Thursday 17th May 2012
Day At Sea
Yay!!, a day at sea, I was really looking forward to the day ahead, I was now officially hooked on cruising!
Up bright and early, I sat on the empty deck with a hot cup of coffee and watched the sun come up and it was heavenly
After the gym, I met up with DH at the Cove Cafe and then we headed to Cabanas for breakfast.
I dont seem to have any photos of our selections but I am pretty sure we both had muesli and fruit again so here is a recycled photo
Muesli Breakfast
After a very enjoyable morning working our way through the activities on the navigator, we headed to Cabanas to grab some lunch
Grilled Salmon, Vegetables & Salad
This was the first day that I could find any fish available at Cabanas that wasnt prepared with meat so it was nice to be able to just get some grilled salmon
Heres DHs plate
Cabanas Lunch - Brisket, Chicken & Vegetables
Now this looks really un-appetizing to me and even DH said it was chewy, tough and not very pleasant, he didnt eat much of this and ended up grabbing a burger from Tow Maters Grill out on deck 11 (sorry dont seem to have a photo of his burger)
DH was in the mood for something sweet after his lunch so he picked up one of these
Cabanas - Profiterole
He said it was really good, and a nice little sweet treat
We happened to stumble across a towel folding class after lunch and DH was most proud of his creations
Towel Elephant
Towel Monkey
Mine were not quite so impressive!
At 3pm I headed off to the Mixology Seminar in the Skyline Bar and this was a really fun event
The bartender was fantastic and it was a really good friendly group
Mixology - Skyline Bar
This seminar went on for quiet a bit longer than planned (not that anyone was complaining!!) and when it was finished I high tailed it over to the Rainforest Room to get ready for our 6:30pm reservation at Palo
I had deliberately picked an early reservation as I wanted to be able to see both the view and then the sunset from the restaurant and this timing worked out perfectly
I ordered a glass of the Palo House Prosecco which I had tried and enjoyed at the Champagne tasting and we browsed the menu
Our server tonight was top notch and was really into English football/soccer so we ended up chatting for ages before we actually ordered
First we were served our bread
Palo Bread - Freshly Baked Bread in Our Pizza Oven
This was beautiful and so incredibly fresh
Once we had decided on our menu for the evening our server presented us with the Antipasti Cart and kindly served the meat separately for DH
Palo's Cold Antipasti Specialties presented from our Antipasti Carrello
Prosciutto, Bresaola, Parmesan Reggiano, Marinated Olives and Sun-Dried Tomatoes served with selection of Infused Oils and Aged Balsamic Vinegar
Everything was so delicious, the parmesan combined with the balsamic vinegar was fantastic.
The olives had a wonderful flavor and DH really enjoyed the meats that he was served
Together with the bread, this was a truly excellent start to our meal
But there was much more still to come
Grilled Portobello Mushroom and Polenta With a Roasted Shallot Sauce and a Parmesan Crisp
This was my choice and it was amazing, the sauce was fabulous and although I am not usually a fan of Polenta, this was the perfect partner for the mushroom
DH couldnt decide what to have so our server suggested a sampler plate of the most popular appetizers.
I cant see this as an option on the on-line menus but I am sure that you would be able to get this if you asked
Sicilian Pesto Marinated Grilled Shrimp On a Mussel, Crab, and Cherry Tomato Ragu
Grilled Portobello Mushroom and Polenta With a Roasted Shallot Sauce and a Parmesan Crisp
Fritto di Calamari - Lightly-crusted Calamari served with Deep-friend Cherry Peppers
DH also really enjoyed the mushroom and said that the shrimp was excellent, but the standout dish for him was the calamari which he said was perfectly cooked
We were then served a palate cleanser
Lemon Sorbet
Next up, my choice of entree
Branzino in Cartoccio
Sea Bass wrapped in parchment paper with Vegetables and Salmoriglio Sauce
Not only was this beautifully presented, it was beautifully flavored. It had a really delicate and fresh taste and was a lovely light dish
DH decided on his entree as soon as he spotted it on the menu
Our Beef Tenderloin "Palo"
Topped with melted Gorgonzola Cheese or Palo signature Barolo Red Wine Sauce
Our server suggested to DH that he ignore the word
OR between the two sauce options and have both, do thats what he did and hes glad he did
This was an excellent and tender piece of beef and he said it was cooked exactly how he likes it - a 10 out of 10 from DH
We also couldn't resist asking for a half portion of this to share
Lobster and Mascarpone Ravioli With a light Burro Bianco
Mmm, this was really, really good. The pasta literally melted in your mouth
Before we were served out entrees we were asked if we would be ordering the soufflé for dessert as it takes a while to prepare
Well following all the rave reviews of this dessert here on the DIS I just had to order one
Chocolate Soufflé with Vanilla Bean and Chocolate Sauce
Oh My Word ....... this seriously is heaven in a bowl, thank you my DIS friends for another perfect recommendation
I hardly ever, if ever, order chocolate desserts so would never have gone for this if I hadnt heard so many people rave about it
I just added a little bit of sauce at a time and I much preferred the combination of the vanilla bean sauce with the soufflé than the chocolate on chocolate option
The soufflé was light as a feather and therefore cant possible contain many calories can it
DH went for something completely different
Sweet Ravioli
He did enjoy it but he wasnt totally wowed by it .... he probably should have got the soufflé cos I sure as hell wasnt sharing mine
Straight after dinner we headed off to watch the Avengers in the Buena Vista Theatre which I am sure was a wonderful movie however I will never know as I slipped into a deep, deep soufflé coma about 15 minutes into the film
Zzzzz