Cruise Cuisine – Last Night in Sapphire

Due to an unexpected fog which kept the Port of Galveston closed, we were treated to an extra night on board the Carnival Breeze. One more night of fine dining in Sapphire – who was complaining? Certainly not our group!

 

Appetizers

This is a sample of the bread basket that was served every evening in Sapphire. It consisted of baguette pieces, ciabatta buns, and whole wheat rolls.

Bread Basket

Shrimp Cocktail

Candied Salmon

 

Main Course

Swordfish over Pilaf, with Lemon Reduction and a side of Ratatouille

Fried Shrimp and Shrimp Fried Rice with Baked Macaroni & Cheese

 

Desserts

Some of the delightful desserts we had encountered previously were again available, so we availed ourselves of the chance to enjoy them once more before the trip ended.

Nutella Tiramisu

 

The Date & Fig Pudding was a light and fluffy sort of cake, with a passion fruit custard. The intent was to poke a hole in the top of the pudding and pour the creamy custard into it. not only was I able to partake of the dessert, I also had a chance to play with my food in a socially acceptable manner.

There are several of us who can’t wait to cruise again!

–Ann Cathey

Cruise Cuisine – Sapphire Sea Day

On our third “sea day”, a day not in port, but on the open waters, we went along to dinner in Sapphire thinking it would be our last day to experience such a luscious repast. More on that hint in the next installment of this series.

Appetizers

Beef Carpaccio with shaved Parmesan, Arugula, and Lemon Vinaigrette

Baked Onion Soup

Steamed Mussels with Garlic Toast

 

Main Course 

The prime rib was wonderful, shown here with and without the reduction.

 

The creole was billed as being “Caribbean Style” and turned out to be full of shrimp and  veggies, and very mild in heat.

Tiger Shrimp Creole with a scoop of Jambalaya

 

Dessert

The cherry pie was a bit of a surprise, being very dense, but it was quite tasty with a sweet/tart combination that pleased the palate.

Cherry Pie a la Mode

Carrot Cake with Candied Ginger and Caramel Sauce

 

Among all the birthdays we celebrated on this cruise, we were surprised when our anniversary was also brought to light.

Chocolate Panna Cotta

 

 

— Ann Cathey

Cruise Cuisine – Sapphire after Cozumel

The Sapphire dining experience rarely showed off any dish twice. There were some standby dishes, such as the flatiron steak and the shrimp cocktail, but even those were not available ever single night.

After our wandering about in Cozumel and having lunch in the trade market, we weary travelers came back aboard the Carnival Breeze to find sumptuous dining awaiting us once again.

Appetizers

The appetizer board featured a dish new to several of us, and so it had to be tried. While consisting of ground oyster mixed with the other ingredients rather than a whole one with a topping, the Oysters Rockefeller seemed to very much please all the gentlemen who gave it a try.

Oysters Rockefeller

 

My choice was the seared Ahi tuna. It was topped with a bit of caviar and plated over a cucumber salad dressed with a Romanesco vinaigrette.

Seared Ahi Tuna

 

 

Romanesco Vinaigrette and Cucumber Salad

 

Entrees

There were so many enticing choices that our group ordered several things instead of copy-catting one another.

 

Pork Chops bedded on caramelized onion with Mashed Potato

My choice for this evening was the lamb shank. What looked and tasted like mashed potatoes turned out to be roasted cauliflower.

Rosemary Lamb Shank with Roasted Cauliflower and Root Vegetables

One of the other ladies indulged in Veal Parmigiana over pasta, and reported it to be perfectly tender and tasty.

Veal Parmigiana over Spaghetti with Tomato sauce and a side of Steamed Broccoli.

 

Dessert

The dessert menu was, as ever, fully loaded, though for tonight several of us chose to stay on the lighter side of the list. We chose th lower calorie, no added sugar option: Coconut Cake.

Coconut Cake with Coconut Creme and Lime Jam

 

When we were done with our repast, we all had to take a walk around the decks to give our stomachs a little time to process everything!

— Ann Cathey

 

Cruise Fun – Towel Animals

Every cruise line seems to have some version of folded-towel animals for housekeeping to leave on guests’ beds. It’s a charming bit of fun, and the creativity seems to be endless.

It’s also apparently a thing to photograph the fuzzy sculptures, then hide them from the staff so that a group photo may be taken just before the cruise ends. We managed to get photos of each critter, though housekeeping managed to take one away before the big group shot.

We came on board a little too late for a towel critter on our embarkation day, so this little hound was there to surprise us after supper on the second day.

 

The next several days were met with enchanting little towel animals awaiting us each evening.

 

This one we never did figure out. We know it’s supposed to be an animal, but not what kind!

 

This guy got away form us, sadly. our elephant was only with us for a day. We forgot to hide it with the rest and housekeeping took it away.

 

This cheeky rabbit really caught us by surprise.  We came in to find him not only hogging the bed and the remote, but watching cartoons!

 

Our last official evening we were greeted with this heart on the bed.

 

Of course, we had to take the obligatory group shot of the survivors, in this case watching whatever the remote-hog rabbit wanted to watch while we were out.

 

In the end, we left them all lined up along the top shelves of our stateroom to surprise our housekeeper. Sadly, I did not manage to capture that memory, but I will certainly do my best to do so next time.

— Ann Cathey
Additional photos by Christopher

Cruise Cuisine – Pancho’s, Cozumel, Mexico

 

In the duty-free marketplace on Cozumel, our intrepid fellows insisted that we have lunch at a local establishment they were already aware of. It’s called Pancho’s, as might be expected in the tourist area, but the food was not typical tourist fare. It was delightful to have real Mexican cuisine instead of the Tex-Mex hybrid dishes so profligate in Texas.

I started off with a coffee, while some of my fellow travelers indulged in frosty adult beverages as seen in a previous blog. The coffee was a locally grown blend, dark and rich, and served with heavy cream. it was so good I almost didn’t order food.

My empty cup.

 

 

My partner wanted to try a Mexican beer in Mexico. Upon finding out that Dos XX was available on tap, he chose to make that his beverage experience.

for the meal itself, we went with a couple of dishes we are quite familiar with, wanting to know how they would be served in their homeland. He went with the queso flameado (as we had previously learned to call it), while I settle for the chicken flautas.

The queso came all melty, as we know it, though it came in a shallower dish, and covered in a mild green sauce. It was served with flour tortillas as we are also used to. Somehow it tasted better than anything we had experienced back home.

 

The flautas were just as I had been told to expect in Mexico. There was nothing added. Roasted chicken was rolled into tortillas and fried. The chicken was flavorful, but without all the crazy spices Tex-Mex utilizes. The sauce it was served with was a little sweet and a lot spicy, just as I had hoped it might be. There was even a large spoonful of guacamole to help cool my tongue after the first taste of that sauce.

 

We were fortunate to be able to get a table on the “beach” as the hostess referred to it. It was outside on a built up bit of sand, with palm fronds for a ceiling and a view of old coral coastline and sparkling blue water.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed the laid back atmosphere and the chance to sit and do relatively little for an hour or so. We hope to be able to revisit Pancho’s and try some of the more adventurous items on the menu.

–Ann Cathey

Cruise Cuisine -Another Sapphire Evening

Our group was assigned two side-by-side tables in the Sapphire dining area. We were able to sit down each night with variations on seating, often being able to taste and share bits of our meals with one another.

Each encounter in Sapphire was as satisfying as the first.

Appetisers

Mushrooms stuffed with spinach, Romano, and fine herbs.

Chesapeake crab cakes with an herb remoulade.

 

 

Main Courses

Duo of Filet Mignon and Short Rib in a red wine reduction with sautéed green beans.

 

Spanikopita with couscous stuffed bell pepper on a bed of stewed tomato, with fired eggplant and a dab of Greek yogurt.

 

 

Desserts

Grand Marnier Soufflé with orange crème anglaise.

 

Chocolate and Amaretto Cake

 

Key Lime Mousse, low calorie with no added sugar.

 

— Ann Cathey

Breezes on the Bay – George Town, Grand Cayman

As an offshoot of our Cruise Cuisine series, allow us to share with you the stop we made on Grand Cayman for lunch.

When visiting George Town on Grand Cayman, be sure to look up Breezes by the Bay ~ Tropical Grill & Rhum Deck. It’s a lovely casual dining experience forlunch and dinner, complete with a brick oven for pizza and Caribbean fare. While they do not currently have a website, their Facebook account stays pretty active.

Breezes is located in the heart of George Town with great views of the waterfront from just about any seat in the house. They focus on classic Caribbean fare rather than touristy food, except for the pizza, of course. That is a familiar favorite in many countries. They have a large lineup of tropical cocktails, too.

What Breezes has to say for itself.

 

The folks working there were all very nice, though keep in mind that English is not always their primary language. There were some barriers, but we got over most of them with little trouble. Our waiter was a first-day employee, and while he was trying hard, one of my table mates later wondered, “What was that guy DOING?”

Our excursion group had to try a little bit of everything. From snacking on jerk seasoned fries (“I’ve never paid that much for fries in my life, but hey – Grand Cayman is ‘spensive”), to the local version of pepper steak, to the brick oven pizza, everything was a delight for the palate, if a bit pricey.

Jerk seasoned French fries.

 

Quattro Fromage – the four cheese pizza.

 

Jerk chicken pizza.

 

Cayman Pepper Steak, with black bean rice, cole slaw, grilled plantain and breadfruit.

 

 

Pina Colada

Frosty drinks in hurricane style glasses give the place a festive feel, though they do maintain a full bar for those not into frozen concoctions. This Pina Colada was overwhelmingly pineapple, which drowned out the more delicate coconut flavor, though the rum was full bore.

 

We also gave a local beer a shot. This is a glass of Iron Shore Bock from the Cayman Islands Brewery. It gave us a light head over a clear brown beer with only a little lacing. The aroma was simple and pleasing, mildly hoppy with a flavor of caramel malts. Not particularly strong on the alcohol, but that allowed a nice smoothness to the mouthfeel.

Iron Shore Bock

 

 

This establishment is on the second and third floor of it’s building. There are wide tread stairs, but no elevator available as of our visit.

On the 1-5 scale, Breezes has earned:
Cleanliness – 4.5
Service – 3
Quality of food – 4
Flavor – 4.5
Pricing – 2.5 (Grand Cayman can be expensive)
Overall experience – 3.5

 

 

Breezes by the Bay
8 Harbour Drive
George Town, Cayman Islands
Phone: +1 345-943-8439

— Ann Cathey and Cruise Cohort
Additional photos by Christopher

Cruise Cuisine – Sapphire

After a tiring day of walking and bussing about in Montego Bay, we settled in for supper with our sunburns and big grins. It was time to chat together about our day’s excursions while our meal was presented to us with leisurely decorum.

We admittedly got a little crazy with ordering items to try this night, but fortunately had table companions who were willing to help consume it all.

Appetisers

Cannelloni filled with Ricotta, bacon, and shaved Parmesan.

 

Lovely, salty cured ham with sweet and mellow cantaloupe is a definite taste treat.

Prosciutto ruffles over sweet melon.

 

It wasn’t as if there had not already been jerk chicken that day, but there just had to be more. The sauce was not as spicy hot as the one we had sampled on shore, but it was extremely tasty, nonetheless.

Jerk chicken wings with jicama slaw

 

I’ve tried ox tongue and beef tongue before now and found it to be chewy and not to my liking. This dish changed all that. The tongue was as tender and flavorful as any well roasted cut of beef I have ever put into my mouth. It fairly fell apart without chewing.

Braised Ox Tongue with onion marmalade.

 

Main Courses

Salmon Cakes with lemon, capers and sour cream.

Grilled Beef Tenderloin in a red wine reduction with polenta.

Caribbean Shrimp Curry (mild) with coconut rice, lemon grass and chilies.

Desserts

This may have been the most outstanding dessert we tried on the ship, even among all of the truly delicious temptations we had been offered. The warm brioche simply melted in your mouth.

Sticky Toffee Brioche with vanilla crème and strawberry sauces.

 

Mango Cream Cake with fresh fruit salsa and mint. Another lower calorie,  no sugar added item.

 

S’mores Parfait featuring dark chocolate, graham cracker mousse, milk chocolate, and toasted marshmallow.

 

 

There was simply too much to tease our palates with, and we definitely tried to taste everything!

— Ann Cathey

Cruise Cuisine – Jamaica

When one visits another country, it’s expected that you will look up local foods to try out. In Jamaica, that food would have to be jerked. Jerk chicken, goat, or conch matters not – you have to try something jerked at least once.

We only had one opportunity, and it turned out to be a good one. At the back end of the Shoppes at Rose Hall lies a large deck with a bar at the back end. That deck and bar offer some very tasty jerk indeed.

The jerk chicken was plentiful, served with a couple of corn fritters and some generously hot and flavorful sauce. My partner and I were able to enjoy not only the signature dish of Jamaica, but had the added bonus of washing down with a Red Stripe.

 

We were able to explore the duty-free shops in the complex as well, most of them being typical of the tourist trade. There was a coffee house featuring Blue Mountain and High mountain coffees in both whole bean and ground varieties, several shops offering the gamut of tchotchkes from t-shirts to shot glasses, and the ever present round of jewelers.

One enterprising gentleman had a sidewalk display of wooden sculptures, two of which followed me home.

There was a vendor of fresh coconut, which he hacked open for visitors with a machete.

There were a few history lessons available.

Of course there were several individuals sporting local color.

 

Jamaica is an amazing place, even from what little we were able to cram into a single days visit. There is so much more to see, and we hope to be able to go back again and again.

–Ann Cathey

Cruise Highlights

There’s more to a cruise than just the eats, though the food is definitely something to be enjoyed, both on board ship and at every stop. There’s a lot more food to be shared, but maybe it’s time for some images from the trip itself!

Our first sight of blue water.

 

A few bits of Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Lovely singers greeting passengers.

Open marketplace on the Hop On Hop Off line.

PArt fo the famous mountains of Jamaica.

 

Some sights around George Town, Grand Cayman.

Christopher and the big map at the Welcome Center.

7 Mile Beach and that clear, blue water!

Elmslie Memorial United church, established 1846.

 

The Island of Cozumel, Mexico, likewise had plenty of local color to share.

A hammock at a beach-side restaurant.

Crystal clear waters.

A “native” performer in the market.

 

While I couldn’t capture the splendor of our own ship at night, I caught one of our docking neighbors under a full moon in Jamaica.

Enjoy!

— Ann Cathey