With a number of bakeries on the island, we picked up pastries for breakfast each morning and some tasty French bread and cheeses for our lunches. That left dinner as the variable meal of the day…
Bistrot Caraibes (Grand Case)—The first time we walked by this little restaurant, the owner came out and mentioned the first drink was on the house. It turns out that a few places attempted to entice potential customers this way. Our online research had mentioned this restaurant was good, and the menu was certainly appetizing, so we took a seat and enjoyed a glass of wine while looking through the menu. I decided on two appetizers for my meal, beef carpaccio and fresh mussels while Eric enjoyed the veal scallopini with blue cheese. I thought the atmosphere and service were very nice. Cars drive down the narrow street right outside the front door, so it can be a little noisy, but the quality of the food makes a visit to this place worthwhile. Others seemed to agree as it was busy the whole time we were there.
Il Nettuno (Grand Case)—We found this Italian place the night before, so we decided in advance to come back for dinner. Il Nettuno is located on the beach, so it’s all covered outdoor seating with a nice breeze and none of the engine noise. I ordered the lobster and Eric gnocchi. While the preparation was attractive, I found Caribbean lobster not as flavorful as Maine lobster. One of the hosts entertained us with his singing and guitar playing, eliciting rounds of applause throughout our meal. Unfortunately, after our order was taken, we barely saw any wait staff again! We both would have ordered another glass of wine, as we ran out just after our food arrived, but no one bothered to come back and ask how anything was. This would have been a better meal if the service hadn’t plummeted halfway through.
Karakter (Simpson Beach)—Our hosts at the Azure Beach Studios suggested this beach bar for dinner. We walked barefoot down to the end of the beach, parked ourselves at a bench overlooking the water and ordered two specialty cocktails, a frozen vodka lemonade and a ginger apple rum drink. I very much enjoyed my fried calamari, sardines, coconut shrimp cocktail, but Eric was expecting something different from his chicken and mango salsa wrap, namely not deli chicken and gigantic chunks of mango. Regardless, it’s hard to not enjoy eating your last meal in St. Martin while your toes are in the sand.