Madame Janette

Frommer's Review

Especially popular with Aruba's Dutch residents, Madame Janette weds an unlikely pair: the cuisines of northern Europe and the Caribbean. Although the fusion usually works, it's sometimes a shotgun wedding. The restaurant's outdoor dining areas spill down steps and around corners, some areas protected by reed-mat awnings, others open to the stars. The smoky house gravlax appetizer is pure Nordic: salmon marinated in dill and capers served on toast with hollandaise sauce. Rustic potato and leek soup with garlic croutons is also nice. Madame's hot shrimps show the chefs' ingenuity -- juicy prawns baked in a flavorful marinara sauce topped with melted Gouda and Gorgonzola -- but also the problem -- the strong cheeses overwhelm the shrimp. Toasted almond grouper in light spinach cream sauce is an unqualified success, but pork tenderloin, seasoned with onions and Madagascar peppercorns, can be as dry as Bubby's brisket. The au gratin potatoes are perfect. For dessert, try Dutch apple pie a la mode. The food's hit or miss, but kudos to the chefs for experimenting.

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