Fern

Thoroughly enjoyed our dinner experience at Fern. Would absolutely recommend it if you’re staying at the St. Regis and even if you’re not. Do note that if you are not staying at the resort it’s a bit of a hike away from PR civilization. Also security is a tad tight so you may have to give your name at the gate to confirm your reservations. Still well worth it! Even if walking into the hotel feels a bit like walking into the filming of Survivor when the tribe has spoken.
Reservations:
If you aren’t having any luck online just try calling. Despite getting the no tables available message online for a variety of different dates and times, we easily got a reservation when we called. There were only several other occupied tables during our meal so perhaps there’s a bit of a hiccup going on with the online reservations. If you want to sit outside you may want to inform them of this when you make reservations. They also ask about any allergies which was helpful.
Food:
We started with appetizers. The corn soup was good, nothing particularly special. Luckily it was the only average dish of the night. The side house salad (not on the menu but just ask for it) was oddly good with a soy house dressing that I really enjoyed. Since it wasn’t on the menu I wasn’t sure what type of lettuce to expect. I was pleasantly surprised with the light mixed greens as I was dreading the possibility of some sort of trendy leafy green nonsense. We also split the black truffle and fontina cheese pizza which was superb. As for the size it was enough for a light eater to have as an entrée.
For entrees we had the aged sirloin with truffle cheese fritters. Certainly in the top three steaks we’ve ever had. The roasted grouper entrée (with black beans and avocado) was delicious and a huge serving. Only thing that could have used a little tweaking was the acidity of the black beans.
The warm apple crumble for dessert was AMAZING. The best we’ve ever had. It took a good 15 minutes to come out (I’m guessing it had to be fired since it wasn’t simply pre made) but it was well worth the wait!
Atmosphere and Service:
We have several allergies so it was great that our server was already well aware of them before we even sat down. She could answer all of our allergy related questions without us even having to explain them. Our server was also very knowledgable about the dishes overall and seemed to have every ingredient memorized. The service was the one area that could use improvement as it was on the slow side. Also, a server dropped a handful of knives and never picked them up. Typically a major no no in any kitchen let alone a dining room. The music was stale and screamed elevator music in Manhattan. Not even Puerto Rican elevator music which would have been a notch better.
Those tidbits aside, the food is a very clear winner here. Highly recommended.

Eating here really actually blew me away. I love Jean Georges and have eaten at several of his restaurants in NYC, including his namesake restaurant which I thought was kind of overpriced, as well as his restaurants abroad such as Lagoon in the St Regis Bora Bora. Fern was an unexpected surprise; for a much more affordable price, you get all the amazing flavors and artistry in food that you can expect in a restaurant of his caliber. We ate here every night out of our 4 day stay at the St Regis and tried a number of dishes. (I wish we had gotten the prix fixe to sample more dishes!) Everything was delicious. We also ate here everyday for breakfast.
Standouts:
— French toast: deep fried so crispy on the outside and soft and doughy on the inside. Doesn’t even need syrup because it’s naturally sweet. Highly recommend this. Everything else on the brunch menu was kind of meh.
— Avocado pizza: delicate thin crispy crust with pure avocado goodness, a little bit of olive oil and onion on top. I made the mistake of smothering it in the house made hot sauce the first night and couldn’t taste anything other than the spicy sauce. Try it on its own first and enjoy the subtle flavors. This is so popular for a reason.
— Octopus: the octopus itself was tender but the sauce was what was so interesting. It tasted like an asian fusion sauce that was sweet and salty and it complemented the octopus really well.
— Grouper and the snapper: both were delicious, well cooked, tender meat, with perfect sauces to complement. The Grouper was a tad better if I remember correctly.
— Chocolate lava cake with tahitian vanilla ice cream: really good dessert, don’t know what else to say. Chocolatey goodness
— A cocktail that was recommended to us with rum and passionfruit, very refreshing and light
Other things we tried:
— truffle mushroom pizza: was loaded chock full with truffles which is rare at less than $ 20 for the pizza. I enjoyed the avocado one a tad more because the cheese made the crust a little softer and denser, but I liked the crispy crust better. Still, a solid and delicious pizza.
— apple tart: so-​so, a little too sour for my tastes
Go here! And try the prix fixe (less than $ 90 for a whole list of dishes) to sample more of the menu

Dinner was truly excellent and far better quality and value than what one normally gets at a high end beach resort. We did the tasting menu, and every dish was well-​executed with spot-​on pairings. The salmon/​avocado terrine, corn soup, grouper with black bean salsa, and filet with puréed parsnips and potatoes were all flawless. If you are staying at the St. Regis, do at least one dinner at Fern.

Nice ambiance. Beautiful view. Poor service. Mediocre breakfast. Eggs Benedict was ok. Chocolate croissant was cold and stale. Coffee was cold. They were out of passion fruit juice. Our server was really nice though!

We are siting here right now. Very impressed. The chef’s complimentary mushroom soup was loved by all, including our eight year old. Delicious! The manager came out not just to introduce himself, but to chat about the food and life. The chef also introduced himself and when he hears how much we love the soup he brought some more! Great wine. Appetizers including the truffle pizza and avocado pizza were delicious. Our meals, mostly fish, were very good. And dessert and coffee were just about perfect. Wonderful first night at the St. Regis!

We had dinner here last night for family of 4… We ordered avocado salad (hugely underwhelming, extremely citrusy, half of the avocado was gray, and the crust tasted like day old pizza), octopus salad (okay but overly charred on one side), shrimp salad (great salad), grouper (just okay), sirloin steak (also just okay). We ended up spending $ 300 with 2 cocktails. Fern is not a bad option if you are staying in PR for a few days… It is an attractive restaurant and everything else around here is even worse (no normal person with reasonable culinary expectation would enjoy eating at the nearby «kiosks»). However if Fern were in NYC I would not eat there even if the avg spending is $ 25 a person.

We did not have high expectations, actually was going to avoid, but needed to eat on property so made reservations.
Been to numerous Jean George’s restaurants in nyc, Atlanta, etc. this one by far was the most well executed. It is not inexpensive, but the Flavors are incredible and memorable and incorporate some local flair.

My experience at Fern was only a group dinner where we had a set menu. I choose the shrimp salad, steak, and warm molten cake for dessert. They were all fantastic – my steak was cooked perfectly medium as I requested. I loved the ambience here and the service was fantastic. Well done, Fern – you’re as good as it gets.

We enjoyed one dinner and two breakfasts at Fern during our stay. Top notch service — above and beyond all but one dining experience we have ever had. And the food was fantastic and fresh! I had the grouper for dinner — delicate and well seasoned. My husband had the tuna, which was the special that evening — he thoroughly enjoyed it! At breakfast, be sure to order a side of fruit with your meal — the chef mixes in some glorious seasonings — even my husband who doesn’t normally eat fruit ate some at my insistence and his dish was soon empty! Great job by the hostess, wait staff, manager (who stopped by to make sure everything was ok) as well as the kitchen!

4.5 stars. had friends with kids (6 months and 2 yrs old) and was staying at st regis/​bahia for few days. instead of hiring babysitter, i really wanted the kids to come with. i called Fern and they said kids welcome
LOCATION: 5 stars
— in st regis/​bahia. on 2^nd/​top floor of the hotel check in building
PARKING: 5 stars
— valet and self park
AMBIANCE: 5 stars
— has bold art that i wouldn’t have expected. and lovely/​playful chandeliers.
— a/c’d indoor elegant seating and outdoor on the terrace for casual, warmer seating
— kids at every table, but manage to still have an upscale feel
SERVICE: 5 stars
— they were super great with the kids incl getting the 2 yr old’s food out asap as he was very vocal about ‘i want food!’
— drinks/​food/​take out bags came out timely
— remembered our allergies
— i just remember service being very unobtrusive and yet things got brought and cleared from the table throughout the night
FOOD: 4 stars
BREAD and olive oil: tasty
APPS:
— AVOCADO PIZZA: i know, sounds weird. no cheese. but carmelized onion gave it a lovely sweetness. i think they change up the ingredients on this pizza?
— HAMACHI SASHIMI with soy ginger drsg, radish and avocado: nice flavor and hamachi was fresh
— BLACK PEPPER OCTOPUS: cooked perfectly. not chewy
— BEEF SKEWER: weakest of the apps. keep forgetting to ask for it to be cooked rare
ENTREES:
— GROUPER on top of a bean something or other with scallion and avocado. i think i was just too full by now. their signature dish. 3 of us got this. maybe i don’t like grouper. i need to experiment more with fish
— LOBSTER TAIL with a humungous portion of stir fry cabbage? friend loved, but was just too much veggies
— SPINACH sauteed: we requested olive oil/​salt/​pepper/​garlic prep. yum
— MASHED POTATOES: super creamy texture
— SIMPLE SALMON and mashed potatoes for the 2 yr old. super delicious
WINE: 5 stars
— a lovely white castello banfi was so delicious
pleasantly surprised. my 1^st jean george place. but i don’t feel compelled to go back unless a friend wants fine dining while at st regis. molasses, reviewed separately, on same property, has amazing food.

Mixed reviews from my group regarding dinner, however I really enjoyed the avocado pizza, octopus, and chicken dish. Great views of the ocean and a nice breeze that comes through.
Breakfast is mediocre depending on the service, which is really hit or miss. We enjoyed the buffet most days during our stay. Indulge In a Bloody Mary– it’s their signature and very good. The homemade hot sauce on each table is amazing, I would put it on everything!

First of all, the St. Regis is a gorgeous property. The restaurant is located inside the hotel on the second floor. Great attention since the arrival. The valet parking knew our names and the manager of the restaurant greeted us. Our server, Onyx, was excellent. He knew the menu like the palm of his hands. We ate all of his recommendations and We were not disappointed. For starters we had the pumpkin soup, the avocado pizza and fish carpaccio (don’t remember the name of the fish). For dinner I had the Veil Chop with mashed potato and my husband had fish with black beans and avocado. Also, the wines are a little to expensive, so we decided to have a glass a champagne to start and then one glass of red wine with the appetizer and one with the dinner. For dessert we had the chocolate mousse, yummy. Loved the restaurant and the service. If you ever come around, ask for Onyx, you won’t regret it.

Last week, I embarked on a trip to the hidden splendor of the St. Regis Bahia outside of Rio Grande on the way to Loiza. There at the splendid huge, giant, timbered gates, which swung open seamlessly, gently, I entered upon a luxury world of vast tropical foliage, shrubbery and floral plantings lined along the way with giant, volcanic torches 5 feet high illuminating the way. After a mile or so past lakes and streams and fountains you are face to face with the regal façade also lined with vast torches lighting the way into the seemingly royal, Asian/​Egyptian entrance to the Kingdom (of Luxor??) A crew of about 5 is there in front ready to valet park your car with the admonition to have the parking ticket stamped at the restaurant otherwise pay $ 30 to retrieve your car instead of $ 10. So very early, barely after emerging from your vehicle, you already have a sampling, sense and mission of the St. Regis Bahia. In through the Egyptian dimension portals to the lobby and again into a vast luxury lobby area with an inviting bar in one large open corner reasonably attended by guests and visitors. I stepped up, ordered a highball size glass of Daiquiri presented by a young, attractive and expert girl bartender (as is the larger majority of personnel). I struck up some lively conversation with a group of seemingly «upper echelon» Philadelphians in their 40s who left not many moments later for the alternative dining room «Molasses», a distance away adjoining the Golf Club House. After several minutes and just a little late for my 7 dinner reservation, I took an elegant elevator off the lobby to the second floor where Fern is located. I was greeted by the Maitre who, in his email to me confirming the reservation, admonished that the dress code there is casual elegant banning bare feet, jeans and so on. One of the gal assistant maitre d’s escorted me to my table: I chose the same outdoor terrace as I had last time, off the vast, square, elegant dining room. The huge blinds against the wall facing out to the sea were drawn down which blocked the view and the air to the sea. My maitre d’ explained that the wind was up. I stayed anyway. I sat down, continued to sip the tail end of my Daiquiri and ordered dinner: an hamachi appetizer, a «slow cooked» baked salmon entrée and a crème brûlée for dessert. I ordered a glass of Sake for my hamachi, a Macon Village Chardonnay for the salmon and one of my favorite Muscats, Beaume de Venise, for my brûlée. After about 15 minutes I was presented with an «Asian Fusion» style amuse bouche which came on a large soup spoon sized ladle (with the handle bent back on itself forming sort of a circle). It was a single bite size portion and tasted mostly of sesame but contained their usual (as I last recall it) mishmash of things «fused-​Asian»: finely chopped bean sprout, grated daikon, mashed avocado, garlic and maybe some teensy tidbit of finely ground (¼ teaspoon) of some sashimi. Not bad. Another 15 or 20 minutes passed and I was presented with my desperate portion of hamachi and informed THAT THEY DIDN’T HAVE SAKE! NONE! Here I am in Asian Fusion Wonderland. No Sake. The hamachi was an enlarged version, more or less, of the amuse bouche with no clearly visible, pristine slices of fish. Dear. Another 20 minutes and I was presented with my Salmon and my glass of Chardonnay, the latter, I would guess, the equivalent in volume (as was the Beaume) of 1 ½ shot glasses full. I had ordered the salmon, as I’m wont, to be medium rare, and that wish was properly fulfilled. The salmon was on a bed of mashed potatoes with a sprinkling of finely chopped brussels sprouts on top and maybe some other vegetable mixed in. Around the entire outer border of the dinner plate was a ¹⁄₈ inch or less) ring of a fairly tasty, mustard flavored creamy «sauce» — so little for the entire dish that I had to struggle to taste it. It was a good, adequate dish. Finally, about 10 minutes later, (speeding up as I approach departure), came the crème brûlée and Muscat wine. The crème was in a circular dish about 3 inches in diameter and less than ½ inch deep with a nice vanilla flavored cream sauce on the side. Not bad but insufficient.
Literally, within TWO minutes of finishing my crème brûlée and my Muscat I was presented with a check! Well, all tolled not too bad for $ 110. Two final positive service comments: there were many in help in the dining room: waiters, busgirls, maitre d’s, so I’m not too sure what the hold up was in the kitchen and all these service personnel took part in the dinner service including the presentation of the dishes and removal of them. In fact, one of my courses was served by one of the gal maitre d’s and 2 minutes after my check was presented the head maitre d’, who was also working the dining room, took my credit card and the bill. All in all a grandiose evening. One can easily long for Paris.

As I sit here at work, trying to tolerate the aggressive cold weather, I find myself day dreaming about my recent Puerto Rico week long vacation. Nothing else is helping this shock of negative temperature.
During our stay at the St Regis Hotel we did many things. Some of them include: drinking poolside, laying in the sun, chasing iguanas, sleeping in, instagramming pina coladas and ourselves, etc. One of my favorite moments was our dinner at Fern. I was with a group of five women, and we were all very adamant about spending our money on excellent food. We did the tasting menu with the wine pairing, and it was lovely. Here’s what we had:
Hamachi Sashimi: Excellent, very fresh. One of my friends thought it was a bit too salty, I didn’t notice.
Butternut squash soup: Wow. I wanted to lick the bowl. But warning here: This soup is fairly thick and a larger portion for a 6 course meal, so be cautious of how much you eat.
Black Pepper Octopus: Delicious, but not my favorite on the menu. Much meatier than I had anticipated.
Roasted Grouper: I’m sure it was good but my memory is escaping me on this one. Wine pairing number 4 really caught up with me.
Grilled Beef tenderloin: A loin that was tender, and perfectly cooked. What else can a girl ask for?
Warm Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream: Not the best I’ve ever had, but it’s chocolate cake. Can’t go wrong and my favorite way to end a meal.
Overall it was a great experience and the perfect ambience for a lively, fun yet sophisticated dinner. The service was fine but nothing spectacular, so I eliminate one star for that. Otherwise, I recommend it. Such a treat.

Breakfast is hit or miss based on the service. This review is for dinner which is without question exceptional. Onix was our server three nights in a row — perfect service with help from the accompanying staff. Here’s the rundown on the food:
— Octopus App (A-​) — much better than last time. Had a great kick to it
— Hamachi Sashimi (A+) — ridiculously good. Last time I had Sashimi this good was Neptune Oyster
— Charred Chicken (A-​) — I was skeptical, but this was excellent
— Mahi Mahi (A-​) — excellent dish, great recommendation by Onix
— Grouper (A) — another great reco by Onix, amazing dish
— Carribean Lobster (A) — I was suspect of the Buttery Cabbage, but it was excellent. Also learned that although Carribean lobster is tougher than Maine Lobster, it has way more flavor
— Salmon (A-​) — My wife loved the salmon
— Avocado Pizza (A) — 2015 update — was hugely skeptical but ultimately impressed.
Last note — obviously Fern is expensive. They post prices with their menu on their website. Anyone who is surprised at the cost is suspect. It’s a Jean-​Georges restaurant at a St. Regis…

Best food at the resort. Chicken was really good and the Grouper was the signature dish and lived up to expectations. The octopus was the best flavor we tasted. Wine was reasonably priced and they made a good Old Fashion. Again, same great service as the rest of the resort.

Wonderful experience!!! We had dinner there once and breakfast for 3 days. Dinner was great, My husband and I shared 4 appetizers, fantastic dishes… We had the octopus, shrimp salad, mussels and the avocado salad. Everything was tasty and cooked to perfection, my favorite was the avocado pizza while my husbands favorite were the mussels… You must try the hot sauce, it’s delicious and pairs well with almost everything!!!
Breakfast was awesome and the views outside are great! We tried the oatmeal: tastes homemade and very filling, granola: it was so delicious I asked for the recipe, the avocado egg: was tasty and really goes well with the hot sauce and the egg sandwich: ok nothing special, not very creative. Potato side is great and the tomato salad is simple yet delicious.

My husband and I ate at Fern on our first night in PR after traveling all afternoon. It was so phenomenal that we returned again a few nights later… and again on our last night. I usually prefer to explore a variety of places when on vacation, but this was truly an exception.
For our first dinner, we went all out and did the tasting menu. Everything was so delightful and perfect. I was especially impressed with the soup — sweet pea with parmesan foam– I couldn’t stop thinking about it all week. So flavorful and the most gorgeous bright green. The other courses were perfectly sized and gave us a terrific taste of most of the best menu items — hamachi sashimi, octopus, grouper, beef tenderloin. After enjoying all of these dishes, we were very surprised when full-​portion desserts arrived. Not just any dessert — it was their signature chocolate cake with tahitian vanilla ice cream. Bliss.
The next time we returned, I opted for a lighter meal and tried the steamed shrimp salad and a side of roasted mushrooms. And on our last visit, I went for simplicity: avocado pizza and the salmon with shishito peppers. Everything — incredible.
I must also note that I had one of the best cucumber martinis at this restaurant. Refreshing and cold, it was a great start to my meal. The service is also quite good, and we found that opting to eat inside ended up being much quieter and romantic since most choose to sit outside on the terrace. The dining room is beautiful, with nice lighting and comfortable chairs.
It may seem odd to dine at a restaurant like this in Puerto Rico, but it is truly worth it. There are other places to go if you are looking for puerto rican dishes. Go to Fern because you want a spectacular, eclectic/​global dining experience.

I don’t know what to think about Fern. The food is good, sure, but the menu is targeted towards visiting NYer’s who have been to other Jean Georges restaurant’s in the NYC. Plus, the cost is incredibly high for being in PR.
While the menu is trying to be «local», it is the furthest thing from local. Where’s the mofongo? Plantains? Oh right, this menu caters towards visiting NYers who want «local ingredients» but don’t want to venture out into «local cuisine».
The drinks are good, but there is barely any alcohol in the drinks. The service is also slow.

Unbelievably GREAT, like «we were planning on only visiting 1 time but ended up eating dinner there 3 nights in a row» great. (Disclaimer: This is going to be a long, passionate review.)
What makes me rave about Fern? Their dinner appetizer menu. We made full meals out of appetizers each night and were completely blown away. The one time we ordered a main course, we were quite disappointed. So … stick to the appetizers and you will absolutely LOVE this place.
Avocado pizza (6 stars out of 5, not a typo): Utterly amazing, crispy and perfect … light, spicy, sweet … just thinking about it is making me drool. My favorite pizza of all time.
Black pepper octopus (6 stars, not a typo): Perfectly cooked with a balance of sweet and spicy flavors. My favorite octopus dish of all time.
Steamed shrimp salad (6 stars, not a typo): This is no basic salad, this packs intense flavors and truly epitomizes umami. In the top 3 of the best salads I’ve ever tasted.
Tomato & basil pizza (4 stars): Perfect crispy crust and excellent housemade tomato sauce.
Lemon gnocchi special (4.5 stars): Light and fluffy pillows with great natural lemon flavor.
Simply cooked grouper (2 stars): Ultra-​tiny portion that completely lacked any flavor whatsoever. I’d estimate our $ 31 filet at maybe 4oz … I love grouper, but stay far away from this one.
Cream cheese ice cream (5 stars): Sounds a bit weird, I know, but this was fantastic. Made in house, creamy, flavorful.
Coconut sorbet (4.5 stars): Great coconut flavor, light and delicious. Also made in house.
We also ate here twice for breakfast. Prices are a bit high but it does depend on what you get … my wife went crazy for the housemade granola, yogurt and berries (5 stars), so much so that she asked for the recipe! I enjoyed the mallorca with ham, egg, and cheese (4 stars) on both visits. The granola + sandwich together is only $ 30, which really isn’t bad at all for an upscale vacation breakfast. I wasn’t the biggest fan of their cappuccino (3 stars) and would recommend sticking to the regular coffee instead (4 stars).
Service was so friendly (especially Onix and Coral!) and we felt truly welcomed each time we walked in. I can’t say enough good things about Fern … I strongly urge you to visit this restaurant and try at least 1 of the 6-​star appetizers described above.