STJ Hideaway: A Unique Dining Experience Opens in Cruz Bay This Week

Good Morning, Good Morning!  I have some VERY exciting news for all of you today.  This week is the grand opening of an incredibly unique dining experience in the Lumberyard.  Yes, yes, I know what you’re thinking.  Dining in a parking lot?  Well, let me just tell you that St. John’s newest dining spot, STJ Hideaway is much more than meets the eye from the outside.  The food is an explosion of delight for your tastebuds with a focus on fresh, locally sourced ingredients and island infused flavors.  The expansive cocktail menu offers drinks that are unique and complex with something for everyone’s palette.  The staff brings “to the table” a wealth of knowledge and experience in the culinary industry on St. John.  And the space?  Well, once you step inside, you won’t for one moment remember that you are situated in an obscure corner of a parking lot in Cruz Bay….

STJ Hideaway is the dream come to life of Chef Vinny, a locally renowned catering chef on St. John.  You might recognize his name from his recent debut at Taste of Lovango this spring.  You might also recognize him as the former Executive Chef at the fondly remembered establishment, Asolare or as the former Chef de Cuisine at La Tapa.  But, in recent years, his focus has been on developing his now successful catering and private chef business:  Chef Vincent Alterio.  He has dreamed of having his own space on St. John for over a decade.  And now, we can all dine and imbibe with him and his incredible team at STJ Hideaway.

 

Interestingly, this inspiration for STJ Hideaway came from a little town in Illinois, early in Chef Vinny’s career.  He gained inspiration and experience while working at a little spot in St. Charles, Illinois called Al Capone’s Hideaway.  An unassuming old home, built in 1917 on the banks of the Fox River, The Hideaway gained fame for being the stomping grounds of Al Capone and, at one point, a prohibition beer garden.  One thing that stood the test of time at this historic establishment is this:  It has always been famed for being a comfortable space where patrons will find great company and incredible food.  And it is this foundation, paired with the speakeasy aspect of its history that was Chef Vinny’s inspiration for STJ Hideaway.

At the back of the Lumberyard parking lot, situated between The Roti King and Love City Ice, you’ll notice a brightly painted shipping container on the left.  As you enter STJ Hideaway, between this container (which houses the bar) and the forty-foot food truck containing the kitchen, the breathtaking view of the water and the St. John-style nuances of the open-air dining room will immediately transport you to a different place.

The four seat bar on the left offers a comfortable-space with a private window of the view that is reminiscent of the bar window at Asolare (if you know, you know).  The bar top is repurposed from the one and only Quiet Mon Pub, again nodding recognition to a fine establishment in the Love City history books.

The Quiet Mon was always a late-night stomping ground for service industry employees.  And I have no doubt that the STJ Hideaway concept was likely born while Vinny and his culinary team, Chef Juan Orlandi and Chef Trace Miller, gathered at this very same bar top over the years.   Incredibly crafted libations, with bold flavors and complexity are offered here at the bar as well as full dinner service and a carefully curated wine list.

The food truck was custom designed by Chef Vinny and his team in order to ensure a seamless execution of dinner service.  It also serves the function of a prep kitchen for the catering business with which the entire STJ Hideaway team also collaborates.  Designed to mimic an open concept kitchen with a door in the middle and a window on either side so that guests can spectate and interact with the chefs at work.

The container and food truck serve as the right-side and back walls of the dining area while a beautiful bamboo wall and bright green tropical foliage enclose the left side.  At center stage is another piece of nostalgia…The beautiful overlook of the harbor with the National Park Dock to the right and the customs office to the left.  Remember sitting up at Barefoot Cowboy and taking in this same view?  Watching the parade of boats coming in to drop off at the end of the day while enjoying good company and happy hour beverages?  Me too.  And it felt really good to sit in that space again with a cocktail in hand after so many years without it.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to the first night of STJ Hideaway’s soft openings last week and words are going to be hard to find to tell you just how amazing the entire experience was from start to finish.  But I’m going to jump right in and start with the food!

Being a soft opening, Chef Vinny wanted to make sure each of his guests got a nice “tour” of the menu and were able to taste multiple items representing each course.  To give you an idea of how GOOD these guys are at turning seemingly simple dishes into mouthwatering delicacies, I’ll tell you that we started with the Black Bean Dip, served with crispy fried plantains for dipping.  It was INSANE.  The smoky island spices and slight kick from local seasoning peppers had us literally scraping the bowl clean as the next course arrived.

Next up, the Tuna Rose, a spiral of locally caught tuna sashimi and perfectly ripe avocado were the stars of the show here, complimented by a selection of sauces and spices that perfectly accentuated their freshness.  The Charred Spanish Octopus on a bed of Beluga Lentils and Local Pumpkin Vindaloo was perfectly executed.  The Prime Ribeye, our main course, is worth mentioning due to the perfected execution and blast of seasoning and the, yet again, simplistic side of Bonita Mash surprised us all with its explosion of tastes.  I’m not joking when I say that every single bite of every single dish we enjoyed was a true trip to flavor town 🙂

The sample menu (shown below) is a good take on the regular offerings at STJ Hideaway however, because the Chefs are extremely focused on the availability and inclusion of fresh, local ingredients it is subject to change regularly.  I promise you though, regardless of what the menu offerings are, based on my recent experience, you will not be disappointed in anything you try.

If you are ready to indulge in excellent food, creative cocktails and the incredible VIBE that is STJ Hideaway, you’ll want to go ahead and give them a call for a reservation.  The grand openings are this week and next with regular summer hours to follow (after carnival of course!).  The grand opening dates are June 19-22 and June 24-27 with dinner service from 6PM-9PM.  Beginning on July 6, STJ Hideaway will open Friday-Monday from 6PM-9PM until August 31 when they will close for the off season.

Winter hours are TBD, but if you are visiting next season or over the summer, you’ll definitely want to add STJ Hideaway to your list of places to dine on your next trip!  Seating is limited so reservations are always best.  To reserve your table, please call 340-998-8059 to book.

Oh, and this amazing space (and the tastes!) is also available for private events.  To inquire about reserving STJ Hideaway for your shower, bachelor/bachelorette party, welcome party or birthday, please send them an email or call 340-998-8059 to start the planning process!