Extra Virgin is Extra Special!

Our final restaurant to share about is unfortunately, one we were only able to experience once on this cruise. We enjoyed Extra Virgin, the Italian themed restaurant, so much that we were disappointed that there wasn't any availability to return the last evening. Note to future cruisers who might be traveling with a steak and potatoes obsessed guy - you wouldn't think it but the steak in Extra Virgin was better than at The Wake! Wish we had known that ahead of time so the guy I planned all these dinner reservations with would have been a little less insistent on having two nights at The Wake.

When it comes to visiting an Italian restaurant onboard, there's a good chance you can guess which two dishes I'll choose off the menu; calamari and anything with the word carbonara. Breakfast pasta - how is that not the most perfect dish?

Extra Virgin's option for calamari under Antipasto (appetizers) is listed as Semolina Fried Calamari with Lemon and Chili Dip. I've had calamari in several places onboard and on land. I prefer the classic presentation of sliced rings that are then breaded and fried versus keeping pieces whole and frying them. As I'm also a connoisseur of mozzarella sticks, the key to both appetizers is the ratio of breading outside to chewiness inside. Tonight's version was a delightful balance with the breading staying with the rings and not being too crispy or chewy. I was pleasantly surprised by the Lemon and Chili Dip as it was flavorful without being spicy or tart. 

Dad's appetizer was the Braised Mini Meatballs - San Marzano Tomato, Smoked Mozzarella, and Pancetta. Dad saw the word Mini and asked the server about being able to order two. She cautioned against it but promised to bring another if Dad decided he still wanted more. What came was a bowl almost the entire size of the plate. They may have been mini in size but there was several of them. Our server did come back and ask if he wanted a second. He told her she was right, one was plenty! Definitely a hit with Dad as this was like having a meatball sub without the bread. The perfect way in his eyes to have meatballs - except of course on top of a pile of spaghetti!

In past Italian restaurant onboard experiences, when something like Affettati Misti (aka meat and cheese charcuterie board) is listed as a course, then it is something that just arrives when it is that time for the course. When we didn't get it automatically delivered, we chalked it up to something you'd intentionally need to request. We didn't bother to ask since we had plenty of food on the way.

Next up was the pasta course. I've heard other cruisers say that you can mix and match from the listed pasta dishes so you can get one type of pasta from one dish made with the sauce of another dish. I chose to stick with the way the dishes were listed. You can, much like Princess offers at Sabatini, request pasta dishes in a smaller portion if you want to try a little of something or a full portion if you want to use it as your main entree. 

My smaller portion choice was the Potato Gnocchi - Hen of the Woods Mushrooms, Spinach, and Truffle Butter Sauce. The gnocchi was tender and the sauce was creamy and delicious. I could have definitely gone for another plate of that. I even got Mr. Picky Eater to try it after some initial hesitation. I think he was finding it hard to believe that it was potato and not scallops on my plate. He gives it a thumbs up as well.

And of course what should be a shock to no one who has read my trip reports, Bucatini Carbonara in a regular portion was my main entree. Bucatini Carbonara is described as Egg Yolk, Pecorino Romano, Black Pepper, and Pancetta. Basically pasta with eggs, cheese, and bacon. I may have quoted "Get in my belly!" from Austin Powers in my head when I saw carbonara on the menu. The past two cruises I've had rigatoni and now bucatini with the carbonara sauce. While I still prefer spaghetti since it soaks up the sauce better, having bucatini that you can slightly twirl was better than rigatoni. Both pasta options were super delicious! I'd also like to apologize again to the gentleman who tried to clear our breadsticks away as we were finishing up the pasta course. Don't take the bread supply away from an Italian with creamy sauce still on her plate! No way was I going to let the warm bread disappear after our experiences at The Wake.

Mr. Steak and Potatoes was very happy with his entrée from the regular Secondo section of the menu. Porcini-Rubbed New York Strip - Calabrian Chili Butter, Farro, and Sautéed Escarole. Despite the chili butter, Dad said he didn't find it spicy and felt it was the best steak he'd had on the entire cruise! He didn't even miss that there wasn't mashed potatoes or fries anywhere on the plate.

For dessert, or Dolci, we both chose the Affogato option. Normally, an affogato is a cup of ice cream (gelato) with espresso poured over it. The menu lists it as "prepared tableside" but since we asked for the dessert without espresso, our glasses were brought out with no tableside show. Unfortunately, it also meant no options for any other toppings that the tableside prep would have offered. Again, I'm sure if we had inquired, they would have happily brought us the options. Having just gelato was a nice change of pace. The three Gelati flavor options are Gianduiotto (aka hazelnut which Dad chose), Whiskey Crema, and the Vanilla that I chose pictured below. There are also Sorbet options of Limoncello, Raspberry Rose, and Mango Lime.

All in all, a very enjoyable evening with wonderful and prompt service by our server and her assistant. If you're sailing on Virgin Voyages, Extra Virgin is a restaurant that shouldn't be missed. Doesn't matter if you're into meat or seafood or simply could eat pasta everyday like me, no one will leave this restaurant hungry!

Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts on trying Virgin Voyages and their multiple included dining options. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to drop me a comment below. Can't wait to read/see more of my next travel experiences? Check out my postings during my cruises on DL819Cruiser on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube!

Wake up! It's time for dinner!

The last restaurant that we scheduled for dinner twice on this trip was The Wake. This restaurant is located at the back of the ship and is thus named for the ship's wake that you can view while dining. On at least one of our evenings, we were still in port at our reservation time and got a bonus nice view of the dock lit up as it started getting dark. Our ambience only slightly marred by the hard of hearing couple seated at the table next to us. It was like an old comedy routine watching the two of them try to yell over the noise to each other. One would yell to repeat what the waiter said but the other would have no clue and yell back "What?!" even louder. I feel for the server who kept having to repeat himself only to be yelled at in response. 

Our two dinners were pretty much the same menu choices but unfortunately also the slowest service both nights that we'd had in any of the other restaurants. Each time we were brought this small dish of a four part pull apart pretzel bread roll that was delightful! My regret is not in the extra calories but in the fact that they whisked the dish away and never offered any more! On the second night there, we hadn't even gotten to finish the last pieces before the waiter took it while delivering our appetizer course. I admit that after that I did get a little bread territorial in the final yet to be talked about restaurant. 

While Dad repeated the Wedge Salad, I enjoyed the Clam Chowder - Yukon Gold Potato, Bacon, and Chive Batons. This dish comes with its own tableside show. What is placed in front of you is a bowl that would have you thinking they forgot half the dish in the kitchen.

The waiter then completes the presentation by pouring the soup part of the dish from a little container into your bowl. Our waiter joked to Dad that "they all do this" when I asked him to give me a second to get my camera ready before he started pouring.

For our main dishes, we both chose the Filet Mignon with American-Style Steak Sauce and French Fries. The cut of steak was fairly small, barely bigger than the half head of garlic. Dad was thoroughly confused as to why half a bulb of roasted garlic appeared on his plate each time. He wouldn't believe the simple flavor explanations I tried to give. I came close to telling him that vampires really like filet mignon and this was to keep them away from your plate.

I'd learned by this point that not only is there a lot of dishes on Virgin Voyages' menus that include nuts in the dish descriptions, but that for the most part it ends up being used as garnish. So when it came time for dessert, I asked if the dessert known as "The Wake" had hazelnuts mixed in or just as garnish that one could request to be left off. You would have thought I'd insulted our server personally the way he reacted to my question. He hemmed and hawed and kept trying to insist that the dish wouldn't be the same without the hazelnuts and needed to have them included. When I still asked for an answer to my original question, he finally replies "Well unless you're allergic?" and admitted that it was simply sprinkled on top and easily removed. Didn't expect to have to fight for my right to not eat the nutty garnish.

Meet "The Wake" dessert with all of its 3 "necessary" hazelnuts - Chocolate Mousse, Shortcrust, Caramel Cremoso, and Hazelnuts. The dessert itself, once said hazelnuts were removed from my dish to be enjoyed by Dad instead, was rich and super chocolatey. 

For our second visits to The Wake for dinner, we tried two other dessert options. 

I'm guessing this first picture is the Coconut "Panna Cotta" listed on the menu as fresh berries, candied orange, and pine nut granola. However, those were halved cherries and the pine nut granola seems to have gotten mixed up with the pistachios. That or the more likely answer of "We have a ton of pistachios so let's put it in everything!" For the record, this was Dad's dessert and I only tasted one of the cherries without any pistachio stuck to it. At first glance I thought it was actually halved purple grapes on the plate! I tried asking Dad what fruit that was on the plate but Mr. Picky Eater wouldn't taste test it himself. 

My dessert was the Apple Tatin - Caramelized Apple and Mascarpone Creme. I liked the fact that instead of just putting the baked apple on the plate, they took the time to cut out the sweeter center to keep it aligned on the base crust. It looked like stacked razor thin rings but it took some effort to slide my spoon through as it still had the texture of a crustless apple pie. I'm not a big fan of apple flavored desserts but this was a nice change of pace from all the chocolate.

Wake Up with Brunch at The Wake

The Wake is the other restaurant in addition to Razzle Dazzle that offers a brunch option. This is the restaurant between the two that our night one server Rafaela recommended was the better choice. This is a restaurant we tried twice for brunch and dinner and found that both had worse experiences later in the cruise.

One of the things to keep in mind if you choose to dine at either restaurant for brunch is that they refuse to let you order a couple options off the menu unless you are dining after a certain time. Personally, I feel that if you're going to call it "brunch" thus a combination of the words breakfast and lunch, then you shouldn't have a distinction between whether it's brunch hours or lunch hours. Especially since there was nothing stopping us from ordering the brunch items after 12PM at The Wake. I doubt there's a magic wall in the galley that sets off an alarm at noon sending a gate crashing down around the eggs and bread. Or some fantasy creature standing guard at the steak and seafood cases that dare not be disturbed until 12:01PM. Or perhaps that is where the octopus like sea creature from Scarlet Night spends her time on the other days of the sailing. 

On this first brunch experience, we happened by chance to get a reservation around 11:45AM in the app. Seated quickly and had great instant and constant attention from our servers. We were informed at the start that if we wanted anything from the official lunch menu, that we would have to wait until noon to order. The official lunch menu has two entree items involving cuts of steak, Hanger Steak with salad and fries or Filet Mignon with vegetables. The remaining options are all an upcharge and feature a seafood platter variety varying in size and as expected in price. There is one steak option on the brunch menu - the classic Steak and Eggs. While we got a good chuckle out of being told we'd have to wait when we would probably be getting our order brought to the table around noon, we assured our server that we had no issue with choosing dishes from the brunch menu only. 

Dad started with the Wedge Salad - Baby Gem Lettuce, Smoked Bacon, and Blue Cheese. We had dishes coming out of the kitchen so fast you'd think we called ahead. I don't know if it's the fact that most of these restaurant style wedge salads are a hunk of lettuce and a limited amount of toppings or if there's something in the sea air that makes Dad suddenly love salad. Sometimes he mixes things up with his melon fruit plate appetizer by asking for a simple tossed salad. Hey Dad, let's have a salad with dinner tonight any other day of the year. Ugh, no that would be too much to eat!

Dad ordered the Steak and Eggs from the Brunch menu - Potato Rosti, Braised Swiss Chard, and Bordelaise Sauce. That food disappeared from the plate almost as fast as it came out of the kitchen. Dad said the steak was even better than the one he had at Razzle Dazzle for dinner and the combo of the steak and eggs was delicious! 

My side of the table was a bit more adventurous and it seems the only dishes I remembered to get pictures of during this meal. For starters, I went with Poached Shrimp - Horseradish, Meyer Lemon, Spicy Cocktail Sauce. I routinely order Shrimp Cocktail on cruises at least once or twice so I thought this was Virgin's version of that.

I suppose you could still call this Shrimp Cocktail disassembled? No tails left on the shrimp for dipping. This was more about a small bite to stab with your fork and swirl in the swipe of sauce decoratively arranged on the plate. The sauce was a little heavy on the horseradish but the shrimp were cooked well. Notably smaller shrimp than I would have expected as well. Felt like I had the diet or child's portion for an appetizer while Dad's wedge salad at least filled the plate. 

For my main dish, you know I had to sample the Eggs Benedict options. Pictured on the left in this photo is the Avocado - Asparagus and Lime Hollandaise version. On the right is the version listed on the menu as "The Wake" - Crispy Pork Belly, Sauteed Spinach, Bone Marrow Hollandaise. I like avocado. I like asparagus. Together with a poached egg, it made the avocado super soft and goopy. Wasn't a fan of the texture because it made it feel like a sandwich with too much mayonnaise sliding all over while you're cutting into it. The Wake version was much better even though the crispy coating around the pork belly made for its own dual texture experience. In this case however, that contrast helped because it tasted more like a small breaded cutlet that happened to have a thick creamy sauce overtop. 

Our second visit to The Wake for brunch came near the end of the cruise. I had looked at the app the night before and no times were available to reserve. Dad decides to stop and ask anyway around noon. We arrive and get in line behind another couple. They ask about making a reservation for tonight but get told nothing is available. The hostess helps them make a reservation for the following night. This whole time we can see how empty the restaurant is. When it comes our turn, we ask about being able to walk in for brunch. Hostess insists that nothing is available and offers to make a reservation for tomorrow's brunch. We choose to decline and step outside of the restaurant area. We opened up the app to check what is currently open right now. As we scroll, we notice that The Wake has a reservation opening at 12:15PM for today. Being that it is now 12:10PM, we snag that reservation and walk the 10 steps back to the restaurant podium. A different crew member was monitoring the stand when we showed up and seemed confused when trying to find the reservation. Soon the original hostess returns and finds it right away. Her reaction however at seeing us return with a valid reservation mere minutes after she turned us away was one of obvious annoyance. Despite several tables being open near where we sat for the last brunch and for dinner, she intentionally led us away from other passengers seated near each other to a table around the corner near the entrance to the kitchen. As a result, we were often forgotten about by our servers. Several times I noticed the look of surprise when they'd wander out of the kitchen and remember we were there. It also took significantly much longer to get our courses  delivered and drink refills when tables across the way were being served much faster.  Our server would routinely come over and apologize for the wait. We reassured him that these issues were not his fault. He had the greatest deep belly laugh when I pointed out that since it was a sea day, it's not like we were in any rush to get off the ship.

Rather than get a starter, I chose to try the third option listed on the menu for Eggs Benedict. This time it was a soft shell crab flavor. Now I'm originally from Maryland and I've tried and loved crab many ways. Cue the speech from Forest Gump about shrimp. Never though have I tried eating soft shell crab despite seeing it on past cruise menus. Intentionally eating the shell in addition to the crab inside seems so odd to me. Especially when you pile a bunch of softer ingredients on top making that crunch in the middle even more jarring. But hey, when I make the pledge to try something new on every trip, I honor my commitment. 

This time since I only asked for the one flavor, both of these are the soft shell crab variety. I don't know about you but being presented something to eat that looks like it is trying to crawl off my plate doesn't exactly get my taste buds salivating. It was like the chef even tried to hide it because it seemed like all the remaining supply of spinach on the ship was included on top of the crab. The texture felt really weird and out of place being so different from every other ingredient. I ate the first one and tried a bite of the second one before I gave up. The server was not the least bit surprised when I said I didn't like it.

My entree was much more redeeming as this time I went with the Steak and Eggs. It's hard to tell in this photo but there is a panko covered ball of mashed potatoes and pile of swiss chard underneath the eggs. However, it too fell to the curse of end of cruise decline with a tougher cut of meat than Dad enjoyed during the first visit. 

Dad decided to go the sweet route for his entree. Brioche French Toast - Caramelized Banana, Toasted Pecan, Whipped Creme Fraiche. Dad won The Wake brunch entree round both days!

Empty Glass! Empty Glass! Empty Glass!

It's time to talk about the one restaurant on Virgin Voyages that requires the sharing of tables. Unless you are traveling with a large group of your own, you will most likely be sharing a table with strangers. Think Hibachi with a round table and drinking games. Each table has a dedicated member of the wait staff/chef who leads the drinking games and handles cooking the food in the center pit. The pits are removable to clean. This is also the way that they control cooking for someone with food allergies providing a clean pan to prevent any cross contamination. 

The name Gunbae means Empty Glass in the Korean language and is used in the same manner as saying Cheers for a toast. The drinking games played are simple in nature, perhaps less so when you've lost a few rounds. Our server had us play the game where you go around the table with each person saying the next number in a sequence. However, if your number has a 3, 6, or 9 in it on your turn, then you must clap for each of those numbers instead of saying it. One clap for the number 3, two claps for the number 33. If you mess up, your "punishment" is to down the contents of a small cylindrical shot glass while everyone chants Gunbae! Gunbae! Gunbae! While Virgin Voyages does offer a small bottle of clear liquor to pour for everyone's shot glass, you can request something non alcoholic. Our server whisked our two glasses away upon our request and returned with them full of Sprite. Since us and one other tablemate chose not to imbibe, we had about 1/3rd of the liquor bottle left over. A gentleman at our table accepted the server's offer to take the rest of the bottle but still offered to share with everyone else who was drinking. 

The menu is divided into several categories. Each item on the menu shows whether it is vegetarian (v), vegan (vv), or gluten free (gf). Our server explained that we were welcome to pick and choose specific things or trust him to just bring a little of everything. As always, allergies were asked about and the server brought Dad a couple items to make up for when the rest of us were trying something with seafood. Our chanted cheer may have meant Empty Glass but our stomachs were certainly full with multiple plates of food presented.

Everyone started off with a sampler platter giving us a taste of all the flavor profiles and textures soon to come our way.

First dish under the Small Bites section of the menu was the Dakgang Jeong - Forever Crispy Chicken, Pickled Daikon, and Chili Sauce. The sauce was mild enough that you really only noticed it if you ate several pieces in a row or went back to it after eating something not spicy. The taste itself was good and the chicken was tender underneath the crispy fried coating. This one passed both our taste tests.

Next up also from the Small Bites section of the menu is Haemul Pajeon - Mixed Seafood and Scallion Pancake. The sauce reminded me of a thicker version of sweet and sour sauce or plum sauce. Normally, this is a dish you would share between 2-3 people given how many were brought to the table. I ate more of it than I probably should have since Dad refused and my other table neighbor was too full to take me up on the offer. The taste was good and fairly mild. The light crunch reminded me of a tempura batter. 

Continuing with the Small Bites section is Bindae-Tteok - Kimchi and Mung Bean Pancake. This one was okay but not much flavor. I could only remember the "bean pancake" part of what our server said when Dad asked me what it was. He agreed to try it and liked it.

We were also served the "Hot Bar" - Mixed Seafood "Corn Dog" - the Corn Dog part is in quotations because that is how the menu lists it. To me, it was like a mini shishkabob of small bites of milder seafood like shrimp and scallops that was rolled in the same tempura batter and fried. There was a drizzle on each one of a slightly spicy sauce similar to what you'd find drizzled on prepared sushi rolls. I liked these a little better than the Haemul Pajeon and once again ate more than I should have.

Then we moved on to the Rice/Noodles/Stews section of the menu and were brought individual bowls of Bibimbap - Short Grain Rice, Egg, and Mixed Vegetables. Reminded me of a sort of enhanced fried rice with a flavorful sauce. I didn't have the room to eat more than a couple bites. Dad thought that this was one of his favorite dishes of the meal.

As if our stomachs could take anymore, we finally got to the portion of the menu known simply as BBQ Grill. This is where our server used the hot pan in the center of the table to cook a variety of meats and seafood which he then dished out to our plates as each group of items finished. They did not have any octopus available but the server said they were offering scallops instead. 

While our food comas were beginning to take hold, our server grilled the ingredients from two options on the BBQ Grill menu. Ojingeo, Nakji, and Saewoo - Squid, Scallops masquerading as Octopus, and Shrimp. Kalbi Samgyeopsal Saewoo Modum - Chef's Combo of Marinated Short Ribs, Pork Belly, and Shrimp. We were also given a tray with three dipping options to pair with the meat. I really liked how the server took the time to explain what each item was and answered questions as he cooked.

The shrimp and the marinated short ribs were the best of the bunch. The grilling method made them very juicy and tender. There was one upcharge option for this restaurant called the Wagyu Beef Platter - Miyazaki Ribeye and Tenderloin in case you wanted to shell out $45. I didn't have any room left for dessert. Can only imagine the iron stomach someone must have to eat all we did and get the upcharge option! 

The dessert options were simply a couple flavor choices of soft serve ice cream - Sikhye, Black Sesame, or a twist of both flavors. You could have chosen to top it with black sesame granola, mini mochi, and/or miso caramel. Dad did indulge in dessert and enjoyed it. He didn't have a belly full of seafood and you know he wasn't going to pass up a chance at ice cream. He told me about halfway through the cruise "I haven't had my daily round of ice cream from Lick Me Till I Scream yet today." This guy never fails to take advantage of ice cream or gelato, especially when it's included on a cruise!

We were put together at the table by chance but the conversation and the laughs flowed as easily as the liquor in everyone else's shot glasses. Good food plus good conversation equals a great meal and in this case a great experience as well. Make sure to try this restaurant at least once on your cruise and come hungry!

Let's do brunch - Razzle Dazzle style!

One of the things I adore about being in a restaurant at breakfast time versus the buffet is the tray of baked goods like muffins, donuts, and danishes that are brought to the table for you to choose. I'm not really an apple baked dessert fan but this little apple cruffin I selected from the tray was delightful.

If you've read any of my other cruise posts, you'll recall how much I enjoy orange juice versus coffee in the mornings and how much I lament those little shot glass sized containers some lines will bring. Thank you Virgin Voyages for bringing us a regular sized glass! 

When we arrived for brunch, we were handed both the breakfast menu and the lunch menu. 

This Coconut Milk Fairy Toast is under the Starters section for both menus. It is described as brioche, condensed milk, and rainbow sprinkles. This is also one of the most shared photos from Virgin Voyages' menu so I had to try it. Now, I freely admit I'm not a fan of super sweet things or anything with sprinkles, but this was a big no for me. The toast was toasted to the point of being rock hard except for the very center section. Perhaps being only able to consume the center portion is what made it taste to me like I'd poured a whole bottle of sprinkles into a buttercream frosting tub and ate it straight out of the tub with a spoon. Our waitress was not surprised at all when I didn't want to finish it. 

From the breakfast menu only - Wild Mushroom Frittata - goat cheese, arugula, sunchoke. 

This was a nice light option for when you want something more than just regular eggs. 

From the lunch menu only - Malted Buckwheat Waffle - whipped cherry creme fraiche, pistachios, vanilla bean-cherry syrup. It was nice that the syrup came in a little cup on the side so you can add only as much as you wish. This was Dad's main dish choice and he added it to the list of dishes he talks about for the rest of the cruise. There is a waffle option on the breakfast menu listed as Classic Malted Waffle - mixed berries, maple syrup, and chantilly cream. I wish I had realized that before I ordered the other items because I was sad to have to turn down the lunch waffles due to what I thought would be pistachio batter versus just as garnish.

From the Naughty side of the lunch menu - Fried Chicken Sandwich - beet aioli, black bun, choice of green salad or fries. I had asked our waitress if I could get just the sandwich because I also had the frittata. Oh yes, of course she said. What comes out is the whole main dish with fries. Note the smoked bacon we had to get again which is located on both menus under sides. I think how we ordered might have been confusing because we ended up with two cups worth of the bacon. 

The chicken sandwich pretty much fell apart as I tried to cut it in half to eat. The few pieces I ate with my fork were enjoyable but it didn't have much flavor to it other than tasting like chicken. 

To my Dad, cookies and cake are considered their own food groups as he would have them at every meal if he could. The shirt he is wearing in this photo features a bald eagle with the caption I AM smiling! The shirt was purchased during our visit to the bear sanctuary in Ketchikan, Alaska. Check that experience out in my previous blog posts. I found it a fitting shirt to wear this day because when his dessert of Loaded Cookies with Biscoff flavored milk showed up at the table, the smile was obvious! The three cookie flavors propped up to stick out of this themed to match the decor cookie jar are mudslide, stuffed red velvet, and matcha white chocolate. There is also a vegan version available using the flavors of coffee, dates, and coconut. The other choices for the flavored milk was Toasted Cinnamon Cereal, and the vegan option of Vanilla-Cinnamon Almond. 

There are a large variety of choices whether you are vegetarian or vegan or want to eat light or indulge. Breakfast/brunch/lunch in Razzle Dazzle is definitely worth trying at least once on your cruise.

Was there Razzle in all that Dazzle? Or perhaps something else unexpected!

Razzle Dazzle with its red, black, and white decor, is known as the vegan or vegetarian themed restaurant. They do have a few items with meat on the menu under a section called "Naughty." The wait staff will also play up the idea of a "secret menu" featuring a couple other "Naughty" dishes like butter chicken and steak. It ceases to become all that much of a secret when the wait staff greets you at the table with "Hi, Welcome to Razzle Dazzle! Have you heard about our secret menu?"

We dined in Razzle Dazzle for three of our meals, twice for dinner and once for brunch. Service was fairly good for all three times. One moment I'd really like to commend is when our brunch visit coincided with a crew safety drill on a port day. The gentleman who started out being our waiter was in the middle of explaining the brunch menu to us when the announcement about an upcoming crew drill that included him was made. He not only explained his need to step away to us but arranged for another waiter to take over for our table until he could return. Between the two of them, our table service was great and never missed a beat!

First Dinner (2nd evening of the cruise):

My appetizer was the Melon Salad - vegetarian and gluten free. It was great to see notations like this on the menu so those with dietary restrictions or food allergies could know what their options were. If your food issues are more about certain items like a nut or soy allergy, I would still speak to your wait staff. It was at this restaurant that we watched a passenger at the next table be approached right after being seated to confirm their gluten free requirements and point out the few items that weren't gluten free on the menu. She commented that she has found such prompt attention at every restaurant onboard as it comes up to alert the staff when she checks in. 

Melon Salad is described as cured lemon yogurt, cucumber, harissa vinaigrette, smoked salt. We both enjoy fresh fruit especially when you crave something simple and light as an appetizer or dessert. Dad's favorite off menu thing to order for an appetizer is a straight plate of melon. I'm pretty sure the common appetizer of prosciutto and melon was thought of with him in mind. A plate of meat and melon - throw in a slice of chocolate cake and that's his definition of a well balanced meal. 

This dish however, was a bit disappointing. I don't mind some spice but spice was all you could taste. Having something more like a yogurt to dip into versus just a line around the edge of the bowl would have been a better balance. I also found the melon itself to be tough so you were stuck chewing for a while leaving that spice lingering as well. The cucumbers were softer than the melon in this case.

Dad's appetizer was the Crazy Cobb salad. This dish is also gluten free but not vegetarian/vegan as it contains confit chicken, bacon, blue cheese, avocado, asparagus, and a beet stained egg. He enjoyed most everything in this dish.

The butter chicken from the "secret menu." Perhaps my taste buds were already dulled from the melon but I didn't find this dish to be very spicy at all. The chicken was tasty and tender. The sauce was plentiful and enjoyable paired with both the chicken and the bread.

Dad chose the steak from secret menu. In all of the pre-cruise information we'd read, this steak was one repeatedly described as a must try. My meat and potatoes loving Dad's verdict - must miss! He didn't like the taste and felt that the meat was too tough. 

For sides, we split the fries, smoked bacon, and the mimolette cheese tots. It was almost humorous as the cruise went on to see how the fries offering changed. Tonight was long, thick fries like the chef fed a whole potato through a slotted slicer. Another day, we'd have fast food style fries. Another time it was thick flat steak fries. Varied even in repeated visits to the same restaurants. The smoked bacon was actually like a combination of sweet and smoky since it had a maple glaze. It will leave your hands feeling sticky. The bacon was a great balance between being crispy enough to stand up in the cup but not so crispy that it breaks apart when you pick it up. 

I'm the kind of person who should probably start a cheesy fries and nachos support group so I had to go for these cheesy tots. I'm not sure I've ever tried mimolette cheese but it was an odd taste for these tots. I wanted to love them. I kept eating them like they were somehow going to taste better the more I consumed. I think it was more that visually I was expecting a more cheddar or nacho cheese taste, not one that was so fruity, sweet, and a nutty. A definition of mimolette cheese describes it as having subtle notes of caramel so that would explain why I wasn't a big fan of the taste.

Bet you can guess who finished off this first Razzle Dazzle experience with the Razzle Cake - chocolate mousse and toffee crunch. Dad loved this cake so much that he compared all other desserts to it.  We both had it on the second visit but Dad says the second slice wasn't as good. The toffee seems only to be in that middle strip of frosting so if you aren't a fan like me, it's easy to avoid. The mousse part is the dollops on the top. Otherwise, it's a standard marble cake batter. 

For this first visit, I had to try one of the two desserts everyone talks about - Rainbow Churros. The menu describes it as ube ice cream with strawberry caramel. 

I wasn't sure what "ube" ice cream was but later read one reviewer describe it as purple sweet potato and coconut ice cream. For an ice cream made out of savory ingredients I was pleasantly surprised by the taste. The churros were a bit too hard and crunchy for my preference. The whimsy aspect of it is cute and I can see how it would be a fun choice if you're not super hungry for dessert. 

Second dinner (6th evening of the cruise):

Razzle Dazzle was I believe the only restaurant that we dined in more than once that actually remembered us when we walked up to check in. Before I could even get the cabin number out we were greeted like we'd eaten here every day. I also noticed how the crew in Razzle Dazzle would often refer to you by name having taken the time to associate it with your picture. By this point, we were intentionally trying to spend sailor loot and bar tabs so for dinner tonight I ordered "The Grasshopper." I've seen this drink on the menu on a few other cruise lines and always wanted to try it since I love mint chocolate. 

The menu in the app describes the drink as having creme de mint, creme de cacao, fernet branca, and ice cream. Okay, creme de mint and creme de cacao - makes the drink creamy with flavors of mint and chocolate. And ice cream - yup all good. Had to check Google for the fernet branca reference - a style of bitters. Okay, now I understand what each ingredient listed is. So riddle me this, why did my drink come with an extra ingredient?

A real live dead grasshopper floating in the top! Despite sufficiently grossing ourselves out and the neighboring tables, I did use the straw to sample the drink from as far from the uninvited dinner guest as I could get. I keep forgetting to ask about mocktail versions. This drink was like someone dumped some Andes mints and a scoop of ice cream into a bottle of alcohol. They asked if I'd like to take the rest of my drink to go when we finished with dinner. Umm no, that guy needs to find his own way to the show. Made me morbidly curious and scared to order other drinks like the Goldfish and the Gym Bunny.

This time for an appetizer, I got the Crazy Cobb salad. Same menu item as the second evening but notably different in presentation.

Different cut and doneness of the bacon, some sort of spicy red pepper instead of red bell pepper, guacamole instead of sliced avocado, and nearly non existent lettuce. I tried some of everything but it was notably less appetizing than Dad enjoyed on our first visit. Most likely another casualty of being low on ingredients or having to substitute for what they didn't have.

On a tastier note, I went with an entree from the Naughty list while Dad enjoyed the Butter Chicken I enjoyed on the first visit. My entree was called Black Garlic Bowtie Pasta and is described as fennel braised pork, chanterelles, and swiss chard. I took note of the restaurant theming that continued onto my plate:

The pasta was cooked well. The mushrooms blended in with the coloring of the pasta. The green chard gave a pop of color to the dish. There was a light sauce coating the pasta that was quite good. There was no need for a pool of sauce in this dish.

So does Razzle Dazzle do dinner or brunch better? To be continued in the next post...