In 2017, Hurricane Irma took away a lot of obvious things that created much hardship…jobs, homes, businesses. Everyone had to start over.
A lot has been rebuilt…But some of those things that we once considered “normal” still slowly trickle into the background of life. As those pieces fall back into place over time, they have startled me with memories and emotions I have never really been able to place. I remember these feelings coming up the night that the power came back on after 76 days in the dark, the first time I heard the cannons of the Kekoa sound again in Cruz Bay, the first shift I worked at The Terrace after they re-opened.
Last week I was fortunate enough to have those feelings overwhelm me yet again as I sat at the newly constructed ZoZo’s at Caneel Bay overlooking the water, chatting with owner, John Ferrigno, and General Manger, Erin Hudson.
Thanksgiving is this week and, if you’re on St. John right now, there is plenty to be grateful for! You may be planning to do dinner at your villa or residence OR may be entertaining the idea of dining out. Either way, there are plenty of options for enjoying a fantastic holiday meal AND a great day on the beach instead of slaving away in the kitchen.
Good Morning Everyone! We have a few updates from the BVI this morning. There have been a few adjustments made to their re-opening regulations and some exciting news from White Bay on Jost Van Dyke.
As anticipated, a majority of our restaurants have updated their hours this week, given that we are now in the more relaxed Safer at Home phase which allows our restaurants to resume dine-in service. As such, we are sharing the entire list again with all of the updates so that you can check the status of your favorites, or try something new!
We are also excited to share that many of our restaurants have been given permission by our Government to resume the use of regular dining ware instead of single-use disposables. This is fantastic news, not only for those dining in our restaurants, but also for the protection of our environment!
We will be updating this list as changes are made or additional information is received. In the meantime, please let us know if you have additional information or if we are missing any of your favorites!
Good Morning everyone…And a happy Wednesday to you! Today, I’d like to share a little exciting news with you about a new spot in Cruz Bay to get a premium cup o joe and food on the go!
We are excited to share that our newest St. John restaurant, Salty Mongoose Pizza & Rum Beach Bar – located in the Isola Shops in Coral Bay on the waterfront – is now open! The restaurant has all the ingredients for a successful business – excellent customer service, a delicious and reasonably priced product, a spectacular view, and owners who care about St. John and the local community.
The current menu is pizza-focused, with a vision for expanding over the coming months to include salads, pasta dishes, and daily sandwich specials.
Veggie pizza with fresh basil, mushrooms, onion, black olives, and chopped garlic.
The charismatic owners, Kimberly Alvarez and her son, Sean ‘Tarzan’ Philippe (who was born in the US Virgin Islands), moved back to the island a year and a half ago after moving away three decades ago so that three year old Sean could attend school in the states. Kim is a self-described island girl who missed the islands over the years and decided to bring her son back home. Sean is the chef, and the vibe of the bar. Kim and Sean have always enjoyed cooking for others and felt that starting a restaurant would be an ideal fit for them.
Sean, also known as ‘Tarzan’, earned his nickname from his stateside career in construction, building tree houses and ziplines.
The restaurant uses the freshest ingredients possible. The dough is made by hand each night and cold proofed (a technique that slows the fermentation process) for maximum flavor and consistency. The cheese is a whole-milk mozzarella, provolone, and parmesan blend. The produce, such as the fresh basil, arugula, and other herbs are grown locally on St. John by Josephine’s Greens. For the meat-eaters, the pepperoni is purchased whole and diced fresh each day. The sausage is fresh and ground on site. The pizzas are hand tossed and cooked in a brick oven, which cooks quickly and evenly. The recipes were mostly created by Sean’s experimentation, and trial and error. His special pizza sauce is made with only a few ingredients, as he believes food tastes best when kept simple.
Fresh basil from Josephine’s Greens is one of the many topping options available.
The restaurant has a casual, fun vibe, with panoramic views of the bay. A constant, gentle breeze makes it comfortable for outdoor seating, even on the hottest summer days. When the island reopens for visitors, they will offer a daily happy hour, as well as different theme nights such as Family Feud night, Dance Party night, a giant Twister game, DJs, and live bands to showcase our local talent.
Once the COVID restrictions are lifted, seating will be available at the bar or nearby tables.
Kim and Sean’s sense of community spoke to my heart. Several Coral Bay businesses have closed in recent years, and their goal is to revitalize the area by bringing it back to life. Their philosophy is that their business will thrive if they cross-promote by encouraging their customers to also patronize the other restaurants in Coral Bay. “We are stronger when we work together,” said Sean. He also wants to give the local community a place to relax after work with a cold beer and a bite to eat, without it costing a small fortune. “We are all about helping each other.”
The current hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm. After the COVID restrictions are released and visitors are allowed back to the territory, the hours will extend to 11:00 am to 11:00 pm 7 days a week.
To place an order, please call or text: (340) 643-8486.
Temporary menu which will be expanded over the coming months.
We present to you the highly anticipated Seasonal Restaurant Closure List! In spite of all the many obstacles faced by our restaurants this year, we are happy to share that most will remain open during off-season, which typically runs until Thanksgiving week.
Early next week we anticipate – or at least our fingers are crossed – that our Governor will lift the policy requiring restaurants to remain closed except for take-out, and allow them to reopen for full service dining again.
The restaurant owners who plan to stay open say they are doing so as long as it makes sense, and is in the best interest of their employees, our guests, and our community. Of course, like with everything in 2020, we are all just taking it day by day!
We have received several requests over the past month about the annual restaurant off-season closure report. That report looks a little different this year as we will be including take out options, limited hours and scheduled closures.
We had planned to get the report out this week. But, In light of the changes made last week reverting the territory to the “Stay at Home” phase, we are making some adjustments to that post and giving the restaurants a bit more time to figure out their game plans.
We are gathering the information and putting this post together over the next week in hopes of getting the most updated information to you ASAP!
Thank you for your patience while we work with local business owners to get you accurate information in regards to dining and take out options for the off season.
If you are reading this and own or manage a restaurant on STJ, please post your plans in the comments or contact us directly!
The best part is definitely the views, especially at sunset, as seen above.
You can see Maho Bay from one side of the property and Coral Bay from the other side.
Most importantly, there is a Freight Farms indoor hydroponic growing container with the capacity to grow over 8000 plants at a time. This will include many different types of greens for area restaurants, mint for drinks, and also a program for residents and tourists to participate.
The property also has dozens of fruit trees such as lemon, lime, orange, mango, and papaya, as well as rows of pineapple.
The container farm will provide the island with a source of fresh greens even in the case of storms.
There is a food truck that will be offering tacos cooked to order and some of the coolest tables you have ever seen.
One of the unique features of the property is that after you purchase your produce from the food truck you may use one of the onsite BBQ Grill tables to heat your kabobs to your preferred temperature in the picnic area.
Love City Fresh plans to open the property to the public Thanksgiving of 2020.
Are you currently dreaming about lying in a hammock in the shade with a Painkiller in your hand, Caribbean blues lining your landscape and sand between your toes? Maybe the faint sound of music and laughter in the background and the smells of barbeque on the grill? Then, the next time you are on St. John, take a drive or a hike to Bikini’s Bar & Grill at Honeymoon Beach and live out your daydreams!
