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Sadly most of us can't be there to enjoy the reopening of a forum favorite - the Wall House Restaurant - which is opening today for the season. In ho

KaraBrooks

Senior Insider
Wall House - In honor of the reopening

Sadly most of us can't be there to enjoy the reopening of a forum favorite - the Wall House Restaurant - which is opening today for the season. In honor of the reopening, however, I am unveiling the new Wall House website we created (this was, without a doubt, done on island time as it has been in the works for months). It includes menus, wine list and a photo slideshow: Wall House's website

An online store where you can purchase gift certificates, rhum and order rare wines is coming soon. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the "virtual" Wall House experience.
 
Re: Wall House - In honor of the reopening

Beautiful site. The photo slideshow is well......mouthwatering! The food looks SOOOO delicious!

Cheri
 
Re: Wall House - In honor of the reopening

its hard to think about the Wall House as I'm shaking snow off my boots...but that Veal recipe looks scrumptous and I think I'll give it a test run..thanks for posting it!
 
Re: Wall House - In honor of the reopening

Thanks Kara! Is it too early to book a table for 02/02/05?
 
Re: Wall House - In honor of the reopening

Kara, Thanks for the site.I've already added it to my "favorites".Wall House has been our favorite since it opened in 2000.Since it replaced a mediocre and unpopular restaurant, it was pretty empty at first,but it did not take long for the good word to ciculate.Planning to eat a few meals there in December, and now can reserve ahead.
 
Re: Wall House - In honor of the reopening

Thank you Kara. I found the link you had placed on the site earlier. The food looked so wonderful I used the reservation link to make a dinner reservation for November 11.
 
Re: Wall House - In honor of the reopening

Kara - perhaps the owners need to know about the response the Wall House got to the "thread of the week:" if you had to choose one restaurant..getting picked in that category by this group was quite a good thing, and may need to be on the new web site.

Who took the food photos? You?

Bob
 
Re: Wall House - In honor of the reopening

Wall House-we stumbled upon it by chance in what must have been April, 2000. We were trying to go to L'Escale and then settled on La Marine since it was so close but we found both to be closed that night. By this time it was around 8:45 pm and we were starving. We were on our way to I don't know where when we passed the Wall House. After some discussion among the four of us we came to the conclusion that this place looked as good as any (with this being a Sunday night). We went in, there was hardly anyone there and we were seated promptly. It turned out to be a very nice dining experience and evening. The service and food were both exceptional (probably some of the best service ever in SBH)......literally we were treated like kings and queens and, the prices were certainly right. The only thing we didn't like was that the restaurant was too brightly lit but this past April, it seemed that that was no longer the case. We have been back every year and are always greeted very warmly by Denis and since then I have read about Wall House in Kara & Bob's book, Paradise Found. This successful restaurant story could not have happened to two nicer guys!
 
Re: Wall House - In honor of the reopening

Bob takes the food photos and I take the people pictures and then, of course, everything is run through Photoshop - cropped, edited, fussed with, etc. (The same was true with Paradise Found). The real credit in this case, however, goes to Franck who creates just stunning looking food.

We also remember our first visit to Wall House. I think we circled the block three times trying to determine if anyone was eating there. Franck and Denis now laugh (although I doubt it was all that funny at the time) about how literally entire days would go by and they wouldn't have a single customer (and at that point they were open for breakfast, lunch and dinner!) It is hard to imagine.

It is amazing that they could take over a failed restaurant and not have the money to change much of anything initially (and they ideally would have liked to have changed just about everything -- it took them, for example, four years just to get new chairs) and turn it into such a huge success. They are such a great example of the "if you build it (and it's terrific and it's reasonably priced) they will come."

Bob - I think you are right that we should add some of the comments from the recent post to the site -- the Wall House was certainly the overwhelming favorite. When we told Denis and Franck that they were selected as the best restaurant in the Best of St. Barths Awards this was the response:

"Thank you so much for the awards, it's really enjoying, and so gooood for our pride and very comforting!!!"

It is great when success happens to such nice people.
 
Re: Wall House - In honor of the reopening

We did not make it to Wall House until our third trip to the island. As such, we were already spoiled rotton but went to Wall House anyway because of all the glowing reports.

We were seated at the "window" (which is, of course, a misnomer in a restaurant with no walls). We watched the sun set over the harbor as the lights came up and occasional lovers strolled hand in hand past us. After dark, it was easy to imagine I was sitting beside the Seine or in Monaco or anywhere else magical before I realized I was in the most magical place of all, St Barts.

For romance and aromas, ambiance and quality, wait staff and price, Wall House can easily be tops on any list.
 
Re: Wall House - In honor of the reopening

You've put together a great website for the Wall House, Kara, one that is easily the best SBH restaurant website I've seen. I have been visiting restuarants at the Wall House location for 20+ years. My first Thanksgiving on the island was at Aux Trois Gourmands, predecessor to several incarnations of the Wall House. Frank and Denis have rescued a restaurant that was getting worse every day, and turned it into the best restaurant on that location in my memory.

The key fact about Wall House and it's customers, the one thing that is most telling, is that with the numerous great restaurants on SBH, that so many of us choose to visit Wall House not once but multiple times during our all-too-short vacations.
 
Re: Wall House - In honor of the reopening

I currently use the Wall House business card as one of my bookmarks. It reminds me about the memorable and fantastic meals we had there last May. It also makes me terribly anxious for our next trip in January 2005. We have rented Sky Villa, not coincidently, right up the hill from Wall House. Great job on the website Kara. Now I just have to control myself for.......79 more days....
 
Re: Wall House - In honor of the reopening

Thanks Kara- great job. The veal recipe was one of the first I did when I got the book. Denis and Franck couldn't stop writing on the book when I had them autograph it.
 
Re: La Marine/ was Wall House -

<<then settled on La Marine since it was so close >>>
BTW, as a matter of curiousity, how many of you have the patience to deal with the wait and the crowds for their weekly 'Mussels flown in from France' fest?
Used to do it, last year, after the wait on line and the crazy service (not the fault of the waitresses, just too few of em) I have sworn off it for life...
there is NOTHING in life worth waiting that long, and getting that aggravated for...and yes, I KNOW i'm a NYer, but STILL....
Ain't the free market great?
 
Re: La Marine/ was Wall House -

Try Wednesday, they have them then as well and the lines aren't as bad.
 
Re: La Marine/ was Wall House -

We stopped going to La Marine years ago. I'm not a mussels eater but my husband is and he didn't think they were worth
the wait, and the lousy table they were trying to give us when the restaurant was empty and we had reservations. There are too many other good choices. And yes, I'm a NYer too, but I'm very patient on vacation but I didn't like the treatment there.
 
Re: La Marine/ was Wall House -

I've long since given up on a number of the traditional "most do's" in SBH. I haven't bothered with the mussels at La Marine in years. I also no longer bother with Maya's.
 
Re: La Marine/ was Wall House -

Quote: "I also no longer bother with Maya's
You can always count on attitude and the highest tab on the island. The food is good but not that good.
 
Re: La Marine/ was Wall House -

the best Mussels in the world come from Prince Edward Island anyway.....not France ....I dont wait in line for anything when I am on vacation......I suppose that little rule of mine will have to be waived when the day comes that I have to take the little darling to DisneyWorld...but until then...someone else can wait in my place
 
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