Trip Report 4/4/07-4/13/07 Intro and Eating
Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 2:09 pm
So, like some others here, my wife and I enjoy St. John in two main categories, eating/drinking and snorkeling. Sure there are others (beaches,napping,naughtiness,other), but I am going to focus mainly on those two. Before I do that, I'll lay out where we stayed and our basic daily itinerary.
We stayed in Coral Bay at a place called Spyglass Hill. Apparently there are two places called Spyglass Hill. This house was recommended to me by a coworker. It isn't rented that much, is a bit of an old school house, no a/c,tv,internet, but it was perfect for the two of us. The tradewinds were ridiculous (in a good way) and kept us very comfortable. The deck faced east. Our basic itinerary was to get up right before dawn, 5:45, get our coffee and bagel, and go out on the deck to watch the sunrise. Put out a bowl of sugar and a bowl of water for the bananaquits. If you haven't done this yet, it is a blast to watch them at all times of the day. We have a parrotlet at home, so these birds reminded us of our little one left behind. We would snorkel from 7-10am, find lunch out, read/nap, go out to dinner, home in bed by 8:30.
EATING
Sweet Plantains
This was probably, overall, our favorite place to eat on island. The outside is not much to look at, but the inside is fantastic and welcoming. I loved the music too (from 40's slow dance to more modern massive attack type music). Such a variety but it all worked for me. A warning about seating - half the seats inside are stool-like, so if you need a back ask for one when you make a reservation ,or sit outside. Ok. Prince, the co-owner and bartender, is both a master drink maker and wonderful host. His martinis are some of the best drinks I've ever had, and I don't even like martinis. Don't think, just do it. Order one (for you DC folks, think Todd Thrasher at Restaurant Eve). I also did the rum tasting. Very nice. Rose's (wife and co-owner) appetizers also stood out. The ceviche was excellent as was the jerk chicken wings. I thought the main courses were good, but didn't live up to the excellence of the drinks and appetizers. The short ribs were especially good. But overall, a fantastic dining experience. We ate there 3 nights.
Shipwreck Landing
We liked Shipwreck a lot. It was super busy which kept us from going there more, but the couple times we were there it was good stuff. Donna was our bartender, and she took care of us. She makes her drinks strong. Very good and strong. Her sister Nancy in the kitchen makes massive soups. The West Indies conch chowder I had was outstanding. I've had it at Caneel and in Anegada, and this could stand with both. Chef Jim cooks well, I especially enjoyed the scallops. I thought the steak was just average. My wife loved her shrimp linguini. Man, what a bunch of characters there too. Pirate Bill, a random short person (dwarf?) dancing, some crazies talking about leprosy. God I loved it.
Donkey Diner
We really liked DD. The skeeters were definitely around, but put on some St.John cologne and you are fine. We went there 3 times and enjoyed their omelets, eggs, bacon and french toast. Nothing out of this world, but a damn good breakfast/brunch. Loved the music there too. Internet available. We loved rolling up to DD and having the elementary school across the street. The kids reciting the Pledge of Allegiance was super cute. They then recited what sounded like the VI pledge of some sort. It went on for ages, whatever it was.
Skinny Legs
This place, for us, is exactly what it says it is, an ok place. Average burger, decent drinks. Only went there once, though, so maybe didn't get the whole atmosphere.
Aqua Bistro
We thought the dinner here was decent. I'd rate it third or fourth in Coral Bay behind SP and Shipwreck and Miss Lucys. We enjoyed the bar and bartenders. Attentive and made righteous coladas for my wife. The calamari was especially good, less chewy, more melt in mouthy.
Miss Lucys - Dinner
Yeah, yeah, we didn't go to brunch. We punted in favor of DD. I suppose we'll go next time. It seemed like a mistake as we pulled up. It was pitch dark by the time we got there, which kinda defeats half the purpose of going there. But we pretty much had the place to ourselves. The food was good, satisfying. I wish we would have been able to see something though.Oh well, at least we missed the bugs.
Baked in the Sun
Not a restaurant, but love this place for sandwiches to go. Picked some up for our dinghy ride. The Cuban was especially good, as well as their chocolate chip cookies. mmm. Getting there before 9am meant very few people in line.
Tage
We were super excited about this place. Server even said this would be our best meal on the island. He was wrong. My tuna was just ok, a little peppery. Actually, all the food seemed a bit over seasoned. It was decent, but our expectations combined with the crap location and $175 we spent made this place a dissapointment.
Rhumblines
We probably had our best entrees here. I had a great tilapia stuffed with crab. My wife also really enjoyed her dish (??hmm, honey?). No water views here because it is in the middle of downtown Cruz Bay, but they’ve decorated nicely and we liked it. A little buggy, but some Off does the trick.
Banana Deck
The food here was forgettable, but the drinks are mighty nice.
Caneel Bay lunch buffet
I love the soup they prepare here. Whatever it is, Calaloo (sp?), conch chowder, they do it all really well. The rest is ok, a nice selection of chicken,pasta,fish, but as with most buffets, just off a notch with the quality. But the soup, man, it’s good.
Restaurants we missed but wanted to go to: Stone Terrace, Zozos, Vies. Next time.
That’s it for this report. I’ll write up another one detailing our snorkeling adventures.
We stayed in Coral Bay at a place called Spyglass Hill. Apparently there are two places called Spyglass Hill. This house was recommended to me by a coworker. It isn't rented that much, is a bit of an old school house, no a/c,tv,internet, but it was perfect for the two of us. The tradewinds were ridiculous (in a good way) and kept us very comfortable. The deck faced east. Our basic itinerary was to get up right before dawn, 5:45, get our coffee and bagel, and go out on the deck to watch the sunrise. Put out a bowl of sugar and a bowl of water for the bananaquits. If you haven't done this yet, it is a blast to watch them at all times of the day. We have a parrotlet at home, so these birds reminded us of our little one left behind. We would snorkel from 7-10am, find lunch out, read/nap, go out to dinner, home in bed by 8:30.
EATING
Sweet Plantains
This was probably, overall, our favorite place to eat on island. The outside is not much to look at, but the inside is fantastic and welcoming. I loved the music too (from 40's slow dance to more modern massive attack type music). Such a variety but it all worked for me. A warning about seating - half the seats inside are stool-like, so if you need a back ask for one when you make a reservation ,or sit outside. Ok. Prince, the co-owner and bartender, is both a master drink maker and wonderful host. His martinis are some of the best drinks I've ever had, and I don't even like martinis. Don't think, just do it. Order one (for you DC folks, think Todd Thrasher at Restaurant Eve). I also did the rum tasting. Very nice. Rose's (wife and co-owner) appetizers also stood out. The ceviche was excellent as was the jerk chicken wings. I thought the main courses were good, but didn't live up to the excellence of the drinks and appetizers. The short ribs were especially good. But overall, a fantastic dining experience. We ate there 3 nights.
Shipwreck Landing
We liked Shipwreck a lot. It was super busy which kept us from going there more, but the couple times we were there it was good stuff. Donna was our bartender, and she took care of us. She makes her drinks strong. Very good and strong. Her sister Nancy in the kitchen makes massive soups. The West Indies conch chowder I had was outstanding. I've had it at Caneel and in Anegada, and this could stand with both. Chef Jim cooks well, I especially enjoyed the scallops. I thought the steak was just average. My wife loved her shrimp linguini. Man, what a bunch of characters there too. Pirate Bill, a random short person (dwarf?) dancing, some crazies talking about leprosy. God I loved it.
Donkey Diner
We really liked DD. The skeeters were definitely around, but put on some St.John cologne and you are fine. We went there 3 times and enjoyed their omelets, eggs, bacon and french toast. Nothing out of this world, but a damn good breakfast/brunch. Loved the music there too. Internet available. We loved rolling up to DD and having the elementary school across the street. The kids reciting the Pledge of Allegiance was super cute. They then recited what sounded like the VI pledge of some sort. It went on for ages, whatever it was.
Skinny Legs
This place, for us, is exactly what it says it is, an ok place. Average burger, decent drinks. Only went there once, though, so maybe didn't get the whole atmosphere.
Aqua Bistro
We thought the dinner here was decent. I'd rate it third or fourth in Coral Bay behind SP and Shipwreck and Miss Lucys. We enjoyed the bar and bartenders. Attentive and made righteous coladas for my wife. The calamari was especially good, less chewy, more melt in mouthy.
Miss Lucys - Dinner
Yeah, yeah, we didn't go to brunch. We punted in favor of DD. I suppose we'll go next time. It seemed like a mistake as we pulled up. It was pitch dark by the time we got there, which kinda defeats half the purpose of going there. But we pretty much had the place to ourselves. The food was good, satisfying. I wish we would have been able to see something though.Oh well, at least we missed the bugs.
Baked in the Sun
Not a restaurant, but love this place for sandwiches to go. Picked some up for our dinghy ride. The Cuban was especially good, as well as their chocolate chip cookies. mmm. Getting there before 9am meant very few people in line.
Tage
We were super excited about this place. Server even said this would be our best meal on the island. He was wrong. My tuna was just ok, a little peppery. Actually, all the food seemed a bit over seasoned. It was decent, but our expectations combined with the crap location and $175 we spent made this place a dissapointment.
Rhumblines
We probably had our best entrees here. I had a great tilapia stuffed with crab. My wife also really enjoyed her dish (??hmm, honey?). No water views here because it is in the middle of downtown Cruz Bay, but they’ve decorated nicely and we liked it. A little buggy, but some Off does the trick.
Banana Deck
The food here was forgettable, but the drinks are mighty nice.
Caneel Bay lunch buffet
I love the soup they prepare here. Whatever it is, Calaloo (sp?), conch chowder, they do it all really well. The rest is ok, a nice selection of chicken,pasta,fish, but as with most buffets, just off a notch with the quality. But the soup, man, it’s good.
Restaurants we missed but wanted to go to: Stone Terrace, Zozos, Vies. Next time.
That’s it for this report. I’ll write up another one detailing our snorkeling adventures.
