Caribbean Culinary Adventure Aka: Eating your way through paradise !

I recently returned from another trip to the Caribbean, namely St. Thomas, St. John, and Anegada. (US and British Virgin Islands) How many of you have ever heard of Anegada? This island may just be the “true paradise” but that’s another conversation.

Being a frequent flyer to the islands I am very familiar with many of the out of the way places the Caribbean has to offer. Places like the caves on Norman Island, Tortola, The Baths on Virgin Gorda, Yost Van Dyke and the party locations such as world famous Foxy’s, William Thornton Floating Bar (and deck diving), Skinny Legs and the Soggy Dollar. This is a world ~ out of this world. The most important thing to remember when visiting the US Virgin and British Virgin Islands is be adventurous. Although I have logged over twenty years of trips for both business and pleasure to USVI and BVI, I’m still amazed at the completely new adventures I find each time I visit. .

I must confess ~ I have a distinct advantage when heading to islands; my cousin has been a resident of St. Thomas for man years. Her husband is a resident and successful business man on St. Thomas for 35 years and he owns a beautiful Bertram boat that gets us just about everywhere. As you can surmise, I’m not your typical tourist. Over the past several years when visiting the islands for business or pleasure I have been very fortunate to create some wonderful friendships. Like me, many of these friends are in the hotel and restaurant business. As I attempt to recount some island experiences let me suggest you take down the names ~ these are people you will want to visit. And when you do, feel free to use my name ~ it may increase the wait for a table ~ but then again it may not! J I’m not really sure how many will admit to knowing me ~ after all I am a restaurant critic from the main land.

To keep my sanity (yeah right) I will start this Caribbean adventure with a list of places you should visit while on the prowl in St. Thomas. I assure you, they’re all worth a visit. Keep in mind these places run the gamut from breath taking romantic dinner experiences to novelty drinks and party songs at ‘The Love Shack’ which happens to be located in a parking lot! There is something for everyone on St. Thomas. My intention here is to help my friends who own or work in these special places ~ and to help you navigate your way around the tables of paradise. Oh yeah ~ please don’t forget to tip the bartenders and waiters.

Here is a list of some of the places you should experience while on St. Thomas. In order to keep the length of this writing reasonable, I will review each of these locations along with many of there secrets under a separate posting.

Who knows ~ maybe you have already visited some of these sites? In that case I would love your comments.

My short list of favorites haunts includes, Oceana Restaurant & Wine Bar, Secret Harbor and the Blue Moon Cafe, The Ritz Carlton, Herve’ Restaurant, Indigo, and Romano’s. Yes, there are many more ~ but there is a lot of island go cover ~ so let us look at these first. Bon Appetite ~

RSP Associates

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The More You Know !

Recording a guest experience through a professional evaluator’s eye is the
most proactive measure you can take to insure increased guest satisfaction.

The RSP evaluation process is not a critical eye on your business ~ it is a professional’s insight into how your guest is being served. With an unbiased view “from the outside in” RSP’s evaluation team will help you understand the true positives and negatives of the guest’s experience.

The Team!

RSP’s professional evaluators bring to the table over twenty five years of managerial and operational expertise in the hotel and restaurant industries. Their qualifications include a well documented history of professional consultations and evaluations for properties throughout the United States and the Caribbean. The RSP quality assurance team comprises hotel and resort professionals, a published restaurant critic for a New York newspaper, food and beverage trainers along with marketing and security specialists.

RSP’s reporting system is confidential and provides an exact account of your overall operation as it relates to customer satisfaction. From greeting to departure this report documents every experience the professional evaluator encounters. This assessment provides specific information as it relates to the quality of service, management performance and safety along with the general condition of the property.


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Quality Assurance Critiques
This confidential report provides a precise overview of the evaluator’s finding when visiting a property. This is a detailed accounting of positive as well as negatives experiences as they relate to the performance of managers and employees on duty, condition of guest rooms, restaurants, exercise facilities, parking, and safety issues as well at the overall condition of the property.

Confidential Professional Restaurant Reviews
This is a rare opportunity to obtain a private review of your restaurant as seen through the eyes of a published restaurant critic. Composed in narrative form, this review is presented as it would appear in any print publication. This unique critique provides the perfect training tool to reinforce the high level of quality and service standards every restaurant strives to achieve.

Beverage Reports
Incorporating beverage and security professionals this program provides a complete analysis of your beverage department. This confidential report includes monitoring of the service and management staff, the effectiveness of cash and credit card procedures, bartender pouring techniques, knowledge of beverage recipes along with general bar and cocktail service techniques.

Consulting and Training
RSP Associates will provide consultation and training in the areas of food and beverage service. On site training is available to educate your staff on kitchen expediting, food delivery, proper serving techniques, menu knowledge, as well as procedures associated with increasing the guest check average.

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As the concept consultant for several successful properties, RSP Associates offers a unique background in the area of theme development, promotions and advertising. This includes design concepts, marketing campaigns as well as creative promotional programs. Previous clients include boutique and corporate hotels, resorts, restaurants, golf, tennis and spa facilities located throughout the United States and the Caribbean.

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