GRAND CASE BY NIGHT Special
This Grand Case by Night special about the Grand Case dining scene was printed on Friday, December 9th, 2016, in the paper version of the TODAY newspaper as a 4-page full colour supplement. This supplement was sponsored by Amigo Tours, StMaartenTours.info, St. Maarten Airport Taxi Association, Dutch St. Maarten Taxi Association and Genesis Taxi Service. This supplement is now published permanently online in the RESTAURANTS, NIGHTLIFE and ENTERTAINMENT sections on the TODAY Newspaper Online website with all the hyperlinks active to help increase and improve the websites ranking, findability, visibility and popularity of the aforementioned sponsors. Please read and enjoy this Grand Case by Night special as your online resource about dining out in Grand Case (especially when vacationing on St. Maarten/St. Martin).
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In this GRAND CASE BY NIGHT Special
- Grand Case – The Gourmet Capital of Saint Martin
- Johnny Bryan Grand Case Village Shuttle Service
- Harmony Nights 2017
- Restaurants Reviews
- Amigo Tours “Bon Appétit Grand Case” hotel shuttle service
- Taxi Tour Companies serving Grand Case
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Grand Case – The Gourmet Capital of Saint Martin
Grand Case is a small quaint fishi
ng village on the French side of Saint Martin situated on the north-western coast of the island facing the Anguilla channel and famous for its idyllic bay with impressive rock formations known as Creole Rock, which after a drink or two at any of the many bars and restaurants in Grand Case you’re sure to see the Sleeping Indian lying asleep in the Grand Case Bay that this rock formation represents to many in Grand Case, both residents and visitors alike.
Grand Case’s down-to-earth Creole architecture evokes the feel of France’s other past and present New World possessions, such as New Orleans according to a Wikipedia contributor. No matter the feel the village generates, in Grand Case you have an extensive choice of restaurants with French, Italian, tapas, eclectic, Creole and local cuisines all in one street to choose from, with oceanfront, roadside and street side dining. All within walking distance of each other. There is absolutely no where else on the island of St. Maarten/Saint Martin where you can experience the local village life by night with world class dining experiences and entertainment like in Grand Case. The atmosphere is such that you will not want to leave at the end of the night. It has the charm of the atmosphere of Paris, France, but in the Caribbean.
Restaurants to choose from….
We no doubt expect you to do your homework and select your restaurant of choice for dining at in Grand Case and you will definitely recognize many of the name we will mention here of restaurants you can choose from to make reservations at for your dinner excursion to Grand Case village. We have personally sampled a number of restaurants for you and will highlight them here for you.
Grand Case village hails a large number of restaurants with a diversity of cuisines to choose from. Ofcourse, the French cuisine is the most common, but the village has a variety of restaurants in terms of location to satisfy your needs for the occasion of your escapade to Grand Case for your night out on the town of drinks, dinner and entertainment.
You have waterfront dining with restaurants such as L’Effet Mer, the island renowned Lolo’s, Ocean 82, Le Tastevin, L’Escapade, Rainbow and Les Temps des Cerises. You have the cottage-styled restaurants with streetside views such as Villa Royale, Blue Martini Bistro, Bistrot Caraibes, L’Auberge Gourmande, La Villa, Le Cottage, the intimate Piazza Pascal and Le Petit Table. For pizza’s you have the newly established Pizzeria Napoletano Grand Case (Aglio e Olio) with their outside oven personally built by the proprietor himself, Vincenzo Scardino, for the fastest oven baked pizzas on the island. You won’t be disappointed no matter your choice. All renown restaurants that have created a name for themselves in Grand Case.
Just for your information, Blue Martini Bistro is rocking each night with live music from local bands such as Barbwire and Remo. The place is absolutely alive with the sensation of food, drink, people chatting and even dancing to the lively music.
From January 10, 2017, we have the added attraction of the Harmony Nights every Tuesday to make your dinner excursion to Grand Case village a memorable one. See elsewhere on this webpage for more on the Harmony Nights in Grand Case.
Grand Case Highlights
- Free parking; valet parking and paid parking.
- Johnny Bryan free shuttle service with Jolly Ride golftcart.
- Amigo Tours with their newly launched Bon Appétit Grand Case tour.
- The LOLO’s featuring local bbq ribs, chicken and grill fish at The Sky’s The Limit, Scooby’s, the Rib Shack, Talk of the Town, T’amie and Tropical.
- Home of one of the oldest Roman Catholic churches on St. Maarten/St. Martin.
- From January to April when the money runs out, every Tuesday is Harmony Night.
- Daily taxi tours, transfers and excursions to Grand Case.
- Home of the Seaworld Explorer with their underwater Coral Reef Tour in Grand Case Bay.
Click here to view a map of Grand Case…
Top photo above caption: The Sleeping Indian in Grand Case Bay with Anguilla in the background. Photo contributed by StMaartenTours.info.
Middle photo caption: Grand Case Village comes alive by night with many patronizing the many restaurants. Photo by Today Reviewer.
Bottom photo caption: Grand Case Beach by night. Photo contributed by Amigo Tours.
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Johnny Bryan Grand Case Village Shuttle Service
The best idea in Grand Case since fishing boats where invented.
Added to the Grand Case nightly scene is now a greenlighted golfcart you can’t miss. It looks like something out of a science-fiction show or a greenlantern movie. Found usually strategically parked by the main parking lot in Grand Case village if not whizzing by through the street of Grand Case village, The Jolly Ride shuttle service is owned and operated Johnny Bryan, affectionately called “Johnny B” as he a very sympathetic and hardworking man and you can clearly see that he is enjoying the vital service he is providing by running this shuttle around Grand Case village, taking guests from their hotels to the restaurants and visitors who park in the parking lots.
Johnny B saw the need for this service. The big parking issue highlighted the need and obviously the weather plays a big part sometimes, but Johnny B felt that people needed this service as an addition to what Grand Case had to offer in terms of fine dining, local cuisines, shops and street fairs.
The Jolly Ride shuttle service runs from 5:30pm to 11:30pm. But Johnny B can be found on the streets of Grand Case well after midnight as he waits on guests to wrap up their nightcaps. When certain nights are busy, Johnny B gets his brother or a friend to operate his second golfcart. Johnny B lives in Grand Case, so his second cart is just minutes away.
Johnny B doesn’t charge a fix rate. He works based on tips. You can call Johnny B on +590-690-380558 or +590-690-181403 for pick ups. But all the restaurants know Johnny B and can call him for you when you are ready to leave the restaurant.
Top photo caption : The golfcart Johnny Bryan uses for his shuttle service in Grand Case village. Photo contributed.
Above photo caption: Johnny Bryan aka “Johnny B” behind the wheel of his shuttle golfcart. Photo contributed.
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Harmony Nights 2017
So what is this Harmony Nights we keep hearing about in Grand Case?
From January 10, 2017, we have the added attraction of the Harmony Nights every Tuesday to make your dinner tour to Grand Case village a memorable experience with delectable delights while dining in Grand Case with a street fair and parades that has a carnival style and atmosphere. This is the absolute highlight of visiting Grand Case village in the new year.
Top photo caption: Harmony Nights every Tuesday in Grand Case from January until April. Photo contributed by Amigo Tours.
Above photo caption: Mardi gras every Tuesday in Grand Case from January until April. Photo contributed by Amigo Tours.
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Restaurants Reviews
By the Today restaurant reviewer
AGLIO e OLIO
Aglio e Olio soon to be rebranded as Pizzeria Napolitana Grand Case.
As I hopped on the 5-seater The Jolly Ride shuttle and sat upfront with Johnny B and I asked to tell me about the restaurants in Grand Case, Johnny B started rattling off names like nobody’s business. I had gotten on his shuttle in front of local creole restaurant Villa Royale. From there he pointed out L’Effet Mer; the Lolo’s: The Sky’s The Limit, Scooby’s, the Rib Shack, Talk of the Town, T’amie and Tropical; Blue Martini, Nettuno, G Snack, Le Soleil, Bistrot Caraibes, Ocean 82, L’Auberge, Le Villa, Escapade, Le Cottage, Piazza Pascal, Le Petite Table, Les Temps des Cerises, Rainbow (they were closed), Frenchy’s, Caribbean Creole, and a new pizza restaurant by the name of Aglio e Olio. This is where we finally made a stop at the Y-crossing forming the entrance to Grand Case village from Marigot through La Savanne.
Johnny B told me how the owner and proprietor of Aglio e Olio Pizzeria Napolitana built the oven the pizzas are baked in right outside in the heart of the restaurant himself with his own two hand and that his oven bakes the fastest pizzas on the island.
I was hungry, so the thought of getting a handmade pizza in minutes was enticing enough for me to let Johnny B drop me off at the entrance of this restaurant on the Rue Franklin Laurence. The menu features passione and traditional Napoletana pizzas, calzoni and oven baked gnocchi.
I ordered the Diavola pizza with salami and basil. I wanted the goat cheese salad as an appetizer but the nice waittress, a Grand Case native villager, told me that because the restaurant had just opened two weeks ago, they didn’t have the salads that were published on the menu in stock yet. Strange, but hey!
The pizza was delivered real superfast to my table. Freshly baked and steaming hot. The aroma and the delicious smell quickly evaporate any lingering thoughts I had about not getting the goat cheese salad.
After the hearty pizza, I chatted with the owner and proprietor, Vincenzo Scardino (see photo’s), and took some pictures while he prepared his oven for the next pizza. He had indeed built the oven himself. He was not satisfied with the name of the restaurant. So he was in the process of changing the sign to read “Pizzeria Napolitana Grand Case”. Made sense I thought, as I didn’t really get the ‘Aglio e Olio’. On the menu, it look like it read Aglio Polio. So good for Vincenzo for going with a more generic name. I applaud his decision and wish him much success in Grand Case. I will certainly be back for another superfast pizza.
The waitress called Johnny B and I was scooted off via the back road back into Grand Case village. Johnny B dropped me off at the corner close to the Villa Royale restaurant. I went for a walk through Grand Case until I ended up at the end of the street and walked back.
A noteworthy mention during my walk: Blue Martini steak house. They had a live band playing. Barbwire and Remo. The music was good. So I had to see for myself how the scene inside was. Inside was lively and very busy. There was a crowd of people, listening to the music, eating, drinking and dancing. Nice! Now I know why Johnny B have to be on standby so late at night.
I was ready for some dessert. I had scanned all the menu’s posted outside the many restaurants and peculiarly enough they all featured the same dessert menu’s. How could you tell which restaurant is better if they all have the same dessert menu I wondered. The hot molten chocolate cake was featured on almost every menu I looked from the streetside. Anyway, that is a personal tick of mines. I always look at the dessert menu first. I need a good reason to stay until the end of all the meal courses.
So my choice fell on Bistrot Caraibes, simply because of all the beautiful people I saw sitting inside the restaurant. Beautiful people means good food, right?
My hostess was a creole lady by the name of Nadia. I was lucky enough that the dessert chef had just returned from a break. They thought he was gone for the night. But the restaurant still had a good bit of people in it and more came in afterwards. So I ordered the hot molten chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream which came on a bed of sparkling sugar (pop rocks), which felt like raindrops falling in my mouth. Wow! I enjoyed the sensation while I looked around at the beautiful people in the restaurant, who funny enough were all on their smartphones when not eating. When a couple left, the lady walked over to a table with two couples and told them to put down their phones and start talking to each other. That got a laugh from me. Don’t think the couple where amused though. Bistrot Caraibes was still open when I left at around 11:30pm after I had pepermint rum and espresso coffee.
Nadia called Johnny B who promptly showed up before I would even settle the bill. Johnny B showed me where he lived. He needed the get a charger cable because he battery was running low. I saw a red light flashing. He still had one more guest he was waiting on to finish up before he called it quits that night. Johnny B dropped me off at my jeep in the Grand Case parkinglot. The little crepes stand that was open when I had arrived earlier was already closed and shut down. I gave Johnny B a 20 dollar bill and thanked him for the great service. I think I had enough material to write this article for the newspaper.
Photo captions: Hot molten chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream on a bed of sparkling sugar (pop rocks) compliments of restaurant Bistrot Caraibes. Photos by Today reviewer.
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Amigo Tours “Bon Apétit Grand Case” hotel shuttle service
Amigo Tours “Bon Apétit Grand Case”
Amigo Tours has yet another hit tour on their hands. It is appropriately named “Bon Appétit Grand Case” and it is clear that this tour company has put some thought into this new service.
Amigo Tours told this newspaper that they wanted to start a shuttle service from Dutch St Maarten and French St. Martin hotels to the gourmet capital Grand Case.
“The overall idea is to offer shuttle bus services to Grand Case for various hotels on the island.” Amigo explains. “As you know guests are reluctant to drive in the evening to Grande Case due to the distance and, secondly, due to the parking issue.”
“So this tour will be offering two departures from hotels and two return departures from Grand Case back to the hotels.” Amigo tells us.
The intention of the dinner tour is for guests to get a feel of the diversity in cuisines, experience the many restaurants including waterfront dining, visit the many Lolo’s and enjoy the atmosphere of the Grand Case village.
“The upcoming Harmony Nights starting in the new year in January is an added attraction for our guests.” according to Amigo. “But the emphasis will be placed on the pros of taking our shuttle service as opposed to renting a car or taking a taxi.”
For more information, visit the Amigo Tours website at www.amigotours.sx.
Photo above caption: Grand Case beach side view from Le Tastevin restaurant. Photo contributed by Amigo Tours.
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Taxi Tour Companies serving Grand Case
Other taxi and tour companies providing night transfers to Grand Case are taxi drivers aligned with the Dutch St. Maarten Taxi Association, St. Maarten Airport Taxi Association and Genesis Taxi Service, including tour sales & marketing company, StMaartenTours.info.
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