Kitchen Guy

Blog Topic: Service Service Service

Posted by Chef Jim on January 21, 2010  |  Comments Off

SIMPSON BAY, Sint Maarten, Netherlands Antilles – There’s a restaurateur here whom I came to like and admire very much over the last few years. He and his wife retired from the U.S. and opened what became a very popular tavern/restaurant. He’s just one of several expatriates I’ve met in Sint Maarten. It can be a daring move for anyone, and a number of these folks seem to be retirees, so they’re gambling with their savings and security.

Sometimes these gambles pay off. Many times they don’t. I’ve seen both instances a number of times. If you put together a menu that people want, and if the food is good, and you can hire as many of the right people as you possibly can, that’s a formula for success. A major problem in Sint Maarten, as far as I can tell, is the labor law that seems to require an excess of personnel, many of whom are just biding their time, collecting their paychecks.

I’m not saying this is unique to Sint Maarten. I’ve had the misfortune of supervising a number of “employees” like that right here and I’ve told more than one not to let the door hit them in the back. Nevertheless, when you have this excess of personnel, my expectation is that no customer should ever be ignored or have to wait for service.

I remember the first time I visited the island and went to a bagel shop on a Sunday morning. I was astounded to see that it took four people to complete an order for a toasted bagel: one to take the order (in triplicate!); a different one to pass the order to the kitchen; the person in the kitchen; and the cashier. It’s no wonder the place went out of business. Food margins are slim enough. Bagel margins are even slimmer.

These restaurateurs I wrote of earlier owned a restaurant that used to be walking distance from our apartment in Simpson Bay, located in a strip shopping center along the very busy Welfare Road. The owners seemed to have it made. The place was always busy and the food was decent – not great – but decent. There was always a large, jolly man with cornrows and beads in his hair to greet you; he remembered your name; there was always a hug and he made sure that the wait staff paid attention to your needs. I could always forgive the missteps from the kitchen (invariably there was always something) because the atmosphere was playful, friendly and the prices for beer, wine and mixed drinks were very reasonable.

I’m not sure what motivated them to move their location across the Bay, but the whole character of the place changed. The prices increased dramatically, no doubt because the rent and other overhead expenses increased substantially in the new place. A bone-in rib eye steak, of unknown grade and origin, cost $39.95, when the boneless version was $10 less. That didn’t make sense to me – I know bones are great for adding flavor, but I just can’t abide paying that much extra for something I can’t eat.

Nevertheless, here was our experience: It was a Sunday evening, about 7:30. We parked our car and walked into the new place. You’ll recall what I said about places having an excess of employees. We stood at the host’s stand for nearly 10 minutes before even being acknowledged. Finally, a bartender came out from behind the bar and seated us at a table near the kitchen. Imagine a bartender not asking if you’d like something to drink!

It was nearly 10 minutes before a different bartender came by to ask us if we’d like something from the bar and then I watched our two-drink order sit on the bar at the wait station for more than five minutes. We still had not been given menus. Finally, the drinks came to the table. To my way of thinking, when one orders a martini, it automatically should come with at least one olive. That’s part of what makes it a martini. When I pointed this out to the server/bartender, he acknowledged the missing garnish and brought it over. Then, after a quick glance at the menus that finally came to the table, we ordered our appetizers and dinner.

Our appetizers came in a reasonable amount of time and they were good. As for the main course, we waited and waited and waited for our entrees. I actually saw our order placed on the pass, ready for delivery to our table. But a server took it somewhere else. About 10 minutes later, one of the wait staff volunteered to us that, “Another table ordered exactly the same thing you did and they got your order.” Really? What’s up with your computerized POS system that prints out the table number?

It was very nice of the server to comp a glass of wine for each of us. But another 25 minutes ensued before our entrees arrived at the table.

I asked my wife to rate the place on a four star scale and she said she would give it somewhere between two and two-and-a-half stars. I would have to agree, leaning toward the lower rating. Service is so critical to the dining experience. The entrees were okay (not great) but the service was so seriously lacking at this place and it saddens me that I’ll probably cross it off my list of places to go when I’m here next.

That saddens me, because as I wrote at the beginning of this piece, I like the owners and have always wanted them to do well. I understand they’ve taken on a partner who will buy out their interests some time in the coming year so that they can retire again. So to the new owner I say: as long as the government of Sint Maarten requires you to have so many people on your payroll, why not train all of them in customer service?

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.

Blog Topic: Dutch Treat (Dutch Sint Maarten)

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

SINT MAARTEN, Dutch West Indies – It’s not much more than a speck of land in the midst of the Leeward Islands of the Caribbean, but Sint Maarten/Saint Martin has been called the Gastronomic Capital of the Caribbean for good reason.

This island is part Dutch and part French with the oldest unguarded international border in the world. The historical marker puts the date in the mid-17th Century when European powers were plundering the New World for its exotic spices and valuable minerals. There never has been any gold or silver here. The riches of this island are to be found in other things.

I’ve been coming here for more than 15 years and the food scene on the Dutch side is constantly changing. In fact, it continues to be in flux. The economy is a big factor here, too. That flux is not the case so much on the French side (next week’s column). When I first started coming here, the restaurant choices were rather limited. The ubiquitous American fast food franchises were here. But you had to make a real effort to find local cuisine or a restaurant that served something more than pedestrian food you could find on any street in America. There were a few decent eating places, but finding a table in the “fine dining” establishments was never a problem. There was a reason for that – most of the tourists and timeshare owners were from the U.S. and they wanted food they recognized.

The date of the transformation is inexact, but over the past eight or nine years, the food scene on the Dutch side has done, in my estimation, a complete 180. The fast food franchises are still here – and they’re busier than ever – but there has been a renaissance of sorts of better eating places with a variety that would satisfy most gourmands.

If it’s your first time here, you may go through sticker shock because prices are very high. The island doesn’t produce very much so just about everything is imported. Until a few years ago, even most of the potable water was imported. But beer – especially Dutch beer – is cheap.

French, Italian, Indonesian, Caribbean, German, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Scandinavian, and Mexican foods are available in all price ranges. Additionally, the freshest seafood (after all, it is an island) makes for some extraordinary meals.

My favorite restaurant on the Dutch side is Saratoga. The chef, John Jackson, has been on the island for many years and he never disappoints. His menu always has an amazing array of seafood, including fresh oysters, and a variety of fish – some served whole – and his saucing is flawless. This was the first year since I’ve been coming to Sint Maarten that I haven’t had New Year’s Eve dinner at Saratoga (a quirk of the timeshare calendar), but it was the first place I wanted to go to. And I’ll probably eat there again before I leave.

So here’s where else I’ll be eating (on the Dutch side): I’ll get my Indonesian fix from Pasanggrahan – a place that’s been here forever. I’ll get my steakhouse fix at Rare (one of the most expensive places on the island – but worth it); my Jimmy Buffet style island food fix at Taloula Mango’s on the boardwalk in Philipsburg; my Italian cravings will be satisfied by La Rosa’s; pub food will be at Peg Leg Pub’s new location; French, even before I get to the French side, will be at La Ginguette; and I’ll enjoy drinks and socializing with many of my “same-time-next-year-friends” at Soprano’s Piano Bar.

As you can see, my vacation looks more like a busman’s holiday. But I plan to catch up on a lot of reading and doing plenty of walking and exercising to work off the pounds I’ll undoubtedly put on.

The Dutch side of Sint Maarten is a very busy place. Traffic can be a nightmare because there is only one main road that’s not very well maintained and it’s just two lanes. The island is home to a number of marinas that cater to mega-yachts of the super-rich and entry to those marinas requires raising a drawbridge and bringing all traffic to a halt four times a day. Maintaining infrastructure does not appear to be a priority for the local government.

Nevertheless, my wife and I are two of the many thousands who continue to return year after year despite the traffic and other travel hassles (no comment about airlines) because Sint Maarten/Saint Martin, to us, truly is Paradise Found.