Dining Out: Banana Tree Grille

Yesterday I shared with you the spectacular beaches and picturesque views from my long weekend in the U.S Virgin Islands. While the highlight of the trip was absolutely the beach day on St. John, the meal we had on our final night was a very close second. 

It rained our entire last day in St. Thomas so we were really looking forward to the dinner reservation we had for that night. At the recommendation of my friend's co-worker we reserved a table at Banana Tree Grille at Bluebeard's Castle. 

The dining room at Banana Tree Grille reminded me and my dinner date of the dining room at Kellerman's, the family resort featured in the movie Dirty Dancing. It had high ceilings, big ceiling fans, white walls, white beams and a wrap around porch, just like Kellerman's!

The hostess walked us to a table for two in a quiet corner and handed us menus. 

To get excited for the meal, we had already peeked at the menu online, but we wanted to make sure it matched what we had seen. The very first thing we knew we needed to get was the burrata. For me, burrata is one of those things that if you see it on a menu, you just order it. Banana Tree Grille's rendition is served with heirloom tomatoes, figs, slivers of garlic and toasted almonds over a sea of olive oil. 

The best bites were ones where you managed to get a piece of burrata, a fig and a sliver of garlic all onto your fork. 

We also shared Banana Tree's signature appetizer, the "Oh My!" gorgonzola loaf. The menu description reads, "A crusty ciabatta loaf baked with garlic and extra virgin olive oil, surrounded with shameless gorgonzola sauce and you dip! Oh My!!"

Let me tell you, that gorgonzola sauce was one of the most delicious, decadent things I have ever tasted. We both inhaled the first half of the loaf and then tried to figure out how to eat every last drop of the sauce without having to consume the rest of the bread. When our waitress took the plate away we immediately began discussing how we could recreate the dish at home. 

To enjoy with our dinner, we were both treated to a complimentary mango bellini, thanks to our Marriott Vacation Club cards. Now that's a loyalty program perk! 

The bellinis were light and the mango added a bright, tropical flavor. 

For dinner, my friend decided on the red snapper. It was flash fried and served with pineapple mango salsa, green beans and coconut jasmine rice. 

After a few bites she said, "The sweetness of the coconut rice goes so well with the sweetness of the fish. The fish was cooked perfectly - moist and lightly battered. My favorite components of the dish were definitely the pineapple pieces in the salsa and the rice." 

Since Banana's Tree menu is heavily focused on seafood and steak, there weren't too many vegetarian entrees. I happily ordered the Caesar salad, which to my surprise and delight had the ideal ratio of lettuce to cheese to croutons to dressing. 

I loved the tangy flavor of the dressing and made the entire dish disappear. 

To share between us, we also ordered the parmesan-dusted zucchini. I think we were both expecting zucchini spears but what arrived was more like a thin onion ring. We loved the taste of the zucchini but wished there had been some kind of aioli for dipping. 

Banana Tree had a great looking dessert menu, but we were both way too stuffed. After all, we did eat almost an entire "Oh My!" loaf. 

If you are planning a vacation to St. Thomas, definitely make sure you reserve one night to dine at Banana Tree. The atmosphere is lovely, the staff is friendly and the menu is excellent. You have to get the "Oh My!" gorgonzola loaf and the burrata too. Just don't plan on kissing anyone after dinner. That is a whole lot of garlic.