REVIEW: Palo, Fine Dining on the Disney Dream
If you’ve been following MickeyBlog lately, you know that Disney Cruise Line was gracious enough to host us on a Marvel Day at Sea sailing on the Disney Dream last month!
Credit: Disney
Not only did our bloggers Jessie and Kristen meet superheroes and scout out new 25th anniversary merchandise, they were also treated to dinner at the luxurious Palo!
Overview
Palo is an adult-only fine dining restaurant on every ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet. The cuisine is described as “exquisite Italian,” paired with fine European wines and decadent homemade desserts. “Palo” means “pole” in Italian and the restaurant name is a reference to the poles used by iconic Venetian gondoliers! Venice is the inspiration for everything at Palo.
Jessie and Kristen made their way to the 12th deck of the Dream for dinner Wednesday night.
Decor and Experience
Upon entering Palo, it’s hard to ignore this incredible chandelier!
This stunning handblown glass creation was actually designed to resemble spaghetti and meatballs!
A host seated Jessie and Kristen and they took a look around at the gorgeous setting.
The ambiance reflects the spectacular food, with elegant finishes, piano music, and an open-stage kitchen to take a peek at genius chefs at work.
Ornate banisters and carved ceilings evoke the feel of European architecture.
The real star – the ocean – provides the backdrop with floor-to-ceiling windows in a semi-circular design, leading to picturesque views from nearly every table.
Menus
There are two menus at Palo – The Prezzo Fisso (pre fixe), and the Esperienza del Vino (the wine paired menu with items ordered individually and paired with Italian wines).
The $45 Prezzo Fisso menu offers selections for four courses, Antipasti, Insalata, Il Secondo and Dolce. (That’s Appetizers, Salad, Second Course and Dessert.)
The Esperienza del Vino menu is more elaborate, with appetizers, salads, pastas, pizzas, seafood, meat and vegetarian dishes. You’ll find specialties like Ciuppin Soup (a seafood combo), Paccheri (lamb ragu), Piquant Dover Sole, Osso Buco, and an assortment of steak. Choose from sides like Roasted Wild Mushrooms, Cavatappi Pasta, or Whipped Potato Puree.
Dinner!
Our bloggers chose Esperienza menu, starting with the Baby Arugula salad, Fritto di Calamari e Gamberi and a bonus Heirloom Tomato Buffalo Mozzarella Caprese. Their server also brought a bowl of homemade seasoned pizza dough triangles and breadsticks.
Jessie’s arugula salad tasted light and fresh. The simple dressing of oil and balsamic vinegar lets the parmesan cheese and peppery arugula shine through. She calls it “the perfect little starter salad”!
Kristen’s Fritto di Calamari e Gamberi (fried clamari and prawns) were lightly breaded with a nice crunch and not too greasy. The lemon-garlic mayo and maranina dipping sauces were both a little spicier than expected.
The big star of the appetizers was the Heirloom Tomato Buffalo Mozzarella Caprese! Jessie reports it is just the right mix of salty and creamy and an incredibly fresh mozzerella.
The homemade pesto was very flavorful with both garlic and salt coming through.
As a special amuse-bouche, not on the menu, the serving staff brought a Fried Gnocchi in Mushroom Sauce. This receives rave reviews from our bloggers!
“It melts in your mouth like a bite of doughy mozzarella and the mushroom sauce was so smooth and really delicate with a nice soft pepper flavor and a bit of garlic.”
For the Il Secondo the ladies chose the Agnolotti (butternut squash with buffalo mozzarella, amaretti, sage-brown butter, basil) and the Pappardelle (Grilled Lobster with pappardelle pasta, leeks, caviar, truffle oil in a tarragon cream sauce).
The Agnolotti were “delectable” with both sweet and savory notes coming through. The fresh mozzarella on top and amaretto cookies blended perfectly with the basil and garlic.
High praise from Jessie: “One of my favorite pastas I’ve ever eaten!”
Kristen’s Pappardelle did not disappoint either! The lobster on top was perfectly cooked, not gummy or chewy, and the sauce had just a light seafood flavor, nothing overwhelming. The noodles were very light but the tarragon spice of the sauce was the highlight. The whole meal was delicious and filling.
Dessert Menu
Now, let’s talk about that separate Italian Dessert menu!
The menu isn’t that extensive, the waiter simply recited it, but it is decadent – Chocolate and Amaretto Soufflés, Homemade Tiramisù, Limoncello Tart, Vanilla Panna Cotta, Warm Orange Almond Cake and an assortment of Gelato flavors. Yum! Each dessert may be paired with a dessert wine.
The Homemade Tiramisù and Chocolate Soufleé won Jessie and Kristen over.
The Tiramisu had the perfect coffee bitterness without being overpowering. Served “deconstructed”, so you had to take bites of each ingredient, but could customize it to your liking. Perfect texture!
Kristen’s Chocolate Soufleé was served piping hot with a scoop of vanilla bean gelato and both chocolate and vanilla sauces for a customizable flavor. The chocolate has a strong flavor but you can taste the quality of ingredients here.
The Soufleé takes approximately 25 minutes to make from scratch so Guests are asked early in the meal if they plan to order dessert.
Overview
Overall, EVERYTHING about this meal was amazing! The atmosphere, the service, the food caliber – outstanding, 10/10. If you are a foodie or just really want to appreciate a high end meal, don’t skip Palo!
Disney Cruise Line Guests can make reservations for this fine dining experience online or via the DCL Navigator app. This booking window varies by Castaway Club membership level! Platinum members can book at 120 days prior to sailing, Gold at 105 days, and Silver at 90 days. Cruisers brand new to Disney Cruise Line (aka, those who are not yet Castaway Club members) may book at 75 days. The Palo dining experience is offered each evening during dinner hours as well as a brunch on At-Sea days on sailings of 4-nights or more.
Check out the overview of our entire Disney Dream sailing, graciously hosted by Disney!
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