Hyatt Sunday Brunch, Aruba

Wow, the Sunday Brunch at the Hyatt Hotel in Aruba is something to behold. I have a few photos posted here but they don’t even begin to cover everything that’s on offer. Before we get to that, I want to send a word of thanks to Debbi, the nice lady in the photo with me below. She’s been seating me at this feast for years now; she’s also glad my novel, An Island Away, is finally available. She’s watched me writing bits and pieces in between bites over the years. So, Masha Danki, Debbi!

Like every Sunday Brunch, Hyatt has a station where your omelets are made to order. They also make Eggs Benedict to order. Standard, right? How about shrimp and oysters and such like this, not to mention caviar just out of the frame.

And fresh-baked bread of every conceivable type like this…

And salads like this…

 

Then there are more cold salads like these…

I didn’t get a shot of the soups, the three hot entrees, nor the waffles, pancakes, and french toast, nor the bacon and sausage, nor the mountains of fresh fruit. However, here is a shot of the carving station featuring roast beef and roast pork loin.

And the sushi rolls…

There are bananas foster made to order as well as a machine cranking out fresh donuts. And for the finale, here are some of the deserts…

All of this gets washed down with unlimited mimosas, coffee, tea, and various fresh-squeezed juices. In other words, this is a feasting event that you shouldn’t miss. The best part is, you only eat this one meal and skip the rest on Sunday. If your appetite is bigger than that,  be careful. You could hurt yourself.

Published in: on July 21, 2008 at 10:55 am  Comments (1)  
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Food From The Window

Since we’ve been working hard getting this house built (figuratively, not literally), it’s time for a snack. Just up the road from my place in Savaneta, Aruba, is a little place with no tables, no chairs, just a window in the side of a house. However, through this window passes some great locale fare. Here’s a look at the joint.

You’ll recognize the cunucu house shape from my earlier photo essays. Anyway, the guy is ordering a sandwich which is made of homemade bread baked on the premises, plus a variety of fillings from a curry-style chicken to fish to all sorts of things that I can’t pronounce. You give your order to the lady inside and she makes up your sandwich and off you go. They also make homemade donuts here as pictured below. This is not your typical dunker; this thing is massive and dense.

(I don’t know the name of this place, nor the name of the people inside, but I’ll find out one day when I slow down enough to ask instead of just grabbing a bite and hustling off.) At any rate, it’s only open in the late afternoon, early evening, probably as the bread comes out of the oven. Locals stop here, parking two and three deep sometimes along the road. They get a fix of their favorite things the way people in the US might run out for a cheeseburger.

Now that we’ve fueled up, it’s time to get back to work. The next post will show some different tiles on the roof. Don’t forget your hammer and ladder.

Published in: on July 20, 2008 at 11:59 am  Comments (2)  
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Cunucu Houses, Part 2

Continuing with my photo essay of Cunucu houses on the island of Aruba, let’s take a look at a few more examples. This first one has some creative designs set in the walls.

May not be your favorite but you have to give them credit for being creative. Notice how these houses are sort of “low slung” in that the doorways and windows are set lower to the ground. This gives a clue to how old they are, probably at least 70 to 80 years. This next example shows how outbuildings become part of a homestead complex.

There is the driveway, the main house, the outlaw suite in back and a budding stone wall on the right. Nice progression here. A more compact version can be seen in this next photo.

The buildings remain connected. Then there is this one, which shows how the kitchen is kept as far from the living area as possible. I mentioned that in an earlier post and here’s a classic example.

The chimney sticking up on the right is a sure sign of where the cooking is done. Then there’s this one, which happens to be fore sale, if you’re in the market.

They do like their colors in Aruba. I’ll be doing a photo essay on the colors of Aruba in a few weeks when I compile all the photos. There will also be more houses, including modern Cunucu houses which contain many of the elements we’ve seen in these photos. Before signing off, check out the detail along the corners of this last home. Many of the houses have geometric or animal designs formed into the concrete which is an added feature to distinguish one from the other.

Stay tuned for more.

Published in: on July 18, 2008 at 9:16 pm  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , , , , , ,

Flying Fishbone Restaurant, Aruba

So many people have asked me about the Flying Fishbone Restaurant in Savaneta, Aruba, that I’m compelled to put this post up now, especially since I took some nice photos last evening. Here’s a shot of the outside of the place, which started out as an old Cunucu house situated directly on the water.

It is easy to find this restaurant. Simply drive south from the airport until you enter Savaneta, then turn right at the S. Chow grocery store. Continue straight for about 1/4 mile to where the road splits and turn left. Follow this road for about a mile and you’ll see a sign on the right that leads you off the paved road onto a dirt one and just a hundred yards on and you’re there. You’ll see plenty of cars. Here’s a closer look at the entrance.

Everything on the menu here is good. The service is equally good. In other words, there is a reason this place is about the most popular on the island: QUALITY. Another reason is that you can have a table that is actually in the water, as in your feet are immersed in the warm Caribbean sea while you dine on all those great dishes. If you don’t believe me, take a look.

How’s that for seaside dining? And just in case you need one more reason to have a leisurely, romantic dinner, take a look at this, which is your view when Mother Nature cooperates.

 Hard to beat, eh?

Enjoy your dinner, and since I live just a few houses away, stop over for coffee or bourbon some time.

 

(Side note to some of my readers who have asked about the locations in my novel, An Island Away. Yes, most all of the locales in the book are real and as described. I did take a few liberties with one or two simply to make plot points possible. There was a scene that took place at Flying Fishbone in the original draft, but it was cut. Sorry. However, I am considering a scene for the sequel, Under A Blue Flag. We’ll see how it works out.)

Published in: on July 18, 2008 at 12:01 pm  Comments (1)  
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »