Where to Eat St. John

Berkfamily · Post by **Berkfamily** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 3:38 pm

Well, our vacation is getting closer and friends who are veterans of St. John at Christmas have reminded me to make dinner reservations. I really want to play it by ear, so to speak, for at least part of the trip, but I do want to be able to eat...without cooking! I have reservations for Christmas Eve, and will make them for Christmas Day, but am wondering what the weekend before will be like? Should I book in advance for Fri and Sat the 22 and 23rd? What about the 26-28th? And what are your favorites? We are a family of 5, including one true vegetarian (no meat or fish, but not a vegan), and one picky eater (no meat or fish, only chicken). I booked Ocean Grill for Christmas Eve and am open for all others. We like good food, and price is an object only if the price doesn't equal the quality. We also like fun, new things. I look forward to hearing from all the expert veterans!

mia · Post by **mia** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 7:53 pm

Our favorite restaurant is Rhumb Lines
Other favorites....La Tapa, ZoZo's, & Tage
Looking forward to trying Sweet Plantains in Feb.

Berkfamily · Post by **Berkfamily** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 7:57 pm

Both La Tapa and Tage look appealing to me..will I have to mortgage the house for 5 of us? And will my vegetarian find something to eat?

liamsaunt · Post by **liamsaunt** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 10:21 pm

La Tapa is really good--your vegetarian would be fine. They have salads, a great cheese plate, bread with your choice of toppings--different oils, tomatoes confit, etc. They have a chicken on the menu also, for the chicken person (I believe it is on the bone though, is that OK? Sometimes for picky eaters it is not)

I have not been to Tage since the new people took over, but the new concept sounds great--small plates, good wine list...you could call them and see if they have anything that would work for you.

I have to say, if I were going when you are, I would definitely make reservations! John and I were there in June, and saw people being turned away at Stone Terrace, Zozo's...

mbw1024 · Post by **mbw1024** » Fri Nov 17, 2006 7:57 am

we love Asolare and La Tapa and both cost us around $200 for 2. But that included a bottle of wine both nights, maybe a cocktail at Asolare. We don't fool around on vacation

But you could do it cheaper I'm sure.

madness · Post by **madness** » Fri Nov 17, 2006 8:50 am

Cafe Roma has a good vegetarian selection, but it is a small place. I think a reservation would be a good idea, if they take them. There is the Chinese place near Starfish, we did not eat there but I did read a good review of it somewhere. Have fun!!

Post by **Anthony** » Fri Nov 17, 2006 11:18 am

<a href="http://www.caribbean-on-line.com/cgi-bi ... "><b>Stone Terrace</b></a> always had a great vegetarian grilled platter at dinner - they most likely still do. I think most everything else there is usually excellent too. I would second La Tapa also - one of my favorites. I think there are a lot of posts about Tage if you search this forum - a new owner took over this summer and it sounded like he was off to a good start.

mia · Post by **mia** » Fri Nov 17, 2006 4:35 pm

We have had dinner at Tage since the new owner took over. Our meal was excellent and we plan on dining there again when we return to St. John in February.

Berkfamily · Post by **Berkfamily** » Fri Nov 17, 2006 6:10 pm

Mia,

Where in western NY? we'll be in Amherst for Thanksgiving! And about Tage..is it a break the bank place? And if it is, what type of food is it?

mia · Post by **mia** » Fri Nov 17, 2006 7:22 pm

Berkfamily,
We live in Webster; it's a suburb of Rochester...about 60 miles from Amherst. I attended college in Buffalo, so I am very familiar with Amherst. I grew up in LeRoy...hometown of Jello...also where we raised our three children. Where in NY are you from?

mia · Post by **mia** » Fri Nov 17, 2006 7:35 pm

Sorry, I forgot to answer the second part of your question. I guess Tage is a litle bit on the high side, but we felt that the quality was definitely worth the price. They serve a lobster souffle appetizer to die for....my daughter and I shared it. During our first visit to St. John, we hadn't heard about Rhumb Lines....we went there three times during our last visit....worth a try, IMHO. Also tremendously enjoyed Sunday Brunch at Miss Lucy's, they don't take reservations for brunch.

capegirl · Post by **capegirl** » Sat Nov 18, 2006 7:51 am

I truly enjoyed rhumb lines, the food and service is awesome, and it is located right down town. You can sit at the bar on a swing and enjoy great appetizers and phenomonal seafood dishes. the bartender Ally is a pleasure to hang out with. Cafe roma is right across the street and absolutely one of the best italian meals i have ever had, and that's coming from an italian, too

iowaguy · Post by **iowaguy** » Sat Nov 18, 2006 12:50 pm

The Tage menu can be viewed online here:

http://www.tagestjohn.com/

You can also view the menus of most other St. John restaurants online by doing a yahoo or google search, including menus for Zozo's, Stone Terrace, Asolare, Fish Trap, the Balcony. La Tapa does not have a website, to my knowledge. Some of the menus are probably out of date, but they give you a general idea of what to expect.

I love Zozo's in the high-end category, although I admit its partly for the view. But we've always had great evenings there (went twice on our last trip). La Tapa is great too---but a different ambience. I like to go there when they have music.

The Fish Trap delivers great food for the price, IMO. They have some really good chefs (same ownership as Stone Terrace, which is also excellent), but its a simpler place than some of the others mentioned. I love their grilled tuna with soy glaze and wasabi mayonnaise and their coconut cake with rum-caramel sauce. I just read their adding more West Indian dishes to their menu too.

The one popular place I would probably tell you to avoid is Morgan's Mango---their food has just gone downhill, IMO. Too bad---used to be good.

Berkfamily · Post by **Berkfamily** » Sun Nov 19, 2006 11:26 am

Thanks everyone. I'll be making phone calls tomorrow and Tuesday and trying to get this all set before Thanksgiving. Mia, we live in Scarsdale (downstate outside NYC), but I grew up in Niagara Falls and my sister lives in Amherst. We actually spent all weekend with friends who grew up in Rochester.
The restaurants all sound great and I'll probably book most nights in advance of our trip so I'm sure to get reservations. I figure if we find others we want to try more I'll adjust once I'm down there or we'll just have to go back to try them all!!
Anyone going down soon, report back and let us know what things are like now!

jayseadee · Post by **jayseadee** » Sun Nov 19, 2006 11:45 am

Hi,

We just returned and for off-season, most of the restaurants were fairly busy. We were only 2 and got in without waiting or reservations, but for a family of 5, I think you are wise for booking ahead.

You will enjoy Ocean Grill very much. The food, presentation and service were all excellent. It is tucked backed in Mongoose Junction; not a lot of signs. (we actually gave up looking the first time we tried).

I would not rule out Morgan's Mango. We had an excellent meal there last week and I think I noticed a note on the menu that they had vegeterian selections.

And, to add one more to your very long list ( I guess you'll need to return a few more times), check out Margarita Phil's.

We always have our "last supper" at Asolare. Again, it was excellent; however, it seemed their prices were 15-20% higher than other high-end places.

enjoy,

janet

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