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| Enjoy an elegant dining ambience at this AAA Four Diamond rated restaurant. Photo by: Wyndham Rio Mar. |
It's difficult to fathom that when you walk out the door you'll find yourself on a palm tree-lined tropical beach and not in the Tuscan countryside. Palio's rustic old-world charm coupled with its authentic Italian cuisine takes your senses on a culinary journey to Old Italy, where classic Italian comfort food is served up in an inviting and elegant ambience.
As the granddaughter of an Italian immigrant, I found at Palio many brilliant renditions of soul-satisfying classic Italian dishes that I remembered from my childhood. These included stepped-up versions of classic dishes such as Pasta e Fagioli, a hearty country-style Tuscan bean and pasta soup with a rich flavorful broth, and Ossobuco Milanese, a braised veal shank so tender and delicious that I savored every last bite.
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| Palio's chef serves up a unique version of halibut, Ippoglosso al Olio. Photo by: Wyndham Rio Mar. |
Palio's pleasures were evident from the moment we entered the elegant and homey—yet expansive—fine dining room. The basket of homemade Ciabatta and Focaccia bread came with an unforgettable Pestado, a dipping sauce that was a divine blend of sun-dried tomato, extra-virgin olive oil, kalamata olives, roasted shallots and fresh basil. We followed up with a heavenly antipasti of Carpaccio di Manzo Ravioli, thinly sliced raw beef tenderloin paired with a sun-dried tomato and eggplant mash over a bed of baby arugula topped with shaved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and extra virgin olive oil. Next was the heavenly Brodetto, a stew of sauteed clams, mussels and garlic in a spicy tomato saffron broth served with garlic toast points. For the zuppe (soup) course, we opted for both the Pasta e Fagioli and the Pomodoro e Finocchio, a delicious tomato fennel bisque with goat cheese croutons.
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| Patio offers alfresco dining with views of the manicured grounds. Photo by: Wyndham Rio Mar. |
Choosing a main course is no easy task when you have delectable dishes to pick from such as Lombata di Agnello, which is a pesto-goat cheese crusted Colorado lamb loin with porcini risotto, and Ippoglosso al Olio, olive oil-poached halibut and oven-dried tomato ragout. We loved them both. And as no Italian meal would be complete without pasta, we feasted on the Ravioli e Aragosta, open raviolis with sauteed sweet Caribbean lobster, saffron bisque, root vegetables and asparagus.
We were able to save a little bit of room for dessert, and we were rewarded handsomely. The Chocolatissimo was nothing short of extreme decadence, with a chocolate hazelnut mousse. The Fragole was equally luscious, with its tower of balsamic marinated strawberries coupled with rich vanilla bean ice cream and chocolate vipers.
Hats off to Palio's remarkable we-aim-to-please professional wait staff, as well as its award-winning Executive Chef Jan Pfeiffer, whose culinary genius brings masterpieces to the table that are nothing less than extraordinary.
See Palio's Brodetto recipe for a delicious seafood soup.
Palio Restaurant
Rio Mar Beach Resort & Spa
6000 Rio Mar Blvd., Rio Grande
(787) 888-6611