SMB .. Portofino and Review

On our final night we ate at Portofino.  To start, we were provided a great selection of bread with evoo and balsamic.  In addition, the waiter scoops out some parm (presumably) from the largest wheel of cheese ever.  Classy.  We both started with the Portofino cheese selection, which is a bit odd of a starter for an Italian restaurant, but no complaints when cheese is involved.  Next, we moved on to the pasta course.  Julie opted for the ravioli with spinach and cheese and I with the cannelloni with veal.  Both were delicious and in particular the ravioli had a great sauce.  For our main courses Julie went with the chicken parmesan and I with the eel.  Once again both were delicious.  This was ended up being the best meal of the trip.  Others were good, but this was struck a cord with all courses.  After dinner we ended up back in the lobby for some apres-dinner drinks.

Since we haven't posted many resort photos, here are a few along with a quick review.

SMB - in a few words ..

Bordeaux: Dimly lit restaurant that just didn't work for us.  The French onion soup wasn't anywhere near true French onion soup.  In addition, it tasted horrible.  Our main courses weren't anything spectacular either and service was luke-warm.  I'd recommend giving it a try, but personally we wouldn't return on another visit to SMB.
Portofino: We really enjoyed this restaurant.  Another dimly-lit restaurant although the room setting was nice. From the appetizer, through pasta dish closing with the main -- all were enjoyed equally.
El Patio: Another winner.  We enjoyed all our courses here, with the exception of the some new items we tried (eg. ceviche), at no fault of the restaurant.
Himitsu: Great show put on by the chef with an abundance of grill top food.  Reservations are required for the teppenyaki tables (a must).  Would suggest eating at this restaurant early in your stay to make some new friends.  Sushi was very good.
Coco Cafe: Quick stop for a pick me up espresso.  Sandwiches are good as well.
World Cafe: Service was attentive and food plentiful, easily fulfilling our morning needs.  There were plenty of options and all stations were replenished quickly and often.  If you're opting for mimosas be sure to add an extra kick of OJ to compensate for the Mexican sparkling.
Barefoot Grill: Chili poppers, nachos, and some other random tidbits -- all great.  Stay away from the 'burgers and dogs to leave room for all the delicious appetizers that are served to your lounger.

Drinks: Mostly stuck to Corona.  Mojitos were awesome, except on our final day.  They were bad at the pool and bar.  Odd.  Julie had some fruity drinks which she enjoyed.  A sake-bomb at Himitsu will get the night rolling and pomegranate tequila is a safe bet if you're not a tequila lover.
Swim-out pools are now heated and in our opinion, great. We met many people by sitting out in the swim-out and having some drinks.
Room service: Food was delicious and prompt. 
Secrets box:  Tacky name, great idea.  They'll leave your food when you're not able to get to the door (eg. in swimout) or you can order and leave your room to retrieve items later.
Pool-side service: Great with only one slow server.  With bars everywhere you're never hard-pressed to find a drink.  Servers were even willing to grab some food on your behalf -- in the event you were in the hot tub.
Beach service: we didn't use the beach loungers but we did order drinks while playing vball.  Service was good here and it's nice to see that they do a beach grill. Food and drinks are everywhere at this resort.  Can't go wrong.