A Restaurant Hates to See Me Coming
Everyone knows I can get a little hangry. Have you ever had a hangry moment?
When I landed in Miami, the first thing on the agenda was to find something to eat. I stalked a restaurant based on a social media post and honed in on that location to be my first meal. Bistro Cafe Miami has a Latin flare as well as some Greek cuisine. My partner in crime/ fellow birthday Virgo and I have “preferences” for what we eat….we don’t like to be labeled “picky”. So we ask many questions and sometimes substitute items to make the meal how we like it. Which is why I titled this blog….A Restaurant Hates to See Me Coming.
At Bistro Cafe Miami, I ordered the pollo omelet with a twist, instead of the onions, I added plantains and spinach. OH MY GOSH….that was the best omelet I’ve had since the Las Vegas seafood omelet. The chicken was seasoned and grilled perfectly. The plantains added a little sweetness and I had to have some veggies with the spinach. If you go to Miami and want a good brunch place, check it out. They also have great drinks, alcoholic beverages, and coffee.
The morning of boarding the ship, I planned to have breakfast with my other friends who came to celebrate with me and experience Virgin Voyages for the first time. My friends and family know I am an early riser, so the plan was to eat around 9AM in the hotel restaurant. I was fine with that but their next comment just made me chuckle…. “but Dionne if you are going to be hangry, just go without us.” Am I that bad? I guess I am. I didn’t get hangry and we had a great breakfast, another Latin themed cuisine, before heading to the ship.
Now if you know anything about Virgin Voyages, ALL food is included in your cruise. There are specialty restaurants, casual eateries, and grab-n-go types of restaurants. Before boarding the ship, sailors can make reservations at brunch and dinner restaurants. If you are a Rockstar it is 60 days before boarding and if you are a regular sailor it is 45 days prior. Since I was a Rockstar, I took full advantage of booking reservations each night. But don’t be discouraged if you are not able to get a reservation, they purposely don’t open all reservations and will still have some slots available the day of boarding or you can try walking in to see if any had cancellations.
As with any cruise, the first thing many travelers do as they wait for their cabin to be ready is go find food usually on the Lido deck. Unlike other cruise lines, Virgin Voyages doesn’t have buffets but more of a food court atmosphere called the Galley. There are several stations to choose from: noodles, bento boxes, grill/ burgers, tacos, salads, and sweets. You can either wait in line to get the food or have a server take your order and bring it to you. The times I went to the Galley, I opted to wait in line as they moved very quickly. As we waited for our muster drill check-in, we tried The Dock, a Mediterranean cuisine casual restaurant of small plates. It was a great first bite of what was to come.
The first night was Pink Agave, a Mexican-themed restaurant. The interior design is sleek and cozy which is dimly lit. Everyone raves about the steak that is topped with cheese even though Pink Agave is not the true steakhouse onboard. I can’t give you a firsthand account since I don’t eat red meat or pork, but my friends did proclaim that the Pink Agave’s steak was the best on the voyage. I can tell you that the Esquites (grilled corn, spicy aioli, and lime) …chef’s kiss. If they had a Ship Eats (room service) option, I would have ordered that appetizer every night.
For my birthday, a day at sea, we had brunch at The Wake, the steakhouse. For that meal, I had the french toast and the crab benedict. Both were scrumptious, I’ve never had a benedict so I was pleasantly surprised. I will say this restaurant resembled the main dining halls on a regular ocean cruise ship the most. The brightness and the placement of tables. However, it was elegant and provided an upscale atmosphere. For dinner, we dined at Extra Virgin an Italian-themed restaurant. The pasta is homemade right on the ship so it is extra rich and flavorful. I had the Nero Gemelli Seafood Pasta and the Grilled Mediterranean Sea Bass. Both of the dishes were filling. If nothing else, Virgin Voyages will make sure you have options and you can get multiple of each category. Since it was my birthday, we dressed a little fancy but you could have come a touch above casual. What really set off the night for my friends was the tableside Affogato, a gelato topped with espresso and other dessert toppings.
The next day was a port day so we grabbed breakfast in the Galley. My go-to when traveling seems to be an omelet and that didn’t change but I added a pineapple danish (the flavor changed every day), and french toast with berries. Yes, a lot of carbs but I’m on vacation, don’t judge. That evening was Scarlet Night but before we partied the night away, we had dinner at Gunbae, a Korean BBQ restaurant. I’ve seen the concept at other establishments and I’m not going to lie, I’m not a fan of cooking my food and paying for it at a restaurant. Great business plan for the owners but why am I paying to cook my food?!? But back to Virgin Voyages, the staff cooks the food for you but I still was skeptical. This could have been a great evening but there is a number game that is played that you have to “clap” on 3, 6, or 9, not multiples but if it ends or begins with those numbers. If you mess up you have to take a shot of something similar to saki and the table chants “Gunbae Gunbae Gunbae”. Our game was fine but the table behind us…obnoxiously loud. The sensory overload put a damper on the evening because you couldn’t hear anything else…their table was having a blast but that was all you heard. I would not likely try it again, and I wasn’t too fancy about the food.
The fourth day was a “healthy” day with brunch and dinner at Razzle Dazzle. The other birthday girl is slightly health-conscious. When I made the reservations 60 days before boarding, I knew this would be her style…and it had Razzle Dazzle in the name…if you know her then you know. Now if you are not health-conscious, do not go to brunch. It is more vegan/ vegetarian and health-forward than their dinner menu. There were impossible sausage, acai bowls, smoothies, avocado toast, and things along those lines. The dinner….less health-forward and all are welcomed. There are chicken wings, short rib pastrami, and fish dishes. I heard “The V” Fried Chicken and the biscuits are delicious. I would visit Razzle Dazzle for dinner but I think I would pass on the brunch.
The final night was one for the books….The Test Kitchen. I knew going in I would pick at my food and not fully eat because of my preferences. But I wanted to experience it to tell you all about it. The sacrifices I make for my clients. The first was a recreation of a mushroom, I wish I had recorded the presentation to give you more details but I forgot. I would rate it a 3.5 out of 5 and I’m not a mushroom fan. The next appetizer was the “hour-long” slow-cooked egg with peas and caviar. Caviar….great….peas…ok, not a fan of them outside of my potpie…the egg…no thank you. I understood it was “fully cooked” but the runniness of it I couldn’t stomach..1 out of 5. The next dish was an asparagus panicotta. Surprisingly it was good, 4 out of 5. The main dish was either beef or venison…I eat neither so I was offered a vegetarian option. The spaghetti squash was good…yea, that’s all I got…1 out of 5. The side of the 50-layer potato gets a 5 out of 5. The next palette cleanser was bleu cheese…it had a bite but not too bad….4 out of 5. The dessert, a chocolate cake, I cleaned my plate 5 out of 5!!!
Overall, the dining experience was great and ALL FOOD IS INCLUDED!!!! A variety for all sailors…specialty…casual…grab n’ go and desserts/ pastries everywhere. If you are a steak lover…go to Pink Agave. If you want some pasta, head to Extra Virgin. A good breakfast that you can pick and choose, go to the Galley…so many options. And honorable mention of a late-night snack after the party lets out…The Pizza Place.
And all eateries will ask if you have any allergies.