Jeudi Moules-Frites at Santa Fé
- Thread starter KevinS
- Start date
KevinS
Senior Insider
So let's talk about the new Santa Fé. I like it, I've been there twice on this trip, and I'll be back again before I leave.
It's essentially a new restaurant. It's in the same location, it has the same name (required in the terms of the lease), it has the same view, and it has the same cooling breezes. Everything else has changed. There are:
New owners - David and Chef Cristophe from Dõ Brazil. I've chatted with David a bit, and my impression is that he's a good guy. I vaguely remember him from when he worked at the the Michelle version of Santa Fé. I've never spent much time at Dõ Brazil.
New employees - Nadine may be found at La Gloriette. The rest of the former staff has left the island. You'll recognize some of the current faces from other restaurants, Hideaway and Dõ Brazil come to mind. There is more testosterone on the waitstaff, and fewer curves.
New menus - which can be found on the Access St Barth website
http://www.access-stbarth.com/en/restaurants-st-barts/for-lunch/restaurant-le-santa-fe
http://www.access-stbarth.com/publi...fe/restaurant-le-santa-fe-st-barts-dinner.pdf
Is your favorite menu item still there? Maybe, maybe not. David and Christophe have opened a new restaurant where an old restaurant used to be. They're not Manu and Marisol, and they are putting out the menu that they want to put out, not the menu that Manu put out. Some things do carry over, today's excellent mussels being an example.
Is Santa Fé still good? Absolutely. There was a good crowd there both times that I visited for lunch. 45+ covers for lunch isn't bad.
Bottom line, there's a new restaurant in Lurin, and it's a good one that is worth a try. We were happy with both of our lunches there, once as a walk-in and once with a reservation. I recommend making a reservation. Most people who arrived without one were shunted to the side room. David, Christophe, and their team are good at what they do. Give them a chance to prove it to you. The phone number is 0590 27 61 04.
It's essentially a new restaurant. It's in the same location, it has the same name (required in the terms of the lease), it has the same view, and it has the same cooling breezes. Everything else has changed. There are:
New owners - David and Chef Cristophe from Dõ Brazil. I've chatted with David a bit, and my impression is that he's a good guy. I vaguely remember him from when he worked at the the Michelle version of Santa Fé. I've never spent much time at Dõ Brazil.
New employees - Nadine may be found at La Gloriette. The rest of the former staff has left the island. You'll recognize some of the current faces from other restaurants, Hideaway and Dõ Brazil come to mind. There is more testosterone on the waitstaff, and fewer curves.
New menus - which can be found on the Access St Barth website
http://www.access-stbarth.com/en/restaurants-st-barts/for-lunch/restaurant-le-santa-fe
http://www.access-stbarth.com/publi...fe/restaurant-le-santa-fe-st-barts-dinner.pdf
Is your favorite menu item still there? Maybe, maybe not. David and Christophe have opened a new restaurant where an old restaurant used to be. They're not Manu and Marisol, and they are putting out the menu that they want to put out, not the menu that Manu put out. Some things do carry over, today's excellent mussels being an example.
Is Santa Fé still good? Absolutely. There was a good crowd there both times that I visited for lunch. 45+ covers for lunch isn't bad.
Bottom line, there's a new restaurant in Lurin, and it's a good one that is worth a try. We were happy with both of our lunches there, once as a walk-in and once with a reservation. I recommend making a reservation. Most people who arrived without one were shunted to the side room. David, Christophe, and their team are good at what they do. Give them a chance to prove it to you. The phone number is 0590 27 61 04.
elgreaux
Senior Insider
Ross&Delaine
SBH Insider
And their house rum is excellent. brought a bottle home
sugarkohn
SBH Member
Agree with all the positive comments. 4 of us dined last night and had so much fun we forgot to take photos. David is delightfully warm and witty with a great history and knowledge of food and the island. Crab/lobster cake had excellent flavor but a bit mushy- missed the crispness of most crab cakes; Eric loved his veal sweetbreads, while the rest of thought our mahi mahi and sea bass were outstanding- perfectly cooked, moist, flavorful. Loved the sweet potato purée - David said it is cooked in coconut milk with a little sugar and vanilla.
Agree about the great vanilla rum- with a touch of both orange and coffee in it. We were so satisfied that we had no room for dessert!
Only surprise was that it was not very crowded-- hope business picks up at night, as this was our favorite restaurant on this trip!
Agree about the great vanilla rum- with a touch of both orange and coffee in it. We were so satisfied that we had no room for dessert!
Only surprise was that it was not very crowded-- hope business picks up at night, as this was our favorite restaurant on this trip!
The compliments are very well deserved. David & Christophe are succeeding with their personal "high mark" stamped on a location that Emanuel rescued from infamy. The style of David & Christophe evokes Santa Fe's incarnation under "Manu," but deserves its own distinctive place in island fine dining.
Reed
Senior Insider
I have never understood why they call the crab cake "Nantucket style". Crab is not a local catch (some blue crabs) and when we do make crab cakes we do not put potatoes in ours which were in the crab cakes I had one time at Manu's Santa Fe. Does anyone have any details on this dish?
MIke R
Senior Insider
Because it's all about giving the dish a romantic name...same reason they call Patagonian toothfish Chilean Sea Bass, despite the fact they aren't a sea bass at all OR within 1000 miles of Chili!!!!.....smoke and mirrors ...sell the brand name, not the actual product ..and gullible consumers won't be able to get enough of it if the name is sexy enough
and potato in a crab cake is just wrong .....period.....good God does that ever cheapen a classic dish ...my crab cakes are 100% crab meat .....no filler
cassidain
Senior Insider
what binds the "cake"?
MIke R
Senior Insider
Cass..this is the same recipe I use for all seafood cakes..lobster..clams or fish - as well as crab...
in one bowl a pound of meat..a couple tablespoons of bread crumbs ....chopped parsley ....a few pinches of Old Bay..salt and pepper to taste ..a squeeze of lemon ....mix well
in one bowl ....two tablespoons of heavy mayo ....a pinch of dry mustard..a few drops of Tabasco , one egg or just white of one egg , two eggs if they re small eggs .....whisk it well
combine the contents of the two bowls two to form patties
fry in cast iron pan ( butter and peanut oil ) until both sides are golden brown
or broil
I fry
Serve em with a tartar sauce or creole sauce
sorry but I typically don't use exact measurements but instead do everything by sight and feel ...it's how I was taught
if the mixture is too wet just add a little more breadcrumb
in one bowl a pound of meat..a couple tablespoons of bread crumbs ....chopped parsley ....a few pinches of Old Bay..salt and pepper to taste ..a squeeze of lemon ....mix well
in one bowl ....two tablespoons of heavy mayo ....a pinch of dry mustard..a few drops of Tabasco , one egg or just white of one egg , two eggs if they re small eggs .....whisk it well
combine the contents of the two bowls two to form patties
fry in cast iron pan ( butter and peanut oil ) until both sides are golden brown
or broil
I fry
Serve em with a tartar sauce or creole sauce
sorry but I typically don't use exact measurements but instead do everything by sight and feel ...it's how I was taught
if the mixture is too wet just add a little more breadcrumb
