Palo Brunch or Palo Dinner, How to Choose
Juli RussMarch 24, 2016
On our last cruise aboard the Disney Magic, my husband and I had the opportunity to dine at the adult only restaurant, Palo, for both dinner and brunch. Palo offers a beautiful view of the ocean as the ship sails across the Caribbean in an elegant setting. Not only do we look forward to visiting Palo for the amazing food, the service is always top notch and this visit was the best yet.Our server, Ratif, began our dinner by giving us a history of the name given to the adult only restaurant. Since the Disney Magic was built in Italy, Disney wanted to pay tribute to the county and chose Palo, the word for the poles used to guide the gondolas through the canals of Venice. The basket used to serve the bread with our meal is designed to look like a gondola.
A delicious antipasto tray prepared table side is soon followed by a mouth-watering appetizer. We decided to try the marinated grilled shrimp and the mozzarella caprese. Before our entrée was delivered we enjoyed a palate cleansing sorbet. The entrée selection was difficult, how to choose between osso bucco, rack of lamb, or my favorite the Beef Tenderloin, “Palo”? My husband selected the rack of lamb and I opted to stick with my favorite tenderloin. We also had to have an order of the lobster mascarpone ravioli. Both meals were scrumptious and it was hard to save room for dessert. To top off our dinner we ordered the best dessert ever, Palo’s signature chocolate soufflé which is the lightest, most decadent soufflé topped with chocolate sauce and anglaise and accompanied by a scoop of vanilla gelato.
As we left dinner completely stuffed we stopped by the Maître D’ to check on availability for brunch later in the week. We were surprised that there were still open reservations and excitedly took one!We arrived for our brunch reservation a couple of days later and were greeted by a line of Palo servers wishing us a warm welcome. We were seated at the same table overlooking the ocean and to our pleasant surprise Ratif was again our server. Brunch begins with a complimentary mimosa or bellini and a tour of the expansive brunch buffet.
There are so many wonderful choices on the buffet, it’s hard to know where to begin; sticky buns, croissants and muffins, caviar, meats and cheeses, shrimp, and fruit just to name a few. We opted for a little of each.Accompanying the buffet are made to order items including flat bread pizzas, egg dishes, and chicken parmesan. We tried the grape and gorgonzola pizza, the eggs Julia and the chicken parmesan. The grape and gorgonzola pizza and eggs Julia were delightful, but the chicken parmesan was the most delectable I have ever had, the dish is literally melt in your mouth. Of course after all of this fabulous food we had to sample the desserts, my favorite was the berries with champagne jello.How to choose between Palo Dinner or Brunch? The answer is simple! Don’t! Each is a unique dining experience that shouldn’t be missed. Dinner in Palo is a wonderful date night or if you are traveling with a group it is the perfect getaway for an evening. Brunch is a wonderful alternative to the breakfast buffet.There is an additional cost of $30 per person for each meal and it is well worth the cost. Reservations are required. The dress code for Palo is a collared shirt and long slacks for men, a dress or pantsuit for ladies. Flip flops, shorts, capri pants and jeans are not allowed. If you are thinking of a Disney Cruise or have been on a Disney Cruise and would like to learn more about the adult dining, contact me at julir@wishesfamilytravel.com.