TALK OF THE TOWN ★★★★☆
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Lolo Review, Grand Case, St. Martin
ABOUT LUCINDA’S LIST In Fall 2009, my husband Steve and I thought we had it all figured out. Beautiful house in Berkeley, CA, the requisite yellow lab, great technology careers... and I was pregnant. But when the fourth miscarriage hit in December, we were heartbroken. We needed time to heal. A break. From everything. We decided to go to St. Martin, and after an incredible six weeks, it inspired us to change our lives. The people we met, the experiences we had, the living in the moment, the food we ate... we were forever changed. And we wanted to share what we found with others. So instead of returning home to our old lives, we decided to take our Silicon Valley knowledge to help create a community of people who love the Caribbean. We figured something special was bound to come out of bringing together
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people who shared this special experience.
Two months later, we’re already the largest St. Martin fan page on Facebook - 25,000+ fans and growing! - and already we’re discovering the value of bringing people together. We’re not only working on GUIDEBOOK COMPANY
publishing the kind of in-depth reviews of our favorite destinations that we wish we’d found when we were researching, we’re hoping the size of our fan base will attract group discounts for all of us. Stick around, there’s so much goodness for St. Martin - and other islands yet to come! The result? beautiful property, immaculately maintained andbecome managed...one and if Ayou aren’t already a fan, click here to
Oh, and one last note... we need to o!er up a brief legal disclaimer. Although all details in this document are based on information supplied to us or gathered by us at press time, changes occur all the time in the travel world, and Lucinda’s List cannot accept responsibility for facts or circumstances that become outdated or for inadvertent errors or omissions. So always confirm information when it matters. If we have missed anything, please let us know on our fan page!
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OTHER LUCINDA’S LIST REVIEWS Gourmet Restaurants
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Talk of the Town
Just the Facts Price Level: $
Credit Cards: Amazingly, yes!
Overall Rating ★★★★☆
Restaurant Category: Casual
Currency: 1 Euro=1 Dollar
Of all the lolos, after Sky’s the Limit, you hear the most talk about Talk of the Town. It would seem that most regulars are evenly split in their loyalties, and once you pick, you don’t cross the picket line. Though we’ve been loyal followers of Sky’s the Limit for many, many satisfying meals, we put on our secret squirrel disguises and went undercover in the interest of research.
Meals Served: Lunch, Afternoon, Dinner Location: Grand Case Phone: 0590 52 84 93
Outdoor seating: Picnic tables Parking: Nearby lot Good for: Everyone Other info: Open every day, 11am - 11pm
Pros Half the locals swear by Talk of the Town Crazy cheap with fabulous, satisfying, tasty local food 1:1 exchange rate!
Cons Not the fastest service, but the best Lolos never are
In fact, my mom and I hit Talk of the Town minutes after arriving in St. Martin. I had taken a hideous redeye, followed by a three-hour layover in Charlotte, followed by another four-hour flight – 12 hours of travel time in all. My mom had been told to arrive at the Dulles airport at 5am, even though they don’t open till 5:30am. When we hit Hotel L’Esplanade at 3pm, we were tired, hungry and bitter, and in need of a life-saving infusion of island BBQ.
Talk of the Town !
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Mood Romance
★★☆☆☆
Relaxation ★★★☆☆ Fun
★★★★☆
Family
★★★★☆
Value
★★★★★
Food Taste
★★★★☆
Innovation ★★☆☆☆ Display
★★☆☆☆
Drinks
★★★★☆
Food at Talk of the Town After months of deprivation, I obviously had to order the crevettes creole, otherwise known as shrimp creole. At Talk of the Town, you get two side orders with your main dish (unless you order a la carte, which you can), and so I of course chose the red beans & rice and potato salad, just to be sure I got the full dosage of life-saving island nectar. It was tough to choose between the potato salad and cole slaw, but what can you do? !My mom opted for the BBQ chicken, which I had never had, having been hooked on the shrimp crack early in my last visit.
Service Attentive
★★☆☆☆
Speed
★★☆☆☆
Knowledge ★★☆☆☆
Atmosphere Views
★☆☆☆☆
Decor
★☆☆☆☆
When the shrimp arrived, I was a little leery. I had Comfort ★★☆☆☆ forgotten the radioactive hue of orange that Noise ★★☆☆☆ accompanies the creole sauce. Moreover, the red beans and rice had a slight brown tinge. And yet, I was utterly starving, not to mention deprived of island cuisine, so I trusted my instincts and went for it. The shrimp were delicious. Larger than I have seen elsewhere, and properly doused in a Loyal Following healthy helping of garlicky saucy Locals are split between Talk of goodness. The rice and beans tasted the Town and Sky’s the Limit. exactly as I remembered from the lolos You can’t go wrong with either despite the darker color. I rooted one for crazy cheap, tasty food. through the condiments basket for the Maouk creole hot sauce, and carefully
Talk of the Town!
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Sides of every flavor: These may look like pots, but they are in fact vats of inexplicable goodness. mixed in a small helping to the rice and beans, ensuring it would augment the flavor without causing a coronary. My mom tore into her BBQ chicken with gusto. After several attempts to use the fork/knife, she finally gave into the island vibe, and started to pick it apart with her fingers, properly embracing her inner carnivore. After my mom saw me add the hot sauce, she poured a generous serving directly on top of her chicken. I tried to warn her. Mistakes were made. Prices were paid. Tears ensued. And eventually she regained the power of speech enough to say how good her meal was. So a note of caution. Tread carefully with the island hot sauce until you have built up your tolerance.
Service at Talk of the Town Let’s be clear, you don’t go to any of the lolos because you expect great service, you go because it’s a delicious meal for a crazy cheap price. Once we got their attention to place our orders, it wasn’t too long before the food arrived, but after that… not so much. It would seem we bumped right into the 4pm shift change, because our waitress grabbed her purse and walked off somewhere in between my first and second Carib. No worries. Once you get over your fear of being rude, and realize you can request things from any of the waitresses, your meal experience gets a lot better. The best news at the lolos is that it’s always 1 euro = 1 dollar when you pay cash. Oh, and it’s impossible to spend more than $30 on a meal including several
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No frills: Picnic tables are the rule at the Lolos.
drinks, unless you pony up for the lobster, in which case, well, sky’s the limit.
Atmosphere at Talk of the Town All four of the lolos in Grand Case share the same area. There’s not a whole lot of difference in the picnic tables at each one. Nor is there much difference in the lively bantering of the locals. Even if you speak French, or think you do, you are unlikely to understand the slang they’re throwing at each other, but you can tell it’s funny and probably rude, no matter the language. The atmosphere of the lolos is casually perfect regardless of whether you’re dripping wet and covered in sand, or freshly showered and planning to go out on the town after dinner. Anything goes.
Bottom line Some of the Lolos are more cheap than good, but not this one. Talk of the Town is deserving of its loyal following. If something ever happened to Sky’s the Limit, I know I could count on Talk of the Town to save me.
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