PALM BEACH - The island of Aruba promises visitors more than just beautiful beaches and sunshine; a rich and diverse culture of art, music, and dance add depth and dimension to any vacation here. Not to be overlooked is the island's culinary scene, which has grown in quality, sophistication, and variety over the past five years as well.
Two restaurants that have quickly risen to the top of Aruba's gastronomy circles are Aqua Grill and Amazonia, located in the heart of Palm Beach's ever-growing restaurant row. Amazonia, the island's very own churrascaria, and Aqua Grill, featuring the island's largest raw bar and fresh seafood flown in daily as well as caught off the island's shores, are island originals garnering international critical acclaim.
The Aruban owners of both restaurants are excited to take the island's culinary landscape abroad to the United States, and have recently announced plans to open both an Amazonia and Aqua Grill in Florida, with further plans in other earmarked east coast markets down the road.
Joining the Amazonia and Aqua Grill team to further enhance their on-island product as well as spearhead the expansion into the United States is Mark Orttel. Formerly the director of operations for Legal Sea Foods, the famed family-owned seafood company that raised the bar for seafood restaurants and set the fresh-only standard, Orttel is known within the industry as a stickler for details-something that he insists separates the best from the rest.
Orttel is instrumental in the plan to take Aqua Grill and Amazonia abroad, informs the owners. As director of operations at Legal Sea Food, he oversaw some 26 restaurants and insured the proper growth and development of the company, implementing consistency and quality across the board. According to Aqua Grill and Amazonia owners, this type of well thought-out growth is key to effectively expanding.
The owners and management of both restaurants plan to market Aqua Grill and Amazonia heavily as Aruban restaurants. "We have a lot of pride attaching the 'Aruba' name to our product. The fact that we are a success story among many superior restaurants competing on this island says a lot, and being able to further expose Aruba's gastronomy to the rest of the world is an honor," management says.
The launch of the new restaurants in the United States is tentatively planned for midyear 2006.
