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The idea of eating on the island of St. Eustatius excited me. Though we’ve had our fair share of Caribbean cuisine on other trips, I’d yet to really experience Dutch food, and the thought of combining the two cuisines, sparked curiosity on my tongue.

Harbour Club

The first night of lapping water and island breezes leads us to the Harbour Club.

While making decisions we have a lovely conversation with Harbour Club’s Gayle and Amika.

The ladies make sure our first night drinks are extra special.

I twirl up the shrimp pasta, that I continue to shovel into my face long after I’m full because it’s so good.

Shannon has the beef kebab. I declare I need to become an advocate for hashbrowns for dinner.

The deck is the perfect place to savor the warm air. We giggle mischievously, knowing we’ve  cheated our chilly nemesis,  Old Man Winter, for a week.

Gayle and Amika are so on their game, they show up to The Old Gin House with Shannon’s phone, before he even notices he left it at the restaurant.

Harbour Club is the ideal first meal.

Para Mia

The cheerful atmosphere and the promise of smoothies, lure us to Para Mia.

The friendly service and relaxing atmosphere encourage a return.

We sit on the deck sipping morning coffee, eating fresh, yummy, sandwiches as colorful as Para Mia’s shutters and trim.

It’s the perfect little cafe.

Cool Corner

Two Americans, a Canadian Snowbird, and a Doctor, walk into a bar…

Our hike on The Quill leaves us hungry. Not just hungry, but that deep-down-growling-monster-in-the-abyss-of-your-belly hungry.

It’s Sunday afternoon. Many of the restaurants on the island are closed. Fortunately Cool Corner has what we need.

Soooooo hungrrryyyy…..we order heaping plates of fried rice. I get chicken. Shannon gets the pork.

It’s some of the best fried rice we’ve ever had. It’s not greasy, not one bit. The overload of carbs and protein, restores our energy.

With nothing planned for the rest of the day, we take our time. A Canadian snowbird sitting at the bar, begins to chat us up. The island’s ob/gyn orders lunch, before joining in the conversation.

I’m positively fascinated. I want to know everything about what it’s like to live on small island.

We learn that the goats, that I’ve been delighted to see roaming around, are actually a nuisance to island locals.

The goats have owners, who set them free in the morning to munch whatever they please. It’s almost impossible for residents to have gardens, or even grass. The goats destroy all vegetation in their path. It’s one of the top political hot points, pitting goat owners against those who think the goats should not be allowed to roam free. It’s such an important political topic, there is a saying during elections, “the goat is the vote.”

Many other topics are discussed. Our biggest take aways…

1. No matter where you live, there will be troubles.
2. Don’t over schedule travel days. With no other plans, we nursed ice teas and had a memorable afternoon learning from locals at Cool Corner.

Don’t forget to say hello to the Cool Corner kitty.

Ocean View Terrace

In Philadelphia we have a famous, charismatic, Rene (Rim Cafe -if you visit us, we’ll take you to meet him).

When I learn that St. Eustatius has a famous, charismatic, Rene, we make haste to the Ocean View Terrace.

Friendly, fun, Rene, lives up to his reputation. It’s an honor to interact with him and watch him fly about the restaurant making sure diners are happy.

While ordering, the woman behind me remarks to Rene,

“I’ll get the t-bone. I saw you getting off of the plane with it. It looked so good.”

Our meal starts with Rene’s popular rum punch, accompanied by an inspiring sunset view.

Lovers of island travel, we’ve had our share of rum punch. Rene’s rum punch is the best so far.

An order of chicken cordon blue is shared,

before we dine on shrimp. Being a dutch restaurant, I appreciate the bottles of ketchup and mayonnaise that accompany our fries.

We clean our plates, grateful for another delicious meal on St. Eustatius.

Taste of Cultures 

One of the highlights of our St. Eustatius Tour with Misha, is learning about Statia’s Taste of Cultures.

Taste of Cultures is a food festival that occurs once a month. We would have missed it, but a small ship cruise docks during our visit, so the island hosts the festival early for the ship’s passengers.

The atmosphere is high-spirited.

The smell of grilled meats, saucy stews, and baked happiness, swirl from surrounding stalls. The night fills with the anticipation of flavors soon to be tasted.

We make the rounds, then make the rounds again. Everything is tempting. It’s difficult to decide.  In the end, our sampling includes,

Jerk Chicken

Shrimp Kebab

Whole Fish

and Tamarind Juice

(and a few things that don’t have accompanying pictures).

The food is great, but the best part of the evening, is the performance by the Simon Doncker Club.

Having spent a lot of time involved in youth drama, as a youth, and as an adult director, I’m highly impressed by Misha, who is writer, director, and actor.

The play is about a (talking) donkey named Moses who everyone, but his owner, takes for granted.

It’s a funny, yet thoughtful play, with very talented actors. I especially like the “American Tourists.”

Misha’s passion for teaching and instilling St. Eustatius’ history and culture into the younger generations is admirable.

I’m grateful for the small cruise ship that gave us the ability to experience Statia’s Taste of Cultures.

From festivals, to charismatic restaurant owners, friendly phone returners, and goat politics teachers, eating around St. Eustatius, was a highlight of our trip.

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