Nicole Drenched Us

Saturday, we enjoyed the calm before the storm at Amalia Cafe ...

Sunday late lunch was at Melt. My Salad with Seasoned Tofu and Guac almost made up for there being no Chipotle on the Island...

Didn't detect much vodka, but it was still a huge drink for $5...

a return to The Pie Whole for Tuesday's lunch. This restaurant is a long time Island favorite, but had gone down hill, fortunately, new ownership is trying to right the ship...

They did good, my 'Spicy SDT' had the proper proportions of Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Capers, Onions, Crushed Red Pepper and Pine Nuts. Not too spicy or too oily as it had been in the past. This may be the first time I have ever experienced a restaurant go from good to bad and then actually back to good.  

a recent underwater snap of a school of Snapper...

Dory...

always thrilling to see a Turtle...

the below pic is of Steve Job's $200 million dollar yacht, Venus, which has been docked here a few weeks. It is super un-impressive to my eyes, but if they invited me on, I guess I would accept...

Lots more to come. Bye for now.

A Week Of Lunches

Working from home full time, I feel it is important for me to get out at lunch time, but really I enjoy lunch out regardless of where I am working. Monday was Harissa Spiced Tofu on Warm Chickpea Salad with Sweet Pomegranate Reduction, Tomatoes, Cilantro and Arugula $17 at Fresh Bistro. Very unique and satisfying...

I dont have any tattoos, but enjoy seeing good ones. My server at Fresh Bistro, Kelly, let me take a pic of her tattoo. It is Ms. Peanut in honor of her daughter who is nicknamed 'Peanut'...

Tuesday was the $15 lunch special at The Pie Whole. My Pie House Salad...

and Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Capers, Onions and Pine Nuts. When Pie Whole is good, it is really good. Fortunately, they have been good the past few times...

Wednesday I lunched at Mafoli, overlooking the Charlotte Amalie Harbour...

My Mafoli Mango and Avocado Salad $10...

with a plate of Sweet Potato Fries $6 on the side...

Thursday I was able to semi-successfully parallel park in Charlotte Amalie, so lunch was a Greek Salad $13 without the feta at Pita Express...

If all goes well, I plan to take the ferry to Tortola tomorrow. I didnt want to let a week go by without the Veggie Delight at De Coal Pot, so that was the location of today's fantastic lunch...

below is a pic of me ziplining this past Sunday at Tree Limin Extreme. It is the number one activity in TripAdvisor for St. Thomas, but I think Phantasea Tropical Botanical Gardens is really more my speed...

Hopefully will post about Tortola tomorrow or Sunday. Bye for now.

Lots and Lots Of Salads

While the weekend breakfast scene has pushed me to the point of thinking about regressing to vegetarianism, the salad front has been sensational on the island...

At Duffy's Love Shack: Mixed Greens topped with Marinated Hearts of Palm, Artichoke Hearts, Tomatoes and Red Onions...

At St. Thomas Yacht Club: Arugula topped with Grilled Artichokes, Tomatoes, Onions, Dried Cranberries and Slivered Almonds...

At The Pie Whole: Romaine, Tomatoes, Onions and Mushrooms...

From Dorene's Garden Of Eating: Mixed Greens topped with Cucumber, Carrot Sticks, Sugar Peas, Hearts of Palm, Edamame, Grape Tomatoes, Red Kidney Beans, Slivered Onions, Granny Smith Apple and Tofu sprinkled with Tri-Color Quinoa...

Also from Dorene's: Mixed Greens topped with Spiralized Zucchini, Carrots and Squash along with Tomatoes, Asparagus, Slivered Onions, Roasted Sweet Red Peppers, Artichokes and Toasted Almonds...

at Fresh Bistro: Fresh Greens with Red Onion, Cucumber, Tomato and Dijon Vinaigrette...

At XO Bistro: Mixed Greens with Blacked Tofu, Craisins and Spiced Almonds (which I am doubtful were vegan)...

For $5, I thought I would give their Bloody Mary a try and it was very good. I might finally be 'getting it' with regards to the popularity of this cocktail...

the best Salad on the Island, IMO, at Mafolie: The Mango Avocado Salad with Star Fruit Vinaigrette. Always with the Mango and Avocado at perfect ripeness....

Well I guess it wasnt that many Salads. Bye for now.

More Food and Critters

Tofu in Coconut Sauce from Ma's Vegi Deli..

also from Ma's: Gluten and Scalloped Potatoes..

below is a 'Genip', aka 'Spanish Lime'. Our house is surrounded by huge Genip Trees and the little partially eaten fruits fall onto our deck area, but I see no Genips in the trees to be picked. I will probably have to just pay for Genips at the Farmer's Market to see what they taste like...

Speaking of paying, I finally shelled out a buck to get a close-up pic of the Donkey at Drake's Seat (the famous overlook of Magen's Bay and points west where Sir Frances Drake kept watch on his fleet)...

Bought a bag of 'Ras Corn' for $3 from Natural Livity. Way too much Cayenne for me, but I choked it all down with some Vodka...

a tiny Lizard on the bumper of our car last night...

he made it off safely before we left for dinner at The Pie Whole. It is Mr. STVegetarian's favorite restaurant, primarly because they have a glass to match whatever brand of beer you order...

their Garlic Bread is heavenly. Tons of Olive Oil and Garlic. No butter...

We both got the Penne Al’Arrabbiata $16 San Marzano Tomatoes, Garlic, Onions, Basil, Crushed Red Peppers, Fresh Parsley and Extra Virgin Olive Oil tossed with Penne. I thought I overheard them saying they use eggs in their Pasta but I think they made this Pasta fresh for me without eggs because I said I was vegan and because it took a really long time to get made...

There is plenty more where all that came from, but I will save it for another day. Bye for now.

Food and Critters

Boca Burger with Fries and bottle of Sorrel from Natural Livity....

'Spaghetti with Herb Garlic Chili Oil' at The Pie Whole. Spaghetti tossed with Olive Oil, Parsley, Oregano, Basil, Garlic and Crushed Red Pepper (they left off the meat and cheese)...

when a cruise ship is in town, this guy shows up at the Magen's Bay overlook with a donkey wearing flowers on it's head. The tourists pay to pose with the donkey. I took this pic while driving by to avoid paying...

two cats that are always at Magen's Bay..

a bird spotted in the Mangroves at Magen's Bay...

a snoozing brother and sister...

More food stuff in the blogging hopper. Bye for now.

The Pie Whole

I guess I will start off this new blog with where we had lunch today: The Pie Whole, in Frenchtown....

They have a $15 in 15 minute lunch special where you get a Salad and Pizza or Pasta for $15... I had the 'Pie House' Salad - Romaine, Tomato, Onions and Mushrooms with Balsamic Vinaigrette...

and the 'Spicy SDT' Pasta - Sundried Tomato, Garlic, Crushed Red Pepper, Onions, Pine Nuts and Capers sauteed with Extra Virgin Olive Oil....excellent in all aspects -- food, ambience, service...

returning home after lunch, we saw this Red Footed Tortoise a block from our house....

he was crossing the street, and while it is not busy, I hopped out of the car and carried him to our yard. He never retreated into his shell, and started wandering away as soon as I set him down...

other thrills today included seeing this little fella on the side of the house...

and coming across a herd of Hermit Crabs cleaning up spilled Chicken feed...

they not-so-quickly retreated back into the leaves as I got closer...

the header pic on the blog is taken from our deck this morning. Those are the Inner and Outer Brasses and a few people do actually live on the other side of them...who are these people????

Oh well. Bye for now.