SANDRA'S TERRACE
ST. THOMAS, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

Formerly known as Eunice's terrace, this is the kind of place you hit when you're truly looking for local food.  You'll probably find more locals dining at Sandra's than tourists on any given day partly because it is a bit out of the way and not in a touristy neighborhood.

Just as soon as I opened the menu my favorite word appeared--conch!  Pronounced "konk," this is actually the meat of a giant sea snail and it is absolutely delicious.  It's the big pink shell you see actors "blowing" in movies.  The meat is removed and tenderized by giving it a good pounding.  Then it is served in a number of different ways.

I started out with the conch fritters.  Wonderfully fresh.  For those who have never had conch before, it tastes very much like a clam only it's a lot sweeter, more substantial in texture and admittedly, it is a bit tough.  For my main dish I had something I had never tried before---stewed conch.  It was unbelievably tender and I asked our server how, on earth, they managed to do it.  She explained that it had been cooked in an old fashioned pressure cooker!  My wife started off with some fresh fish soup and then moved onto a fresh piece of snapper fried to a golden perfection.  Each of our dishes were served with fungi (cornbread of sorts) and rice.

One of the favorite dessert items at Eunice's place is Key Lime pie although we didn't try it.  We were too full!  If you try it during your visit, check and see if it's the real thing.  There is actually such a thing as a Key Lime.  They're smaller than mainland limes and have more juice to them.  They're much more expensive than mainland limes.  And check the color.  Lime juice is yellow and not green.  So if you ever get a green colored Key Lime pie, it's not authentic.

Eunice's, oops, Sandra's Terrace is a very casual spot located just west of the entrance to the Renaissance Grand Beach Resort.  Reservations are NOT taken which means during the peak period of Friday and Saturday night you might have a short wait but it'll be worth it!
If you have any questions about how to get there, here's the phone number:  (340) 775-2699.

OTHER ST. THOMAS RESTAURANT REVIEW:

Chart House