2 Fools And A Bull — Restaurant in Aruba

I was so excited for this experience and whilst enjoyable, it isn’t up to the standard that I would expect. I do believe that with time they can elevate it from a fun bit of entertainment to a special night out alas any feedback that I offered was completely ignored.

The Good: The host is entertaining; very welcoming to all the guests, introduces everything with fun limericks and keeps the evening sort of flowing. All the food was excellently prepared and plated very well.

The Bad: The portions were too large with far too much happening on the plate. Everyone seemed stuffed by the end of the second or third course. The dishes were so rich with the over exaggeration of flavors that it made some dishes a real struggle. They could have easily created seven courses out of the evening with the exact same ingredients. When I visit restaurants offering experiences of this nature I’m used to carefully crafted plates that are light and precise on their delivery. These were quite the opposite. There were also three moments through the course of the evening where people are made to wait outside in a courtyard. This was great to meet people but it was just too much time spent just sitting around. Perhaps an opportune moment to remove some of the ingredients from the main dishes to serve as a snack here? Such as the blue cheese stuffed dates which were so unnecessary on a plate already over crowded with other foods (and something I don’t believe I saw anyone actually finish).

The Ugly: It is a group seating so I would expect them to treat it as one ‘family table’ however as soon as half the people finished their meals they started clearing dishes which is rather rude and makes the remaining people feel rushed to finish these large sized dishes. On each occasion that I was told to go outside I returned and noticed that they topped my water glass up with tap water when they had already sold me two bottles of mineral water. On having to point this out on three separate occasions I would have thought they would have been attentive after the first error unless it was deliberate or at least then remove the cost from my bill. Not an ugly necessarily but a sign of lacking in experience; they have the list of wines on a board for both regular wine pairing and the better wine pairing. You’re able to choose either or purchase glasses per course as you wish. Doing the math in my head I noticed that purchasing all the glasses individually was cheaper than going for the package…!!!

Would I return? If nothing changed then definitely not. By the fourth course I was trying to think of an excuse to leave early with a full belly and a palate that was completely overloaded. A shame because they’re a nice duo with great personalities and potential but I think they don’t fully understand the market they’re trying to get into… yet! They are new owners so maybe in time things...

I am leaving this place not angry, but with many things to be desired. I find the food better compared to many restaurants on the strip, but for the price surely not comparable to 1-star michelin star experiences in the US.

Besides my duck pre-main, where the duck breast was hard to cut because the fat had not been rendered properly, nothing else was inedible, but nothing was surprisingly tasty either. The tuna tataki was ok, but I had many dishes like that on the island, the risotto was not al dente and it was closed with heavy cream. In any high end Italian restaurant they will very strongly tell you that parmigiano reggiano and butter is the only way to close a risotto. Yes, I have seen Gordon Ramsay in Hell's Kitchen using cream but I am not 100% that whatever Gordon does is the bible for every chef in the world.

In my main, the tenderloin was not consistently cooked, my part was a medium rare and my wife received a medium-well to well-done. There was unrendered fat there as well. The mashed potatoes surely needed more butter to acquire a velvety feeling.

The dessert was ok.

We also took the regular wine pairing for $70. I found the white wines more interesting than the red offerings, which tasted shallow and week. For the price, I can find several bottles ranging between $20-$25 that would offer more value and complexity in the wine pairing experience. Maybe they wouldn't pair that well, but at least my wine would be interesting, because my food was not.

Hospitality-wise I am happy, people were friendly and you end up receiving extra wine than what you paid for.

But, I find the experience overpriced; for a couple including tip this was $480, and food-wise and wine-wise this is not a memorable experience. I find little value, despite the intimate setting. There are also so many rules that make you uncomfortable. When I am paying $500 I dont want to be rushed to move to my next wine to finish my plate etc etc.

If you love fine dining visit Lima Bistro. The experience is that of a fine dining restaurant but the food is far superior, and the price tag half of what you pay to these fools. But in all honesty, I am not sure who is the fool, because I was fooled to pay a small fortune for something that is better than the average restaurant...

A Food Tasting Experience On our most recent visit to the sunny island we decided to venture to 2 Fools and a Bull to experience something new, and we had a heck of a time.

The doors open promptly at 7:00pm, no sooner or later. Both the chef (Edwin) and host (Rich) greeted us and welcomed us into their establishment. We were directed to the back patio for some champagne and to get to know one another. There were only 16 of us and this is done by design.

The evening is made up of 5 courses which can be paired with wine if desired, but wine can be purchase by the glass. Pours are fair, but not generous. Seating is done at a large “U” shaped table offering the chance to converse with other attendees, and see some of the food preparations.

The menu changes every 2 to 3 months so one can visit on another year and get something completely different.

Our courses were excellent, with the exception of the beef tenderloin which was OK. The Jack Daniels sauce while quite good was a bit heavy and took away from the overall flavour of the beef. The other courses consisted of a amazing pastry with some tomato soup, salmon Tatar, scallops, beef tenderloin and some excellent pastries for dessert.

The overall experience (3 hours) is what makes the night something special. Talking with different people, sampling good food and enjoying some good wine. How can you go wrong. If you have the chance its...