usvi-on-line
Most Overrated / Most Underrated
We ate breakfast at Inn at Taramind Court in the beginning of March 2007 and I have to agree with Rick - it is definately underated.
The food quality was very good, portions were too big, the price was right. I am fairly certain we were the only tourists eating at that particular moment in time.
I am going out on a limb but I have to say Skinny’s was our most underwhelming St. John eating and drinking experience in 6 trips.
The majority of our group was absolutely dying to eat there after hearing the hype. Somehow, I just knew they would be disappointed but I kept my mouth shut. It was a classic case of the experience falling well short of the expectation.
We hit it on a bad, bad day. The stench was unbelievably bad; sewer, urine and rotting garbage. The flies were swarming on every surface.
It seemed like the place was filled with the type of surly drunks that I just didn’t want to be around - the kind that you don’t want to make eye contact with because you know they are looking for trouble. (I bartended all through college and into my early twenties – I know drunks)
The food was fine, no better or worse than anywhere else. It was the atmosphere that turned us off.
The food quality was very good, portions were too big, the price was right. I am fairly certain we were the only tourists eating at that particular moment in time.
I am going out on a limb but I have to say Skinny’s was our most underwhelming St. John eating and drinking experience in 6 trips.
The majority of our group was absolutely dying to eat there after hearing the hype. Somehow, I just knew they would be disappointed but I kept my mouth shut. It was a classic case of the experience falling well short of the expectation.
We hit it on a bad, bad day. The stench was unbelievably bad; sewer, urine and rotting garbage. The flies were swarming on every surface.
It seemed like the place was filled with the type of surly drunks that I just didn’t want to be around - the kind that you don’t want to make eye contact with because you know they are looking for trouble. (I bartended all through college and into my early twenties – I know drunks)
The food was fine, no better or worse than anywhere else. It was the atmosphere that turned us off.
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Bob & Anita
- Posts: 611
- Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2006 11:20 pm
- Location: Charlotte, NC
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Xislandgirl
- Posts: 4163
- Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2006 4:03 pm
- Location: Slightly left of center
It is funny how many people can see the same place so differently.PA Girl wrote: It seemed like the place was filled with the type of surly drunks that I just didn’t want to be around - the kind that you don’t want to make eye contact with because you know they are looking for trouble. (I bartended all through college and into my early twenties – I know drunks)
The food was fine, no better or worse than anywhere else. It was the atmosphere that turned us off.
I spent every Sunday for many years at Skinnys. Watching football, baseball, hockey, whatever. My Sunday routine was brunch at Miss Lucy's and late lunch at Skinnys while watching a game. I never in all my years on island ever felt that anyone local was a surly drunk looking for trouble.
Coral Bay is a completely diferent world than Cruz Bay and I think that many people take the general attitude to be something other than it is. I met some of the nicest, most down to earth people sitting on a bar stool at Skinnys and I can not imagine anyone ever feeling uncomfortable there. Again, we all have different perceptions of the same thing.
I think the atmosphere is what I love about it. It is just as advertised "A pretty OK place"
In 15 days or so, I will be sitting on a plastic chair eating my burger and ringing Howie's Bell. I can't wait.
Sorry, I'd had a bad day. I try to be a happy drunk. I'm with Xislandgirl. Skinny's is a must stop place. My daughters love it and my parents love it. To each their own. That being said, I prefer Skinnys during the day and Island Blues in the evening. I'm going to try Aqua Bistro this time around too.PA Girl wrote:I am going out on a limb but I have to say Skinny’s was our most underwhelming St. John eating and drinking experience in 6 trips.
The majority of our group was absolutely dying to eat there after hearing the hype. Somehow, I just knew they would be disappointed but I kept my mouth shut. It was a classic case of the experience falling well short of the expectation.
We hit it on a bad, bad day. The stench was unbelievably bad; sewer, urine and rotting garbage. The flies were swarming on every surface.
It seemed like the place was filled with the type of surly drunks that I just didn’t want to be around - the kind that you don’t want to make eye contact with because you know they are looking for trouble. (I bartended all through college and into my early twenties – I know drunks)
Cheers, RickG
S/V Echoes - Coral Bay - St. John, VI
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Xislandgirl
- Posts: 4163
- Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2006 4:03 pm
- Location: Slightly left of center
I think the whole darn island is overrated. I mean really. Trunk Bay not so pretty. The donkeys and goats have over run the place & the mongoosedem ... DON'T GET ME STARTED on them stealing our lunches 
I think folks should just stop going altogether.
Unconvincing? Shoot!
Ok, so seriously...
Overrated - I know others love it and maybe I just had an off night, but I was underwhelmed by Asolare.
I LOVED the atmosphere and the view, but found the staff to be a little uppity (this was in 2001 so that may have changed) & I was not impressed by the food. I think because of the raves I had heard I might have had my expectations set a little too high.
Maybe that's why Uncle Joe's is so good. You see the shack, you don't expect much. After waiting and smelling it for 1/2 an hour, you taste it and it tastes awesome (well to me). Low expectations exceeded! Seriously, I love uncle joes and my husband would divorce me if we didn't get eats there at least 1 time a trip.
Ok .. back to Asolare. I should qualify my feelings with the fact that I am a bit of a foodie (not to be read expensive gourmet fusion lover) who worked with a great chef for 5 years and love GREAT fresh food. I learned from him that the freshest items do the work for you with just the simpliest of prep. I am talking soft shells plucked from their water just as they molt so soft they are like velvet, fresh blue crab straight from the chesapeake, homemade pastas, produce from local farmers, etc.
I don't mean to hold a restaurant on the island to that same standard as I know obtaining great produce can be difficult at best, but again...I found it overrated. Full disclosure: it was almost 6 years ago and many people have raved about it more recently, and perhaps I should give it another shot.
Underrated - Breakfast at the Donkey Diner - not much on atmosphere but great food.
Oh and I am with RickG (TOO! what a pig he is all these ladies) and Xisland girl re: Skinny Legs. Its a MUST for me. My hubby could take it or leave it, but I love it. Honestly, I must be totally in island frame of mind or drunk the entire time I am there because I have never noticed a stench. Love the shops there, love the cold beer, love the burgers, love the mahi mahi sandwiches. Just love everything about it!
I think folks should just stop going altogether. Unconvincing? Shoot!
Ok, so seriously...
Overrated - I know others love it and maybe I just had an off night, but I was underwhelmed by Asolare.
I LOVED the atmosphere and the view, but found the staff to be a little uppity (this was in 2001 so that may have changed) & I was not impressed by the food. I think because of the raves I had heard I might have had my expectations set a little too high.
Maybe that's why Uncle Joe's is so good. You see the shack, you don't expect much. After waiting and smelling it for 1/2 an hour, you taste it and it tastes awesome (well to me). Low expectations exceeded! Seriously, I love uncle joes and my husband would divorce me if we didn't get eats there at least 1 time a trip.
Ok .. back to Asolare. I should qualify my feelings with the fact that I am a bit of a foodie (not to be read expensive gourmet fusion lover) who worked with a great chef for 5 years and love GREAT fresh food. I learned from him that the freshest items do the work for you with just the simpliest of prep. I am talking soft shells plucked from their water just as they molt so soft they are like velvet, fresh blue crab straight from the chesapeake, homemade pastas, produce from local farmers, etc.
I don't mean to hold a restaurant on the island to that same standard as I know obtaining great produce can be difficult at best, but again...I found it overrated. Full disclosure: it was almost 6 years ago and many people have raved about it more recently, and perhaps I should give it another shot.
Underrated - Breakfast at the Donkey Diner - not much on atmosphere but great food.
Oh and I am with RickG (TOO! what a pig he is all these ladies) and Xisland girl re: Skinny Legs. Its a MUST for me. My hubby could take it or leave it, but I love it. Honestly, I must be totally in island frame of mind or drunk the entire time I am there because I have never noticed a stench. Love the shops there, love the cold beer, love the burgers, love the mahi mahi sandwiches. Just love everything about it!
Last edited by flip-flop on Thu Mar 29, 2007 1:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I think the differing opinion come from the differing expectations.
I love Miss Lucy's. It's my absolute favorite spot on STJ to have lunch. But it's not the food. The food, though expensive, is actually secondary to the location-view-tradewinds-goats-sea grape trees. For me, it's the experience.
I feel the same way about Skinny's. The food is nothing special at all. It's the casual atmosphere, the chickens, the shops. I do hate the bathroom however. It's needs better ventilation.
And honestly, I'd turn back from both places if they were having a really busy day. The experience doesn't come into play if the place is crowded, the servers are frenzied and you can't relax.
Underrated:
Donkey Diner breakfast: Very casual, good food (not fancy, good). Actually had a donkey experience there once.
Overrated:
The Willy-T. Small boat with a second level. Everyhting made of steel. Everything wet. No character. When we went it was us, one bartender, really loud music and an already drunk boatload of 20-somethings who almost cracked up our charter boat pulling in. Total disappointment.
I love Miss Lucy's. It's my absolute favorite spot on STJ to have lunch. But it's not the food. The food, though expensive, is actually secondary to the location-view-tradewinds-goats-sea grape trees. For me, it's the experience.
I feel the same way about Skinny's. The food is nothing special at all. It's the casual atmosphere, the chickens, the shops. I do hate the bathroom however. It's needs better ventilation.
And honestly, I'd turn back from both places if they were having a really busy day. The experience doesn't come into play if the place is crowded, the servers are frenzied and you can't relax.
Underrated:
Donkey Diner breakfast: Very casual, good food (not fancy, good). Actually had a donkey experience there once.
Overrated:
The Willy-T. Small boat with a second level. Everyhting made of steel. Everything wet. No character. When we went it was us, one bartender, really loud music and an already drunk boatload of 20-somethings who almost cracked up our charter boat pulling in. Total disappointment.
sunsets vs sunrise
while mia prefers the sunrise over sunsets and heat, i have the solution; if you stay on west end of island, stay high for breeze and only in villas with full ac and a large covered porch or gazebo. those villas extras negate the heat and direct sun IF we happen to get back from beach more than an hour before the sunsets. out of all the pics bride and i have taken on trips, only stj pics displayed in our home are 2 unbelieveable shots of sunsets taken by a friend while staying at a gifft hill villa. those sunsets, stt lights in evening, breezes on the deck and all the north shore beaches that offer shade from ealy fall through april are the "essence" of stj to us.
as for sunrises, i've caught a few that are awesome but in 41 yrs of marriage, i can't recall a one the bride was awake for. she is awake though for most sunsets. thus i sacrifice sunrises to keep the bride happy. you know the old saying, if the bride's not happy, no one is gonna be happy! Thus never having stayed in a villa with sunrise exposure, i have no basis for an opinion re stj's sunrises.
don't you just love chat boards for their honest and wholesome dissertations?
papabou
as for sunrises, i've caught a few that are awesome but in 41 yrs of marriage, i can't recall a one the bride was awake for. she is awake though for most sunsets. thus i sacrifice sunrises to keep the bride happy. you know the old saying, if the bride's not happy, no one is gonna be happy! Thus never having stayed in a villa with sunrise exposure, i have no basis for an opinion re stj's sunrises.
don't you just love chat boards for their honest and wholesome dissertations?
papabou
FASCINATING topic!
It's interesting to see how expectations can create the opposite effect of what was intended. I think we all mean well when we rave about an experience, but then I think that we inadvertently build it up so much and the legend takes on a life of its own. Therefore those that come after us may be dissappointed.
I also have to say that while I am a Type A driven, PR Director on the phone with the press and elected officials (sometimes simultaneously) individual in my life here in NOVA, I am a completely different human being on STJ.
Example: In NoVA, if I am waiting more than 10 minutes for a server to show up, or my drinks aren't filled promptly at a local restaurant, I get pissy. I mean heck, I go out to eat so I don't have to worry or deal with that myself. I tip 20% always unless I've been given extremely poor service. And I'm not afraid to ask for a manager if I don't get what I feel I am paying for.
On STJ - I don't care if it takes a server a half hour to get to me. I know I can always go to the bar and get myself a Corona (again something I NEVER drink at home) and lean back in that uncomfortable plastic chair and wait until he/she decides they've got time for me. And I smile at them when they finally do show up.
That being said, I think I have a different take because my introduction to STJ was with someone who was living on STT and frequented STJ. I learned quickly, that STJ ain't home and THANK GOD for that. I learned to adjust my expectations accordingly and take a differnet approach. To slow down and pick the tables AWAY from the horseshoes area at Skinny's. (Sitting under the fans helps as well. If anything just make sure you're down wind).
There's a certain character and quality to everything on island that would NEVER fly anywhere else on the mainland.
As a result I don't think that I've ever been truly dissappointed with any experience on STJ. Sure I've had better meals than others. But like someone said earlier, even a crappy experience on STJ is better than the best experience somewhere else.
My advice to anyone going to STJ for the first time: Make lists of things you want to do/try. Don't listen to what anyone else has said about the specifics. The fact that it was mentioned means you should give it a shot.
But keep your mind open and take it as it comes and appreciate it for what it is: someone decided to make a life on STJ and to provide something for the people who were crazy enough to show up and check it out.
I'm thinking of Mo at Skinny's when I write this. He's doing what he loves; in a place that he loves and I can always taste the love in those burgers!
It's interesting to see how expectations can create the opposite effect of what was intended. I think we all mean well when we rave about an experience, but then I think that we inadvertently build it up so much and the legend takes on a life of its own. Therefore those that come after us may be dissappointed.
I also have to say that while I am a Type A driven, PR Director on the phone with the press and elected officials (sometimes simultaneously) individual in my life here in NOVA, I am a completely different human being on STJ.
Example: In NoVA, if I am waiting more than 10 minutes for a server to show up, or my drinks aren't filled promptly at a local restaurant, I get pissy. I mean heck, I go out to eat so I don't have to worry or deal with that myself. I tip 20% always unless I've been given extremely poor service. And I'm not afraid to ask for a manager if I don't get what I feel I am paying for.
On STJ - I don't care if it takes a server a half hour to get to me. I know I can always go to the bar and get myself a Corona (again something I NEVER drink at home) and lean back in that uncomfortable plastic chair and wait until he/she decides they've got time for me. And I smile at them when they finally do show up.
That being said, I think I have a different take because my introduction to STJ was with someone who was living on STT and frequented STJ. I learned quickly, that STJ ain't home and THANK GOD for that. I learned to adjust my expectations accordingly and take a differnet approach. To slow down and pick the tables AWAY from the horseshoes area at Skinny's. (Sitting under the fans helps as well. If anything just make sure you're down wind).
There's a certain character and quality to everything on island that would NEVER fly anywhere else on the mainland.
As a result I don't think that I've ever been truly dissappointed with any experience on STJ. Sure I've had better meals than others. But like someone said earlier, even a crappy experience on STJ is better than the best experience somewhere else.
My advice to anyone going to STJ for the first time: Make lists of things you want to do/try. Don't listen to what anyone else has said about the specifics. The fact that it was mentioned means you should give it a shot.
But keep your mind open and take it as it comes and appreciate it for what it is: someone decided to make a life on STJ and to provide something for the people who were crazy enough to show up and check it out.
I'm thinking of Mo at Skinny's when I write this. He's doing what he loves; in a place that he loves and I can always taste the love in those burgers!
Last edited by Gromit on Thu Mar 29, 2007 2:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
*Another fine scatterbrained production
I honestly didn’t mean to knock Coral Bay or insult anyone’s choice in watering holes. I was only relying our experience, as it related to the topic.
I am sure 99.99% of the patrons are great people out to relax and have a good time, just like all of us. I am not going to give specifics of our trip as I don’t want to be a downer but it is safe to say there was bad vibe in the air at that particular moment in time.
I think this is a great thread and it is bringing up a lot of good items to ponder.
Gromit's - your description of yourself fits my hubby to a T! I will never stop being amazed at how he changes gears once he is on vacation.
I am sure 99.99% of the patrons are great people out to relax and have a good time, just like all of us. I am not going to give specifics of our trip as I don’t want to be a downer but it is safe to say there was bad vibe in the air at that particular moment in time.
I think this is a great thread and it is bringing up a lot of good items to ponder.
Gromit's - your description of yourself fits my hubby to a T! I will never stop being amazed at how he changes gears once he is on vacation.
A note on Skinny's and STJ food in general. We loved Skinny's. A real laid back hippie vibe going on there. My Honey made friends with Moe for life. He loves that man. The burgers were good. Not the best I've ever had, but good. For us, it's all about that feeling. Your sitting there and your on STJ, Everything is right with your world. Your happy and content. It's not about the taste of the food (even though we appreciate a good meal), it's about everything being alright in your world at that moment.
Having said that, I do believe Margarita Phils and Joe's BBQ are my picks for being overated. As of overwhelmed, I've yet to experience an over the moon meal on STJ and that's ok, cause when I'm there, everything is right with my world.
Having said that, I do believe Margarita Phils and Joe's BBQ are my picks for being overated. As of overwhelmed, I've yet to experience an over the moon meal on STJ and that's ok, cause when I'm there, everything is right with my world.