Wednesday May 18 was our shopping day in Philipsburg. We went to the beach area in front of Nu Love Restaurant and rented some chairs. $25 for two chairs with thin cushions and an umbrella. It included 5 beers or two frozen drinks or in our case one pina colada and 2 beers. We've been here before and will go back since it gives us access to restrooms, wifi and the gentleman running the beach service is always friendly as well as attentive. There were no cruise ships in port when we went so the boardwalk and beach were pretty quiet.
Had lunch at Taloula Mangos and shared the fish and steak tacos which were pretty tasty. The fish tacos were better due to the spicy sauce liberally applied. No fries since we were trying to not over eat in preparation for our dinner at Isola.
We wandered down front street to very little traffic and made a stop in Gulmahar's for a little scotch shopping. They had just received several pallets earlier in the week and were well stocked. They have stopped the free tastings on open bottles due to COVID-19 concerns along with their new business venture across the street. They've opened Lux Bar which is only open during the day and stocked with all the whiskies they have in the their shop. Very sleek modern space and nicely lit. The idea is you go across the street and try something and then make your purchase in their retail shop. Chatts indicated they would also get the occasional patron looking for a special drink like Pappy, which they had, but didn't want to buy a whole bottle. I think they're also planning on a place for wayward husbands who don't want to shop for bobbles to have a place to be deposited but I could be wrong. They've only been open since April and still in a 'soft opening' posture without any marketing at this point. It's a really slick place and I hope they do well.
Dinner was at Isola and definitely lived up to the many recommendations from members here! We had reservations for 6pm and were seated promptly on the porch overlooking Simpson Bay in the distance. I had a nice Cesar salad followed by their scallop and mushroom risotto with a side of fries. The fries proved to be a big mistake because the risotto was very large and left no room for dessert. My wife had the Burrata salad along with the spinach ravioli and was very impressed. There's several things on their regular menu I would get and will definitely be back. We did get the Panna Cotta with mango sauce to go and my wife raved about it the next morning. I'll need to try their tiramisu next time.
Thursday we walked the short distance down the beach to Mary's Boon. We've driven by the resort so many times over the years on the way to Karakter's but never visited. Chairs were free as long as you purchased food and drinks. No pads on the chairs but the beach was well attended to. There's picnic tables down on the beach but we chose to eat up in the restaurant for a little more comfortable chair and better view. I had the mahi mahi sandwich and fries which were okay. My wife had a burger which was cooked perfectly but wasn't anything special. I really wanted to like the place more because I love the way it looks but honestly I don't think we'll be back. Karakter's has better food and cushioned chairs 50 yards further down the beach. I'm glad we tried it.
Since we were leaving on Friday I struggled with where to have our proverbial 'last supper' and appreciate all the recommendations made by everyone. In the end, we decided to go to Palapa Grill and couldn't have been happier! There was a note in the menu that indicated the restaurant was rebuilt after IRMA with recycled and repurposed materials which was a nice backstory. Very quaintly decorated and kind of a eclectic casual elegance. I try to eat as much seafood while I'm on the island but I finally gave in to my baser instincts for this dinner. We didn't get any appetizers since we had our sights set on a large slab of beef. We shared the 32 oz ribeye that was covered in a chimichurri sauce cooked to perfection along with fingerling potatoes, fries and a side salad. The dessert was the chefs special of a banana puree and cinnamon over a apple crisp that was the perfect finish to a great meal!
I see you had dinner at Isola Wednesday. Love their Cesar with white anchovies. Too bad if you missed Marco if it was this last Wednesday. He was at our place for dinner that evening. Great guy and made Isola what it is now.
Luxbar is great. Needs more exposure. Our group enjoyed a round of Pappy’s and some great friendship. Barkeep is great and very knowledgeable. The shop, across the street , has the best higher brands at good prices.( just not open all the time)
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