Archive for March, 2009

Big Kahuna

One Time Not To Shut Your Pie Whole!

Okay St. Thomas, somethin’ new…Pie Whole! What a cool name huh? They make all natural brick oven pizzas. The food is so fresh they don’t even allow you to use grated cheese at the table…although I do like my grated cheese.

Excuse the photo’s, we didn’t have our real camera…we went there on a whim tonight.

pie-whole-sign

Pie Whole is all about natural cheese and ingredients, in other words they probably don’t purchase a lot of stuff from Merchants Market. And you can see and taste the difference.

Our waitress Jessy and bartender Matt:

pie-whole-matt-and-jessy

Pie Whole is an intimate restaurant (it used to be Tuscany) located in Frenchtown next to Margarita Phil’s.  There are about 25 seats or 6 tables and 9 bar stools.

So how was the pizza? Well if you’re lookin’ for New York or Chicago style pizza fahgetaboutit, it’s not that style of pizza. the pizzas are flat, 13″, the crust is crispy (not chewy). The big difference is that everything is fresh so they taste great. I had a Pepperoni and Sausage while Nicci had a Margherita (with added marinara…yum).

pie-whole-margarita-pizza

The sauce was more tomato-y, nice size chunks of tomatoes. Again, not your traditional Northeast pizza (like Pizza Amore). It kind of reminded me of a pizza you’d get in California but I may be way off. It really doesn’t matter because it was great!

pie-whole-dough

Prices range from $12-$15, VALUE, that’s what that is. Pizzas on St. Thomas can run you in the mid $20′s so I think for the quality these are priced great!

Here’s a picture of Earl ( I think he’s an owner) in front of the brick oven:

pie-whole-owner-earl

Pie Whole Hours: 5-11 Mon-Thurs – on weekends they stay open till 1am. Closed on Sundays. They’re so new (open just 2 weeks) they don’t have a phone yet (hurry up and get one guys) so you need to go there to order take out.

Give Pie Whole a try and tell them Scott & Nicci from the St. Thomas Blog sent you.

[Slashdot] [Digg] [Reddit] [del.icio.us] [Facebook] [Technorati] [Google] [StumbleUpon]

Comments (6)

Island Girl

Sunday Funday

We are heading down to Magens Bay in a few, but while I wait for my brownies to cool and Scott packs the cooler I figured I’d upload a beach picture that my uncle took while he was here earlier this month. Taken on Cinnamon Bay, St. John…St. Thomas is in the distance:

clan-st-john-013

It justs screams out FRAME ME doesn’t it? Good job UG :)

[Slashdot] [Digg] [Reddit] [del.icio.us] [Facebook] [Technorati] [Google] [StumbleUpon]

Comments (1)

Island Girl

Hey Ma! I’m on the beach!

We went to Magens Bay Beach today with Scott’s parents, and while we were there Steve and I jumped in front of the webcam to wave hello to my parents and Scott’s sister (all home in MA. Possibly freezing. Not sure).

You did know there was a webcam at Magens right? It’s on the top corner of the chair/mat rental shack (right next to the food and boutique). So when you’re here on a cruise or a vacation you can call your loved ones from your beach towel and tell them to go to the website, then grab your frozen drink, stand in front of the camera and wave to them from the sunny sands of St. Thomas while they watch (and most likely curse you) from their (not beachy) home or office. If they feel so inclined they can also ‘snap a picture’ of you on the website and email it to you - it will look something like this:

steve-nicci-beach

That’s Steve and I earlier today enjoying a somewhat cloudy day on the beach. And if you’re viewing this from your office or not-beachy-home please don’t curse at me. I’m just reporting the facts, folks, just the facts.

You can check out the webcam here.

[Slashdot] [Digg] [Reddit] [del.icio.us] [Facebook] [Technorati] [Google] [StumbleUpon]

Leave a Comment

Big Kahuna

Some Milestones

Nicci and I would like to thank you for taking this blog ride with us so far…here’s some numbers for ya to check out:

Over 300,000 of our blog pages have been viewed (and hopefully read)

458 people have participated by commenting (that’s very cool)

We’ve written 395 articles total (Nicci’s been slackin’)

In the past 2 months alone we’ve had over 105, 000 visitors (that’s a lot of people diggin’ on St. Thomas!)

Thanks so much for hangin’ out with us. And if you haven’t participated by leaving a comment please join in. It’s fun and we promise not to bite :)

[Slashdot] [Digg] [Reddit] [del.icio.us] [Facebook] [Technorati] [Google] [StumbleUpon]

Comments (7)

Island Girl

Introducing Enkai Sushi Bar

***** Enkai Sushi Bar, winner of our Best of St. Thomas Award 2009: http://www.stthomasblog.com/?p=2593 *****

***** Check them out on Facebook ***** facebook

After finally visiting Thirteen (and loving it) we decided it was also time to finally make it to Enkai and stuff ourselves silly with the sushi we’ve been missing. We went there last night to pay Katie and Jason a visit and see how this two week old restaurant was doing. It was just as we expected  – full and busy!

Enkai is located in Frenchtown, and no, it’s not in the area where Epernay and Craig and Sally’s hold court…it’s a couple of blocks away and sits right on the water, in a spot they have carved out all to themselves. Is it a little tricky to find? Eh, maybe…but make sure to keep a look out for the signs – like this one on the side of the restaurant…

enkai-013

…the signs on the roads beforehand have the same blue coloring with yellow(ish) lettering.

Okay. Enough navigating, but I will say this – Enkai is literally RIGHT on the water, there were a couple of boats tied up so close they practically had ropes looped around the restaurant chairs :)

As you walk around the corner you find the bar in front of you with ample stools, and drinks being served by this guy:

enkai-019

Everyone say ‘Hi Chris’! And no, he normally doesn’t pour with such a grim look on his face. If you’re wondering why he looks familiar then he’s served you at one of his previous bartending gigs which include Indigo and Sibs on da Moutain…but he definitely seems happy at Enkai!

The entrance to the dining area is right next to the bar. I took this picture standing next to the bar looking inside the restaurant:

enkai-015

The restaurant is open air with ceiling fans twirling above you. Here’s a shot of the room we ate in, there are tables sprinkled both inside and outside on the covered deck-like area…

enkai-008

Behind that large table in the above picture is the rolling station with a few stools where you can sit, eat and watch the crazy rolling going on by this talented twosome!

enkai-018

That’s Katie and Jason doing their thing and if they look serious it’s because they are. No time to smile for pictures, we’ve got people to serve – and let me tell you, they were serving it up fast last night! With some help from these lovely ladies (thank you Cherie for modeling the cool shirts – which can be yours for $25):

enkai-017

We had a commenter on last week who mentioned that while the sushi was great the wait was a little long. We were prepared to wait last night but there was no need – the food came out with perfect timing (under 30 minutes).

So yes,  it’s about the food, and we’re pleased to say it’s just as good as we were hoping it would be! Here’s a quick glimpse at the menu, click to enlarge (and the prices aren’t covered on purpose…oops!):

enkai-001

We ordered too much, as usual. Here’s a glimpse at the fabulousness that we chopsticked-up:

enkai-032

enkai-031

Speaking of chopsticks – I ain’t good with them. Scott and I requested forks, but they only had one in the kitchen which I graciously gave to my husband. So what did I do? I used started-sticks in the shape of a rhino! Cool!

enkai-029

The rhino and I proved to have great coordination, I’m going to have to buy a pair to have on hand for future sushi-ing…

Scott’s parents are in visiting -

enkai-026

- and while Steve has really never eaten Sushi he quickly became  a huge fan; he enjoyed trying the different rolls (with his own set of lamb-shaped starter-sticks) and left with a full stomach – as we all did.

Enkai offers desserts but we were having none of it – I ate sushi until I was uncomfortable as did the rest of us…and we will do it all over again with the help of these leftover boxes that are sitting in our fridge waiting to be consumed…

enkai-034

If you pay Enkai a visit (and you will) you’ll want to do two things: make a reservation 340-774-MAKI, and let the staff know that the St. Thomas Blog sent you!

Thank you Katie and Jason for a fantastically tasty night – we’ll be back a million more times!

[Slashdot] [Digg] [Reddit] [del.icio.us] [Facebook] [Technorati] [Google] [StumbleUpon]

Comments (18)

Big Kahuna

Lucky Thirteen

Nicci and I took my folks to Thirteen Restaurant for dinner last night. We’ve been trying to get there for a while but they are always very busy – which is a good sign.

I called ahead and spoke with the owner Kirstie (I hope spelled it correctly) and made a reservation (good thing as they were packed again). Trust us, make a reservation if you want to dine here, otherwise you will be out of luck.

Now, I remember Deano’s (the place they took over) and let me tell ya, this ain’t no Deano’s. They completely remodeled the place with dark wood and brick and they opened up the wall so there’s a fantastic view. As soon as you walk in you can feel the difference.

So after the initial disbelief of how great the inside now looks like we were greeted by Kirstie and seated. We introduced ourselves and Nicci took some pictures.

 thirteen-014

thirteen-015

thirteen-022 

Some of you may or may not know that Kirstie used to own Indigo (which we are fans of) so expectations were high. Our waitress Jayden greeted us (she just moved here from San Diego) and we looked over the scrumptious menu choices. Here’s a shot of the appetizers…creative and tempting – just the way Nicci likes her appetizer menu:

 thirteen-024

And the main courses…yum…:

 thirteen-020

For our appetizers Nicci and I ordered the scallops with prosciutto/manchego cheese/basil and my mother Shelly and step-dad Steve ordered the shrimp, crab and artichoke.  The first words from my mother’s mouth was “”WOW”.  The appetizers were awesome! Nicci loved the scallops – the basil was fresh and the prosciutto/cheese mixture was fantastically tasty! While we waited for the apps we enjoyed fresh bread flavored with salt and herbs and a garlic/herb oil for dipping…tasty!

For dinner my mother and I ordered the lamb:

 thirteen-0261

Steve ordered the pork chop:

thirteen-027

…and Nicci ordered the halibut. The lamb was cooked exactly to temperature. It’s a real pet peeve of mine when meat is cooked incorrectly so I was pleased it was done perfectly. Nicci’s halibut was great and she finished everything (if you know Nicci you know she usually leaves restaurants with a doggie bag). Steve loved his pork chop – everyone really enjoyed their dinner, the food was exceptional.

As the licked-clean entree dishes were removed we all sat back in our chairs and tried to make room for dessert – which was a good idea, considering the desserts that were presented. Feast your eyes on these descriptions (and try not to drool…I dare you):

- Glazed doughnut bread budding with mixed berry compote (on the left)  Banoffie Tart: Chocolate and caramel served in a grahm cracker crust with sliced bananas and sweet whipped cream (on the right):

 thirteen-028

- Warm fudge brownie with cayenne ganache, crushed pretzels and bacon. Yes, I said bacon!

 thirteen-029

Nicci is a not a sweet-tooth kind of girl, so after munching on all three treats she was experiencing a pretty content sugar buzz! These desserts were creative and delicious…the bacon/brownie thing really works!

So – after all of this great food and presentation you might be thinking you’re about to break your wallet – hardly true. Here’s the catch, the pricing is very reasonable for the service and quality you will receive. We was surprised at the $28 price range for almost all the entrees. Given the experience we had I think this might be the best VALUE on St. Thomas right now. So if you’re looking for great quality food, presentation and service this is a place to frequent – immediately. So go! Now!

We left the restaurant at 8pm, and it was packed – as was the bar area. If you know where the restaurant is located than you know there are roughly 7 0r 8 actual parking spaces, the rest is street parking, and the cars were lined up down the road. Thirteen has obviously filled a void for us Northside people (and any East Enders that are making the trip over!).

Nicci and I are giving Thirteen two very big, full-bellied, sugar-buzzed, we’ll-be-back-soon thumbs up!

[Slashdot] [Digg] [Reddit] [del.icio.us] [Facebook] [Technorati] [Google] [StumbleUpon]

Comments (9)

Island Girl

Crime Watch and John Walsh

One of the common questions we get about living on St. Thomas, other than where to work or live, is How safe is it?

Here’s our usual answer:

Like any other area in the world you want to make sure you’re aware of your surroundings. If an area doesn’t look safe…don’t hang around. There are plenty of places to dine and hang out that we feel completely safe in, on the other hand there are also a few areas that we avoid.

Of course its always possible that an area you feel completely safe in might see some crime activity and catch you, and everyone else, off guard. Case in point…last Saturday there were shots fired that resulted in a police chase through the streets of TuTu area, a big intersection near big Kmart, Plaza Extra, First Bank and KFC. An innocent bystander in a car woman was shot in the leg (not life-threatening). It was pretty dramatic and caused a lot of people to say to themselves I’m in that area all the time, what if I was there that day!. You can read more about it here in the St. Thomas Source.

As a result of this (and some crime on St. Croix) Governor John deJongh Jr. issued the following statement:

 ”It has become clear that there are those who have chosen to prey on our community with this reckless and senseless violence of late,” he said. “This includes the insane attacks and retaliations of various criminal elements who claim to be defending their wrongdoing or protecting what they so wrongly view as their turf. There is no part of our Virgin Islands that will be given over to the criminal element to be called their turf. Not our housing communities or our neighborhoods, not our schools, not our streets.”

Police are also promising stronger tactics. You can read more in this article.

On the subject of crime St. Thomas hosted John Walsh and ‘America’s Most Wanted’ this week to shed light on two past crimes on the island. You can read about that here.

So yes, there is crime on the island. There is also crime in cities and towns all over the USA. Be safe, and be aware.

[Slashdot] [Digg] [Reddit] [del.icio.us] [Facebook] [Technorati] [Google] [StumbleUpon]

Comments (1)

Big Kahuna

Meet Nicci and I at Iggy’s Beach Bar Tonight

We’ll be at Iggy’s Beach Bar for the the Smirnoff USVI Cross-Island Concert Series featuring the band Slimpocket.

The Buzz 104.3 will be hosting these parties. They are flying in the Slimpocket Band from Boston for some serious rock-n-roll! Here is Slimpocket in action:

YouTube Preview Image

The fun starts at 8pm, so come by and check it out!

[Slashdot] [Digg] [Reddit] [del.icio.us] [Facebook] [Technorati] [Google] [StumbleUpon]

Comments (2)

Big Kahuna

Go To Larry’s Landing – St. John Tonight

Don’t forget folks:

The Buzz 104.3 has started a monthly concert series called the Smirnoff USVI Cross-Island Concert Series. There is gonna be some serious partying on St. John tonight. Here are the details:

Larry’s Landing, St. John- Thursday March 19th at 10pm

The band Slimpocket from Boston will be jammin’ out the tunes:

YouTube Preview Image [Slashdot] [Digg] [Reddit] [del.icio.us] [Facebook] [Technorati] [Google] [StumbleUpon]

Comments (1)

Big Kahuna

Anguilla Trip Report Day 3 – The End

We woke to some serious clouds and wind on our last full day in Anguilla but decided to get into the car rental and explore. We decided to hitting Cove Bay and have lunch at Smokey’s.

Cove Bay - St. Maarten is in the distance behind those clouds...I swear.

Cove Bay - St. Maarten is in the distance behind those clouds...I swear.

Outside Smokey's before the first sprinkle of rain. I snapped this pic just before that white umbrella in the background got caught by the wind, flew our way and knocked Scott on the shoulder which caused his drink to spill everywhere...tragic!

Outside Smokey's before the first sprinkle of rain. I snapped this pic just before that white umbrella in the background got caught by the wind, flew our way and knocked Scott on the shoulder which caused his drink to spill everywhere...tragic!

Cove Bay is a beautiful remote spot. Apparently Cove Bay and Smokey’s Restaurant is the place to be on Saturday afternoons, but alas we were a day late and a dollar short as it was Sunday. I went to the bar to grab some cocktails and noticed a man on his laptop. I approached and noticed he was on Facebook and couldn’t help but laugh. Facebook is taking over. I started chatting him up and found out he was the owner, Clyde.

Scott and Clyde

Scott and Clyde

 

We got chatting about all sorts of t’ings like why no one in Anguilla sold Cruzan Rum, the after-affects of hurricane Omar and his very stateside accent. He was bahn and raised in Anguilla but educated in the states. My impression of Clyde is that he is one smart dude.

It continued to be windy and rainy pretty much all day. We had lunch; I had the ribs and Nicci had the wings. Both were extremely tasty. 

We really liked Smokey’s, stop by and say hello to Clyde for sure.

After lunch we went one bay over to the Dune Preserve. We got there around 1:45 only to find out we just missed Dustin Hoffman, Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn! That would have been so cool! Here’s a picture of the Yacht they were on (in the distance, St. Maarten is behind it in the background):

anguilla-164

We also met Bankie Banx, reggae legend and owner of the Dune Preserve.

Scott with the famous Bankie Banx

Scott with the famous Bankie Banx

YouTube Preview Image

Okay, if the smell of ganga bothers you don’t go to the Dune Preserve. Cause they be smokin’ it freely ya’no. The place is set up in trees over the beach so it’s like a huge tree-house for adults, very cool. They had a funky jazz band playin’ when we got there. After about 30 minutes I suddenly had the munchies just from being downwind of the bar ;)  

The dunes

The dunes

 

 

People chilling out, relaxing and enjoying...

People chilling out, relaxing and enjoying...

We stayed there a few hours then left – on the way back to Ku we hit a store for chips and cookies (no kidding) and hung at the beach until 5:30. We wanted to have dinner at an Italian restaurant called Luna Rosa but they are closed on Sunday’s :( So we ended up at Santorini Restaurant in the  CuisinArt Resort. I’m not going to write much here. The waitress was awesome the food was awful. Don’t eat here if you enjoy good food. There was actually not one part of the meal that was good. Bland and boring.

Okay, this is Nicci and here’s the deal with dinner on our last night. We were craving italian and when we found out Luna’s was closed we were under the impression that Santorini would be an italian option…imagine our disappointment when we showed up and found out it wasn’t. Fortunately there was another restaurant on the grounds of CuisinArt that served italian and we could order it from Santorini. I got proscuitto and melon for an app and it was awesome, however my linguini main course was dull. I think both of us are still craving pasta…

List of Recommendations

Hotel Ku’: The staff was warm and friendly and very helpful. The price is right by Anguilla standards at $300-$400 night during high season. Located on arguably the nicest beach in Anguilla. The massages were superb!

View from our room at Ku

View from our room at Ku

Beach chairs ready and waiting in front of Ku...

Beach chairs ready and waiting in front of Ku...

Shoal Bay East Beach: Awesome, do not miss it.

Ku's beach...endless...gorgeous...

Ku's beach...endless...gorgeous...

Blanchard’s Restaurant: A superb dinning experience.

Us at Blanchard's, stuffed and happy! Mostly stuffed :)

Us at Blanchard's, stuffed and happy! Mostly stuffed :)

 

Our dessert plate - YUM

Our dessert plate - YUM

Smokey’s: Great beach bar food and a place to go for dinner. Go there on a Saturday afternoon.

Cove Bay: Beautiful remote beach.

Dune Preserve: Great on Sundays around 1:30. really fun place to hang out and get a contact high ;) and to possibly run into some movie stars…

Hey, it’s Nicci again, and I finally get to jump in on a review :) Day Four was the day we had to leave, but we scheduled our flight for 6pm that night hoping to catch sunny rays during the afternoon. They skies, for the most part, did not cooperate. Oh well, we do live on an island so we weren’t really sweating the rain! We spent the day on the beach either on our beach chairs or seeking cover at the restaurant. We enjoyed a few last cocktails, I took some last pictures, we chatted with other people while biding our time until it was finally time to leave…and boy did we not want to go…

I was sad to leave...

I was sad to leave...

...so was Scott.

...so was Scott.

And this is what we flew home to…

St. Thomas...dark, rainy and stormy - what a welcome!

St. Thomas...dark, rainy and stormy - what a welcome!

We will definitely be traveling to Anguilla again!

[Slashdot] [Digg] [Reddit] [del.icio.us] [Facebook] [Technorati] [Google] [StumbleUpon]

Comments (3)

Big Kahuna

Best of St. Thomas 2009 – Best Crushed Grapes

Let me define crushed grapes… best bottle of wine, glass of wine, and wine selection. A place where you go out to dinner knowing you’ll be able to celebrate with a bottle of something you love.

wine

Please comment and announce your favorite. These votes count, so get your friends, associates, whoever to vote. Help us spread the good word on St. Thomas Restaurants.

Don’t forget to vote for (click on the links):

Best I Wanna Get Romantic Later

Best Hoity Toity Restaurant

Best Newbie Restaurant

Best Brain Freeze

Best Finger Lickin’

Best Spicey Meatball

Best Kept Secret

Best Slab O’ Meat

[Slashdot] [Digg] [Reddit] [del.icio.us] [Facebook] [Technorati] [Google] [StumbleUpon]

Comments (2)

Big Kahuna

Get Ready For The Smirnoff USVI Cross-Island Concert Series

Big entertainment news folks. The Buzz 104.3 has started a monthly concert series called the Smirnoff USVI Cross-Island Concert Series. There is gonna be some serious partying on St. John and St. Thomas this week. Here are the details:

Larry’s Landing, St. John- Thursday March 19th at 10pm

Iggy’s Beach Bar, St. Thomas- Friday March 20th at 8pm

Caribbean Saloon, St. Thomas- Saturday March 21st at 10pm

The Buzz 104.3 will be hosting these parties. They are flying in the Slimpocket Band from Boston for some serious rock-n-roll! Here is Slimpocket in action:

YouTube Preview Image

The Smirnoff USVI Cross-Island Concert Series is sponsored by Smirnoff,  yours truly, the St. Thomas Blog, Blue Island Divers,  and The Buzz 104.3.

smirnoff

Come out and enjoy, it’s not often we get really good stateside bands here.

[Slashdot] [Digg] [Reddit] [del.icio.us] [Facebook] [Technorati] [Google] [StumbleUpon]

Comments (6)

Big Kahuna

Our Anguilla Trip Report Day 2

Off to a splendid start we had a great breakfast at Ku’. After breakfast we had to run to the one drug store they have for some contact lens solution for Nicci. Raced back for our 10:30 dual massages at the Petit Spa at Ku’. Nicci got the Swedish and I got the deep tissue. It was one of the best massages I’ve ever had. Thanks! I’m knot free and carrying extra pens for the day.

We then hit Shoal Bay East again for a much needed nap after our destressful massages. I smuggled in some rum that we picked up earlier as a rum and coke is $9 at the beach bar. I bought the bottle at a local store for $7.  FYI…No one sells or stocks Cruzan Rum here except Blandards Restaurant. We found the same in Saint Martin as well. They look at you like a deer in headlights if you ask for Cruzan Rum. Nicci drank Caribs from the bar @ $3/bottle.

Because we were so lazy and couldn’t even get out of our beach chairs we had lunch at Ku’ again. They have a great grill station and I got a big lobster that was drenched in garlic/butter sauce. Not bad for $33 per pound ;)  Nicci got the fish and chips which was HUGE. Lunch $98 with no drinks.

We were really excited to eat at Blanchards Restaurant

blanchards

Nicci had read owner Melinda Blanchards book “A trip to the beach” which was a book about the trials and tribulations of packing up from Vermont and livin’ the dream of moving to an island, in this case Anguilla. We had big expectations. Upon arrival we were greeted warmly and asked for our last name. I said White and the hostess said “Happy Anniversary!” (I had called ahead), the previous night Malliouhana Restaurant did the same thing.

The restaurant is in a small cottage, very intimate. The rear doors open to a garden and the ocean. We got seated right at a  table in the opening to the garden which was fantastic! We immediately noticed the Cruzan Rum when we walked in so we were excited to get a real rum drink on Anguilla. The waiter took our appetizer order which consisted of Spring Rolls, $12 and Lobster/Crab Cakes, $21. Both were absolutely delicious and came out rather fast.

I ordered the Pistachio-Crusted Goat Cheese Salad, $19 which I thought was good.  For dinner Nicci ordered the Beef Tenderloin, $40 and I got the Braised Lamb Shank, $44 (I always get that at Craig and Sally’s). Okay, here’s where it’s at, unlike our meal at Malliouhana Restaurant  these dinners were AMAZING. The lamb Shank melts off the bone with just a harsh glance. The tenderloin was so tender Nicci cut it with a butter knife.

For dessert we got the Chocolate Trio and Mint Chip ice cream. The chocolate cake was fantastic. Around the edge of the plate they had chocolate sauce spelling out Happy Anniversary (they really go the extra mile). Everything  was so yummy and the service was stellar!

Melinda and Bob Blanchard

bobmel

are great storytellers. The menu has their diary, year by year on the restaurant. It really makes you feel like you’re part of the Blanchards team. Most restaurants don’t do this and it’s a great idea. Furthermore the Blanchards treat their employees exceptionally well. Most have been there since they opened in 1994.

During and after dinner we chatted with Miguel Leveret

miguel

Lowell Hodge

lowell

Ronson Hodge

rinso

and Shirmel Francis

shirmelfrancis

They were really great. You can read all about the Blanchards staff here: http://www.blanchardsrestaurant.com/staff.htm

Dinner and drinks was once again $300 but worth every penny, seems like that’s the magic number here in Anguilla.

Atmosphere: 5 stars, Service: 5 stars, Appetizers: 5 stars, Desserts: 5 stars, Main Course: 5 stars, Cost: 5 stars

Overall: 5 stars

If you’re coming to Anguilla put Blanchards on your dinner musts.

[Slashdot] [Digg] [Reddit] [del.icio.us] [Facebook] [Technorati] [Google] [StumbleUpon]

Comments (2)

Big Kahuna

Our Anguilla Trip Report Day 1

Here is our day 1 trip report to beautiful Anguilla.

The trip started out shaky as we had problems when we arrived. There were only 4 people that got off the Liat plane when we checked into customs. Nicci and I were the last in line. The woman who checked us in asked us to fill out a customs form. We didn’t have a pen so we asked to borrow hers. Apparently she only had the one, and she wasn’t giving it up to us, you know…the tourists who are there to stimulate their econonmy. So she asked one of the other agents who also would not give up his pen and then a third agent…you guessed it, wouldn’t give up her pen. Apparently these pens are very valuable in Anguilla.

So I guess it’s a Mexican Standoff?

I looked at the mean woman with the bright orange hair and then at the empty airport and asked her again for her pen. She denied. Finally I said, what do you want us to do? Give me your pen…Presto, the pen came and we filled out our custom form. Unreal!

Welcome to Anguilla. We know from our experience living in St. Thomas that Customs Agents can be like postal workers but this is no way to greet a visitor.

Anyhow, our next item on the list was to get our rental car from Island Rental Car. When I ordered it they told me they were located directly accross the street from the airport. ‘Just walk across’ she said. A half a mile later, carrying two bags a piece we finally made it. I asked the very nice lady why they would make us walk so far with our luggage? Her response…”Usually one person walks over while the others remain at the airport with their luggage”. Damn, I wish I was that smart!

Again, that’s some real island thinking for ya. I can’t believe we fell for it.

Off to our Hotel Ku’

Which is located on world famous Shoal Bay East.

YouTube Preview Image

The hotel reception staff were warm and very friendly. They offered us two rum punches while we checked in. Of course Nicci loves her rum punch or as she calls them “Knee-Scrapers” (because she’s always falling down drunk after drinking them).

The room, as you can see by the pictures, is very simple and clean with a deck and a great view. Ku’ is considered a value hotel at $300-$400/night but happens to be located at arguably the best beach in Anguilla, Shoal Bay East. We found the room exceptionally large at almost 800 square feet. It has a full kitchen, living room and bedroom. Although not a luxurious hotel they seem to really try hard and offer a great value. I would equate it to the Elysian Beach Resort in St. Thomas only on a world class beach, very intimate (only 27 rooms) and with million dollar views.

Our first night at Ku’ was pleasant until the power went out at 5:30am. Oh, the agony, it never seems to stop. Looks like their WAPA is on pace with our WAPA. So as I lay in bed waiting the usual 15 seconds for the generator to kick in I thought how much I enjoy all the little quirks of the islands. Then I realized the generator never kicked on so I called the front desk.

They don’t have a generator.

Damn, a hotel without a generator?

The power was only out for an hour so I made it through. Of course Nicci slept through everything.

We had dinner at Malliouhana Restaurant at the Malliouhana Hotel & Spa which is located on the other side of the island. Sort of like driving from Caret Bay to the East End. This French Restaurant is considered one of the top restaurants in Anguilla. The resort was beautiful and the setting was spectacular as the restaurant overlooks the ocean. This is a great romantic setting.

We sat down and they immediately wished us a happy anniversary (I had called ahead). That was nice. We ordered some cocktails and appetizers. Nicci got the lobster/pea soup (at $22) and I got the spicey crab (at $25). Both the appetizers were incredibly good! 

For dinner Nicci ordered the catch of the day, Snapper (at $40) and I got the special which was a lobster/veggie dish in a cream sauce (at $48). Neither one of us especially thought the dinners were outstanding. My dinner was a small soup dish with not much lobster. We know that portions are usually small at gourmet restaurants and were thankful we ordered the killer appetizers. The service was impeccable at all times.

Next came dessert! I ordered the Coconut Soufflé and Nicci got some sort of Napoleon. The desserts were to die for! Just fantastic, made up for the so-so dinners. The total bill for us including drinks was $300.

Atmoshphere: 5 stars, Service: 5 stars, Appetizers: 5 stars, Desserts: 5 stars, Main Course: 3 stars, Cost: 3.5 stars

Overall: 4.4 stars

On Saturday we have breakfast at Ku’ planned, dual massages at 10:30, Shoal Bay Beach and dinner at world famous Blanchards!

[Slashdot] [Digg] [Reddit] [del.icio.us] [Facebook] [Technorati] [Google] [StumbleUpon]

Comments (4)

Big Kahuna

The Soggy Dollar Pain Killer Recipe

The World Famous Soggy Dollar Pain Killer Recipe:

Premium Dark Rum (Pussers, but I prefer Cruzan)

Cream of Coconut

Pineapple Juice

Orange Juice

Topped with Nutmeg

Thanks Tish & Jerry, owners of Soggy Dollar

Have you signed up for the Pain Killer Club? Click here: http://www.soggydollar.com/painkillerclub/

[Slashdot] [Digg] [Reddit] [del.icio.us] [Facebook] [Technorati] [Google] [StumbleUpon]

Comments (2)