Trip Report- Jan 30-Feb 15, 2003<br><br>Arrived in a rainstorm - a first for us. Within an hour we were checking on the Cupecoy beach conditions. John & Becky from Indiana gave us the bad news in the parking lot - rough waves and no sand. Off to check in at L'Atlantide in Grand Case. We settled in to our cute little 3rd floor studio that opens onto the ocean (great sunsets over the mountains) and headed to The California for pizza. After we were seated, a large group filtered into the restaurant with a dancing woman in a black veil bringing up the rear (so to speak). We knew at once, it had to be the Contessa! We introduced ourselves and scored an invitation to her lovely party at Alizea. Thank you Contessa. We enjoyed ~ 4 days on Orient Beach with relatively calm winds and nice calm water. Some days you had to wait to get a chair since so many Cupecoy refugees were on the beach. The seas at Cupecoy calmed and the sands began to return in time for the best Packer Party ever on Wednesday. Thank you Terry, Kathy, Susan, Gary, Paul and Marion, to mention just a few, for the great brats, Elk & venison sausage, shrimp and numerous other culinary delights. Great party. Now we were home and Cupecoy just got better from there. The waves stayed calm enough to go in every day, and the "pool" was swallowed up by new sand, transforming the beach once again. How many transmogrifications have we all seen Cupecoy go through? That's why we love it so much. Many lemon drop toasts were enjoyed and we even made it to the Sunset Bar for Sunset for the first time. The chicken dance entertainment was superb that night. And then there were the doubloons!<br>Now for the restaurant reviews!<br><br>Rainbow- We have a love/hate relationship with these guys. The food is always good, but you feel like you have to work for it. After being told which table we would have when making the reservation, we were juggled around, sent upstairs to the hellish cigar area and saw 3 other parties seated and then moved from the very table we were promised. We ended up with a different, but very nice table and had a lovely dinner. The red snapper was excellent and they always have very good Californian wines. <br><br>Il Neptuno - Our first time here. The roaming troubador and the tacky décor as well as clientele that look like they're extras for The Godfather don't add much, but the food was really good. We had great raviolis and port came in a giant martini glass. We could have split one.<br><br>L'Alabama - We love this place and while we both still enjoyed it, it wasn't our best experience there. We were seated in the balcony in the back and it was a hot night, but when the waiter recognized us and sensed our displeasure he moved us to an excellent table in the front. The goat cheese salad is always great. The filet mignon was cooked to perfection, but sat on a very soggy bed of shredded potatoes. Pasqual & Karin seemed a bit distracted that night. Everyone deserves an off-night.<br><br>The Fish Pot- Definitely one of our best meals this trip. The tuna carpaccio on a bed of marinated cucumbers was divine. Scallops in pumpkin sauce were wonderful if not plentiful- just the right size for me, but I'd rather have quality than quantity. The swordfish special was good too. We closed the place with our friends Michael and Susan from Conn.<br><br>Le Tastevin- We both had duck - two different presentations and both were excellent. Very enjoyable.<br><br>Sebastiano's- Christine always makes us feel like royalty when we go to Seabastiano's and we love the food, even if it is pricey. This year we arrived to no valet parking and Christine?s daughter directing traffic. An odd beginning which became odder when we realized Christine was not there- a first! The beef carpaccio was wonderful, as was the veal and eggplant and the snapper although we noticed the presentation wasn't quite as elegant as usual. As it turned out, the chef had a heart attack earlier that evening and Christine went in the ambulance with him! <br>Congratulations to the rest of the staff for pulling off the evening in spite of it all. We hope the chef is alright and recovering.<br><br>California- We actually went twice for the pizza. It's good and light with a thin crust. The service is always good and friendly. We've learned from past years to stay away from the more ambitious entrees. With Portofino's gone, Grand Case needs a place like California to give us a break from all the rich French food.<br><br>Tropicana- A long wait for our reserved table at the second seating, but it's always worth it. A lovely evening with excellent duck and filet mignon. The goat cheese salad was excellent but too big even after splitting it.<br><br>Bliss- A rainy evening so we ate under cover- more crowded than when they can spread you out under the stars, but still a lovely atmosphere. The menu was totally different from last year and the choices are limited. The food was very good though and we enjoyed the evening.<br><br>Hot Tomatoes- A new spot with very good pizza and we had a very good bottle of red zinfandel there. The interior (the old Sambucca?s building) is massive so making it cozy is a challenge, but they've done about as good a job as possible with the décor.<br><br>The Dali Surf & Turf- The daughter of the owner suggested this place and gave us a discount card, but we regretted this one. The veal parmesan was too heavily breaded and both the veal and the ravioli were too salty tasting.<br><br>Mama Mias- A much better choice for Italian in the Maho area. Ravioli with pink sauce was good as was the veal and pizzas.<br><br>Bananas- My mango chicken salad wasn't as good as last year, but still a good light alternative. Bill's penne pasta was good too. We need lighter, less expensive eating some nights and the owners are fun here.<br><br>Tuta Pasta- Warren, the owner, puts on a good show and graciously found an excellent table for us even without a reservation. The gnocchi is always great and makes a good lunch on the beach the next day, since you couldn't possibly eat it all in one sitting. Bill had a shrimp dish that he has enjoyed many times.<br><br>Citrus- Valentine's Day they had a fixed price tasting menu with the option of adding their selected wines or not with each course. They were flexible enough to substitute if you didn't want any of the items which was appreciated. A squash soup was just spicy enough and our substitution for the salmon course (allergies) was a very nice arugula salad with pecans, shaved parmesan and a balsamic dressing. Some find the sorbet between courses to cleanse your palate pretentious, but I just love it! The filet mignon was free-range and just perfect on a slightly sweet bed of rice and wild mushrooms. We chose to not take the wine tasting and chose our own wine, an excellent pinot noir. The desert was a small chocolate cake with a dollop of ice cream that was just enough. A great evening to finish off our trip.[Linked Image]