After an enjoyable morning out on Buck Island, this girl was hungry! As an invited guest to the US Virgin Islands, my trip was sponsored in part by the USVI and JetBlue. My schedule was jammed full of places to visit and explore and lunch and dinner reservations were also made for me, which I have to admit it was great not having to worry about where I would eat. After the half day sail with Big Beard’s Adventure Tours, Joseph picked me up and we only needed to drive a few blocks to Café Christine.
I wasn’t able to read about the restaurant before my trip as Café Christine doesn’t have a web site. I’m always surprised when, in this day and age, a business doesn’t have an Internet presence, but what can you do? Café Christine is tucked away in the courtyard of Apothecary Hill behind lush, green vegetation. The address is either 6 Company Street or 4 Company Street, depending on the source, but ask anyone in the area and they can easily point you in the right direction. Café Christine, which describes itself as a French bistro and art gallery, serves vegetarian dishes, salads, quiches, and homemade pies. Open only for lunch, the restaurant is closed on the weekends and closes for the season from July to mid-November.
As you walk up the front steps you’ll find outside seating on the porch or air conditioned seating inside. The number of seats inside is limited, but I wasn’t concerned as it wasn’t so hot or humid outside. I took a seat outside on the porch where I could enjoy the fresh, cool tropical air and my surroundings. The atmosphere is relaxed and you might feel like you are at a friend’s house for a drink on the porch. I can see why the locals living or working in the downtown area of Christiansted like coming here for lunch because it isn’t pretentious and makes for a great escape.
After taking my seat, the server asked if I wanted anything to drink so I ordered water. Then it was onto discussing the options for lunch. The menu at Café Christine is a simple one presented on a chalkboard. If you can’t see it from where you’re sitting, don’t worry. Your server will bring it over to your table for you to review. The food is light with loads of fresh, local ingredients. If you’re looking for a light lunch like a salad or a quiche, a different one is served daily, then Café Christine is the restaurant to visit. The soup of the day on my visit was a chilled cauliflower soup. Christine had her restaurant at the same location for about 10 years, left, and is now back for about the same amount of time. Looks like she can’t stay away and neither can the repeat clientele.
After ordering my meal, I shot a quick video of the area around me at Café Christine.
Although the menu was small, I was glad to see at least a vegetarian option available. The “Vegetarian Platter Renaissance” consisted of a salad, pasta salad, lentil salad, quiche, and tabbouleh. I have a confession to make: I have never liked tabbouleh. It’s not that I don’t try it each time or that I don’t want to like it, I just don’t like it. Unfortunately, the little mound of tabbouleh on the plate was left untouched next to the quiche, another item I don’t eat because it contains eggs. I don’t like the taste of eggs and so quiche is definitely off the menu for me. At home I’m a vegan, but on the road I tend to eat more vegetarian because vegetarian meals are often easier to find. On a side note, I make a mean vegan spinach quiche with tofu that would put any regular quiche to shame, but I digress.
What was left on my plate was the pasta salad, regular salad, and the lentil salad. The lentil salad was mixed with onions and peppers and had a vinegar base while both the pasta salad and lettuce were heavily dressed in a creamy based dressing. Everyone is different when it comes to something like salad dressing, but I would have liked the dressing on the side or maybe just a little less. Having said that, I was glad that I had a light lunch option and a veggie one at that.
After my lunch, I was told about dessert, which we all know is my soft spot. I wasn’t going to order anything, but then I heard the server mention coconut pie. She said that most people think it will be a coconut cream pie, but that is not what this is. This is a completely different type of pie, dense and full of coconut in every single bite. Those that don’t like coconut pie will devour this pie in total. I thought the coconut pie was divine, but locals apparently can’t get enough of Christine’s pear chocolate pie. I’ll have to try that one on my next visit to St. Croix.
Whether you’re visiting St. Croix for a week on a land vacation or only there for a day while in port for your cruise, visit Christiansted for all of the great shopping and restaurant options including Café Christine.
Café Christine
6 Company Street, Apothecary Hall Courtyard
Christiansted, 00820 U.S. Virgin Islands
(340) 713-1500