There is at least one five-star restaurant on St. Thomas – and has been for more than 15 years.
For that long, Blackbeard's Castle has been home to one of the finest dining establishments on St. Thomas, in the Virgin Islands and in the Caribbean. The tradition has been upheld through a change of ownership in the hotel and of management at the restaurant. At what is now known at The Inn at Blackbeard's Castle, the newest dining operation is a worthy addition.
Over the past year or so, the owners of The Inn have roofed the terrace extending out from the lounge and overlooking the town and harbor below. This allows more diners to maximize their view and make the most of natural air-conditioning. Recently, The Inn has added a unique dining experience: For that special occasion, a couple can dine in privacy by candlelight in the castle tower. By reservation only, needless to say.
The one drawback for some has been the pricey menu. But at the moment, there's a way to get around that.
One of the great things about living on St. Thomas in the summer is the opportunity to take advantage of occasional off-season specials targeted to attract local residents. This summer's "Sunset Specials" at The Inn at Blackbeard's bring fine dining within affordability for anyone accustomed to eating out at places with tablecloths and dishes that are washed, not thrown away.
The Sunset Specials, served between 5:30 and 7 p.m., consist of an appetizer, entrée and dessert for the all-inclusive price of $22.95. From the current menu (which changes), we were offered a choice of mussels, octopus or a salad for our appetizer.
The almost two dozen mussels came poached in white wine with fresh garlic, shallots and herbs. My only regret was that I ate so much of the tasty bread I used to absorb the superb sauce. My companion's salad was several leaves of escarole supplemented with pine nuts and dressed with a piquant vinaigrette.
My entrée was a marinated rib-eye steak topped with roasted garlic and smothered in a robust demiglaze. The reduction was so powerful that I had to save almost half of my steak for lunch the next day. The rare meat was tender to a fault, the demi was out of this world, and I simply cannot remember the vegetable due to my love affair with the reduction. My companion had the Blackbeard's grilled breast of chicken, which was far from ordinary. Proscuitto, mushrooms, marsalla wine and fresh sage rendered the chicken a prime candidate for extinction. The rice side was just right to help spread the flavor.
For dessert, we had the key lime pie and the chocolate raspberry cheesecake. While the lime pie was excellent in its own right, it was accompanied with a line of whipped cream on one side and a slosh of apple syrup with a weaving of raspberry syrup on the other. The resulting synergism demanded a cup of coffee to bring the palate into check. The cheesecake was likewise lined with whipped cream and scribbled with raspberry syrup. Again a winning combination.
My only reservation about the meal was the wine list. Yes, the wines were of excellent quality and most worthy. The problem was the lack of anything under $30. Surely there is a nice wine on the St. Thomas market which could be offered with a 100 percent markup still under $20. We settled for a glass of the house pinot grigio at $6, which would go very well with anything.
There is almost nothing better than sitting atop Blackbeard's Hill facing the harbor as the sun sets. Add to this an excellent dinner with good wine as the twinkling night-lights come on throughout Charlotte Amalie, and you have a pretty good idea of heaven.
The restaurant restrooms are spacious, clean and well appointed. The service staff is well trained, and there is adequate monitored parking. With the summer's Sunset Special prices, this is about as good as it gets.
Ambience: 5 stars
Food: 5 stars
Service: 4 stars
Value: 5 stars
Blackbeard's Hill
776-1234
Dinner nightly except Tuesday 5:30-9 p.m., brunch Sunday 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
International/Caribbean cuisine with a difference
$$$$
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Editor's note: The Tottering Taster is a senior citizen dedicated to enjoying good food who dines in local establishments to bring Source readers unsolicited assessments biased in favor of an ultimate eating-out experience. The individual uses a pseudonym so restaurant personnel will not be able to identify the reviewer and try to influence the review.