The island of St. Martin, also known as Sint Maarten in Dutch, is located in the Caribbean Sea and is divided between two countries: the northern part belongs to France (Saint-Martin) and the southern part belongs to the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Sint Maarten). My wife and I stayed on the French side of the island and spent most of our time there.
When it comes to food and cuisine, on the French side (St. Martin), you’ll find a blend of French techniques and Caribbean ingredients. Dishes often feature seafood like mahi-mahi, conch, and lobster, prepared with boldly flavored sauces and spices. Creole cuisine is also prevalent, known for its use of local spices and peppers. The Dutch side of the island (Sint Maarten), in my opinion, tends toward blander flavors, due in part to the mega hotels catering to tourists and restaurants that are oriented toward the cruise ship crowds.
Our first stop after checking into our lovely boutique hotel – Le Petit Hotel – was a beach bar & restaurant called Tropics Beach Bar, located just a short walk down the beach from the hotel.
Tropics is a beachside bar and restaurant specializing in burgers and salads, including a tempting mahi mahi burger and a spicy shrimp salad.
Tropics Beach Bar Mixed Tapas
We were a tad peckish from a long night and day of traveling but didn’t want to ruin our dinner, so we opted for a pre-dinner snack at Tropics Beach Bar of Mixed Tapas: a platter of Creole-syle crab meatballs, cornflake-crusted shrimp with plantain cream, cod fish fritters, and Creole-style beef meatballs.
During my first visit to St. Martin – more than 30 years ago – I discovered the wonderful flavors of Colombo, a Creole curry from the French West Indies that is particularly popular in Guadeloupe and Martinique. It originated in Sri Lanka, the capital of which is Colombo. Whenever I travel to St. Martin I always bring back some homemade poudre de Colombo (Colombo curry powder) from a lady who sells spices at the Saturday market in the town of Marigot. BTW, I’ve included a Chicken Colombo recipe that I really like in the Scheff’s Table section of this week’s Utah Bites.
Villa Royale Poulet de Colombo
For our first dinner on St. Martin this trip, we went to a funky, friendly spot called Villa Royale, which specializes in Creole cuisine and I got my fix of Chicken Colomb (Poulet de Colombo), which was a nicely spiced curry of dark meat chicken with onions, potatoes and tomatoes. The staff at Villa Royale are super friendly and make guests feel like family.
Le Bistro de la Mer Margherita Pizza
For many years, one of my favorite restaurants on St. Martin has been Le Bistro de la Mer on the harbor in the town of Marigot. I think the first Margherita Pizza I ever ate was at this quaint Caribbean bistro and I enjoyed one this time around as well.
Le Bistro de la Mer Grilled Shrimp Salad
Le Bistro de la Mer also features some terrific salads and my wife enjoyed an excellent Grilled Shrimp Salad with fresh avocado which, it turns out, seems to be everywhere on St. Martin. Ripe avocados accompanied, I think, every salad we ordered during our stay, from Poke Salad to Lobster Salad.
La Samanna Baie Longue Bar
One of the most luxurious resorts in The Caribbean is a Belmond Hotel called La Samanna. The gated resort is way out of our price range, but when I’m in St. Martin I do like to enjoy lunch, dinner, or even just a chilled glass of Rosé at La Samanna.
La Samanna L’Oursin Restaurant Terrace
A terrific Parisian server named Pierre and La Samanna General Manager Eleonore Astier-Petin contributed to making our leisurely lunch at the Baie Longue Bar a wonderful mid-day experience.
Classic La Samanna Burger
Lunch kicked off with a plate of homemade potato chips – three different kinds. And while I tend to lean towards seafood and Caribbean fare in St. Martin, at our Baie Longue Bar lunch I had a powerful craving for a burger. Granted, the Classic La Samanna Burger is $32, but if there’s a $32 burger that’s worth the price, this is it. It’s a thick Black Angus beef burger cooked perfectly medium rare with La Samanna’s secret sauce, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, confit onions, and cheddar cheese on a beautiful in-house baked bun. The bodacious burger is served with outstanding homemade frites alongside.
La Samanna Tuna Poke Bowl
Faith chose to go a tad lighter with her Tuna Poke Bowl for lunch. It was a generous bowl brimming with sushi grade tuna, mixed quinoa and rice, shredded carrots and red cabbage, edamame, diced cucumber, sliced radish, avocado, wakame, pineapple, and sesame-soy-coconut dressing.
The day we decided to spend in Philipsburg on the Dutch side of Sint Maarten, we ran headlong into Carnival – a colorful, chaotic celebration that captures the soul of the Caribbean people.
Down on the Philipsburg boardwalk is a bevy of restaurants and bars that definitely will make you know that you’re not in Utah anymore. One such establishment is called Big Bastard’s and features an “Unlimited Beach & Booze” deal from $69 per couple and includes unlimited booze, two beach chairs & umbrella, hi-speed WiFi, beachside service and more.
One of our favorite Philipsburg stops was for lunch on the boardwalk at a funky place called the Blue Bitch Bar. Now, I know what you’re thinking … But the bar is named for a shiny rock that is found along the shores of the island. Back in the day, laborers would make money selling Blue Bitch rocks as gravel for mixing cement.
Blue Bitch Bar “Half & Half” Lunch
Grilled and barbecued fish, meat and poultry is a staple on the island and I really enjoyed my “Half & Half” lunch at Blue Bitch Bar, which was a quarter of jerk chicken with a half rack of their “Bood Ass Baby Back Ribs.” Alongside was a side salad and a serving of what in the islands they call “rice and peas” but is really rice and beans – black beans in this case but sometimes kidney beans.
Blue Bitch Bar Shrimp & Avocado Salad
My wife opted for another healthier lunch – a Shrimp & Avocado Salad with grilled shrimp, the ubiquitous ripe and ready island avocado, papaya, strawberries, kale, red cabbage, romaine lettuce, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.
Les Oliviers Rooftop Patio
Back in Grand Case, a short jaunt from our hotel, we enjoyed an excellent dinner at a restaurant called Les Oliviers, which specializes in classic French Provençal cuisine with Caribbean flair. The rooftop patio is a gorgeous spot to spend a delicious evening.
Les Oliviers Escargots
“When in France … or on a French island …” How could we resist a serving of Escargots, Coulis de Persil & Siphon à l’ail (snails with parsley coulis and garlic foam. It was either that or Sauteed Frogs Legs with Garlic & Parsley.
Les Oliviers Mahi-Mahi
Faith raved about her entree at Les Oliviers, which was nicely cooked, delicate Mahi-Mahi with olive oil, fried capers, sauteed zucchini and mashed zucchini. Other tempting poissons at the restaurant include half-cooked tuna with mashed celeriac and brown butter, or roasted cod with stewed bell peppers and chorizo.
On our bucket list during this visit to St. Martin was to enjoy at least one meal at a lolo. In the Caribbean, “lolo” typically refers to a small informal roadside restaurant or food stand that specializes in local cuisine. These establishments are often found in places frequented by locals and tourists alike, offering a variety of dishes that highlight the region’s culinary traditions. The atmosphere at lolos is usually casual and vibrant, with an emphasis on freshly prepared meals that often include seafood such as grilled fish, conch, or shrimp, alongside traditional sides like rice and beans, plantains, and salad. It’s a great way to experience authentic Caribbean flavors in a relaxed setting.
Cynthia’s Talk of the Town Lolo
One of the most popular lolos on “restaurant row” in Grand Case is Cynthia’s Talk of the Town. There are frequently lines of patrons waiting for a communal table at Cynthia’s, while competing lolos adjacent to that popular spot sit mostly empty. Cynthia’s specializes in grilled foods from a huge, fiery grill in the center of the eatery. It’s a very laid back, informal dining spot that doesn’t take reservations but is always busy.
Cynthia’s Talk of the Town Grilled Shrimp Skewers
At Cynthia’s, we shared servings of Grilled Shrimp Skewers with white rice as well as Grilled Jerk Chicken with curried rice. I recommend finishing a meal at Cynthia’s with an order of their handmade ice cream: coconut, chocolate, passionfruit, vanilla, or banana.
Aloha Beach Bar-Restaurant
At Le Petit Hotel in Grand Case, a wonderful manager named Remy recommended a beachside restaurant at Orient Bay for lunch called Aloha Beach Bar-Restaurant. It was superb and I noticed that we were the only non-French guests at Aloha during a lengthy wine-soaked lunch.
Aloha Penne with Crab & Lobster
I loved my Aloha lunch special, which was Penne Pasta tossed in a crab remoulade and topped with a poached fresh lobster tail in her juice, scallions, microgreens, fish roe, and more. Faith’s lunch was every bit as exquisite: locally-caught fish in a Creole and aioli sauce with lobster and outstanding French fries. We both won the day at Aloha Beach Bar-Restaurant.
We had worked up a gargantuan appetite during a day of boating to/from the British island of Anguilla, the highlight of which was our crew from Captain Alan’s Boat Charters rescuing a beached million dollar yacht. Lunch on the boat was also terrific and included great guacamole prepared by the crew’s (who are brothers) mom.
L’Auberge Gourmande
And for our final dinner on St. Martin, we visited a French restaurant located in the center of Grand Case, called L’Auberge Gourmande. It was an excellent place to wind down our vacation with top-notch staff, unsurpassed cuisine, and a winning wine list.
L’Auberge Gourmande Sea Scallops
There are a lot of tempting seafood dishes on the L’Auberge Gourmande menu, including Sea Scallops and Jumbo Shrimps Duo; Grilled Whole Sea Bass, Blackened Tuna Filet, Whole Grilled Dover Sole Meuniere, a Seafood Pot,and more. We really liked an appetizer of Sea Scallops sauteed in soy and sesame oil and served with a crunchy rice galette and marinated fresh ginger.
L’Auberge Gourmande Veal Chop
On the meaty side of the menu is Roasted Duck Breast, a Beef Filet with choice of sauce, Roasted Rack of Lamb, Supreme Breast of Tender Chicken, and the dish I ordered: Veal Chop. I rarely see veal on restaurant menus anymore, so I was excited to sink my teeth into a thick, medium-rare veal chop marinated in Provençal herbs, roasted to order, and served with a creamy mushroom sauce and flambeed apple sauce, accompanied by a side of delicious gratin dauphinois.
Our Terrace at Le Petit Hotel, Grand Case
So there you have it – our St. Martin getaway in a nutshell. I already can’t wait to go back. And, speaking of going back, next week we’ll be back to business as usual and on the scene with another local Utah restaurant review in Utah Bites. Stay tuned!
Photos by Ted Scheffler
Culinary quote of the week: “There is something fresh and crisp about the first hours of a Caribbean day, a happy anticipation that something is about to happen, maybe just up the street or around the next corner.” – Hunter S. Thompson
