For those of you lucky enough to be on island this week, you’re probably curious who is going to be open tomorrow and where the best place to watch football will be. Well here you go…
Castaway’s Tavern
The party starts over at Castaway’s tonight when Dan & crew throw their 4th annual night before Thanksgiving party. The fun continues tomorrow with their Gobble Till You Wobble Thanksgiving feast that’ll include homemade fried turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing – the works! They’ll also be showing all of the games on more than a dozen TVs through the bar. Turkey and football – yes, please! They’re even getting in on the Black Friday action with a nearly all-day Happy Hour, which will run from 11 a.m. till 6 p.m.
The Beach Bar
Our friends over at The Beach Bar are throwing a “No Thanksgiving” party. Rather than turkey, they’ll be dishing up fresh Maine lobsters. You can get that with a side of corn on the cob and fresh pineapple slaw for only $29. Lobster and a great view? Sounds good to me!
Woody’s and Across the Street
No one wants to be cooped up all day, so head on over to Woody’s and Across the Street after your Thanksgiving festivities. Woody’s opens at 5 p.m. and will be serving Pumpkin Bushwackers for only $4 all night. Across the Street opens at 6 p.m. and will have Happy Hour specials until 9 p.m.
High Tide
The folks over at High Tide are serving up tradition Thanksgiving fare and will also have some of the big games broadcasted on the TVs above the bar.
Joe’s Rum Hut
They’ll be open and showing the games. Be sure to stop by and check out their great new bar!
The 14th annual Thankspigging pot luck dinner is returning to Coral Bay this year, and as always, it’s expected to be a great event. Thankspigging will begin promptly at 4 p.m. Coral Bay time this Thursday… So perhaps 4:15 p.m., 4:30 p.m. – some time around then. 🙂
It’s happening over at Skinny’s and all are welcomed. Everyone is asked to bring a dish to share – an entree, side, dessert, etc.
Each Thankspigging event has a theme. According to event organizer Ken Yolman, this year’s theme is “A kNOw Progress Feed, Living More with Less.”
“Progress is defined as ‘gradual and steady improvement,” Ken said. “The Coral Bay community lives that.”
So how exactly did Thankspigging begin? Here’s the story straight from Ken Yolman:
In the Beginning…….. THANKSGIVING
My first island Thanksgiving was spent on Tortola in 1996. I had moved to Jost Van Dyke in the middle of October not knowing any one. I rented a house at Tula’s Campground in Little Harbor. The campground had been blown away during Bertha but the owner Lorna had a weekend shackteau still standing. Her girlfriend Dealia invited me to spend Thanksgiving day with her, family and friends, which I eagerly accepted. This was the first time I realized how lonely it could be at Thanksgiving with no family or friends to share a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
Arthur’s ferry “When” was not running but I was able to hitch a ride on “Lady Diane”, a barge along with four dump trucks to Tortola. Taxi from Soper’s Hole to Dealia’s house on Apple Bay. Met new friends, had excellent food and was introduced to Guava Berry Wine.
Dealia’s family had a large glass cask filled with various berries and sugar cane rum. It ferments over the years as they add to it with more berries and rum each yearafter the hilidays. This one was six years old and they have had them up to 15 years. Needless to say I liked it so much I fell out early.
The next morning I got the 25 cent tour of Tortola and caught the “When” back to Little Harbor.
Coral Bay was my next Thanksgiving. I started the day with breakfast at the old Sea Breeze. While eating a bagel and cream cheese, I was invited to a local’s pot luck gathering at Lameshur Bay later in the day. Walked over to Skinnys. Skinny’s first female cook, Melisa had won a turkey in Skinny’s Turkey Shoot. Being a vegetarian she had never cooked a turkey and with Moe’s permission she was cooking the birdin Skinny’s old oven. About an hour into the cooking, Moe arrived. “Did you take everything out?” “Take what out?” “The neck, giblets you know, the stuff they put down its neck?” Melissa’s face turned red. Seizing the moment, Moe burst into action. Dressed with an apron, paper hat and a surgical mask he open the oven door and dove in like a seasoned gynecologist. Wielding his long tongs into the big bird and coming out with the neck, exclaiming, “Look its a boy”.
I hitch hiked out to Lameshur for the local’s feast.
It was embarrassing not being financial well enough to bring something to share. They all insisted to help your self and don’t worry about it. About 30-40 people had brought turkeys to reefer brownies and everything in between. Pirate Bill had his volley ball net in place, half in the water and half out. Tried not to make a pig of myself and limit the beers. Met a lot of locals and ate a lot of excellent food.
Hitched back to Sputnicks. I had met Evonne during the year and she had invited me to come and eat with her and family. Evonne and her twin sister, who did not look anything like her, had been cooking for 3 days. She had duck, lamb, ham, turkey and an open bar. More excellent food and live music. Evonne sang the blues while Chris, Greg and Cliff backed her. Whistler Doug and Ron on his harp joined later. I started realizing that here in Coral Bay it was an extended family Thanksgiving tradition. I also learned Evonne use to work at Sputnicks from the day it opened and waited tables on roller skates.
By Thanksgiving 1998 I had progressed from hitch hiking to a red Cherokee. And I was able to bring a six pack of Bud to share. Not much yet but it was a small offering to start. About 40-50 locals with once again excellent food from the 5 turkeys to the 3 pans of my favorite brownies. Didn’t stay long then drove to Maho Campground. Pants Man Dan was cooking their Thanksgiving Dinner and had invited me. I sat alone at a table and had my first traditional and complete Thanksgiving dinner.
Thanksgiving 1999 found the Lameshur matriarchs, especially English Steve’s Laurie refusing to cook any more. “We’re tired of cooking for all you mooches who don’t bring anything.” This year I was on my own. Having a little more in my pocket this year I drove to town only to find not one restaurant opened. Luckily the old Marina Market was opened. I grabbed a steak and went home alone to have steak and garlic mashed potatoes. I think it was then I started thinking that once I could afford it I’d have my own feast where everyone was welcomed. It would not matter if you brought anything or not. Then there would always be a place to eat a home cooked Thanksgiving dinner and not be alone.Ken’s Braids
The Millennium Thanksgiving found me home alone once again. I made the traditional garlic mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce and a 7lb lobster. I vowed to never eat alone on Thanksgiving again. I think that’s when I first thought of “Thankspigging”. I’d provide a big cheap pig, garlic mashed potatoes and all the beer one could drink. I would ask everyone to bring whatever they thought they made the best to share. And if you were not able to bring anything they would always be welcomed.
And hopefully by next Thanksgiving I’d be able to afford it.
A new restaurant is set to open in Wharfside Village within the next few weeks, and from what we’ve heard, we think you’re all going to like it.
Construction is currently underway for Vista Mare, a new Italian restaurant that’s taking up residence in the former Spyglass location, which closed last June after owners Brent and Monica Wardlaw decided to leave island. Vista Mare means “sea view” in Italian and the restaurant will have just that – a great view of Cruz Bay and out to St. Thomas.
According to Mike Hedy, the manager of Vista Mare and also Joe’s Rum Hut, the restaurant will be casual and approachable, not fine dining. Seth Bettinger will be Vista Mare’s chef and is currently creating its menu. Seth spent the past eight years working as the chef for Waterfront Bistro. Seth’s menu will consist of homestyle Italian like what your grandmother would make, Mike said. It’ll also be on the lighter side as opposed to traditional heavy Italian fare.
In terms of the space, a new bar is being built that will face the water to take advantage of the great views. The seating area is also being built out and will accommodate roughly 80 people once complete. The bar will accommodate 18.
Vista Mare will be open daily for dinner initially. Lunch service will begin in January. We’ll let you know an approximate opening date as it nears. In the meantime, here are a few more pics…
It’s starting to get a bit chilly up north, which means it’s time to start making plans for a nice, little winter escape to paradise. Today we’d like to tell you about a great rental out near Coral Bay on Bordeaux – Mystic Ridge.
Mystic Ridge is four-bedroom, 4.5 bath home perched high above Coral Bay. It has two master suites with king beds, one queen suite and a fourth suite that has two twin beds, which could be put together to make an additional king.
Mystic Ridge was designed and built with quality lifestyle and love of beauty in mind. Perched high on a mountain ridge on its own private expanse of land surrounded by the National Park, this luxurious home offers dramatic and spectacular “down island” views of the Drake Channel, the British Virgin Islands, St. John’s East End, Coral Bay and the National Park mountainsides.
Mystic Ridge is 4,200 square feet of luxurious living. The villa includes an expansive great room ideal for entertaining, dining and casual living. The split level great room includes a fully equipped gourmet kitchen with countertop seating and formal dining area. The large living space includes a complete entertainment center including 60″ TV, expanded digital cable, Phillips DVD/VCR player, Sherwood Tuner/Amplifier with Ipod/Mp3 hookup. Technic indoor speakers, Bose outdoor speakers and wireless DLS complete this electronics package.
Lounge on the large bricked deck, swim in the pool or relax in the hot tub, in total privacy. For toddler safety, a nylon mesh barrier may be installed around the pool by advance request. Its newest amenity is a fire pit situated on the edge of the deck. The natural stone wall is the perfect back drop with floor cushions and bar stools that give plenty of seating for all to enjoy this cozy space.
Allow St. John to seduce you with her natural beauty and Mystic Ridge to enrapture you with its magnificent views and comfortable living areas. For more information on Mystic Ridge, please contact Kathy at Island Getaways at 888-693-7676 or email her at [email protected]
Looking to make a delicious dinner on island, but don’t feel like cooking for hours? Well Kitchen Creole’s got just the thing for you.
Kitchen Creole recently began offering Villa Spice Pouches. Each pouch contains two tablespoons of one of Kitchen Creole’s seven spice flavors, which can be used to create two to three quick, easy and affordable recipes. The spice pouches will allow you to create a unique, personal cooking experience while visiting the island. It also allows you to sample one of Kitchen Creole’s delicious flavors without the financial commitment of buying jars of each.
These spice pouches make Kitchen Creole’s blends accessible as you can use just the right amount while on vacation … without worrying about leaving a half used jar behind. All of Kitchen Creole’s blends can easily be used as a rub or marinade for grilling meats, fish or veggies; however you can check out their website at www.KitchenCreole.com for more detailed recipes.
I tried out one last night and within 10 minutes I had a pretty yummy dinner. Here’s what I did…
I stopped at Starfish Market and picked up some cheese tortellini and precut vegetables. I put two tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan and added one tablespoon of the Primavera spice. I let it simmer for a bit before tossing in some vegetables. About eight minutes later I put the vegetables on top of the tortellini and voila, I had an amazing meal.
Kitchen Creole’s spice pouches can be purchased for $3.50 each at Shipwreck Landing in Coral Bay. They offer a discounted price of $3 each to villa managers and owners. The pouches are a great addition to welcome baskets or simply to have on hand in the pantry.
If you are a villa manager or owner and are interested in purchasing spice packets for your villa/s, please contact Chef Jim at (340) 626-8484 or email him at [email protected]. You can also visit www.KitchenCreole.com for more information.
Now this is something I’m sure all of you are going to like … how does a free villa stay sound? Pretty amazing, right? Well here’s how you can win it…
Cimmaron St. John wants you to join them in “Livin’ the Dream” on St. John so they’re holding a free villa stay giveaway contest in conjunction with Small Business Saturday, which happens next weekend. Want to know what you can win?
The winner of Cimmaron’s Livin’ the Dream giveaway will receive a free, one-week stay for up to four people at Sweet Surrender, an incredible five bedroom villa located in the gated community of Virgin Grand Estates on St. John. Sweet Surrender is impeccably decorated and has a large swimming pool that overlooks Great Cruz Bay and out toward the Caribbean Sea. Sweet Surrender has some pretty “sweet” sunsets too.
The way to enter is simple: Beginning at 6 a.m. EST on Black Friday, November 28th, visit Cimmaron’s Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/CimmaronStJohn and click on their “Free Villa Giveaway Contest” button. Then all you have to do is upload your favorite pic that shows you, your family or even your friends Livin’ the Dream. You can submit your photos until 11:59 p.m. EST on Cyber Monday, which is December 1st. A winner will be chosen at random and announced during the first week of December. Sounds pretty fabulous to me!
Oh my goodness, there’s a world holiday for this?? So exciting!!!! Seriously, it’s true. Check it out:
Well clearly we need to celebrate this. Anyone who places a St. Johnopoly order today November 19th from 10 a.m. AST through 11:59 AST (that’s one hour ahead of our East Coast friends) will receive a 10 percent discount. In order to redeem this discount, you must write the word HOLIDAY in the coupon code section. All orders placed today, November 19th will be shipped by Friday, November 21st.
I always knew how wonderful the community of St. John is, but recently it simply blew me away. As you know, October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Throughout the month, several organizations held events to support the St. John Cancer Fund, an on-island organization that raises money to support people living on St. John who are battling the disease. In total, more than $20,000 was raised … how amazing is that?!
The first event of the month was our St. Johnopoly launch party and raffle. As we mentioned last month, the raffle allowed us make a donation to the St. John Cancer Fund in the amount of $1,275.
The next event was Woody’s Save Second Base Block Party. That event raised $12,000 for the Fund. Amazing!
Next we had the Dinghy Poker Run, which was sponsored by Noah’s Little Arks dinghy rentals and High Tide. That event raised an additional $4,000 for the Fund.
Image credit: Yelena Rogers Photography
And lastly, we have our friends over at Cimmaron St. John. They donated a portion of all bookings made during the month of October to the Fund. In total, Cimmaron donated $3,125 to the Fund. Again, simply amazing.
For those of you on island this Friday, you can support the St. John Cancer Fund by stopping by Connections or Mongoose Junction between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Laura Dunlap’s fifth grade class from Gifft Hill School will be selling lemonade and baked goods, and all of the proceeds will be donated to the Fund. So please, try to stop by if you can.
There’s some more fun stuff planned for the week leading up to 8 Tuff Miles, which will be held on Feb. 28, 2015. The St. John Cancer Fund is holding a Light Up the Night event, which will be a family-friendly night of music and activities. It’s also holding a pasta dinner, recovery party the day after the race and more. Check out the full details below…
If you’d like to know more about the St. John Cancer Fund, please visit its website at www.stjohncancerfund.org. You can also follow it on Facebook here.
After closing down temporarily for low season, Joe’s Rum Hut recently reopened and it’s undergone quite the transformation. The popular Cruz Bay bar added a second bar with a ton of seating and it looks great! See for yourself…
The second bar and seating area was built in the area that formerly housed the kitchen area. The kitchen area has moved over to where the ice cream store used to be. Joe’s Rum Hut now has about 30 additional seats, which is great (especially during happy hour 🙂 )
In addition to the new bar and seating area, Joe’s Rum Hut added a few new drinks, sandwiches and pizzas. And speaking of drinks, the Rum Hut still offers the “Call Your Own” drink for $3 every day between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. It doesn’t get much better than that, now does it? And the icing on the cake – the Rum Hut has pretty good wifi as well.
So next time you’r over at Wharfside Village, be sure to check out the new space and perhaps grab one of my favorite island drinks… Cheers!
Back in October we told you about a fund that was set up to fight proposed marina in Coral Bay. It was astonishing how quickly money was raised – more than $8,000 during the first weekend and more than $75,000 to date. Today we’d like to tell you that the money is being put to use and that a notice of action was filed last Friday. Here are the details straight from the Save Coral Bay Fund…
“The Save Coral Bay Fund, with the full support of the Coral Bay Community Council, announced (last week) that it is partnering with the Virgin Islands Conservation Society (VICS) to initiate legal action against the development of the St. John Marina proposed by The Summers End Group, LLC, for Coral Bay Harbor, in St John, US Virgin Islands. Later this week VICS will be filing appeals against permits granted to the marina developers by the St. John Coastal Zone Management committee.
“Following unprecedented public outcry against a marina that would be destructive to federally listed endangered sea turtle habitat, endangered coral species, and a prime nursery for lemon and black tip sharks, a grass roots movement has quickly drawn over $75,000 in financial support from hundreds of people inside and outside of the Virgin Islands who are opposed to this project. The Save Coral Bay Fund is supported by residents of all of the US Virgin Islands, business owners, frequent visitors, mariners, marine biologists, realtors, and people from all walks of life who see this proposed mega marina as the most threatening development ever to be considered for the island of St John. All financial donations to the Save Coral Bay Fund are being managed by the Coral Bay Community Council, a 501(c)(3) non- profit organization.
“The Virgin Islands Conservation Society has an over 45 year track record of successes in protecting the natural environment of the USVI. VICS has successfully fought to prevent environmentally destructive development from damaging the fragile ecosystems of the Virgin Islands and encouraging responsible development.
“The partnership has retained legal counsel to oppose the proposed development. At the VI territorial level, attorney Jennifer Jones (vienvironmentallaw.com) will be the lead counsel, assisted by attorney Andrew Simpson (coralbrief.com) as chief litigation counsel. Between the two, these attorneys have over 30 years of experience successfully fighting environmental cases in the Virgin Islands. Jennifer Jones said ‘The numerous problems with these applications and the manner in which they were reviewed will all be noted in the filing with the Board of Land Use Appeals. This is an important environmental case that will highlight how the Coastal Zone Management Commission reviews CZM applications and whether it truly protects the environment and the public’s interest.’
“To handle aspects of the lengthy federal multi-agency regulatory review process coordinated by the Army Corps of Engineers, the nationally known environmental and energy law firm, Manko, Gold, Katcher & Fox (mankogold.com) is providing pro bono legal services. The Save Coral Bay Fund is extremely fortunate to have the services of partners Robert Fox and Jonathan Rinde of the Manko firm. They bring extensive experience in regulatory compliance and litigation in federal environmental law.
“David Silverman, spokesperson for the Save Coral Bay Fund, said ‘I am thrilled that VICS is lending their vast experience in environmental protection to this vital cause. The voices that have been raised in opposition to the marina proposal of the Summers End Group will now have an effective channel through which to pursue appeals and, if necessary, litigation in our territorial and federal courts. We applaud VICS for standing up with us to fight for our Virgin Islands environment.’
“Jason Budsan, President, Virgin Islands Conservation Society, said ‘The protection of our natural environment is the prime mission of VICS. We stand with the people of Coral Bay , St John and all responsible Virgin Islanders in their opposition to this environmentally destructive marina development. Our voice was heard at the public hearing, and now we are adding the voice of hundreds of St John residents to our firm stance in this critical matter.'”
The party starts over at Castaway’s tonight when Dan & crew throw their 4th annual night before Thanksgiving party. The fun continues tomorrow with their Gobble Till You Wobble Thanksgiving feast that’ll include homemade fried turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing – the works! They’ll also be showing all of the games on more than a dozen TVs through the bar. Turkey and football – yes, please! They’re even getting in on the Black Friday action with a nearly all-day Happy Hour, which will run from 11 a.m. till 6 p.m.
Kitchen Creole’s spice pouches can be purchased for $3.50 each at Shipwreck Landing in Coral Bay. They offer a discounted price of $3 each to villa managers and owners. The pouches are a great addition to welcome baskets or simply to have on hand in the pantry.
I always knew how wonderful the community of St. John is, but recently it simply blew me away. As you know, October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Throughout the month, several organizations held events to support the St. John Cancer Fund, an on-island organization that raises money to support people living on St. John who are battling the disease. In total, more than $20,000 was raised … how amazing is that?!
After closing down temporarily for low season, Joe’s Rum Hut recently reopened and it’s undergone quite the transformation. The popular Cruz Bay bar added a second bar with a ton of seating and it looks great! See for yourself…
