Pago Pago

We went to Pago Pago (at the Westin) for the first time last night to visit Chef Matt Boland. We met him last summer, when he was at Pirate's Nest, and enjoyed his cooking. We stayed in touch with him and were excited to hear that his updated menu at Pago Pago was going to be ready by the time we arrived. First of all, let me say that the service was amazing. I never had to ask to have my water glass refilled (which is one of the most important elements of service, for me), which was much appreciated after a long day of flying. The servers were attentive, accommodating, and willing to do whatever they could for us. One of our companions is allergic to ginger, and the staff made changes to various dishes as needed to that she could enjoy them too. Second, the food was absolutely amazing. One of our companions tried the Gaucho Steak Churrasco, and Chef Matt gave her all four sauces to try with it (portobello dark chocolate sauce, green pepper corn tarragon tamarind sauce, chimichuri, and expresso cilantro barbeque sauce). She described the all of the sauces as "breathtaking." Another companion had the Macademia Crusted Grouper, which I was able to sample. It was one of the best grouper dishes I have ever tried. It was cooked perfectly and absolutely melted in my mouth. My husband and I elected to order several appetizers instead of meals so that we could sample more items from the menu. We had the Ropa Vieja of Duck, the Sesame Crusted Tuna, the Fresh Corn Arepas, and the Thai Firecracker Spring Rolls. I did not personally try the duck, but my husband loved it. The spring rolls were unbelievable...they were full of shrimp and crab, and there was no vegetable filler. The citrus chili dip that came with them was, hands down, the best sauce I have ever had with spring roola anywhere. The arepas came with smoked salmon, and I didn't get to enjoy them as much as I should because I was getting full. I wanted to see how the salmon worked with the arepas (which are kind of like ground corn pancakes) but it was a wonderful combination. The sesame tuna came with humus, wonton crisps, and wasabi sauce. I don't like my tuna seared, so they cooked a few pieces medium for me. The taste of the tuna was wonderful, especially when paired with the humus and wonton crisps. For dessert, we had a sample platter, which I don't think was on the menu. Chef Matt had them make it for us. There were strawberries dipped in chocolate, tiramisu, a small cheesecake with raspberry sauce, vanilla ice cream in a chocolate cup, and another chocolate cake roll which I can't even begin to describe. All of them were wonderful and literally melted in our mouths. The wine list is impressive, and none of us ordered any mixed drinks, so I can't speak to the options available at the bar. The ambiance is lovely, and it is a perfect place for a romantic dinner. My only complaint is that there was not a basic "house salad" kind of option, just caesar, hearts of romaine, and a calamari salad (which looked wonderful, if you like calamari). I would liked to have had a lettuce salad option, but obviously did just fine without it. That is why I gave it a 9 instead of a 10 on food variety. In terms of price, it is definitely on the higher end of the spectrum for Aruba, but the overall dining experience makes it worth the money. I would definitely eat my last meal there.