After a summer in which several of the island's upscale restaurants wrestled with ownership and management chaos, things are settling down.
At the Westin Resort the pretentiously-named Chloe & Bernard's closed late in the summer. Now, in the second floor location in the main building, Cruz Bay Prime is touting itself as "St. John’s newest Caribbean steak and seafood restaurant featuring prime, grass fed and Wagyu steaks, and domestic lamb." The restaurant is open for dinner 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. with entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights.
Asolare, called by Fodor's "The most beautiful and elegant restaurant" on the island is operating under an experienced hand. Winston Bennett, who launched the operation located above Cruz Bay harbor, is again calling the shots. Initial reviews are positive.
In a post on TripAdvisor, Cind11 from Ohio wrote, "We were just there on New Year's Eve. The girls both had Filet mignon and my DH and I had a fish called Cobia. It was a wonderful dinner, the best we had on St. John during this trip." So, the quality and experience is consistent with Asolare's history. But, Cindll added, so was the bill. "Quite pricey though I must say!!!" Another positive comment came from Vickie from Toronto who said, "We were just there over New Years and had dinner at Asolare on January 1. It was our best meal as well."
- TripAdvisor post on Asolare:
- http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g147409-i432-k3315196-l23711951-Update_on_Asolare-St_John_U_S_Virgin_Islands.html#23711951
- Cruz Bay Prime at the Westin: http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/dining/attraction_detail.html?propertyID=1098&attractionId=1004853278
- Background on the recent restaurant scene: http://barnako.typepad.com/news_of_st_john_usvi/2009/10/business-as-usual-at-asolare-paradiso-balcony.html