JoAnn Snack, Aruba, video

JoAnn Snack is a favorite stop on my lunch tour. I’ve been popping in here for snacks for more than 10 years. It’s only a few minutes drive from Aruba’s airport and full of friendly faces. Let’s head over there in this video:

The pork chop with salsa criollo is great. There are other things on the menu, all at reasonable prices. Given the easy location, you can find this place on your way roaming about the island or going back and forth to Baby Beach or just because you want to give it a try. Spanish skills are helpful, but the menu is in English, too, so don’t worry about it. They’re also happy to serve take out meals as well, in case you just want to tote the food back to your place. Bon dia.

Published in: on February 10, 2012 at 10:37 am  Leave a Comment  
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Taste of Belgium (in Aruba)

Taste of Belgium is my new favorite spot for dessert in Aruba. I had been resisting the addition of another place like this in an effort to control the expanding waistline. That battle is temporarily suspended. Let the fun begin! Stopped in here a couple of nights ago. Ordered chocolate cake with chocolate ice-cream. Here’s a photo of the whole shebang:

I forgot to mention there was coffee, too. Check this out.

That little shot of liquor on the side puts the concoction in the high-horsepower range. Delicious. And how about that silver tray service. Classy. I found everything here very tasty and especially appreciated the good service. There was a young fellow on duty. He did a good job tending the table. Also, this place is glassed in from the bustle of the surrounding Palm Beach Mall, making it easy to have a nice conversation. Enjoy your visit. If you see me there, don’t comment on my bulges.

Published in: on February 6, 2012 at 4:01 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Gianni’s Restaurant, Aruba

After umpteen number of visits to Aruba, I finally dined at Gianni’s, which is located in the high-rise hotel area. This is a big restaurant with seating both inside and out, as well as a short length of bar to prime the pump if you’re in need. There have been many reviews of this place, talking about the good and the bad. My visit was quite satisfactory. Service was reliable, food decent, and the ambiance enjoyable. Let’s get to the food. As regular readers of The Bent Page know, I like my greens. Thus, a salad began the meal for me as seen here.

The salad was crisp and the right size. My companions enjoyed the caprese salad. See below:

Now that was a different presentation from what I’m used to seeing, but was reported to be delicious. On to the entrees. Let’s begin with the old reliable, fusilli bolognese.

The sauce was a bit more dense than what I’ve had at many other places. The flavor was good, but subdued. Then there was a rigatoni with artichokes as you’ll see next.

You can’t miss the glass of cabernet in the lower right. Much was had along with a couple of mojitos to keep things humming. Then there was the osso buco. Take a look.

That plate was wiped clean, right down to the marrow in the bone. So the rating was “delicious” on whole concoction. Desert was limited due to the large quantity of food consumed to the point. Still, room was created for a brownie with ice-cream.

I enjoyed my visit to Gianni’s and was glad to have finally made it there after all these years going to Aruba. We had a reservation for 7PM, which is probably a good idea. With all the nearby hotels, the place fills up quickly including large groups.

Enjoy the feast!

Published in: on February 3, 2012 at 5:23 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Hostaria da’ Vittorio, Aruba

Hostaria da’ Vittorio serves solid Italian favorites with contemporary flair. I’ve had the pleasure of dining here several times over the past couple of years and each experience has been a good one. This time I started with the minestrone, which was homemade and came with a stick of fried polenta. Check it out:

The portion size of the soup was perfect, leaving me plenty of room for other things. I always order too much at this restaurant, simply because I want to enjoy all the flavors. There was a brushetta and caprese salad as you see in the next photo:

And the table bread, which is at the top of the photo above came as a sort of pizza-crust like option. Tasty with olive oil and fresh pepper and something a little different than the usual rolls. Moving on to the entrees. One was an osso buco, seen below and requiring no knife.

Finally, there was a pasta dish, this time a fusilli with crumbled sausage/red sauce. Again, the right size portion and very flavorful which almost rises out of the next image:

Of course, no room for dessert, which was probably a mistake. You have to stop somewhere, and after all this, I hit the wall. Full to the top. Service, as always, was attentive and professional, keeping my water glass topped up the way I like it. I drink gallons of water in Aruba, which thanks to the desalinization plant has one of the best tasting tap waters in the world. But I digress. You’ll enjoy your meal at Hostaria da’ Vittorio, where you can dine inside or out, go for a big meal or something more manageable. Take a group, get some wine, and make a night of it.

Published in: on November 22, 2011 at 1:54 pm  Leave a Comment  
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