The first night was off to a shipshape start. First meal in the dining room, and these Scallops are full of promise. They are overcooked just a smidge; otherwise they are reasonably fresh. And with a strip of bacon to add a little savor, it's pretty good for a mass-produced dish.
I'm always sucker for cold fruit soups. I never see them anywhere else, probably because they're usually called smoothies, but they are my guilty pleasure at sea. Here's a Chilled Berry Soup.
There's a different one every night, but the Strawberry Soup is my favorite. It's pink and creamy, like ice cream after it melts.
The ship is Dutch, but their Independence Day Beef Stew would make any American proud. Freedom rings in hearty chunks of beef in a thick, gluey gravy.
Fine dining is incomplete without a round of Escargot...or two. I dig each soft, plump slug out of a well of stinky garlic butter, and it feels like I struck fool's gold.
Props for daring to make Foie Gras for the masses on formal night, but this is probably the worst thing I've ever eaten. There's barely any foie gras, and it seems to have been fried in some sort of breading, which makes even kind of gross.
They served so many iterations of Shrimp Cocktail. The shrimp are consistently jumbo, but the sauces vary in fortitude. Not a fan of this mayo/glorified tartar they like to call aioli, but the cocktail tastes just fine.
You can't sail to Alaska and serve none of their food. I didn't try many salmon entrees, but the Fish Sampler was a tasty theme. Hard, smoked salmon is a salty plank, a very pickled herring is the one no one loves, and a well-seasoned slice of halibut pleases all aboard.
There is salmon option every night, and there is a Baked Alaska as well. The meringue is fluffy rubber, and the ice cream filling melts into a soft cookie or brownie, depending on what's left from the buffet on Deck 8.
I had my doubts about the Passion Fruit Cheesecake, but it ends up being one of the better desserts. Surprisingly light and pleasantly not-so-sweet, the passion fruit ads a touch of tang with an Oreo crust. A gourmet box of Jell-O no-bake cheesecake made by a very skilled chef.
Pavlova was always a bucket list food, and I'm glad I finally gave it a try. Strawberries n' cream in a hard meringue case is my favorite dessert by far.
There's always more room for strawberry, and the Mousse is basically the strawberry soup in solid form.
It's the Flourless Chocolate Cake that really steals the show. A small, concentrated cupcake bomb of dense dark chocolate complements a side of berry compote.
I have a love-hate relationship with cruise-ship dining. I love me some appetizers, but foodie me wishes I could have just one exquisite dish a night instead of a mass-produced, unlimited menu. Fat-kid me loves to engorge and indulge, but I could do without wearing a permanent life-preserver around my waist. Still, the depth and breadth of the offerings at sea and the speed at which they are served never ceases to amaze me. Put all that into perspective, and every bite becomes a feast.
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