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First Look: New restaurant in Cruz Bay

Stoneterrace There's new life in an old restaurant in Cruz Bay.  The beautiful Stone Terrace space has been transformed into Cactus on the Blue, a Mexican restaurant with lots of energy, taste, and color. 

Nile and Courtney Wright leased the space after it had been dark for at least a year.  Before that, it had been for sale for months.  Stone Terrace, a high-end restaurant, was a victim of a softening economy and a trend that is seeing villa renters stay at home as they refuse to fight for downtown parking and save money.

While the Wrights are out in the front of the house, Nile certainly knows his way around a kitchen. According to a story in the St. John Sun Times, he earned his whisks the old fashioned way.  At home, in his family's restaurant, Jacala, the oldest eatery in San Antonio.

There's a Texas connection between the Wrights and their own chef, Gabriel Orozco.  His experience includes work as chef at the Balcony at Wharfside and his most recent position, sous chef at a steak house in San Antonio.

The Sun Times says Cactus on the Blue doesn't aspire to be the cheapest place in town or the most expensive. "A happy medium" is the target, Wright told the newspaper.  That means large portions at reasonable prices.

According to powerboat charter Capt. Josh of Lion in da Sun "reasonable prices" means low.  He posted a review of his visit to the restaurant on Trip Advisor and said the food
was wonderful.  His friends' dinner was also great, "and the portions
were enormous."  He said the appetizer sampler had four types of salsa and the chips were cut and baked at the restaurant. He wrote. "And here is the kicker $5!!!! Enough said, get it – get two."

The Wrights are not only starting a business, they're also starting a life together.  They're newlyweds of about eight months.  And so far, things seem to be going well.Their restaurant just got a telephone line this week, and any local can tell you how tough that can be to do.  The number is 340-693-8515.

CZM blocks Pond Bay permit transfer

The bank that helped finance construction of the Pond Bay Club at Chocolate Hole was rebuffed by the Coastal Zone Management agency in its effort to assume the permit for the resort.  The St. John Source reported CZM unanimously rejected the application by WestLB AG.

According to CZM, only the developer can request a transfer.  And Bob Emmett's First American Development, which has been trying to build Pond Bay for more than a decade is having none of that idea. FirstAmerican owes millions to the bank and to many local contractors, too.

Emmet said the project is about 65 percent complete, the Source reported.

StJohnJulie posted at Virgin-islands-On-Line that, "The only people working at Pond Bay right now are security guards. The people of Pond Bay are still confident that they will get the funds they need to complete the project, but I am not as sure it will happen the way they want it to."  She explained she also has a personal interest in the Club.""I also don't want this project to sit uncompleted… My husband is one of the subcontractors who works on the project so I should know w, 

More video tours by Chase and Maria

Three Kings at Coconut Coast

Katha_and_richNancy Ruffer, international flautist, will be accompanying the St John Flutes, Rich Greengold and Katha Riccardi.  There will also be a guest appearance by Michael Banzhaf at Elaine Estern's Coconut Coast Studios in Frank Bay Wednesday January 6th from 5:30 to 7pm.

This is the second time the quartet has performed together at Coconut Cost Studios, and possibly the only time this season.

Ruffer is a world-renowned flautist residing in Britain and will be visiting with her family in the Virgin Islands.

The quartet will be playing at the Sunset cocktail party hosted weekly by Estern. Enjoy live music as the sun dips below the sky. If you missed their performance last year, you won’t want to miss it again!

Happy New Year, St. John

Looks like Westin Resort had a gala New Year's Eve party.  Lots of food and dancing and schmoozing.  And, capped by fireworks over Great Cruz Bay.

Up on the hill, photographer Bob Schlesinger was on
watch for the Inquiring Iguana. 

Bright and early New Year's morn, Bob
sent these stunning pictures.  Click on 'em to see bigger
versions.

Bob Schlesinger, www.TropicalFocus.com, "Extraordinary images with an island flair!"

BOB_0565

BOB_0568a BOB_0570a

St. John’s cloudy farewell to 2009

View A quick look at the St. John Brewer's web cam isn't encouraging.

Looks like skies will stay cloudy on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.  The chance of rain today is better than even money. 

So, if you were to head to a beach this weekend, chances are it wouldn't be so beautiful.

But thanks to Chase and Maria, a couple who toured the island with their video camera, you can sit here and visit three beaches, Coral Bay and Miss Lucy's.  Their user name at YouTube is Marchasia.  It appears they uploaded these videos just a day or two ago – well before the rains and the heavy surf began.

The best things on the restaurant menu

“Pieces of Ate” is a newly-launched feature of the St. John Sun Times.  It highlights the hits on the menus at bars and various restaurants. 

Recently, Asolare’s Moonbowtini was in the spotlight. “Choose your favorite vodka.  Watch while the bartender adds grapefruit juice and rosemary syrup.  Step Three: Enjoy responsibly.” Asolare’s web site is http://stjohn-restaurants.com/asolare.php

La Tapa’s Three Sauce Plate also got kudos.  Relying on the fact that La Tapa produces its own crunchy, baguettes, you dip the bread in one (or all) of the sauces.  They include green peppercorn and arugula aioli, sun-dried tomato aioli, and tropical fruit salsa.  La Tapa’s Web site is http://www.latapastjohn.com/

Read the St. John Sun Times column at http://www.stjohnsuntimes.com/pieces_of_ate.

What about you?  'Best things on the Menu" you'd like to mention?  Comment here.

Blues Festival lineup announced

Bluesfest The 8th annual St. John Blues Festival is scheduled March 17-21.  This year, the name sponsor is Johnnie Walker.  Other supporters include First Bank, Holiday Homes, and the USVI Department of Tourism.

Organizer and founder (he really is a busy guy) Steve Simon and his wife, Helen,
will offer six-days of music from one end of the island to the other.
The ‘big show’ will, as usual be in Coral Bay on Saturday night.  But
during the week, you can count on Festival performers offering free
live music at venues like the Beach Bar, Shipwreck Landing, and the ball field in Cruz Bay.

Simon has a lineup of artists including Deanna Bogart, JT Laureitsen, the Ford Blues Band, and  E,G. Knight.  See the full list at http://www.stjohnbluesfestival.com/new/schedule2010.htm#schedule.

Simon,
who’s also produced and performed in blues shows in Iraq and Saudi
Arabia said this is the biggest thing he’s ever done.  And, he
promised, it will rock.

The Blues Festival’s Web site is at http://www.stjohnbluesfestival.com/bf/blueshome.htm.

VIs’ $6 Million ad campaign

Viad An ad agency’s multi-million dollar idea for U.S. Virgin Islands Tourism is now on display.  In ads produced by Atlanta’s JWT
advertising agency, the slogan, “You, Unscripted” has begun appear in
TV spots and print ads. It is meant to stress that visitors can create
their own unique experiences in the VI's.

Tourism said it will spend  $6 million to spread the campaign, using television, magazines, newspaper and Internet for media. 

You can see examples of the print ads and the 30-second TV spots at http://www.usvimarketing.com/.
The ads will target a range of market segments including: Bridal and
Romance, African American, Dive, Culture & Heritage, Sailing &
Yachting and Meetings & Incentives.

“The concept of offering
travelers an unscripted vacation experience was conceived through
research that revealed our potential visitors seek the freedom to
indulge in a personalized vacation experience," said Commissioner of
Tourism Beverly Nicholson-Doty.

Pond Bay scales back a smidge

Pbay Developers of the Pond Bay Club have been given permission to downsize its plans for a restaurant on the site as well as repositioning some buildings and educing their size, according to a report by the St. John Source. 

The St. John Coastal Management Committee okayed requests for the changes by First American development Group/Carib Limited Partnership.  Pond Bay also changed its plan for supplying water to the facility.  Instead of tapping a line from the VI Water and Power Authority, First American wants to drill some test wells to determine if they can  supply the resort's needs.

The construction changes, the Source said, include reducing the restaurant building from two stories to one.

And speaking of construction, this is a photo update of the project, as posted on the blog, St. John Talk.