If you’re a cheesecake fan, you’ll find what might be the best you’ve ever had at an unexpected location.
Shipwreck Landing in Coral Bay.
Bartender, and New Hampshire native Karen Depree, who’s been on St. John for 10 years now, bakes fresh cheesecakes most weeks for Shipwreck, and she tosses a bit of St. John flair into many of them.
“My favorite one is coconut orange, but one of the most popular is my Bushwacker cheesecake,” Karen says. “It’s got everything you’d get in a Bushwacker drink like Kahlua, Bailey’s and crème de cacao, and I top it with a chocolate sauce.”
Others include the Godiva chocolate-coconut cheesecake, and our favorite, the white chocolate with toasted almonds and amaretto cheesecake.
So how’d she get so good at cheesecake?
“I’ve worked in a lot of restaurants and I’ve asked a lot of questions,” Karen says.
Here is the latest from the Cruz Bay Park renovation project.
Lovely park benches with a view of, well the fence right now, but soon the waterfront. Some nice landscaping is going in, and part of the back fence is already down.
When will this be finished? It’s 95 percent finished now, which, by St. John rules, is as good as done!
On-StJohn.com reader Steve Vanderbosch points us to the latest issue of Coastal Living magazine, which features a sunscreen brand that won’t harm coral reefs.
Who knew that was a problem?
“Anything that’s good for the reefs,” says Steve. “Now about those Lionfish and ferries…”
Sleeping flight control tower guys have been making headlines lately, but what about sleeping Captains?
This US Airways pilot recently came out of the cockpit, plopped himself down right next to me and promptly dozed off. I didn’t even have a chance to say ‘Uh, who’s flying this thing?’
I make this Charlotte to St. Thomas flight frequently, and I’ve never had the pleasure of bunking up with a drowsy pilot. There must be an explanation.
(He woke a half hour before landing time and brought us in, well rested.)
Mike Prout, who co-founded what has become one of St. John’s most popular restaurants, died from an accidental fall at his home Thursday.
Mike leaves behind his four year old son, Parker, and wife Megan, who is due with their second child this fall.
Mike, and partners Jason Howard and Jonathan Fritz opened La Plancha del Mar in January 2009 at The Marketplace, and recently relocated to Mongoose Junction.
Our condolences to Mike’s family, and to friends and partners Jonathan and Jason, through whom we hope Mike’s talent and creativity will live on.
A double yellow line means “No passing.” A triple yellow line means “There’s a tree in the middle of the road!”
There’s all sorts of road striping work going on around the island, but this work in front of the Westin wins the award for creativity in the face of an unexpected obstacle.
Today’s Lunch of the Week takes us to the beach at the Westin Resort and the always lovely Snorkel’s Bar & Grill, open to guests and non-guests alike.
Caribbean chicken wings with mango BBQ sauce, blue cheese dressing and onion rings, $16. And Chicken Jungle Mania salad with grilled Caribbean spiced chicken, romaine lettuce, cucumbers, radishes, mango, crumbled blue cheese and sprouts with balsamic vinaigrette, $16.
Oh… and a bucket of beer. Make it a long lunch. Relax and enjoy the view and the people watching. There’s plenty of parking, and the prices are worth the premium. You’re on a beach!
It has been seven years since St. John artist Elaine Estern last painted St. John’s most iconic vista, the Trunk Bay Overlook.
“I was inspired to paint it again. It’s a right of sorts for artists on St. John to see if they can get it better each time they paint it,” Elaine tells us, “It’s my favorite image in the new calendar, and it’s the cover image, and I titled it ‘Island Romance.’”
Elaine has been painting 12 images specifically for her annual calendar every year for the last 12 years, and this year’s calendar is called “Surf and Turf.”
“It’s not steak and lobster surf and turf, but eye candy that you can enjoy while going through the months of the year,” she says. “Six underwater images and six vistas including some of our most notable trees on St. John, like the flamboyant at Caneel Bay and the Rain Tree and Cinnamon Bay.”
Elaine’s new calendars ship in October. You can pre-order here.
Arthur Hercules and his wife Monica have been running Hercules Pate Delight which, not counting a fire last fall that closed it down for several months, has been serving up hot Pate for more than 20 years.
Things you may not know about Arthur Hercules: He studied at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. He spent time in the Grand Tetons. He got his start as a houseman at the Hilton on St. Thomas. And before opening Hercules Pate Delight, he worked at Caneel Bay, where he met Monica.
Learn about Arthur’s famous pate (go for the chicken), and enjoy his absolutely infectious laugh, below….
From the St. John Spice lookout, the sad view on a not so sunny morning of a Cruz Bay Park that didn’t get finished in time for today’s Festival parade.
The writing on the fence points you toward the vendors’ location this year, in the parking lot by Nature’s Nook.
On today’s Flip Flop Cam stroll, we’ll go from Joe’s Diner to Mongoose Junction. In 3 just days, the Carnival Parade will be making its way down this stretch.
Lots of sidewalk space, but look both ways before crossing the street. Flip Flop Cam to Mongoose, below!
