OK, Lunch. Well, lunch could happen in several locations and was a bit different in each place. One restaurant was a la carte and you could order whatever you liked from the menu. Another restaurant was buffet, and the pool bar served light lunch fare as well. If none of that struck your fancy, then feel free to order 24 hour room service, to be served by your butler!
Buffet:
There were a few staples, a sushi and sashimi station was always there. The sushi was good, but not excellent. I tasted it once and then decided to focus elsewhere. There was always a truly magnificent salad bar with several types of lettuce and other greens. Romaine, arugula, spinach, and of course iceberg were always available. To add to these you could select cucumber, olives (several types), tomatoes, peppers, onions, different kinds of nuts, sliced strawberries or diced apple and mandarin orange slices along with croutons and bacon bits. And other things I'm forgetting, it was a very extensive salad bar. There were always about 6 different types of dressing available. Ranch, caesar and balsamic were always offered but the other three were different. There was always a "wellness" option that was low cal, and then sometimes there would be french or blue cheese dressing, and some other options as well. I confess, I didn't memorize them all. Next along the buffet came the fish station. OMG, sooooo good! The head chef would go out to the fish market first thing in the morning and select a fresh catch to be the fish of the day. My favorite was the day he did snapper in garlic and white wine with shallots. I could have eaten the whole fish myself. Next along the line would be the hot offering, sometimes a turkey, or a roast beef or perhaps a pork leg. Always delicious, and usually offered the the normal sauces/gravies etc. The next area was several types of hot fare. Some carbs, usually one potato offering and two rice type dishes. Then there would be cooked veggies in some incarnation, usually a light stir fry with minimal seasoning so it didn't fight with the main dishes. Then usually something like a battered fish, or a pork medallion perhaps. They always had things like hot dogs or sausage for folks who weren't inspired by the rest of the offerings. And at the end of the buffet, there was the fruit/cheese/bread/dried fruit and nuts station. OMG, such bounty and delicacy! A minimum of 5 types of cheese every day, and as I mentioned earlier, fresh bread. OOPS! I nearly forgot the pasta station! They always had a featured dish, but if you didn't like that, they'd make you whatever you wanted. And of course, as I mentioned earlier, you didn't serve yourself, they would do everything for you. A little of this madame? Perhaps a little of the grouper today? Does madame require more of the broccoli? Ahhhh! I could get used to that.
And finally, the dessert section. (Are the angels singing?) Always 2 or 3 freshly made ice creams. We saw: pistachio, strawberry, chocolate, coffee, maple walnut and black cherry. Some of those would be their zero zero selections. Zero sugar, zero carb I think? Dunno, I just know it was delish! There were always toppings offered as well, sprinkles, slivered nuts and both chocolate and caramel sauce. The ice cream dishes were lovely little silver bowls on pedestals. There were assorted cakes, and pastries if that caught your eye. Also a selection of loaf type things. Pound cake, lemon loaf and chocolate zucchini bread were a few that I saw there. I'll talk more about the dainties in the afternoon tea portion of things.
And that's just the buffet! The a la carte offerings were wonderful as well. Burgers were done to your specifications, pizza was always piping hot and topped as you wished. Salads were tossed fresh and never over dressed. (BIG pet peeve of mine!) Steak, or chicken breast if you prefer, and always a fresh fish of the day offering. The portions were just right as well. You got a normal sized portion, and if you needed more, you could have more without question. They were always asking if you wanted or needed more, but you weren't served a giant portion that you might waste. I appreciated that. It gave me the opportunity to taste a larger variety of things than I might have otherwise.
At lunch there was always a selected white wine. Some were OK, but one was outstanding. Unfortunately, I enjoyed it so much I fogged my brain and forgot the name of it dang it all!
Tea time will be the next feature.