Local News

So about a month or so back, we told you about Kitchen Creole – seven delicious spices created by Chef Jim McManus and his wife Christy over in Coral Bay. The cool thing about Kitchen Creole’s spices is that they were made for people who aren’t the best cooks in the kitchen – you know the type of people that just need a little extra help … basically people like me.

(Full disclaimer: I am by no means a cook, nor do I pretend to me. I happily admit that Mr. News of St. John does the majority of cooking in our home and a HUGE thank you to him for that. So because of my admitted ineptitude in the kitchen, Chef Jim said I was the perfect candidate to try out some of his recipes. Naturally, I obliged.)

I was pretty excited to try out Kitchen Creole’s Bourdeaux Mtn Pot Roast. Chef Jim said it could be made in either a Crock Pot slow cooker or a Dutch over. I chose the Crock Pot route. Here are a few notes that Jim sent to me to get me prepared:

“This is a great one pot meal,” Jim said. “You can use a bottom round roast or other cuts of meat like Beef Brisket or even Flank Steak. If you make it a day, ahead it will be even better.”

Here are the ingredients:

4 pound beef bottom round roast, beef brisket or flank steak
2 tablespoons Bordeaux Mtn Seasoning
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped carrot (2)
1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
1 cup chopped yellow onions (1)
1 cup chopped fresh fennel (1 small bulb)
3 large cloves garlic minced
2 strips of bacon chopped
1 cup red wine
1/4 cup dry sherry, Marsala or cognac
14.5 can chicken stock
14.5 can stewed tomatoes
1 pound red or potatoes cut into 1 inch pieces
salt and black pepper
2 cups sliced button mushrooms

A little red wine for the pot roast and a little red wine for me…

And here are the directions:

1. Season the roast with 1 tablespoon Bordeaux Mtn seasoning and refrigerate overnight.
2. Pre-heat oven to 350F if using a Dutch oven.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet and sear the roast on all sides and transfer to a slow cooker or Dutch oven.
4. Add the remaining ingredients plus 1 tablespoon of Bordeaux Mtn, except the potatoes and mushrooms and cook for 5 hours.

5. Add the potatoes and continue cooking for another hour until the internal temperature reads 170 and the beef is fork tender.

6. Remove roast and allow to cool meanwhile add the mushrooms and cook for 15- 20 minutes
7. Season with salt and black pepper
8. Serve with warm French bread

And voila! Delish!

I have to say, it was absolutely incredible! I highly recommend this recipe, especially for those of you in the States looking for some comfort food this Fall.

Ready to try some of Kitchen Creole’s spices and recipes at home? You can taste and/or purchase them at Shipwreck Landing, Full Moon Café, Keep Me Posted and Pickles in Paradise in Coral Bay. You can also find them at Pink Papaya and Sugarbirds Gift Shop in Cruz Bay.

Not visiting the island anytime soon? You can purchase Kitchen Creole’s spices online at www.KitchenCreole.com

Now this is a great opportunity for someone… Our friends over at the Sadie Sea just listed the business for sale, and I have to say, it’s a pretty good deal for the right person.

The Sadie Sea is a 32-foot Lindsey Trawler, which holds a USCG certificate for 32 passengers. You probably recognize the boat as it’s been around St. John for quite awhile. Its bright red coloring also makes it stand out in all of those Cruz Bay overlooks shots when it’s moored in the harbor.

The best part about the Sadie Sea, in my opinion, is that it comes with a contract with the National Park Service. The Sadie Sea is contracted to pick up the hikers from Reef Bay and the L’Esperance trail. It also runs a successful day charter and sunset cruise business. It has a mooring permit for Cruz Bay and is one of only a handful of boats that’s allowed to operated in Hurricane Hole.

Like we said, it’s a pretty sweet business opportunity for the right person. The Sadie Sea is listed for $250,000.

Check out www.SadieSea.com for more information or email Captain Tom Larson at [email protected]

Our friend IrixGuy is always making pretty cool videos when he’s visiting the island. Today we’d like to share a fun one he took recently at Hawksnest Bay. It’s a time lapse video he shot using a GoPro Hero3. It’s pretty cool. Check it out:

There’s a rumor that’s been going around the island for the past couple of days in which people are saying Caneel Bay killed dozens of deer on its property earlier this week. Well sadly, we learned the rumor is in fact true. Here’s what Caneel had to say about it:

“Since its inception Caneel Bay Resort has prided itself on the natural wildlife that roam the resort and Virgin Island National Park. Recently, many of the wild deer that reside at the resort have been stricken with malnourishment and disease that is spreading among the population. The resort sought the counsel of the USDA and they advised that culling the deer population would improve the quality of life for the deer population. Caneel Bay prides itself on its pristine natural surroundings and will continue to support the wildlife throughout the resort.”

People are also saying that the National Park Service was involved. That is not true. Here’s what Park Superintendent Brion FitzGerald had to say:

“The NPS did not kill any deer at Caneel Bay today or since I have been on the island.  Here is what I can tell you, however my information is very dated as we have not heard a word from Caneel Bay on this for many months.  Back in the spring, a number of deer at Caneel Bay became grossly infested with ticks – to the point where many had their faces completely covered with ticks and were exhibiting signs of poor health.  At one time we received a report from Caneel Bay that a deer had died pretty close to one of the guest rooms and had to be removed.  We had park staff consult with Caneel Bay and provide advice on whom they might contact to discuss a reduction in the population on the property.  We put them in touch with the USDA APHIS folks – they conduct wildlife management actions in parks and on other governmental properties all around the country.  That information was provided to them many months ago and we have not heard a word from Caneel Bay since.  We did know that they were considering a reduction but were not consulted on the when, where, how or any other aspect of it.  They do not have to consult with us on this as per their deed.”

I am stunned. I am absolutely stunned.

On Wednesday afternoon during a meeting at the Legislature Building, the Coastal Zone Management committee approved permits for the proposed Coral Bay marina. This decision, in my opinion, has the ability to change Coral Bay forever.

I believe that Coral Bay would benefit from a marina, but not this marina. The sheer size and scope of Summer’s End Group’s proposal is simply mind-boggling.

So what happens next? The decision can and likely will be appealed. Beyond that comes the federal permitting process – the Army Corps of Engineers being a major factor in the proposed marina’s future. According to Nancy J. Sticht, who works in the Army Corps’ communications office, the Summer’s End Group submitted a permit to the Corps earlier this year. But because the project included federal funds from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Corps was unable to process the application until that agency provides their required environmental evaluation. Once the Corps receives a completed application, a Public Notice will be issued and the public will be invited to speak out in favor or against the project.

Looking back, I should have known this project was a shoo-in when I saw members of the Summer’s End Group engaging in what appeared to be a celebratory manner at Joe’s Rum Hut after the August 20th meeting in which well over one hundred people came out to voice their disapproval against the project.

We reached out to Rick Barksdale of the Summer’s End Group for a comment. He did not respond to our message.

Hey everyone, it’s October 1st! Rabbit! (How many of you say that on the first of the month like me???) Today marks the first day of registration for those of you off island who plan to participate in next year’s 8 Tuff Miles. Can you believe it’s that time of year again? Neither can I!

Here are the details:

The 2015 8 Tuff Miles race will be held on Saturday, February 28. As always, the race will begin at 7:15 a.m. behind the National Park Visitor’s Center in Cruz Bay. For those of you unfamiliar with 8 Tuff Miles, it’s a pretty intense race that begins and ends at sea level; however runners reach an elevation of 999 feet during the course.

Curious just how tough this course is? Check out this quick video we made last year of most of mile one:

If you live off island, you can register now by clicking this link. 

We hear that there is some pretty cool stuff happening at next year’s race. For starters, organizers are planning a kick off event the weekend of February 21-22 that will include an overnight, community-support and family oriented “light up the night” event.  We’ve also heard that there is a pretty major pasta dinner planned for runners the night before the race. It’ll be held at Cruz Bay Landing for $25 per person. There’ll also be a fun recovery party happening on Sunday, March 1 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Oppenheimer.

So we’re curious… who plans on running next year? Mr. News of St. John plans to sign up for year two and Mini News of St. John plans to run his first race. Me… well, I’ll be cheering you all on on the sidelines. 🙂

On a completely different note… 

Does anyone remember what happened on October 1, 2013??? Two words: Government Shutdown. Seriously, how crazy was that? Here’s a little reminder to jog the memories of those of you who may have forgotten…

Lastly, today’s the day that the Coastal Zone Management will announce whether they’ve decided to approve or deny a permit for the proposed Coral Bay marina. We’ll let you know how that turns out as soon as we can. Have a great day everyone!

When Ocean 362 reopens for the season at Gallows Point Resort next month, it will do so with a new look, new menu and a new chef operator, and we have to admit, we’re pretty excited about this.

The new and improved Ocean 362 will be headed by Chef Shaun Brian Sells. Shaun Brian was born and raised on St. John and most recently worked as a chef at La Tapa. Shaun Brian said Ocean 362’s new focus will be on thoughtfully sourced, chef-driven island to table cuisine. His goal is to create spectacular dinners for guests that they would otherwise not be able to create on their own.

What we find to be pretty cool about Shaun Brian’s vision is that he plans to source as many products locally as possible. For example, he plans to source grass-fed beef from St. Croix and has already planted herb beds near the restaurant at Gallows Point in order to make certain he always has fresh herbs on hand. He plans to incorporate Josephine’s organic greens – grown in Coral Bay – into dishes as well.

We got our hands on a copy of the tentative menu, and it looks pretty delicious. The menu includes everything from bites – small plates similar to tapas – to full entrées. Here is a sample of the restaurant’s new menu:

• Salt fish croquettes with Creola Barbados aioli, parsley & citrus
• Johnny Cake Sliders with crispy pork belly and local turmeric mustard
• House lemon infused farmers cheese with roasted roots, spicy arugula and truffle vinaigrette
• Local tuna tartar with pan-seared watermelon, avocado mousse, feta, radish micro greens, pickled rind & bermuda onion
• St. Croix grass fed beef burger with munster cheese, butter bread, tamarind ketchup , avocado and house cut fries
• Farmers plate: a chef-inspired vegetarian & vegan crafted dish
• Freebird farms chicken and dumplings with cracked pepper, gravy, baby carrots & chives
• Local grass fed Senepole ribeye with fungi (the Caribbean’s version of polenta), stewed okra and Santo Domingo tomato marmalade

Ocean 362 will have a soft reopening Wednesday, October 8. A grand opening event complete with a guest chef is planned for Friday, October 10.

The restaurant will be open six days a week through November 3. Beginning November 4, it will be open seven days a week. Ocean 362’s upstairs lounge will open at 5 p.m. and bites will be available beginning at 5:30 p.m. Dinner service will begin in the main dining area at 6 p.m. The restaurant plans to close at 9:30 p.m., although hours will be extended during high season.