We found out in 2008 that Libbie's sister Jennie was going to get married to Timmy, and that they planned on doing it in Aruba. We did not complain. We flew down on Wednesday August 26th and returned Friday September 4th, 2009.
Aruba is a small island, with, from what we can tell, very little national identity, especially when it comes to food. We asked many locals where the best "local food" was, and got a lot of odd stares. The closest we found to local food was fish with creole sauce (typical Caribbean influence), funghi (the island's version of polenta) and pan bati (a traditional corn-meal based pancake, an influence of the Dutch). The rest of the island was either chain restaurants (I'm talking TGI Friday's, Taco Bell and Dominoes...seriously!) or a variety of independents that ranged from simple fish to Italian to Thai to just about whatever.
As you can imagine, the fish is very fresh on the island, with many of the restaurants having agreements with local fishermen and deep sea charter providers to get whatever is fresh. Lib and I rarely ate anything but fish for our meals, so we had the chance to find what was the best fish and preparation. It turns out that the grouper, at most restaurants, was the best dish on the menu, and preparation varied from restaurant to restaurant, but grilling over wood is particularly nice.
For breakfast, we typically just ate at the cafe in the hotel, and for lunch, typically ate at Waves on the beach at the Marriott. The fish tacos and blackened grouper sandwich were good, but my favorite was the grilled chicken wrap with the chicken replaced by the blackened grouper. Very good. We also tried the Moomba restaurant at the Holiday Inn down the beach a ways. Very disappointing.
Below is my review of each of our main meals. Many thanks to our dining companions for sharing their meals with us to try, and for putting up with our never-ending analysis of all the meals we had.
Ketsu Sushi (Dinner) - We took it easy the first night, and hit the sushi bar in the Marriott. We had three different rolls - spicy tuna, Dynamite and Ketsu. Each was a good size and very tasty, but was a bit skimpy on the fish and included the typical soy, wasabi and pickled ginger on the side. I had a few Balashi (the local beer) and Lib had a couple of special orange Mojito's (be sure to ask the price before you order the "special" drink - $12 a pop!). Total bill without tip was about $70. We would definitely go back as the pricing was reasonable and the food good.
La Vista (Breakfast) - La Vista in the Marriott offers either a regular a la carte breakfast or their buffet - continental for $18 or the full buffet, including omelets for $22. We opted for the full, and enjoyed the eggs, sides, fresh fruit and juice and coffee. $22 is a bit steep for breakfast, but it was good, but no different from an American breakfast buffet.
El Gaucho (Dinner) - We had the immediate families from both sides out to dinner at this highly recommended Argentinian steak house. The menu had a nice selection of steaks and seafood, and they also had an ample wine list, though it was conspicuously thin on the South American wines I was expecting. Right from the start, the wait staff was very attentive, promptly giving the kids some menus and crayons to color with, along with a kids' menu - all without asking and within a few minutes of sitting down. For appetizers, I had the Conch Harbour Style, which was OK, but a bit bland and not something I would recommend. For dinner, I had the mixed grill while Libbie had the Gaucho steak. That evening they were out of the sausage in the mixed grill, so my brother in law Todd and I convinced them to give us some lamb instead (they had suggested chicken!). Again, the servers really went out of their way to please. The meat was good, the lamb and ribs were very good, but the short ribs were excellent. If I had gone back I would have just ordered the short ribs - they were crisp, and moist and full of flavor - a full plate would not have been enough. Lib's Gaucho steak was excellent - a very lean cut, which she likes, though I prefer a little more fat in mine! For sides we had sauteed mushrooms, fried plantains and potatoes - each was good and just a nice small portion to complement the meat. I don't recall ordering dessert, so either we didn't or it was not memorable. With tip it came to $65 per person, including paying for the kids and the bride and groom to be!!
La Vista (Dinner) - We decided to stick close to home and have a small dinner at La Vista. They had a buffet special that night, but none of us were particularly hungry so we stuck with the a la carte menu. Service was slow and inattentive, as if we were a bother given it was a bit later in the evening. I had the spaghetti carbonara, and Libbie just split an appetizer with her cousin Alyssa. The food was very disappointing - it was essentially what you would get or expect at an Olive Garden. The carbonara was not a carbonara but some kind of parmesean cream sauce - very heavy and not what I was looking for. No one else complained about their meal, but then again, no one raved. Unless you were stuck there, I would not go out of my way to eat at La Vista.
Driftwood (Dinner) - Driftwood was recommended to us by a number of different people for their fresh seafood. Tucked away down an alley just off the main drag, it was a what you would imagine a seafood restaurant looking like, with lots of boat-theme memorabilia and pictures. The waitstaff was attentive and friendly, and knew the food and specials well. They seemed a little too pushy on the featured wine (a South American Sauvignon Blanc), which ended up being good but not great, though they did let us take what we didn't drink home with us. Lib and I split the calamari in a garlic sauce. The calamari was OK, but a little chewy, while the sauce was excellent (I suppose all the butter helped...). For dinner, Lib had the Wahoo in a garlic sauce, and I had the barracuda with creole sauce. Both fish were pan fried, and both were cooked perfectly - cooked through but still very moist. The garlic sauce was the same as was on the calamari, and was good. The creole sauce was disappointing - it tasted like ketchup with some onions and peppers. On the side were vegetables and potatoes, ably cooked, but unexciting. For the quality of the fish, this was excellent, but the rest of the meal made it only good.
Salt and Pepper (Breakfast) - I had read about this place in the New York Times, and it was just a short walk from the Marriott. Very casual, indoor and outdoor tables, and funny sayings on the wall ("Borrow money from a pessimist - he won't expect you to pay him back."). The wait staff was very attentive and friendly, and the menu was your place mat - breakfast on the front, tapas and dinner on the back. Normal breakfast fare was on the menu, with everything a la carte. I had an omelet with mushrooms, ham and gouda cheese. Lib had scrambled eggs with cheese and mushrooms. Both came with a tasty Austrian brown bread toast, and I ordered hash browns with mine. Iced coffee and fresh squeezed OJ rounded out the meal. The eggs were prepared perfectly, with whole mushrooms and ample cheese in both dishes. The toast was truly excellent, though the hash browns seem like they were pre-made out of a box. Overall, it was an excellent breakfast. To top it off, after asking about other restaurants, the two waitresses proceeded to write us a list of their favorite places and spent over 15 minutes talking with us. This was where, once again, it was explained there was no Aruban food or Aruban arts/crafts. If we had the time, we would have definitely returned to try the tapas.
Madame Jeanette (Dinner) - This was a restaurant that was highly recommended by a lot of people. Located between the high rise area and downtown, it is definitely off the beaten path, in the middle of a small working-class community. After enjoying a drink while we waited for the rest of our party to arrive (an early test of the new marriage!!), we were seated and enjoyed reading an extensive and mouth watering menu, along with an extensive wine list with a lot of great French selections. For appetizers, I had the special homemade chorizo and Lib had the lobster ravioli. Both were excellent. We also had the chance to try just about everyone's appetizers at the table, including the lump crab cocktail and beef carpaccio. Again, each were excellent. For dinner, Libbie had the almond encrusted grouper, while I had the potato encrusted red snapper with a fresh dill sauce. Both were prepared very well, with the grouper being slightly better in taste. We also got to try someone's sea bass, which was terrific. The wait staff was very friendly, and had suggested the table share some of each of the side dishes. These included french fries, rice and roasted potatoes, but the star of the show was the potatoes au gratin - the taste, texture and temperature were perfect - I could have made a meal out of it alone! Desserts were had by a few, but I was too full to partake. Definitely highly recommended.
Flying Fishbone (Dinner) - This was a restaurant that was raved by a few in the family who had gone there a few days before. It is a long drive from the high-rise area, somewhere between the downtown and St. Nicholas. We got a personal tour from our cabbie of where he was born, grew up, the house he could have bought and the one he built. It was interesting, but a bit much at the end, especially since we were so hungry and just wanted to get to the restaurand. The restaurant is in a perfect location, with tables on the sand, small waves crashing in the background, and a great view of the sunset and water. We had a table of 14 with Jennie and Timmy and the remaining Greeks, while the rest of the Ashley family was at a separate table behind us. After a few tense moments after a poorly made and then forgotten drink, the wait staff just never recovered and was slow and unresponsive the rest of the night. We ended up drinking quite a bit that night, so the menu and series of events may be a little hazy on this one! For appetizers, Libbie had the fried calamari, while I had the shrimp roti and we tried Jennie's shrimp and avocado salad. The calamari was hot and light, while the shrimp roti was good but a bit bland and hard to eat. The shrimp and avocado salad was tasty, but the shrimp was breaded and fried, which did not go well with the spicy avocado it was on top of. For dinner, Libbie had the seafood special, while I had the red snapper which was recommended to me. We also got a chance to try the grouper special and the shrimp casserole with mushrooms and gorgonzola. The seafood special was good, but not great, while the snapper was disappointing - a very thin piece of fish that was over cooked, with the "funghi" (polenta) fried and tasteless, and the creole sauce bland. The grouper was delicious and well cooked. The shrimp casserole was good, but very, very heavy - I could not have imagined eating more that a few shrimp before being overwhelmed. We all split various desserts, which were all OK, though I was surprised when I found out it was my birthday...at least according to the Greeks! Overall, we were fairly disappointed in the meal, especially given the hype, the long drive, and the bill coming to nearly $100 a head. Given the many other reviews, I would suggest giving this a try if in the area or in the mood for a romantic location.
Cuba's Cookin' (Dinner) - A recommendation by Jenny (not Jennie), CC is a small place in downtown near El Gaucho and just off the main drag. Billed as authentic Cuban food, the menu suggested as much, and the guitar player, cuban art and terrific Mojitos initially confirmed these suspicions. We ordered appetizers to split - plantain chips and guacamole, empanada sampler, and spicy pork bites. The guacamole was very good while the empanadas were a bit flat. The star were the pork bites which had a great flavor and a bit of a "bite" to them (pun intended). It came with a delicious olive oil and carmelized onion sauce, which proceeded to put on just about everything on the table. For dinner, I had the lobster enchilada while Libbie had a mixed seafood pasta dish with a spicy red sauce. The lobster was disappointing - overcooked with a sauce that was basically tasteless. The side of black beans and white rice was excellent, and this coming from a guy who doesn't typically like black beans. Lib's entree was very good - the pasta was overcooked, as was the seafood, but as much as my lobster and the sauce was a bit spicy and very tasty. We also got to taste the shrimp enchilada (the same review as the lobster, unfortunately) along with the grouper special, which was terrific - slightly smokey from a wood fire and perfectly cooked. Coffees and desserts were shared, with the flan being an excellent choice.
Marandi (Dinner) - Well, they often say they save the best for last. We had been recommended to this restaurant from a few different people, and Jennie and Timmy had heard similar reviews, so we decided to give it a try. After drinks and a beautiful sunset at the California Lighthouse, we set off for the restaurant, which was just past the airport. Going on vague directions remembered from a tourist pamphlet is not advised - get directions! We didn't get lost, but some in the car were not fans of driving the dark roads in a sketchy area without a full clue of where we were going. When we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised. An open-air dining area over the water with lights illuminating the curious - and hungry - fish below (
yellow jacks). My guess is they are totally used to being tossed a few pieces of bread, and Jennie and Libbie did not disappoint them. It is a perfect location to see the sunset, though we were treated to a nearly full mood rise as we dined. The menu and wine list were mouthwatering, and we decided to share both appetizers and entrees. For appetizers we ordered the fresh mozzarella and tomato salad, the combo tuna tataky and shrimp tempura, the fish chowder and the escargots with mushrooms. Each was amazing and prepared perfectly, though I personally was enamored with the escargots - I sopped up every last drop of juice with the bread we kept ordering, and which Libbie and Jennie tried to feed to the fish. For entrees, I had the shrimp in a garlic sauce, Libbie had the seafood lasagna, Jennie had the grouper and shrimp special and Timmy had another special (which I can't recall right now). Each was cooked perfectly, though the shrimp were a bit overcooked. The sauces were flavorful and tasty, but a bit rich, which actually complemented the fish well. The vegetable sides were prepared well and complimented the main courses. Libbie's seafood lasagna was rich and flavorful, though maybe a bit too rich as we were not able to finish it! For dessert, we all had cappuccinos, and split dessert which was a combination of chocolate creme brulee, a homemade ice cream and caramel cookie, tiramisu, and a piece of apfelstrudel - all excellent, though I could have just had the creme brulee and been more than happy. Total bill came to about $70 per person - very reasonable given all we ate!
Overall, we had a great time and good meals, though we all agreed that Marandi was by far one of the best, with Madame Jeanette a close second. I would suggest both are "must go's" if you are in Aruba. I would also suggest checking out Salt and Pepper, though we did not have the tapas or dinner.
