Boozie’s at the Beach, Frigate Bay, St. Kitts

Just a good stretch of the legs from the Marriott Beach Club is The Strip on the beach along Frigate Bay, and it is an experience. The Strip is ground zero “limin’,” the Kittitian version of relaxing, having fun, and not worrying about anything. The Strip is lined with beach bars, some with live entertainment, all owned and operated by local folks, and most made of plywood held together with duct tape and hope. The most famous attraction — the fire dancer at Mr X’s Shiggity Shack — has been doused since COVID made crowds inadvisable, but he’ll be rekindled by popular demand, no doubt. Most or all of the bars serve food as well as drinks. When the food is good it is very, very good, and when it is bad it is … best to stick to bottled drinks.

Boozie’s is one of the very, very good places, so look for their sign.

It’s probably the nicest place on The Strip.

As you can see, it’s structurally sound, there’s no plywood, and the furniture is matched and comfortable. It’s a nice place, and offers more of a restaurant than a rickety beach bar atmosphere. Also, Boozies is Island friendly, especially to small children.

We — Nancy, Liza, Ella, Lily, and I — went with Scott and Laura, new friends from Wilmington, North Carolina, and their children Harper and Ethan. Here are Scott, Laura, and Ethan at Boozies.

Oh, and Harper with Ella at the Beach Club.

With nine people at dinner, a lot was going on, so this report is going to be pretty thin on details. I do offer the essentials. Nancy chose salmon in a very good cream sauce, and Liza had a nicely grilled mahi mahi with a similar sauce that she thoroughly enjoyed..

Some items, notably the jalapeños wrapped in bacon and the curries, were not available. Laura and Scott were disappointed about the curries, but kept limin’ and shared pasta and rib plates.

I chose the snapper creole, and I chose very, very well. I seem to have neglected to photograph it. I know that a picture is worth a thousand words, and I’ll spare you over 900 of them. Picture if you will, a whole fried snapper covered with a creole sauce, red with flecks of onion and garlic and other more secret ingredients (I asked, repeatedly.). The sauce was absolutely delicious, a touch spicy but not hot, a bonanza of flavor. It reminded me of the sauce at Orozco’s in San Juan that had set me swooning.

See the potatoes and salad with Nancy’s salmon? They came with my snapper as well, and those potatoes were excellent. The wedges had been cut in various sizes and deep fried. They were a mix of crunchy small pieces and larger wedges with a fluffy interior and a crisp exterior, all with interesting seasoning. It was a great mix. The potatoes also helped to soak up every drop of creole sauce.

A couple of notes: in the absence of kid’s portions, the pasta dishes were big enough for two or three children to share. And don’t waste a meal on ribs in St. Kitts, at least if you’re from the US. Explore the seafood and the local dishes, perhaps a roti stuffed with a curry, a pelau, or a saltfish or goat stew. It will be much better.

And do go to the Strip. Check out the different places. Eat, drink, and be limin’. Use your judgment about where you eat there. I’ve never had a problem on the Strip, or known anyone who has, but I have heard of others who have — whether from what they ate or what they drank is open to question. Certainly, Boozies poses no dangers. Spend an evening at Boozies, and you’ll be limin’.

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