Kitchen Guy

Blog Topic: SXM Postscript

Posted by Chef Jim on January 29, 2009  |  Comments Off

SXM is the airport code for St. Martin and I’m writing this retrospective and postscript in the airport as I await the boarding announcement for my flight back to the U.S.

As much of a hassle as air travel is today, I’m willing to undergo the indignities of TSA checkpoints, weather and air traffic delays, interminable waits for luggage, as well as the martinets at passport control stations for my annual “pilgrimage” to Sint Maarten/St. Martin.

Our rule for trying new restaurants really paid off nicely this year. We discovered an elegant new steakhouse (Bajatzu) with outstanding food and prices surprisingly reasonable and not in the typical steakhouse stratosphere. The wine list was one of the better ones I’ve seen on the Dutch side. The atmosphere is quite conducive for pleasant dining experiences. I really liked this place.

After all these years of coming to the island, we also discovered – or I should say we finally discovered – the place for the best Caribbean lobster on the island. It’s a real dive, too – actually not much more than a rickety old dock with a tin roof. It’s called Uncle Harry’s and there really is a Harry. He is a genuine character but a delightful guy. Driving up to the place can be quite intimidating, though, as you may have to park in between gigantic earthmoving equipment, being used by the nearby international airport as it reclaims land needed for more runway space.

The tables and chairs are cheapo patio plastic; the napkins are paper; the silverware doesn’t match; the wine list consists of four pedestrian labels; and the prices are unbelievably sky high – for everything. Caribbean lobster, unlike Maine lobster, has no claws, so the meat is primarily in the body and tail. Uncle Harry charges Maine lobster prices for his Caribbean lobster: $34.50 per pound and his smallest lobster is usually in excess of three pounds. Fortunately, he does not charge to split plates. But I will tell you it was probably the most expertly prepared grilled lobster I’ve ever eaten on either side of the island.

This next place wasn’t a new discovery. Rather it was a rediscovery. After a two-year absence, we returned to Mario’s Bistro on the French side and I’m beating myself up because I didn’t eat there last year or the year before. I guess when you only have 14 opportunities for dinner, and your island has more than 500 restaurants to choose from, you may miss one or two of your favorites. Mario is one of the island’s best-known and most honored chefs. That’s because the food he cooks is extraordinary.

And I think they may have been taking attendance, because the maitre-d’ remembered me by name and almost exactly how long it had been since he had last seen me.

Not every place was a hit. There was an ownership (and name) change at a restaurant about 100 yards from our timeshare building. Le Bec Fin is now known as Bel Mar. It used to be our go-to place when we just didn’t have the energy to venture out elsewhere. Restaurants have life cycles and I guess the previous occupant was ready to turn over the place to someone else. Too bad. He knew how to run a restaurant. His food was always good and his wine list was a nice one. I wish I could say the same for his successor.

There’s something else you should know about the restaurant business on this island: Restaurants often write their own reviews and sometimes the newspapers forget to label them as advertisements. This particular place said in its “review” that it was known for its fine wine list.

We ordered a mid-list French number and when they brought it to the table, the bottle was – literally – hot. I asked them to bring me another one and it was the same. The people at the next table leaned over and told us they had a similar experience. Then the food came and it was – I’ll try to be kind — um, less than memorable.

On the other hand, I had a great New York-style pastrami sandwich at Topper’s Monkey Bar.

My countdown has begun. Only 10 months, 24 days, and 4 hours to go.

Video: Brussels Sprout “Hash”

Posted by Chef Jim on January 27, 2009  |  Comments Off

Click to Play

Blog Topic: French Kiss (French St. Martin)

Posted by Chef Jim on January 25, 2009  |  Comments Off

SAINT MARTIN, FRENCH WEST INDIES – For my second week of this eating extravaganza of a vacation, I write about the other half of the island, which technically is the westernmost part of France. On the French side of St. Martin, the road signs are European and the Euro is the official currency.

As I wrote in my last column, the border is open. In fact, the only acknowledgment of any international boundary is a stone obelisk on the main road that commemorates the treaty of 1648. The boundary on the other side of the island is unmarked. Your only clue is the change in the pavement.

The capital of French St. Martin is the port city of Marigot. The city is always busy and the shops and boutiques offer French and European goods at attractive prices. The restaurants in Marigot, however, many of them situated around the impressive and attractive marina, are in my opinion, just so-so.

But the real jewel of the French side (if you’re in my line of work) is the village of Grand Case, about five miles or so on winding, hilly and unlit rut-filled roads. The main street in Grand Case is one way, so cannot enter from the main highway and you must motor to the end of the town limit and navigate through a rather unsavory looking neighborhood (but don’t judge any book by its cover, because it can actually be quite charming) where open-air bars and barbeques are everywhere.

As you approach the main part of Grand Case through a network of narrow alleys, suddenly you’re on the “main drag,” a term I use loosely because the street is barely wide enough for two cars and every available parking spot always seems to be occupied, so that means only one lane is available for traffic. An enterprising young man operates a parking lot in the space between two buildings in the middle of this restaurant row. He worked out a deal with two restaurants that he touts whereby you’ll get your parking fee back if you eat at either of the places.

My favorite restaurant in Grand Case (Rainbow) regrettably closed abruptly two years ago – owner fatigue, I’m told. But there was another I found to take its place – Spiga – now acknowledged by international food critics as the best on the island – both sides. But Spiga is not on the main street as most of the town’s other restaurants are. It sits by itself in a rather remote spot. Its sophistication, menu, expertly prepared food, atmosphere – everything about it – screams Paris (without the attitude) even though the menu is primarily Italian.

My wife and I have a policy about Sint Maarten/Saint Martin that we had to adopt a number of years ago. It’s just too easy to return to the restaurants you discover and love year after year. Our rule is that we must try one new restaurant on each side every year. Trust me: we’ll never run out of options.

Something else you should know about the French side of the island is that even though dollars are accepted, the Euro is the primary currency and when its value eclipsed the dollar’s, the restaurants suffered terribly. Enterprising restaurant owners began a policy that continues to this day and that is if you’ll agree to pay in cash, they will offer the rate of one-to-one, euro to dollar. Use a credit card, though, and the deal is off. You’ll pay the going exchange rate, which this trip was 1.30. Last year it hovered around 1.80.

Our new try for this year in Grand Case was a place called La California. And we were not disappointed. Despite the name, the menu is decidedly French-Caribbean. My wife and I have a weakness for foie gras and never have we been served such generous portions. Our food, as was our dining companions’, was perfectly prepared, charmingly served and there wasn’t a speck of food or sauce left on any plate, a testament to the scrumptiousness of the meal.

While the Dutch side is duty- and tax-free, the French side is not. Nevertheless, if you’re of a mind to drink French wine (and I usually am!), there are some bargains to be had and some memorable bottles for far less that you would have to spend in the U.S.

As you may have deduced from my verbal gushing, I could go on and on. It’s one of the reasons why I come back to Sint Maarten/Saint Martin year after year.