Fat Turtle - Euro Burger, Island Style

Fat Turtle
http://www.fat-turtle.com/
9100 Port of Sale,
St. Thomas, USVI 00802

Burgers in St. Thomas - Part 1

THE STORY
This bar and restaurant located in St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, claims to be "popular favorite among travelers, yacht crews and owners, charter guests, fishing enthusiasts, and locals alike." It also happens to the be the place my brother Matt and his bride to be, Gina, decided to have their wedding welcome dinner.

During the day and early evening, the Fat Turtle, acts as a restaurant but after 10, they whisk away the tables and it becomes a popular dance club, not only due to it's downtown, water front location in Yacht Haven Grand but also because it's open air. Frozen drinks, gourmet pizzas, seafood and the Fat Turtle signature burgers can all be found on the menu. When Gina told me they had selected 3 burgers from the menu for the dinner, not only was I excited to eat, but I was excited to call her "Sis."

My favorite thing about the Fat Turtle? The drinks menu. You can see a photo below or click the link. You'll notice that most of the drinks don't have a list of ingredients, just how the cocktail will make you feel or act. My fave "Where the $%*! Did I Park My Boat; you'll soon be stumbling down the dock looking for your vessel after drinking this elaborate frozen potion." Clearly the Fat Turtle does not have the US FDA looking over their menus!

THE BURGER
I should've began to suspect something after we placed our orders and they very friendly server came back to inform us that the entrees on the menu Gina had selected were no longer on the regular menu. It wasn't that they weren't going to make them, they just didn't know what was on them! I should've grown a little more cautious when 70 minutes after ordering, we still didn't have our food. I chalked it up to having difficulty serving 36 wedding guests plus regular customers at the same time. Plus we were all having laugh chugging down the Fat Turtle's signature drink, the "Tortuga Gorda."

The Fat Turtle "Euro Burger" came with Swiss cheese, lettuce, fried onions and Guinness BBQ Sauce and was served on a sesame seed bun. I ordered mine, as always, medium rare. The sandwich appeared to be cooked correctly but a few bites proved it to be only room temperature. The whole thing was flimsy and barely held up in my bands. As a true lover of all things beer, I was pretty excited for the Guinness BBQ sauce but it was rather lack luster. A later Google search shows that this may have been some store bought product from Bull's Eye. It totally overpowered the taste of the 1/2 LB patty which was probably better as the beef itself did not have an outstanding flavor.

The fries were crispy and good, the view was spectacular, the drinks were flowing, DJ Peter C was jammin', the company was amazing but the burger was second-rate.


5 out of 10 ounces
-Rev
Matt and Gina however, get a 10 out of 10 for the effort!!