The Fourth Thing I've Learned About Aruba...

Even the seedy places have pretty good food...

Went with three other ex-pats (expatriates) from the "neighborhood" to a place in San Nicholas. One of the guys has been here for a long time so he knows of a lot more places than I do. He'll also go IN places I wouldn't normally go into. He drove to a pretty dark part of town where there are several really friendly women just hanging out on the "sidewalks". I guess those girls must just be bored with the club they all hang out in (it kinda looks like a club from outside) so they stand around outside and start conversations with people walking by...I guess.

So this cafe (La Paradilla) is on top of a rather seedy building a couple of doors down from that club. We went in a door and there were stairs up to roof. The cafe occupies the roof and it reminded me of the place where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid met their Maker at the end of the movie.

We had a table that gave us a view of the street. I saw a couple of those bored women talk to some men and invite them into the club. (Maybe those girls are in marketing). There is a second story on that club that we could see into. I was a little confused by what was going on in there. Must be a wrestling school or something. Couldn't see too clearly because the lighting was bad.

But I digress...

So we sit down at one of the homemade tables with homemade chairs and a young pregnant girl comes up with a menu written in the local popiamento. So Rick, the guy from Louisiana who has lived here for a while, orders something in popiamento and they all order beer...I got bottled water because someone needs to drive home.

A few minutes later all the employees in the place show up with a huge platter of grilled meats and corn on the cob (flank steak, chicken breast, shrimp, pork ribs, sausage, and something else that was part of an animal). They also had some potatoes, arepas (a flat bread) with lots of white cheese, yucca root, some sort of pancake made of plantains mixed with other veggies, and a cole slaw like cabbage dish they called a salad.

So we just started eating family style. Everything I took a bite of (including the unknown animal) was better than the last bite. They also brought some salsas and chimichurris that were excellent (albeit a little warmish...one in particular made of cucumbers, jalapenos, and onions).

We literally sat there and ate and told refinery stories for 2 hours. It was great. And I'm still okay. I actually found the place this afternoon in the daylight and took pictures from the street.

I also found out that the club is called Club Monaco...and some of those girls were still standing around outside today. You'd think that if a club was that boring that it wouldn't be very popular but it appears to be. I saw a lot of ex-pats coming and going last night.

I wonder why all those women just don't go home.

OUT