The GypsyNesters

For this evening’s Appy Crawl, we have decided to hit three of  Christiansted’s most established eateries. To make the crawl more lively, we are hitting the town in the teeth of tourist season the people  watching/meeting was SPECTACULAR! We meet a couple on their honeymoon, escaping the cold of Philly with an interesting toasting style (Cheers, Big Ears). Then, a woman who worked for Frank Zappa in the 70s a true Gypsy Nester she has just finished raising her son and now is an artist/botanist/traveler. Kudos! Overheard a foursome using a beautiful meal as a vehicle to whine about the horrors of bad domestic help. Accosted by a passionate Italian hell-bent on trading our condo for his sailboat apparently, he’s fallen in love with St. Croix.

Kendricks

David and Jane Kendrick have a beautiful garden of palm trees, innovative foods, and fabulous service. Candlelit, dreamy and a well appreciated menu with a large print! We sat at the bar tonight and tried out a few appys: Tuna Char Sui with Asian Slaw, Soy Wasabi Vinaigrette, A barely there char on a deliciously fresh tuna, nice wallop from the wasabi.

Alaskan King Crab Cakes with Lemon Habanero Tartar Sauce. Does St. Croix have crabs, you ask? Yep, and people eat them, too. But they’re land dwelling little fellas and these cakes definitely benefited from their Alaskan cousins. The consistency was crabtensive and juicy. The tartar sauce was yummy.

Wines.

A quick note on Italian whites watch out for the lighter alcohol content, you get that funny metalic “turned”  taste. As a wise Italian once told us,  Italian white wines should never cross over the Alps.  If you can’t drink it in Asti, then try to stick to 12% by volume at least, it handles the plane ride better than the by-the-glasses we had at Kendricks. We took a peek at the Kendricks wine list some really nice whites live there, they may want to rethink the reds. But who drinks red in the Caribbean anyway?

Bacchus

Hidden away upstairs past the sign that says “These steps are ancient and irregular.”These folks know their food! The staff is aware of culinary nuisances and are very willing to share their thoughts. The menu has a fun flair, naming gourmet dishes “Get the Duck Outta Here” and “Try This Rasta’s Pasta” keeps it casual. We didn’t miss snooty pretense one little bit.

“Still Dancing To Our Old Beet” Pay attention here: A salad of roasted beets, greens, candied pecans, gorgonzola with white truffle oil. Oh. My. God. Veronica has been seen devouring a piece of cardboard drizzled with truffle oil and a smile on her face, so this salad seriously rocked her world.

Ravioli of the Day
Tonight’s had lobster, garlic, leeks and other deliciousness. The pasta was so meaty, it was like eating a steak. The crème sauce was lovely.

Also, a wonderful spiny lobster bisque and a well rounded wine list.

Rumrunners

On the Boardwalk. A short stroll to the Christiansted Boardwalk and the romantic, on-the-water Rumrunners. We loved this place, complete with huge tarpons swimming right up to shore sniffing around for scraps. We came in a bit late, but our waitress was very happy to have us come in for dessert. We snagged a water-side table.

Flourless Chocolate Torte
Not messing around, this dessert. Dark, dark, dark and decadent.

Also see: The Appy Crawl Philosophy

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

We take making meals out of appetizers very seriously. Having them at  multiple eateries is even better. For one thing, it forces us to walk off some of the food between stops, for another, we get to try several different places without destroying our credit rating. We decided to hit three brand new restaurants on the evening of the St. Croix Christmas Parade in Christiansted:

Zebo’s
Strand Street

For starters, a fantastic gem with an innovative menu. We were greeted by the very French and beautiful hostess/owner. She went out of her way to make sure we were seated at a nice outdoor table in view of the jazz quartet. Our waiter was very knowledgeable. Entrees are nightly specials, dependent on availability of quality ingredients. Tonight, one involved ostrich, we didn’t ask, but we’re pretty sure that ISN’T one of the local ingredients. Peacock could be, Mongoose perhaps, but not Ostrich.

Lobster Ceviche
This ROCKED! As in Caribbean Rock Lobster. Served in a won ton shell with fresh local greens. Yummy!

Scallops with Fried Risotto
Also delicious. If there’s a bivalve involved, we’re all for it.
Very innovative, the accompanying sauce drizzled about was fantastic.

J. Lohr Riesling
So good Veronica almost cried. Perfect with the food. The wine list is one of the best on St. Croix. We think Riesling will be the new Pinot Grigio. Kind of like 50 is the new 40, or 60 is the new 52, or 70 is the new 65, 0r 80 is the new 78 or whatever.

Zizzlers 
Strand Street

Zizzlers bills itself as “Cajun-Cruzan Fusion” and the beautiful decor is right on the mark. An open-air second story space lends itself to a fun view of the goings-on in Christiansted. We staked a claim to a corner table. It was the perfect vantage point to watch the people watching the parade. Usually a better show than the parade itself. Good fun. We were told upon entering by the hostess that the menu was limited to cold appetizers, salads and sandwiches, as this new establishment was having the customary troubles getting the permits and inspections maneuvered through the maze that is your typical Caribbean government. Our waitress was fun, attentive and helpful.

Shrimp Remoulade
A surprising large portion for a ridiculously low price. Nice and authentic. Great shrimp is hard to come by on St. Croix, and this was no exception, but it was certainly passable, even above average for these parts and the sauce was wonderful.

Hummus Plate
A huge portion Three types–Black Bean, Sun Dried Tomato, Traditional. Nice and cool. Served with pita.

Blue Fish Riesling
Seems to be becoming a staple on St. Croix. From one of the fine wineries in Germany going for the American market with goofy, nonsensical names. See, we told you Riesling is the new Pinot Grigio. Anyway, the wine list at Zizzler’s is limited, but in keeping with price point and atmosphere.

Angry Nate’s
On the Boardwalk

Nothing beats a romantic walk on the Christiansted Boardwalk before dessert and coffee. The boats in the harbor, lights on the water, music
and laughing from the bars and restaurants, hand in hand with someone you love. Then on to–Angry Nate’s. Hmmmmm…doesn’t seem quite right. We thought of asking to see Nate so we could inquire as to what had gone so awry that he now was in a permanent state of anger….but then the…

White Chocolate Bread Pudding arrived.
This bad boy was SWIMMING in decadent caramel sauce (as far as Veronica is concerned, the more caramel sauce — the better the dessert). The pudding itself was great and sopped up the caramel sauce perfectly. Did we mention the caramel sauce?

Our waitress was a doll. She put on a fresh pot of coffee for us. The coffee
was a perfect accompaniment to the caramel sauce laden pudding and just enough sugar and caffeine to get us home.

Also see:
The Appy Crawl Philosophy

David & Veronica,
GypsyNester.com