Week Two – November 30 – December 6
I had already decided that Saturday would be a Kakao day, as it’s usually not as crowded on Orient on Saturdays. We arrived there around 10 AM, and immediately headed off for our morning walk, after having located chairs to our liking. There wasn’t much wind at all, but dark clouds threatened most of the day. Unlike most days, though, the clouds that seem to be over Le Gallion didn’t result in rain on Orient, and the storms seemed to split and go around us all day. We had one short period of drizzle, but other than that, it was a decent day.
For lunch we shared their endive salad and a pizza especiale, both favorites. Along with a bottle of delicious French rose, and it gets no better. After lunch, another walk, and some chair time finished off the day. The clouds became pretty solid and the wind picked up a lot, so we headed home around 3 as we were both chilly.
Saturday evening is the annual ILMID benefit, so we got spiffed up and headed over to Peg Leg Pub. We had not been there before, but found it with no problems and arrived a few minutes before the rest of our crowd (yes, Todd, MJ, and Annie…there’s a theme here). Linda greeted us and we settled in to a table away from the music, closer to the open kitchen, where we had a pretty good view of the goings on. We purchased our raffle tickets and cocktails and had a wonderful time. It’s always fun to see everyone at this event, and Ursula had a great turnout. The little doggie fashion show is cute, and our favorite won, so we were all happy. Jackie and Rae arrived a little later and joined us. I wasn’t overly hungry, so decided on the appetizer sampler platter, which was huge. Thankfully I had some help with that. Annie got cocoanut shrimp, MJ had a salad with steak strips, Todd had a ribeye, and David a chicken kabob. I guess it must have all been good, as no one said otherwise. Frankly, I was having too much fun chatting with everyone to pay much attention to the food (I know..not like me at all). Todd and MJ won a couple of raffle prizes, as did Sharon, whose tickets they had as she couldn’t make it. We were not lucky this year.
Sunday morning started out sunny with a nice breeze, and after coffee on the balcony, I met Todd and MJ and we walked the hills behind LaVista…quite the workout. After that we all headed to Layla’s with Annie, only to find the gate locked at 10 AM, in spite of the posted hours stating that they opened at 8. We tried to call, but no answer, so we drove back down the road to Dreams, where we had bloody marys and contemplated the direction of our day. As it was probably the prettiest beach day we’d had yet, we decided to stay where we were and settled into the comfy lounge chairs on the beach. There was a bounty of sea glass to be had, so we all had fun collecting that, and found some pretty blues and whites in addition to the usual green. Around one, we heard what sounded like a sax player warming up, and sure enough, Bruno has brought in a jazz combo on Sunday. What a treat! The little singer, whose name I unfortunately didn’t get, has the biggest voice, and we all enjoyed the music while we had our lunch. David and I had decided we would eat light and had planned on going out for dinner in the evening, but that plan was thwarted when I saw the description of the mixed seafood grill. Salmon, snapper, scallops, and freshwater shrimp, grilled and served in a lobster sauce. Yep, that’s me, and it was fabulous! David had the half rotisserie chicken, and although he said he was going to take some home, he cleaned his plate and gnawed the bones pretty clean. Todd had a meaty pizza, MJ a delicious salad with cambembert cheese wrapped in pastry, and Annie had grilled shrimp. We inaugurated the Benner’s Advent Calendar, and three bottles of Sauvingon Blanc later we were ready to head back to the beach, where we relaxed until time to go home.
Us old folks stayed in for the evening, enjoying cheese, fruit and wine on the balcony under the stars.
Monday was a Karakter day, and we picked Annie up and got there early so as to be sure to get chairs and parking. Todd and MJ had planned on spending the day at Cupecoy, but couldn’t stand the thought of not seeing us. OK, it might have had something to do with the fact that Marvin and Sue were going to be there too. Anyway, we all had another nice day with drinks, lunch, and long beach walks. Karakter does get pretty crowded as the day wears on, but it’s still a beautiful place, and we love the food there. I had the French Character for lunch, which is a green salad topped with soft, creamy goat cheese, toasted pecans, and a balsamic vinaigrette. Very tasty! David had the Indonesian Character, which is a chicken satay served with a small salad. Todd and MJ shared three appetizers, and Annie had the coconut shrimp.
David and I had planned to meet with Greg at The Palms just to nail down the details of our party there, so we headed back home around 3:30. The bridge was up, but we managed to dodge the big jam by dropping Annie off first so the traffic had pretty much cleared by the time we got back.
We had a lovely chat with Greg before ordering appetizers and dinner. Thankfully Pav had not been on the island long enough to eat all the lasagna, so we were finally able to taste this legendary treat. David had a slice of Mom’s apple pie, warmed up and served with coconut ice cream, and it was perfect.
Because Tuesday was our party day, we had decided to just stay at home for the day. We headed over to the Yacht Club for breakfast and to watch the 9:30 bridge opening. I had a Blood Mary (excellent, by the way), and their eggs benedict. David just had coffee and a bagel. Jim Wolf and his wife Luda arrived while we were there, so it was nice to finally meet them and put faces with the names.
After breakfast we stopped at Endless Summer to do some swimsuit shopping, and then went back to the room, hanging out by the pool and having lunch on our balcony. We headed over to the Palms early, so as to make sure everything was ready for the party, and folks started arriving shortly after we did. Greg, Jo, and Greg’s parents did a fabulous job, and everyone had a great time. The party was well-attended, and most everyone who signed up either attended or let me know why they didn’t make it. We stayed and had dinner there, as many others did as well, and Greg’s drunken ribs definitely didn’t disappoint.
Wednesday we had friends coming in off a cruise ship, so we headed over to Philipsburg to meet them. We had breakfast at Chesterfields; I had their Spanish omelet, which is quite good, along with a very tasty Bloody Mary. As the appointed time for our meeting passed, we saw Dave (Happy Hour Tours) and Tequila opening up their booth nearby, so we walked over and chatted with them as we waited for our friends. Dave suggested that they might be an hour late, as some ships don’t change their time as they enter different ports, and that proved to be the case. Once Susan (who we had met at Tuscan Women Cook), and her husband Wayde, arrived, we headed towards Orient, taking the outside route so they could see the beautiful vistas along with way. At quick stop at Kakao so that they could see Orient, and decide if they wanted to stay there or head on around to Dreams. Orient was extremely crowded with six ships, two huge ones, in port, so we didn’t stay. We continued on, through Grand Case, and then Marigot, where traffic was horrendous. We finally arrived at Dreams, where we met up with the Benners, Annie, Jim & Luda, Brad and Lora, and Marvin and Sue. A little beach and water time, and it was time for lunch. I had the cheese salad this day, which is a huge piece of Camembert, wrapped in phyllo and baked until the dough is crispy and the cheese is delightfully soft. This is placed on a bed of greens with lots of thinly sliced and very crispy bacon on top, and a nice light vinaigrette. Delicious! Susan had the rotisserie chicken salad, Wayde the conch trio, and David a pizza made with fresh tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella. Washed down with a couple of bottles of wine, and everything was pronounced perfect. Davide left the rum bottle on the tables, and our group of eleven proceeded to empty it without difficulty.
As Susan and Wayde had to get back to their ship, we left the rest of the group there and continued our around-the-island tour. We stopped in Maho with the hope of seeing a plane land, but just missed one and the next wasn’t due for nearly an hour. They did get to see a US Airways flight taking off “the wrong way”, so that was fun. We continued on around to Philipsburg, with the traffic being just horrible. It’s a good thing we didn’t stay to watch the planes.
After dropping them off, we couldn’t decide where we wanted to have dinner, so opted to cook in. David ran down to get the ingredients for a mushroom and green pea risotto while I showered. By the time I started to cook, I was completely exhausted and not in the least bit hungry, so we stuck everything in the fridge and went to bed.
Thursday we had dinner reservations in Grand Case, so decided to have a low-key day at home. We had our annual breakfast at the Hideway with our dear friend, and just stayed around the pool for the rest of the day. I finished making the risotto that I had started the night before, and that was our lunch.
Thursday evening we drove over to Grand Case with Todd and MJ, for dinner at L’Estaminet, our favorite restaurant on the island. We parked in the pay lot there, and felt completely safe walking both to and from the restaurant, although we did not see the increased Gendarmes patrols we had heard about. I guess they may be at the free lot. There did seem to be less traffic on the road, but a couple of motorcycles did roar down the road while we ate.
MJ and I had a glass of Champagne, and Todd and David had martinis, as we perused the specials and the menu. Carol described the appetizer special as being like a tartare, although everything was cooked. By that she meant that the ingredients were finely chopped and seasoned as a tartare would be. The main ingredient was a purple potato preparation with chorizo. This was placed in the bulb part a glass serving dish, which looked almost like a forcing vase with a flat plate on top. A long-handled spoon was provided to access the potato “tartare”. Placed in the opening was a crispy cheese-filled rollup, that had absorbed some of the potato’s vinaigrette, so the bottom of it was softer and the top quite crisp. On the attached plate was another “tartare” of Jerusalem artichokes, and the plate was decorated with drops of flavored oils and pureed veggies. Oh, and there was a foam too, that had a smoky flavor and aroma.
As always, I asked Carole to choose the wine for each course, and with the appetizers she suggested a Sancerre, which was, of course, perfect.
For our entrees, we each ordered something different. I had the special rack of veal, David had the sea bass, MJ a chicken preparation, and Todd a steak. I really can’t describe anyone’s but mine, as we were having nice conversations and I didn’t pay a lot of attention to everyone’s food. My rack of veal was served rare, and with a delicious sauce. I was surprised at how tender it was, which Carole said is accomplished by cooking at a low temperature. Of course, the usual vegetable garnished were my favorite part of the meal: red cabbage with Cajun seasoning, a teeny potato gratin, perfectly diced carrots with cinnamon, and zucchini (can’t remember the spice on that). Everything was delicious, of course.
For dessert, Todd and MJ shared their famous Cigar dessert, which looks exactly like a real cigar lying in an ashtray, complete with ashes and smoke. The cigar is presented with a small glass upside-down on the plate, which when lifted by the waiter, wafts real cigar smoke and aroma over the plate. The entire presentation is edible and very tasty, and there’s even a slight cigar flavor, which is quite pleasant.
David and I shared a salted caramel cake, which is like the typical molten chocolate cake, but more of a spice cake with salted caramel filling. It was, of course, perfect.
When we were finished, Carole presented their signature after-dinner drink, a tiramisu shot, made by layering Kalua, Baileys, and cream with a dusting of cocoa on top. To get the true flavor, you must drink it as a shot.
A couple of notes: First, L’Estaminet does accept the Privilege Card and offers a 10% discount, and secondly, they offer a favorable exchange rate of 1.15 for cash.
Friday we had planned to go to Kokomo, the new beach bar and restaurant in Indigo Bay, but when I saw that there was only one ship in, I decided I wanted to go to Kakao instead. On arrival we claimed our chairs and started off for our walk. It was pretty windy, and Carl mentioned that the winds were supposed to get even stronger in the next couple of days. After our walk, some chair time, and one of GP’s Bloody Marys, it was time for lunch. I had their lobster salad on my mind and David ordered the lobster pasta. Unfortunately they had neither of these items, so I switched my order to Salade Nicoise, and David opted for their chicken special. His chicken breast was butterflied, stuffed with a crabmeat mousse, rolled and baked, and served with a delicious burre blanc. The usual veggies were present, a potato gratin, some carrots, and zucchini.
My salad was perfect, with pickled white anchovies instead of the fishier oil-packed ones. We accompanied our meals with a bottle of Sancerre, and had just about finished eating when the black clouds rolled in and the wind whipped up. David ran down to get our beach bag and towels, and the waitstaff rushed around to drop all the wind curtains. In spite of those curtains, there was no way to stay dry in our little spot, so we poured the rest of the wine and rushed inside. The rain lasted for about 20 minutes or so, when we returned to our table, paid our check, and headed home.
.
