La Locanda, St. Marteen

If you are staying at the Radisson Blu in St. Marteen and happen to be hungry, take a walk across the front lawn to La Locanda a small un-assuming Italian restaurant filled with a bunch of surprises. The first, was the food… highly, highly recommend the mozzarella and tomato appetizer- was awesome (not sure if it was the dressing… but I seriously wanted to lick the plate), also tried the home made lasagna and finished every bit of it. Kathy got pasta with shrimp and it was equally yummy.

It wasn’t until I peeked inside that the true surprise was revealed. The interior of the restaurant (kitchen area) was an HDR dream. Rich wood, glass bottles, a worn floor, and a hefty wooden table warm with use… I just had to shoot the location.  I asked the owner Jean Marc (who I turned out chatting with for quite awhile post-dinner- great guy!) if I could return with my camera and take an image. Sure enough I returned the next night- I envisioned the 16mm fish eye lens as the space was pretty tight. Worked perfectly (love his sons’s bicycle in the image… it’s a family restaurant and his son visits often… my kind of place).

(click to enlarge, especially the interior shot… love it)

Enjoy!