TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Palapa Grill

Last night we dined at the Palapa Grill. Wonderful atmosphere inside. Lots of plants. The ceiling is made of multiple tent like coverings, reminded me of a ship’s sails. Soft lighting.

We started with a tuna tataki appetizer. So beautifully plated I even took pictures! And delicious too.
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I had a seafood melange
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My husband had the sea bass
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The service started off well enough, our server was quite pleasant and helped me decide which entree I would enjoy the most. A bit too infrequent on the touch backs, especially considering that the wine was placed out of our reach without standing up.

15% service charge added to bill. $125 all in for one appetizer, 2 entrees, bottle of wine,bottle of sparking water.

Unfortunately, some of the prep work in the kitchen was not up to the same level. The sea bass had not one, but three bones in it. When mentioned to our server when she brought the bill (couldn’t tell her earlier because she didn’t check on the meal) that she needed to let the chef know this she exclaimed “Yes I do, you’re the third person tonight to tell me that”.

And then when she brought the bill, she actually asked my husband if he wanted to leave a tip in addition to the service charge. Hmmm, might of until then.....

So in conclusion, at the same price point we felt that Vesna Taverna was a much better option.

We headed back thinking that we would stop at the Red Piano for a nightcap some music. Traffic was stopped on the bridge and we could see an accident up ahead. The music come from the Yacht Club was fantastic so when it was our turn to turn around we headed into their parking lot instead and I am so glad we did,

Fabulous tunes by a duo that evidentially is there every Thursday night. I wish we had known, we would have gone there for supper instead. A good ending for our evening.

Many people here love Palapa Grill. I was EXTREMELY underwhelmed with our experience there. Just a question, did they have a printed wine list (by the bottle)? When we were there, they only had a chalkboard wine list--and the first two selections I made, they did not have. And I'm with you, if they auto tip 15%, that's all they get, and asking if we want to tip more, just p*sses me off.

"And I'm with you, if they auto tip 15%, that's all they get"
Same here.

Lovely Spot but they really push push push the sale which I guess is how to make money. Only about 3 tables of guests that night. Good service, the food was good but not great. I had some sort of chicken mole , not a lot of flavor for the price. They added the 15% and make it clear it was just the taxes and for the kitchen but not the waiters so we added a bit more. All in all $140 for 2 people. First time there. Now I know.

Bullsh*t...

Carol - just the chalkboard wine list.

LeAnn--sorry, I don't get that chalkboard wine list thing, for a place that touts themselves as a steak place. They had a printed EXTENSIVE cocktail list, and the wine list is on a chalkboard, and they can't even be bothered to remove bottles that they don't have. They also didn't have a printed dessert list. Did they have that? They must have a new regular menu for the mains, or lots of specials, as when we were there, they only had steaks, a chicken dish, and one fish dish, along with lobster and duck confit on the menu. They had NO specials available. They did not have either the lobster or the duck confit, the night we were there, so the selection was pretty sparse.

For sure.

We only went there many years ago when they had very firstly opened and which was very good back then.

We went two years ago, and was way underimpressed with food and service. Vowed then not to return. Too many other places to go, and know what to expect.

I won't bore you rehashing my experience there last year, but add me to the one and done list.

Carol - I can’t answer your question about the dessert menu, I don’t remember. But the couple at the next table were both having dessert (creme brûlée and profiteroles) and they both looked fabulous. Also, their printed menu did have quite a few selections and my meal WAS delicious.

In general - Can you just imagine what would have happened in a Grand Case restaurant if you had found bones in your fish? I’m sure someone would have had to call 911, for the staff!

I didn’t want, nor was expecting any kind of comp, but a “sorry” would have at least been nice.

And I did choose it for supper because there had been recent good reviews here plus an excellent looking price fix menu on their web page. But it turns out that there is no price fix menu except on special occasions.

I’m not throwing them under the bus here, merely pointing out that there are better options at that price point. YMMV.

I actually had the creme brulee there and it was terrible.

Regarding the fish, I actually am not a 'fish' person, so I plead ignorance as to what would happen in Grand Case. But the waitress's response to your comment couldn't be worse, throwing the chef under the bus, and not even apologizing.

Funny how people’s experiences and tastes are vary. Palapa Grill was a highlight of our dining experiences for our last two trips. We received an excellent service and food both times and really love the ambience there. Both times there we were dining with a CIA graduates and exacutive chefs (son and daughter in law) of nationwide upscale restaurant establishments here in States. I guess it is hit or miss for any of them.

Snuba, I absolutely agree, this place COULD be absolutely exceptional! I was totally enthralled with the ambiance and our appetizer until our service started slacking off and the sea bass fiasco. ANY restaurant can have a mishap but it is TOTALLY how that mishap is dealt with that marks a superior dining establishment. Missed that mark on Thursday night.

We had a similar experience. That's all I'm going to say........

I laughed at the bones in the fish--a few years back we ate at probably one of the most popular restaurants there, and my fish was completely filled with bones.
I had no choice but to send it back and I got it returned looking like mashed potatoes, after they tried to remove the bones.

Hope you sent it back again and taken off bill.