Booze...in 50 Words or Less: Captain Morgan Spiced Rum

Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
A bit of a relic from Aruba trip: Dawned on me. Forgot to talk about the Captain! Not a hard liquor fan but bought a bottle of this stuff in the duty-free shop on our way into the town. This + fruit juice + balcony with ocean view = awesome nighttime buzz.

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The Pizza Project
Just a nibble: http://twitter.com/ThePizzaProject
Single slice: http://www.facebook.com/ThePizzaProject
The full pie: http://thepizzaproject.blogspot.com/

Aruba Edition: A Slightly Aimless Rant about...the Family Who Made Our Trip Home from Aruba a Living Hell

On the way back from Aruba, Saucy Jr. was an absolute terror. He never stopped jumping on us. He screamed at top volume about his desire for Animal Crackers or lollipops or toys or the potty. He constantly tried to kick the seat of the people in front of us. He slapped us in the face for daring to not allow him to do whatever the hell it was that he wanted to do at any particular moment in time. Overall, he was a horrific nuisance. But that was OK. Because he wasn't even the most annoying person (or group of people) in our general vicinity.

A Pessimist in Paradise: Ten Things I Hated about My Trip to Aruba

1. People Causing Suspicion in the Airport - On the morning of our flight to Charlotte (we had a connector to Aruba), there was a dude in the waiting area. Guy is rocking a blanket on his head, wearing odd-looking wristbands on his arms, reading a "religious" looking document, all while moving his head forward and backward in the manner of a crazed lunatic. He looked like a mutha-flippin' ancient Mayan witch doctor or something. I was literally five seconds away from either having the guy arrested by Homeland Security or canceling the trip due to premonitions of fiery death. The wife later told me that she believed that we were taking our trip on a Jewish high-holiday. But really, I don't care. We are ten years removed from 9/11 and there has yet to be a major terrorist reoccurence on American soil. That's awesome. That doesn't mean we should all feel free to get our head-covered solitary mosh pit on in the waiting area before take-off in a fully fueled 747. I should respect your religion, but you might want to respect my paranoia. I won't bust your chops if you can simply get your chant on in your bedroom before leaving for Philly International. Too much to ask? Don't think so.

Aruba Edition: Tale of the Pie - Casa Tua Pizzeria

On our last night in Aruba, Spicy and I decided to take Saucy Jr. and our friend Veggie Barcelona (she has not approved this name, but we want to protect her identity so I am taking a bit of a liberty here) over to Casa Tua Pizzeria for a bite to eat. Hilariously enough, this was the same day that we ate at Tomato Charlie's. So we had two meals consisting of pizza in one day.

But in case you have not noticed, we really like pizza. This was not a problem. Only thing is, we almost did not make it to our meal.

Aruba Edition - Booze...in 50 Words or Less: Amstel Bright

Amstel Bright
Getting desperate for a distinctive beer in Aruba, I decided to try this product by the Amsterdam brewery. Tasted like Balashi Chill. Which I have already said tasted like Corona. So basically, it tasted like Corona. Not sure they sell it in states. They should. Many Americans love crappy beer.

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The Pizza Project
Just a nibble: http://twitter.com/ThePizzaProject
Single slice: http://www.facebook.com/ThePizzaProject
The full pie: http://thepizzaproject.blogspot.com/

Aruba Edition - Booze...in 50 Words or Less: Balashi Chill

Balashi Chill
That's right! Loved Balashi so much, I decided to try their summer beer. Garnished with lime, it tastes almost exactly like Corona. That may not sound like much, but when your skin is burnt like a Thanksgiving turkey left in the oven two hours too long, it works.

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The Pizza Project
Just a nibble: http://twitter.com/ThePizzaProject
Single slice: http://www.facebook.com/ThePizzaProject
The full pie: http://thepizzaproject.blogspot.com/

Aruba Edition - Booze...in 50 Words or Less: Balashi Pilsner

Balashi Pilsner
Aruba. Not known for microbrews. Still, had to try this beer. Tastes like Heineken. Only not as good. And Heineken's bad. Fine in sweltering heat, but leaves a horrible taste in your mouth. And not just because I paid five bucks a can for it in a hotel gift shop.

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The Pizza Project
Just a nibble: http://twitter.com/ThePizzaProject
Single slice: http://www.facebook.com/ThePizzaProject
The full pie: http://thepizzaproject.blogspot.com/

Tale of the Pie Aruba Edition: Tomato Charlie's

If you've been concerned about the lack of new posts during the past week, don't despair. We have not abandoned the blog; it's just that several of us have been in Aruba celebrating Emmental's wedding. Now that we're back, we've got two pizza reviews and any number of random posts (how to survive air travel with a rambunctious nearly-two-year-old, slightly aimless rant about the Marriott beach bar waiter who tried to overcharge us for the $8.50 drink special of the day because they "forgot" to update the specials board from the previous day, Balashi beer in 50 words or less, etc.) coming your way.

Naturally, we had to give Aruba's pizza a try. Our first stop was Tomato Charlie's, located along the Blvd/Prominade at the Brickell Bay Beach Club (Palm/Eagle beach area). Saucy and I started with the Bruschetta while our friend had a Tomato Charlie's Italian Salad. We then shared a medium pie, half pepperoni and half plain. The bruschetta was pretty good, nothing that would knock your socks off, but a tasty little nibble. It was topped with shredded mozzarella, which was definitely a bruschetta first for me. The salad seemed to be lacking in toppings, a bit of a disappointment when considering the over $10 price tag.