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.
Don’t be fooled by this photo, which I took on Sunday when the place is closed. They open early, at 4AM for those of us who stay out all night in San Nicolaas, and do a steady trade through most of the day. You’ll frequently see a line here. But, it’s worth the wait. I pop in for an ice-cold Coca-Cola or something small when the mood strikes.
Quite nice with those tensile fabrics overhead. And here is the bar.
They also offer the option of “eating in bed” but that’s not my thing so there is no photo here. Instead, let’s talk about the food. My wife started with the escargot, which she reports as very good. My friend began with calamari sauteed instead of fried. It was an interesting twist and tasty. I went with a plain old shrimp cocktail that met all expectations. Then came the entrees. My wife went with the grilled scallops shown here.
My friend’s wife choose the garlic shrimp, seen below.
My friend selected the red snapper filet.
Finally, I choose the broiled veal chop.
That was one delicious piece of meat, broiled to perfection with a flavorful sauce that did not overpower the natural essence of the underlying chop.
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