April 6, 2007 — When Pat Smith and her son, Sacha Thomazeau, were trying to find a name for their new restaurant that opened on St. Croix's South Shore in January, they did not want to limit their options.
"You know if you name a place Luigi's, you have to do Italian," Pat says. So the mother-son partners came up with a name that covers a lot: Cafe Kaleidoscope.
The restaurant sits on the corner in the Great Pond area that was occupied by South Shore Cafe before it moved down the road. Old-timers might remember the site as being home to Great Pond Cafe and Maximillian's Barbecue about a dozen years ago.
The last couple of years, however, nothing occupied the corner site. They had to go in and replace just about everything before opening, Smith says. That included bringing in all-new appliances. The tables were about the only things that remain from the restaurant's former lives, and they are quite comfortable, with ceramic tops and wide benches.
Barb Osborne and Bill Mosiman, who were dining there recently, say they come there all the time. "We love it here," Osborne says. "It has a super atmosphere and great food."
The only fault is that most of the benches did not have backs to lean on, she says, requiring people with back problems to request chairs. But the "open-air," fun atmosphere more than makes up for that shortcoming, Osborne says.
The atmosphere of Cafe Kaleidoscope is different. One does not get the busy, bustling feeling that gives life to many of the restaurants in Christiansted and Frederiksted. One gets the feeling of having dinner on a giant front porch in the country.
Smith has lived on St. Croix for 13 years, but began life in the food business in late-'60s Manhattan. She learned to cook from Sacha's father, Guy Thomazeau, who was a French chef and her husband for nine years. The couple ran the French Farmer in the Catskills, and for many years she served as head chef at the Hoffman House in Kingston, N.Y. On St. Croix she has worked as a caterer, most recently affiliated with the Yacht Club. Smith also managed Lizards and worked at Sea Top and Scallywags, and served as a personal chef for individuals.
Besides Smith and her son, Cafe Kaleidoscope has five employees.
The menu tilts toward French, with a menu that features Chicken Frances, Coquilles St. Jacques and seared duck breast with wild rice and red onion comfit.
But living up to the name, the restaurant offers a wide variety of tasty options. They include a fish of the day and a London Broil with sauteed onions and mushrooms.
Smith serves as executive chef, while Tammy Banks is the sous chef.
Cafe Kaleidoscope serves dinner from 6 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. It is located in Sally's Fancy, with plenty of safe, secure parking, Smith says. Reservations are appreciated and can be made by calling 773-1062.
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