St. Thomas Blog

Every week on Sunday we head to Magens Bay. We meet up with all our friends, BBQ, drink, lime and have a great time. We’ve been doing this for two years now and there is nothing more we look forward to.

There is usually a group of 20 of us but sometimes it can swell into 35-40 people. What’s great is there seems to be new people brought into the group all the time. It’s how Nicci and I met all our great friends here on St. Thomas.

If you’re on St. Thomas make sure to visit us at Magens Bay on Sunday!

You know that hunger that creeps up on you sometimes? The craving for a tangy marinara sauce, poured over a perfectly cooked lasagna paired with a great wine? It’s a mouth-watering thought, and if you find yourself in St. Thomas we have the perfect place for you to kill that craving - East End Cafe in Red Hook. Winner, Best of St. Thomas 2008, for Best Italian Casual Dining.

Here’s a look at their menu - much like the King Crab legs at Agave I pretty much have the same thing each time we dine at East End - Penne Alla Vodka, tasty! I dare you to look at their menu without your mouth watering at least three times!

We went to this St thomas restaurant and chatted with Jay, the manager. He’s an island newbie, here just shy of three months (welcome Jay!) so we told him to check out our blog and get caught up on the island. Jay comes to the VI from Denver (brrr!) so he’s glad to be here! Like the other Best Of winners we asked him to talk about his restaurant and tell us what makes it tick.

He told us that the chefs at East End Cafe are culinary trained, making the food both delicious and consistent. The staff on the floor are trained to be attentive to timing, and if you sit down to dine you should be enjoying food within 15 minutes of ordering. Have some hungry little people? East End is family friendly, with a kid’s menu and some crayons and coloring books to keep the little ones occupied.

East End Cafe is one of those St. Thomas restaurants that enjoys both a tourist and local following. Jay told us it’s common to have tourists dine there two or three times during a week of vacation, and the local businesses enjoy both lunch and dinner quite often. The most popular dish at the restaurant? Breaded cutlets of veal or chicken stuffed with ricotta and spinach and smothered with mozzarella…their signature dish. And my new craving! (who am I kidding, I’m totally penne-whipped…)

Still hungry? Let’s talk dessert, and oh yes, their pastries and cheesecakes are homemade! They also have creme brulee, which Jay tells us is better than sex. Or maybe you’d prefer to linger over coffee or one last glass of vino while you slowly digest.

This is definitely a St Thomas restaurant to put on your list if you’re planning a trip down here.

Congratulations to East End Cafe!

Nicci and I just got back from a week vacation in St. Maarten/St. Martin. While there the St Thomas Blog had to go to Maho beach where the big jumbo jets land. At first I was seriously stressed as these massive planes came right at me as I lay trembling under my beach umbrella. Meanwhile back at the ranch Nicci was running around taking pictures of this (she’s whack-o).

Here are our pictures but make sure to watch the YouTube videos below them:

We first introduced you to the Agave Terrace in this post. It’s no secret that it’s one of our favorite restaurants on the island; our booking them for our wedding dinner last year should be your first clue!

Today I’m writing about them again as they are a winner of our Best of St. Thomas 2008 - they won for Best Seafood Dining.

I’m from the school of “I’ve had it before, it was awesome, and that’s what I’m getting forever more”, and I’m referring to their Alaskan King Crab legs…OH MY GOD. So good. Lucky for us the people we spoke with have opened their Agave window to the other seafood choices on the menu, and had nothing but great things to say.  

We showed up to meet with Steve and present his award, and as we came up to the entrance he was rushing down to check out a fresh Mahi that was just reeled in. He had a knife in his hand and told us he’d be right back after cutting up the fish. I bet the Mahi was delicious that night! 

We waited for him at the bar, and had a drink with Desmond - the longtime bartender. He posed for a picture behind his bar:

Not a bad view to have at work right?

Steve met us at the bar and sat with us for a few minutes. He told us how he has been working with the University and local farmers on growing and producing local ingredients. He loves to feature territory ingredients in his dishes. Steve won’t offer hollandaise sauce, he offers passsion fruit hollandaise - twisting in an island taste to an common topping.

Agave Terrace has been around for twenty years, pleasing both tourists and locals alike.

Planning on visiting St. Thomas? This is a restaurant to plan on visiting, they are located at Paradise Point just past Smith Bay near the Wyndham Resort.

Many thanks to Steve Nakata at Agave Terrace for all the great memories.

Nicci and I get lots of questions about St Thomas snorkeling and St Thomas scuba diving. The waters of St. Thomas are crystal clear and warm. Home to all kinds of great fishes and creatures. Here’s a picture of Nicci and I  (wink) scuba diving in Magens Bay (always nominated for the top ten most beautiful beaches in the world). Before you view our latest dive make sure to check out our snorkeling tips here.

As you can see, even the big fish are friendly in St. Thomas. So remember, grab your snorkel gear or rent some scuba equipment for a memorable time…don’t forget your camera

On the East End of St. Thomas, in the middle of sunny bustling Red Hook, is a quiet place to escape the bright skies while grabbing a bite. Welcome to XO Bistro, located in Red Hook plaza (accross from Duffy’s love Shack) right off of the main street. Winner of Best Martini Bar 2008 this St. Thomas restaurant will impress you as soon as you walk into their cool interior.

The word ‘bistro’ is defined as ‘a small informal restaurant that serves wine’, and ‘a small restaurant serving moderately priced meals in an unpretentious setting’. XO hits on both points, and goes even further once you add in our casual island personalities. Enter XO and you feel like you’d rather sit at the bar and enjoy your meal, the atmosphere is very inviting and friendly.

We’ve been to XO before, both for drinks and food. We traveled there a few weeks ago during an afternoon and spoke with Cindy, the owner. We entered around 4pm and as our eyes adjusted to the darker interior we were met by the laughter and conversation of scattered locals who were seated around the bar. The bartender, Kara,  seemed to know each one, and had a permanent smile on her face for the hour or so that we were there.

For those unfamiliar with this restaurant I can tell you that they went through a big renovation last year and completely opened up the interior. The bar now stretches around, and they’ve enlarged the dining area in the back. The result is a great, uncrowded space. Here’s a shot of their new dining space:

We met Cindy at the end of the bar, and congratulated her on their award. She was pleased with the recognition, and happy that their martinis are well received - at the same time she was very keen to talk about the other attributes of the bistro. We discussed their extensive and well priced wine menu, something else XO is known for. Here’s a few selections:

We took a look at the menu and she told us how their lunch business is growing more and more; Red Hook is full of businesses and many of the employees are taking advantage of the bistro’s casual, flavorsome menu.

Cindy also told us about a new happening at XO, Girls Night Out! Once a month they will have an event at the Bistro just for the ladies, held on one side of the restaurant. Each event will have a different theme, and I think it’s a great idea! It sounds like a cool time to enjoy a martini and girl chat - once we get the details we’ll make sure to let you know about it.

Speaking of a night out, XO is a great place to hang out during the evening. They’re open until 2AM, and the bar quickly fills up with all age groups looking for a good time. Here’s a shot of a busy night at XO (thanks VI Nightlife):

Thinking of coming down and hanging out at the sociable bar? Maybe you’re in the mood to tuck yourselves away in a corner table to escape the flurry of the outside while you tuck into some lamb or baked brie. Either way XO can handle your request.

Here’s a few of the staff who were onhand that day, and yes, they are shiny happy people!

Pictured from left to right: Kara, Earl, Cindy, Sarah and Charlie.

Congratulations to XO Bistro! St. Thomas Blog thanks you for your time, I’ll see you at Girl’s Night!

This afternoon we came back from a week’s vacation in St. Martin/St. Maarten - which should explain our small lack of posts this week.

We’ll be back tomorrow with a word on our trip, and we’ll get back to our profiles of St. Thomas blog Award winners!

Happy Weekend

Shameless self promotion ahead!

Every year Nicci and I go back to Boston for the summer and we make our St. Thomas villa (Villa Nicoletta) available for rent. Villa Nicoletta is a 4 bedroom luxury villa rental and is located on the Northside in Caret Bay.

The villa has every ammenitiy available. There is a pool, 8 person hot tub, wifi, 4 computers, home theatre, fax machine, washer/dryer, full kitchen with stainless steel appliances,  6 Bose outdoor speakers, outdoor kitchen, outdoor tiki lights,  plasma tv’s in all rooms, geniune tiki bar:

1500 square feet of deck space, 2200 square feet of living space, fully furnished with everything you can imagine (loungers, patio furniture etc.).

As far as St Thomas villas go this is one of the elite. The villa is very private and in an extremely quiet area and it’s gated. Honestly renting a St. Thomas luxury villa far exceeds staying at even the best hotel like the Ritz Carlton.

We also stock the fridge with some goodies and put fresh flowers in the rooms. It’s really a great way to enjoy St. Thomas! If you’re interested give us a call or send us an email.

Click here for Website

Click here for rates

Satelite Map

Call Scott at 617-504-2305 or email to swhitey@comcast.net.

We’d like to welcome Rosemary Sauter and the Remax team to the St. Thomas Blog advertising program! You can see their ads on the top banner and on the side navigation.

Okay enough tooting of the horn, let’s talk St. Thomas Real Estate. Rosemary has been a long time resident of St. Thomas and since her latest purchase of Remax she now owns the islands largest real estate company. Kudos to Rosemary!

Nicci and I first met Rosemary about 5 years ago. We came to St. Thomas to look for real estate. Rosemary spent a week with us searching for just the right property. Of course she saved Caret Bay for last because she’d knew we’d fall in love with it, which we did.

18 months went by before I pulled the trigger on the purchase of our St. Thomas Villa but Rosemary stayed in touch the entire time. She sent me periodic emails with listings and sales, just enough to keep me asking for more but not too much that it was annoying. She was really doing a good job at updating me.

When Nicci and I flew out to make the purchase I had told Rosemary that I was going to propose to Nicci during the walkthrough. She took all the great photos of our special moment. We always felt very comfortable with her and she earned our trust.

Speaking from a very positive experience both Nicci and I can highly recommend Rosemary Sauter and her team at Remax. The islands number one St. Thomas Real Estate Agency.

You can contact Rosemary here.

In the long list of St. Thomas restaurants you will find a handful of sushi places.

Today I’m writing about the newest one, and the best. Just ask anyone.

Welcome to Shinsen. It’s a cool sounding word, and this restaurant has a very cool vibe. Cool as in ‘no phone’, cool as in ‘first come first seated’, cool as in ‘we know our sushi rocks, and soon you’ll know it too’.

If you like sushi, and live on St. Thomas, then you have been to Shinsen Sushi Bar. That’s a fact. If you’re down here on vacation it’s a must visit. Our poll named Shinsen Sushi Bar as Best Sushi and Best New Restaurant. They’re located at Magens Point Resort, close to another St. Thomas restaurant called Indigo.

We arrived there on a Friday, at 5:30, their opening hour. We grabbed a table, and had a brief conversation with Katie, the head chef/GM. We asked her what made Shinsen different from other sushi places. She repeated a statement she had heard, ‘Shinsen’s draw lies in their talent of blending both the freshest ingredients and different flavors to concoct the perfect taste’. Here are their specials for the night we were there:

You can check out their menu here. YUM!

Apart from the food Shinsen’s atmosphere is also alluring.

The entire restaurant consists of eight tables, and a small sushi counter. The black and red colors are dark and cozy, and once you’re seated you feel like you’re part of a small club.

Planning to pay them a visit? You have to plan ahead: Shinsen is open Thursday through Monday, starting at 5:30 with a last seating at 9:30. As I mentioned before they have no phone, and no phone means no reservations. It’s first come first sushi’d, and people will show up before the doors open.

After our brief talk we grabbed a drink at our table and ordered some food, and by 5:50 half the restaurant was full. A little after 6? One table was left, and that one was snagged shortly thereafter, giving you a full house barely an hour into opening. Don’t fret though, if you’re stuck waiting outside you can hang at the poolside bar until it’s time for your sushi fix.

The staff at Shinsen is small and close. Here they are with their award:

From left to right…happy staffers Melissa, Katie, Cherie and Jason.

So there you go. I’ve spilled the beans on the best sushi on the rock, and now, dear readers, if you could do me one small favor and forget everything I’ve told you that would be great…it’s hard enough getting a table there as it is!

Congratulations Shinsen!

As the number one cruise ship destination in the world St. Thomas has a number of island excursions for the cruisers to choose from. Places to catch the best view, places to sit with your feet in the ocean, boats to take you to surrounding islands while making sure you have your fair share of rum punch along the way…you get the idea.

As I write this I wonder if there are people currently scratching their heads and trying to think of new ways to show the tourists our island. If you’ve been to St. Thomas you’ve seen our safari taxis, which are basically large pick up trucks converted to sit 10-16 people underneath a canopy. They’re fun to sit in, and as you tour the island you can easily snap pictures through the open sides. It would be interesting to see if that could be taken one step further – say, slap on an extra level and introduce a double-decker bus to take people through downtown Charlotte?

The double-decker bus is best known as part of London, England’s main transportation, but other cities on the US mainland now incorporate them into their tourist industries, like New York. Part of NYC Attractions includes double-decker tours to swing you around their crazy streets, why not St. Thomas? We also have our fair share of traffic, people should be able to rise above for that great picture! Plus you could then convert the lower level into a bar-on-wheels, and cover the sides with bamboo and palm leaves…sort of a rolling booze cruise through town.

I think I’m onto something here…

St. Thomas Carnival is over, but before I commit it to memory I offer you a wrap-up post on this cool island tradition.

Last Monday was the opening of the village downtown, which temporarily took over the Fort Christian parking lot on the waterfront. 32 booths are constructed, painted bright colors and offer food and drink to the village-goers. Here’s a shot of the area, the booths outline the parking lot:

Along with the booths a large stage is assembled and bands entertain the crowd. We went down last Tuesday night to take in the sights - and it was pretty cool. We got there around 8, grabbed some drinks and food, and listened to the band play calypso beats while waiting for a couple of friends to show up.

We hung out for a few hours, our friend’s kids were there, so at one point we went over to the children’s village to hunt them down. The difference in the children’s village? Less booths, no booze and a few carnival rides - brought over from Puerto Rico, including this merry-go-round, and big spinny thing that our friend’s kids were riding on:

We grabbed some ice cream (which, unsurprisingly melts pretty much immediately down here), and after finishing that we left the village - sometime after 11.

That Thursday AM we enjoyed J’ouvert, which I told you about here. To recap: BIG fun, wicked…hot…loud…dancy…AWESOME fun.

The two events that come at the end of the week are the parades, one for the kids and one for the adults. The Childrens Parade was held that Friday on the waterfront, following the same main street that J’ouvert did. We had friends fly in that day so we didn’t attend, but you can read about it here. Here’s a picture from the newspaper:

To sum it up - the parades are all about glamourous and colorful costumes, steel pan music, dancing, routines - a total treat for your eyes and ears.

The Adults Parade is no different - here is an article on this year’s adult parade, held on Saturday…and a picture I’m ‘borrowing’ from the paper (thank you Source):

 Our friends were invited to march this year, and invited us to march with them, but we had friends in, so we declined - however after hearing about the costumes, and the day in general I am hoping we have the chance again next year! The articles briefly explains the parade day - but my friend’s involvement gave me a deeper look. The troupes get together well in advance of the parade - and through meetings and measurements they decide on their theme and each person (for a fee) received a custom-made costume for parade day. The final look is professional, and the adult parade is one of the biggest events of the year. Here’s a YouTube video someone took of this year’s adult parade - and as you can tell they certainly aren’t moving fast - the parade is a hours-long event!

This article has a list of the winners for Carnival 2008; 2nd place in the adult parade went to the Gypsie Troupe - which our friends were a part of, so congrats to them!

Saturday night is the closing of the village, and that means fireworks - and they do it right on the island! We were down in Yacht Haven Grande celebrating Scott’s birthday at Fat Turtle and watched the fireworks from there. They explode for almost 30 minutes, and the finale was insane! I did take pictures, they’re blurry, and that’s the way it goes (the one in the middle was looking over Fat Turtle towards Charlotte Amalie):

Needless to say we had a great time on Saturday- and Sunday, as always, meant a trip to Magens Bay Beach. Normally Sunday is a local day, and it can be busy, but this Sunday in particular is one of the busiest ones of the year. All the troupes from the parades come down and grill together, and around 4pm a huge group gets on the beach…

and slowly dances all the way up (the people in the green shirts are members of the Gypsie Troupe)…

and all the way down, in a slow tramp, to the beat of a number of steel drums:

It’s a mob scene of happy people:

…and with that big beach tramp (and I use the word ‘tramp’ as in ‘dance’ and/or ’slow hike’…) St. Thomas Carnival 2008 came to a close.

Busy next April? I suggest you book a trip and experience Carnival for yourself!!

Fatboys is one of the newest St. Thomas restaurants on the island and is located in Red Hook on the East End. They are this years Best of St. Thomas 2008 winner for Bar.

I met with Tony the GM. When I sat down with Tony the first thing that came to mind was how can I get that damn Yankees hat off his head. For a quick second I thought about clubbing him with my camera ;). So there we sat in Fatboys, Tony wearing a Yankees hat and me wearing my 2007 Boston Red Sox World Series cap. Let the games begin.

Although Tony is from New York he’s been living in St. Thomas for over 10 years. He’s what you call a local ya know. I asked him some questions about FatBoys and here’s what he had to say:

Me: What makes FatBoys different from all the other bars/St. Thomas Restaurants?

Tony: Well for us we keep it simple and fun. Our menu is smaller but the food is great bar food. In the entire time we’ve been open we’ve had 2 food items returned to be remade. Everyone that comes to fatBoys loves the food because it’s really great quality. We also have the best wings on St. Thomas!

Check out the FatBoys Menu here.

Tony: Next our drinks are out of this world. We have great frozen drinks and our Jagermeister shots are just $2 for Happy Hour. I think we have the best Happy Hour on St. Thomas.

Me: They really do have a great Happy Hour (everyday from 4-6).  Here it is:

Sunday 11am-6pm

Buckets o’ Beer

4 Coronas • 10 dollars

5 Coors Light • 10 dollars

1/2 Priced Appetizers

1 dollar off frozen drinks

I think FatBoys has a great thing going. They’re a fun bar with good quality, reasonably priced food. If you’re looking to let loose one night then this would be a great place to do it. They also serve most of the servers from other bars and restaurants after their shifts are over. So if the local servers are heading to FatBoys it’s a good sign.

Check out FatBoys if you already haven’t and if you’re in St. Thomas for vacation, they are a must!

Congrats to wining Best Bar from the St. Thomas Blog!

Fat Turtle, located in Yacht Haven Grande is one of the newest St Thomas restaurants and has made quite a splash in it’s short lifetime on St. Thomas. The results of our poll named Fat Turtle ‘Best Marina Bar’, and ‘Best Frozen Drinks’. Grab a straw and we’ll get you familiarized with this cool place.

They opened a little over a year ago, and I remember hitting them up last year to check them out. The food was tasty, the drink menu was interesting, the bar is a great area to hang out - but they didn’t seem all that busy. This year? Whole different story. They are busy for lunch and crowded at night - and they have a hold on Friday night entertainment with DJ Peter C spinning dance tunes until 2AM.

We sat down with Todd for a little chat and he told us their business has tripled in their short life as a St. Thomas restaurant. He attributes some of this to their great location; they enjoy ample parking in Yacht Haven and the indoor/outdoor seating that looks out to the mega-yachts and cruise ships.

Of course two other nearby restaurants also enjoy these perks - yet Fat Turtle seems to be leaving them in their party dust.

Fat Turtle rocks two Happy Hours: one from 3pm-6pm, the other is late night, from 11pm-1am. Along with the Happy Hours each day brings a different drink special, so you’ll always have something new to knock back. Friday night, their biggest, is a packed dance party with Heineken and Smirnoff specials ready to ‘get you shelled’!

Ready to get cold?

Here are a few of their frozen slurps: the Shrub Smacker, Cuss’N'Sailor, Walk The Plank and the best-named Where The $%*! Did I Park My Boat?! The last one is easily the most lethal - a 16 ingredient mix including several rums, vodka, gin - think you can handle it??

If you’re feeling buzzed just reading this don’t worry, Fat Turtle has a tasty menu to back up their booze, including calamari, fried pickles, crispy salads, pizzas, crab cakes, burgers, cheesesteak, fish, NY strip, pasta and a kiddie menu. You can check out the food here.

Still not sold on the Fat Turtle? Then I don’t know what else to tell ya! We were just there on Saturday night with a group of people celebrating the Big Kahuna’s birthday and it was a great evening. We’ll probably be there this Friday kicking up our blogging heels. Come down and join us!

Congrats to the Fat Turtle, keep on rockin’ guys!

Hungry? Craving something good for lunch at a great St Thomas restaurant? Do yourself a favor and head right over to Kokopelli Cafe, winner of Best Lunch. We’re not kidding either, it’s seriously delicious.

Ahmad and Carla Suid have been associated with Kokopelli Cafe for the past five years and St. Thomas Blog sat down with Ahmad to find out what makes this St. Thomas restaurant tick.

When the Suid’s pictured owning a restaurant they imagined a local pizzeria that would be embraced by families, kids and locals. They have created just that with their cafe; on any given day/night the restaurant is packed with families and groups of friends enjoying the food and the air-conditioned, non-smoking social atmosphere. Located in Market Square right next to the island’s only movie theater Kokopelli’s is often a full house with people stopping in before and after their movie to grab dinner or enjoy a late night drink.

The lunch crowd also has some movie goers, but is primarily full with people chowing down before their Cost-U-Less grocery shopping, popping in after their workout at the gym next door or business people enjoying a lunch break. If you join Kokopelli’s for lunch you will be greeted from behind the bar by Daniella, who will make you feel right at home. She’s been with the restaurant for a long time and pretty much owns the day shift. The rest of the staff is just as friendly.

Here’s Ahmad with Daniella holding up their award:

Now that we’ve given you the skinny on the restaurant let’s talk about the most important part…THE FOOD!

The newly-tweaked menu includes salads, calzones, gyros, pizza, pasta, burgers and daily specials. They do a big pizza business, but the lamb gyros and wraps are equally as popular. Their appetizers are extremely tempting including hummus with pita bread, garlic koko buns with marinara sauce, spanekopeta and spinach dip. (my mouth is watering just writing this)

Kokopelli’s has a Lunch Club - so when you visit them make sure you ask for your Lunch Club card. Once you’ve purchased six lunches the seventh is free - woo! They also run two specials for their tantalizing pizza: there’s the pizza Happy Hour Monday through Thursday where individual and large pizzas are half-off, the second special is for take out only, buy one 10 or 18″ pizza and get a second for half off - you can’t beat that!

Kokopelli’s also has an eight-seat bar to take care of your thirst with an ice-cold draft beer, a frozen concoction, or a cappucino. They run the best beer special on St. Thomas - a bucket of 5 Miller lites for 6 bucks! A cold bucket and a Greek wrap sounds good to me on any day of the week

Along with Best Lunch St. Thomas blog is awarding Ahmad with the unofficial title of ‘Best Restaurant Themed Car’. Take a look at this baby - it’s pretty hard to miss Ahmad on the road!

You can catch up with Ahmad here and tell him how bitchin’ his car is!

Congratulations again Kokopelli Cafe! One of the best in St Thomas restaurants.