Recently, Cathy and I spent a week in Aruba. They say that Aruba is the Hawaii for those
of us on the East Coast. Quite honestly,
I’m not sure that’s true. A former
friend of mine once said to us, “Well you know it’s not a tropical
paradise!” Yeah, that’s true. Still, it has warm weather all the time,
beaches, casinos, shopping, and restaurants.
Really, what more could you ask for?
That being said, when I first went gluten free, all but the
best restaurants in Aruba didn’t have much of a clue about how to treat a
gluten free person. Now, generally, it
is “easyish” to be gluten free down there, because most of the restaurants have
fresh fish, and because tourism is their main revenue source, if you tell them
the pans must be washed before putting any food in, they will do so.
Things have changed for the better over the last five
years. Many of the restaurants now are
very well versed in gluten free cooking.
So here is a quick rundown of the places we ate, and what I had.
Madame Janette – This restaurant is one of our
favorites. I will admit that there have been
occasions when the food has been mediocre.
But man, when it’s good, it’s really, really good. Luckily, that’s most of the time. Their signature dish is Almond Grouper. This was a dish that they couldn’t offer
gluten free for a long time, but the chef figured out how to do it, and it is
wonderful. A lovely, perfectly cooked
piece of grouper that is encrusted with sliced almonds, with a spinach sauce on
top.
White Modern Cuisine – This is a fairly new restaurant. It wasn’t particularly busy when we went,
which is a shame, because the food was quite good and fairly inexpensive
considering what you get. I got a piece
of red snapper, with a side of kimchi with soba noodles. And as an aside…you must try their Pink
Panther Cocktail.
Carambola – This meal was good. Not “this was so good, I can’t wait to go
back” good. Just… good. I had the Boulibase, which really wasn’t a
classic boulibase, as it was much thicker than any boulibase I’ve ever
had. That being said, it did have good
flavor, and was gluten free.
Carte Blanche – This place is consistently the best place we
eat at. They only serve 14 people a
night, and there is only one seating, so you must make reservations early. Essentially, you sit at the bar, and then you
have a choice of either a four or five course tasting menu. The Chef is well versed in gluten free
cooking. The ceviche is his signature
dish. In addition, the halibut was perfectly flaky on the inside with a crisp skin on the outside. For good food and an incredibly
fun place to go, I highly recommend Carte Blanche.
Linda’s Pancakes – Okay, so there is a story to this
place. The pancakes here are Dutch
pancakes. I would describe them as
something between a pancake and a crepe, baked in the oven, and taste ever so slightly sweet. It was our tradition to go here for breakfast
the day that we left. Needless to say,
when I went gluten free, I was heartbroken that I would no longer to be able to
have these wonderful pancakes. I had
been gluten free for a little over a year when our best friends, Jan and Leslie
called us to tell us they just got back from Aruba, and Linda’s now served
gluten free pancakes. As it turns out,
Linda was diagnosed earlier that year as celiac. Well, when we went there the next year, and sure enough, they had gluten free Dutch pancakes. They were fantastic! I
asked the waitress if I could say hello to Linda. She came out and I gave her a big hug and thank you for allowing Cathy and I to continue our last morning in Aruba tradition! Unfortunately, Linda’s husband passed away
the next year, and although Linda also died of cancer a couple of years later,
I think she died of a broken heart. In
any case, her kids have carried on her restaurant and her recipes. They have set types of Dutch pancakes, but you can
also build your own. Cathy prefers the
sweet kind, so she gets strawberries and bananas on hers with whipped cream and
maple syrup, while I prefer sweet and salty, so I go crazy (my one time on the
island after eating healthy all week) and get my pancake with bacon, ham, and
gouda cheese. THEN I add the maple
syrup. Good Dutch coffee as well, which
is much stronger than its American counterpart.
There seem to be more and more places in Aruba that accommodate
gluten free eaters. These are just some
of them. Go to the island of Aruba. Relax at the beach, play a few hands of
blackjack, and eat some amazing food that is gluten free.
To see where I ate in Aruba in 2013, click here.
To see where I ate in Aruba in 2013, click here.
