StX Restaurant Ratings

Bummer about pizza mare, that was the most NY style pizza I found. Had a sandwich from good spirits today, glad they are there but nothing special, no bread options and .50 extra to get a sandwich to go?

Stiphy - east of town give Ziggy's a try (the old Solitude station). FANTASTIC cubano's, out of this world Mac & Cheese...that's all I've tried but I have not heard one bad thing about the food since the new owner's took over. And they have decent prices!

Thanks divinggirl, I'm in Tulipan Welcome so its not as close as Mare but I'll give it a shot, love a Cubano!

Sean

We went to Bacchus tonight - first time. The food was great, the service was over the top, and the price was similar to any of the other top restaurants on the island. (I even splurged for dessert - and have some leftover for tomorrow - YUM!)

for daily events check the st croix explorer map www.stcroixexplorer.com

Tried lunch at Bombay today because we didn't realize you need a rezi for lunch at Cafe Christines!
Bombay was really good, like the atmosphere and decor, and the server was attentive 'til it came time to pay our bill... there were 3 (out of 4) tables all sitting with check and monies in hand waiting for her to come back.
We both had a pasta special but would like to go back for more off the menu.
In the meantime we're going to Cafe Christine on Friday.

By the way - Why is it called Bombay!?

It's named after the Gin, not the city.

Cafe Christine - good for you!! Don't forget to save room for the homemade pie! Chocolate/Pear is my favorite!!!

Cafe Christine is amazing...totally a hidden jewel on this island.

Cafe Christine is amazing...totally a hidden jewel on this island.

Where is it? I never heard of it.

Christine's is in the same courtyard as Luncheria, the mex place, on Company Street

Christine's is in the same courtyard as Luncheria, the mex place, on Company Street

Got it--thanks!

Last night 6 of us ate at The Palms, I have to tell you this was the worst meal alot of us have had on island.
3 of us had the Chicken Parmesan with linguine, first of all it was cold then I was cutting into the chicken and it was hard to cut, very tough, my first 2 bites I had to spit out. The chicken either had alot of gristel or they left the skin on. It was gross. I wasn't sure if it was done or not, the lighting was so dim your couldn't see, I tried to look with a candle to see if it was done but couldn't see clear enough. I just ate the noodles. I should of just sent it back but our waiter was never to be found. He never came back to the table, we had to go to the bar to get more drinks and pay for them there. 2 people had the pork tenderloin. It also was tough. One of us had the mahi and she said it was good.
The place was not busy, maybe 4 other tables. The service was so slow, like I said we had to go get our own drinks at the bar. The waiter never came to ask us about more drinks, or our meal, then when he cleared the table he never said one word to us. I think he knew we were disappointed.
When I had to track down the waiter to pay our bill I told him we were very disappointed. He did apologize. He said they had a new chef. I told him he needs to go back and tell him about the tough chicken and the pork.
We would never recommend this place unless they change chefs and get new staff. Just Horrible.

you should contact Julie - She's the GM there. 340-718-8920. I know they're making efforts to turn that place into a really good hotel and she might want to know that her kitchen is turning people away. I, too, had a really terrible meal there with bad service. And we're not the only ones i've heard of that have had the same. Hopefully it changes, it's a cute spot.

Had dinner with friends last night at The Cultured Pelican. All the meals were wonderful. The service was perfect. The best meal overall for a long time. Great Italian (north and south) cuisine!

Had a work dinner at Tutto last night, it was great as it usually is. Had the duck which was fantastic.

Sean

Cafe Christine's was good -but not exceptional.
And, for being completely booked up on a daily basis you'd think they have 2 servers on. Anabell (the server) was in the weeds the whole time. People by us had to sit at a dirty table for 20 min. before it was even cleared for them.
I really enjoyed the dessert and coffee.

I await with baited breath for the excellent review to be posted, a lot of kvetching here.

In the last few weeks we have gone to Galangol which was amazing as always. I love the Green Thai Curry with Beef. The entrees run 20-30 so not bad, but I feel the desserts, drinks and appetizers are what is high in price. It really is a lovely restaurant though and the service is top notch.

We went to Eat @ cane bay again. I was more impressed with the steak salad I got then the pulled pork sandwich before, but their was too much gristle on the steak. The service is fine, I am just not wowed by the food there.

Watched the games at Sharkeys. Sharkeys does what it is suppose to, bar food and games. Steak Quesadilla and hot wings were good, reasonable prices and the atmosphere for game days can't be beat. The desparately need more of a staff on big days though. Two waitresses during NFL playoffs? why?

About the Palms, stick to the bar. The Palms burger and Pride of the Palms sandwiches are reasonably priced and declicious. I understand they want fine dining but until they get it right, they have good bar food.

My personal Top 6:
1. Galangol
2. Rowdy Joes
3. Le Reine Chicken Shack
4. Bacchus
5. Smugglers Cove
6. Pickled Greek

We've really enjoyed the breakfast out at the Palms for the past 3 or 4 years we've vacationed on St. Croix. Everything was very fresh, good service, and of course that great view. The last time we were there was last May. I wonder if somethings changed out there or if they only do a good breakfast?

I must be doing something wrong, because I can't seem to get why people are so high on Galangal. On several visits, I found the food to be acceptable, but for the prices they charge, it should be exceptional. Last week, my wife and I ate there for her birthday. We had a large bottle of water, two glasses of wine, she had shrimp curry and I had the shredded green papaya salad with shrimp and a side of greens. $90! The salad was really tiny and had three small shrimp. The place is beautiful and the service was prompt and efficient. However, I just can't justify paying what they charge for what you get (and I'm not talking about quantity).

Had lunch at Eat over the weekend and really liked it. Contrary to Galangal, I think Eat offers a good value. We each got a build your own salad and loved them. The roast turkey they offer was a great surprise--I was expecting the "lunchmeat" variety, but this was the real deal, just like biting into a Thanksgiving turkey. And all the options they offer you to include is impressive. The salads were quite large as well; we barely finished half of them.

And today, we had another unexpected (good) surprise: the fish tacos at Coconuts. We don't normally eat there because we don't eat pork or beef, and their menu is heavy on those. But we found they had fish tacos and decided to try them. Really, really tasty. You get three nice-size tacos with grilled mahi, cheese, onions, lettuce and salsa for $12. If you like fish tacos, I'd recommend you give Coconuts a try.

Bernie

Enjoyed everyone's comments. We're coming to STX in a couple of weeks for a week using a VRBO. Visited 10 years ago on a cruise ship and got on the bus and visited Christiansted. Loved it.

1. Am interested in the must see sites....and places to avoid.

2. Should we avoid Fredericksted on cruises days? Or will we miss some activities/crafts/shopping experiences if we don't go on cruise days?

3. Where's the best snorkeling for novices? Any recommended snorkeling tour groups? Are these available on days other than cruise days? And is that recommended (going on non-cruise days)?

4. Any comments about Coral Princesse Condos? Any recommended eating places near there?

Thanks for your time....we're getting excited about going to STX.

Pat

I want to throw my hat in the ring for Galangal. As a long time restaurant rat, that has a genuine love of cuisine, I can honestly say that Galangal is the one restaurant on STX that I always enjoy with a precious night off from work. In the last year, Chef Tyler has developed a respectable understanding of the subtle nuance of traditional Thai cooking. That means you won't get the Americanized overwhelming spicy pad thai or ridiculously sweet spring roll, but take note, it's blatantly delicious in it's traditional form. His dishes exploit the delicate dance of balanced flavor that are indigenous to Thai cuisine, not the over simplified piquant dishes that the more well known discount Thai hovels produce in urban America.

Give subtlety it's due.

Galangal is smartly delicious and a swift departure from the plasmic one note restaurants that this island embraces.

JesseandhisShaker: Dang, are you a professional writer? That was some review!

Coincidentally, I met Chef Tyler of Galangal today while out and about. He's quite a character. Galangal sent him to Thailand in October for training. My wife and I ate his cooking at Galangal in December and we loved it.

Hmmm. I actually thought the curry was really not at all flavorful--lots of heat but not much subtlety--which was my major complaint about the meal. Maybe it was an off night, but I found the dish lacking in depth and "nuance."

Bernie