One of the reasons we so love SXM is because of the many and varied dining experiences. I would never classify either Don or myself as restaurant snobs – as you will read I am just as happy with the Nacho Grande from Ric’s as I am with an exquisitely prepared red snapper dish at l’Alabama’s. And because so many, like myself, are interested in what others have enjoyed on the island I thought I would offer our comments from March, 2004 once again.

We never eat breakfast out so have nothing to offer. We usually have lunch on a beach and that beach is usually Orient. And Baywatch is the only place there we eat. Not only are Cheryl and Adrien friendly and charming but also the food is outstanding. And Andy never fails to entertain. We ate there 5 times and not one morsel of food was anything but excellent. Beer battered scallops (twice), fish & chips, flank steak sandwich, hamburger, chicken fingers, shrimp salad, mussels and never to be forgotten onion rings tided us over until dinner. For the 2 of us lunch ran around $40-$50 which included 4-6 beers. Rosie’s on Mullet Bay Beach was a way different experience but also very good. They have a dry rub ribs that really floated my boat and Don loved their burgers. Ribs alone were $4 and the burger with fries was $7. Beers were $2. A new restaurant for us was Taloula Mango on Front Street in P’burg at the Sint Rose Arcade. We had a late lunch there twice. The first time we shared a shrimp scampi pizza and discovered they had Stella Artois on tap – well that was it, 10 beers later we rolled out of there after spending $32 – be careful they include the tip in the check and I didn’t notice that the first time there. Second time was nachos and some kind of chicken on a skewer which they claimed was a throwback to Callalo’s – I have no clue, that restaurant was gone before we started going to SXM but they were good. Ric’s, our annual destination for Nachos Grande did not disappoint us. For some reason I salivate over the nachos from the moment I hit the island and just gotta get my fix. We also ordered ribs this year, which were nothing spectacular. La Belle Epoque is another annual tradition. For lunch only they and Tropicana had a full house, the others around the marina were pretty empty. Shrimp and lobster pizza were enjoyed, interrupted only by my jumping up to go shopping. Don remained stationary, quaffing his beer and enjoying the sights. 2 pizzas and multiple draft Stella Artois later the check came to $65. We spent multiple hours enjoying the marina from our table.

I will start with the new restaurants for dinner and end with our old favorites. First meal on island was with Marylou and Buzz at La Gondola. Am I ever glad David moved to the Atlantis Casino complex – we meant to go to La Gondola last year and never made it – big mistake. The salads and antipasto were nicely presented and the dinners of smoked salmon ravioli, shrimp pasta, and veal marsala were all given a “A” rating – dinners for 2 plus 4 drinks was $85 with tip. Service was attentive and David was very helpful. The décor of the restaurant was nicely done and the tables far enough apart you didn’t feel as if you were eating with a roomful of strangers. Jimbo’s at Simpson Bay Yacht Club came highly recommended by Deepti. I might have been more impressed if I hadn’t spent a fair amount of time in the Southwest. The place was hopping, not an empty table and a constant stream of folks coming in. The setting was lovely, we had a great table. Our wet shredded beef burrito and the Mexican stew were good, and my only real beef is that they did not have any top shelf tequila. Dinner and 4 beers came to $33 with tip. An outstanding meal was shared with Jay and Rory at Le Mambo in Grand Case. This was a place we passed by every year and it never looked all that busy so we never gave it a try. Now, it just happens to be Jay and Rory’s favorite restaurant on the island and am I glad they insisted we give it a go. One of the best meals we have had. Marylinn was a gracious hostess with extensive knowledge of the wines they carry. Eric, her husband and the chef came out to the table so we could chat. The snapper provencale and the beef tenderloin in morel sauce, along with the profiteroles and shrimp and scallop appetizer made for a delightful evening. The meals were finished off with coffee and Bailey’s and then Marylinn brought out her homemade flavored rums and I was a goner. We highly recommend you give La Mambo a try – you won’t be disappointed. Los Gauchos in P’burg was another nice new addition to our list. 5 of us had the 12 oz tenderloin and 1 had a chicken dish. The beef was so tender it could be cut with a fork. There were fried potatoes with garlic and a small salad served with the dinner. Dinner for 2 with 4 drinks was $72. We missed the tango dancers, as they are not there on a Thursday.

Our old favorites include Bananas where we ate twice. The stuffed mahi is my favorite and Don enjoyed the shrimp blintz one-night and shrimp scampi the second night. Service is spotty, not cuz they don’t hustle but because 55 diners is too much for only 2 wait staff to tend to. Some folks got pretty aggravated when they couldn’t even get a drink while they waited. Didn’t bother me, I just went to the bar and got it myself. I like this place and I like the food. L’Alabama was excellent as always. Real different ambiance dining there on Harmony Night – quiet and peaceful, without the motorcycles vrooming by. Beef filet and red snapper, along with lobster bisque and warm goat cheese salad and 2 desserts and wine came to $122. Only Karin in attendance, Pascal was off island. Tropicana at the Marina in Marigot was a bit of a disappointment this year – and I am chalking it up to an off night. We have usually had really nice dinners but this year the lobster bisque was served cold, the spring rolls were off the mark and the parmesan snapper was way overwhelmed with the parmesan. Don did enjoy his filet in champagne sauce. Profiteroles were excellent. Spiga’s in Grand Case was again one of the best. Lara is a totally delightful hostess and we enjoyed chatting with her despite a full house. The tomato and lobster bisque with basil (according to Lara it is the basil which make it Italian) was excellent as was the fettuccini with lobster and linguine with shrimp. Lara told us they were constantly trying out new items on the menu but keeping a few of the favorites also, by popular demand. The meal was finished off with the lightest Tiramisu I have ever had. I just love this place.

If you have not tried some of these restaurants I hope I gave you some ideas. I know I have tried many restaurants because of the reviews posted on this board. It really is hard to have a bad meal on the island. There were still a few places I wanted to try this year and never made it – ran out of nights or appetite. But that also seems to be a pattern and just one more reason to keep on going back!