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Dining at The Terrace St John... a review
Dining at The Terrace St John... a review
My husband and I enjoyed our dinner at The Terrace St John in Cruz Bay on November 13, 2012.
http://theterracestjohn.com/
This lovely stone building stands alone, beach side, across the street from the Beach Bar.
I had called for reservations at six and asked for a table with a view of the water. We had not eaten at any of the previous restaurants in this location. Our past dining experiences in Cruz Bay have not included what I think to be "fine dining" experiences... Caneel, La Tapa, Zozo's, or Asolare, so I can not compare The Terrace with any of these.
We were warmly greeted by owner, Robin Miner, as we topped the stairs. A few people were seated at the nearby bar. Our table was in the front balcony corner and afforded both of us the awesome views of boats bobbing in Cruz Bay. There is an inner room in the center of the restaurant that is very open to the balcony; it had a very light yet refined feeling and would be a pleasant dining space.
Linens and printed materials were first class and the chairs comfortable. A small oil lamp added a glow to the twilight.
Our waitress for the evening was Jodi and she was attentive yet non-intrusive, with a friendly smile and manner. Two or three other servers were working... all dressed in black with long white bistro chef aprons. I like that look! Dish wares are white and simple. Nice!
I do not recall any kind of music in the restaurant. The Beach Bar and Motu (on the other side) were quiet; we heard the ferries, occasional vehicles, and voices from the street, but none were intrusive. By the time we finished, 15 to 20 people were seated around us, but the tables are well spaced for a desired comfort level.
I must admit that we did not even glance at the wine list (someone else will cover this, I hope). Our first serving was bread and butter... a whole wheat roll with three small balls of flavored butter. Personal preference would have been for a small piece of baguette, but these were good.
We ordered salads... mine was the organic greens and roasted beets. Delicious! The bacon lardons were an excellent addition to this salad.
My date chose the chicory and spiced walnuts and he deemed it very tasty!
Our entrees were the sauteed mahi mahi for him...
and the filet mignon au poivre for me...
Shared dessert was a decadent chocolate terrine which was heavenly.
Our evening and food was upscale by our measures... in my opinion, the Miners are doing a very good job of presenting fine food in a relaxed atmosphere with just the right touch of charm and ambiance. If back on the island, we are certain to return to The Terrace!
Prices did not seem unreasonable for the quality of food, service, and location.
My only complaint would be that several times we were addressed as "Guys". I know. It is such a common form of address, but I still don't like it anywhere.
(The iPhone without flash resulted in rather dark photos. I hope that you can see how rich the presentation is!)
http://theterracestjohn.com/
This lovely stone building stands alone, beach side, across the street from the Beach Bar.
I had called for reservations at six and asked for a table with a view of the water. We had not eaten at any of the previous restaurants in this location. Our past dining experiences in Cruz Bay have not included what I think to be "fine dining" experiences... Caneel, La Tapa, Zozo's, or Asolare, so I can not compare The Terrace with any of these.
We were warmly greeted by owner, Robin Miner, as we topped the stairs. A few people were seated at the nearby bar. Our table was in the front balcony corner and afforded both of us the awesome views of boats bobbing in Cruz Bay. There is an inner room in the center of the restaurant that is very open to the balcony; it had a very light yet refined feeling and would be a pleasant dining space.
Linens and printed materials were first class and the chairs comfortable. A small oil lamp added a glow to the twilight.
Our waitress for the evening was Jodi and she was attentive yet non-intrusive, with a friendly smile and manner. Two or three other servers were working... all dressed in black with long white bistro chef aprons. I like that look! Dish wares are white and simple. Nice!
I do not recall any kind of music in the restaurant. The Beach Bar and Motu (on the other side) were quiet; we heard the ferries, occasional vehicles, and voices from the street, but none were intrusive. By the time we finished, 15 to 20 people were seated around us, but the tables are well spaced for a desired comfort level.
I must admit that we did not even glance at the wine list (someone else will cover this, I hope). Our first serving was bread and butter... a whole wheat roll with three small balls of flavored butter. Personal preference would have been for a small piece of baguette, but these were good.
We ordered salads... mine was the organic greens and roasted beets. Delicious! The bacon lardons were an excellent addition to this salad.
My date chose the chicory and spiced walnuts and he deemed it very tasty!
Our entrees were the sauteed mahi mahi for him...
and the filet mignon au poivre for me...
Shared dessert was a decadent chocolate terrine which was heavenly.
Our evening and food was upscale by our measures... in my opinion, the Miners are doing a very good job of presenting fine food in a relaxed atmosphere with just the right touch of charm and ambiance. If back on the island, we are certain to return to The Terrace!
Prices did not seem unreasonable for the quality of food, service, and location.
My only complaint would be that several times we were addressed as "Guys". I know. It is such a common form of address, but I still don't like it anywhere.
(The iPhone without flash resulted in rather dark photos. I hope that you can see how rich the presentation is!)
... no longer a stranger to paradise
Re: Dining at The Terrace St John... a review
Thank you for your review. All of the review seem to be good for the Terrace. I put it on my to do list for Jan. I appreciate all the details and the pictures. The view looks wonderful too!
Re: Dining at The Terrace St John... a review
Everything looks delicious! We only did one upscale meal this recent trip and it was at Havana Blue at St Thomas. It is also an awesome restaurant.
Going "home" again October 26th!
Re: Dining at The Terrace St John... a review
Bumping this up... very nice additions of professional pictures to the website http://theterracestjohn.com/
are much better than my dark iPhone shots.
are much better than my dark iPhone shots.
... no longer a stranger to paradise
Re: Dining at The Terrace St John... a review
I love this restaurant - have my reservation for Christmas Eve in since before thanksgiving 
Pia
Pia
Realtor - St John Properties
Re: Dining at The Terrace St John... a review
We will definately give it a try in February
Re: Dining at The Terrace St John... a review
Tried to eat there on our recent trip but they were closed on the nights we were looking at ...(Thanksgiving & a Sunday)..Next time~
~Pam~
"Barefoot in the snow white sand
A bag of sea shells in her hand
She finally found a paradise it seems..."
"Barefoot in the snow white sand
A bag of sea shells in her hand
She finally found a paradise it seems..."
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St. John Lover
- Posts: 245
- Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2006 5:14 pm
- Location: Chicago
Re: Dining at The Terrace St John... a review
Definitely on my "try" list for January. Does anyone know if it's only closed on Sundays or other nights as well?