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Story & Photography by Barbara Penny Angelakis
Culinary Heaven on Sint Maarten
The range of good to extraordinary food to be had on St. Maarten is awesome, but three meals stand out from my recent visit to the Dutch side of Sint Maarten/Saint Martin (see Sint Maarten: The Party Island in the Destinations section of this issue). At three award-winning restaurants I enjoyed three glorious meals: Temptations Restaurant at Atlantis Casino Courtyard, Cupecoy; Ocean Lounge at Holland House Beach Hotel, Frontstreet in Philipsburg; and Aura at The Westin St. Maarten Dawn Beach Resort & Spa.
 Aura Restaurant was closed for restructuring but not to be deterred; Chef Robert Southern set-up our table on Dawn Beach. Dawn Beach, the most beautiful beach on the island, fronts The Weston www.westin.com/stmaarten and provided an exquisite backdrop for our moonlit extravaganza. A table was laid with white linen at the water’s edge and glass enclosed candles formed a pathway to the sea under the seemingly endless star studded sky. Chef Southern greeted us with Champaign and hors d’oeuvres and after revealing the beach was to be our surprise dining local, excused himself to oversee the preparation of our meal.
Leaving my shoes behind and holding tight to my Champaign glass, I gingerly glided across the silken sands to our table. Sinking my feet into the cool sand may have been the only casual part of the meal because the dinner was simply sublime. The menu offered multiple selections under the Un, Deux,  Trois, Quatre courses and hard as it was to decide from so many delectable choices, I finally choose Escargot Tartines in a red wine-garlic sauce for my first course. Escargot are finding their way into menus in other then the traditional French, garlic drenched in-shell preparation, and I find the succulent chewy little morsels delightful in their breakout presentations. Second course was a Tomato Tart Tatin with herbed goat cheese, dressed up as a potted plant. Third course was the de rigueur Chef’s satiny smooth Classic Lobster bisque flavored with cognac. Next came the Seared Pepper Crusted Ahi Tuna with warm vegetable salad and wasabi mash (potatoes). The Chef had recommended his signature dish, Caribbean Lobster Steak, but after so many courses the lighter Tuna seemed a better choice and it was indeed a wise decision. Perfectly prepared and of the highest-grade tuna, it was delicious. Chef Southern made the wine selection of Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc 2005 and Stags Leap Winery Merlot Napa Valley 2003, and while both were wonderful wines I stuck with the Ferrari through most of the meal as frankly, it was flawlessly tuned to the food, the setting, and my mood. Medium light and slightly fruity, but without oak, it had the acid to hold up to the escargot and the body to counter the tuna. The Stags Leap Merlot was perfectly balanced with black cherries and ripe plums on the nose and a plum, cassis and chocolate palate, and paired well with the heartier Lobster and red meat dishes.
The meal ended with a selection of the Chef’s choice deserts, which were all exemplary. Needless to say the ensuing euphoria and the still ½ glass of wine made leaving the table difficult, but the full belly and sonorous waves lulling me to sleep, compelled me to bid adieu to my dining companions and head for my room and The Westin brand’s signature Heavenly Bed®. www.aura@columbiasussex.com
 Ocean Lounge at Holland House www.hhbh.com is the main restaurant/bar for the uniquely located Beach Hotel in the center of Philipsburg. Enter from Frontstreet in the heart of the shopping district, and pass through to the lounge located on the boardwalk, just steps from the beach. The Ocean Lounge’s informal position just overlooking the beach and its multi-purpose, all meals kitchen, belie the quality of the food served. Executive Chef Ricardo Niels is a Michelin trained chef and his familiarity with haute cuisine, tempered by an emphasis on slow food (see Taste Slow Food in the Gastronomy segment) is readily apparent.
 Our meal began with the Chef’s specialty dish of Kingfish slow poached in truffle butter, with sautéed mushroom and sweet onion compote atop a bed of spinach. Beautifully plated, it is a masterstroke of Slow Food cooking. Using a fish locally available but not usually well regarded and turning it into a toothsome dish, showcases both the Chef’s originality and classic training. The entrée of rosemary roasted Rack of Lamb with a Merlot reduction and sides of crisp asparagus and bok choy, with a cone of sweet potato mash topped with a sweet potato crisp, was sublime. The Australian lamb was tender and juicy, properly rare in the center and crispy around the outside. Asparagus is often  served with lamb while bok choy was an unusual but well-chosen partner. I like sweet potatoes, so for me the natural, mildly sweet flavor, was a treat when paired with the herbed meat. However, in order to balance the robust meat with greater distinction, a bolder choice of starch would have created greater harmony in the dish. Desert consisted of a rich chocolate brownie style cake served with a shot glass of Grand Marnier to flavor as desired. It was accompanied by lemon ice cream drizzled with dark chocolate and decorated with a mint leaf and orange zest. www.oceanloungesxm.com
 Temptation, and its sister restaurant RARE, occupy side by side sites in the Atlantic Casino courtyard at Cupecoy. Dino Jagtiani is the 1st ever Sint Maarten born graduate of the Culinary Institute of America; that renowned institution of higher culinary arts located in Hyde Park, New York that has consistently turned out award-winning chefs. Dino, supported by family and friends, set about making his mark in the already highly acclaimed “Gourmet Capital of the Caribbean”. In 2005, Bon Appetite Magazine named Temptation “One of the top 10 new restaurants in the Caribbean” and in 2008 it was awarded the coveted “Over-all restaurant of the Year” by the GaultMillau Guide.
But all those awards don’t mean anything untill you have the experience of walking through the door of Temptation and of being graciously welcomed and seated by Dino’s Mom Asha Jagtiani; enjoyed one from an awesome array of Martini cocktails created by “2006 Taste of the Caribbean Bartender of the Year” Paul Peterson, or selected a bottle from the best and largest wine list on the Dutch side of the Island; all the while listening to the amazingly talented,  inexhaustible piano man, Ricardo; and dined on Dino’s tantalizing nouveau Caribbean cuisine. Dining at Temptation is like poetry in motion from the wall of water entrance, to the pacing of the meal, to the reluctant departure, it’s all good.
I selected the St. Maar “Tini”(Dutch Side) made with Peach Schnapps, Sky Vodka, cranberry and passion fruit juices as opposed to the St. Maar “Tini”(French Side) Coconut Rum, Peach Schnapps, guava juice, passion fruit and lime zest, and settled back to salivate over the menu. After serious consideration, I selected from the Palate Teasers, Seared Foie Gras – with pear tart, pistachio crust and port wine reduction – from the Palate Pleasers, herb crusted Veal Chop – with shallot marmalade crust, whipped mustard and carbonara style lentil ragout – and for desert Chocolate Panna Cotta with cinnamon sugared churros.
 The foie gras was absolutely amazing; the creamy liver was lightly seared to seal in flavor and positively melted in your mouth. The pear tart and wine reduction provided balancing texture and a slight acidity against the richness of the liver. The veal chop was properly cooked and beautifully seasoned but tough and somewhat disappointing. The ragout was very flavorful and such an unusual partnering that had the veal been more tender it would have been an awesome dish. According to Dino “eating desserts is like making love they are both intimate acts that should not be indulged in lightly…” and how true is that? In this case very as the panna cotta was like eating chocolate flavored silk and the churros were the best I have ever tasted, even better than the ones in Madrid.
These three restaurants are only a sampling of the hundreds of excellent choices in Sint Maaten. For a listing contact www.vacationstmaarten.com
© August 2008 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.
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