Pickled peach and fresh burrata salad, truffle honey stung chicken with lavender waffles and guavaberry syrup, Berkshire pork jowl with apple butter and grilled yams, and grilled bluefin tuna with tomato bacon jam are just a few of the menu items at this award-winning restaurant on St. Thomas' north shore.

Old Stone Farmhouse is housed in a historic sugar plantation stable with two-foot thick stone walls and warm, soft lighting, and is one of St. Thomas' greatest dining experiences.

With beautifully prepared dishes that re-envision local products, Old Stone Farmhouse appeals to steak, fish, and veggie lovers. In the kitchen, guests can choose their own fish or steak. The desserts are exquisite, and the wine list is equally so.

• Recommended for Best Restaurants because: The restaurant has world-class food, impeccable service and an intimately elegant atmosphere that many acclaim the island's best.
  
• Chelle's expert tip: The a la carte Sunday brunch menu offers bottomless spicy Stoli bloody marys.

Address:Tennis Village at Mahogany RunU.S. Virgin Islands, VI

Hours:Wed-Mon 5pm-10pm

Website: http://www.oldstonefarmhouse.net/

"A leisurely passing of time without purpose," says the name of this magnificent, open-air St. John restaurant. At Asolare, diners are urged to begin their meal with beverages while taking in the stunning sunset views over Cruz Bay. Start with the superb pork spring roll appetizer or the silky prawn and coconut milk soup when it's time to order.

Dinner specialties include sashimi tuna on a hot plate with plum sake vinaigrette and chicken in yellow curry sauce. However, menu items change every night, so you never know what delicacies you'll find when you go! Reservations are highly encouraged, and attire ranges from smart-casual to dressy. The Estate Lindholm Bed and Breakfast is right next door.

• Recommended for Best Restaurants because: If the food doesn't knock you out, the cocktails, sunsets and warm service at Asolare will.
  
• Karen's expert tip: Save room for the house special dessert, the chocolate pyramid cake, which has homemade vanilla ice cream at its center.

Address: Rte 20St. John, 00830

Hours: Daily 5:30pm-9:30pm

Website:asolarestjohn.com

Kendrick's is undoubtedly St. Croix's most exquisite restaurant, located in the ancient Quin House complex in downtown Christiansted. The restaurant's formal upstairs dining area, which offers both indoor and outdoor eating, is one of the few spots on the island where you can truly dress up for dinner.

The menu features specialties such as pan-seared scallops and artichoke hearts in lemon-cream sauce, which has been highlighted in magazines and on television. Try the roasted pork loin with ginger mayonnaise or the Alaskan king crab cakes with black pepper aioli for a main course. Of course, there are also nightly specials.

• Recommended for Best Restaurants because: Kendrick's is the embodiment of elgance, style and flavor.
  

• Karen's expert tip: If Italian is your thing, stop by on Tuesday nights.

Address: 2132 Company StreetChristiansted, 00820

Hours:Mon-Sat 5pm-11pm

Bella Blu is great for a leisurely lunch or a romantic dinner, and it is centrally positioned in the colorful Frenchtown district. This island favorite has been serving high-quality European-inspired dishes for over 30 years, with an emphasis on Austrian, Italian, Greek, and Middle Eastern flavors, as well as seafood. Start with fried shrimp remoulade, baba ganoush, tzatsiki, or hummus as an appetizer, then go on to schnitzel, sausage, souvlaki, fresh pasta, filet mignon, strip steak, or rack of lamb for the main course.

Snapper Provencal, eggplant Parmesan, baked filled chicken breast, and shrimp scampi are among the house specialties. A Philly cheesesteak is available, but just for lunch, for those from the east coast. The extensive wine list features wines from all over the world.

• Recommended for Best Restaurants because: The wide-ranging European menu an attention to detail have earned Bella Blu a prime spot on this list.
  
• Karen's expert tip: You can walk here from downtown, or drive - but be aware that parking is scarce in Frenchtown in the evening. You may want to consider a cab.

Address:HondurasFrenchtown

Hours:Mon-Sat 11am-10pm

This popular restaurant, located in Gallows Point Resort, serves classic northern Italian cuisine. The menu of Zozo's Ristorante rotates four or five times a year, but staples like veal scallopini and eggplant Parmesan are usually on the menu, along with innovative innovations like Caribbean lobster fradiavolo and osso bucco with saffron rice.

Squid ink fettucine, calamari with pesto aioli, and smoked duck sausage with gorgonzola polenta are all good starts. If you have time before your meal, go upstairs to Jax Bar and sip a cocktail or a glass of wine while watching one of the best sunsets in the Caribbean. The wine list is superb, with an emphasis on Italian wines, but it also offers selections from throughout the world. The dress code is smart-casual and reservations are suggested..

• Recommended for Best Restaurants because: Authentic Italian food, a knockout wine list and stunning views make Zozo's on St. John a winner in all categories.
  
• Karen's expert tip: Zozo's is moving to Caneel Bay Resort on November 1, 2013.

Address:Gallows Point ResortU.S. Virgin Islands,

Hours:Daily 5pm-10pm

Duggan's Reef has gained a reputation as one of the best seafood restaurants on St. Croix after 30 years. Its popularity is evidenced by the vast list of celebrities and senators who have dined here. This open-air restaurant, just ten feet from Reef Beach on St. Croix's east coast, offers stunning views of Buck Island in the distance.

Local lobster and seafood are prepared in a variety of ways, and there are various daily specials on the menu. Start with the velvety lobster soup, then move on to a house speciality like Duggan's Caribbean lobster gratin or the famed Irish whiskey lobster.

Baked, grilled, blackened, or served "island style" with tomatoes, peppers, and onions, the fresh catch of the day can be prepared in a variety of ways. Non-seafood eaters can choose from steaks, burgers, and chicken dishes. Every night for supper, as well as Sunday brunch.

• Recommended for Best Restaurants because: Lotsa lobster and scrumptious views are the recipe for great dining at Duggan's Reef.
  
• Karen's expert tip: Look out for local windsurfers, who put on a free show for diners.

Address: East End RdTeague Bay,

Hours:Daily 6pm-9:30pm

This sleek, sophisticated Asian/Latin-fusion restaurant on St. Thomas' Marriott Frenchman's Reef serves some of the island's most inventive cuisine. Begin at the great minimalist bar, which is located in the heart of the light and airy dining area. Cocktails like the Sapphire Blingtini and the Dirty Chica set the tone for the mouthwatering meals on the menu.

Duck crepes with jalapeño and espresso sauce, plantain-crusted red snapper with spicy green chile-lime sauce and Asian slaw, and grilled ancho-rubbed beef filet with wasabi mash have all been on the menu in the past. The sweets are also to die for: try the Cuban chocolate cake with coconut ice cream or the banana-macadamia spring rolls with strawberry balsamic puree.

• Recommended for Best Restaurants because: Inventive drinks, exquisite entrees and the sounds of the sea set Havana Blue apart from the rest.
  
• Karen's expert tip: The restaurant sits directly above the beach, so even if it's dark and you can't see the waves, you can certainly hear them.

Address:Marriott Frenchman's Reef ResortU.S. Virgin Islands, 00802

Hours:Daily 5:30pm-10:30pm