A dear friend of mine, Enzo is opening a new Italian restaurant at the location where most recently was Dean's Steakhouse, Three Palms and originally Peg Leg. Enzo is a lovely man born in Italy with a vast amount of restaurant experience. St Maarten is in for a gastronomical authentic Italian restaurant.

What is his previous experience?

He owned a restaurant and catering business in Tuscany. As of late, he was employed by Toscana Saporita, a wonderful cooking school in Massacciccolo Italy. Enzo will be preparing authentic Tuscan dishes with real Italian "appericena" at the bar.

So, when does it open? (We never made it to Dean's Steakhouse, but based on reports here, am not surprised that it closed. That location is a good one, so long as they have valet parking in place..)

is this the one right next to the Federal Express building in Simpson Bay? They advertise on Island 92 with Dr Soc

No, that restaurant is one that was in Marigot before. Cuigini, I think?? There is another thread about it. This is where Peg Leg used to be, before they moved by PDP casino.

I think Enzo was the previous owner of Granduca in Maho. After that, he was managing the Dunes Casino. He would have been better to have opened a restaurant where the Waterfront Restaurant was next to Skipjacks. The location he has chosen leaves a lot to be desired since parking is not good there and it is hidden from the main road, so not very visible.

There is more than one person from Italy named "Enzo".
I think the one you are talking about is different than the one opening this new restaurant. ?

This Enzos' background sounds different than the Enzo (from Granduca) that you are talking about!



I'm looking forward to trying it!

No this is not the same Enzo at all. We enjoyed this restaurant when it was 3 Palms. Never had trouble parking. Ambiance is beautiful.

We went to Dean's this past May and the location is lovely. Parking is available, but it fills up pretty quickly, so I hope they will have valet parking. Wishing him much success in this new venture - hopefully, the 4th time is the charm!!

The back deck is especially nice--or at least it was when it was Peg Leg. Wonder if they will have a/c inside? In general, I prefer open air restaurants in SXM, but with Italian food, it is appreciated to have a/c...

I was hoping it was the same Enzo! Maybe all Enzos are good cooks; we will have to wait and see. New restaurants in SXM always present a challenge so we wish him well.

I will certainly pass on your comments/suggestions and of course, well wishes to Enzo. I'm very excited to have Maito as well as several other new restaurants including Cugini in Simpson Bay. We were drawn to SXM in 1987 due to the gastronomical experiences we had. Unfortunately, there have been too many closures of our favorite restaurants for one reason or another. Here's hoping that Simpson Bay area will become as good as or if not better than dining in Grand Case.

The one you're mentioning is Cugini between Fedex and Carousel. It is amazing.

By any chance is this the guy who did Don Camillo?

No Jeff. The owner of Don Camillo was also Enzo but he now owns Rendevous in Cupecoy. This Enzo, from Maito, is new to SXM.

Anyone have a phone number for Cuginis please? Thanks.

721-544-3650 or 721-523-7076

funny, the other day we drove by there and the sign out front still said Dean's Steak house! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Crazy.gif" alt="" />

I'm not yet back on island but I will ask Enzo and report back.

I will definitely go...I hope he does extremely well and we can go in June...AUGURI !!!! E BUON FORTUNA

As of YESTERDAY, the sign out front still said Dean's Steakhouse. Just sayin'

OK, thanks, appreciated!

Again, not sure how good this info is, since the sign still says Deans' Steakhouse!

I was at Scarlet today and they had replace the Dean's Steakhouse sign with the new one...Unfortunately I can't remember the name of the restaurant.

The new sign is now up. It's called Maito. The owner also owns Maito in Forte di Marma in Italy. This should prove to be a very authentic Italian restaurant run by competent folks from Italy. Unfortunately, they (like many others) didn't realize the roadblocks they would encounter here in SXM. Opening has been pushed back for a few weeks. Wish them the best of luck.