St Maarten/St Martin
14 February 2004 Newsletter

 

Eventually we made it back to L'Auberge Gourmande where we started with a lovely bottle of 99 Chassagne-Montrachet. We have been sampling many bottles from Vinissimo, largely 96 Bouchard Burgundies, but also a 99 Leflaive Chassagne-Montrachet that we think is better. Unfortunately, we have just bought the last two bottles. We started dinner with the chicken liver salad, possibly an acquired taste, but we do like it. Our dinners were both specials: snapper in a pink peppercorn sauce with braised endive and a saddle of rabbit in a reduction sauce with fried polenta. We liked both and again rabbit is something of an acquired taste, but is quite good, very lean and the saddle (or tenderloin) is quite tender. We had a great night savoring our coffee and armagnac watching the lively action on the street.

 

On Wednesday evening we dined at Spartaco Restaurant in the Almond Grove development across from Ram's Supermarket in Cole Bay. The refurbished plantation house with its veranda wrapping around three sides is as lovely as ever. Francois, the valet parker, met us at the steps to take our car away, and Spartaco met us at the front door, leading us to a table on the veranda. A new chef has tweaked the menu considerably. The basic dishes are there but the sauces and spices have changed and a few more things have been added, including a braised baby octopus with tomato garlic and parsley served on a bed of soft polenta that we couldn't resist. There was also a special of wild mushrooms in a cream sauce on rigatoni. For the first time in years, we ordered two aps, both delightful. We had the veal vesuviana, a veal scaloppini served with tomato sauce, oregano, and topped with mozzarella and the breaded lamb chops with herbs in a red wine sauce. Spartaco recommended the 2000 Frescobaldi Chianti ($36). The appetizers are $12 to $14 and the main courses range from $20 to $24, quite reasonable for this quality of food in such a wonderful setting. A 15% service charge is noted on the menu and displayed on the bill. Our total was a bit under $130. As we settled the bill and headed for the door, Francois drove up with our car. Valet parking is a thing of beauty.

 

We were taking pictures at Vacation Suites in Oyster Pond and went for lunch at La Planteur. This is about as far from our home as one can get, so we had never been here. The views are quite nice and while I didn't take any photos from here, the ones on the Vacation Suites website are quite similar. They are doing a 11 and 15 €uro set lunches. It includes a drink and a plate of the day. The more expensive version includes a salad and a dessert. The drink is basically plonk de plonk, but the food is pretty good, as is the price, and the view can't be beat!

Friday night we went to Bistrot Caraïbes again. We arrived at about 7:45 to find a rather full dining room that got a bit fuller. Nonetheless service was fine and the kitchen hardly seemed stressed despite a table of twelve. We started with the smoked salmon, always a melt-in-your-mouth taste sensation with toast points for a textural counterpoint. We had a 1998 Chorey Les Beaune from Drouhin, a lighter Burgundy from a good negotiant. It was in good shape, not overly powerful, but a good complement to the salmon. Martha tried the grilled ribeye steak with spring vegetables in a wine and herb sauce and I went with a special that featured lamb chops on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes with asparagus and butter beans in a red wine and herb reduction sauce. The lamb chops were tender and tasty, and the crisp asparagus and butter beans were a welcome addition to the creamy mashed potatoes. Surround it all with a red wine reduction sauce add a bottle of Burgundy and you'll have a great meal. Ribeye, of course, is known more for flavor and quantity, rather than quality - this was 14 ounces, not exactly our style. Thus, we have a major chunk of meat in our fridge waiting to become Philly cheese steak lunches!

 

The woman at the able next to us was trying to decide on a lobster thermidor from a 1 lb or 2 lb lobster. In a gentlemanly gesture, I offered to help her with any leftovers. Try this approach. I actually got several bites of a very tasty lobster thermidor. In another aside, the wine list said that the wine was a 1998, but a 1999 arrived at the table. Thibault noticed this, explaining the obvious: that the supplier had run out of the 98 and was now supplying the 99. I said that I wasn't terribly concerned, but was impressed that it was from Drouhin, one of my favorites. I said I hadn't noticed this on the wine list. He came back shortly thereafter and said that the wine list hadn't mentioned the supplier. All this took place in the middle of a rather full dining room. Good service, like valet parking, is a good thing to find.