Ici t’es Ailleur

What’s the word on this place on Friar’s? Or maybe it’s not on Friar’s. I can’t tell by the map. A friend was asking.

aka: Here you are
There is not another place new at Friars and not exactly sure the origin of it being posted elsewhere but that is written all over at Friars Bay Beach Cafe, which was fantastic today!
Cheers,
T

Rub it in, Todd. Rub it in!

When I read the opening post I thought it was the tag line for Friars Bay Beach Cafe, which has been a favorite of ours for probably fifteen or twenty years and maybe more, but reading the post I thought the op was looking for a new place by that name.

IMHO, you can not go wrong with the food at FBBC which is why so many working islanders come there over those crummy roads just to enjoy their incredible lunches.

Not sure of their full menu selections but I had the worst hamburger ever in st maarten there. Pedro's on orient was the worst until this one.

Why am I not surprised?! 😊😊 I guess stuff happens!

I had my first croque monsieur here, along with my first baked Camembert, along with my first beef carpaccio and the list goes on and on and on with never a disappointment!

Pat--funny, I had a croque monsieur there at FBBC and it was TERRIBLE. Much better one at Le Suciere, for $5.. Go figure..

I've only been there a couple of times, but each time I had the croque monsieur. Sorry yours wasn't good Carol. Perhaps a bad or off day with the chef. It's my favorite there.

Mine was MUSHY.

Sorry. What is croque monsieur?

Croque Monsieur

Thanks. Looks to be a grilled ham and cheese on steroids. Now I have to have one. Maybe with tomato soup. Lol

NOT with Tomato Soup! Quelle Horreur!

It's best with French Fries! And a glass of FRENCH Chardonnay, not that California stuff.
French Chard is totally different flavor than what they call Chardonnay in CA.

And the Croque is covered in Bechamel and put under a salamander to brown a bit. Try it!

What Carol posted. Or try the Croque Madame, that has a fried egg on top. Both are out of this world! (If it's done right).

Tomato soup was a joke. Reminiscent of growing up with grilled cheese dunked into tomato soup for lunch. Hence the lol at end of my post.

Are you sure you were at Friars and not Kali's? Tough to imagine anything bad at FBBC but I suppose it could happen.

Today was spent at La Playa, just fantastic. Les temps des Cerises Jeans, not sure if that is the whole name or too much of it, was also very nice which is next to Rainbow in Grand Case. If I could just mix in some Cupecoy with sand days I would be pretty happy, or even happier.

Pat, wish we could have spent a day with you two there!

Cheers from the island!

Yes at Friars.

Enjoy. We are in Vancouver wa spending Thanksgiving with family. Cold and sunny here.

My Favorite.



2 slices white bread
1 tbsp. clarified butter or unsalted butter (soft)
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 cup grated Gruyère cheese (or a combination of Gruyère and Emmental. See variations below.)
1/2 cup béchamel sauce
1 to 2 slices of ham



Pre-heat your broiler.

Optional: Trim the crusts off of the bread, making the slices as square as possible.

Spread both slices of bread with butter, then flip them over and spread them lightly with Dijon mustard.

In a bowl, combine the cheese and half of the béchamel sauce, and mix until the cheese is fully coated.

Now divide the cheese mixture in half. Spoon half the cheese mixture onto one slice of bread (on the mustard side, not the butter side), and spread it evenly. Lay the sliced ham atop the other slice, then press both halves of the sandwich together.

Spray a bit of cooking spray onto the surface of a nonstick pan. Heat the pan over medium heat until the oil is hot and glistening but not quite smoking.

Place the sandwich into the pan and cook for about 2 minutes, or until the bottom of the bread is a nice shade of golden-brown.

Use a nonstick spatula to flip the croque-monsieur over. Lower the heat a bit and cover the pan. Cook for another minute or two, or until the second slice of bread is also golden brown, and the cheese inside the monsieur is fully melted.

Now transfer the sandwich to a cutting board. Top with the remaining cheese mixture, then spoon the other half of the béchamel over the top.

Broil the sandwich, béchamel side up, for a minute or two until the top of the sandwich is nicely browned. Serve right away.

Recipe Variations

Muenster, Gouda, Fontina, and Comté are good to use instead of or in combination with the Gruyère.
Substitute sliced cooked chicken breast for ham.
Instead of white bread, use sourdough. Leave crusts on.
Top finished sandwich with a fried egg to make a croque madame, possibly named because the egg resembles a ladies' hat.

Looks and sounds good.

That's why there are so many restaurants that still exist all over the island. Everyone has a favorite and everyone has different taste buds. I'd much rather have seafood instead of beef. I'll bet half of you reading this are the same, while the other half think I'm nuts. My wife tells me that all the time.

Most wife's belong to the same fraternal group of thinking that about their husbands. Mine sometimes thinks that too. Lol

The original Vancouver or the one in Canada?

Washington

Lots of work for a ham & cheese sandwich! Back when airlines served food it seemed we always got served that on both flights.

The one in Canada is the originalTodd!! 😁