This is the much delayed report of the many fine (and some not so fine) meals we had on SXM from 2/26 thru 3/14. Honestly we didn’t have any awful meals – there were some we liked more than others. I do recognize any restaurant can have an off day or night, and my comments reflect our experience (Don and I) which may not be your experience - past or future.

Breakfast:
We are not big eaters in the morning so breakfast was either in the room or pastries from Au Pain de Sucre. We found Au Pain last year – it is on the corner opposite the end of the Pelican Marina building which has some pretty good pastries and excellent baguettes. 4 Pastries and a baguette cost us $9.50

We also had breakfast at Rics place, during a non busy time and enjoyed the “American” breakfast – had no problems with service.

Chesterfields – We were here waiting for someone from one of the cruise ships and had a quick breakfast. Not crowded and a good place to hang while waiting.

Lunch:
Baywatch – What can we say that hasn’t been said before? We had multiple lunches here and enjoyed the company of Cheryl, Andy and Adrian. Mussels, Fish & Chips, Shrimp Caesar Salad, the Tuesday special Roast Beef Dip sandwich and beer battered scallops and shrimp hit the spot. On some days they seemed to be one of the few spots on OB with a really good crowd.

Kokomarina – Our first time here and it won’t be our last. Service and food were excellent – can’t even compare it to Baywatch as it is a completely different experience. If I wasn’t sitting in a bathing suit looking at the sand I would forget I was on a beach. I had grouper in a lime butter garlic sauce with an excellent glass of chardonnay and Don the pork tenderloin with jerk sauce. Both dishes were artfully presented – and looked too pretty to eat. Total came to $51.00. One thing I noticed was that Kokomarina is at beach level, unlike Baywatch that has 5 or 6 steps to walk up. So when you are in the restaurant and look out onto the beach you really have a view of people sitting in the chairs with only glimpses of the ocean. Don’t care really; this will become one of our stops from now on. I just mention it in case the view is important to you.

Taloula Mangos – Martha and I went shopping in P’burg one day and stopped for a quick bite. Can’t remember what we had – know they were salads, bit we stop here more for the view and the people watching. Beer was cold and we were under an umbrella so no complaints.

Dinner:
Toppers by the Sea – I get the sense some will not agree with me but Toppers is at the bottom of our list of places to return to. We stay at the Flamingo and so were really pleased there was a restaurant that was easy to get to on the property. For those of you who know the old restaurant they extended Toppers all the way around by about 5 feet. The setting is really quite pretty. We ate there twice, giving them a second chance but both times left disappointed. We had the stuffed mahi mahi, the land and sea, the shrimp scampi and the sirloin steak. Service was poor and it really wasn’t the server’s fault – there simply weren’t enough of them to take care of the # of tables they had seated. Food was lukewarm at best with the side dishes cold. We did say something and had the dish re-heated – my suspicion is that the food sat waiting to be picked up. But with all the choices you have of places to eat, I think we will choose not to return.

Pineapple Pete’s – We have always enjoyed this restaurant and this year is no exception. Mark was our server and he is just a really personable guy who made the whole dining experience enjoyable. We like to sit in the bar area – seems a little less noisy and more intimate. Mark told us PP’s sits 225 people and they really cannot expand as they are limited by their kitchen size. We spent $120.00 on 2 Fish & Chips (with grouper and totally yummy), pork tenderloin, and Caprese salad and shrimp bisque along with the creme brulee and coconut infusion sponge cake – if you like coconut you gotta try this one!

Rics Place – We stopped in a couple of times and had burgers and beer. I never eat burgers when we go out at home but I really like them at Rics.

Peg Leg Pub – What a difference with their new location – a vast improvement in my book. We made reservations which were needed and were greeted by Sean. We go to PLP for the filets and they did not disappoint – melted in your mouth. Martha really liked her garlic shrimp also. No dessert. For 4 of us with 6 drinks the total was $150.

Buccaneer Beach Bar – Walked down for burgers, hot dogs and beer one night after the Regatta. They hadn’t restocked their beer so the selection was limited. Had no trouble with the service or delivery of the food. We had a good time there and like to sit and watch the boats with their lights on.

Bajatsu – One of our top 3 restaurants year after year and this year was no different. I just love this place, the service, the décor and the food just flow for me. Everything we ate was excellent – the 2 filets, the jumbo shrimp on a skewer and the duck. We had multiple drinks (I’m pretty sure this was my night for martinis) and no dessert and our bill came to $200 without any tip.

Skipjacks – We went to Skipjacks after talking to JD and it is now on a list of restaurants we would go back to. I thought my dinner of pan fried grouper was totally excellent and Don enjoyed his Shrimp Creole. Junior, our server was full of good advice when asked and was quite attentive throughout the evening. Brad came over after we were seated by Teckie (?sp) to chat for a spell. Brad and Teckie opened Skipjacks about 4 years ago and we talked about their experience thru Hugo and the difficulty of owning a restaurant on an island. Really personable – both of them – and they contributed to our enjoyment of our evening.

La Gondola – A definite top 3 restaurant for us. We went with a group from TTOL to celebrate birthdays. Everything was excellent starting with our dinner companions and finishing with the meal itself. Service was great, our meals were delicious to look at, never mind eat. I can’t remember what everyone ordered but I know that I ordered the risotto with goat cheese and sun dried tomatoes (a special that night) and Don had the lasagna after a recommendation from Jill. Both dishes were delish, as was the wine and the appetizers. There were absolutely no complaints at the end of this meal!

That about sums it up from the eating perspective. We did spend some time at Sunset Bar – beers were $2 for the Regatta – didn’t eat, but service was good and I like the way they rebuilt after Hugo. We also stopped at the Greenhouse a couple of times for drinks and an appetizer. Both were good. We are looking forward to our trip next year. I think we are going to try St Kitts in Nov. We’ve never been and I have a bazillion Marriott points I can use for a free stay. But if that falls thru I’m sure we’ll be back sooner than 2010!