PHILIPSBURG:--- Known as the gastronomic capital of the Caribbean, it's no wonder that L'Estaminet and La Villa Restaurant in Dutch/French St. Maarten/St. Martin (www.VacationStMaarten.com) have been chosen as two of the top three fine dining restaurants in the Caribbean by TripAdvisor.com in the Travelers' Choice Awards 2013.Both restaurants are located in Grand Case, an area known for its high concentration of award-winning dining establishments.
L'Estaminet, listed as number two in TripAdvisor's Travelers' Favorite Fine Dining Restaurants - Caribbean 2013, opened in October 2006 in a traditional Creole cottage on the quiet side of Grand Case. Quickly making a name for itself, L'Estaminet received a Bronze medal at the 2007 Taste of St. Martin competition. An evening at L'Estaminet is a culinary highlight, combining warm and impeccable service with first-class French-styled cuisine and blending long-established French culinary traditions with Chef Urfalino's personal twists and innovations.
Named number three on TripAdvisor's Travelers' Favorite Fine Dining Restaurants - Caribbean 2013, La Villa Restaurant was opened by Christopher and Florence Hubler in September 2009 in the heart of Grand Case village. Despite the surrounding long-established, award-winning restaurants, visitors continually flock to La Villa Restaurant for the friendly management, varied French-Caribbean cuisine and fun location in the middle of Grand Case.
With the widest variety of dining experiences of any other island in the world, the Dutch nation of St. Maarten and the French overseas collectivity of St. Martin offer a wide range of worldwide cuisine with 365 restaurants - one for every day of the year. It is also the only Caribbean island with more than one establishment ranked on the TripAdvisor list, defining the destination as a stand-out culinary experience for visitors and reinforcing its reputation as the gastronomic capital of the Caribbean.
