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From my trip report:
We had dinner twice at Skinny’s – once would have been enough for me. The burgers were okay and the ambience was okay too. Most everywhere we went, people knew our friends which was nice. We had lunch at Miss Lucy’s – the crunchy fish sandwich was really good as were conch fritters but terrible service. The view was great but there were goats running around and eating leftovers off table as it was vacated. We had the cold lunch buffet at Caneel, nice but not worth $23. We ate dinner at Shipwreck, fair at best. Conch fritters were tasteless and felt like they had rubber bands in them. We had lunch at Panini which was good. We had breakfast at Maho Bay campgrounds which was reasonably priced and very good. <i>And for our last night we ate at Aqua Bistro in Coral Bay, which was by far the best meal we had</i>. Donkey Diner in Coral bay is temporarily closed For full report - http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34785403 Hope this helps... Debi |
You must be the relative of Aqua Bistro's owner....
Their reputation among locals for inconsistent everything (except cold beer that's overpriced) and my own bad experience keeps me away. You observations about the erst of coral bay eateries are correct especially skinny's--phooey...self hyped tourist trap... sorry about Shipwreck...we go there for lunch after snorkeling...never had a problem... Panini is best at night right at 6 to 7pm when sun is setting--food, atmosphere and sunset sumply awesome...reasonably priced by st john standards.. I was told the other day that Caneel has updated and improved all their menues as well as Westin...they seem to have hired some heavy weight executive chefs who are creating some dazzing resort food... Stone Terrace when it reopens is still my favorite as well as Fishtrap, la tapa. |
Bad service at Miss Lucy's? Can't say we've ever experienced that. Goats eating leftovers? What's wrong with goats? Yeesh... they're part of the cleanup staff forcrissakes... or is that part of the complaint about the service? Understandably, slovenly at best. Darn dirty goats. :)
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Tuxedocat,
I'm sure you would not remember from my trip report, but it was our leftover food that the goats were eating that DebitNM writes of. Oddly enough, we were there at the same time but didn't know it. We thought it was comical (goats). I don't think Miss Lucy's has much control over it as there were a lot of goats there. We happened to hang out with quite a few of them waiting for the Vitran bus which didn't show for about 1.5 hours after it was supposed to. Did you ever notice the one with the broken, deformed foot that has healed the wrong way? I felt bad, but the goat seemed to get around fine. BTW, on the bus ride to Miss Lucy's, we were talking with one of the local who said that they used to have squirt bottles on the tables to keep them away. Seems fathomable to us. |
Actually, I don't see anything wrong with goats. Heck, I grew up in farm country. However, I am extremely disappointed that Miss Lucy's will be closed in October when we will be there. It seems that we will be missing out on some of the local ambiance of the island. I do love all the dining tips, though. I am keeping a running list.
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MSS: Yes, most unfortunate that many places will be closed including Shipwreck Landing which is "re-tooling" for the winter season. Aqua Bistro, Skinny Legs, Donkey Diner, and Island Blues seem to be among the few open in Coral Bay during low season. But look at it this way, less crowded and the weather should be lovely. Have a wonderful time!
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--for the "local ambiance" you mention, you cna't get much "localler" in ambiance than Vie's Snack Shack. It's a beautiful drive over the hills from Coral Bay, ow
ut to the East End/Haulover. Do you know Tuxedocat, if Vie keeps her stand open in October? |
Cali-Nurse, We have visited St. John 4 times in October. Twice Vie has been there, and twice we missed her. Perhaps it depends on the day of the week. We're happy when she's open! We'll see. I'm really bummed that Panini will be closed. We love that place. Oh well.
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mavgavetan: Not surprising you missed Vie twice in October. It's still low season and she is less consistent then. I missed her in September, and I can't wait for my next chance. I dream about that garlic chicken and ooohh... the rice... THE RICE!!! IMO, worth scheduling another trip just for her food, her ambience, and a cold one enjoyed on her beautiful beach.
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Mavgavetann and Tuxedocat--thanks for info on Vie's in October.
And Donley DIner is closed temporarily?? Waaaa! I know this sounds crazy, but unless winning a free ticket, that kind of info would keep me from a trip there in October (even more than "hurricane season"). |
I think I may have posted somewhere that I thought Aqua Bistro was open during the low season, but I heard they closed their kitchen down last week. The bar is still open. Also, Island Blues is not open on Mondays during the low season, and not making brunch.
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