SXM Trip Report – January 28-February14, 2017 part 2
Happy Hours, Dinners, and Desserts–
Another favorite that we visited twice was Buccaneer Beach Bar(2) – Of course, Betty and I always have a CheeseBurger at least once on every trip. [i216.photobucket.com] They’re $13. There is NO service charge at BBB. You can charge if the bill is over $20. Tom had a Sausage and Anchovy pizza. [i216.photobucket.com] Tom’s pizza looked so good that on our second visit Betty and I split a Hamburger Pizza.
Big Fish – Down the road from OBBR is Big Fish. Their Chef won the Crystal Pineapple Award this year. Very nice setting and décor. [i216.photobucket.com] Guess I should have told Tom to smile.
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Betty and I shared the Grilled Grouper which came with mashed potatoes, and vegetables. [i216.photobucket.com] Judy had this which I don’t remember what it was,…some kind of fish and she got double veggies instead of the mashed potatoes. [i216.photobucket.com] Tom had this seafood dish. [i216.photobucket.com] Of course, Betty and I shared this Bailey’s Crème Brulee. [i216.photobucket.com]
Interesting thing, on the Big Fish bill there is no service charge,…….but they do add a 15% gratuity and it’s labeled as such.
On Harmony Night we usually arrive a little early and stop by Tijon to see our friends, John and Cyndi. Tijon has been displaying and selling some of my fused glasswork. Always nice to get an envelope with some proceeds of sales. ‘Course I opened the envelope and handed the money back to them for a Tijon hat for Betty and a refill of my Noormm cologne that I created in class there several years ago .
Piazza Pascal – We seem to come here on Harmony Night. It’s good food and we can sit upstairs, kind of away from the noise of the street crowd. Make sure you make a reservation.
This year I had their Lasagna. Donna said that they had changed the receipe. Maybe they had, I couldn’t remember the old version, but this one was wonderful. [i216.photobucket.com] It was $22. Betty had the spagettii @$18.00 [i216.photobucket.com] Judy started with a salad with blueberries and walnuts in it. $12. [i216.photobucket.com] I’m sorry I don’t remember what her main dish was. It looked like this. [i216.photobucket.com] Tom had a filet with gorgonzola sauce. $32. [i216.photobucket.com] Of course, dinner so we can catch the with shots of their lemoncello.
St Maarten Yacht Club(3)- Probably our favorite place on SXM is the SMYC. We think of it as the “Cheers” of SXM. Happy Hour is 4-6pm. That means drink specials plus 3 items off the Bar Apps Menu for $25. Our favorite item is “Grouper Fingers”. [i216.photobucket.com]
We usually get two orders of Grouper Fingers and maybe ribs for the third item. [i216.photobucket.com] We also have tried their coconut shrimp and chicken tenders, as the third item. Either way, you get a lot of good food for a very reasonable price. Judy found their Coconut Grouper on the dinner menu so she could stay on her diet. [i216.photobucket.com] Lots of things to watch while there. Bridge openings gives a closeup view of some fine looking vessels. [i216.photobucket.com] [i216.photobucket.com] [i216.photobucket.com] [i216.photobucket.com] [i216.photobucket.com]
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During Wednesday HH they have a band that plays very enjoyable soft jazz. [i216.photobucket.com]
The place is a magnet for the Island “Movers and Shakers”. [i216.photobucket.com] [i216.photobucket.com]
Our favorite waitress there is Adrianna. Petite, very friendly, efficient, and pleasant. [i216.photobucket.com] Ask her what she’s doing with her earnings. I think it’ll surprise you.
Pineapple Pete’s – Consistently good food, always a stop each trip. Betty and I started with an order of Coconut Shrimp. [i216.photobucket.com] Tom has his usual Lobster Thermodore. [i216.photobucket.com] Judy loves the Stuffed Grouper. [i216.photobucket.com] Think it’s stuffed with crab.
Betty and I had the Fish and Chips. [i216.photobucket.com] and we split a Crème Brulee. Surprise! [i216.photobucket.com] There is a service charge added to your bill.
Mark’s Place – A special request place from Judy who loves their mussels. In season they come in on Tuesday and Friday. Off season, only on Wednesday. Judy had their mussels. [i216.photobucket.com] Betty and I started with their cheese and tomatoes and then orderfed their snack size ribs. [i216.photobucket.com] [i216.photobucket.com] Tom went with the dinner size rib plate. [i216.photobucket.com] There is no service charge at Mark’s. Prices are reasonable and they do a lot of carry out.
One night we decided to check out four places along Welfare/Airport Rd. Started at Buffalo Wings, now behind Iz’s. Connie’s next to Biblio’s, Fat Tony’s, and Bar Code. After a stop at Starz Casino we decided that Connie’s was going to be too busy and the menu looked a little too spicy for “the crew”. Fat Tony’s looked good, but had bench seats which didn’t appeal to some. Bar Code I forgot why it didn’t win, so Buffalo Wings was the place. [i216.photobucket.com] Betty and I had the 12 pc basket. [i216.photobucket.com] Comes with choice of two sauces. With a coke and tea the bill was $20.00. There is NO service charge there.
After our wonderful SXM Lovers Get Together at Captain Olivers we headed to Dinghy Dock to fill in after all the snacks and drink. [i216.photobucket.com] Tom had Chicken Wings. [i216.photobucket.com] Judy tried their Creole Grouper. [i216.photobucket.com]
On our second Tuesday evening we went to BeauBeau’s at OBBR. During February there were featuring Cover 2 Cover . The musical group with David and Bob that performed for many years at Peg Leg Pub. [i216.photobucket.com] Cost for the 2 ½ hour show was buying a buffet dinner. The buffet was good and plentiful and included ribs, chicken, fish, salad, rice& peas, pasta, and two desserts. It was $22.98 a plate.
Le Pimment – in Orient Village. We went with friends, Bruce and Susan. [i216.photobucket.com] After listening to evening specials, I had the Salmon with goat cheese, honey, and almonds. [i216.photobucket.com] Bruce had the Lamb Chops. [i216.photobucket.com] I think Susan ordered this but not sure what it was. [i216.photobucket.com] Sadly Betty ordered the most expensive item on the “specials”/ board, the Dover Sole. It came out under cooked and even after returning from the kitchen was still very disappointing. Bruce is a “fish” man and he also didn’t think it was very good. He wasn’t even sure if it might not have been a Sole imitator. Didn’t see what Tom had for his main course, but we all saw what he had for dessert. [i216.photobucket.com] Betty and I shared a Crème Brulee. [i216.photobucket.com] Susan and Bruce shared a Tiramsu. [i216.photobucket.com] charge at The Palm’sfrpx.jpg
This was our waitress, Delphine, who also served us earlier in the day at Orange Fever. [i216.photobucket.com]
The Palms – After dropping Tom and Judy off at Pineapple Pete’s for their second visit, Betty and I went to The Palms. We shared Spring Rolls and Pao which are those those little steamed buns filled with a ground meat. With drinks our bill was $24. There is no service charge at The Palm’s. I wanted to order the Lasagna, but we had had a late lunch and it’s so filling.

Skip Jack’s - A great place to see the yachts. Good food.
[i216.photobucket.com] Betty and I shared a Grilled Grouper plate. Comes with a bake potato, veggies, several sauces. [i216.photobucket.com] SXM%20Jan%20Feb%202017/DSCN0282_zpseo7wuyuw.jpg
Our waiter was Kevin. Did a fine job, except that he’s a Cubs fan. Being from St Louis, that gave him one strike.
Surprisingly, we didn’t stop at The Carousel all vacation. Really strange for us. We did after a stop at Princess Casino in Port d’ Plaissiant, got a call from our “sweat tooth(s)”. Fortunately, The Palm’s came to the rescue with their Carrot Cake. It is sooo good. [i216.photobucket.com]

Activities
We also got lucky when we found out our favorite performer at The Red Piano was on island. Susan Erwin usually plays during November and March. This year she switched her March visit for January. We caught her show twice. The first night she played a 2 hour set of requests before taking a break. On her last night we caught her again. That first set was still going after 2 ½ hours with no break. She plays now with her fiancé, Cliff, who is very accomplished. [i216.photobucket.com]
We also stopped by Red Piano when Jeff, from Austrailia, was playing. He’s good, but we enjoyed Susan more. It is so nice now that they have made Red Piano non-smoking.
The Bird House - On recommendation of a good friend we stopped by the Bird House/Park.
It’s owned and run by George. [i216.photobucket.com] He has help. Valentine was the man who gave us the tour and info about the different birds as well as about the items in their little Museum of past St Maarten. It cost $10. a person . They are open everyday from around 9:30am to 5 pm. It’s located on the road leading kind of East off the circle infront of Mc Donald’s in the Dutch Quarter. It is really worth the time and a great experience.
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[i216.photobucket.com] Many of the plants in the Park are labelled with their name as well as what they are used for.
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I made a couple visits to Bernadine at Paradise View. One was a stop to drop off a package from her friend, Jim, from Canada. [i216.photobucket.com] The other stop was to donate a couple pieces of my glassware to her so she could incorporate them into packages to sell to support her rescue work.
Here’s few beach pics. This one is from The Boardwalk.
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One afternoon “the crew” decided to check out The Westin, which is at the other end of Dawn Beach. It also because of mergers etc, is now part of the Marriott chain, although it’s name is still Westin. Here’s OBBR from the other end of Dawn Beach. [i216.photobucket.com] [i216.photobucket.com]
Although weather this day was beautiful, there were days, especially our first week that were very windy with quick showers. Some of the showers were quick and light,…so light that some people, Tom, didn’t want to leave their deck chair. [i216.photobucket.com]
This is the Hidden Garden Restaurant in Grand Case. It’s located across from the lolo’s down a narrow walkway between clothes stalls. It got a good recommendation from a friend, but we ran out of time to go back and try it. It’s very new.
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Here’s their menu. [i216.photobucket.com] [i216.photobucket.com] [i216.photobucket.com] [i216.photobucket.com] [i216.photobucket.com]

Other news of interest to some - Carole formerly of L’Estaminet, is now connected with BZH Creperie in the Oyster Pond area. She’s off Sunday and Tuesday. She’s expanded the menu. Her trademark Tiramisu shots will be coming soon.
John and Cyndi of Tijon have decided it’s time to move on or at least start the process, so they’ve put their business and home on the market. The Perfumerie & Boutique are listed at $1,295,000.
Here’s my “artisy” picture for the trip. Certainly not in the league with Elaine’s Coffee Table Book of SXM Sunsets, but I like it.
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Flying on Tuesday, our plane on the return trip was a little light so we got to do a reverse takoff.
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