Cuisine

Moet Et Chandon and Dom Perignon Invites You To an Evening of Sensual Persuasions

The island of Aruba is thrilled to welcome the new charter flight from Dimensione Turismo that recently inaugurated its first flight from Milan, Italy to Aruba. The charter will regularly bring Italian tourists here for a taste of our One Happy Island.

Recently, Dimensione brought the Italian company of Ceramica Panaria to the island for a company incentive vacation. Ceramica Panaria is a leading manufacturer of tiles, and many may recognize the name as the sponsor of a well-known professional cycling team that competes on the international circuit.

The group enjoyed many wonderful activities and cuisine while here on the island, and the management, culinary, and service staffs of Aqua Grill were excited to be one of the restaurants chosen to entertain the group. Aqua Grill is often the choice of group events and celebrations, and Ceramica Panaria reserved the entire restaurant to host this special night of dining and entertainment for 180 guests.

To make your reservation or plan a special event at Aqua Grill, call 586-5900.

Nu-Taste Contemporary Cuisine is the new and exciting culinary experience located at the bayside Mall, Weststraat 7-a. It is open from Tuesday through Saturday and closed on Sundays and Mondays from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm for lunch and from 6:00 pm till 10:00 pm for dinner. For more information please call (297) 588-1113, FAX (297) 588-1114 or email at info@nu_taste.com.

The Old man & the Sea is the newly opened restaurant located at Savaneta 356-A, featuring a barefoot seating, private cove and palapa. A joint venture between accomplished Aruban composer and musician Jonathan Vieira and his mother Mrs. Osyth Henriquez, The Old Man & The Sea is open every evening except on Sundays from 18:00 hrs till 23:00 hrs. For more information please call: (297) 735-0840 or visit www.theoldmanandthesearestaurant.com.

Brisas del Mar Restaurant recently added brunch to its menu of weekly events and activities. Located at Savaneta 222-A, the lovely terrace restaurant now offers a great number of classic breakfast dishes & other lunch items for $32.50. The brunch starts at 11:00 hrs till 14:30 hrs, children under 12 pay half price. For more information please call (297) 584-7718 or visit www.brisasdelmararuba.com.

Café Touché Fresh located on the patio of the Access Art Gallery, recently opened under the leadership of half Aruban, half Norwegian, Tanya Rasmijn. After gaining lots of experience in Norway, Tanya felt the time was right to open a different, healthier alternative in Aruba. The objective is to use as much as possible local & biological ingredients in the preparation of the dishes. The idea is to create an art café ambiance with eclectic music and to plan menus in combination with the art & movie program prepared by Access Art Gallery. The café is open daily from 11 am to 7 pm.

Savaneta is slowly shaping up as Aruba culinary heart.

First there was Brisas del Mar, featuring seafood with a Caribbean flair. Then the Flying Fishbone arrived on the scene triumphantly serving seafood with a Continental flair, and now the Old Man and the Sea, with an American-born chef, laces its creative seafood dishes with contemporary flair, and romance, naturally.

The just opened Old Man & the Sea is simply gorgeous. Set in a former residence in Savaneta, two houses down from the Flying Fishbone restaurant, on a private, pristine beach, it is made up of just a handful of beautifully set tables, nestled between coconut trees under the moon and the stars.

The crisp white linens and the hand-decorated show-plates are part of the artistic décor with teak-wood deck furniture, colored throw pillows, potted plants, an ivory grand piano, bric-a-brac found objects and a private dining area, under a thatch palapa at the end of a wooden pier where an antique canopy bed serves as the majestic dinner table.

The owner Jonathan Vieira is one of Aruba’s most famous musical prodigies. His mom Osyth is an equally famous silk painter, and ingenious decorator and designer. The Old Man & the Sea Restaurant is the family residence turned most charming seaside eatery with an exhibition kitchen. “Try the shark fin soup,” said Osyth, “it is outstanding.”

The restaurant deserves a visit, soon, for the complete experience, from a pre-dinner aperitif at the small side bar to dessert, coffee and cordials. The Old Man and the Sea flaunts a state of the art wine vault, I saw some boxes of Almaviva, with over 1,000 bottles to complement Chef Gary’s cuisine.

This story submitted by Rona Coster-Kahan

Windows on Aruba located on the top floor of the golf clubhouse at The Links at Divi Aruba, entertained members of a Destination Review from the US just recently, all professional Meetings and Events planners.

The fully glass-enclosed elegant restaurant, built in the round, offers diners a panoramic view over the signature ninth hole at The Links with the azure Caribbean visible immediately beyond.

The menu for the special luncheon party featured a fine selection of international specialties with a French accent, made of the freshest old and new world ingredients, starting with Salad and Mushrooms, garnished with prosciutto, marinated tomatoes, cashew nuts and asparagus, followed by Poultry and Sherry, a consommé with duck, mushrooms and sherry. The tempting main courses offered Snapper and Ravioli with crispy fried red snapper fillet, laced with vanilla carrot sauce, escorted by spinach ravioli, baby fennel and basil mash, or Sirloin and Mushrooms, grilled beef entrecote with garlic butter sauce, forest mushrooms, tomato pepper relish and Creole potatoes.

Coffee and Brownies for dessert concluded the outstanding culinary experience, prepared by the restaurant chefs in an open exhibition kitchen.

Lunch was hosted by Tabita Fecunda of Divi resort and attended by the Aruba Hotel & Tourism Association President and CEP Rob Smith and his staff.

Brisas del Mar just added brunch to its menu of weekly events and activities. Every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Brisas del Mar serves a great number of classic breakfast dishes, cold appetizers, hot appetizers, soups, salads, entrees and desserts, all for just $32.50 per person, no service included, and children under 12,  pay half price.

Brisas del Mar, the lovely terrace restaurant at Savaneta 222A, created a delightful brunch menu which takes off with Belgian Waffles, Cinnamon Rolls and Quiche Lorraine, then continues with Eggs Benedict, and customized Omelets with a choice of fillings. Brunch goers may order as they wish, from home made Fish Soup, Caesar salad, Seafood Ceviche to Crab on Toast with Garlic Mayo, and then turn their attention to the main courses, Fresh Catch of the Day, Roasted Pepper Loin & Thai Ginger Chicken, just to name a few. The culinary experience comes to a sweet conclusion with  assorted Petit Fours and Fresh Watermelon for dessert.

Appropriately, Brisas del Mar serves Mimosa, White Sangria, Sparkling Wine, coffee and tea, before, during and after the meal, all spiked with a healthy helping of seascapes, sea gulls and sea breezes.

www.Brisasdelmararuba.com

Gilligan’s Beach Bar & Grill is an all-day, oceanfront dining terrace where breakfast runs into lunch and then chases dinner in an informal, fun ambiance.

The famed seaside terrace at the Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino & Spa started serving a la carte breakfast every morning just recently, delighting light-eaters with a satisfying selection of favorite breakfast foods, ordered the old fashioned way, a la carte.

For those whose appetites awaken later in the day, and for those who just crave a continental eye-opener of fresh baked Danish, muffins and croissants, escorted by a just-cut fruit cup, Ginger’s Continental Breakfast is a perfect choice.

Also on the menu, Skipper’s breakfast, a most-complete selection, made to order omelets, Eggs Benedict, fruits platters, pancakes and even Aruba’s national favorite Pan Dushi French Toast, irresistible when served flavored with cinnamon, brown sugar and a touch of Vanilla.

True to Gilligan’s island ways lunch is served all hours of the afternoon featuring an extensive menu of Appetizers, Salads, Fajitas, Quesadillas, Spa selections for smart eaters and snackers, just baked Pizzas, Sandwiches, Wraps, Paninis and Burgers.

Gilligan’s fountain drinks offer Malts, Floats and Shakes made with fresh fruits and Haagen Dazs ice-cream, and the restaurant’s drink menu is a foot long listing many delicious smoothies, special cocktails and frozen libations.

Coming off the busy lunch hour, Gilligan’s Beach Bar & Grill boasts only front row seats in the theater of endless gorgeous sunsets at Happy Hour, mixed with live music and award-winning Pina Coladas.

Then when dinner comes around Gilligan’s Beach Bar & Grill’s menu measures up to any of town’s upscale restaurants by serving gourmet seaside cuisine, including Filet Mignon, Rib Eye Steaks, Baby Back Ribs, Fresh Catch of the Day, and a sumptuous Seafood Platter, that’s worth the trip to the beach.

More casual eaters will find their heart’s desire on the menu of Soups, Salads, Sandwiches, Pizzas and Fajitas.

And as if all this is not enough, desserts and after-dinner coffee and cordials are also taken seriously at Gilligan’s Beach Bar & Grill at the Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino & Spa right on Palm Beach, within walking distance of all the high rise hotels.

You are invited to drop in anytime, from early morning to 11 p.m.

Have a seat, relax, you have arrived at an excellent destination.

Diageo, a giant consumer-goods company with a portfolio of world-famous drink brands, in conjunction with Romar Trading Aruba launched a bartender project this week, a free of charge Cocktail University as a form of community project.

According to Romar Trading’s Milton Harms, Diageo, the world’s largest multinational beer, wine & spirits’ company is launching the project internationally via its local distribution companies, and offering a 36-hour course with a detailed curriculum designed to train and certify aspiring bartenders.

Graduates of the beginners’ course may go on to the intermediate level and later to the advanced, and obtain a professional certificate at the end of the learning cycle.

The project was launched at La Bodega Romar Trading’s elegant wine store in Eagle in the presence of instructors Albert Tromp and Fernando Kock, two veteran Aruban bartenders whose mission is to mold the new generation of master-mixers here.

It’s 30% knowledge and 70% personality, says Albert, determined to stir his students just right.

Overlooking the Daniel Leo Plaza, at the Aventura Mall lunchtime shoppers and nighttime strollers can enjoy indoor or terrace seating while sipping sensational sangria and delighting in hand-tossed, brick-oven pizzas, fresh pastas, fresh fish, steaks, and authentic, home-baked Italian desserts.

The beautifully styled eatery opened on Wednesday evening with an elegant crowd sipping and munching and congratulating owner Victor Nataf on the beautiful design of the restaurant, inspired by the typical Italian Piazza which is the center of public life in Italy. Chef Greg, who is no other but Victor’s son, oversaw the preparation of the world’s biggest, most delicious seafood paella which was chased by endless numbers of thin crust Pizza pies, the ones that made Casa Tua so famous. Invitees who arrived hungry, went home happy, vowing to return as paying guests.

Pictured here lively scenes from the party entertained by the We Fusion trio.