Mothra has left the building. (See Fast Blast Day 2) He either flew out of the internet room or was forcibly removed by housekeeping. I had sorta become attached to the big, furry guy...sad to see him go.
Day four of our Fast Blast of Sun and Fun turned into a heavy work day. We felt good about it however as hubby wrapped up a major deal he had been working on for a few months. As we hit the road bound for Phillipsburg we were feeling pretty good about our day – until we hit MAJOR traffic. It was only 3:30p.m. –well before any bridge openings but it was wall to wall cars. Patience has become a keyword for this work-oliday so we chatted for a bit, admired Simpson Bay inch by inch and finally started moving when we began to climb the big hill for Phillipsburg.
We stopped in to see Raj and his family at DK Gems. Little Arun is now six years old and liked the early Christmas present we brought him. After visiting for a bit, Hubby bought me a little Christmas present too – what a great guy!
By now it was time for dinner so I suggested L’Escargot on Front Street. I first came to St. Maarten in 1989 onboard a cruise ship. There weren’t a lot of dining options back then so I remember getting a big picnic box from L’Escargot for the beach. My friend and I dined on beautiful little sandwiches, pate, decadent desserts and some fruit. I never forgot that beautiful lunch on the beach from L’Escargot and had always planned on eating there again. Too bad it took 25 years! LOL
Dinner was one of the best we have had in a long time. We started off with their signature dish – escargot in garlic butter and they followed it up a creamy, cheesy Caesar salad that was just sublime. Hubby had Sole Meuniere which Joel (the owner) filleted in front of us. I had the “Canard”, duck breast artfully carved on my plate and drizzled with a pineapple, banana glaze. The vegetables were al dente and perfectly seasoned and the cassoulet of potatoes were so wonderful and I could have made a meal just out of them alone. I don’t even like potatoes so that should give you an idea just how wonderful they were.
We drove up the road to Great Bay Sonesta and visited our favorite bartender, Michael. Hubby and I met Michael the first time we traveled to St. Martin together. He’s such a cool guy and everyone just loves him. It was great to see him again.
It was a day with more ‘work’ than ‘oliday’ but it was filled with great friends, warm memories and fabulous food. For me, that is what St. Maarten is all about.
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