Reviews

The Kitchen Table is phenomenal, homey while also being an incredibly sophisticated culinary experience. T I highly recommend this experience if you are going to Aruba. It was a meal to remember in an atmosphere that was welcoming and lovely. You start by meeting the host downstairs with a glass of champagne, you are instructed to mingle with the other guests and become “family”. As a shy person this almost always terrifies me but in this environment it felt natural. There were 12 of us total and it was a varied group of people re backgrounds and prior experience on the island. You are ushered upstairs to begin the meal, the first course is a snack of a chicken empanada and ceviche. Delicious. The ceviche was so fresh and the lime juice it was cured in added just the right amount of citrus to offset the fish. The empanada was crisp with the appropriate amount of filling. A scallop dish followed, this was also cold and refreshing. I dislike onion and there was a generous amount of red onion on the top of this dish, I still ate most of it and enjoyed it. The scallops were sliced perfectly. The octopus appetizer was next, one of my favorites. It was over a potato purée with black olive and Russian dressing sauces. Everyone cleaned their plates on this one. The octopus was tender and my only complaint was it was an appetizer and not an entree. I could have eaten more of this one. Then came the beef soup. This was less visually stunning but it was absolutely delicious. The broth was so flavorful. Intermission began. We were escorted out to the rooftop pool and given a glass of Prosecco and lemon sorbet as a palate cleanser. mingling occurred. One of the guests seemed to be hitting on the host. The rest of us were talking about the food. We went back in for the entrees. First up was Mahi Mahi over tomato risotto. This was my personal favorite of the entrees. The fish was cooked so well and the risotto was incredible. The last entree was veal tenderloin stroganoff. This course was a big hit with the crowd as well. The veal was very tender and the stroganoff was not heavy at all. The sauce was filled with fresh mushrooms, again the knife work on the mushrooms was impeccable. Finally it was time for dessert, we had a mojito passion fruit popsicle to start, this one was astounding because a popsicle shouldn’t be that interesting but it was. Underneath was a cookie crumble and the accompaniments kept the popsicle from being too sweet. It was impressive because I think it was the one I was the least excited about and it was my favorite. Lastly we had a chocolate mousse with mango sorbet and it was as good as it sounded. It was light and the sweetness was offset by the sorbet. It was my birthday and one of the other guests told them so they made my plate special. The last thing we received was a take home box of two macarons. Also perfect and delicious. The Kitchen Table is a 5/5 for ambiance, hospitality and the food.

A tasting experience that punches above its weight class! We made the reservation well in advance and upon arrival was just a little surprised by initial lack of “curb appeal” and yet behind the walls was a simply excellent surprise. While the Maitre’d assembled the guests whom he introduced to each other as “family” outside on the patio with a glass of sparkling wine, we had the chance to meet our dinner partners. A total of 12 were lead inside and upstairs to a beautiful and rustic kitchen and dining room. The ambiance is comfortable, and impeccable. The table attractively set for what turned out to be an excellence experience. They offered 2, 3 and 6 glass pairings. They were full pours, and we are grateful we selected three nicely paired selections of unique wines. We are told the menu changes every few months, but based upon our experience we would look forward to visiting for the next iteration. We started with a tasty bite that included ceviche that was perfect. (Be aware this is a REAL TASTING MENU with six+ courses - not an app and entire). The Scallop app was amazing and well plated in a shell within a bowl that highlighted the tasty portion. A beef based soup was plated with many intricate pieces and nicely presented. (They do a nice job with mini vegetables and herbs throughout.) Snapper and tenderloin presented beautifully and with extremely balanced and tasty sauces. (Note - they timed a midway break with a sorbet and outside stroll that I am going to request at all my tasting menu experiences - to give my self a chance to pause (and sober up a little). The two desserts were creative and very nice to look at. We preferred the gelato pop, to the mouse and chocalate dish - I would have liked to see the final dessert a little more integrated. Overall service was ouststanding and there was no issue walking over to the kitchen and simply watching the chefs plate our meals. One of my pet leaves is mishandling plates and silver - they never missed a beat. The team made the experience like we were at a close friends home and meeting all of their new friends. We look forward to our next trip to Aruba to see what they have created.