM Cooks: this was an absolute joy. A big “thank you” to those on TTOL who told me to try this. Luci Frye is an sheer delight. Her home in Dawn Beach Estates is gorgeous, but I must say the roads leading there are not for the faint of heart! Luci gives a lesson in cooking with local produce and then you have a lovely meal of the three courses that she has prepared with you. We were greeted with an Indian breakfast and a fresh fruit juice drink. This was a gift for my husband - who is an excellent cook - so, I was trying to find something different for him to add to his repertoire. He had never before cooked with fresh banana leaves, so he learned how to make them more supple in order to fill them and grill them. (No, I’m not going to give any recipes away ... see Luci for your lesson.) We arrived at 10 am and didn’t depart until 3 pm, and it seemed as though we had only been there a couple of hours. A minimum of 2 participants is required, up to a maximum of 4. You may invite someone to partake in the lunch you prepare. Cost is $100/person when booked online, or a bit less if paid directly. If you’ve been coming to St. Martin/Maarten for a long time, I recommend this as something new to experience.

Wine Tasting: Jeannie was advertising a July wine tasting here on TTOL, so we decided to try it and to include about 6 of our St. M friends. We all had a great time, and we were so pleased that Luci Frye was able to join us (as well as “storyteller” Henic). It was held at Karakter and Jos described the various wine offerings, as hors d’œuvres were provided by Karakter. Everyone was in great “spirits” and agreed that it was a wonderful evening (4 - 6 ... although it actually ended up lasting ‘til closer to 7) $25/person; $10 for hors d’œuvres only, if you prefer to buy your own libation - if you don’t drink wine.


La Bamba - (on Kim Sha Beach, between Buccaneer and Royal Palm) -lots of fun; we were there a couple of nights when Craig (if you know him from renting his chairs/umbrellas) or Bob (if you know him from his other pursuits) was playing. The dance floor was always full.