liamsaunt

Cinnamon Bay is in the midst of a major renovation. The tents will now be larger "eco-tents" and the cabins are being expanded too. Details on exactly how that is going to work are fuzzy--they cannot change the footprint as per National Park rules, so it sounds like they will be going up--with a lofted bedroom and possibly even a private bath. Prices will rise accordingly of course. My husband flat out refuses to camp, or even to glamp, so we won't ever be staying there. I agree that Cinnamon is a gorgeous beach. We did not visit this time because the North swell was up, but I'll be there a lot this summer. I've been out to Reef Bay but not this time. My husband is dealing with a pulled tendon in his ankle which would have made hiking down there impossible. Fatty Cue is long gone. It was actually called Fatty Crab. I ate there around four times, but it never caught on with the locals. My island friends thought it was funny that the restaurant was called Fatty Crab but they never served any crab there :-) Skinny Legs is still going strong. I am not a big fan--I don't eat red meat so my options there are pretty limited--but will probably go there this summer anyway. I've been trying to track down a copy of Grandma Raised the Roof for quite a while with no luck. I know the story though. Her house is still there! Last meal....we headed back to Caneel Bay to take the ferry to the airport. We did not have a lot of time, so opted for some more sushi. A repeat of the delicious yellowtail koi A repeat of the tuna island salad Tuna tataki and tuna-crab wontons and then it was time to go... I'll pick this report back up again when I return this summer. There will be a lot less fine dining and a lot more casual food and villa cooking, so you will get to see some new places. Thanks for looking.

@Thanks for the Crepes you are correct, that is a parrotfish. It was me who advised liuzhou not to eat it. Ciguatera is no joke. We were originally scheduled for another fine dining experience last night, but I just could not do another elaborate meal, so we cancelled. We drove across the island, stopping for a few scenic photos along the way. Caneel Bay--where I am heading in a hour to take the ferry to the airport :-( Beautiful Maho and Francis Bays. I have a villa rented above Francis Bay for this summer's visit and eventually ended up back at Shipwreck Landing Conch fritters Blackened shrimp quesadilla Grouper sandwich We headed back to our condo to watch the sunset and then went to dinner at the Beach Bar Tuna Down Now Mahi tacos I will have one more meal to share with you, but it will have to wait until I am home and enjoying the blizzard that is approaching. I think we might be coming in on one of the last flights in to Boston before the storm starts. At least I have two more weeks of this island in just four months to look forward to while I am raking my roof!

Yesterday I was hoping to go to one of my favorite restaurants on the island for lunch. They have traditional West Indian food as well as regular stuff. I wanted a bowl of kalalloo soup, but it turns out that they were closed because they had held a full moon party the night before. I really hope they will be open when I come back this summer. They always close for a few months in the slow season. Anyway, we ended up back at Aqua Bistro. Calamari Grouper tacos That night we visited the Terrace for dinner. Cocktails On the left is a Mexican cousin (Nuestra Soledad mescal, St. Germain, locally made ginger beer, and lime) and on the right is a Ramble on Rose (frozen Pinot Project Pinot Grigio rose, Grey Goose orange vodka, St. Germain and strawberries, topped with Montes sparkling angel) We shared a roasted baby heirloom tomato tart with chèvre and locally grown greens and an app special that night of tuna tartare My entree was a rare seared tuna with Parisian gnocchi, asparagus, wild mushrooms, and lavender scented port reduction and husband had the butter-poached lobster with roasted corn and grape tomatoes, tuxedo orzo, truffle, and lobster-herb hollandaise We then sampled the camembert beignets with stone fruit compote, spiced nuts and local wildflower honey Today is our last full day on the island, which my mind is sad about, but my stomach says is a good thing. I think I am converting to veganism when I get home :-) Finally, some snorkeling shots from yesterday

Yesterday we had lunch with some friends that live on the island so I have no pictures. They know I take food photos but I think they think it is a little weird :-) For dinner we returned to Zozos, because my parents sent us a gift certificate. Free dinner? I will take it! We started with scallops Rockefeller And tortellini in a bacon-parmesan brodo Entrees were a pistachio-crusted mahi mahi with spinach salad And roasted fluke stuffed with crab, plus broccolini and crispy potatoes, and a roasted pepper sauce Too full for dessert, per usual. A couple of snorkeling shots from yesterday

We went out to breakfast yesterday at High Tide. It's on the beach in town--here is the view I had a standard breakfast with eggs over easy, bacon, and tater tots Husband chose the florentine benedict Then we drove across the island, stopping to photograph one of the beast beaches in the Caribbean (in my completely unbiased opinion, ha), Trunk Bay We stopped into Aqua Bistro in Coral Bay for a snack of blackened mahimahi skewers and tempura shrimp skewers later that evening we went to Drink! St. John for a cocktail. I had a mojito and husband had a margarita. The glasses are slanted and then we had dinner at La Tapa. Bacalao fritters Langoustines Tagliatelle with langoustines, shrimp, and arugula in an albarino cream sauce Tuna with crispy polenta cakes

Yes, the fish was fried and it was cole slaw. In this case, the fish was pollock. Not a local fish, but i doubt the boats were able to go out the past couple of days due to weather. Fish reubens are yummy. I am going to a place that makes them with grouper tomorrow, and at one of my favorite restaurants at home (Mac's on Cape Cod) they do it with a pastrami smoked swordfish. Dinner last night was at Ocean's 362. We started with cocktails Bread service A tuna tartare with plantain chips, feta, avocado mousse, and bermuda onion Husband loved this. Local tomato salad Husband had a butter lime curry seared mahi mahi with Caribbean lobster tail, roasted roots, kale, garlic, radish, and cumin aioli I opted for the vegetarian plate, which had farro, roasted roots, greens, pickled carrots, sweet pea and shallot soubise, feta, radish, herbs and leek ash Too full for dessert. Bonus random beach picture. and snorkeling shot:

There are lots of options, but only two "full service" resorts: Caneel Bay (which is the ex-Rock Resort) and the Westin St. John. The Westin is in the process of being converted to almost entirely time share units. You can still rent them though. Caneel is not for everyone. I have heard it described as "summer camp for grownups" and I would say that's pretty accurate. There are no phones or TVs in the rooms, the rooms themselves are not large and not fancy in decor. You are paying for the grounds and the access to their beaches, which are top notch with great snorkeling. I personally love it there. There are a couple of eco options: Cinnamon Bay Campground, and Concordia Eco-Tents. Plus, various smaller condo complexes and inns. However, what most visitors do--and what I prefer-- is to rent a vacation villa. It's more work than a hotel room obviously, since you are self-catering, but the reward is more space, more privacy, and various amenities, great views, upscale furnishings and kitchen/baths private pool, etc. depending on your budget. When I come back this summer I will be staying in a villa, and cooking at least half of our meals at the villa from a mix of things we will bring from home and things we can buy here on the island. Today for lunch we went to Shipwreck Landing. Blackened shrimp appetizer A fish reuben Tuna tacos with roasted pepper salsa

The weather is still lousy but at least I saw a rainbow Lunch at the Lime Inn. Cracked conch Two snapper sandwiches...one blackened with pickled cauliflower salad One with local greens Dinner at Extra Virgin Bistro. Cocktails Housemade ricotta with corn salad Crab cakes (background was the best dish of the night, a scallop and zucchini blossom special) Shrimp and crab pappardelle

I should have qualified in my last post that the last meal I posted was our final meal at Caneel Bay for this trip. We are still here for another week. My husband and I moved out into larger accommodations today. I get really antsy in a hotel room. The weather is lousy today so we had an early dinner at Rhumblines. Our cocktails: husband's was a spicy guava margarita, and mine was a "Rockefeller" which had vodka, campari, grapefruit, and some other stuff. Laurence Rockefeller purchased and then donated over half of this island to the National Park, so I felt compelled to order. Vegetable summer rolls All the shrimp from their "pupu" offerings: blackened, cornmeal crusted, barbecue, tempura, and coconut, with accompanying sauces. Blackened scallops with sesame rice cakes and vegetables Tuna with puffed rice noodles and bok choy Rainy setting

I am currently on the island of St. John, in the US Virgin Islands. I am here for 10 days, and will be back for two weeks this summer, so I thought I would start a new thread to cover the current dining options on the island. Between the two trips I will visit almost every restaurant on the island. Our first real dinner was at one of our favorite restaurants: Zozos at the Sugar Mill. A special of house cured salmon over tagliatelle with broccolini, roasted peppers and cherry tomatoes lobster carbonara jumbo shrimp with fave bean puree and asparagus striped bass with asparagus and salad We are not big dessert eaters so there won't be much sweet in this report. Another day we ate at Caneel Sushi Bar Tuna Island salad with mango Yellowtail koi A crunchy salmon roll a Sandy Beach roll (shrimp) Our final meal was at Turtle Bay Estate House. It was too dark for photos most of the meal, but here is the bread service And the conch chowder

Not really breakfast food but it is what I ate: turkey, Brie, and carmelized onion panino with iced tea

HungryChris love those zucchini fries. I need to make some soon. a much more satisfying breakfast this morning made better by this view

Airport breakfast. Undercooked eggs and toast, overcooked bacon and home fries. Eating prospects will improve this evening.

@mm84321 that is a gorgeous bass, and some terrific looking asparagus too. Lucky you! @Shelby, I had hatch chile (Ok from a can) enchiladas last night too. Mine looked frankly awful, so no picture. Yours looked great! Tonight, the clean out the dregs of the fridge dinner: spaghetti with olives and roasted cherry tomatoes:

My husband brought home some bay scallops from the Legal Seafoods fish market. I sautéed them in butter and added in shallot, a little garlic, white wine, and parsley, and the juice of half a lemon, then sprinkled on some panko that I toasted in butter and lemon zest for some crunch. Asparagus and rice for sides. The scallops were incredibly sweet. A nice treat for a Monday.

I made the espresso waffle recipe that is in the current issue of Bon Appetit magazine yesterday for my niece and nephew. They reported that the coffee flavor was subtle but definitely noticeable. I can't do sweet in the morning so did not try one myself

We did sort-of Brazilian food yesterday. Pao de queijo: feijoada (vegetarian so not a traditional recipe at all) onion strings coconut rice grilled beef and chicken in a Brazilian tomato-coconut sauce there was an avocado salad too that I neglected to take a picture of.

We had spicy turkey meatballs for dinner last night. It is basically the Ina Garten spicy turkey meatball recipe you can find online except that I omit the pork sausage and prosciutto in favor of garlic chicken sausage, and I use really stinky aged provolone instead of the called for asiago. Oh, and I add more red pepper flakes than the recipe calls for. It's become my go-to meatball recipe when I want meatballs with red sauce.

@ElainaA my husband will often choose a pinot noir from his collection when I tell him I am making salmon for dinner. I have always enjoyed the pairing. I cook the food, he pairs the wine, and it usually works out. Monday I made a platter of linguini with swordfish and roasted cherry tomatoes. The teens had spaghetti and meatballs. Last night I made a feta-brined chicken sandwich with feta puree, cucumbers, arugula, roasted peppers and red onions from the current issue of Food and Wine magazine. I think I would have preferred it in a pita rather than on the suggested ciabatta bread.

My nephew has an anaphylactic allergy to crustaceans, and his doctor advised him to avoid Chinese restaurants because of the risk of cross contamination. However, he loves all of that fried pupu stuff you get at American Chinese places, so yesterday my sister cooked up a bunch of pupu foods from scratch. We made hoisin ribs, vegetable potstickers, chicken fingers, spring rolls, rangoon (with no crab!), and scallion pancakes. He was thrilled. This picture is of the platter of leftovers. We made way too much. As usual.

I took a package of Chicken thighs out of the freezer and marinated them overnight in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, Cumin and sumac then broiled them and topped with more sumac, sesame seeds and Cilantro. I served with a fattoush made with tomatoes, bell peppers, Cucumbers, radishes, mache, toasted homemade pita bread, and more Cilantro. The dressing was garlic, olive oil lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, and salt and pepper. Both recipes from NY Times Cooking. But now I must admit some backsliding. I roasted a turkey last Monday, and made stock from the carcass. I got enough to make a batch of turkey tortilla soup, plus three gallon sized ziplocs of stock, which are now lying flat....in the freezer. I also added three lunch sized portions of the soup to the freezer. Points off, I suppose, but the soup is really good!

I made a broccoli-cheddar soup to take for lunches this week. A little bacon and cholula for garnish.

Heart shaped ravioli (my concession to Valentine's Day), toasted in browned butter with pine nuts, a beet sauce, and a little arugula salad.

My sister and I started a new food challenge a couple of weeks ago: we put every country in the world, plus every regional cuisine we could think of, into a jar. I pick the country on Monday and we work on a menu during the week and then cook on Saturday. It has to be something that everyone will eat so it is challenging. So far we have gotten Poland (that was the pierogi meal I posted), Canada, and this weekend our first regional cuisine which was West African. It's not meant to be authentic, but just a way to expand our cooking horizons. I made a bunch of dips. Left to right starting with the white one, a feta yogurt whipped dip, then a "papaya" samba (I used mango because there was no ripe papaya to be had)l, roasted red pepper hummus, a very spicy cilantro charmoula, and finally a lemon-paprika oil with cilantro: with flatbread and groundnut soup My niece and nephew liked this so much that they requested all of the leftovers for dinner tonight. The adults had turkey mashed potatoes, spinach, and butternut squash.

Last night's dinner was gai lan in oyster sauce Pineapple fried rice And sticky soy chicken wings