SXM is the airport code for St. Martin and I’m writing this retrospective and postscript in the airport as I await the boarding announcement for my flight back to the U.S.
As much of a hassle as air travel is today, I’m willing to undergo the indignities of TSA checkpoints, weather and air traffic delays, interminable waits for luggage, as well as the martinets at passport control stations for my annual “pilgrimage” to Sint Maarten/St. Martin.
Our rule for trying new restaurants really paid off nicely this year. We discovered an elegant new steakhouse (Bajatzu) with outstanding food and surprisingly reasonable prices and not in the typical steakhouse stratosphere. The wine list was one of the better ones I’ve seen on the Dutch side. The atmosphere is quite conducive for pleasant dining experiences. I really liked this place.
After all these years of coming to the island, we also discovered – or I should say we finally discovered – the place for the best Caribbean lobster on the island. It’s a real dive, too – actually not much more than a rickety old dock with a tin roof. It’s called Uncle Harry’s and there really is a Harry. He is a genuine character but a delightful guy. Driving up to the place can be quite intimidating, though, as you may have to park in between gigantic earthmoving equipment, being used by the nearby international airport as it reclaims land needed for more runway space.
The tables and chairs are cheapo patio plastic; the napkins are paper; the silverware doesn’t match; the wine list consists of four pedestrian labels; and the prices are unbelievably sky high – for everything. Caribbean lobster, unlike Maine lobster, has no claws, so the meat is primarily in the body and tail. Uncle Harry charges Maine lobster prices for his Caribbean lobster: $34.50 per pound and his smallest lobster is usually in excess of three pounds. Fortunately, he does not charge to split plates. But I will tell you it was probably the most expertly prepared grilled lobster I’ve ever eaten on either side of the island.
This next place wasn’t a new discovery. Rather it was a rediscovery. After a two-year absence, we returned to Mario’s Bistro on the French side and I’m beating myself up because I didn’t eat there last year or the year before. I guess when you only have 14 opportunities for dinner, and your island has more than 500 restaurants to choose from, you may miss one or two of your favorites. Mario is one of the island’s best-known and most honored chefs. That’s because the food he cooks is extraordinary.
And I think they may have been taking attendance, because the maitre-d’ remembered me by name and almost exactly how long it had been since he had last seen me.
Not every place was a hit. There was an ownership (and name) change at a restaurant about 100 yards from our timeshare building. Le Bec Fin is now known as Bel Mar. It used to be our go-to place when we just didn’t have the energy to venture out elsewhere. Restaurants have life cycles and I guess the previous occupant was ready to turn over the place to someone else. Too bad. He knew how to run a restaurant. His food was always good and his wine list was a nice one. I wish I could say the same for his successor.
There’s something else you should know about the restaurant business on this island: Restaurants often write their own reviews and sometimes the newspapers forget to label them as advertisements. This particular place said in its “review” that it was known for its fine wine list.
We ordered a mid-list French number and when they brought it to the table, the bottle was – literally – hot. I asked them to bring me another one and it was the same. The people at the next table leaned over and told us they had a similar experience. Then the food came and it was – I’ll try to be kind — um, less than memorable.
On the other hand, I had a great New York-style pastrami sandwich at Topper’s Monkey Bar.
My countdown has begun. Only 10 months, 24 days, and 4 hours to go.