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Christmas 2014 Trip Report--Food, glorious food!
#32171
01/06/2015 11:52 AM
01/06/2015 11:52 AM
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,852 Central Florida!
Carol_Hill
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As has become our pattern these days at Beachside Villas, this time we almost never went out to breakfast or lunch, and had several dinners ‘in’ at home at Beachside. This is not from any conscious effort to save money or anything else, but merely a function of how ‘at home’ we feel there and particularly during the day, if we didn’t have an appointment or if we didn’t have to go to the grocery store <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />, we spent our days at Beachside Villas. Looking at this beach …and with our own fridge and grill and drinks right there, on what we think is the best beach on the island, why go anywhere else??? So, for some details— We brought a few things from home, in a mini-soft-sided cooler that fit inside our carry on bag, but we also spent a ton of money at Le Grand Marche , usually the one by Mark’s, which is our favorite, even though the one in Cole Bay is now quite a bit faster to get to over the Causeway from Beachside. We also bought wine a couple of times at the Gourmet Grand Marche in Simpson Bay and our first night we bought some wine and cheese at the Maho Market , since we arrived at 9:30 on a Sunday night. We bought our wheel of gouda to take home with us at Cost U Less. We don’t do much elaborate cooking on island, but we do a TON of grilling. On island, we bought hamburgers, chicken and steak kabobs, and ribs, which you have already seen here! Everything we bought in terms of meat on island was good quality. We bought a standing beef rib roast, which was substantially more than here in Florida, but it was for our Christmas dinner and was really a wonderful piece of meat. Probably the most crowded conditions we saw anywhere on island during our trip was at Grand Marche and at Cost U Less on Christmas Eve. Both stores were packed, of course! We left the GM about noon and our cashier said the night before they had been open until midnight, and expected to be open well past their anticipated closing time of 6 PM on Christmas Eve. We cooked in for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, even though there were many restaurants open, as we hated to make someone work on those days. Breakfast We got some ham and cheese quiche from Le SUCIERE one morning and we met our great good friend Peter for breakfast one morning at THE HIDEAWAY . We enjoyed French toast and sausage and eggs and bacon and some lovely conversation with Peter, along with the fabulous view! Otherwise, we had breakfast in, with eggs, omelettes, ham, bacon, etc., with Santo Domingo coffee and toast and good old Florida’s Natural Orange Juice (made 10 miles from our house in Florida), along with the not-so-good-as the French strawberry jelly from Grand Marche. We did bring home a jar of the good French jelly though! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" /> LUNCH For lunch, we went to the YACHT CLUB on our first full day. I had a burger and Eric had a buffalo chicken sandwich, both with fries. Both were good and hit the spot since we hadn’t had any breakfast and had just arrived late the night before. Sorry, no pictures. Our only other ‘lunch’ out probably shouldn’t count as ‘lunch’, so much as an ‘afternoon’, which we spent with our great friends Bob and Lyn at DREAMS . We were there on a Sunday, which is one of their busiest days and the restaurant was full, including some fairly large tables. We were seated and brought menus, etc., and when the waiter first approached us, we were still too busy talking to think about ordering anything, so we shooed him away. We spent a long, lazy afternoon, having a lovely time. Eric and I shared the soup in a puff pastry Followed by the Bo Bin Salad (sp!!!) for me.. And the rib eye steak for Eric Bob and Lyn shared the foie gras platter ….Followed by tuna tartar for Lyn and the burger for Bob. Oddly enough, everyone made a grab for Bob’s fries, which were out of this world! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" /> We enjoyed just a lovely afternoon with great food and great company! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/toast.gif" alt="" /> DINNER Our first dinner out, we went to FIG , which we had SO enjoyed in June. We arrived at 7 and while we had made a reservation, we didn’t need it. I did not take the camera, so sorry, no pictures.. Eric had the special appetizer, which was garlic nan, a type of a spring roll, a sweeter version, served with a sprig of mint—unusual, but tasty. I had the special broccoli soup, which was good, but suffered from some rather large broccoli pieces inside. Eric ordered the mahi mahi for his main, which he said was very nice, and moist. I wanted to save room for dessert, so ordered a grilled shrimp salad with peanuts, pea pods and an Asian sauce. It was good, although a bit heavy on the sauce. We shared a carrot cake dessert and coffee, along with a complementary kind of eggnog rum drink, which was very tasty. Afterwards, we talked to the owner for a while, discussing the state of the world in general and the evils of the internet.. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Smile.gif" alt="" /> Our Christmas Dinner was served at che’ Hill, standing beef rib roast, with horseradish, baked potatoes, salad (sorry, didn’t think to take a picture of the rib roast!), served with a nice merlot and some lovely desserts, purchased from Le Suciere. [img] http://www.info-res.com/ehill/ttol/bsvdec2014/christmasdessert.jpg[/img] On Boxing Day (December 26), Eric decided at 7 PM that we should go to Grand Case for dinner. We normally go to SXM in off season, when such a late decision would not have been an issue, finding someplace to dine. We tried several of our favorites, all of which could not serve us for at least an hour, and wound up at La VILLA . We started with a lobster bisque, which had an outstanding flavor, and would have been just heavenly if there had been just a few bits of actual lobster in it. I had the rack of lamb, which were cooked and seasoned well, and Eric had the tuna. [img] http://www.info-res.com/ehill/ttol/bsvdec2014/lvrackoflamb.jpg[/img] The best part of the meal was probably the trio of custards for dessert—a crème brulee’, a DYNAMITE vanilla custard with raspberry sauce and a wonderful crème brulee’ ice cream. [img] http://www.info-res.com/ehill/ttol/bsvdec2014/lvdessert.jpg[/img] They had a 50 Euro special of any appetizer, any entre, and any dessert, so we did that, plus one additional entre and a bottle of wine. We paid cash for 1 to 1 and the meal came in at a very respectable price of $130, all in. We had never dined there before and it was very good, and a decent price, with the 1 to 1. I do not think it will replace either Bistrot Cariabe or Ocean 82 in my heart though. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Smile.gif" alt="" /> What WAS totally lovely was the fact that Grand Case was PACKED that night! Every restaurant seemed to be full of patrons. And what was even more lovely was the street was quiet and peaceful. NO motorcycles roaring up and down. NO cars going by with loud music. I saw 6 gendarmes walking the street in one direction. One of them nodded and spoke to me and I tried to keep from salivating, as they are so darned HANDSOME!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" /> Later, they drove down the street in their vehicle, plus private security was on hand. Such a LOVELY experience, to see Grand Case as it used to be!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" /> As we were leaving in the car, we drove past Bistrot Cariabes and said good evening to our good friends, Thibault and Amaury. [img] http://www.info-res.com/ehill/ttol/bsvdec2014/thibault.jpg[/img] One night we went to THE STONE , which is at Simpson Bay Resort. Fort those not staying at the resort, you can park in the gated parking lot across from the casino if you tell them you are dining at the Stone. For those that don’t know, it is owned and operated by Johan Roebert, Neil’s son. We opted to eat inside, even though the outside ambiance was much better, as I am such a mosquito magnet. We started with a cheese fondue, then Eric had a very nice tuna steak, which you finish cooking yourself on the stone. [img] http://www.info-res.com/ehill/ttol/bsvdec2014/stonesalmon.jpg[/img] We both took advantage of the menu featuring several smaller plates for entre, for those like me that have a hard time finishing a whole meal and still enjoying dessert. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Smile.gif" alt="" /> I enjoyed a half lobster [img] http://www.info-res.com/ehill/ttol/bsvdec2014/stonehalflobster.jpg[/img] We finished with a totally decadent dessert of caramelized bananas with ice cream that was da bomb! [img] http://www.info-res.com/ehill/ttol/bsvdec2014/stonebananasflambe.jpg[/img] Local friends on island told us that the week between Christmas and New Year’s is among the most difficult to get reservations at the really top dining spots. We found that to be the case at TEMPTATION . Dino was able to wedge us in at 6:30 on the 29th, since we were only a table for two, as otherwise, we would have been shut out! We started with the simply elegant Temptation salad, accented with pear. This is half of the salad, which they volunteered to split for us, when I said that Eric would just have a bite of my salad. [img] http://www.info-res.com/ehill/ttol/bsvdec2014/temptationsalad.jpg[/img] Eric chose the salmon [img] http://www.info-res.com/ehill/ttol/bsvdec2014/temptationsalmon.jpg[/img] and I had the totally delicious 5 ounce filet from the Rare menu, knowing that I needed to save room for one of Dino’s delicious desserts. I actually don’t recall how it was described on the menu, but we ended up with the flower pot dessert. I’m sure our reaction was the same as most others, a giggle of laughter! [img] http://www.info-res.com/ehill/ttol/bsvdec2014/temptationflowerpot.jpg[/img] What was hidden beneath the brownie “dirt” of the pot was a wonderful mixture of bananas and crème, a delicious surprise beneath the surface! Such a fun, whimsical dessert! Speaking of the flower pot dessert, while we were there, we purchased a copy of Dino’s new cookbook, which is a fabulous mixture of cooking, photography and poetry, all benefitting two good causes, Be the Change and Art Saves Lives. Dino autographed it for us personally, which is a good reason to buy your copy at the restaurant. The book is available several places on island and is available by mail in the states. I will post a separate note later on about the book. As always, we enjoyed our dining experiences, and wished we had more time and more ROOM in our stomachs to enjoy the gastronomical paradise that is Sint Maarten/ST. Martin!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/chef.gif" alt="" />
Last edited by Carol_Hill; 01/06/2015 02:05 PM.
Carol Hill
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Re: Christmas 2014 Trip Report--Food, glorious food!
[Re: SXMWendell]
#32173
01/06/2015 01:11 PM
01/06/2015 01:11 PM
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,852 Central Florida!
Carol_Hill
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Actually, we took a couple of Santa hats, that we wore when we made some deliveries of some goodies Christmas eve. Forgot to take a picture though! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />
Carol Hill
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Re: Christmas 2014 Trip Report--Food, glorious food!
[Re: jazzgal]
#32175
01/06/2015 01:22 PM
01/06/2015 01:22 PM
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,852 Central Florida!
Carol_Hill
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I have SO enjoyed your trip reports with all the food pictures also!
I have had that salad twice at Dreams. I was almost afraid to order it, as I loved it so much the first time, but it was just as good the second time!
Carol Hill
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Re: Christmas 2014 Trip Report--Food, glorious food!
[Re: Carol_Hill]
#32176
01/06/2015 01:26 PM
01/06/2015 01:26 PM
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Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,649 Brookfield, CT.
pat
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Absolutely gorgeous photos of some incredibly good eating, and I say this with a miserable head cold that can't even manage tea and a toasted English muffin, but after seeing your photos, I'm starving, if only in my mind! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />
Respectfully,
pat
"Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them."
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Re: Christmas 2014 Trip Report--Food, glorious food!
[Re: pat]
#32177
01/06/2015 01:39 PM
01/06/2015 01:39 PM
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,852 Central Florida!
Carol_Hill
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Sorry you're not feeling any better yet, my friend! Glad you enjoyed the pictures though.
Carol Hill
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Re: Christmas 2014 Trip Report--Food, glorious food!
[Re: plequerre]
#32179
01/06/2015 01:45 PM
01/06/2015 01:45 PM
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,852 Central Florida!
Carol_Hill
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Me too, as I eat my bowl of chili soup for lunch! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Laugh.gif" alt="" />
Carol Hill
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Re: Christmas 2014 Trip Report--Food, glorious food!
[Re: BeachKitten]
#32181
01/06/2015 02:11 PM
01/06/2015 02:11 PM
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Posts: 82,852 Central Florida!
Carol_Hill
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Yes, even though we tried to order smaller plates up front, we still HAD to do the desserts and unfortunately, we weren't able to finish the ones at Temptation or at The Stone. The one at LaVilla was a bit lighter, so that one we finished! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" /> I'm pretty sure we finished the carrot cake at Fig too, as I do love my carrot cake!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/chef.gif" alt="" />
Carol Hill
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Re: Christmas 2014 Trip Report--Food, glorious food!
[Re: Bobbie]
#32183
01/06/2015 02:41 PM
01/06/2015 02:41 PM
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Carol_Hill
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I have to make a conscious effort to take the camera with me when we go out to eat and it's kind of a PITA at times, but I love being able to re-live the meals through the pictures!
The beach at Beachside Villas is just stunning. We SO loved our stay this time! Not like we don't love it there normally, but the weather was just so wonderful, that we were able to sit in the 'house' all day long with no a/c and just enjoy the wonderful view and not be hot at all. It was just lovely.
Carol Hill
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Re: Christmas 2014 Trip Report--Food, glorious food!
[Re: The_Lurker]
#32185
01/06/2015 03:08 PM
01/06/2015 03:08 PM
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Carol_Hill
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The salad at Dreams, if that's the one you are referring to, had shrimp and beef, peanuts, sprouts, not sure what all else, but it was wonderful!
Carol Hill
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Re: Christmas 2014 Trip Report--Food, glorious food!
[Re: Carol_Hill]
#32186
01/06/2015 03:11 PM
01/06/2015 03:11 PM
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 2,081 Clearwater, FL
Biturbo
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I was also wondering about that salad. Sounds and looks delicious.
I'm going where the weather suits my clothes.
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Re: Christmas 2014 Trip Report--Food, glorious food!
[Re: singbeach]
#32189
01/06/2015 03:35 PM
01/06/2015 03:35 PM
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Joined: Aug 2000
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Carol_Hill
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For us, certainly, there's nothing better than Beachside!
Carol Hill
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Re: Christmas 2014 Trip Report--Food, glorious food!
[Re: axd0424]
#32190
01/06/2015 03:37 PM
01/06/2015 03:37 PM
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Carol_Hill
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Trip reports with pictures are just so much better..
Carol Hill
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Re: Christmas 2014 Trip Report--Food, glorious food!
[Re: RoryS]
#32192
01/06/2015 03:55 PM
01/06/2015 03:55 PM
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Carol_Hill
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No, what they did was bake the brownie--or chocolate cake mix, etc.,--and then crumble it all up, to look like dirt. If it was baked in there, it wouldn't look like dirt. What makes it so cute is that it really LOOKS like dirt, and then you put in this case mint in it to look like a plant. You can take that same idea and do most anything under the 'dirt'. It's in Dino's new cookbook. I am planning on recreating it myself, just got to go buy a plastic flower pot and run it through the dishwasher. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Smile.gif" alt="" />
Carol Hill
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Re: Christmas 2014 Trip Report--Food, glorious food!
[Re: Lreserve]
#32194
01/06/2015 04:46 PM
01/06/2015 04:46 PM
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Joined: Aug 2000
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Carol_Hill
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Don't know about the magazine deal, but it's more a function of not being afraid to get CLOSE. That's my first rule of photography, zoom in on what you're taking a picture of!
Carol Hill
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Re: Christmas 2014 Trip Report--Food, glorious food!
[Re: moxie]
#32196
01/06/2015 04:59 PM
01/06/2015 04:59 PM
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Carol_Hill
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I am camera shy and I think I take pictures better than he does, both! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />
Carol Hill
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Re: Christmas 2014 Trip Report--Food, glorious food!
[Re: moxie]
#32197
01/06/2015 05:22 PM
01/06/2015 05:22 PM
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moxie said: I went to write about the hamburger at Dreams and saw that it was already there. Moxie or Carol..... Is the Dreams burger bacon & Brie, or is it a St Marcellin?
"It is good to do nothing all day, and then to rest"
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Re: Christmas 2014 Trip Report--Food, glorious food!
[Re: BeachKitten]
#32199
01/06/2015 05:56 PM
01/06/2015 05:56 PM
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Carol_Hill
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I honestly don't remember, Bob didn't share his burger, just the fries!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />
Carol Hill
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Re: Christmas 2014 Trip Report--Food, glorious food!
[Re: Carol_Hill]
#32201
01/06/2015 06:39 PM
01/06/2015 06:39 PM
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Lots of food there Carol for only eating out a few times. It is a good thing you didn't eat out all 10 nights, as we would have been totally tortured with goodness! As the saying goes, "a picture is worth a thousand words!"
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Re: Christmas 2014 Trip Report--Food, glorious food!
[Re: islandgem]
#32202
01/06/2015 07:01 PM
01/06/2015 07:01 PM
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Joined: Aug 2000
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Carol_Hill
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I actually don't want to go out every night any more either. One night we had ham sandwiches for dinner. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Blush.gif" alt="" />
Carol Hill
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Re: Christmas 2014 Trip Report--Food, glorious food!
[Re: SharonfromSXM]
#32204
01/06/2015 07:08 PM
01/06/2015 07:08 PM
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Joined: Aug 2000
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Carol_Hill
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OK, there you go then! Thanks!
So great to see you and Mike, and to actually have decent service at the Upper View!!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> Hopefully that will make it in one of these reports eventually!
Carol Hill
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Re: Christmas 2014 Trip Report--Food, glorious food!
[Re: Carol_Hill]
#32205
01/06/2015 08:50 PM
01/06/2015 08:50 PM
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Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 7,132 St Louis, MO
SXMNorm
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Thanks for the pics and descriptions, Carol.
Next SXM visit -November 2023. Also January 2024.
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Re: Christmas 2014 Trip Report--Food, glorious food!
[Re: SXMNorm]
#32206
01/06/2015 08:54 PM
01/06/2015 08:54 PM
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Carol_Hill
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Hey Norm, we all have to survive until the next trip! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Smile.gif" alt="" />
Carol Hill
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Re: Christmas 2014 Trip Report--Food, glorious food!
[Re: phillygirl7]
#32209
01/06/2015 09:44 PM
01/06/2015 09:44 PM
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Joined: Aug 2000
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Carol_Hill
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I honestly didn't think of that, but seriously, how bad could it be?? The worst that could happen is that you could throw it away! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />
Carol Hill
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Re: Christmas 2014 Trip Report--Food, glorious food!
[Re: fabila]
#32210
01/06/2015 09:45 PM
01/06/2015 09:45 PM
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Louise--Fig also offers smaller plates of their salads, in particular. And in general, their prices are reasonable, so you might want to check them out next time.
Carol Hill
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