In nearly 50 years of spending time — and dining well — on St. Barths, there are a small number of standout restaurants in my memory. One of which is Zion Restaurant (previously Andy’s Hideaway) . . . which venue now has been transformed to La Casina, where I visited last night for its opening. For those who remember “The Wizard of Oz,” a classic line comes to mind — “We’re not in Kansas anymore!”
For anyone who frequented & fondly remembers Zion, vestiges can be seen — most of the bar still is intact (with addition of an impressive-looking pizza oven), as is the “Chef’s Table” (where I ate last night) . . . most of the same furniture is in use, though there are some new, very attractive, chairs . . . and the kitchen is pretty much the same. The new restaurant, moreover, is noteworthy (like Zion) for extraordinary cuisine. In fact, I’m quite “blown away” by La Casina and will return soon (and, likely, often!).
The restaurant’s legendary visionary, Jean Philippe Bernard (shown here when working on restaurant renovations in September)
. . . wasn’t there last night, having returned earlier in the day to his Villa Azur Miami restaurant after a couple of nights of “soft opening” dinners.
Warmly & very graciously meeting guests, however, were JP‘s lovely St. Barths partners, Mimi & Greg Maillard . . . owners of the always popular nearby St. Jean bar & dining spot, Le Piment.
and La Casina’s elegant & urbane General Manager, Mathis Babonneau
In the kitchen, a talented brigade de cuisine nimbly handled a fast-arriving & ordering crowd of eager, expectant diners.
Executive Chef Francesco, Pastry Chef Ophélie, Chef de partie Fabien, & Executive Chef‘s Assistant Lucie.
The kitchen was wonderful to observe. Chef Francesco, who is Italian, doesn’t speak English . . . while Lucie & Ophélie are somewhat conversant. All seemed to speak at least some Italian . . . and are fluent in French (“of course,” perhaps?), which made it the language of the kitchen. Fabien — very fluent in English — became an unofficial translator in conversations between me & the team.
Chef Francesco set a vibrant, happy mood among his team members . . . literally singing as he worked & very professionally & smoothly interacting with them. Fabien seems to be the kitchen’s “pivot man,” relating between everyone in the kitchen and ”front-of-the-house” servers, as food orders pass into the dining room. Lucie, always close by Francesco, clearly is his “right hand” person . . . especially in providing ”finishing” touches to plating of food as it’s passed to Fabien for delivery to servers. Ophélie, a demure player on the team, prepares salads & is an incredible Pastry Chef!
I’ll close this first of three notes about my fabulous experience at La Casina with a few images collected while perched in my longtime seat at the “Chef’s Table.”
For anyone who frequented & fondly remembers Zion, vestiges can be seen — most of the bar still is intact (with addition of an impressive-looking pizza oven), as is the “Chef’s Table” (where I ate last night) . . . most of the same furniture is in use, though there are some new, very attractive, chairs . . . and the kitchen is pretty much the same. The new restaurant, moreover, is noteworthy (like Zion) for extraordinary cuisine. In fact, I’m quite “blown away” by La Casina and will return soon (and, likely, often!).
The restaurant’s legendary visionary, Jean Philippe Bernard (shown here when working on restaurant renovations in September)
. . . wasn’t there last night, having returned earlier in the day to his Villa Azur Miami restaurant after a couple of nights of “soft opening” dinners.
Warmly & very graciously meeting guests, however, were JP‘s lovely St. Barths partners, Mimi & Greg Maillard . . . owners of the always popular nearby St. Jean bar & dining spot, Le Piment.
and La Casina’s elegant & urbane General Manager, Mathis Babonneau
In the kitchen, a talented brigade de cuisine nimbly handled a fast-arriving & ordering crowd of eager, expectant diners.
Executive Chef Francesco, Pastry Chef Ophélie, Chef de partie Fabien, & Executive Chef‘s Assistant Lucie.
The kitchen was wonderful to observe. Chef Francesco, who is Italian, doesn’t speak English . . . while Lucie & Ophélie are somewhat conversant. All seemed to speak at least some Italian . . . and are fluent in French (“of course,” perhaps?), which made it the language of the kitchen. Fabien — very fluent in English — became an unofficial translator in conversations between me & the team.
Chef Francesco set a vibrant, happy mood among his team members . . . literally singing as he worked & very professionally & smoothly interacting with them. Fabien seems to be the kitchen’s “pivot man,” relating between everyone in the kitchen and ”front-of-the-house” servers, as food orders pass into the dining room. Lucie, always close by Francesco, clearly is his “right hand” person . . . especially in providing ”finishing” touches to plating of food as it’s passed to Fabien for delivery to servers. Ophélie, a demure player on the team, prepares salads & is an incredible Pastry Chef!
I’ll close this first of three notes about my fabulous experience at La Casina with a few images collected while perched in my longtime seat at the “Chef’s Table.”
