We believe this to be our 15th vacation in SXM (the last being two years ago) and third trip report. Similar to our previous trip reports, there will be no tales of pub crawls, trips to Pinel or Anguilla, day cruises, snorkeling, or other assorted, exhausting activities. Our quest is to do nothing for ten days and the wife and I have become quite proficient at it. However, there will be tales of fine eating as the wife and I have become quite proficient at that too. Except for darkness, the lure of a nice dinner is one of the few things that can coax us off the beach.
So, aside from a few musings and observations, once again our trip report will be mostly about SXM's dining establishments. We have, and continue to eat at many of the Island's high-end restaurants. In the interest of full disclosure, coming from New Jersey, the diner capital of the world, we define a high-end restaurant as one where the waitress does not call you "hon."
In all our visits to SXM (including this one), we have NEVER had a bad meal or received poor service. However, in our humble opinion, some are better than others and we have taken it upon ourselves to rate restaurants using our famous Profiterole ranking system with the top restaurants receiving a four Protiferole rating. There is no special reason why we use protiferoles instead of the usual stars or forks other than we like to eat 'em and it's our own rankings so we can do whatever we want. In the past, we have received many comments on TTOL about our Protiferole rankings, and despite them, we're gonna do it again.
We were originally booked at the Radisson, where we had stayed on our last trip, but received notice they were closing until December and were given a choice of three replacement hotels. We chose Le Domaine which is located right next to the Radisson in Anse Marcel and shares the same beach (very important to us). Not much has been written about Le Domaine on TTOL and while we'd still give the edge to the Radisson, we have no serious complaints. Compared to the Radisson, the rooms are a bit smaller and the shower/bath/sink area in our room was literally IN OUR ROOM!! We don't know if this is considered very French or not, and we don't have any objections, but it took us awhile to figure out how to maneuver the shower curtains to prevent flooding on the floor.
The wife thought the air-conditioning was great and loved the many shelves built into the wall by the sink which she used for her toiletries. She also liked the desk lighting, which she found very flattering. We both thought the padding on the lounges were the most comfortable we had ever rested on. The staff was very friendly and accommodating and the layout of the hotel is similar to the Radisson's, except at Le Domaine all rooms have an inner garden view. The wife did not like the minimal shelf/drawer space for folded clothes and the somewhat erratic linen/towel service (sometimes washcloths; sometimes not, didn't get extra towels when asked for). We needed those extra towels to buffer and then soak up the shower water IN OUR ROOM!! The wife would have liked bathrobes to be provided and didn't like that on some days, the rooms weren't made up until late afternoon (even though we had been out of the room since 10am). As mentioned before, we prefer the Radisson but wouldn't have any objection to staying at Le Domaine again.
DAY 1
Our Continental flight out of Newark was uneventful and on time. We got through customs relatively fast and miraculously, our luggage was one of the first to come out (maybe the skycap in Newark liked us). We have used Kenny's Car Rental in the past, continue to do so, and were quickly met by Leslie. We would have been on our way had there not been a problem with the brakes. A quick change of vehicles and we're off to Anse Marcel. I noticed that our license plate didn't have the usual "R" on it (our last car was R-18) which immediately begs the question, "why do I notice these things?" We thought the Island looked greener than usual and later found out that there had been a fair amount of rain over the past few weeks. While we don't think SXM could ever be called "lush", it was green enough for us and didn't have to get any greener during our stay. Any additional greening may proceed upon our departure.
We arrived at the hotel at 1:45, checked in, had lunch on the beach and decided to load up on provisions at the US Supermarche near the Grand Case roundabout. Weren't we surprised once we got there to find out they close at 2:00 on Thursdays? We proceeded to go to the supermarket in Marigot and discovered they kept the same hours. We drove back to the hotel and decided the only way to deal with such disappointment was to take a nap.
Our first night's dinner in SXM is traditionally spent at Le Cottage and not being ones to break tradition, we eagerly departed on the first of many trips to Grand Case. Over the years we have always found this restaurant to be one of the Island's best and we continue to use it as the standard-bearer, the one we compare others to. Bruno was on vacation in France but Isabel and the rest of the staff took supreme care of us. To start, we were brought a cold, refreshing amisse brouche. For appetizers, the wife had escargot with tomato, basil, croutons and garlic served with fois gras and smoked duck in tempura style and I had the local lobster soup (not a bisque, much less creamy). Both were excellent. My entree was local red snapper roasted on the skin side, red sweet pepper, chives, mini ratatouille, with shrimp and squid served on mashed potatoes. The wife had monkfish with leeks, lemon, mussel juice and vegetables, toast of baby tomatoes, ricotta cheese and bacon. We each had the chocolate souffle for dessert, preventing a nasty fight over portion sharing if we had only ordered one.
Le Cottage has not rested on its laurels. As good as we remembered it, we think it has gotten even better. Our previous ranking was 3 1/2 Protiferoles, but (and we don't take this lightly) we feel it's worthy of the fourth. Le Cottage is only the second restaurant on SXM to attain this majestic ranking.
We then went to the Princess Casino where they welcomed us to the Island by taking a little of our money.
DAY 2
The aforementioned shower curtains IN OUR ROOM are also used to block the morning light. As they proved to be not particularly effective, we may be waking up a bit earlier than planned. The breakfast buffet at Le Domaine is adequate. Not as varied as at the Radisson but ok nonetheless. However, there were more flies enjoying breakfast with us than we're accustomed to and a couple of zappers would have been appreciated.
The weather was perfect and we stayed on the beach until about 5 when we left for the now open US Supermarche. We loaded up on wine, cheese, wine, bread, pretzels, wine, crackers and the all-important m&m's. Upon returning to the hotel, what do we see in the parking lot?..... our old friend R-18, looking great and as white as ever. Small world!!
We decided to dine at Le Ti Bouchon, our first time there, and very convenient to our hotel. We were the only patrons that evening and were greeted by a very friendly Momo, the owner. The wife had goat cheese mousse with salad for an appetizer and I had the light curry calamari cocktail with passion fruit and mayonnaise. Our entrees were lobster parmentier with sno peas and mashed potatoes as well as sliced duck filet with vegetables. Creme brulee and chocolate mousse were our desserts.
Momo is quite the host and we enjoyed speaking with him....all night. He told us that Ti Bouchon, loosely translated, means "little cork", a pet name he had for his son. Momo also provided an unsolicited can of "OFF" which was needed and appreciated. The meals at Le Ti Bouchon are very creative and carefully prepared. We had a good, enjoyable dinner but were not blown away by the food and award the restaurant a pleasant 3 Profiteroles.
The Princess Casino welcomed us back for a second night by taking a little more of our money.
DAY 3
Heavy rains woke us at the crack of 9:30 but stopped quickly and we were able to get to breakfast just before closing. The clouds broke in the early afternoon and we spent the entire day on the beach where the gravitational pull of the sand was only matched by the gravitational pull of my eyelids. I tied a personal record of three naps in one day and an attempt at a fourth was cancelled due to severe time constraints.
We had a nice casual dinner at Gutside, another new one for us, where once again, we were the only ones there (something we said?). Gutside is located between Marigot and Grand Case on the road to Friar's Bay. We were met by Richard and his lovely wife Lourdes and presented with a very simple blackboard menu. The wife had shrimp and I had lobster. Each entree included a green salad accompanied by a secret homemade dressing that was truly remarkable. The wine selection consisted of a verbal "white or red?" and for dessert, we split a piece of delicious carrot cake made by Lourdes.
After Richard finished cooking, he (with Heineken) and Lourdes sat down and chatted with us. When Richard asked what we liked better, his cooking or Lourdes' dessert, we somehow diplomatically avoided answering. They were impressed we remembered our meal at Ma Chance in Grand Case back in the 80s and appreciated the fact that we are true SXM afficionados. We again were provided with the frangrance of the week, "EAU de OFF." Gutside is our pleasant surprise of this vacation. We had fun, ate a good meal, and found the price to be very reasonable. Dollar for dollar, Gutside is one of the best values on the Island. Richard is a lolo with a doctorate and Gutside earns a solid 3 Profiteroles.
As a change of pace, we let the Atlantis Casino take our money tonight.
DAY 4
A cloudy morning but no rain as we hit the beach again. Astoundingly, in the afternoon we actually did something and travelled to the ESPN Cafe to watch the women's soccer finals. A nice little crowd gathered but we all left disappointed as the U.S. lost to a gritty Japanese team.
Another new restaurant for us tonight, La Villa in Grand Case, which opened a couple of months after our last visit in 2009. We have known one of the owners, Christophe, for many years at L'Auberge Gourmande and were very excited when he told us about his then planned new restaurant. He and his partner, Florence, took over L'Alabama and basically cleaned it up and redecorated. The decor was beautiful and the wife noticed everything: floor, stucco walls, plants, artwork, "mood ring" lights on each table, etc.
La Villa was fairly busy that night and seemed to be busy on other nights as we drove past it. I had a shrimp roll special for an appetizer and the wife had duck egg roll in orange and ginger sauce. Both were good. Entrees included rack of lamb with goat cheese, zucchini paste, honey and rosemary sauce for the wife and a crabmeat risotto for me. The rack of lamb was tasty but was delivered medium-well after being ordered medium-rare. We could have returned it but elected not to. The risotto was ok. For obvious reasons, I could not resist profiteroles for dessert while the wife had hot chocolate cake with a melted chocolate center and vanilla ice cream. She described her dessert, and I quote, "to die for."
Similar to Le Ti Bouchon, we had an enjoyable evening and thought the food was good, but not extraordinary. La Villa starts out with a respectable 3 Profiteroles.
The losing streak continued at the Princess Casino. Fortunately, there are no tolls on the way back to Le Domaine.
DAY 5
We spent the morning on the beach and as it became cloudy with intermittent rain in the afternoon, we (as in the wife) decided to do some shopping. We went to Rima's and then walked around Maho. Since we were already in Maho, we decided to make a major schedule change and gamble before dinner rather than after. Surely this change in our itinerary would also change our luck. Unfortunately, Casino Royale had other ideas.
We drove to Marigot to find and then dine at Bistro Nu, our first time there. It's opposite the stadium, about 50 yards in from the main road. There is a sign near Marrakech pointing in the direction of the restaurant. We were welcomed by our waiter, Jean-Claude, whose name (not looks) immediately provoked the wife's memory of a dashingly handsome waiter by the same name at L'Auberge Gourmande many many years ago (is she the only one who remembers this guy?). Anyway, the current Jean-Claude explains that "Nu" loosely means "plain" which is a fair description of the restaurant but not the menu. Some items the wife and I opted to pass on included calf's head, rabbit stew, pig's feet, chicken livers, goat stew, beef tongue, veal sweetbread and veal kidneys.
What we did choose for appetizers, hot goat cheese salad for her and stuffed mussels (with lots of garlic) for me turned out to be very nice. The entrees of coq au vin (chicken stew) for the wife and osso bucco for me were also tastily prepared as was the shared profiterole dessert. A pleasant evening was spent at a nice, small, slightly out-of-the-way restaurant and it almost felt like we were being served a home-cooked meal. We struck up a conversation with a gentleman at the next table who was accompanied by his dog and he told us how he had sailed across the Atlantic twice. We gave my osso bucco bone to his dog who enjoyed it almost as much as we enjoyed Bistro Nu. A nice 3 Profiteroles is awarded.
DAY 6
We needed a day of rest after the whirlwind of activity over the last two days and again succumbed to sand gravity....all day. On the way to dinner in Grand Case, we almost had steak tartar, as two cows suddenly appeared after a curve, on a very dark road. Also appearing suddenly was the Jimmy Johnson in me and the cows were deftly avoided. This allowed our plans of dining at Piazza Pascal to proceed.
Piazza Pascal is another new restaurant for us as they too opened just after our last visit. We were shown to a table on the roof by our hostess, Donna, and we recommend this setting over the conventional ground floor. Not that there are spectacular views, but it's a nice change of pace with very comfortable breezes and minimal street noise. We were immediately impressed by the way Donna goes up and down the flight of stairs dozens of times each night showing patrons to their tables as well as bringing them their meals. She does not use trays, just carries individual plates, and the wife and I agree that Donna will not need to contact Jenny Craig any time soon.
The wife ordered, as an appetizer, mia bruchetta which is toasted bread topped with goat cheese (she has a thing for goat cheese), roasted peppers, olives and artichoke hearts in a balsamic vinaigrette. Mine was insalada Piazza; mixed greens with blueberries, walnuts, onions and tomatoes in a house dressing. My entree was Linguini Di Napoli; homemade pasta smothered with shrimp, calamari, scallops, mussels and assorted seafood. The wife had coconut tosca shrimp; shrimp dipped in coconut tosca butter sauteed and served with mango, pineapple and papaya salsa. We shared a tiramisu for dessert.
In addition to thoroughly enjoying each course of our meal, we enjoyed talking to Donna and her husband, Pascal. Up until a few years ago, when more cars were made there, they owned a restaurant in Michigan. Not only is Piazza Pascal a delicious break from the French fare we often have in SXM, it gets our vote as the best Italian restaurant on the Island. A solid 3 Protiferoles for Piazza Pascal.
The casino conspiracy continues as we leave a small deposit at Casino Royale.
DAY 7
We continue our recuperation from the breathless pace we set on days 4 and 5 by once again occupying the beach for the entire day.
Our almost daily pilgrimage to Grand Case continued with Spicey as tonight's destination. Our hostess, Sophie, has had her share of health problems and has been written about by other TTOLers. She told us that she has had four operations since we last saw her in 2009. We're glad to report that she looks well and wish her only the best.
The wife started with an appetizer of roasted brie on toasted bread with honey and apples and mine was jumbo shrimp in roasted garlic and lemon sauce. Her entree was roasted duck breast with ginger and balsamic reduction sauce and mashed potatoes, while I had local red snapper in a mustard tarragon sauce, sweet potatoes gratine and vegetables. Our desserts included Fraise Melba (strawberries and vanilla ice cream) and warm chocolate cake with vanilla sauce and vanilla ice cream.
The entire meal was superb. We have high expectations for any restaurant in Grand Case, and Spicey exceeded those expectations, not an easy task. Two years ago we awarded Spicey with 3 Profiteroles and now bump it up to 3 1/2.
Went to the Princess Casino and left with the usual results.
DAY 8
We spent the morning on the beach and then headed to Marigot for some mandatory shopping. This was the low point of the vacation, not due to my general distain for shopping, but because of what Marigot has become. It doesn't take long to shop in Marigot anymore as many of the stores have closed (as in gone out of business). The town was somewhat desolate and the wife and I agree that for the most part, as far as shopping is concerned Marigot is a no go.
We had a late lunch at Cafe De Paris at the marina. Maybe we should call it an early dinner as we didn't finish until 4:30. The wife had a shrimp salad and I had your basic mahi-mahi burger. We won't rate Cafe De Paris based on lunch but it looked like a place to consider for dinner next time around.
The bad news is we encountered the usual results at Casino Royale but the good news is the wife finally opened her pocketbook and sprung for some Haagen-Daz next door.
DAY 9
The weather was cloudy but no rain and our day was spent, in accordance with our strict schedule, on the beach.
We returned to Grand Case to dine at L'Estaminet. The wife started with fig goat cheese and eggplant complicity which came with a basil surprise (came in a little tube like toothpaste) and a green salad in ginger dressing. I began with chilled sweet potato soup with roasted shrimp and mozzarella esprema. The wife ordered turbot for her entree which came with crepes,mushrooms and ice cream in a mustard sauce with exotic fruit. I selected the lemon sole flavored with yuzu twists and mandarin emulsion with champagne. The wife's dessert was a lemon meringue pie served in a glass cup and mine was the L'Estaminet chocolate variation, which should be required eating for all chocoholics.
We were one of the first to write about L' Estaminet two years ago and were truly impressed with the creativity of the dishes, the taste, and their ability to include nearly every trendy descriptive phrase on their menu. This time, not quite so much (except for the menu part). The meal was fine, but didn't distinguish itself. It was your average good Grand Case dinner but with very slow service, even by SXM standards. The restaurant was hardly crowded but we were there for 2 1/2 hours. We had rated L'Estaminet 3 1/2 Profiteroles in 2009 but we now downgrade them to a still very respectable 3.
BREAKING NEWS - We won at Casino Royale. Will they ever let us back in?
DAY 10
Heavy rain in the morning and on and off rain all day. For the first time in all our trips to SXM, the day was pretty much a washout. We still managed some beach time by using one of the private cabanas. We pulled the sides down to protect us from the wind and rain but eventually had to leave when it actually became a bit chilly.
Our final night's dinner, by tradition, is left for Temptation, next to the Atlantis Casino. I began with coconut curried lump crab cake with pineapple salsa & ginger chips and the wife had a bruschetta sampler: heirloom tomato-parmigiano; chickpea masala-sweet potato; eggplant-portobello and brie balsamic. My entree was organic chicken and jumbo apple shrimp Pad Thai (consisted of hoisin grilled organic chicken breast with shrimp and asian vegetable rice noodle fry). The wife's entree was braised certified angus beef shortrib with red wine-carmelized shallot glaze, au gratin potatoes and asparagus. We shared a chocolate cobbler for dessert.
We cannot say enough about Temptation. The food and service have always been near perfect and it is one of the finest restaurants we have ever eaten at, anywhere. Up until this visit, it was the only restaurant to receive the exalted fourth Profiterole (see Day 1) and it has not lost a step. Temptation keeps it's ranking and remains one of the best restaurants in the culinary capital of the Caribbean.
Our winning streak climbs to two at the Atlantis. Maybe we shouldn't go home tomorrow.
Miscellaneous
Each of our dinners was accompanied by a bottle of wine in addition to other drinks forced upon us by the restaurants' proprietors. We took pictures of the menus or made notes before the corks were popped.
In general, the best restaurants in Grand Case do not have water views.
While we feasted on one great dinner after another, the mosquitos feasted on the wife all ten days.
Our flight home was delayed by almost three hours due to mechanical problems in Newark. Once aboard, we found again that the seats on the plane going home are narrower than they were coming down.
At one of the airport jewelry stores, the wife tried on a ring that could not be sized. It was obviously too small yet the salesman tried to sell it to her anyway by explaining that the SXM heat had caused her fingers to swell. Thanks but ...
We know it's off-season, but it seemed more off than usual.
While crime was not a concern to us, common sense makes a lot of sense.
For us, there is no better place in the world to do nothing and relax than in St. Martin.
.
