Well last night we decided to try this restaurant that occupies where Casablanca used to be (now Casablanca is in front of it). Anyway, a great place.

Corine from Buddy Dive and her husband have the place. Everyone is attentive, cordial and great. The colors and decoration are VERY Caribbean with bright colors, candles, torches, fantastic.

They give us a basket of spicy nacho chips and salsa to start. We then each ordered "Gold" Margaritas...yummmm.

Ed had something called Blackened Tuna Sashimi with wasabi mayo..OMG..the best, basically pan seared tuna with a blacken seasoning on the edge, but rare inside, and the dipping wasabi sauce. Yum. I had the coconut shrimp and mashed sweet potatoes. The shrimp were actually prawns on skewer, 6 of them, with an AMAZING sweet and sour sauce with red pepper flakes. Oh yeah, Ed's side was coconut rice, with fresh coconut.

Oh..Oh...almost forgot the appetizer...100% home made crab balls with a wonderful spicy dipping sauce. You get 6 of them on a medium shell like plate with a large salad that consisted of various types of lettuce, onion, tomatoes, black beans, corn, etc with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. We will definintely be back.

The menu is very diverse, you can get jerk chicken, fish, beef, tapas, home made deserts (I wanted the key lime pie, but couldn't fit it in). Ed and I saw it come out of the kitchen and said, that's it we are coming back just for drinks and desert!!!!

Please all try it....yummm....

Hi, Liz! Sounds terrific! I immediately thought of Michael when you mentioned wasabi...what a wonderful idea...wasabi mayo..have to try that in NJ before we get back to Bonaire.

Sounds like a terrific place to try next time we are on Bonaire. Hugs to you both. Carole

I'm 39 years old, basically mature, but "crab balls" is still funny to me. Lord, forgive me. lmao

Thanks for the info, Liz, sounds yummy and will add it to my July trip "must-do"...

I have GOT to meet you some day, Kelly! You crack me up!

Liz, that sounded absolutely wonderful!

You can tell it has been too long since we have been to Bonaire as I don't remember where Casablanca was. Can you remind me please. Would love to try the new place this week when we are there. Thanks.

I tried Catus Blue and was not impressed as noted above. What food we got was good, so that said, a more important fact is that the menu is A La Carte and they did not make that clear. So, hubby ordered fish and though it was good, it was about 4x4 size and nothing came with it. $14 for that. If you want a vegetable, you pay extra,if you want a side dish such as rice, or French Fries, you pay extra. Same goes for the salad. You do get a basket of nachos to start, but ours were stale. Just be aware when ordering, now some dishes come with something, as Liz's did and I ordered the same dish as she did. Shrimps were not big, just little guys, but good just the same. I will not be back. Each to its own on this place. Also know some folks who came over to their place from Casablanca for dessert and were treated not nice as they didn't have dinner there. So, good to have both sides to a story every now and then.

Constance, Casablanca is just south of town, north of Divi Flamingo, on the west side of the street. Cactus Blue is just south of it.

Wauw that sounds really good.
And wasabi-mayo is yummie, we have eaten it ones with lobster, awesome!!!
I'll write on our "where to eat" list!! :P
Thanks for shearing.

I'll second Debbie's post that Cactus Blue is overpriced.

Our 2nd night on Bonaire last month, the rest of the family wanted PasaBon, but I can't eat cheese due to a food sensitivity. Based on early reviews from Linda R & others, I sent the husband out with the Cactus Blue's name & location (didn't have the phone number) & told him to get me local fish with salsa. He came back with exactly what I wanted (wahoo smothered with salsa) & it was wonderful, however the portion wasn't huge, came with no sides (which surprised me, as rice would have been a perfect match) and was $17+.

later in the week we found a snack shop just around the corner from China Nobu that served a garlic/lime fish dinner with a full plate of sides (salad, fried yuca & rice) for approx $10. A hidden gem - I can't remember the name, but we just referred to it as the Columbian snack shop, as all the art inside were travel posters from Columbia.

I'll try to post a full report at some point, but I'm just back from a weeklong business trip to Chile & Brazil, which I left for less than a week after returning to Bonaire.

Sue

Dear Bonairetalk readers, we feel that it is important to clear up any confusion with regard to our menu at Cactus Blue. All our Entrees include one side order. Some dishes have a side order included in their description as we feel that the particular side order compliments the dish. Additional side orders are available as stated on our menu. maybe this was not clear enough in the early days and we apologise for the misunderstanding. With any new business there are stumbling blocks and we are striving to over come ours....
Hagen & Corinna ~ Cactus Blue bar & restaurant

My husband had ordered the fish entree when he went to Catus Blue and there WASN'T a side order as you stated in your above post with his order. Just a piece of fish for US 14 and yes, it was an entree. So, no, in February, 2006, all entrees did not come with a side order. My shrimp did, but his did not. My earlier post on this still stands.

Dear Debby, I myself served your table and clearly remember offering you a complimentary side dish after you raised your question with regard to your husbands dish. In fact when it became clear that you were so disappointed with your meal, I offered not to charge you at all for your meal. As said before, we are a new business and are trying to find our way. We hope it is clear now.
Corinna

Yes, Corinna, you did after yelling at me for simply asking if that is all he got with his entree (piece of fish) and then your husband came out and still went on very loudly as you did and totally upset my 11 y.o. and us as that was not a relaxing way to enjoy dinner at all, getting yelled at for asking a question. By the time you offered not to charge me for my meal, which I made sure I paid every penny for btw, and after your husband came out again, you both failed to notice that my husband and son had LEFT the table as soon as they were done as we all found such treatment terrible and folks shouldn't be afraid to say something to you for fear of a backlashing that we received from you and hubby. Now, I did not come to your place for a free meal, but did come to it with hopes of a new place to add to our list of places to eat. First impressions mean a lot and yours really was not pleasant and anyone who yells at their customers for asking if the fish was all that came with the meal is not a place I would go back to and it is not nice either to yell at customers in front of their children. All your husband kept asking me was the food good?, well, that was not the problem, the problem was you guys harassing me for the entire length of my dinner for asking a question. I will never come back. My son was so upset at the whole thing, I would never subject him to that again. Oh, and you did not serve my table, we had a young waitress who did NOT ask if we wanted a side dish or veg., just asked if we wanted a salad. You may have served the food on the table, can't remember that, but no one wants a complimentary side dish AFTER getting yelled out for some time by you, then your husband! I could have cared less at that point! I just wanted to pay for my dinner and leave. Then when you came back after I got the bill and then tried to be nice, it was way TOO LATE. The damage was done. I know you are a new business and hope you do find your way, but it won't be with me or my family as when one gets unfairly yelled at for so long, you don't come back.

Sorry for the above rant, but when I see a posting that is not true, I just had to clarify my posting. Also, I received a private email from Catus Blue that was upsetting when I posted my first posting on this thread. Since then I asked them to stop sending me emails and have sent a copy of their email to a BT mod.. Everyone has a right to state their experience on this thread and I guess I may have to remove my private email to avoid further harassment for telling my experience. NOTE: I would have said nothing except you stated all entrees come with a side order. Fact: They do not.

I have been lurking for quite some time and here is my first posting. My husband and I stayed in Bonaire during the entire month of February and we were curious to check out the newly-opened Cactus Blue Restaurant. Our first dinner there happened to be a big success, we liked everything we ate: ceviche, chicken curry with coconut rice, tuna sashimi and key lime pie. A few days later we went back with friends and we decided that everyone had to eat something different in order to check out more dishes. We selected crab meat balls, tomato soup, fish soup and the spinach dip and we really liked it all. As main courses we ordered a burger, the jambalaya pasta, jerk chicken and again the tuna sashimi (my husband insisted to eat it again!). Everything was delicious and as a dessert we could only manage to share one serving of their chocolate cake.
Until we left the island, we went back for dinner four more times, twice with friends and the last two times just the two of us. We got hooked on the ceviche and the blackened tuna sashimi. As a side dish we preferred their tasty coconut rice.
We were always pleased with their service, however, in order to avoid peak hours, we choose to go for dinner quite early.

Corrina,

My take out was on Saturday of Presidents Weekend. My husband questioned the person who rang up the order if there was suppose to be a side dish with it - they just shrugged their shoulders and "i guess not". I know you are getting the kinks worked out, but it wasn't a great experience for us either.

Sue

Sissi, Welcome to Posting! A whole month on Bonaire is pretty swell. I hope this won't be your last posting, maybe you will post a little trip report and tell us where you stayed and where else you ate?

Guten Tag!

Seb

Seb,
thank you for inviting me to continue posting. However, as you already concluded correctly, my mother tongue is not English. Therefore, it will be quite a time-consuming effort for me to post a properly written trip report. For the time being, here is a very short one:
our stay in Bonaire was great, we enjoyed every day on the island and we will come back for sure.
Gruesse
Sissi

There are plenty of reStaurants on Bonaire all of which offer different menus.We especially liked Cactus Blue for its variety of menu offering fresh fish,pork,chicken,steaks and salads and amazing desserts.Cactus blue is owner run and we found all the sTaff to be very attentive,friendly and happy.We enjoyed our fist meal so much that we went back two other times.The menu quite clearly describes each dish and we tried quite a few including the local goat stew,which was delicious.We would give Cactus Blue a gold Medal for their ribs.They are so tender and tasty,they simply fall off the bone.This is a must do on every Bonaire travelers list!!!

Is it me. Seems like a lot of new poster on this subject. Could they just be trolls for the new place.

Exactly my thoughts, Patrick! GMTA!

Patrick..I thought EXACTLY the same thing.. I'm glad I'm not the only one!
Interesting that this would be someone's first post isn't it?

GMTA!

Well you call them as you see them.

What does GMTA mean??
I'am not englisch and i can not make anything out of it! :P

Heej Karin, aren't you on Bonaire right now???? :D

Lilian

I am fairly sure it is - Great Minds Think Alike, it's not an abbreviation we would use normally in the UK.

Moderators
I believe the new posters IP address is visible to you, are they for real?

As far as I am concerned: yes, I am for real! We visited the new Cactus Blue Restaurant several times (see my first posting) and, when reading other peoplesī comments, I just felt it might be interesting to let them know our own experiences.

Hi Sissi! I'm not sure this troll stuff was directed at you. Hacksteiner is a play on words for Hackster and many computer geeks use it as an alias. I'm guessing all of this is directed at Willy Hacksteiner - just a guess though...

I would echo the positive comments below about Cactus Blue. I ate there 3 different times during my 2 weeks on the island in Feb/March, (my eighth visit there) and thought the food was outstanding and the service warm. I always had a side dish with each entree. Everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion (Debbie B. below times multiple), but having sampled the cuisine at Cactus Blue on three separate occasions, I feel comfortable referring people to this restaurant. I travel internationally quite a bit and this is now one of my favorite restaurants, I urge all travelers to try it themselves and not be put off by one person's experience.

TROLLS ABOUND

I can't agree more, Patrick. Very well said.

Yes Lilian, we are at Bonaire now! It is nice and warm!
Brian was correct about the meaning of GMTA, i was thinking about the same as Patrick, when some new posters started to post here. Not sure if they are trolls though, might be just relatives or friends of the owners,......

It is VERY suspicious when brand new posters start to rave about a restaurant, and all they have time to tell us is that they ate there and it was great; not where they stayed, (or with whom if they stayed with friends or relatives), not if they are related to or good friends with the owners, just rave reviews from people with easily obtained email addresses originating from Europe, so yes, the users are rightly suspicious of Sissi, Willy, and Tanya, as are the moderators. I suggested to Sissi she post a little trip report, but she only seems to have time to defend Cactus Blue and swear she is not an agent for them.
Sissi, if you want us to believe you, where did you stay for a month?

Regarding "trolls" - the moderators have some tools they can use to at least confirm that new posters are or are not posting from the same geographical region. And whether the posters are using throw-away e-mail accounts (e.g. Yahoo, Hotmail, GMail, etc.).

If you suspect trolls, it might be a bit more polite to inform the moderators privately than to potentially accuse a real newbie of being a troll, then scaring them away, and creating a self-fulfilling prophecy when they "prove your point" and never post again.

Just a point of etiquette (and a vote of confidence that the moderators can deal with trolls better than people pointing public fingers in threads like this).

Jake

"J" thank you!!! I was trying to think of a polite way to say that myself. Just in case one of them is a "real" poster, and someone who can truely contribute!!!

LaDonna

Let those reading this board form their own opinions (as I certainly have) & come to their own conclusions about the veracity of all the entries above.

"J" is most definitely right here as well as Seb is too. I agree with both of them. I will let the mods take over from here and let them handle this matter. Thanks for stepping in there guys.

Geeezeee....and all because I posted about a restaurant I liked.....

Oh BTW, we've been back 3 times since with friends and they do now serve one side with the entree. As Debbie posted that they didn't when she went, but every time we've been they automatically served a side such as coconut rice or mashed sweet potatoes.

I had the Curry Chicken, it melted in your mouth, the Key Lime Pie was to die for....

Just my humble opinion...

And still i am going when i get there in september.:P
Now i want to know for myself.

And yes this is also my first time to put something up on Bonaire Talk. My dad is more often on it then I am. And I live here already 8 years. And visit the Cactus Blue restaurant at least once a week, for a wonderful dinner or just a very nice cold Amstel Bright, with crab meat balls. Never had problems with side orders, to me it was clear to see what comes with the main course, and what you have to order as a side dish. I think it's quite nice that you can choose your side order. I personally don't always like to eat the salad, fries or whatever you will get extra's with. And then they have to trash the left overs. But you paid for it. And now you don't. And think about how many people (with no money)can eat from all the food that get trashed. A Lot!!! Every time I visit Cactus Blue I try something else, so far everything has been very good. Will be back for more......
I know Willy Hacksteiner in person, and believe me it's his real name. I use to go diving with him and his wife when they are on the island.

Yes, this is my first posting too. It appears that many people have too much time on their hands and are able to post repeated messages. I do not have that luxury. I only took the time now because I have a strong opinion. I recently returned from my 8th annual trip to Buddy Dive. We ate at Cactus Blue early during our trip, and everyone in our party was impressed - so much so that we all ate there 2 more times before we left. The ambiance and atmosphere were great, the staff were warm and friendly, and the food was absolutely outstanding every time. We found the portion size to be generous, and all entrees came with a side dish. I would highly recommend Cactus Blue to anyone visiting Bonaire.

Why all the negativity toward first time posters? It is not very inviting!

I too spent the month of February in Bonaire. Like all above we went to Cactus Blue with another couple who had been there earlier in the week and loved it. We were 5 people and the appitizer ----the garlic shrimp was great. The rest of the meal was okay at best. We all had different entrees and none were exceptional. The people with us were embarrased as they had enjoyed the meal so much earlier in the week. I think they are just beginning and need to smooth out the offerings and hopefully they will be consistently good But for now they seem to be very up and down. Smooth out the bumps. folks and the Cactus will not prick you. People who eat out in Bonaire are used to quite a very good
number of places to eat and the expectations are high.

i just ate dinner at cactus blue last night and i have got 2 say it was the best meal i have ever had on the island it is just such a great carribean mix. I had the spinach dip and a few margaritas and i loved it all. the food just came out so fast and the service was great, even though they where busy.everyone around me was having a great time even the staff seemed happy unlike at casablanca where it seems kinda dull at cactus blue it was a very lively atmosphere

Sissi, Willy, Tanya, Sandra, and Lorre, and Seb-Weg Welcome To Bonaire Talk.

That being said, change get's noticed. 6 posts by brand new users on the same thread stating basically the same information (rave reviews of Cactus Blue) is ...unusual... thus the reaction by verteran Bonaire Talkers. It got everyone's attention. I'm not sure if Sissi, Willy, Tanya, Sandra, Lorre, and Seb-Weg have read the Bonaire Talk Policies, but you can by clicking on the following link:

http://www.oldbonairetalk.com/newsgroup/messages/25/152184.html?1078174978

Part of our policies state:

You may not post - - Messages via a false name or anonymously which promote, denigrate, or libel another person, business, or entity.

So we moderators have done some checking and have been asking some questions via private email to assure, that the policies are being followed.

In addition, the moderators have done some checking, and the first post turns out to be a form of self promotion ie: the first poster has a business deal with Cactus Blue. So, this thread will be closed to further postings and the first poster put on suspension for knowingly posting a self promoting post.