Monday, 12 Sep 2005

I rolled out at 7:00 this morning to score us some of the elusive croissants from the French bakery around the Bay. Even at the early hour that I arrived they had only three left. After three years of shopping there, I finally learned the name of this bakery and little restaurant: La Frigate.

So breakfast was wonderful fresh croissants that exploded flakes and tasted like butter when you licked your fingers. Topped with Bridel brand French butter and accompanied by chunks of Gouda cheese brought to room temperature and consumed on a balcony overlooking a peaceful Dawn Beach glowing in the morning sunshine.

The electricity went out around 10:00 am. After a bit of time, they got the Oyster Bay generator working, which powered everything except -- gasp! -- the a/c. A/C that we pay an extra per day for. But we hear the power is out on the whole Dutch side. Imagine how disruptive that must be to the shops and restaurants in Philipsburg, if there's a ship in. Maybe they have generators, too.

Our room, from Dawn Beach

Next was an hour and a half toasting ourselves on Dawn Beach. It was hot. As in hot, hot, hot! It's hard to believe this is mid-September. And to make matters worse, we couldn't float on our Swimways, or go in the water to cool off, because there were lots of jellyfish. Have I mentioned it was hot?

Oyster Bay has made some improvements in their beachside operation. They now have a shower down on the beach, at the foot of the stairs leading up to the resort, and they have a little kiosk where you can exchange towels, check out snorkeling equipment, and get free cups of ice water. Very nice.

Lunch gave us three choices: Mr. Busby's again, our local branch of Barefoot Terrace (Trendy Local Restaurant), or the new Beau Beau's, which was under construction when we were here last year, and is part of the Oyster Bay resort. We decided to give the new kid a try.

How was it? Let me summarize in a word:

Whoa! (That is a word, isn't it?)

The ribs at Beau Beau's

Mr. Busby's, you're good, but prepare to have your socks knocked off. The food at Beau Beau's was fantastic! We had, between the three of us, Caribbean Chicken with a curry and pineapple sauce, Cornish Hen with an orange sauce, and BBQ Ribs. Everything was astonishingly good, but the ribs took the gold medal. Basted with some kind of sauce that had a fruity edge, they were meaty and so perfectly cooked that each bite just melted as soon as it was in your mouth. (Judi was the one who ordered the ribs, and her plate was loaded with sixteen of these amazing creations, and she sacrificed to share two each with Lynn and me.)

The Caribbean Chicken and Cornish Hen were also great, in case you aren't in the mood for ribs. Me, I would take the Caribbean Chicken over the Cornish Hen, by a nose. Or, er, a beak.

But that's not all! Each meal came with a choice of french fries, "potato" (whatever that meant), or peas and rice. Naturally we chose peas and rice (this is, after all, the Caribbean), and they were heavenly. The best peas and rice I've ever had, and I try the peas and rice everywhere I go. The previous record was held by a local place in Freeport whose name I've forgotten -- I haven't been there in years. But Beau Beau's is the new champ. All three of us agreed on this.

But that's still not all! Beau Beau's serves real ice tea with free refills! It was good tea, too, though rather strong. Get extra lemons, and yay for Beau Beau's!

We also had most excellent service. We were burning hot from the beach, and asked for the coolest seat in the house. Keep in mind that this is an outdoor restaurant, on a series of decks. The waiter seated us in the covered area in front of their only air conditioner. It was very comfortable.

Check this place out. And unless you aren't a ribs person, try the ribs.

After lunch we squeezed in a quick trip to Philipsburg, to make some final purchases. The place was dead. No cruise ship in today, as it turned out.

I mentioned earlier that Lynn has to climb backwards out of the Jeep. Today, while backing out of the Jeep on Front Street, one of those "shop steerer" ladies heard Judi address Lynn as "Mother" and said, "That's your mother?"

"Yes," said Judi.

"Your mother," said the lady, "has a nice butt."

This evening was the manager's welcome party, at the new Beau Beau's. Free drinks! Judi and her mother never pass on free drinks. Have I mentioned free drinks?

The entertainment at the party was a local band, and they were joined by a Dutch flute player names (I think) Jan Phigseanerr. He was awesome. The balcony of our suite was two floors above Beau Beau's, and later this evening, after the party was over and the bar was closed, we sat on balcony, and down below Phigseanerr and small number of patrons remained seated around one of the tables, and he just leaned back in his chair and jammed. He was just improvising Jazz. Listening to him from our balcony while he played for a circle of friends -- that may turn out to be the best moment of trip.

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