Arrived here Nov 4th…AA Orlando – Miami – SXM. I hate Miami airport with a passion and I just dread the return on 2 Dec.

Daughter and son-in-law arrived on the 8th and left the 16th. Her second trip, his first. We are all lazy people and did not do much at all. Sand gravity and all that! Had some good lunches/dinners. The Garlic Shrimp at Skies the Limit is still fantastic! I can never finish eating all the food they give you and it was all very good. Had a couple of good lunches at Mark’s. Best hamburgs on the island.

Took the kids over to the BBB to see Wanda and have my Bushwacker. I love their hotdogs and the other two had burgers which they both agreed were the best. Took several walks down Front St. and the Boardwalk. A nice lunch at Taloula Mango’s. The Greenhouse is their favorite for Happy Hour and stopped there a couple of times.
Ate dinner there both times. Breakfast at Chesterfields and also dinner there and both were good. Took a ride over the Paradise View and daughter did a little shopping in the gift stores there. We were both sorry to see that Claudette has really closed the restaurant. I’ve had some great meals there.

Only bad note was California. We got dressed up and went over there either Friday or Saturday, can’t remember which evening it was now. Senior Moments you know. Anyway we walked in around 6:45 or so and there was one other table occupied. The place was not even set up for dinner! Bare tables, paper napkins, no wine/water glasses. Very surprising. And then the waiter is dressed in ragged jeans and not a very clean t-shirt. I think we should have just turned around and left then. Unfortunately we did not. We ordered a bottle of water and it was just plunked down on the end of the table for us to pour. Susan and I then ordered a bottle of wine and the waiter just plunked that down also and walked away. I was astonished!

Ok now this place is one for one but don’t let that fool you at all. The prices have been raised…a lot. I am not complaining about the prices this is just a fact I am stating. I ordered the grouper in lime butter sauce and I don’t remember what the other two ordered. The grouper was really very, very good what there was of it. Now I do not have a big appetite and I know that the French do not put a lot on your plate but this was ridiculous. One bite, maybe a bite and a half of the vegetables was provided…creamed spinach, green beans and the red cabbage thing which I love. And a few bites of rice.

I was really so disappointed and I had raved and raved about the restaurant to my daughter and son-in-law so it was a big letdown. It really has changed since I was there two years ago and not for the better. I sincerely hope that this was just a bad, very bad night for the restaurant. I would hate to have it keep up that way.

Right now I am going to go take a walk down Front St.

Annie