The Vue Rooftop Aruba — Restaurant in Aruba

I have been visiting Aruba for almost 20 years, once or twice a year. I have hit all of the "must visit" places but for the last 15 years, I have only dined at places within walking distance of Marriott Surf Club or Stellaris (within 1.5 miles) and I won't dine anywhere that requires me to wear pants.

Anyway, after a couple of years of talking about going to The Vue, we made reservations for 9 of us to go to dinner on a Saturday night (Dec 16th). We happened to choose a day that involved an unusual amount of rain (at least in my 18 years of travel) that lasted almost 45 minutes during the afternoon. There was enough water that it really had nowhere to go. The ground was wet, the streets had large puddles and even the rooftop restaurant was wet many hours later... not their fault. I am guessing that the rain, or perhaps the threat of more rain, resulted in a relatively limited turnout for dinner that evening so we found ourselves being the largest party in an uncrowded restaurant on a hopping Saturday night at around 7:30pm. After perhaps six or seven months worth of cumulative stays in Aruba over 18 years, with most all of those involving dinner out, I know that meals can be expensive - as are most things on the island. However, expensive food comes with certain expectations, for me, of high quality and good service.

Let's start with the service. Everyone was friendly but it was very disorganized. One person would ask about drinks but would never return with them. It took several tries, multiple times, to actually receive drinks. Perhaps there was some new staff - but something was off. We were told that there was no option for regular water and wound up spending $56 for bottled water - which is just insane. Here we were in Aruba, where the water is desalinized - yet we had to buy bottles. Incidentally, while there was a beautiful breeze, it could not be felt where we were sat because of plexiglass window shields that have been put up that block that breeze. So it was hot. Getting ice was constant challenge - even for our expensive water.

We ordered a bunch of appetizers. Two orders of fried calamari - $18 apiece and were barely a reasonable portion for a single person. Brussel sprouts - $16... same. Then there was the bruschetta - two pieces for $19... we had two of them as well. The food was fine, nothing extraordinary, but the portions were just disappointing for the money. Most disappointing was the fried calamari. At least the other ones involved some level of creativity in the cooking, design and presentation but the calamari... just fried rings.

The two ladies at the table ordered salads - one with Salmon and I cannot recall the other. The salads were very small - by any reasonable standard - and with the added protein, the cost was $40+ each. Again, the food was ok but not fulfilling. There were three steaks ordered - a special - which was a NY Strip and shrimp - $75, a ribeye high $60s as was the NY Prime. The steaks were well-cooked but no one was particularly excited. Three of us ordered the Chicken Parm and it was easily the best value and well-prepared. I think they were $30 each and included a decent portion of tender chicken parm over some linguini. Last, the Elote & Mex Tex Shrimps - was interesting. The menu reads: "Grilled Street Corn, Jumbo Shrimps, Chipotle, Pico De Gallo, Avocado, Crema (no side included)." There was one tiny corn on cob and while the dish had some flavor, my 19 year old was still looking around for something to eat.

Perhaps we caught this place on an off night in terms of service and maybe there was some breakdown in communication about the water... maybe. However, with five young men 19-22 years old, and two old couples, this is not a place that works for us in terms of the quality, portions and value. At around $100/head - food and a couple of drinks - I expect more. The location does offer the potential for a great experience and towards that end, I highly recommend opening up things so that one can enjoy the...

Im leaving them a 1 star review because the food was very small portions and very expensive for what you get. We got to the restaurant which was half empty and the hostess basically told us that they will allow this time to eat but next time make a reservation.

Now to the thing that got me very mad. I ordered a Glenfiddich with one ice cube and it came so watered down that i could not believe it. So i thought Maybe it stood too long with the ice cube in it so thats why. So then i ordered a Glenlivet NEAT The bartender grabs the Glenfiddich bottle and pours a shot. I do not say anything. They bring the Scotch over to me and when i sipped it... To my surprise it tasted watered down. I believe that they water down their scotch. I drink scotch every day i Glenfiddich is not a watery weak scotch. I felt so cheated. Then i ordered a local beer Balashi. Well for 5 dollars that they charge, you would assume it comes in a regular 16fl oz bottle. NOPEEE. It was the small glass bottles that Corona Extra comes in. I think they are around 10oz or less.

Then the bartender comes to our table for no reason to collect plates ( we have a dedicated server so there is no need for him to come). He came and asked if he can take any plates away. We told him no, so he grabs my scotch glass and and looks into it and puts it back down and asks if i am done with it or im i still drinking it. First of all, who even does that?

Im never going there...

This recently opened place is on the top of the roof with the view of the Palm Beach Mall Plaza across the Holiday Inn hotel. There are several booths with patio furniture and a small low table that fit about 7-8 people at most. Not very comfortable for having a dinner, but great to hang out and have just drinks and maybe a couple of small appetizers. High tables with high chairs, as well as the seating around the bar complete the scene. Club and house music is not overwhelmingly loud, so you can still have a conversation. Food was good. For appetizers we had a very good Lobster Buisque soup that came with two lobster fritters, Crispy Calamari that was just OK, and a Classic Bruschetta Flat Bread that was delicious, but a little thick. Among the meats we had both Filet Mignon and Rib Eye Steak, and both were good with flavor and texture. Shrimp Scampi with fettuccine was nothing to rave about, but maybe because I'm comparing it (unfavorably) to the same dish served at New York City restaurants. And I can say the same about the service. I'm used to the lighting fast service provided at the majority of NYC restaurants, so comparing to them, service at this place was very slow. Mind you, we got our order correct, and the waiter was perfect, but we had to wait for eternity to get our food, so it might be more on the kitchen rather than on the waiting staff. Anyway, it's a great place to have a drink in a company and...