Healthy, Eco-friendly, and Delicious Food? See Azul Cafe.
The ever-changing face of the Havensight area is the dynamic that keeps it a hopping place for visitors and a new experience for locals. Gone is the famous Shipwreck bar and restaurant and the huge liquor store there to serve the ship passengers. Now one can go bowling while drinking and having a bite or settle into a charming spot called Azul Café. It would be easy to miss this place. It sits a bit above street level on the eastern end of the old Al Cohen’s Plaza.
Failing to check it out would be a culinary error. This unassuming little place in what is now called simply “The Plaza at Havensight” seats outdoor diners at wooden picnic tables (painted blue, of course) or at the cozy and well-stocked bar. The year-old enterprise is the brainchild of Dale Schmidt, a serial entrepreneur with restaurants in Florida and here in the Virgin Islands, and Chef and General Manager
The slogan at Azul reads “Small Batch. From Scratch” and the stated goal is to serve freshly made dishes that are healthy and thrill the palate. Foster said, “We keep listening to customers. Their comments direct the menu, which changes quarterly. Our daily specials take advantage of local availability, and our area farmers grow fresh vegetables in beds specifically assigned to Azul Café.” Azul opts to support local whenever possible and in fact, they just began to carry beer on tap from a local brewery on St. Croix, Leatherback Brewery just last month. Foster refers to this part of the business as “menu engineering” based on the market and current trends.
You will also find a familiar face, Tom Palisi, behind the bar who spent 20 years as the owner of Epernay, the well known upscale eatery in Frenchtown. Most recently, Tom was working at The Blue Orchid with
The one-page menu offers about 20 interesting dishes of paninis, gourmet burgers (try the Impossible Burger which is made of all vegetables, that actually doesn’t taste like it is), bowls, sandwiches side salads, and soups, prepared with organic oils, grass-fed butter and, living up to the slogan, “Small Batch. From Scratch.” That means that the salmon patty is wild-caught fish prepared when ordered. The grass-fed New Zealand rib eye is served with
So, one of the cool things about this place is its super casual feel as it delivers dishes one might expect in a far more formal atmosphere…. Like a dinner at your friend’s backyard, as long as your friend is a forward-thinking, world-class chef.
Interested in having Azul Cater your next event? For some of the best catering on St. Thomas:
Visit Azul’s business listing page here to place your to-go orders and more!
Gerard became a St. Thomas resident 13 years ago, after a decade of escaping Boston winters on chartered sailboats in the Virgin Islands. Back in the frozen north he published travel magazines, books and consulted on all types of media. “It was love at first sight”, says Gerard. “I came for the sailing but stayed for the weather, the culture and the genuine warmth of the people.” Once settled in, he augmented his media consultation with a professional photography business and various philanthropical efforts in the community including National Public Radio and the St. Thomas Humane Society. He manages St. Thomas Food Tours, the original cultural food tour on the island where he shares his love and knowledge of “the rock” with visitors who want to leave with more than a suntan.
