The new Spyglass restaurant is taking its first menu (click above/below to see bigger) for a test drive with a soft open. There is Mexican (lots of Mexican in Cruz Bay these days), burgers, salads, sandwiches and wraps.

It’s an introductory menu, meaning it is a work in progress. Let them know what you’d like to see.

There is a new record holder in the 8 Tuff Miles race. Thomas Chorny, from Bloomington, Indiana, ran a smokin’ 46:27, beating the previous record set last year by Jeremy Zuber by more than three minutes. (Zuber did not run this year.)

Second place men: Christopher Reis, Cincinnati, Ohio: 46:56

First place women: Ruth Ann David, St. Thomas: 58:03

Second place women: Emily Egelhoff-Whalen, Raleigh, NC: 63:21

There were 1,000 runners signed up for this year’s race.

So the Northeast is digging out from under a major snowfall yet again.

For those of you who haven’t seen white snow for awhile, here’s On-StJohn.com reader Quenton’s backyard video from Freehold, New Jersey.

For those of you who haven’t seen white sand for awhile, here’s some St. John backyard video from us.

Happy Fish at The Marketplace has been open a little over two years now, enough time to say it’s got staying power.

This is the Sashimi Moriawase….five fresh fish…$23. All of their dishes are very pretty.

Many locals love this place, and more tourists should try it out. (And you don’t have to like sashimi. There’s non-raw stuff on the menu too.) Just remember your sushi-eating manners and NEVER rub your chopsticks together.

I Scream won’t name a hot dog after just anyone, but when you come up with something like this, it deserves a spot on the menu.

Introducing the soon-to-be-famous Hall Dog.

Forrest Hall, from Low Key Watersports,  likes his weenie with Reese’s Peanut Butter sauce, barbeque sauce and relish. The Hall Dog. $4.50.

(Is it just us, or is Forrest the spitting image of Orlando Bloom as that archer elf dude, Legolas,  in the Lord of the Rings?)

It didn’t take long for a new restaurant to move into the former The Balcony space at Wharfside Village.

The new restaurant is called Spyglass (“dining with a view”), and it may open as early as this week.

We hear the new owners also operate restaurants at the Yacht Haven Grande on St. Thomas, including the popular W!kked restaurant.

They’re making a few changes, like relocating the orientation of the bar, but one thing they can’t change is that beautiful view.

Dress up folks. Boat Cam is taking us to Caneel Bay’s Turtle Beach. Top siders, khakis and polo shirts, collars flipped up of course. Let’s go.

Ditleff Point is a beautiful spot, no doubt about it. There are already three villas completed on the peninsula.

Check out the developer’s Ditleff Point plans, below!

This may be a first in the annals of St. John addiction profiling: A reader who has been obsessed with St. John for 3 years …but who has not even been to the island. Yet.

Shannon Meglasson of the Dallas/Ft. Worth area sends us these St. John in the Snow pictures, noting DFW’s record breaking 12 inches of snow.

“I am obsessed with St. John, and will be on island for the first time March 21! It will only be for a few hours as part of a cruise I am taking with my friends, but I can’t wait,” she tells us. “I’ve been a reader for three years and start every day with St. John Websites. I hope to be a future resident.”

Wow. Hooked even before the high.  You’re a crack dealer’s dream, Shannon.  We have a feeling you’ll be back.

Below, Shannon’s homemade painkiller, and co-worker Phil’s photo of Texas’ Shiner beer and a Whalebone Surf Shop sticker (NC) on his mailbox.

This is another Jeep Cam for die-hard fans. From Jolly Dog to Tourist Trap, a real-time 6 minute drive. Watch a couple of those curves. Otherwise enjoy the smooth ride!

Baltimore dentist Dr. Scott Hubert, who has been visiting St. John since 1993, has found a way to put his patients and himself at ease: a wall-to-wall mural of Trunk Bay.

“I placed the Trunk Bay overlook mural in my dental office for its natural beauty and its ability to provide comfort and relaxation to my patients,” Scott tells us.  “ But it doesn’t hurt that a quick glance allows me an instant change of attitude and escape to my favorite spot.”

Scott, preparing for his next trip for 8 Tuff Miles 2010, also says lots of his patients have ended up booking vacations to St. John because of their time in the chair staring at the mural.

Hmm, doctor. That’s an excellent captive audience. How about selling us some ad space?

Like the Annaberg Plantation, the Annaberg Country School ruins are on the North Shore, and the site is incredibly well preserved.

The school opened in 1856.

It didn’t last long.  According to the St. John Historical Society, the school was closed five years later after the schoolmaster was dismissed on grounds of “gross immorality.” Whoa.

Check out the Annaberg School ruins, below.