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STJ trip report 3 - final: food and misc.
STJ trip report 3 - final: food and misc.
Drinks: We aren't drinkers. We did have fruit punch at every restaurant. Each was different - some were more citric, others had more tropical fruits. The winner was Chilly Billy's. We had a few drinks during the week - mostly to try Painkillers. None was better than the original at the Soggy Dollar Bar.
Restaurants:
La Tapa - great food, service was very disorganized that night
Escargots with wild mushrooms and leeks in a pinot grigio cream sauce (to die for) It was served with a puff pastry.
Crisp seared duck breast and confit leg with a shitake and hen of the woods mushroom sauce over herb risotto (We both ordered this. I started eating the breast. I never heard of confit leg - a very slow cooking method. Once I started eating the leg, I never wanted to eat the breast again - heavenly).
Lime Inn - wonderful service
Mussels Mariniere (order extra bread, you'll want to every bit of this sauce)
Brie stuffed filet (tasty, but no presentation. It just looked lost on the plate)
Grilled Caribbean lobster (I'm a New Englander and never had grilled lobster before. I think the cooking process makes the lobster difficult to eat. You just can't get in there and suck the little bits out of the feelers - they are all charred and when you open the body everything is dark, you can't see the delectable little white bits.)
The desserts - chocolate mousse and key lime pie were wonderful.
Morgan's Mango
Conch fritters - a disappointment
Chocolate frappe (alcoholic) - my husband loved this!!!
VooDoo blackened swordfish- They didn't have any snapper that night for their signature dish. We tried it with swordfish. My husband was pleased. I thought it was overcooked.
Banana cake with chocolate ganache- this was our dessert highlight of the week. The cake was dense, but very moist. I never would have thought to top it with a chocolate ganache, but it was perfect.
The Balcony - great value: view, food, amazing presentation, knowledgeable staff
Spinach Salad - not your average spinach salad
Pecan and almond encrusted Chilean sea bass with lemongrass scented basmati and coconut curry sauce (another amazing sauce)
Caribbean bouillabaisse with Prince Edward mussels, wild shrimp, diver scallops and chef's selection of fresh fish ( wonderful)
Tage (This was a foodie restaurant. The entire menu screamed "we know food". You wanted a taste of everything. The presentation was wonderful. The service was wonderful. They came around and gave you extras. It was a joy to dine here.
Rock shrimp and jumbo lump crab cakes (we should have ordered more)
Herb grilled lamb rack chops, potato cannelloni rolled with wild mushroom, baby spinach, caramelized onion, parmesan, romesco sauce
Herb grilled local mahi, smashed potato salad, pine nuts, baby green beans, reggiano parmigiano, extra virgin olive oil, 15 year balsamic
Molten chocolate cake served warm over orange mascarpone cream
White chocolate bread pudding with caramel sauce and fresh berries
Best breakfast: JJ's (we dined here twice. It was fun sitting in Cruz Bay watching the town wake up around you. They serve amazing huevos rancheros, something you can't get near Boston! They even puff the tortilla. I was quite impressed. Just try to sit far away from the smokers.
Smoothies: I'm sorry to have to tell you guys, but the smoothie stand on the way to Coral Bay is NOT the best. You all have to go to Maui. There is a smoothie stand about one mile down on the road to Hana. They take fresh sugar cane and squeeze it into your smoothie, then start adding the goodies. This one was good - I tried the soursop - very refreshing, but I know the BEST!
Things we were glad we took:
Safety sausage: inflatable fluorescent tube about six feet long that I hook to my bathing suit strap. It really gives you a lot of visibility when snorkeling in areas where there may be boat traffic.
Otter Box 2000: small waterproof box just large enough to hold passports, some dollars, a credit card, driver's license, car keys, and my husband's glasses. We used a D ring to attach it to my bathing suit strap.
Sea Bands: I've been using sea bands (wrist bands) or similar products for over twenty years. I used to get seasick. I don't any more.
REI Beast Duffle Bag: We bought this for our snorkeling gear after borrowing someone's duffle bag last year. This is great. It has regular straps, backpack straps, and two-person carrying straps. It was $69.
Cruz Bay parking: I had a couple favorite parking spots in Cruz Bay. I loved parking in SlimMan's lot. He was a true gentleman. The longer I talked with him, the lower my rate seemed to be. I always waved to him when I drove by. There are about ten spots near the National Park pier that are sometimes open. Also in the same area - facing the water with the ball field to your right there is a road that goes behind the park service office. There is parking along that street. After five there is quite a bit of employee parking that opens up near the park service building. It does get pretty dark there at night. We brought a flashlight, but felt safe.
Coconut Coast: Coconut Coast is a nine unit condo style complex just south of Cruz Bay. It is on the water. There is a salt pond in the back. We were very pleased. Our needs are simple - a bed and a refrigerator. They were far exceeded. The studio had two queen beds - the one we used was very comfortable. There was a ceiling fan and an air conditioner. We kept the ceiling fan on and used the air conditioner rarely - just to deal with some mugginess, then turned it right off. The porch was amazing. It was very private and had a table with four chairs and a lounge chair. We ate our breakfast there every morning. There is a washer and dryer available. Had I known that, I would have brought fewer clothes. We did rent a jeep. The parking was adequate. There are nine units. The other guests were friendly. People would meet around the pool before supper time and discuss their day. There is some building next door, so there is daytime noise - but we were never around in the daytime. The car ferries go by fairly often, but I did not find that to be a nuisance. I don't like hotels and thought we would be lonely at a villa. Coconut Coast filled all our needs and then some.
Would we go back? I don't know. We had a wonderful time, but there are so many other places we would love to visit.
Restaurants:
La Tapa - great food, service was very disorganized that night
Escargots with wild mushrooms and leeks in a pinot grigio cream sauce (to die for) It was served with a puff pastry.
Crisp seared duck breast and confit leg with a shitake and hen of the woods mushroom sauce over herb risotto (We both ordered this. I started eating the breast. I never heard of confit leg - a very slow cooking method. Once I started eating the leg, I never wanted to eat the breast again - heavenly).
Lime Inn - wonderful service
Mussels Mariniere (order extra bread, you'll want to every bit of this sauce)
Brie stuffed filet (tasty, but no presentation. It just looked lost on the plate)
Grilled Caribbean lobster (I'm a New Englander and never had grilled lobster before. I think the cooking process makes the lobster difficult to eat. You just can't get in there and suck the little bits out of the feelers - they are all charred and when you open the body everything is dark, you can't see the delectable little white bits.)
The desserts - chocolate mousse and key lime pie were wonderful.
Morgan's Mango
Conch fritters - a disappointment
Chocolate frappe (alcoholic) - my husband loved this!!!
VooDoo blackened swordfish- They didn't have any snapper that night for their signature dish. We tried it with swordfish. My husband was pleased. I thought it was overcooked.
Banana cake with chocolate ganache- this was our dessert highlight of the week. The cake was dense, but very moist. I never would have thought to top it with a chocolate ganache, but it was perfect.
The Balcony - great value: view, food, amazing presentation, knowledgeable staff
Spinach Salad - not your average spinach salad
Pecan and almond encrusted Chilean sea bass with lemongrass scented basmati and coconut curry sauce (another amazing sauce)
Caribbean bouillabaisse with Prince Edward mussels, wild shrimp, diver scallops and chef's selection of fresh fish ( wonderful)
Tage (This was a foodie restaurant. The entire menu screamed "we know food". You wanted a taste of everything. The presentation was wonderful. The service was wonderful. They came around and gave you extras. It was a joy to dine here.
Rock shrimp and jumbo lump crab cakes (we should have ordered more)
Herb grilled lamb rack chops, potato cannelloni rolled with wild mushroom, baby spinach, caramelized onion, parmesan, romesco sauce
Herb grilled local mahi, smashed potato salad, pine nuts, baby green beans, reggiano parmigiano, extra virgin olive oil, 15 year balsamic
Molten chocolate cake served warm over orange mascarpone cream
White chocolate bread pudding with caramel sauce and fresh berries
Best breakfast: JJ's (we dined here twice. It was fun sitting in Cruz Bay watching the town wake up around you. They serve amazing huevos rancheros, something you can't get near Boston! They even puff the tortilla. I was quite impressed. Just try to sit far away from the smokers.
Smoothies: I'm sorry to have to tell you guys, but the smoothie stand on the way to Coral Bay is NOT the best. You all have to go to Maui. There is a smoothie stand about one mile down on the road to Hana. They take fresh sugar cane and squeeze it into your smoothie, then start adding the goodies. This one was good - I tried the soursop - very refreshing, but I know the BEST!
Things we were glad we took:
Safety sausage: inflatable fluorescent tube about six feet long that I hook to my bathing suit strap. It really gives you a lot of visibility when snorkeling in areas where there may be boat traffic.
Otter Box 2000: small waterproof box just large enough to hold passports, some dollars, a credit card, driver's license, car keys, and my husband's glasses. We used a D ring to attach it to my bathing suit strap.
Sea Bands: I've been using sea bands (wrist bands) or similar products for over twenty years. I used to get seasick. I don't any more.
REI Beast Duffle Bag: We bought this for our snorkeling gear after borrowing someone's duffle bag last year. This is great. It has regular straps, backpack straps, and two-person carrying straps. It was $69.
Cruz Bay parking: I had a couple favorite parking spots in Cruz Bay. I loved parking in SlimMan's lot. He was a true gentleman. The longer I talked with him, the lower my rate seemed to be. I always waved to him when I drove by. There are about ten spots near the National Park pier that are sometimes open. Also in the same area - facing the water with the ball field to your right there is a road that goes behind the park service office. There is parking along that street. After five there is quite a bit of employee parking that opens up near the park service building. It does get pretty dark there at night. We brought a flashlight, but felt safe.
Coconut Coast: Coconut Coast is a nine unit condo style complex just south of Cruz Bay. It is on the water. There is a salt pond in the back. We were very pleased. Our needs are simple - a bed and a refrigerator. They were far exceeded. The studio had two queen beds - the one we used was very comfortable. There was a ceiling fan and an air conditioner. We kept the ceiling fan on and used the air conditioner rarely - just to deal with some mugginess, then turned it right off. The porch was amazing. It was very private and had a table with four chairs and a lounge chair. We ate our breakfast there every morning. There is a washer and dryer available. Had I known that, I would have brought fewer clothes. We did rent a jeep. The parking was adequate. There are nine units. The other guests were friendly. People would meet around the pool before supper time and discuss their day. There is some building next door, so there is daytime noise - but we were never around in the daytime. The car ferries go by fairly often, but I did not find that to be a nuisance. I don't like hotels and thought we would be lonely at a villa. Coconut Coast filled all our needs and then some.
Would we go back? I don't know. We had a wonderful time, but there are so many other places we would love to visit.
I forgot to mention my worst meal. We stopped by Deli Grotto to pick up something for an easy dinner on the porch. They had a spinach quiche - I love spinach quiche! What a disappointment when I got home. I think it was a VEGAN spinach qhiche. I was ready to sink into a creamy, rich cheesy quiche and there was this heavy brown mass. I even saw oatmeal flakes in it. YUCK!!!!!
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LandLockedBeachLover
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