Things We Miss

Izzy, that was a great show and La Banane was so casual a place, it was fun to take guests to see the cabaret.. it later moved - I think to Boubou's restaurant at Le Sereno (someone please correct me if I'm wrong....)


Among the things I would like to have not missed (jcdoody lists some too...). Some years back, Dennis had posted a link to the old Civilized Explorer website describing the shows run by Rivière (transcribed below) and providing unfavorable comments about the incarnation at Le Sereno (found at the still accessible Civilized Explorer site):

Let us take a moment here to describe our previous visits to La Banane under the management of M Rivière. M Rivière owned a small hotel with restaurant in Lorient. He put on a show, using his waiters and more nearly professional performers. We attended twice during his tenure, and the shows were similar. There were men who dressed very badly as women with bad eye makeup and lipstick. To call it cross dressing would be too kind. There were scantily clad women who danced and lip- synced to recorded music. He might have an actual singer. When you arrived for dinner, the waiters knew exactly how long till show time and directed your meal accordingly. Once when we were running a little late, the waiter suggested ordering immediately, as nothing was served during the show. M Rivière selected a good mix of songs; some were American, some were old French standards that the audience sang along with in wonderful spirits. The cast was enthusiastic, the waiters joined in with an enthusiasm that we have not seen since college performances. We learned that the audience was expected to exhibit the same enthusiasm when a female performer swatted your male Civilized Explorer on the back of his head for not being turned in his chair to give her his undivided attention. It is true that the level of performance was amateur, that the humor was heavy handed, but M Rivière ended every performance with a heartfelt performance of "New York, New York," and a good time was had by all. The food was excellent, and the service was very good, with attentive waiters who kept things moving without appearing rushed.
 
Aaaahhh! The Civilized Explorer — Phil Stripling, a charming man & raconteur. He wrote so lovingly & eloquently of St. Barths. Thanks for this flashback, Izzy (& I agreed with Phil, the cabaret of La Banane lost some of its vitality when it went to Boubou’s . . . in part, I think, because there was a loss of intimacy in the larger space).
 
La Banane!!! On my husband and my first visit in 1991, we went for dinner at La Banane and had NO idea there was a show with dinner! What a fun surprise and a fun evening...thanks for the memory.
 
The outside bar at the airport where you could sit and wait for your friends to arrive or your bags on the next flight over
 
Emanuel and his blue eyes and his swanlike profiteroles, flotant, frogs legs, and beef Bourguignon at the old Santa Fe.

Oh, and add the classic Dessert of Peach Melba
 
We first came to SBH in 1992. One of our first fond memories was of long lunches at the “old Eden Rock”.
This was probably 1993-1994, before the Matthews were involved I think. Back then you drove your Moke up the narrow curved driveway to the parking area on top of the Rock. There was a flat area, partially covered, that served as the restaurant, just outside of reception and a couple of hotel suites named after famous actresses.

The lunch menu was very simple. Our meal usually consisted of a glass or two of chardonnay, a good portion of grilled mahi-mahi with Sauce Creole, a side of oven-roasted potatoes, and for dessert a “brownie” with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. We remember our total bill being approximately 25-30 USD, charged in francs. Our favorite waiter was an early-20’s guy from Paris whose parents owned several bistros in Paris and sent him to SBH to broaden his background in the restaurant business.

Ahhh ... the “old St. Barth”, but we really appreciate many of the conveniences of the current St. Barth, especially the reliable electricity and telephone service. Back in the old days, when we rented villas we normally were never given the phone number of the villa and when we would pick up the receiver, there wouldn’t be so much as a dial tone; the phone had been disconnected so that villa renters wouldn’t use it. The phone calls made back to the States were outrageously expensive by way of the well-placed pay phones throughout the island.
 
“Things we miss” . . . has anyone mentioned Au Port? It was a gem under the ownership / operation of George & Annie Valenti. Happy memories eating there, including a beautiful August evening when seated at a table next to Princess Stephanie of Monaco. Sadly, I today walked by the shell of its former home in Gustavia & looked up at the exposed room, the facade ripped away by Irma. Joyful times there filled my mind, nonetheless . . . as one recalls the greatness in lives of lost friends & family.
 
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