For breakfast, with a view of the ocean (one of my favorite things this trip), my Mom made her famous french toast. The key to excellent french toast is getting big fluffy bread and baking it with the egg mixture.
Other mornings my brothers would eat these ridiculously unhealthy cinnamon buns:
Too much saturated fat, not enough fiber, too much sugar, too much sodium…
Anyway, we stopped at some local restaurants including Vie’s Snack Shack. This is a true local stop. I think the owner said they have been there 50 years.
They are known for their conch fritters, garlic chicken with Johnny cake, rice and beans, and limeade. Most conch fritters I have tried have always been like hush puppies–all breading and not much flavor. These conch fritters were the best I have ever had. They came with a tasty dipping sauce which I think had cumin in it.
Even though this food was fried, it was nice to be able to try something completely different from what I would normally eat. I am not a big fan of chicken on the bone and fried, but everyone else loved it and said it was the best fried chicken they have had. The Johnny cake tasted like a fluffy, fried, doughnut pancake.
Perhaps the most popular place in Coral Bay, St. John is Skinny Legs. It is a bar that is known for their burgers, and you can even play a game of darts, or shop at the connecting small local stores.
We decided that my Dad should be the mascot for Skinny Legs because his legs are the skinniest I have ever seen. Apparently the owner has very skinny legs. Our waitress said they could possibly be tied for the skinniest legs.
And of course we had to go to the famous Woody’s. They have a well-known happy hour from 3 to 6 where you can get $1 drinks! Crazy. And my 18 year old brother could legally have a drink in St. John (even though it is part of the US). No one even asked for his ID.
I ordered a salad with shrimp:
I also ordered another shrimp salad at Aqua Bistro (the best restaurant in Coral Bay, in my opinion):
I have always loved salads with shrimp. This salad (pictured above) is probably higher calorie than you would think because it is tossed with a creamy Caesar dressing. Caesar salad is never a lower calorie menu option. I wasn’t looking to watch calories. I wanted some cold, and fresh tasting.
Another pretty looking fish entree at Aqua Bistro:
The Drinks of Vacation:
Big Kahuna Rum Shack in St. Thomas had the best frozen drinks so far. The ice was nice and thick, and it was not too sweet. We also stopped at this smoothie truck in the middle of nowhere. They were offering free rum with smoothies. I noticed that the Virgin Islands likes to giveaway rum.
I got some kind of coffee smoothie. Starbuck’s doesn’t giveaway free rum. Oh, and there is actually no Starbuck’s in the Virgin Islands. I should open one up there, and then I could live in paradise all year long!
And we made plenty of frozen drinks and margaritas at the rental house thanks to my cabana man.
Well, that’s all for now. I am going to start planning my next trip…
July 18, 2011 at 3:11 pm • Permalink •
Great trip! My fiance’s grandparents live in St. Thomas so we are very lucky to hop over to St. John’s when we visit. Please tell me you went to Mongoose Junction?? Great restaurant with a deadly rum punch.
July 19, 2011 at 11:43 am • Permalink •
Aw, I didn’t go to Mongoose Junction. My parents have been there, and they said it was great, but we just didn’t get a chance. We were staying on the other side of the island, so we didn’t go to Cruz Bay too much.
July 29, 2011 at 11:15 am • Permalink •
Thanks very much for your article on food on St. John, USVI. We are headed there for vacation in 9 months and absolutely can’t wait!!!
July 30, 2011 at 9:19 am • Permalink •
That’s great! You will love it! Glad I could help
August 15, 2011 at 11:35 pm • Permalink •
Excellent rundown on what you can get in St Johns, we are also lucky enough to be planing a holiday there in the next few months and there are some places to visit by the sound of things.