St. Maarten's Cafe

Date
6/4/09

Location
Just off the Corner along 14th Street
1400 Wertland Street

What I ate
Hamburger and fries

What I drank
BBC Jefferson Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout

Who came
Rebec, Matt, Nora, Suzie, Jim, Xander

Website
http://www.stmaartencafe.com/

Thoughts
First, I have to mention that I've gone to this place dozens of times; it's a favorite Pep Band hangout and has been for, umm, ever. That said, I didn't want that to be a reason not to ever review this place. A few friends came to town and wanted to go, so we did and it just happened to be a good opportunity to write this. If you go here and don't get cajun cheese fries, you're doing yourself a disservice. It's not that they're absolutely amazing (though they're very good) but it's one of their standards; it's like going to an Indian restaurant and not trying their naan. I can't think of a better way to describe it, so just go there and get the fries. OK, I'll try to talk about just Thursday's dinner, now.

My burger was cooked just to my liking and juicy. I've cut back a lot on red meat, so it was nice to just have a medium-rare burger. The fries were great, even cheese-less and the beer is one of my favorites. It's a great, smooth stout with a little hint of chocolate and a nice bourbony finish. The burger and beer made an awesome combination. It's also important to mention that we went on Cheeseburger in Paradise night (at least that's what it used to be called) so the burger and fries was $5.

Maarten's has a beach pub theme going with no windows, so the place has a nice, warm feel to it. Windows would be nice as they would let in some natural light during the day, but their absence does help you feel a bit insulated from the outside, adding to the theme. The atmosphere is very comfortable and our waitress was friendly and conversational. It took a little while for our second pitcher to be poured, but there was nothing in the service to complain about otherwise. I only know this from other visits, but I can't remember having any problems with the service, even when going in a group of a dozen or more while the place was busy.

Recap
Pros - Good food, good service, comfortable atmosphere
Cons - Can be a little pricey, not much capacity for big groups (get their early and claim one of the two corner booths)
Overall - It's a great place to go. They focus on burgers and sandwiches, but there's enough variety to satisfy anyone and everything's tasty. Check out the drink menu for more entertainment.