They also had Mac and cheese, buffalo wings, pot roast and roast turkey. It's sad to me that these are what others feel are really "American". So many other great foods that we have in the United States. Not represented at this buffet.
In the afternoon, we found a shady spot with some deck chairs on Deck 15 and listened to Bryan James who was playing at the pool deck below. He played some crowd favorites. It was after 4PM and we had to get ready for our Captains Club party. It was a very nice event where they had passed hors d'oeuvres of shrimp on cucumber, hummus tart with sweet corn and prosciutto with melon. The hummus tart was my favorite. The senior officers attend along with the Captain. We talked to a nice couple from Canada who were also considering selling their home. We shared some "travelling tips" for their upcoming transatlantic and trans pacific cruises.
After that it was time to head for dinner. This was another "evening chic" night. Dinner was a "tail" of two cities. Some terrible starters but saved by some very good "Maines". What does all this jibberish mean? Keep reading.
We both had the crispy Crab cake. Probably the worst crab cake we've ever had. No distinguishable crab flavor and just mushy inside. The romesco sauce was the best part. It was crispy on the outside and a crab cake (or maybe Krab), so I have to give them a point for that.
Angie had the goat cheese Napoleon with eggplant crisps. Again some crispy disks for a starter. Not much flavor. This dish could have been amazing with better execution.
I had the Blu Caesar salad. It sounded very interesting. Romaine lettuce with tofu, bean sprouts, pecorino cheese and a smoky Caesar dressing. I expected much more than I got. Let's start with the tofu. It was unseasoned and soft. I thought this might be something they would pan fry and make into a "crouton" for some crunch. Not on this dish. Then the bean sprouts. These seemed like they were just right from a can. Unseasoned and mushy. A better idea would have been to have some crispy chow mein noodles for some crunch. The cheese was a nice addition, with some large slices. The dressing was decent and did have some smokiness. But the lettuce was limp. A very sad salad.
So how would the mains be after having such great starters? Actually some of the best of the cruise. Beautifully cooked Maine lobster tails with a velvety tarragon sauce. Some well seasoned rice. Sadly only two small asparagus spears. And your waitstaff takes the tail from the shell.
The stuffed shells were also excellent. Stuffed with beef - more like a Bolognese with ricotta. With additional ricotta available on the side. Along with a nicely seasoned sauce. Our sommelier Svitlanabhas also recommended a very good French Chardonnay.
Dessert was also very good. Baked Alaska used to be one of the signature dishes on cruises where it would come out of the kitchen on fire!! Of course with safety being a ship's first priority, they don't do that anymore. This was a great version with some delicate sponge cake, creamy ice cream and some great bruleed marshmallowy (it's a word!!) meringue.
After dinner we went to the Martini Bar and then to The Club for a game show. They had their version of The Chase where two teams try to answer more questions than the other. One side was led by the officers and the other by guests. The officers won. The guests had two questions they missed which I thought they should have known.
Where is the Sea of Tranquility?
What are the first three words in the bible?
Answers below.
After the game show it was another session of electronic trivia, actually called Play Time Trivia. Angie was still the reigning champion. This session had some tougher rounds and 40 people playing. There was one round named "Lifestyle" where neither one of us got a question correct. After the third round we both were somehow still in the top five. Would be be able to make it to the top three? Angie came up big in the final round and made it to third place, only a few hundred points from first. I came in fourth. More importantly, we got another prize ticket. We have 17 now. Maybe enough for two frisbees? There is one more session today at 1PM with the ticket redemption at 5:30. After the game, the first place winner named Calley came up to us and said "Are you Angie?". She said she needed to see who was getting all these questions right in the final round. She seemed nervous that her win was in jeopardy.
After the game we headed to the Sunset Bar to chat with Andrei, Fred and Serhil. We both had negronis. It started to rain so decided to head back to the cabin.
Today is another sea day. I think we have checked everything off our list for this cruise. We'll be back at Port Everglades tomorrow morning.
The Sea of Tranquility is on the Moon
"In the beginning" are the first three words in the bible.
No comments:
Post a Comment