Driftwood

Description:

• Authentic Aruban seafood doesn't get any fresher or better than the fare at this rustic restaurant tucked away on a side street. Keeping with its name, this cozy venue is full of gnarled driftwood posts and slats laced with ship lanterns and Captain Nemo underwater helmets. The owner wakes up early every morning, hops on his boat, and stalks the coast for your dinner. Depending on what he snags, you might enjoy lobster, shrimp, octopus, squid, grouper, or mahimahi. The house special drink is white sangria, white wine with fresh melon, which is as refreshing as it is ingenious. The lobster crepe smothered in cheese and cream sauce is a sinful way to kick off the meal, although Aruban seafood soup with fish, shrimp, scallops, and vegetables is a more authentic taste of the island. Lightly floured wahoo sautéed in garlic and served with cilantro-butter sauce is unfussy and delicious, and the surf and turf is done up right. Just about everything comes with the local corn bread, pan bati. For dessert, it's a tossup between the cheesecake and the crème brûlée.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Recommended 2010