Our dinner at Lal’s with Todd and MJ was wonderful. It was fun to meet Lal and to enjoy nice music while dining open-air on delicious Indian food. I don’t remember the names of everything we had, but the famous chicken frankies were our appetizer, and a chicken curry dish as well. We like a fair amount of heat in our food, and so do the Benner’s, making it easy to share family-style. The garlic naan was fresh and perfect for wiping the last morsels of sauce off the plate.
After dinner we stopped by The Palms for a drink. We have not been there before, and it’s a nice setting. We plan on going back for tapas later in the trip.
Our plan for Saturday had been to do a little shopping in Philipsburg, but it was such a beautiful day that we opted for a beach day at Karakter instead. Their drink of the day was a frozen Mojito, just the thing to cool the warm day. A while after we settled in, a voice next to me asked if those chairs were taken, and there were Todd and MJ. We spent a relaxing day reading on the beach, and then enjoyed a nice lunch together. Todd and MJ shared the Taste for Two, David had the Indonesian Karakter (chicken satay with salad), and I had the Caribbean Karakter (shrimp skewers with a pineapple salsa and salad). All were quite tasty. Around 2:30 the skies opened up and it looked like it would rain for a while, so we all headed to our respective homes.
Saturday evening we had plans for dinner, but first stopped by Dave and Adrianna’s friends’ new place, Toro y Tapas. This is where Kookamanga’s used to be, behind the old paintball place on Welfare Road. We stayed for a little while, playing with Tequila, Dave and Adrianna’s new puppy, and chatting with friends. In a while our dinner partners arrived and shortly we all took off for Panlaan.
There were six of us who had met via the internet, but had not met each other personally, so this was a chance to get to know each other better. Lotsan (CaribbeanScout) had organized the “event”, and she and her fiancé Pav, and Kathy and her husband Harold rounded out our group. We had decided to dine family style, which allowed each of us to sample various dished. I was happy that Lotsan took charge of ordering, as she knew much more about Thai food that I, and the resulting feast was just fabulous. I can honestly say it was the best Thai food I have ever eaten. I can’t possibly remember the names of all the dishes, but we had spring rolls, a ground chicken preparation, a stir fry, a beef salad, panang curry, glass noodles with veggies, fried rice and a shrimp dish. (I’ve probably forgotten something) These were ordered with various degrees of spiciness for the preferences of the different diners, and I can confidently say that everyone found something to their liking. The food was washed down with water and three bottles of an excellent Sancerre, and three hours later we were all stuffed. The conversation was delightful, and it was so much fun finally meeting these folks that we talk to online regularly.
We had thought about heading to Bucanneer Beach Bar after dinner, as Ronny and Amin play there on Saturdays, and Bill and Elaine are regulars there, but by the time we finished eating it was after ten, and the party folks had headed home.
Sunday morning dawned as it always does, and after coffee on the balcony, David and I walked down to Bon Appetit for breakfast. I had the Norwegian Breakfast, eggs topped with smoked salmon and served with grilled tomatoes, fried potatoes, and toast. Delicious! David had his usual French toast.
After breakfast we headed over to the Grand Marche in Cole Bay to do some grocery shopping. We’ve been on the island over a week and had not yet done a real shopping trip, thanks to Jeannie’s delivery and a stop or two on the way home. We picked up some breakfast items, cookies and such, cheese, fruit, and wine of course.
Elaine had asked us to join them at Layla’s for lunch, so we headed over there to meet them. This was our first time there, and what a lovely place it is! The walkway in to the restaurant is lined with palms and other island greenery, creating an oasis that leads to the gorgeous beachfront restaurant with tables in the sand. Shade is abundant, which we really needed as the sun was hot and the breeze lacking. Bill, Elaine, and Annie arrived shortly after we did and we all settled in to a nice table near the center of the space. We had such a lovely day talking and laughing with our friends! The food was absolutely delicious: I had Mussels Provencal which were perfectly cooked and served with fries, of course. The sauce was so good that I was soaking my fries in it towards the end of the bucket. Annie had the garlic shrimp skewers which must have been delicious because she nearly cleaned her plate. David and Bill each had the Chicken Thai, which was served in a bowl with chopsticks to attack the noodles, veggies, and chicken. Elaine had the baked camembert, which was delightfully soft and runny as it should be. After a while Elaine’s neighbor Michelle joined us and more fun and laughs ensued. Later David and I shared the chocolate fondant cake for dessert, Elaine and Annie shared the crème brulee. Two bottles of wine (ok, we did take some home) and several “orange and pineapple juices” later, we realized it was five o’clock and the Four Hour Caribbean Lunch had been achieved. I hope this will be a new tradition for us!
Monday was another Kakao day. To break up the monotony, I decided on a Guavaberry Colada after our morning walk, instead of my usual Bloody Mary. There was just a light breeze, and we both commented that we couldn’t remember the winds being this calm on Orient. We watched clouds building up behind Pinel, and weren’t too concerned as the weather usually comes from the other direction; but as time went on it seemed certain that we would get some rain. Around noon, the skies opened, and we ran into the restaurant. Fortunately our table was available, and when the storm curtains were lowered they offered some protection from the rain. The lunch special didn’t tickle our fancy, so David ordered the Tagliatelli with huge shrimps in a Persillade sauce…delicious! I opted for the Salade Nicoise, which was as wonderful as it always is. Accompanied by a chilled bottle of French rose, it was a delightful meal, in spite of the rain. The rain lasted about half an hour, after which everything cleared up and the beach looked as though nothing had happened; except, of course, for the soaked chair cushions.
After a couple of shots of Ma DouDou banana vanilla (our waiter conveniently left the bottle on the table) we walked down to Club O. This time we were able to find Sugarae on the beach, and had a nice chat with her before returning to our chairs to enjoy the sun for a while.
I had heard that Chris (Dane) was on the island, and was pretty sure I’d find him at GP’s bar, which proved to be true. He and a group of his friends were there enjoying GP’s drinks and music. David and I shared a couple of BBC’s while we chatted with Chris about dogs and basketball before we headed home.
Todd and MJ were leaving on Tuesday morning, so we were hoping to catch up with them for a farewell drink. Unfortunately, our internet has been down more than it has worked, and they had turned their phone in already, so we couldn’t reach them. Thankfully when we got home the internet did work, and plans were made to meet at Lal’s. We were still fairly full from lunch, so we just had a couple of appetizers. This time I asked for more spice, and enjoyed the chicken frankies and samoasas even more with the added heat. A brief shower chased us from our waterside table, but didn’t dampen our spirits, and we had a nice evening with our friends. We will miss you two until next year!
We had decided to spend Tuesday hanging around the pool at LaVista Beach. Lunch was the typical cheese & crackers, with some delicious fresh pineapple and a glass of Pinot Grigio.
Tuesday evening we had dinner reservations at our favorite Grand Case restaurant, L’Estaminet. It took us about 50 minutes to drive there from LaVista Beach; there was an accident on the way that had traffic blocked for a while. The “Christmas House” at the road towards Friars Bay is decked out even more than last year; folks were parked on the side of the road with their children and taking pictures.
Upon arrival at the restaurant, we were warmly greeted by Carole, and escorted to “our table”. After a few minutes catching up, Carole presented the specials for the evening. We chose to share the appetizer special, a cold pea soup presented with a shrimp skewer and a small salad. The soup was deliciously refreshing, with minty freshness in every bite. The shrimp were crusted with a crumbly cinnamon-y seasoning, which Carole named but I forget. The salad was dressed with a delicious ginger vinaigrette which was nicely sweet with a surprising amount of heat from the ginger. I chose a glass of champagne to accompany mine, and David had a glass of Gewurtztraminer. For my entrée, I chose the special, a lemon sole filet topped with a pistachio crust and nestled in a puddle of vanilla burre blanc. This was perfectly cooked and just delicious, and although the flavor was a little sweet for my taste, I certainly enjoyed it. David chose the sea bass from the newly revised menu. This was cooked slowly and served with foie gras foam (more of a mousse) and a vial of olive oil lightly flavored with chocolate. Both entrees were accompanied by the assortment of vegetables that I usually enjoy more than the protein. There were carrots seasoned with cinnamon, zucchini seasoned with tonka spice, rice with flowers, and another veggie I can’t remember now…maybe it was fennel? (I’m afraid I’m falling down on the job). Carole chose the same wine for each of us to accompany our entrees, and it was a white wine blend that again, I can’t remember the name. It had a bold flavor that stood up well to our fish dishes, and we both enjoyed it very much. Sadly, neither of us had room for dessert, so we relaxed over a couple of espressos. The meal was capped off by their delicious tiramisu shot, which is better than any dessert anyway!
Wednesday there were five ships in, so we chose not to go to Orient for the day, and instead had an around-the-island shopping tour. We started with saltfish and Johnny cakes for breakfast at Hilma’s, along with the coldest Heinekens on the island. Chatting with Hilma is always a highlight of our trip. After leaving there we headed to Philipsburg to shop for a new swimsuit for me. The traffic was absolutely horrendous, but we finally got there after nearly an hour. A quick stop at Rima to pick up one of their little sundresses that I like to use as beach cover-ups, and we were back on our way into town.
Parking was available in the Bobby’s Marina lot, and we walked over to the Forever New swimsuit shop, which is unfortunately now a dog clothes shop. Since I know many readers are pet lovers, I want to make sure you all hear what this woman did, so that you will think twice about patronizing her shop. I walked into the shop and greeted her; she looked up and said nothing. I looked around, and said that I was looking for the swimsuit shop that used to be there. Her response was, well things change, you can see it’s not a swimsuit shop. So I smiled and said, yes I can, and could she tell me where the shop was now located. Her response was, nowhere around here. I apologized for having disturbed her and left, waiting until I was out of hearing range before expressing my opinion of her. We then walked up the boardwalk for a ways, stopped at a drugstore, and walked over to Front Street. Walking up the road, I saw a sign for Forever New with an arrow pointing to the shop! So I was able to find the shop in spite of this nasty woman’s lies. When I mentioned what had happened to Francesca, the owner of Forever New, she said it has happened many times. Anyway, Francesca didn’t have my size but had a new shipment coming in later, so I’ll go back for my suit. I did stop by the old location and let the nasty lady know that I had found the shop in spite of her.
After leaving Philipsburg we drove the outside road past Oyster Pond, and on to Paradise View, where we enjoyed delicious scallop crepes with a glass of wine for lunch. It was our first time there, and we’ll definitely be back. The crepes are huge, and the filling is so flavorful! Afterwards we stopped by Bernadette’s shack and picked up a couple of bottles of Ma DouDou for gifts and left a small donation for the kitties. I also found a sundress in one of the shops there; they do have different items than Rima.
Leaving there we headed to Grand Case, where we stopped by Tijon. We had a nice visit with Cyndi; John is still in California for the opening of their new shop there in La Jolla. We each picked up a new scent, and I got some of their Caribe Baie after sun lotion. I just love that lotion; it smells fabulous and just feels so good after a day in the sun.
Then we headed towards Marigot with the intent of stopping at Le Gout de Vin to spend the gift certificate we won at the ILMID fundraiser, but the city was a zoo filled with cruise tours, and we thought they might be closed for their midday break anyway, so we headed home.
Dinner that evening was at Chez Langston, and was another pasta creation with ingredients from the pantry. Along with a bottle of Sancerre and fresh baguette, it hit the spot.
Thursday was a Kakao day. My morning drink was a Rum Runner, which was delicious. The winds have finally come, and there was a nice breeze all day. Folks told us it was very cloudy there the day before and that with the wind it had actually been cold, but Thursday the sun was warm and it was pleasant. For lunch David had the special, which was Cajun-spiced shrimp and chicken skewers, served with rice, potatoes au gratin, and assorted veggies. I had the lobster salad, which consists of half a lobster served on a bed of greens, with shrimp, smoked fish, and sauces. It was so delicious, and when I had eaten all I could, David got even more meat out of the lobster. We had ordered a bottle of our favorite Sancerre, but they must have been out of it and instead brought a bottle of Petit Chablis, which was OK, but not the Sancerre that we love. The complimentary rum shot after the meal was mango flavored, and was quite tasty.
Friday we decided to finish the shopping that we had not completed on Wednesday. We headed to Marigot and had breakfast at Serafina’s. I had a delicious slice of quiche, David had a coffee éclair, and we each had a cappuccino. Their cappuccino is sooo good!
After breakfast we walked up the street to Le Gout de Vin, where we used our winnings from the ILMID benefit to defray some of the cost of a very nice bottle of Pouilly-Fuisse. The lady in the shop was very gracious in helping us to make our selection. It’s a small shop, but they have a wide selection of wines and some liquor as well.
Then we walked over to the marketplace where I found a nice freshwater pearl necklace, before we took the lowlands route back to our unit to drop off our purchases before we went to Philipsburg.
In Philipsburg we went to Forever New and I tried on and purchased my new swimsuit, which I love! Francesca showed me a nice skirt to match it, but unfortunately she didn’t have that in my size, so I’ll have to wait for that. We stopped by her husband Alain’s shop, Saveurs de France, for a freshly-made lemonade, but unfortunately they were out, so we’ll go back another time. I had my mouth ready for something cold and tart, so we stopped at the bar in front of the pharmacy for a frozen mojito.
Feeling better, we decided to stop at the Greenhouse and share a jerk chicken wrap. It was exactly the right amount of food to tide us over until dinner at Crave.
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