Inclement weather did not deter us from fine French dining!
~ By Lucinda Frye ~
The day dawned overcast and wet, a far cry from the date some 40 plus years ago; the day on which we had gotten married. "Never mind," my husband crooned, "we will still have a delightful evening catching snails!" "Yup," I thought, "nothing can dampen my excitement of the evening ahead."
We planned to go to L'Escargot for dinner and a show and to catch some snails. The rain did not let up; but nothing daunted, we set off to keep our dinner date through the rain – through the river-beds more like it! I was actually quite concerned at one point that we would not actually get to our destination, as that night it was also the Christmas parade. Some roads in Philipsburg were closed off, and the downpour was flooding streets; we seemed to get stuck behind cars whichever way we turned. I wanted to get as close to L'Escargot as possible because it has parking right behind the restaurant on Front Street (to which, mid-meal, my husband brought the car during a lull in the rain). We ended up in Back Street parking stern-to half on the pavement, the rain still coming down in buckets. Wading ankle-deep up Steeg Street, my shoes soon became too slippery to wear. We were shaking ourselves off on the veranda shortly and, shoes off, we were drying out on the carpet with drinks in hand.
This lovely restaurant is housed in a wooden building that certainly has seen some life pass through its portals. Owners Sonya and Joel have done an amazing job of decorating true to provincial style with snails in all shapes and forms on show at every turn. We were soon seated at our table, but heard that the show had been disappointingly cancelled due to the weather. Not many patrons ventured out. However, there were a few tables filled. One foursome had been returning over the last 30 years and another couple was returning again the following night – for the fifth night in a row. Yes, this restaurant is very popular. The food is great; staffers are extremely friendly and give super good service; and the welcome from the owners is warm and friendly. Then there is Joel.
Joel does the rounds to each and every table more than once during the evening, checking on everyone, offering sage advice, making jokes and keeping everyone happy. I happened to let slip that we were there to indulge on our anniversary evening, inclement weather or not, I wanted some of their snails, but what else could he suggest. Oh, dear, the choice is large – snails every which way, but there were also other offerings on the menu. We settled for soup, conch chowder and a garlic soup. The garlic soup ended up winning, hands down, although I have to admit we ended up having a spoon of one and then the other as they complimented each other very well indeed. The garlic soup was smooth and creamy and the chowder was white, creamy and full of conch meat. Then we shared snails in their shells with garlic butter, parsley sauce and crispy baguette – hot, saucy and absolutely more-ish; yessiree. This was followed by salmon for one of us. The salmon had to be done just zsst, zsst, Bleu! And it came to the table exactly as ordered, eliciting "mmmm-mmmm-m-m" with each bite.
I ordered duck, but on hearing that there was an orange sauce (my least favourite sauce) I must have pulled a face, as immediately I was told I could have a guavaberry sauce instead. Done! YUM! The tender duck fanned out on the plate adorned with a deep red sauce tasted as good as it looked. The sides on both plates were the same and delicious; a ratatouille, potato and a red onion confit to die for. Why don't we have this confit with all our meals? Our drinks were a fine Pinot Grigio, beer, rum and cokes with a wonderful Bailey's on ice after the meal, much the same as always as we don't tend to deviate from the drinks we enjoy.
I'm afraid we did indulge; over-the-top, so to speak, with our desserts. We had three. We could not choose between the white chocolate mousse and the dark chocolate mousse. I am a lover of crème-brulee. The crème brulee arrived at the table with a bit of a fan fare. Candles aflame, the staff gathered round to sing "Happy Anniversary" which was such a nice touch.
While Sonya worked the front of the house at the bar and welcoming guests, Joel kept popping by with his wonderful witty remarks and humorous yet informative stories. The building the restaurant is housed in is wooden and dates back some 185 years. It was once a two-storey inn at the turn of the century. In the 30s and 40s, there was a boxing ring at the back of the building, where the car park is today. Cows wandered freely around when the present day owners took over some 40 years ago, making them the longest lasting restaurateurs at the same venue on St. Maarten.
In the early 70s, L'Escargot had a popular disco in the downstairs room, but eventually had to close when unwelcome elements started hanging around making things unpleasant for those who went to enjoy an evening of disco dancing. We will return to L'Escargot another Friday night in the not too distant future, as the cabaret dinner show is great fun, the food delicious, the welcome very warm and we can get our fix of excellent snails every-which way.
Info:
L'Escargot is located on the corner of Front Street and Steeg Street, Philipsburg
Phone: 542-2483 / 554-2424
Open for lunch and dinner every day
Cuisine: Seafood and Classic French Cuisine
Good: Food, ambience and parking for those who get there early enough.
Vegetarian dishes: Available
Children's menu: Available
Ratings:
Staff friendliness 4.5
Service speed 4.5
Restaurant cleanliness 4.5
Food quality 4.5
Value for money 4.5
Ambience 5
27.5/30
