Recent Reviews

Gault Millau and Taste of St Martin


Reviewed by Review
From The New York Times :
Frommer's Review
Oct 21, 2010
This perennial favorite in a town loaded with worthy contenders is set in what looks like a private house on the inland side of the main road running through Grand Case. Its atmosphere is at least partly influenced by Burgundy-born sommelier, Stéphane Emorine, who shows a canny ability to recommend the perfect wine by the glass to complement the French-Caribbean cuisine. Stéphane and owner Bruno Lemoine apprenticed with the great Alain Senderens at Lucas-Carton in Paris: Their attention to detail is unmatched, right down to the gray bud vases with fresh blooms. Meals begin dramatically with such dishes as a casserole of crayfish and avocados with a citrus sauce, lobster ravioli infused with ginger and basil, or sautéed foie gras coated lightly with gingerbread and served with apple-almond marmalade. Mains include both rustic cuisine du terroir (such as roasted rack of lamb with either rosemary or cream-based pistou sauce) and Creole dishes, including mahimahi filet served with a reduction of crayfish. Desserts similarly range from traditional Grand Marnier soufflé to a crystallized eggplant with anise cream and basil sorbet. The four-course lobster dinner is magnifique.
From GoNOMAD :
Kent E St John
Senior Traveler Editor
May 09, 2010
The little town of Grand Case has a big reputation in the culinary world, and it is well deserved. This is the Caribbean's Main Street of food and wine....
A highly recommended place called The Cottage was our spot.
The soufflés are known around the world, so order even before your first drink; they are made from scratch. It was a struggle to make it through some of the finest foie gras and tender tenderloin, but I struggled, and not a morsel of soufflé was left behind.
Dinner was just an appetizer for the rest of the night : small cozy beach bars with romantic flare surround the culinary temples.
From Chicago Tribune :
Josh Noel
Tribune Newspapers
Fev 11, 2010
Le Cottage : From the bright green herb gazpacho to the monkfish (served with squid sauteed with chorizo, olives and tomatoes) to the caramel souffle, perfection all around. And the fact that I got out of there for less than $100 ? with a glass of wine ? made it a steal.
From Trip Advisor:
Anna and Ilya, CA
Apr 8, 2009
Their new chef produces works of gastronomical art! It was embarrasing, but we just had to photograph our foie gras and duck dishes - beautiful and delicious. The service was personable, warm and prompt. The staff is very friendly and fluent in English. Can't wait to have a meal there next year.
From Trip Advisor:
ILBeachBums, IL
Apr 3, 2009
We have been going to St Martin for years and Le Cottage in Grand Case is a must for us. Bruno and his staff deliver, without fail, some of the freshest and most unique dinners available in Grand Case. The presentations long to have their picture taken. In addition, wines can be nicely paired up with each appetizer, entree and dessert. Ask for a table by the railing and you have an excellent spot to people watch as tourists as well as locals walk Boulevard de Grand Case. Le Cottage offers a very special dining experience and should not be missed.
From Trip Advisor:
UrbanExplorer, ON
Mar 16, 2009
Quality, hospitality, atmosphere - no detail is overlooked at Le Cottage. I travel frequently for both pleasure and for work. This establishment knows what they are doing and do it very well. The service is polished and yet not obtrusive or stuffy. The food is excellent - memorable - and very French - which is to say a perfect blend of tastes and textures.
From Trip Advisor:
1Pal, Visalia, California
May 20, 2008
The Exception to the 'No Repeat Rule': My husband and I look forward to St. Martin and Le Cottage every year. Though we have eaten at many wonderful restaurants the three times we have been to St. Martin and have never ever had a bad meal, we have kept our vow of not going to any restaurant more than once. Well, except for Le Cottage, of course! We'll be going to St. Martin next month (June 2008) and can't wait to enjoy yet another wonderful culinary experience at our favorite resaturant, Le Cottage, "The Best in Grand Case"
From Trip Advisor:
shebuck, Delaware
May 13, 2008
We split the "Taste of Crab" appetizer. My husband ordered the "Taste of Lamb" as his entree, which like all things at Le Cottage, was presented as a piece of art on a plate. For dessert we split the blueberry violet souffle, which we ordered in the beginning of our meal. The souffle was very delicate and airy, melting in your mouth and was paired with blueberry sorbet. We have eaten at other restaurants in Grand Case and this is the best we've experienced there (and perhaps the best restaurant we've been to anywhere!).
Diamond Award In an article about St Martin in the online travel section, New York Magazine said that "For cheap eats, nothing beats the islands lolos, or roadside barbecue joints", recommending Johnny B Under the Tree. They went on to say: "For a more formal meal, head to one of the French bistros on Grand Case restaurant row: The 50-seat, coral-colored Le Cottage is known for its foie gras and stellar wine list." You might still be able to find the full article on their website.
Diamond Award We have received the Mobil Diamond Award for 2006 and are listed in the 2007 Gault Millau. Gault Millau
Carib Travel and Life
Dave Herndon
Mar 2006
The next night I had a more adventuresome dinner down the street at Le Cottage. The starter was built like a Napoleon, with layers of crab and tuna tartare separated by seaweed. The main course was a duck medley (breast, leg, foie gras and gizzards), and the dessert -- basil sorbet and eggplant chips atop anise mousse -- tasted way, way better than it sounds. Best of all was the wine service by a spirited sommelier who came around to consult on just the right glass for each course. "I'm the wine man, I love what I do," he said. "We're swimming in happiness." That sublime image outlasted the aftertaste of the fascinating meal.
Frommer's Guides
1999-2006
I choose Le Cottage, a cozy, candlelit French bistro with curved patio railings that give each outdoor table a romantic embrace. The house white, a 1999 Quincy les Victoires, is excellent, and the foie gras starter and monkfish entree are superb. Nothing I order comes from St. Martin; even the butter I spread on my sliced baguette is from County Kerry, Ireland. St. Martin couldn't cater a kindergarten class lunch with what's grown on the island, so it's incredible that its restaurants and supermarkets offer such a rich diversity of food.
Thuriès Magazine
infos-concentrées
Mar 2003
Chefs

The St Martin Restaurateurs Association and the Saint Martin Interprofessional Federation invited Cucho Valdés, a grand figure of latino jazz and famed chef Yves Thuriès (in the toque above) to the first St Martin Gourmet Jazz Festival in early December 2002. The photo above shows the famed chef with all the chefs chosen to participate in this event. Our chef stands behind and to the right of Chef Thuriès, who said in his magazine that Le Cottage has "French cuisine, orginal and creative, influenced by the products of the Caribbean Islands".

L'Express Mag
13 Feb 2003
"Bruno and Stéphane, formerly of Lucas Carton, dreamed of a restaurant where Caribbean gastronomy joins the service of grands cru wines. A daring but successful bet, the Cottage presents a cuisine with classical accents (sautéed shrimp on a bed of mashed sweet potatoes with garlic and a souffléd ravioli") accompanied by the best wines.
élisabeth de Meurville
La Lettre des Gourmands
December 2002
"It's a trio that makes the charming "Le Cottage" the best table in St. Martin: proprietor Bruno Lemoine and wine steward Stéphane émorine, experienced in the great restaurants of Paris before coming to the Caribbean. They have created a marvelous place in Grand Case, a town known for the most ambitious restaurants in the Antilles. "Le Cottage" hits the mark with its inventive dishes that balance local flavors and faultless technique, its outstanding wine list, and its unerring talent for combining the two."
Dan Leeth
The Charlotte Observer 2002
"...in Grand Case, wine lovers should try Le Cottage, which offers courses that are served with the proper accompanying wine."
Frommer's Caribbean
1999-2003
"One of our favorite restaurants in a town that is loaded with worthy contenders ... Owned by Bruno Lemoine, its atmosphere is at least partly influenced by the Burgundy-born wine steward, Stephane Emorine, who shows a canny intuition at recommending a sophisticated medley of wines that are sold by the glass ..."
Caribbean Travel & Life
September 2001
"Everything is fresh," says Bruno Lemoine, owner of Le Cottage. "We have the boats filled with wonderful fruits and vegetables coming from Dominica; the fishermen bring us lobster from the Saba Bank; we get beef from the U.S.; and then we have the planes..." Every chef and restaurateur I meet on St. Martin rhapsodizes about the twice weekly pate planes from France as if they were Berliners talking about the airlift. "My wife and I ordered mussels from France last week," sighs Lemoine. "They came fresh the next day, kept moist. We ate them that night. Delicious."
New York Post
18 Jan 2000
Anthony Brandt
"I remember ... rack of lamb, perfectly cooked at Le Cottage, a place we liked so much we ate there twice, ..."
Out 'n About
14 Jan 2000
Dana Sprott
"There is a new breed of restaurant that is emerging on the island where dining is elevated to a fine art and experience. Le Cottage in Grand case represents one of the new breed where every detail matters."
New York Daily News
26 Dec 1999
Dan Leeth
"[I]n Grand Case, wine lovers should try Le Cottage ... One evening, I end up at Le Cottage, "Restaurant of Wines", with some friends. Each course comes with what Stephane, the wine steward, deems the proper complement. Through five courses, we down five full bottles. Stephane helps by personally taste-testing each. By the time we finish, he giddily slurs his English as bad as we do French."