before i begin this review, apologies for the delay! classes have started so i'm working full time as a nurse & also going to school full time & somehow my kid is still alive & doing well. ha ha. we also just returned from disney a few hours ago so it's been a wee bit crazy. thanks for being patient & hope you enjoy the review.
updated 5/27/13
PALO BRUNCH!! part 1
this was my first cruise & let me tell you, all the choices to eat were overwhelming. as much as i like to eat (i love to eat) & have had fine dining experiences in my life, the thought of a 3 hour meal at remy did nothing for me. the thought of my mom sitting through a 3 hour meal & complaining about the portion sizes (btw, my mom is a fantastic cook but just isn't into fancy food) did nothing for me....which is why i chose brunch at palo.
i've read really great things about both remy, palo brunch/dinner but another selling point for me was the king crab legs. i love snow crab legs & king crab legs are pretty expensive. the fact that i could eat as much as i wanted for $20 was a no brainer for me.
but i digress....
after dropping emme off at the oceaneer lab, my mom & i made our way to palo. it's located also on the 12th floor but getting there is tricky. needless to say, we found our way to the king crab legs.
palo & remy are located side by side to each other. we were greeted promptly & then taken to our seats. we were lucky enough to get a table by the windows. it was pretty surreal to sit & watch the ocean pass by. it was a very serene moment & totally felt like vacation.
it was nice to see real roses on the table. there was also real roses in the bathroom as well. nice touch!
my mom took this photo. kudos to her as she can barely turn on her phone! ha ha. as you can see, the view was really calming & gorgeous.
i can't remember my CM's name but she did take about 5 minutes before greeting us. my tummy was rumbling & i was so hungry! our cm was very professional, warm & inviting. her demeanor was completely different from the CM's that are in cabanas. she was also very pretty.
she let us know about the complimentary champagne or mimosa. i picked 12pm for our brunch so in my head, it's 5pm somewhere so i happily ordered a mimosa.
mmmmm mimosa.
our CM then let us know about the brunch offerings as well as letting us know about the hot food. she was very efficient! after about 3 minutes of food directions, we made our way to the food.
this is the display of the "hot" food you can order from the server at any time:
[terrible iphone photos...sorry].
and here are some of the "cold" offerings via iphone:
i overheard a CM tell another guests that these breads are specifically made for palo. i touched nothing on this side minus the fruit as the bread would have taken up precious space for my king crab legs.
mmmmm. caviar. it's not from a beluga well but i love caviar. all the extra toppings were a nice touch. i could have eaten that entire bowl myself. actually, i probably ate an entire bowl myself now that i think about it.
i loved these onions! they were a total treat. it may not be pleasant to everyone's palette but i loved them.
YES!! my beloved king crab legs. i would have rather eaten them warm but cold ones probably are easier to maintain. regardless, i was so happy to see my crabby friends already split & ready to eat.
this was my favorite section of brunch...the seafood section. check it all out! mmmmmm king crab legs!!
here is my first plate of food:
i went easy on the king crab legs this first trip. i did ask for a side of melted butter. it was heavenly with the crab meat.
the scallops were smoked & they were DELICIOUS! i had "seared" scallops in the main dining room & they are terrible. i mean, you really can't sear a frozen scallop but the scallops weren't fresh and just gross. ICK. so i was pleasantly surprised with the scallops.
the caviar was really tasty as was the fresh mozzarella cheese & tomatoes. the proscuitto was just ok. they served that at cabanas. the ahi tuna with the spicy rub was also a surprise. it was a cajun rub if i remember correctly. so fresh and delicious! no fishy taste or smell at all. even my mom (who doesn't really eat raw fish) enjoyed it & i think it was because of the spicy cajun rub.
but hands down, the best thing on the plate was the king crab legs. so sweet & moist. the melted butter was just an added bonus.
and this is my mom's first plate of food. notice the difference of veggies. she loves veggies.
i asked, "mom, out of all the things to eat, why are you eating vegetables?!' and she told me to just try it. and let me tell you, the grilled veggies were out of this world good. the asparagus weren't grilled but they were crunchy and very fresh. but i still considered it filler food. i had a date with some king crab legs.
my cute mom & her mimosa. she has a very low tolerance to alcohol. one sip & she gets the asian flush & is incapacitated. she had one very tiny sip & decided against trying any more. so being to good daughter that i am & not wanting to waste it, i drank it for her. that was the right thing to do.
here is my second plate of food:
more crab legs & ahi tuna. like i said, the proscuitto was just ok but i love the taste combination with the melon.
Part 2 to be continued....