L'ESPRIT JEAN CLAUDE DUFOUR - Simply Terrific!

[Islander]

We folks don't play in the same league, that's for sure. I find a steak at 46 euros expensive, but at 63 euros, it's insane (says my banker). The interesting part is that it seems to become the "norm" to pay this much for an evening meal in St Barths?

OK, for now, I'll stick with a Cheeseburger in Paradise and a Carib, or a pizza and a rhum vanille. Luckily there are still Le Select and the Hideaway for the poor.

I'll return to L'Esprit when the summer special is back.

 

[amyb]

We also enjoyed the summer menu...that guy can cook!

 

[MIke R]

And the famous spaghetti dish at Toiny is now 55 euro.

I love it!
:up:

 

[MIke R]

We folks don't play in the same league, that's for sure. I find a steak at 46 euros expensive, but at 63 euros, it's insane (says my banker). The interesting part is that it seems to become the "norm" to pay this much for an evening meal in St Barths?

OK, for now, I'll stick with a Cheeseburger in Paradise and a Carib, or a pizza and a rhum vanille. Luckily there are still Le Select and the Hideaway for the poor.

I'll return to L'Esprit when the summer special is back.

I ve spent a quarter of a lifetime studying price resistance as it relates to the demographic a business is handling..... so let me assure you of two things here ..one is, many of this gang ( and many other nouveau visitors.....wait am I allowed to use a French word?)) have an extraordinary high resistance to price, and two, the fine ( and smart) merchants and resto owners are completely dialed into that....I applaud them

 

[andynap]

I love it!
:up:

What's the matter? Don't you like spaghetti with Parmesan cream sauce? :triumphant:

 

[amyb]

And black truffles.

 

[elgreaux]

We also enjoyed the summer menu...that guy can cook!

he's not so bad on the eyes either !

 

[Karen]

he's not so bad on the eyes either !

Well then, I hope he's open in late June or early July. The restaurant was not open on our last 2 trips. We loved the meal and experience before that. As far as other comments go, we work hard and want to enjoy the vacation, so I say, one should spend his/her money as he/she wishes to do so..

 

[Reed]

Thanks John for this nice cross section of menus with pricing. If we are going to pay 45-65 Euro for an entree then we would expect the whole dinning experience to be exceptional from the moment we arrived till we were presented with the check. We are saving Orega for a special night to enjoy the labors of our friends, the owners. I have only had lunch at JCD's place and is was lovely. I was reading this thread to Kona and we were hard pressed coming up with recalling dinners out that were WOW, OMG, FAB, CRAZY GOOD. This includes all price points. It is difficult to get it all right in the food business. Service is key to us. Waiting an inappropriate amount of time to get a drink, bottle of water, wine or waiting over 40 minutes as some people have mentioned to get their food, is awful. So, money aside, I would love to hear where people are having exceptional and oh so fabulous dinners. We don't get out much for dinner and have been to all but a couple of restos on the island. Where is the WOW factor happening? The I don't care what it cost because it was amazing and I would go again tomorrow place? kr

 

[Bart -my real name-]

So, money aside, I would love to hear where people are having exceptional and oh so fabulous dinners. We don't get out much for dinner and have been to all but a couple of restos on the island. Where is the WOW factor happening? The I don't care what it cost because it was amazing and I would go again tomorrow place? kr

This ties into your other question about owners actually being in the joint working and not schmoozing.

I get that great, welcomed, we're so happy you joined us feeling at Santa Fe most of all. From the greeting before you enter the dining area , to the service during the meal, to the goodbye after the meal, the service is classy and understated, but attentive and there when you need it but not obtrusive. I get a major feeling of tranquility and serenity when I'm there, as if you entered a new world where everything is quieter, softer, more relaxed and peaceful.

It feels like they are truly grateful that you chose to eat with them, and not the other way around where you feel like the restaurant is doing you a favor buy allowing you to spend money there.


I get a similar vibe from the owners at Tamarin, but I don't think the rest of the staff is working the high level of the Santa Fe staff. Of course, Santa Fe has the same staff year after year, which is telling.

 

[cassidain]

is there a reason all of you are writing 46 euro and not 46 euros ? une petite chose, but it roused my curiosity.

 

[Bart -my real name-]

Cool kids drop the "s"

In Kara's post she mentioned a salad she ordered described as "vegetables and leaves salad, lemon cream" and it was 32 euro! .

 

[cassidain]

oh !

 

[JEK]

Just say € (option+shift+2)

 

[MIke R]

Reed and Karen you both bring up valid points for sure...

for me it's not about the money at all ....I ll spend big coin on a meal without hesitation....BUT it has to reach my standards of excellence which include FRESH locally sourced food, CONSISTENTLY done well, portioned in a manner that does not leave me hungry soon after, in a comfortable setting, with attentive, but not overbearing service.....if it does all that it's money well spent......in a couple of weeks Kevin, Kate, Wendi and I will dine in a place in Portland Maine, that is on many top 100 restaurants in America list, which will have high prices but totally deliver on all the forementioned parameters ......it will wow us for certain now, as it has done every year prior...truly great places are not allowed the luxury of a "night off" which, based on the reviews I read in here, as well as my own experiences, and even considering how subjective good versus bad can be, seems to happen often in SBH, due to a variety of reasons ....some legitimate...some not


I have yet to dine in a place in SBH which maxes out in ALL the above mentioned criteria........but in reality, how can they, in an environment of high chef and wait staff turnover, and a lack of diverse available fresh food, deliver a product that knocks it out of the park night in night out.....a great sauce with outstanding presentation can only do so much......I think given their challenges they do a great job, but I certainly wouldn't call it world class dining worthy of the prices they charge....no way

but everyone has different standards and do what makes you happy and all those other cliches apply here .....

 

[didier]

I vote for eddy's for price, ambiance, and the overall dining experience. wow,crazy, love this place!!!!

 

[Reed]

is there a reason all of you are writing 46 euro and not 46 euros ? une petite chose, but it roused my curiosity.

Simple Cass,

I am not on the "French Forum" which dictates appropriate use of stuff I don't even know how to use on my computer. A thousand pardons, I do know how to add as "s" and will try to do so in future posts. For the more sensitive posters, this is simply me having a laugh with Cass so don't lose any sleep over my reply kr

 

[cassidain]

 

[GayleR]

I ve spent a quarter of a lifetime studying price resistance as it relates to the demographic a business is handling..... so let me assure you of two things here ..one is, many of this gang ( and many other nouveau visitors.....wait am I allowed to use a French word?)) have an extraordinary high resistance to price, and two, the fine ( and smart) merchants and resto owners are completely dialed into that....I applaud them

The older I get, the cheaper I become!

 

[cec1]

Out of curiosity, I checked the menus of the top 3 - 4 restaurants in Jacksonville, FL (where I live -- sometimes known as "South Georgia"). As a point of comparison, a filet mignon at dinner seems to be priced about $36 - $42. Now, I have to say that "JAX" is a very pleasant place to live, and the restaurants can be very good, but neither measures up to what I find on SBH. My point is that the premium prices attached to "high end" restaurants on St. Barths don't seem to be extraordinary, considering costs associated with importing food to the island and that it's a luxury holiday destination. With specific respect to L'Espirit, Tamarin, Santa Fe, Maya's, etc., I think that most of us see the price differential -- between "home" and such places on SBH -- as something akin to a "cover charge" for being in a setting we enjoy. When the comparison moves from JAX to other US venues such as Manhattan, San Francisco, LA, Washington, DC, etc., I find that there's no differential.