Michel Richard Citronelle – Washington, DC
Until today, if I had to choose one culinary hero it would be Michel Richard, I own ‘Happy In the Kitchen.’ I keep up with his new restaurant adventures. We’ve made a reservation twice before here, and have had to cancel due to something else coming up. Three months ago I made this reservation for our anniversary dinner of 15 years, and I knew it would either be ‘three time’s a charm’ or ‘three strikes you’re out.’ Great, we made it to today and nothing has gotten in our way yet. We had plans to drop off Syd at her grandparents’ place on the way in to Georgetown. The fates were clearly still conspiring against us because we suddenly got a flat tire on the highway not 10 minutes from dropping off Syd. But we were still early and had time! SQ miraculously swapped the tire out without so much as a smudge on his dress shirt, and Peepaw came out to meet us and took Syd with him. The traffic in Georgetown was slow and cumbersome, as every Saturday night is, but we made it right on time. I took my cookbook, hoping for the best…even though I felt like a ridiculous groupie carrying this giant book into a very upscale restaurant. I asked if Chef Richard was in, but got a different answer from everyone, which was incredibly irritating. The staff at the front were very nice, but overall the atmosphere is very stuffy. We were prepared for expensive, but I still had a little sticker shock from the menu. Tonight would be a la carte…the tasting menu was off limits for our budget.
More Winery Hopping
Barboursville Vineyards - Barboursville, Virginia
Kirstin is over for a visit on her way home to London, so we took her winery hopping today. We have some favorites, and I had come up with an ambitious list for the day. Unfortunately, I’m such a lightweight I knew I would be asleep by the second winery and that we would never make it to everything on the list. We got a late start…SQ has having some human technical difficulties coming up with the addresses. Our first attempt was Linden Vineyards, but I stupidly didn’t call ahead of time and just assumed they would be open. Bad assumption – we drove all the way there and they were closed. We’ve been before, they have outstanding wine so I was a bit disappointed.
The next stop on our list was Pearmund Cellars, another outstanding winery in our opinion, which sits just a bit north of Warrenton. They offer 3 options for tastings – Classic for $5, Reserve for $7, or both for $10. We chose the Reserve, which included 5 wines. I won’t cover all of them in detail, but my favorites were the 2007 Viognier (something Virginia wineries do particularly well) and the 2006 Petite Verdot, with the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon coming in a close third. The Viognier is well-rounded and very tropical, while the Petite Verdot is full of blackberry flavor and very earthy.
Barboursville Vineyards was our next target, after a brief run through McDonald’s for some french fries (a major weakness!!). The setup here is a bit different – you pay at the front register for the tasting and pick up your glass, then move over to the tasting area. They have everything set up so that you move from Whites to Reds to Dessert wine, and when they are busy it becomes a bit cumbersome. Barboursville has a huge list of wines they produce, and while it’s not in my overll top 5 wineries in Virginia, they do have a couple of outstanding selections, and the grounds are incredibly beautiful. The ruins of the old governor’s mansion are also on site, which makes for nice picnic setting in sunny weather. Again, I won’t go through every wine they offer, but my favorites here were the 2007 Sauvignon Blanc (crisp, dry, a lot of pear flavor, and great for outdoor weather), the 2006 Barbera Reserve (hard to find in VA, medium body, earthy, and plum-y), the 2006 Cabernet Franc Reserve (my favorite wine here, with the exception of the 2004 Octagon; very classic VA wine, a lot of structure but not highly tannic), and the 2005 Nebbiolo Reserve (another Italian varietal that’s hard to find in VA; very smoky, complex, smooth, full-bodied, and will improve even more with some aging).
And last on our tour today, since it was getting later in the afternoon at this point, was Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyard. The drive here is incredibly beautiful, some of the nicest land in Virginia, and it’s also just down the road a bit from Monticello. I was expecting a packed house here, but it was so desserted I thought they were closed when we first pulled in. SQ and I have been to Kluge a few times before, and it’s firmly in our Top 5 in the state, but the selection in the past has been small. I don’t find that off-putting…usually the wineries offering a huge assortment sacrifice quality. We were surprised to find that Kluge is now offering 12 wines and sparkling wines, which they serve as a tasting flight. There are 2 options here – Albemarle Flight for $10 or Kluge Flight for $12, and we were told it might be a good idea to share as they pour quite a bit into the glasses. We opted to do both flights for the three of us, and overall the Albemarle Flight had better options. The standouts from that group included a 2006 Viognier (again, very Virginia, complex and tropical), 2006 Albemarle Rose (even you non-Rose drinkers will like this; dry, with vanilla and almond finish), and the 2004 Albemarle Simply Red (Bordeaux-style, aged in French oak). I have to also mention the Cru Aperitif, which is a very distinctive, fortified Chardonnay that is aged in Jack Daniels barrels – sounds bizarre, but it’s one of the most interesting wines I’ve ever had. The Cru Royale was also fun to drink – they blend the Cru with the Kluge SP Blanc de Blanc, and serve with a piece of orange peel…kind of tastes like a Mimosa…really refreshing! From the Kluge Flight, the just-mentioned 2004 SP Blanc de Blanc was an outstanding sparkling wine made in the Methode Champenoise style. I’m not particularly fond of sparkling wine, but this was very enjoyable, and I think I could really just sit and drink this even with no food. The 2004 Kluge SP Blanc de Noir was also a favorite, made from 100% Pinot Noir, aged in French Oak, and definitive notes of cassis. We have a bottle of 2001 Kluge Estate New World Red (still unopened…and waiting for K and James to make it back over the pond for a visit!), but the later vintages kind of fall flat. The 2002 and 2004 are both included in the Kluge Flight, and I would almost put them at the bottom of everything we tasted today.
We were all starving at this point, and Syd has been such a trooper today putting up with our wandering around from winery to winery, so it was time for dinner. I had a couple of options in mind, but we ended up at one of our favorite pizza places – Mellow Mushroom, right on the campus for University of VA. It’s a southern pizza chain, I think based in Georgia, and Charlottesville is about as far north as they go. Very hippy atmosphere, and it was filled with college students, but we were early so no problem finding a place to sit. Any pizza you get here will be good, but I can’t comment on anything else on the menu as pizza is all I’ve ever eaten at Mellow Mushroom. We split a BBQ Chicken pizza (yum!) and a sausage and pineapple pizza (weird, I know…but I’m addicted to this particular combination).
There are about 140 wineries in Virginia at last count – I think everyone can find something they like in this state. What is being produced here is very, very Virginia, and there are wine varietals that the state does incredibly well. I didn’t drink Chardonnay before I started trying it here. You will find some very good wine and some very bad wine here, and a lot of in-between, so go drive around and give it a try. A good site to start with is virginiawine.org. And don’t tell me you don’t drink anything but California wine….
Camino Real Mexican Restaurant (Berryville, VA)
We’ve been driving to Berryville a bit more lately for dinner lately. Leesburg has gotten a bit tired, and the options there aren’t incredible to begin with. So tonight was our third foray going west for dinner while Syd was at a birthday party. Mexican sounded good so we decided to give Camino Real a try. It’s a tiny place downtown, not much atmosphere…but Mexican always seems to be best in these types of places. And we weren’t disappointed here. The chips are OK, not the best and not the worst I’ve had, but the salsa was great, very fresh and flavorful. Off to a good start so far. The menu is full of options, perhaps too many, and it’s very straightforward Mexican. I ordered the two enchilada combo, chicken, which came with rice and refried beans. The food comes out very quickly here and the plates were scalding hot. Everything was very homemade tasting…clearly no Sysco truck pulling up to the back regularly. The red sauce on the enchiladas tasted like very fresh tomatoes pureed with Latin spices, and the chicken inside was freshly roasted and pulled. Even the rice and beans had flavor, which is something a lot of Mexican places must find really hard to do for some reason. The food prices are very reasonable, and the bottled beer barely costs more than a soda or iced tea. Overall, the best Mexican within at least 20 miles of our house…we’ll be back.
More of Virginia’s Wineries
Iron Bridge Wine Company
Syd is still in Ohio visiting her grandparents, so we decided to take another opportunity to check out a few wineries we haven’t visited before. Well, one that we’ve been to before…but it’s been a really long time. We actually started our day with lunch in Warrenton at a very hip place called Iron Bridge Wine Company. It’s located on a corner in the downtown area, and it’s really part wine store and part restaurant. We were on the early side for lunch, so ended up being the first ones in. The waiter/host told us just to sit anywhere so we chose the elevated window table (clearly the space had previously been some kind of shop that displayed things in the window….). So now we were on display, and it served to bring more people in because by the time we left the two waiters really couldn’t keep up with all the patrons. SQ and I split a glass of Vignerons Rose, then I ordered the Ahi Tuna Club. The tuna was seared perfectly rare, and was dressed with lettuce, heirloom tomato, applewood smoked bacon and lemon aioli. They could really re-think the bread choice as it got a little soggy from the aioli, but otherwise was excellent. The sandwich was served with a choice of mixed green salad, potato salad or herbed fries – I chose the green salad and wasn’t disappointed. The dinner menu seems to consist of soups, salads, seafood and small plates to share….would make for a fun evening out with a group. The upside to this place is that since they sell wines as a wine store, you can order a bottle, which is much cheaper than what most restaurants charge, and pay a small corkage fee to enjoy it with your food. The service was a bit slow since they were understaffed that day, but it was very friendly, and the atmosphere inside is kind of upscale feeling without being pretentious, and prices aren’t ridiculous either. We would definitely go back.
After lunch we took off for Philip Carter Winery, which apparently used to be Stillhouse Vineyards, located in Hume. I hadn’t heard much about them so I didn’t really know what to expect, but the drive to get there was stunning…more gorgeous Virginia horse country. We went into the tasting room and it just went downhill. They were very disorganized, and the person pouring the wine for us didn’t seem to know anything about it. She kept describing everything as ‘a really good wine’ and had nothing more to add. I can’t really comment positively about anything that we tried. Overall, this winery has a lot of work to do.
Linden Vineyards was our next destination, and though we’d been before it has been a few years. Linden is actually the second winery we visited in Virginia, and we thought highly of it but have since been to others that we felt were better. We were really pleasantly surprised at how much better the wine here has become. We were also surprised that they weren’t very busy, but found out why after talking to some of the employees. Laurie told us that it was starting to get overrun with groups out touring in limos, so they no longer accept groups larger than six. They also now limit their food and deck area (with fabulous views of the vineyard and mountains) to club members. Today they were tasting a 2007 Seyval (crisp, acidic, would be great with grilled fish or seafood), a 2006 Chardonnay (steel-barrel aged which gave it a bright, clean taste of citrus and vanilla), a 2004 Claret (medium-bodied, flavor of raspberry and plum), and 2005 Petit Verdot (very European tasting, earthy, finished with gripping tannins). All of them were worthy of purchasing, but we opted for the Seyval today.
We weren’t really sure where we were going to go next, but Laurie suggested Chester Gap Cellars, located right outside Front Royal. The tasting room is still somewhat under construction, but this winery has what is probably the most stunning view of any that we’ve been to. It sits on the side of a mountain, and is completely surrounded by mountain views…really breathtaking. If I wasn’t so dizzy at this point I think I could have just sat on one of their picnic tables for the rest of the afternoon staring at the trees. So, the wines – the standouts here were the 2006 Sauvignon Blanc (grassy Loire-style wine, crisp and dry) and the 2006 Viognier (floral, peach, fermented in stainless steel). They also produce a Viognier Reserve which is aged in French Oak, and normally I like that oak-y flavor, especially in Chardonnay, but here I preferred the Viognier aged in steel. We took home a bottle of the Sauvignon Blanc…SQ tried to talk me into pan-searing some scallops for dinner, but I really just needed a nap after all the wine drinking.
Blue Duck Tavern
1201 24th St. NW (in the Park Hyatt), Washington, DC 20002
202.419.6755
www.blueducktavern.com
We ate at Blue Duck Tavern in DC last night with our friends Kirstin and James. They came to visit after a trip to New York, before heading home to England. If you get the chance to eat here…GO!!! Seriously, make your reservation now. This is one of the best meals we’ve ever had in town. It is connected to the Park Hyatt Washington, and you might almost go right by it if you aren’t paying attention. The atmosphere is dark, cool and not pretentious at all. We were wearing jeans, but you would feel just as comfortable, maybe more so, wearing something a bit more upline than that. We were there on a Sunday evening, Fridays and Saturdays may be a bit more dressy.
The waiter brought a plate of Concord Grapes to try, and I almost forgot about the bread these were so good. And I don’t even normally like grapes. I started out with the Pumpkin Bisque soup, which had a tiny square of gingerbread covered with ham in the center of the bowl. It was creamy and not too sweet. I devoured the whole bowl. We had ordered a bottle of Byron Pinot Noir, and I’m not sure if this went well with everyone’s meal or not but I didn’t care. Pinot Noir is my favorite wine, and this was a very good bottle. SQ ordered the Crab Fritters as his starter and I swiped a bite. They were crispy on the outside and incredibly creamy on the inside, very fresh tasting.
I ordered the Maine Scallops for my main dish and they were perfect, nicely browned on both sides. The side dishes here come family style, so we went a little crazy and ordered Chanterelle mushrooms, Sweet Potato Grits, Mashed Potatoes, and Sweet Potatoes done like wedge fries. I don’t care for Sweet Potatoes, so I can’t comment on those but everyone else seemed to like them. The Mashed Potatoes were really smooth, not lumpy at all, and the Chanterelles were cooked nicely and not mushy. We were onto our second bottle of the Pinot, so I was getting quite full…but there’s always a little room for dessert.
SQ wanted the chocolate cake with flaming bourbon, so I shared some of that with him. James ordered Chocolate Smores Ice Cream. This had all the actual smores ingredients in it, very yummy.
The whole concept of this restaurant is freshness, quality and working with a lot of farms. They source through several in Pennsylvania. The menu changes seasonally, and they even post on the menu where your food is coming from. The options should also make anyone happy. If you can’t find something on the menu you like, you don’t like food.
Not Your Average Joe’s
19307 Promenade Drive (Lansdowne Town Center), Leesburg, VA 20176
571.333.5637 notyouraveragejoes.com
This is my second visit to NYAJ in Lansdowne, I went with a friend for lunch today. Again, the foccacia and dipping oil was superb, but that’s as far as that went. I ordered the Spinach and Pear salad, and asked for them to add chicken to it, an option with all of their salads for an additional fee. When our lunch finally came the salad had no chicken on top and was absolutely swimming in the Maple Vinaigrette dressing, which tasted more like straight maple syrup. The pears were hard and crunchy and the spinach was at the end of its shelf life. Another 1/2 star out of 4 for this experience as well. I don’t think I want to go back anymore.
Details
Cuisine: American
Price range: $8 – $17
Locally-based? No
Reservations? Yes
Kids menu? Yes
Vegetarian dishes? Yes
WiFi? Yes
Smoking? No
Hours: Su – Noon to 9pm, M-Th – 11am to 10pm, F-Sa – 11am to 10:30pm
M-Ones Cut-to-the-chase Summary
Did we enjoy it? Not really
Would we go back? Already did, so we’ve probably exhausted that path
Worth the money? Not even at the price
Rating: 1/2 an M out of 5 MMMMM
Pearmund Cellars
Pearmund Cellars - Broad Run, Virginia
Pearmund Cellars
6190 Georgetown Road, Broad Run, VA 20137
540.347.3475
www.pearmundcellars.com
I had heard a lot of good things about this winery, but why we waited so long to try them out is still a mystery. SQ and I were trying to decide what to do on this Friday, Syd was at school, and we wanted to get out for a new adventure. I suggested driving here, then heading over to their sister winery, The Winery at La Grange. After a forgettable burger at the Five Guys in Warrenton (I apologize to those of you who worship this now mega-chain), we drove out to Pearmund. The gravel driveway taking you back to the tasting room snakes through what seems like endless rows of grape vines. We were shocked that there were others already there, it was only noon. I took this as a good sign that the wine would probably have some merit. Pearmund offers a couple of tasting options – you can run the course of their ‘Classic’ wines for $5 per person, or you can do the Reserve tasting for $8 per person. We opted for the Classic, but as we stood there talking to Mark, who was doing the pouring, he ended up giving us some of the Reserve wines to taste. Smart guy…we ended up buying several bottles from that list.
Pearmund was voted Virginia’s Favorite Winery this year, and I think with good reason. They have a good selection and the wines are very balanced. They are also producing some really creative wine, most notably the Ameritage, which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Mark was very knowledgeable with the wines and wasn’t afraid to offer opinions and suggestions for food pairings. I would comfortably say that Pearmund is in our Top 5 Virginia Wines.
So, what did we buy? The 2005 Ameritage Reserve was my absolute favorite, consensus of 3 1/2 stars with SQ so we bought two bottles. We also purchased the 2005 Petit Verdot (also on the Reserve list), the 2006 Sauvignon Blanc, 2005 Estate Chardonnay (my other favorite, 3 1/2 stars!), and the 2004 Cabernet Franc. Pearmund also does winery tours, but we opted out for today. If a picnic at a winery is your thing, bring it with you…they have tables under a covered patio, or you can spread out your yummies in the grass. You can crack open the bottle you just purchased, or buy wine by the glass while you’re there.
If you can get out to the Warrenton area, try to stop by…they are open daily, and the visit will really be worth it.
Clyde’s Willow Creek Farm
42920 Broadlands Boulevard, Broadlands, VA 20148571.209.1200www.clydes.comI met up with a friend, Amy, at the newest of the Clyde’s chain in Ashburn this evening. The weather was gorgeous so we decided to sit outside on their expansive patio. The restaurant itself is absolutely huge, constructed of something like three different very old buildings meshed together. The result is beautiful, and very very Virginia.This wasn’t my first trip to this particular Clyde’s, and the first few experiences were just OK from the standpoint of food quality, even to the point of being highly inconsistent. This time, I am happy to say, was completely different. I ordered the ribs, and they were honestly some of the best ribs I’ve ever had. I like them when they are so tender the meat literally just falls off the bone with little assistance, and the sauce is a bit tangy and a bit sweet. I think most places call that “Texas style” barbeque. These were exactly the way I like them. And they came with a side of baked beans in a cute little pot, with chunks of bacon mixed in – delicious! I was drinking a glass of Estancia Red Zinfandel, it seemed to pair well with the ribs.Overall, I would give this visit to this Clyde’s a rating of 2 1/2 stars (out of 4). The service was attentive but not annoying, and the atmosphere was certainly wonderful.
Blue Ridge Grill
955 Edwards Ferry Rd, Leesburg, VA 20176
703.669.5505
www.brgrill.com
I have mixed feelings about Blue Ridge Grill. I don’t like the location, and it’s rather awkward to get to it. The atmosphere is bland and suburban, and people flock to it as if there is no other option in Leesburg. There are other options, there just don’t happen to be a lot of good ones. However, the food here is fairly consistent and good quality. What they are trying to do is certainly a good cut above the TGI Friday’s just down the street.
On this visit I opted for the Luau Steak, which is a nicely marbled ribeye marinated, grilled, and topped with a pineapple-teriyaki glaze. The steak quality was good, and it was cooked rare exactly as I asked for it. This is sometimes very hard to get, grill cooks more often than not want to overcook red meat, regardless of how you order it. The baked potato was fluffy on the inside just like it should be. The food here is not overly creative, but it is fresh and not overpriced. It’s a good casual place to go with your family as it’s very kid-friendly, and much better than most of the options in the area.
Pastino’s Neighborhood Restaurant
1750 Clearwater Largo Rd, Clearwater, FL 33756
727.559.0506
Back in the Tampa area after our overnight outing to Siesta Key. This restaurant is actually in Clearwater, hiding behind some trees on Clearwater Largo Road. It’s very cute on the outside, and it’s exactly what it says on the inside – a friendly neighborhood restaurant. There are so many of us we seem to take up the entire mid-section of the restaurant, but they aren’t very busy at 2:30pm on a Sunday. We order a couple of Toasted Raviolis and some Antipasto prior to our pizzas. The ravioli is incredibly good, very crispy on the outside, and served with a side of marinara sauce. SQ, Syd and I decide to split Syd’s most favorite pizza – sausage and pineapple. It’s a bit weird, but actually pretty good. This pizza is great – the dough is hand-tossed, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The toppings are very fresh, and I think the pineapple is actually not from a can. Pastino’s does have several other Italian dishes on their menu, but how could you pass up the pizza? I really liked this place, very casual and comfortable with reasonably priced, really tasty pizza.
Tommy Bahama Tropical Cafe
300 John Ringling Blvd, Sarasota, FL 34236
941.388.2888
http://www.tommybahama.com/TBG/StoresAndCafes/TropicalCafes.jsp
Still in Tampa…Stacey wanted to take a drive down the coast until we found somplace charming and cute to stay the night. No specific plans, no specific destination, no reservations. Not the way I usually travel, and it unnerved my normally very ‘do advance research and plan’ self, at first, but I went with it. We drove through Old St. Pete and I was ready to move to Florida at this point.
After driving down through Bradenton, we cut over to Anna Maria Island and continued south to Longboat Key. We eventually drove into this completely charming and adorable area called St. Armand’s Circle. Stacey and I were yelling to park the car so we could get out and walk around. From the look of it, not many chain stores…it was full of unique, one-of-a-kind places to browse, my kind of places. We were starving as it was now about 2pm so we contemplated a couple of choices, then settled on the Tommy Bahama Tropical Cafe. I knew it would be expensive because of the name, but that was OK. It is a chain, but not a large one, and this one sits, guess…right above the Tommy Bahama store. It’s very cute and looks somewhat like a Disney version of Old Havana. I got a Mango Iced Tea, and SQ and I decided to split the Tommy’s Great Big Crispy Fish Sandwich. I’m not sure what kind of fish it was, the menu described it as a beer-battered local island fish. After taking a bite I didn’t care, it was just really incredibly good. I guess for almost $14 it should be. And it was also very big and very crispy, and topped with these incredible sweet honey-roasted onions. Final thoughts – I would give this 2 1/2 stars out of 4. A bit expensive, but you get your money’s worth.
After getting some dinner advice from the waiter, we left to shop around the area a bit. And we still needed to find a place to stay for the night.
Turtle Beach Resort / Ophelia’s On the Bay
Turtle Beach Resort
9049 Midnight Pass Road, Siesta Key, FL 34242
941.349.4554
www.turtlebeachresort.com
Ophelia’s On the Bay
9105 Midnight Pass Road, Sarasota, FL 34242
www.opheliasonthebay.net
After heading out from St. Armand’s Circle, we passed through Sarasota and on to Siesta Key. We were getting a bit desperate for someplace to stay for the night. Most of the places we had passed either didn’t fit what we wanted (ie, tall hotels with no charm) or only rented by the week. We finally found a place that seemed to fit our requirements – nightly rentals and lots of charm – but they had no availability. They pointed us down the road a bit further to a place called Turtle Beach Resort. I fell in love instantly when we pulled into the parking lot. It just looked like Old Florida and it was oozing charm. Stacey wasn’t so sure. She had really wanted something on the beach, and this was on the bay side of the island. No one was in the rental office, so we called the number posted on the door. They had availability for a 2-Bedroom cottage, very reasonable price, and it included a deal with Ophelia’s, the restaurant next door. For $40 per person you could get a 3-course meal there. This was also the restaurant that the waiter at Tommy Bahama’s had pointed us to. We decided to go with it, and the rental agent showed up about 15 minutes later to check us in. The cottage was really cute on the inside too. AND we had our own private hot tub on the patio out back, complete with a hammock and patio furniture. I kind of wished we were staying longer.
We called Ophelia’s and they were able to get us in for 7pm. It was too dark for any views of the bay by then, and it was still, in my opinion, too hot and clammy outside to want to sit out there. This IS August in Florida. It was also raining off and on. The inside of the restaurant needed a bit of updating. It reminded me of a remnant from the 1980’s, a lot of glass and mirrors. The waitress was a bit rough around the edges, and seemed a bit annoyed that we wanted to do the $40 special. And of course, the options are much more limited for that. I started out with a French Martini – not the best I’ve ever had, but still very good. I then opted for the Baby Arugula Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette for my first course. The salad was fresh, but overall the taste was on the flat side. I was hoping for something a bit more zippy for the salad dressing. My main course was the Yellowtail Snapper with Apple Compote. I was hoping to repeat a similar meal experience I’d had in Key West last summer, but this fell hopelessly short. Maybe I was just still full from our incredibly late lunch, but it just didn’t make a huge impression on me. I followed up with the Creme Brulee for dessert. It was very good, but I think it’s hard to screw up that particular dessert. This is the place everyone thinks is the best restaurant on the island. I then wondered where we would eat if would have stayed longer. Overall, I would give Ophelia’s 1 1/2 stars out of 4.
Back at Turtle Beach Resort, we decided to take a dip in the hot tub. SQ had, unfortunately, turned the heat up so high we couldn’t stand to be in it. We turned the temp. down, then Stacey and I decided to go walking out on the resort-owned docks. This place was incredibly quiet, mostly small families and couples staying here. It would be a really, really romantic place to stay. Each cottage has it’s own hot tub, and there is a swimming pool. They also have lots of water equipment – kayaks, fishing poles, etc. There are covered swings all over the place too, several on the docks – VERY relaxing. Well, it wasn’t on the beach, but this was really nice. I’m still not sure if Stacey was crazy about the place, but SQ and I really enjoyed it. Back to reality tomorrow.
Michael’s 717 South
717 South Howard Avenue, Tampa, FL 33606
813.250.1661
www.seven17south.com
We were in the Tampa area visiting our very good friends who have recently moved there from Virginia. This was our second evening down there, we were without all the kids so had our free run of going wherever we wanted.
I will start by saying that this is the most interesting concept I’ve ever come across in a restaurant. It sits in the Soho District area, and it is surrounded by several other restaurants. It is part Italian and part Asian, and the decor is very mod, Art-deco Italian. And ultra-hip, a very young and beautiful crowd. After trying to get into Sidebern’s on a last minute whim, this is where the valet there pointed us. The menu is split between the cuisines, so you can definitively go to the section you are in the mood for. What I liked about it is that they are taking dishes traditional to one part of the world and putting an Italian or Asian spin on it.
SQ and I split the Asian Pot Roast…it was late and I wasn’t extremely hungry at this point. After we started eating it I wished I had ordered one all to myself. It was that good. The pot roast was so tender you could cut it with a fork, and it had a wonderful Asian flavor of teriyaki and pineapple, but not overdone. We finished with some sort of Chocolate Lava Cake that was out of this world.
I would give it 2 1/2 stars (out of 4) – the service was attentive, the prices very good for the quality of food. The only downside is that there didn’t seem to be anyone there over the age of 29. Except us.
Not Your Average Joe’s
19307 Promenade Drive (Lansdowne Town Center), Leesburg, VA 20176
571.333.5637 www.notyouraveragejoes.com
I had attempted to eat here before, but the power went out all over Lansdowne, all the way to Leesburg. All I had at that point was some of their foccacia bread and dipping oil. I should have quit while I was ahead and taken the power outage as a bad omen.
The restaurant itself has good atmosphere, and lots of outdoor seating for warm weather. It’s right on the main street in the new Town Center area of Lansdowne, where there is plenty of competition already. NYAJ is a small-ish chain that is primarily up in New England; this is their first, and only restaurant right now, outside that area. I took my daughter, Syd, and my mother-in-law here for dinner while SQ was out of town. The MIL and I split a pitcher of Sangria, after eyeballing another table of ladies sharing some. It was good, not great, but we were enjoying it. Syd and I also split a Mozzarella Tomato salad for a starter. The mozzarella was a bit tasteless, and the beefsteak tomatoes were not fully ripe yet. Also, the first batch of foccacia we were served was so hard I thought I was going to pull a tooth out trying to bite into it. Too bad…the dipping oil with grated cheese and red pepper flakes is really yummy. Syd and I then split the Chicken Carbonara for dinner. This too was rather bland and tasteless. MIL seemed to like her dinner, the Tuscan Shrimp. I didn’t have any of hers so I can’t comment on that dish. I do always like to give someplace new at least two chances, so I’ll come back another time to give it another try.
Details
Cuisine: American
Price range: $8 – $17
Locally-based? No
Reservations? Yes
Kids menu? Yes
Vegetarian dishes? Yes
WiFi? Yes
Smoking? No
Hours: Su – Noon to 9pm, M-Th – 11am to 10pm, F-Sa – 11am to 10:30pm
M-Ones Cut-to-the-chase Summary
Did we enjoy it? No
Would we go back? Probably not if it wasn’t nearby, but we’ll give it another shot
Worth the money? Perhaps at the price it competes
Rating: 1/2 an M out of 5 MMMMM
Eamonn’s Dublin Chipper
728 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
703.299.8384
www.eamonnsdublinchipper.com
The BEST fish and chips in the US!! (I’ve not been to Dublin yet…) This tiny little place on a corner of King Street in Alexandria is owned by Cathal Armstrong, of Restaurant Eve fame, and named after his son. They don’t have many tables as it’s primarily a takeaway, or many items on their menu other than the battered cod and hand cut chips (fries). I think they have a burger and a sausage, but why bother when the fish is really THAT good. You order at the counter (a pint of Guinness is also a must), and they call your name when the food is ready. It all comes in takeaway bags, even if you’re eating there at the semi-communal tables. And it is so piping hot you have to wait a few minutes or you’ll burn your tongue off. But it’s absolutely worth the wait. And I love the motto on the door – ‘Thanks Be to Cod.’
We happened to be here on the Friday evening of the last Harry Potter book release, and all of Alexandria had been transformed into places from the books. Several of the stores were doing themed activities, and there were tiny wizards and witches running up and down the streets. The weather was beautiful and the kids looked absolutely adorable.
Overall, 3 stars out of 4 for Eamonn’s.
London, England
The nice thing about a flight that leaves at 11pm – you have all day to finish up last-minute packing. ‘All day’ is a lot shorter than it would at first seem. We left our car at SQ’s office in Reston and took a cab to Dulles from there, after being a bit late leaving (due to some last-minute blogging by me). We are flying Virgin Atlantic – bonus!! I had talked SQ into taking our rolling carry-on for all the electronic equipment he was carting over. And he has a RIDICULOUS amount of it! You’d think we were headed to a gadget convention. When we were checking in, the Virgin agent told us it was too big, and way too heavy. SQ was irritated at me now, I guess rightly so. So he pulled out his Digital SLR and the laptop, and Virgin was nice enough to give him a tote bag. He checked everything else….without a security lock. The whole experience with Virgin Atlantic so far has been great. We got to Dulles 3 hours early, so of course the security line only took us 10 minutes. I ended up buying SQ a TSA lock so he wouldn’t drag me all over London looking for one, instead of enjoying the sites. Then we had to just sit, waiting, waiting, waiting to board the plane.
The plane was completely full, and the seats in coach pretty tight. The lady sitting next to me had no sense of personal space and elbowed me several times, shifting all over the place. The plus is that each seat had it’s own TV on the back of the seat in front of you. There are pillows and blankets in each seat, and they give you headphones and a ‘personal care’ kit complete with toothbrush/toothpaste combo. I attempted to sleep, it’s hard to do on a plane when the seat doesn’t go back very far and your head bobs around. The flight was about 7 hours, and we were a bit late getting to the gate at Heathrow. The walk to Immigration and Customs was quite long, then we had to stand in line there for about an hour. The agents asked a lot of questions, but are at least nice about it. All of our luggage made it, which was an unexpected bonus these days. It was fairly easy to navigate out to the taxi stand, and no lines to get one. Probably because we are the only idiots not taking the Tube. The taxis are totally adorable though, clean and quite large. The fare to our hotel was outrageous, around $100. We are staying at the Marriott County Hall, which is right on the Thames River and in front of the London Eye. This is a place we would no way be able to afford, we used up all our Marriott points just to get this one night here. The location is great, but our particular room has a really crappy view of the trash courtyard. The hotel doesn’t seem busy so not sure why we got stuck in this room. But it’s quite large, and clean, and has tons of room for all of us. The staff are very nice, typical for a Marriott…except not that timely on getting our luggage to us. They were supposed to bring it up right away, and half hour later we still didn’t have it. I called down to request it again, and another 45 minutes went by. I was really irritated as it was now almost 4:30pm and we didn’t want to waste anymore time waiting for our bags. Our time here is really limited and we had purchased tickets for the Big Bus Tour in advance. Now I was getting nervous we wouldn’t have enough time to do this, it’s about a two hour round-trip tour, and we were supposed to meet Kirstin and James for dinner at 8pm by the Eye. I finally had to go down and show up in person to get them to bring up the bags.
We left for the bus tour, there was supposed to be a stop just in front of the hotel, but they were having a problem finding our reservation, so we were delayed another 20 minutes or so. Not much was going our way in terms of timing so far. Next time in London I need to remember to allow most of a day for travel transfers. Syd really wanted to go to Harrod’s, and the bus tour makes a stop right in front, but at this point there was no time. We sat on top (no cover) and had a great view of all the sights. The live commentator was great, full of good stories.
We didn’t make it back to the hotel until 7:15pm, which didn’t leave us much time to get ready for dinner, and we were pretty wind-blown by then. We met up with Kirstin and James (our first time meeting him!), and headed over to an adorable place called Giraffe for dinner, which was quite popular based on the crowds there. The weather was gorgeous so we decided to eat outside on the patio. And no rain so far! The menu is really diverse, and I decided to get the Grilled “Tandoori Murghi” burger, which was grilled chicken marinated in yogurt sauce, topped with mango chutney, onion, lettuce and tomato. SQ ordered the Chicken Schnitzel BLT, and Syd had a beef teriyaki stir fry. The food tasted as good as it smelled, really yummy. Kirstin and I shared a bottle of Pinot Noir, while James and SQ slugged Red Stripe most of the evening. Around 12:20am we realized we were the only customers left. I think this was the first time I’ve ‘closed a restaurant down’ for the night. We could have sat and talked with them all night, it’s too bad we aren’t spending more time in London.
Overall first impressions of London: The town is quite lovely, incredibly old, and it feels comfortable and accessible. Kind of reminds me of Washington, DC in a lot of ways, but much larger. The buildings are all not very tall so it feels very open. The neighborhoods are beautiful and it was great fun to people-watch from the top of the bus as it moved through different parts of the city.
We are going to attempt to wake up early enough tomorrow morning to take Syd to Harrod’s before catching the train to Edinburgh. We’ll see how that works out…
Father’s Day at Belga Cafe
514 8th Street, SE, Washington, DC
202.544.0100
www.belgacafe.com
OK, I admit I picked this place because my father-in-law is WAY into beer. The fact that they also happen to serve one of my top 2 favorite beers, Leffe Blond, was absolutely inconsequential. Belga actually happens to have a very long list of Belgian beers, I need to come back at least to try some of the others. The restaurant sits in a very charming and revitalized area of Washington, DC, and it was a very sunny day today for walking around.
Our reservation, glad I made one as they were packed, was for 11am. Is it OK to have a beer with brunch? I didn’t care…I’d been waiting since we got back from St. Martin to have a Leffe Blond. I ordered the Wentelteefjes, which was Belgian “French” toast, with homemade syrup, and a side of sausage. It was delicious, very egg-y and the bread was nice and fluffy. The portions are large, the service was very attentive and friendly, and the atmosphere feels very much like a European cafe (ie, if you like a lot of elbow room, this is not the place for you). Overall, 2 1/2 stars out of 4, and we will definitely come back.
Scotland for Syd
So we are leaving on Wednesday night for an extended UK trip with Syd and SQ’s parents. This trip is really the realization of Syd’s dream, and the nagging from her since she was about 5 or 6 to take her to Scotland. I’m not quite sure how she became obsessed with Scotland in the first place, but it’s firmly there now at the age of 11. It must be genetic. I did the same thing at about the same age (perhaps even as early as 4), however the object of my affection was France. At the age of 36, my obsession is still there.
We are flying into London first for an overnight to see my dear friend Kirsten and her boyfriend, James. Kirsten and I met on a flight from Boston back to Dulles about 3 years ago. She, of course, was traveling on back to London. I had decided on a whim to upgrade my seat to Business Class at the last minute while checking in. There were several seats available, the one I happened to choose put me in the row with Kirsten. Our plane was very late taking off from Boston, we started talking and didn’t stop all the way back to Dulles. We traded e-mail addresses and have been friends ever since. She has come out of her way to meet up with us twice here in VA over the past couple of years, it’s our turn to reciprocate.
After London, we’re off on a train ride up to Edinburgh. Having never been to London, Scotland, OR on a train this should be an interesting adventure….
Now, if I can just get Syd to remember that the Blarney Stone is NOT in Scotland, but in fact over in Ireland. It’s totally adorable the ideas she has about time, costs, and foreign countries at this age. She thinks we can just ‘zip over’ to Ireland for a quick look ’since it’s so close.’ She also still firmly believes that the Queen will be there to greet her personally as she gets off the plane in London (yes, she thinks she’s royalty as well), and that Scotland is completely overrun with Westies and Scotties. Perhaps I should just let her form her own opinion about the Loch Ness Monster??
St. Martin – Day 9 – Flying Home
Last day in St. Martin – well, partial at least. It’s Mother’s Day today, and I feel bad that we’re spending with neither mine nor SQ’s. We had to be out of the room by 10am but our flight wasn’t due to leave until around 4pm. After asking for a late checkout we packed up and headed toward Maho and Simpson Bay for some lunch. Mainly because that’s the direction of the airport. We were going to give Ric’s Place a try but changed our minds after checking out the inside. It’s basically a cliche sports bar supplanted in the Caribbean. Not what we came for. So we drove back to Sunset Beach Bar (next to Bliss), in Maho Bay. While this seemed to be another cliche altogether, it’s a pretty unique experience. It sits at the end of the runway for the Princess Julianna Airport and you can see all of the planes land and take off. There’s nothing quite like eating a burger and drinking a Rum Runner while being deafened and shaken by the back end of a jet ready to take off. The food is so-so and the drinks need to be blended up a bit more, but hey – topless girls drink for free (or so the sign says)! I assume that is an evening thing since we didn’t see any while we were there. Legend has it that in high season the girls flash the pilots as they are coming in to land on the runway. This all just kind of sums up the Dutch side for me….
We were still way early at this point, but after melting in the Caribbean sun we decided to head for the air-conditioned airport. The rental car return experience with Lesley Bruce of Kenny’s Car Rentals once again couldn’t have been easier. We were early so we had to call him to meet us, and he was at the airport within ten minutes. We checked in (my bag was overweight, but they didn’t charge me!) and made it through security very quickly. The airport has a decent selection of shops so we snagged some adorable bottles of Ma Dhoudhou (flavor-infused rum) for ourselves, my parents and our best friends back home. I also somehow ended up with candy and a T-shirt for Syd, and a very overpriced zip-front sweat shirt hoodie for myself – with ‘St. Barth’s’ stitched across the front. Not that I’ve been to St. Barth’s…yet. SQ gave me a hard time, but as soon as I whipped it out to put on (cold in the airport), he was now jealous of my ‘cute sweatshirt’ and had to have something for himself.
One last BBC at the airport tiki bar and we boarded the plane. After all the great food I’ve had all week I’m now left with a $5 snack box on the US Airways flight back to Charlotte. If we didn’t miss Syd so much we might not have come home at all. SQ even jokingly suggested trying to jump on the wrong plane, an Air France non-stop headed back to Paris. Maybe next time…
St. Martin – Day 8 – Wedding
We don’t have much time out today since the wedding is at 4:30pm. I decided I really wanted a ‘C’est La Vie’ T-shirt so I talked SQ into ‘zipping back to Philipsburg.’ No small feat normally. We stopped at Zee Best in Simpson Bay for breakfast – wow, incredibly yummy!! SQ had some egg dish and I had the banana almond french toast, made with their homemade croissants. The orange juice is literally freshly squeezed right when you order, great coffee too. They also bring you a basket of fresh baked pastries, you just pay for what you eat. As if I didn’t already have enough food. It was nice to sit outside, but the views weren’t all that spectacular. Simpson Bay is a bit tacky and dumpy, disappointing.We had no problem getting into Philipsburg, again taking our ‘back road’ into town. We browsed through a couple of jewelry shops, I got my T-shirt, and SQ finally found a nice white linen button-down shirt. He had been eyeing the one on a very dapper French guy earlier in the week, so he’d been hoping to find one. We left town going out towards Oyster Pond and Dawn Beach, and stopped to check out the new Westin Resort. It was not something that appealed to us, very American looking with zero charm. I later found out that the locals call it ‘The Compound’, I supposed because it does give you that impression looking down on it from the top of the hill. Not a spectacular first view of the place. The location is also in a very inaccessible spot, but the marina and bay at Dawn Beach are very pretty with all the boats bobbing around. We stopped to take some photos, then drove over to Grand Case again for lunch. We had decided on Sunset Cafe, which is on the grounds of Grand Case Beach Club. The resort itself is very pretty, lots of charm, and sits at the north end of Grand Case. The restaurant was cute and had great views out to the ocean, but the food was rather unremarkable. We finally had a less-than-outstanding meal on the French side. I ordered the flank steak sandwich with onions on a baguette, and a side salad. It was not bad, but not great either. SQ got the club sandwich with fries, then complained that these were the worst fries on the French side. He’d been getting hand-cut fries at every other place. It made him just downright mad. He then whined about it the rest of the day.The restaurant was slow – running on island time – so we had to beat a path back to the condo to get ready for the wedding. I had made an appointment at the Marie Antoinette salon (on Sapphire property) for a hair styling, but they did nothing like I asked…I even had a picture! But the pedicure was lovely, and I think the cheapest one I’ve ever paid for. The wedding was on the beach – literally, about two feet from the waves – out in front of the bride’s villa, Villa Little Jazzbird. I’m only giving the names in case anyone ever reads this and decides to research these villas, they are absolutely spectacular. The reception was at Villa Mes Amis, the largest on the island. I could not even put into words how amazing this place was. It literally took your breath away. It sits way up on the cliff overlooking Baie Rouge and was made up of three separate structures. I really could have stayed all night on the upper balcony just staring down at the water, and the lights in the distance. The villa had eight bedrooms and a gorgeous heated infinity pool. You just knew someone was going to end up that before the night was over. And they did – about half the wedding guests, including the bride’s father, jumped in while still fully clothed. The reception was also catered, and I had lobster tail again but it paled in comparison to the lobster at Karibuni (Ilet Pinel). We left after they set off a stunning fireworks show, around 11pm. Flying home tomorrow 
St. Martin – Day 7 – Orient Beach
We stopped for breakfast this morning at a very charming place called Sarafina in Marigot. They have an onsite bakery and the pastries were outstanding. The staff weren’t quite as smiley as in other places, but they all wear these cute little outfits and straw hats that make them look like they should be lining up in a Madeline book. I felt like this was the best deal we’ve gotten so far on food, other than the lolos. We purchased two croissants (huge!), a pear tart of some kind, a Quiche Lorraine, two coffees and a large bottled water for $14. We made it into Marigot a bit earlier this morning so no problems with finding a parking spot. By the time we left town it was packed, cars were double-parking and traffic was very stop-and-go.
We made our way over to Orient Beach – our favorite spot when we were here 14 years ago. The island dogs continued to be amusing, saw a German Shephard by the road this time wearing a very large sleeveless T-shirt. Orient Beach was very disappointing in several ways. The beach is covered with chairs and umbrellas, and the price to rent them is a ridiculous $25/day for the set. It’s a much more crowded beach and the shoreline seems to have changed dramatically since the hurricane several years ago. You can pay to participate in any kind of water activity you choose and there are Americans everywhere. The surf is much more gentle than Baie Rouge however, and the breezes are better. The conversations going on around us are hilarious, but the beach vendors are even more annoying here. I could see Pinel off in the distance – I want to go back over there! The sand on Orient is still great, very powdery white and soft.
After lounging on a chair for the afternoon, and watching a scary cloud come very close to shore, we went back to the condo and finished off my pizza from the night before, along with the bottle of Pinot Noir we had purchased at La Gout du Vin earlier this week. The evening’s activity was the rehearsal dinner for the bride and groom, at the bride’s parents’ villa (Marine Terrace) – down a street in a gated community in Terre Basse. This was a catered event, most appetizer-y food, so I won’t go into anything here.
St. Martin – Day 6 – Marigot
Slept in a bit today, then headed into Marigot to do some shopping. We were both a bit burned from yesterday (I was even under an umbrella all day!) and needed to give the beach a rest. After two days of being lazy in a chair I needed to do something. We couldn’t believe all the huge tour buses that had clearly brought cruise ship passengers to Marigot for the day. We had a difficult time finding a parking spot, and when we did the car was angled funny so SQ was nervous all day that the rear view mirror would get knocked off. The West Indies Mall was our first stop. This is a marble behemoth (at least for the Caribbean), but the shops selection wasn’t that incredible. We walked by the water and almost stopped at La Vie En Rose for food, but the staff was fairly rude so we opted out. With all the obnoxious Americans taking over I’m not sure I can blame them. We walked to Marina Royal, which was much quieter, and checked out Tropicana. The menu looked great but they didn’t open until 12noon. I was starving, that granola bar earlier in the morning just didn’t do much for me. So we walked over to Bistro de la Gare to kill some time by drinking a Leffe Blond.
The staff working at Tropicana are so nice and welcoming. Cristophe was our server and he made some fantastic recommendations. SQ had the veal special, I had the lobster bisque soup, and we split a half bottle of Rose wine. Once again, the food was amazing. We decided to splurge on a dessert, so we got the special for the day – a chocolate mousse cake (more mousse, light crunchy bottom, very light) with mango coulis and a scoop of coffee ice cream. After ALL that Cristophe brought us two shot glasses and a whole bottle of banana-infused rum. On the house, all you care to drink. I had two shots and then attempted to shop. My legs felt like lead, and it was so hot outside. We decided to go back to the condo for a nap, and we almost overslept through the cocktail party at Bliss for the bride and groom – they were the whole reason we were in St. Martin!
Bliss is an uber-chic nightclub right outside Maho, and the bride’s parents had rented it out exclusively for the wedding party and guests for a couple of hours. As we walked up and saw the velvet ropes and bouncers I knew this was not the place for me – a bit too Miami/South Beach. But they had tons of hors d’oeuvres and an open bar. The whole club is completely open-air, beautiful heated swimming pool, and there are large plantation beds and couches kind of scattered everywhere. Probably the best thing about Bliss is the sunset view and watching the airplanes come in to land at the airport close by.
There were some grumblings for dinner around 7:30 or 8pm and a group of us started to walk over to Sunset Beach Bar. When one of the wives found out there was no reggae tonight, but rather a ‘muscle man show,’ I talked them into going back over to Grand Case for food. We all met up at Blue Martini, which is on the non-beach side of the main road, but has beautiful gardens. We grabbed two large tables, and seemed to be the only patrons. Were we early, or late?? Hard to tell at this point, but I hoped the food would be good since I snookered everyone into coming here. Someone in the group ordered the ‘Land and Sea’ salad for the table to share. It was absolutely huge and had quite a bit of shrimp, scallops and duck breast in it – delicious! I ordered a ‘Funghi’ (mushroom) pizza, which turned out to be enough food for four people it was so large. But it was so yummy! SQ ordered the Pork Mignon, and he wasn’t crazy about his dinner, but everyone else seemed to love theirs. Good, I’m off the hook… The atmosphere is nice, it’s quiet but not sure what it’s like in high season. The hookah pipes on several of the tables were pretty funny. And more dogs running around, no shock, they seem to be everywhere. I also got another couple of rounds of Leffe Blond – yum!
St. Martin – Day 5 – Marigot and Baie Rouge
We drove into Marigot this morning in search of breakfast. I was tired of eating granola breakfast bars, but food here is very expensive and you could easily blow $50 by lunchtime. We wanted to eat at Zee Best, which has a branch on Simpson Bay and one I saw passing by in Marigot. They weren’t open so we went to a place called The Croissanterie. SQ and I both ordered crepes, mine was filled with bananas and oranges and topped with chocolate sauce. They were yummy, and the coffee was great too.
After breakfast, we drove back to Baie Rouge beach, also on the French side, to camp for the afternoon. The price to get the two-lounge-chair/umbrella combo here was the same as on Pinel – $15 for the day. The surf on this beach was incredibly strong, not a great beach for kids. At times the waves were so strong they came all the way up under our chairs, and we were nowhere close to the edge of the water. I did get in the water, but the undertow is so powerful I felt like I might be dashed on the sand. I just ended up with a bathing suit full of sand. SQ had fun bodysurfing with a couple of older gentlemen from England, who I called crazy after watching them all day. I’ve heard the snorkeling is good here, but I was too afraid of floating out to sea to do it. This beach is a definite change from the calm waters and packed sand of Pinel. The people here today also seem to be primarily American. There are two beach bars – Gus’s and Chez Raymond. The beer is cheap, $2 for a Red Stripe or similar, and the 80’s tunes are cranking here too, though of a more subdued variety than last night at Calmos. A beach peddler kept coming by, trying to sell her things similar to the beaches in Mexico. It irritated me…I instantly wanted to go back to Pinel. It did rain for about 5 or 10 minutes, but it’s so hot it seemed to dissipate as soon as it touched your skin.
We decided to take a walk up the beach, and it became very ‘clothing-optional’ the further along we went. The sand was very difficult to walk in, so we headed back for food. The late lunch/snack we had at Chez Raymond was outstanding. Another delicious plate of grilled ribs with some sort of yummy spice on them. The two blokes from England seemed to be continuing their quest to not let the waves get them, and now were doing cannonballs into the surf. We bailed out around 3pm, still attempting to get the sand out of our swimsuits. It was just like the consistency of birdseed and sticks to you like glue even when it’s dry.
Back to Sapphire for showers, then over to Grand Case again for dinner. We had a reservation at the Fish Pot, one of the best restaurants on the island according to reviews. They weren’t busy when we arrived, and there were only five tables of diners the whole time we were there. But this isn’t exactly high seasone either. The restaurant is gorgeous, and sits up off the beach so you have great views of the ocean, and of the island Anguilla off in the distance. Our very friendly waitress was Isabelle, originally from Bordeaux. SQ and I split an Onion Soup Gratinee, which was outstanding. Then I had the red snapper with a vanilla sauce for dinner, while SQ had chicken stuffed with shrimp. This was the best meal we’ve had on the island so far, and probably one of the best we’ve ever had anywhere. SQ was ’tisked’ for not ordering a glass of wine, but amused himself by sprinkling bread crumbs into the bowl on our table with a goldfish in it. So typical!! Isabelle also gave us a great recommendation for a boat to Anguilla, should we desire to go. I did, but I wasn’t sure if we would have time now, with all of the wedding festivities coming up.
We walked through the shops up and down the main road of Grand Case – they stay open until around 10pm. I wanted to go for a drink at Blue Martini (they have Leffe Blond on tap!). SQ preferred to go back to the condo. So we went back and called it a night.
St. Martin – Day 4 – Islet Pinel
We planned to go to Islet Pinel, a tiny island visible from Orient Beach, on the French side. It was a bit cloudy in the morning, we were hoping it wouldn’t rain. We left the condo around 10am, needed to get to an ATM for cash, but were told there are none on the French side. A few raindrops started to come down as we were driving through Marigot so we almost stopped, making a shopping day instead. But we kept driving, and were rewarded with bluer skies on the other side of the mountain. We parked in Cul-de-Sac (a town name, that’s not just generic :->) then boarded the small ferry to Pinel. It’s $6 per person round trip, and was so incredibly loaded with people we felt like Cuban refugees trying to make it to America. I was hoping the boat wouldn’t sink before making it just to Pinel. The boat ‘captain’ was pretty salty but seemed to loosen up as we docked at Pinel. Yeah! We made it! There were padded beach lounge chairs and umbrellas all over the beach – $15 to rent a pair of chairs and umbrella for the day. So we parked our things, paid the overly chatty money-collector (not sure what his actual job title was, and he seemed to be more interested in sleeping than working). As more people showed up on the island we seemed to become surrounded by more obnoxious Americans by the minute. All the quiet Europeans (mainly French) were off to the other side. Note to self…
We did meet a very nice couple from Grand Rapids, MI who’ve been coming to St. Martin for the past eight years.
The drinks on Pinel are expensive, but still more reasonable than New York City, so I won’t complain. There are two restaurants/bars on the island, but a third was under construction while we were there. We chose to eat at Karibuni (I had read about it in Conde Nast Traveler magazine), the oldest beach bar on St. Martin. I desperately wanted lobster, but at the price they were charging – 6 Euros per 100 grams – it needed to be a small one. The dollar is so weak against the Euro right now, it makes everything so much more expensive. Our sweet waiter went digging through the crates of live lobsters floating just off the dock and ended up getting pinched by one. I felt bad, but he finally found one that was only going to cost us $45. SQ and I decided to split it for lunch. The waiter brought us both a salad and all of the side dishes, so it was actually pretty filling. And it was absolutely the best lobster I’ve ever had in my life. They split it and grill it, then serve the lobster with sides of butter. After we were finished eating, we were served shot glasses of banana-infused rum.
It got a bit cloudy again…but the breezes were so nice, and it was so relaxing to just hang out on a chair all day (something I find hard to do normally). We ended up catching the second-to-last boat back to Cul-de-Sac. We were told if you miss the last boat at 4:30pm they don’t come back for you, and you spend the night with the islands only residents – wild goats. We drove back to Sapphire for showers, then over to Grand Case for dinner. We chose a place called Calmos Cafe for dinner, and it didn’t look like much from the front, but it does sit right on the beach in Grand Case. The diners seemed to be primarily French, and they were very busy. But they did fix us up with a couple of tiny tables and plastic Adirondack-style chairs literally right on the beach, which is where most of the tables are. We were very close to the surf, and ended up with a very smile-y waiter named Nikol (sp?), originally from Biarritz. ‘Surfing is my region!’ he told us in a very excited voice.
SQ and I both ordered cheeseburgers and Rum Punch, a drink that’s seemingly a specialty of St. Martin. These were some of the best burgers we’ve ever had. Who knew the French could cook a hamburger so nicely? The atmosphere was great, very dark and primarily 80’s tunes being played. The funniest thing was the Black Lab dog who kept chasing a crabs all over the sand. He apparently didn’t want to eat them, but just thought they were toys. There were also lots of adorable children of the French families camped at the restaurant for the night (no wonder it’s hard to get a table!). They ran around playing in the sand and the gentle waves, good entertainment so the adults can talk the night away. To cap off dinner we each had a BBC (Baileys Banana Colada), another St. Martin specialty drink. It was so good, but more like a dessert. Nikol gave me the traditional French cheek kisses and told us we needed to come back. We’ll look for him when we go back next year.
