You walk into your favorite bar or restaurant and magically a drink appears in front of you. You didn’t ask for it, they just do it. That’s right, what great bartenders do. They know you and what you drink. They laugh at your crummy jokes and have a second drink waiting before you can lift a finger. They are THE BARTENDER.

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 and St. Thomas Bars.

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

Best Kept Secret

Best Slab O’ Meat

Best Spicey Meatball

Best Stickey Rice

Start Time: Tomorrow, January 17 at 12:00pm

End Time: Tomorrow, January 17 at 4:00pm

Where: St. Thomas, Four Winds Plaza- TUTU

Here’s what you can contribute:

Medical emergency supplies: band-aids, pain reliever, gauze, rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, antibacterial crèmes, antibacterial wipes, bottles, blankets, sheets, batteries,  flashlights, baby formula, bedding, towels, juice boxes, water, personal hygiene items, tarps, tents, etc…

Collections accepted through the office of Senator Donastorg. Located in Four Winds Plaza, Tutu. Between cash and carry and island bedding. Cash donations will be given to the Red Cross.

Please spread the word to your friends, family, neighbors, local shops etc. We hope everyone will come and donate!

What not to do when wearing a banana hammock….lift up one leg!

Sorry if I ruined your breakfast this blessed morning…

Here it is the biggest event in the world, Sunday February 7th. No place to go? Head over to the Caribbean Saloon, the best damn sports bar on the rock! Make sure to call ahead to reserve a table.

Nicci and I are wallowing in our sorrows over the ass beating the Patriots took in the playoffs but maybe your team is still in the hunt?

Yes, a new category this year!

Now is the time to vote for your favorite Sushi Restaurant St. Thomas and believe it or not we have quite a few for a 13 mile island. For this category Sushi must be the restaurants primary focus.

Here they are in no particular order:

Lotus, Buddah Sushi, Enkai Sushi Bar, Beni Iguana’s, Watahoshi at Hull Bay, Great Bay Lounge at The Ritz Carlton, Write In.

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 Kept Secret

Best Slab O’ Meat

Best Spicey Meatball

Live at Jack’s Restaurant this Thursday the 14th at 7:30!

Gathering much of their inspiration from the riff-heavy psychedelic hard-rock of the 60’s and 70’s, the Group has drawn comparisons to 1st generation luminaries Led Zeppelin and Cream, as well as neo-classic and stoner rock contemporaries Wolfmother, The Black Keys, Dead Meadow, and The Raconteurs.

Drink specials start at 6 and they include $2 Miller Lite, $2 Jager and $2 Absolut.

Watching the news about the devastation in Haiti while living in an area that could possibly suffer the same really makes you think. For those of you who love to text and want to help here is an easy way:

From Cristina: You can text “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to American Red Cross relief for Haiti. You will see the $10 charge for your donation on your next cellphone bill. Please make a donation today.

I confirmed this on ABC’s website, I quote: “In a blog post on the U.S. State Department Web site, Clinton’s Chief of Staff Cheryl Mills called for those hoping to help to donate $10 by texting “HAITI” to “90999.” The $10 donation will be given automatically to the Red Cross “to help with relief efforts” and will be charged directly to your cell phone bill, the Web site said.”

You’re free to research this as well, I really hope it’s not a scam – it seems like a great way for many, many people to donate easily.

When Nicci and I find a place with great service on St. Thomas we want everyone to know. So here I am yelling out to you St. Thomas.

We had to switch our mail house company because the last one moved or went out of business or something and they recommended we try Messages, Mail and More at Crown Bay.

Upon our first visit we noticed the professionalism and care to the customer. The owner Natalie M. Knight signed us up for their after hours card which lets us in early and late to get our mail. Nice touch.

After Hours Card:

Owner Natalie M. Knight

Then a few days later we received an email that said our packages were in. I thought, how awesome is this? Usually we have to drive all the way there only to find out we had no mail but this eliminates all that. They actual email everyone when they get mail. Wow.

Last weekend I emailed them because we were getting in some hibiscus plants on Saturday and I didn’t want them to sit until Monday. Natalie emailed me when they came in at 1pm (they were closed). I called her and she said c’mon down I’ll wait here for you. Really…am I living on St. Thomas?

These guys go the extra mile and it makes a difference. So if you’re looking for a great alternative to our US Postal System with NO LINES, NO WAIT and service with a smile give them a call.

8168 Crown Bay Marina, Suite 310

St. Thomas VI   00802-5819

Web: http://www.mmmvi.com/

Email mmm@vipowernet.net 

Who doesn’t love Italian food? This is the time to let us know. Who’s your very favorite Italian Restaurant in St. Thomas?

Here they are in no particular order:

Virgilio’s, East End Cafe, Romano’s, Write In.

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

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

Best Kept Secret

Best Slab O’ Meat

Nice!

Thanks to Brent at Shipwreck Tavern for this one. Please email me these funny pictures anytime: scott@stthomasblog.com.

This is your favorite restaurant to get a big fat juicy steak, ribs, prime rib, lamb, veal etc. The cholesteral shoots through your veins after having dinner here.

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 Kept Secret

Here’s a ridiculous story we heard at Magens Bay yesterday. My sister came in on the Carnival Glory; here’s what the Cruise Director announced prior to arrival in St. Thomas:

“Because there are several cruise ships in town Magens Bay may be full and they may close the beach. We strongly suggest you purchase the Magens Bay $35 per person TWO HOUR tour as people on this excursion are guaranteed to get in.”

Complete Fraud!

Carnival you should be ashamed at this deceit. Magens Bay NEVER turns anyone away. To passengers: from Havensight a cab ride costs $8 per person each way or $16 roundtrip, it’s $4 per person to enter Magens and once there you can stay ALL DAY. Let me ask you this, have you ever heard of a place closing for fear of too much business coming their way?

We confirmed this nonsense with the blue-towel Glory cruisers next to us. One couple actually fell for this scam and the other couple took a taxi. You can imagine how ripped off the couple that paid $70 for a taxi ride felt. There was nothing to this “tour” - they dropped them off and picked them up two hours later. Here is the unhappy couple that got ripped off:

St. Thomas, what is going on?

How is the taxi association going along with this?

Magens Bay Authority should step in on this as I’m sure a lot of folks didn’t get to come to beautiful Magens Bay because of the $35 per person price tag or fear it would be closed with four ships in the harbor. 

Help spread the word on this scam. Post it to your Facebook and Twitter accounts, post it to cruise message boards, let’s stop this type of scam nonsense!

And to ALL cruisers out there, please don’t fall for these scams. Most tours offered on ships are legit but you can always come off the ship and do a tour from a local for less money. Research is your friend. Our beaches here in St. Thomas are public and they never turn people away.

***** This scam has now been confirmed on the Princess line (owned by Carnival)*****

Nicci and I and 6 other friends had dinner at Old Stone Farmhouse New Years Eve and I’m happy to say they’re back!

The food was great, good size portions and the prices were very reasonable for a gourmet St. Thomas restaurant. We paid $65 for a 4 course meal (I had the Filet Mignon) and the chef/owner sent out some really great extras as well.

Of course the service is spot on again, Eric, Ryan and Sarah bring it. Nice comeback Old Stone, we see the difference. St. Thomas Blog is once again recommending Old Stone Farmhouse.

Some info on the new owners:

New Owners, Charles and Sarah Mereday, are excited to re-open the restaurant and begin accepting reservations for November 3, 2009.

Chef Charles is a Dudley, North Carolina native and graduate of Johnson & Wales University at Charleston. A veteran in the foodservice industry, Mereday’s work experience includes an Executive Chef position at Philadelphia’s Zanzibar Blue restaurant, time as a Culinary and Management instructor at Virginia College, Birmingham Alabama, and a stage at La Maison Troisgros, a Michelin 3 star restaurant in Roanne, France.   Most recently, Chef Charles has worked as the Area Executive Chef of the Historic Battle House Hotel and the 4 diamond Trellis Room Restaurant in Mobile, Alabama.

As a side note this article was actually written prior to the negative Acacia review I did a few days ago. In no way did this change my review of Old Stone Farmhouse. They are indeed back on the map and we strongly suggest people give them another try as we have.

The rumors are fierce but we hear Mountain Top will re-open. I mean really when you sell 5 billion banana daiquiris in a month you have to come back.

Good luck Mountain Top!

This is a local favorite restaurant, deli, canteen truck, BBQ joint etc. You eat here and you’re bound to see many locals at this eatery. They probably know you by name.

And the Best Kept Secret is:

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.

This is a real opportunity to help out the little guy who works hard putting out great quality, so vote, vote, vote.

Okay it’s not often that I blast a restaurant but I have to wake Acacia up. You’re bad. I’ve given you ample chances to get good, you haven’t.

My wife has had an upset stomach for two days after eating their Alfredo, if that’s what you want to call it.

Your “gourmet” pizza is like eating bad Domino’s (before they changed everything). Your Sushi is second rate. All your other food is below average.

You serve sushi and pizza on the same menu? Are you kidding me, can you say identity problem? Sushi is a niche market, do it right or don’t do it at all.

Magens Point Resort is disgusting at best. It still smells like sewage and there are still stray cats running around everywhere.

I know this place is under new management but it’s not working. The quality of food is below average and who ever is the chef is not putting forth the effort that needs to be put forth.

It’s time to get serious or lose all the local business. I can hang out at the bar with Steve-O and have some apps and that’s cool but that’s it for me. I’m telling Acacia and everyone else that it’s time to shape up or ship out.

St. Thomas Blog no longer recommends Acacia as a restaurant. Hanging out at the bar is something completely different as long as it’s not smelling like crap and the cats aren’t bothering you.

I say this with love Acacia because we miss a good restaurant where you’re at. Get focused and improve quality.

Please feel free to disagree this is just my humble opinion.

Nicci and I will be conducting the 2010 Best of St. Thomas Awards in early January. Make sure people vote in for your business on the St. Thomas Blog and Facebook.

Last year we had a lot of folks who didn’t like some of the winners, so make sure to vote for your favorites. Ask your fans to vote, relatives, friends of friends. Just vote. Because this year is gonna be huge!

It’s the first day of this new year…two thousand ten, or twenty-ten…or ten as I intend to call it. I guess that sounds okay when I flash-forward and imagine a sentence going something like, “Hey, remember that time back in 10?”

Raise your hands if you make resolutions. Keep ‘em up if you really, really intend to give them a go. I like making lists and plans…my head is full of them. It’s the actual execution part that always gets me. I’ve been mulling over the creation of a humorous Our Island Resolutions, but other than a few…like, “I will not tailgate the slower-than-usual safari in front of me when I’m late to work (again)”, or “I will keep a straight face and understand a tourist isn’t really thinking when I walk up to their table, introduce myself as their waitress and they ask me Do you live here?” and finally “I will never ever forget to leave a bag of trash in the back of our car, let it bake in a locked up hot vehicle all day then be knocked over by the result when I open the door”. The last one can also be followed by, “I will never leave the car windows open all night therefore allowing a cat to jump in, pee in it, and leave before the sun rises” (true story, happened last week. It’s pretty much aired out by now.).

I’ll be starting the new year the way I ended the last one, in a waitress uniform. I’d much rather be starting it on the beach, especially because the sun is shining outside our windows for the first time in two days.

And there ya go, our first post of 10. I know, it’s an thrilling one. You’re welcome.

~Happy New Year~