Cactus Jack’s is a fun restaurant that just opened in “The Village,” a new commercial development in the high-rise hotel area of Aruba. I decided to give this place a try because I had a hankering for rotisserie chicken. Here’s what it said on the menu.
I didn’t hesitate and promptly ordered up the above mentioned item. However, first I started with the shrimp as an appetizer and here’s what arrived at the table.
Readers of this blog know that I’m not a beer drinker, so that Amstel Bright is the possession of my wife. Anyway, the rotisserie chicken came a short while later. I was not disappointed as you can see from the following photo.
That’s plenty of food, almost enough for two people. And it was excellent. Cooked thoroughly but still juicy on the inside, exactly the way I like it. If you’re staying in the high-rise area from the Holiday Inn down to the Westin, you can easily walk to this joint and any others in its vicinity. For a quick, casual, reasonably priced meal, Cactus Jack’s should be on the list.
Bon dia from Aruba.
That’s a breaded and fried pork chop seen above. Very filling, plenty of garlic, fries and rice in case you need the double-starch calories. Then there is the lomito, which you’ve seen before in my other posts but one more look won’t hurt. Here it is.
Can’t beat that after a hard day at the foundry. You’ll see plenty of locals, both of Colombian descent and other nationalities eating here every day (closed Sunday). Go early or after the lunch rush. They also serve fruit smoothies and homemade drinks that will perk you right up after a morning at the beach.
You go inside where you tell the nice lady behind the bar that you would like the Sunday BBQ. You pay her and get a ticket like the one in the photo here.
This ticket you take outside, past the smokers which are doing a great job of cooking up those chickens and ribs as you can see here.
That guy there swings a Chinese cleaver the way Paul Bunyan swung and ax. He whacks a rack of ribs into three parts, a half chicken into four more and then puts them atop a pile of fried rice and cole slaw. A small piece of corn on the cob is added for color and good effect. At this point, most people tote their meal home for a feast. I prefer to dine at such establishments as the characters who appear are nothing short of incredible. Thus, I trot back into the bar, ask for utensils, and proceed to mow down everything you see here.
That’s right, all that food (1/2 a chicken, rack of ribs, about 3 cups of fried rice, 1/2 cup cole slaw and corn on the cob) cost 15 florins, call it an eight and a half dollar bill. Beverages are extra. I enjoy this kind of meal once in a while, especially in this setting. No franchise uniforms, no pre-programmed patter from the staff, no flavorless items found the world over. You’ll see various BBQ’s like this around Aruba, but each one is different. Give one a try; your heart surgeon will love you for it!
My mother had the chicken lemongrass as seen below.
And I had the lobster/shrimp eggrolls with sweet/spicy dip.
Entrees were very inventive as you will soon see. My mother and father both ordered the Marco Polo, which is a small lobster tail, shrimp, and small filet over pasta in a delicious sauce. Here’s a photo of the dish.
My wife choose the Japanese Sea Bass with asparagus, also excellent and here is a photo.
Finally, I choose the Hunan Beef, which was very good and seen below.
Every dish is presented as a work of art and the waiters take pride in their service. The prices are at the upper limit of my budget, but I felt that all things considered the meal was a good value. When next in Aruba, give Japengo a try. You’ll love it.
The Bent Page 
You must be logged in to post a comment.