Awoke to a sky full of clouds and an iffy weather forecast
attended welcome meeting and won bottle of prosecco for having the closest anniversary
they offered mimosas and danish from Zeebest which we have not been going to and were excellent especially the almond croissant

although the refrigerator is full, we treated our selves to the Big Kahuna burger across the street at the burger bar
I would return just for the most wonderful server, Hassan who made the visit even better
The big Kahuna is 24 ounces of beef which was cooked medium as ordered served lettuce, tomatoes, onion, pickles, BBQ sauce with a choice of three toppings
Our big boy was topped with lots of gooey melted goat cheese, caramelized onions and mushrooms
A double order of fries are included and we upgraded to half fries, half onion rings
Fries were adequate as I know fries are always asked about
I enjoyed a large chocolate shake
the restaurant looks like an old pop shop from the past
the refrigerator now has half of a burger for another day
Hassan our server is right up there with JC of La Villa

we drove to Altro in Cupecoy on Sunday night only to find it not open as it is closed on Sundays
we made our return visit on Monday night to find them doing a brisk business
We have been going there since the beginning when I price fix was $29
it is now a whopping $39 for three courses
Menus are provided so I will spare the details

The same two servers are there from year to year with Sammy (male) hustling his butt off to provide great service
I know I said the same last year as they are the only two on the floor and make their own drinks as well
We are so fortunate that Sammy is also one of our favorites servers on the island with such a great personality
as busy as he was, he always has a smile and doesn't skip any service details

Still trying to watch her food consumption and adhering to what doctor said, my wife choose the hummus with roasted eggplant
something a bit different but tasty
mahi mahi ceviche was fresh and well balanced

Wife's fish pot featured salmon, shrimp, mahi and mussels in a fairly rich lobster bisque which I finished up like a soup
the lamb featured one rib and some tender leg of lamb over mashed potatoes and a few petite carrots
portions will be perfect for those who can not eat a lot
at this point there was just enough room for dessert

they prepare a good version of coffee tiramisu, while my molten chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream was a good finish

shots of passionfruit were delivered with the check (no service fee included) and then a small pitcher was left for refills

we stopped over to French Cocotte also in the marina to look over menu, it is attached and looks more like a menu from Grand Case
looks good although I think we are finished with French cooking

A short walk over to Starz City casino
the tables have been removed and only offer slots,
we got our drinks within a minute of sitting down as only a few other players were there

The slots seem to be much looser here than at Casino Royal
we hopped from machine to machine after a good payoff and every machine kept us up

I gave my wife a budget on a new ring but jeweler prefers to only deal with men (cultural thing) and she couldn't negotiate a deal because of the budget while I stayed by the pool
the small winnings will go to the purchase of the ring
Please don't tell her as I am hopping to sneak away from the pool and purchase it today and surprise her
I am going to tell the jeweler to tell her it was sold when we doesn't see it in the window
thankfully humans don't grown fingers as I think is has plenty of diamonds for every finger

Altro is always a enjoyable evening and may get a return visit before the end of the week

Thanks for posting the menu for French Coquette. (sp??) We had intended to get there this time and did not. So many restaurants, so little time!

apologies on first cup of coffee, Cocotte is proper spelling

even with 10 days in Maho, there will be some off the list for next year

It's hard after 7 days of eating French

while we had planned on prime rib night at Greenhouse, just too heavy and we are planning o return visits to Roma and Altro which had plenty of selections which made deciding hard

BTW, at yesterdays RI La Plage breakfast meeting, met Mariam of No 1 SXM who mentioned Linda and JD along with an another who escapes my memory
very nice lady to talk to although we are not doing any excursions

Thanks re that spelling. I seem to have a mental block on that name.

"while we had planned on prime rib night at Greenhouse, just too heavy"
And you don't call a 24ounce burger and a chocolate shake for lunch and then a full course dinner heavy. Man I can't eat that much day after day and call my self healthy. Good for you if you can keep it up.

Thanks for letting me know about Mirian. I'm looking forward to their new combined half-day sail/return during sunset. Being on No1SXM is one of my most favorite SXM activities.

Cabbage-stuffed duck? That's a new one that I will for sure try in November.

I'm also going to try the new burger place in November (sans bun, of course) so appreciate the info about that.

I've had cabbage stuffed with rice and ground lamb but not with duck. I'll await your review if and when you have it.