Aruba Eats: Dushi Bagels And Azzurro

Right at Playa Linda, where we stayed in Aruba, were a handful of restaurants to choose from, like Dushi Bagels and Azzurro.

On a couple of mornings, we started the day with a trip to Dushi Bagels. (In case you were wondering, dushi means sweet or sweetheart to Arubans.)

You can sit down there for table service or just get takeout.

We would opt for takeout and bring breakfast back to our room or down to the beach.

I tried a bacon, egg, and cheese on a bagel on the first visit. The bagels were decent (not as chewy as I would have liked but still good), and the egg was more like an omelette than the fried egg topped with bacon and cheese that I would have expected.

On another morning, I got a regular bagel with cream cheese -- nothing fancy, just a quick, convenient breakfast.

My mom and sister got a fruit bowl one day that was full of fresh watermelon, pineapple, cantaloupe, and papaya. It was nice to have a breakfast spot so close by.

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Azzurro, located just past the pool (we could see it from our balcony), is known for its pasta tossed in a hollowed out Parmesan cheese wheel. As soon as my mom told me about it, I knew I'd have to go there and try it.

We made reservations one night when we didn't want to stray too far from the resort (what with the Bruins playing game 1 that night) and were seated at a large table by the open air windows. My mom and I were excited to see the sunset, but others were a little grumbly about the sun in their eyes.

Once we settled in and had our drinks, the waiter brought over some fresh garlic bread, fried polenta, and marinara sauce. I'd never had fried polenta at the start of a meal and enjoyed a piece dipped in some marinara sauce.

Then we shared an appetizer of three different crostini. One had broccoli rabe (which suffered a very unfortunate typo on the menu; the b was replaced with a p), one had tomatoes and mushrooms, and the other had white beans. I didn't try the broccoli rabe because I'm not a fan, but I enjoyed the other kinds, especially the tomato and mushroom.

Then it was on to dinner. The pasta in the cheese wheel (spaghetti al formaggio Parmigiano) serves two, so my mom and I decided to share that. There's a lot of fanfare and fun presentation when the wheel comes out. First some whiskey is flamed in the wheel to get the cheese flavors going, and then the pasta is tossed in there with a chunky tomato sauce and mozzarella. Just watching made me even more excited for the meal.

The pasta was very simple, but oh so good! And we had lots leftover for lunch the next day.

I forget what my dad and one of my sisters ordered, but my little brother enjoyed his spaghetti and meatballs.

And my other sister really liked her gnocchi as well. I tried a few bites but was so stuffed from my own dinner! I loved the chunks of mozzarella in her dish.

And Jeff tried the veal, which was cooked perfectly. I always have a hard time cooking such thin pieces of veal -- they overcook so quickly. It was served in a creamy white wine sauce.

We all had a lovely evening and enjoyed the food, each other's company, and the gorgeous view.

Do you go out to eat a lot on vacation, or do you try to buy groceries and cook?