OSJ: How did you three guys hook up?

MP: Jason and I were working together in Colorado and decided to move to St. Thomas. We were working at Havana Blue, and that’s where we met Jonathan.  We all opened a restaurant in Vieques a year later.

OSJ: How did you end up on St. John?

MP: We lost our lease on Vieques and a deal to open another restaurant there fell through, so we started looking around. We looked at four or five places on St. John, but the China Shack location was the best deal. We got in here for just picking up the lease and remodeling costs.

OSJ: The place looks completely different.

MP: We shrunk the bar down. There are eight seats at the bar now. And we’ve got table seating for another 25.

OSJ: Tell us about the menu.

MP: We’re focusing on the South of France and South of Spain for inspiration. La Plancha literally means “iron,” but it’s also a cooking style.  I have a two foot by three foot steel plate for a grill that gets up to 600 degrees. That means quick searing. I’ll be able to sear tuna by literally just rolling it across the grill. We have a one pound ribeye that’ll be fantastic quick seared.

OSJ: What about prices?

MP: We’ve gone out to eat around St. John since we got here in November, and we feel many restaurants here are charging what they can, not what they should.  We’re hoping to keep our prices more reasonable, so working folks on St. John can afford to go out to dinner. Entrees will all be under $35.

OSJ: Running a restaurant isn’t cheap these days, is it?

MP: We’re keeping costs as low as we can. It is just the three of us plus a dishwasher.

OSJ: What’s your strategy for making that location work? 

MP: Well, we plan on promoting ourselves a lot. And we’re hoping to do some cross- promotional stuff with the other restaurants here, Happy Fish and Satyamuna. This location is not a bad location. Think about it. We have the easiest parking in Cruz Bay. We’re hoping to draw a lot of locals.

OSJ: You’re the chef, Mike. What’s your background?

MP: I’ve got 15 years’ experience in the business. I started at an Italian restaurant in my hometown when I was 15. I graduated from the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute. I’ve worked all over, from Long Beach to Colorado. I was an executive chef at age 23 at a hotel in downtown Denver.

OSJ: We love the sea urchin bar top!

MP: We made it ourselves and it took forever to make.  We laid down black sand and put the urchins on top, then started adding layers of clear epoxy. An eighth of an inch at a time, an inch and a half worth. It took 72 hours straight just pouring epoxy.  The urchins are lit up with Christmas lights from underneath.

OSJ: Where are you guys living?

MP: Living? We rented apartments close by, but I think we’ll be pretty much living at the restaurant!