Aruba, Part II

If you like to try a different cuisine every night, then Aruba is the place for you. It certainly does not lack in variety. We found it very odd that there wasn’t as much of a seafood selection as we anticipated, what with Aruba being an island, and all. While in Aruba, we went to several restaurants for dinner, a couple for lunch, and one magically delicious kiosk for late night desserts. I’ll highlight the good, the bad, and the dessert.
The most delicious of all the places we tried was Amuse Bistro (http://www.amusearuba.com/). It is located in front of Playa Linda, one of the high rise hotels in Palm/Eagle Beach. Amuse Bistro serves French-inspired cuisine. Everything we tried was simply amazing. From appetizers, to main course, to the wine, there was NOTHING that we did not love.
The worst place we tried was also the most expensive. Have you ever had the desire to try extremely overpriced paella which tasted like it came out of the frozen section and was microwaved a wee bit too long? Then Ruinas del Mar, Hyatt’s seafood restaurant is the place for you. The atmosphere was beautiful, elegant, romantic and very relaxing. The food was atrocious. My paella was the worst seafood dish I’ve ever tasted. My friend’s fillet of some horrible fish was mediocre at best.
If you want to try Hyatt’s cuisine, stick with Palms Restaurant, a less expensive and far more delicious option. Try their BBQ pulled pork sliders, fish tacos for lunch, or Mediterranean salad for lunch. For dinner, go with beef fajitas or mushroom risotto. Full menus for both restaurants are available here http://aruba.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels-aruba/entertainment/index.jsp
This brings me to dessert. While the dessert we tried at Hyatt’s platinum lounge was very pleasing to the palate, the best dessert we tasted was off the grounds. In a strip mall down the street from the hotel is a tiny kiosk which serves the most amazing crepes. It is open until 1pm in the morning and reopens for afternoon and late night snackers 5 pm – 10:30 pm. Watch them make the crepe right in front of you and enjoy your dessert in the fresh Aruba night air perched up on bar stools & tables in front of the kiosk.
I will return with part III to talk about the activities you can enjoy while in Aruba. You will need to burn off all those crepe calories to keep fitting into that swimsuit.
Yummy travels to all!