Cruise Cuisine – the Lido Collection

No matter what sort of cruise you are on, some things are included in the price package – like food. While some of the fancier establishments come with an upcharge, like Fahrenheit 555 on the Carnival Breeze, many are part of the experience.

The Carnival Breeze offers a lot of food, and we tried out some of the offerings on board during our sea days.

 

The Captain’s Pasta Bar

This lovely lunch option is hosted in the Cucina del Capitano. You are given a printed from upon which you mark your choices of pasta, sauce, meats, and vegetables. What comes back to you is nothing short of delicious.

The Build Your Own Pasta Bowl from Cucina del Capitano. Chicken, shrimp, zucchini, spinach, mushrooms, bowtie pasta and Alfredo sauce topped with grated Parmesan.

 

Guy’s Burger Joint

That’s right – Guy Fieri has a burger joint on several of the Carnival line ships. Not only was the staff great about leaving the buns off, the condiments bar had bacon and sautéed mushrooms in addition to lettuce, tomato, pickles and onions, mayo mustard, ketchup, chipotle mayo, and a list of hot sauces and salsas.

Two patties with cheese, chipotle mayo, fries and ketchup.

Two patties with cheese sautéed mushroom, bacon, pickles, mayo and fries.

 

Mongolian Wok

Step right up and pick your veggies and noodles, putting however much you like in a bowl. give it to the chef who will cook it up in a wok for you, adding your meat or meats of choice, and your choice of mild, medium or hot sauce. What he hands back to you is a steaming bowl of customized stir-fry that made our day.

noodles, zucchini, yellow squash, bamboo shoots, baby corn, mushrooms, chicken, and Szechuan sauce (hot).

Glass noodles, green peas, green beans, baby corn, mushrooms, zucchini, bean sprouts, chicken with black bean sauce (mild).

 

Fat Jimmy’s C-side BBQ

While not BBQ in the Texas sense, this was some wholesome chow served grilled or chilled as tradition calls for.

Pulled pork on toasted bun, roasted eggplant and sweet potato, baked beans, habanero aioli, coleslaw, and hidden in the back is some grilled sausage.

Coleslaw, Italian sausage (mild), Kielbasa (medium), pulled pork, and roasted eggplant and sweet potato. Forgot the mustard…

 

We also breakfasted at the BlueIguana Cantina, nibbled a bit of Pirate Pizza, took in all day meals in the Lido Marketplace, and partook of the Seaday Brunches in the Blush dining salon. Some meals were decidedly better than others, but very little let us down.

–Ann Cathey

Cruisin’ Cuisine

My partner in crime and I were treated to a Caribbean cruise aboard the Carnival Breeze earlier this month. Along with some other WanderingTexans, we visited Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel.

Carnival Breeze at Grand Cayman. Shown here with two tenders who ferried passengers back and forth to the mainland.

While this may not be a big deal to some folks, it was a lifetime achievement event for us. We not only ate local at each stop, we also enjoyed the creative talents of the Breeze’s Executive Chef Joaquin R. Dias. The man is a genius to be able to do what he does for as many people as are served aboard ship.

Dos XX daft beer in Cozumel

 

We managed to get photos of most of the delectable treats and exquisite main dishes we sampled on this trip, and I will be posting them in groups for your viewing pleasure. From the simple to the elaborate, it was a foodies’ delight!

I truly hope you enjoy the upcoming posts about the things we were able to see and eat/drink while on this wonderful adventure.

–Ann Cathey