Guatemala

We docked at Puerto Quetzal as the sun rose and it was already close to eighty degrees.  We we were definitely in the tropics here.  The sun in this part of the world is intense in away that is unfamiliar to those of us from temperate climes.  It is so completely, directly overhead with a power that is unflinching.  Only the traditional afternoon rainshower offers any relief.  We made our way down the pier to the marketplace set up at the water’s edge.  Tony bought some souvenirs right away, so we could return them to the ship and not be saddled with carrying them on our tour.

We had booked a do-it-yourself style excursion, offering us only passage on a motorcoach to the interior city of La Antigua.  Given that we were in port on a Sunday, we were concerned that many businesses would be closed.  To the contrary, La Antigua is a tourist destination for people from all over Guatemala, as well as foreigners.  Families travel here for the weekend to take advantage of the sights, restaurants and shopping that this bustling town offers.  We alighted from the bus and made our way to the Parque Central in the middle of town, flanked by the Catedral de San Jose.  This lush park was studded with cool fountains and filled with musicians, families and lots of we gringos.

This church sits on the Parque Central in La Antigua, Guatemala.

We strolled through the streets, visiting the Arco de Santa Catalina and shopping in a multitude of markets.  The variety of local handicrafts was amazing.  The most stunning work is the weaving.  There were all kinds of examples of this, from placemats to backpacks to wall hangings.  I purchased a notebook with a beautiful, multi-hued cover.  We also stopped in a local shop selling sweets.  The proprietress spoke very little English and my limited Spanish was not helping with the names of the wide array of goodies offered in beautiful glass and wood cases.  I made some choices out of thin air…some of them delicious, others, not so much.  There were almond tarts, dulce de leche candies and tiny doughnuts, heavily glazed and stacked together in pyramids.

Our ride back to the ship was probably the most impactful part of the day.  As our luxury bus (complete with air conditioning, reclining velour seats, tinted windows and restroom)  squeezed through the narrow city streets, we were afforded views directly into the homes of local residents…and I do mean directly.  These were adobe structures without windows, with just a curtain for a door.  There was little or no furniture in some of them.  Children ran through the streets shoeless.  It was an awakening moment.  This was not the first time we had seen such conditions.  Each of our ports allowed such views.  Arriving on our luxury cruise ship, planning to return by plane to our homes filled with clothing, furniture, computers and appliances, we were truly humbled by our travel in this part of the world.  Now, when I complain about the heat, or the washer not working right, or my car being dirty, I am reminded of this view into a different world.

Costa Rica

Our first port on the Pacific Coast was Puntarenas, Costa Rica.  We boarded our plush, Mercedes-Benz bus early in the morning and headed up into the mountains.  After a shopping stop (an unusual placement at the beginning of the day’s tour), we parked in the town of Palmares.  We walked around the town square, complete with a statue of the founding father and a brightly painted gazebo set in lush gardens.  We were far from alone here;  a quick scan of the trees above revealed a nest of brightly colored parrots and a couple of iguanas lazing about on the high branches.  After a tour of the stone church, built by the Conquistadors, we headed back across the mountain range to the Doka Estate coffee plantation.  We got a hands-on trip through the entire process of coffee production…a product near and dear to me.  For the first time in my life, I was able to see coffee beans on the actual bush!  We walked through the facility with our guide and ended up enjoying a delicious lunch in an open pavilion overlooking the fields.  We were served chicken and vegetables, black beans and rice, plantains cooked with butter and palm sugar, as well as coconut bars for dessert.  Of course, there was also all the coffee you could drink.

Our final stop of the day was a the Lankester Botanical Garden.   We arrived to the typical afternoon deluge, only to find we had forgotten our rain ponchos.  The rain eased after just a few minutes and we were able to join the tour.  The specialty here is orchids.  We saw literally hundreds of different types, with blooms ranging in size from the width of your thumbnail to that of your entire hand.  The scent was intoxicating.  One plant even had the aroma of chocolate!  This garden is also home to families of scarlet macaws and cockatoos.  They love the rain and made quite a racket during the storm.  We boarded the bus one final time and made the perilous journey back to the ship.  Many of the roads were really only one lane wide.  Sometimes cut from the sheer rock face of the mountainside, there were rarely guard rails or painted edge lines.  There were several moments when one side of our bus gave up a collective gasp as we rounded a particularly treacherous bend.

The Panama Canal

The ship on the right is the Island Princess

First off, let me just say that after all the hype, after reading David McCullough’s The Path Between the Seas, after hearing about this wonder-of-the-world all my life, the actual passage through the Panama Canal is not that exciting of an event. There were thrilling moments, to be sure: the initial approach to the locks in the morning; the few minutes when you are actually rising and then descending in the locks; the narrowness of the Gaillard Cut, which we happened to experience during a torrential, tropical downpour. But mostly, it is just a very leisurely trip through a lake in the jungle. Gatun Lake comprises the longest part of the journey. The stately traversing of this body of freshwater allowed us time for lunch between the sets of locks. We sat at the window, gazing out at primeval forest which has been allowed to grow back as a security measure.

We awoke that morning to find our ship positioned, along with a dozen or so others, in a bay outside the Canal. We would be entering just after the only other cruise ship of the day, the Island Princess. Cruise ships are always allotted daytime passage appointments, while freighters pass all times of the day and night. The locks themselves come in three sets. The first set we entered, at Gatun, are the northernmost. (Look at the map and you will see that a trip through the canal from the Caribbean to the Pacific actually runs from northwest to southeast, not east to west as you would think!) Nearly all of the ship’s 2400 passengers and 1000+ crewmembers crowded near the front of all the open decks and the glassed-in Spinnaker Lounge, craning their necks and cameras for a good view. It was a moment of typical human behavior as the taller and more aggressive members of the herd pushed their way to the rail.

You could feel the excitement in the air as we slowly manuevered into the first lock. The ship is actually guided and powered completely by tugboats at this point. Each lock is only a few feet larger than the ship itself. There are just two feet of clearance on either side of the ship and less than a dozen at either end. Once the craft is in the channel, it is attached with steel cables to a trio of electric locomotives, known as mules.  The cables are drawn tight, keeping the ship centered in the narrow lock.  At this point, all forward motion is accomplished through the movement of the mules.  The electricity to power the mules is generated by the dam on the Chagres River;  the water to raise the boats in the locks comes from this same source.  The large amounts of rainfall in the surrounding area provide the water to make all of this happen. In this way, the system is almost completely self-sufficient.

An afternoon thunderstorm sent water cascading down the side of the Cut.

By the time we reached the locks on the Pacific side, it occured to make to take advantage of my access to the spa and its amazing views.  Located all the way forward on Deck 12, sandwiched between the Bridge and the aforementioned Spinnaker Lounge,  I was able to take the photos that I had such difficulty snapping in the morning.  With about 25 feet of floor-to-ceiling windows and only four guests at them, I got the best pictures imaginable.  I re-joined Tony on the Promenade Deck as we passed underneath the Bridge of the Americas, completing our transit of the Canal.

Cartagena, Colombia

The hanging gardens were just stunning.

Our first port of call was Cartagena.  It was my first experience setting foot on the South American continent.  We had pre-arranged a shore excursion (titled Exploring Magnificent Cartagena) through the cruiseline, so all we had to do was walk down the gangplank and board an air-conditioned bus.  This is our preferred method for most ports, at least during our first visit to them.  Our first stop was La Popa, a hill above the city that serves as the site for the convent La Candelaria.  From this high perch we were afforded outstanding views of the surrounding area, highlighting the mix of different architectural styles.  Everything from seventeenth century stucco to ultra-modern towers filled the landscape.  We visited San Pedro Claver cloister and monastery, where the founding priests remains are displayed on the high altar, encased in a brightly lit, gold-leafed, glass fronted reliquary for all to see.  We walked through the Old City, where narrow streets were lined with antique houses sporting colorful hanging gardens.  Our tour included a stop at the fort of San Felipe de Barajas.  We also walked along the city’s ancient fortress walls, made from a mix of crushed stone, seashells and coral.  This is a really ingenious use of local resources–you could see the fossilized coral in the surface of the wall.  Lastly, we were dropped off at a popular shopping district.  Here Tony bought some souvenirs and I paid too much for a cup of true Colombian coffee.

This convent's courtyard was a beautiful setting.

This is a city of contrasts.  The views from the hill made this especially apparent.  Bright white apartment buildings rise like slender, bony fingers above a sea of slums, stretching as far as the eye can see.  Even from this high vantage point, the cacophony of the streets still reached us.  Mostly we were surprised at our own ignorance that such a city even existed.  How could we not have known about such a bustling vibrant metropolis of more than a million people?

At Sea

The next two days at sea are dominated by the dramatic slowing of the pace of living.  I am shifting down, learning to relax.  We had spent the week before our departure racing around, tending to a hundred details, preparing for a two-week absence.  Now that we have safely landed on the ship, there are so few things that we MUST do.  Really, the only requirements are meals.  Leaving out the idea of Room Service (which we never took advantage of anyway), there are meals of various styles being offered from 5.30 am until 11.00 pm;  thus, the concept of a “required” meal becomes rather hazy.  There are myriad other activities in which we could choose to participate.  Each evening we receive a copy of the “Freestyle Daily,” the cruiseline’s four page listing of the next day’s services, classes, games, meetings, lectures, shows, auctions, sales, dances, music, parties, tours, raffles, gatherings, and gambling.  These opportunities take place all around the ship, in 13 restaurants, 12 bars and lounges, the spa, the fitness center, the pool, the theatre, the gameroom, the kids’ club, the shops, the rock climbing wall, the bowling alley and the casino.  Rather than feeling the need to partake in a long list of things, I mostly find that I want to just chill.  Eat, read, write and maybe see a show.  I am here to relax and unwind.  There is a long list of things I DO NOT have to do today:  grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, errands, driving, working, being stressed out.  WHEW!

My days are a collection of everso relaxing moments.  Following breakfast in the buffet, there is a Stress Reduction and Relaxation Workshop at 10.00 am.  At 1.00 pm, after a delicious lunch with a view over the wake of the ship, I repair to the South Pacific Spa for some time in the steam room, dry sauna and whirlpool;  after which i arrange myself on one of the heated tile loungers and gaze out at the blue, blue Caribbean.  This is followed by a nap in our stateroom.  We have dinner in the main dining room and then head up to one of the poolside bars for our Friends Of Dorothy (FOD) meeting.  This is NCL’s way of inviting gay and lesbian guests to meet up and get to know one another.  On this sailing, not only do we have these events almost every evening, but they are  actually hosted by a member of the Cruise Director’s staff!   This is a nice touch, with the added benefit of being treated to the occasional bottle of champagne.  We meet some really sweet guys that we will continue to get to know in the next couple of weeks, as well as our ongoing host, Erwin.

Our other big appointment on this first day is with our buddies from Cruise Critic.  Cruise Critic is an online forum for all things related to cruising…reviews, pictures, video and a large section devoted to forums for exchanging information.  We have “met” forty-plus folks on the forum for our individual sailing.  Now we get a chance to see them in person.  NCL has set aside one of the restaurants for our Meet-n-Greet, stocking it with coffee, tea, juice and pastry.  They have even sent some of the ship’s officers, including the Hotel Director, the Food and Beverage Director and the Head Chef.  We sit down to get to know one another, exchanging bits of information on where we are from, etc.  It is a great opportunity to get acquainted with some new friends.  We will see these people throughout the ship in the next fourteen days, exchanging greetings and sharing stories.

Aside from these meetups and my spa time, the majority of what we otherwise do involves eating.  The one area of the buffet not yet covered is breakfast.  This offers no less of a bounty than the options later in the day.  Here goes…

• a dozen varieties of cold cereal with whole or skim milk
• three types of hot cereal with raisins, brown sugar and hot milk
• plain yogurt, granola and muesli, accompanied by assorted dried fruits, nuts, berries, grapes and honey
• assorted fruit flavored yogurt
• breads and danishes, including baguettes, brioche, croissants, pain au chocolat, cinnamon rolls, fruit danish, nut danish, wholegrain bread, fruit and nut bread, white, seeded and wholewheat rolls, fruit muffins and bran muffins, as well as toasted bagels, sliced bread and english muffins, served with butter and jams
• sliced cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon and pineapple;  grapefruit and orange sections; whole bananas, apples and pears; stewed prunes, figs, apricots and pears;  fruit salad
• eggs and omelets cooked to order, filled with your choice of cheese, ham, spinach, mushrooms, onions, salsa or peppers
• hash browns, roesti potatoes and country potatoes
• grilled ham slices, bacon, pork sausage, turkey sausage, corned beef hash
• traditional eggs benedict along with another, rotating type, such as salmon or spinach benedict
• scrambled eggs
• biscuits and sausage gravy
• grilled tomatoes and baked beans
• raisin french toast. pancakes and waffles, served with warm maple syrup, banana compote and whipped cream
• caramel pecan rolls and cream cheese frosted cinnamon rolls, kept warm at the carving station
• smoked salmon and creamed herring, served with cream cheese, lemon, tomato, onion and capers
• assorted sliced cold meat and cheese
• a juicing station with oranges, carrots, celery and the like
• coffee, tea, milk; orange or apple juice

It doesn’t seem like I could have forgotten anything, but I’m sure I have.  It was truly an embarrassment of riches.

Bon Voyage

Days of preparation and anticipation led to a night of minimal sleep.  We awoke way too early and the morning still felt frenzied.  We were out the door while it was still dark, arriving at the airport the required hours and hours ahead of the actual flight time.  We sailed through check-in and security and finally settled into our seats on the plane on time, only to wait for the required paperwork before pulling back from the gate.  Once we landed in Ft. Lauderdale, we waited seemingly endlessly for our bags.  The buzzer would sound, the lights would flash and the belt would begin its laborious churning, only to present two or three new suitcases.  Then it would all shut down.  Moments later, the process would repeat, producing a few more precious bags.  This went on for twenty minutes before our belongings actually started appearing in a realistic timeframe.  More delays on the bus to the pier;  more delays at the pier;  finally arriving on the deck of the ship.  By this time our rooms were ready and we dropped our bags before heading to the holy grail:  the Garden Cafe buffet!  We would spend many hours here in the next fourteen days, learning how to navigate our way here even when stumbling out of bed at dawn’s crack.

Our home for two full weeks!

The buffet presented a wonderland of culinary options.  At lunch and dinner, the bounty was similar in scope:

• two hot soups, one cold soup, with crackers
• build-your-own caesar salad
• four types of pizza
• made to order pasta bar, with three sauces and a raft of add-ins
• a variety of vegetables, steamed or sauced; mashed potatoes and several types of rice
• a different fish preparation every day
• several hot entrees, always different each day
• a selection of Indian food, including meat curries, a vegetarian selection, basmati rice, dal, raita, naan or roti, chutney and pappadums
• rotisserie chicken
• a carving station,with a rotating selection:  steamship round of beef;  leg of lamb; veal stuffed with spinach and gorgonzola; pork loin;  roast turkey;  roast suckling pig;  baked salmon;  spare ribs;  rack of lamb;  cornish hens;  barbecue beef brisket;  baked ham;  each served with accompanying sauces
• freshly made sushi with wasabi and pickled ginger
• a couple of asian stir-fries, with rice
• a station with cold sliced roast beef, steamed asparagus and chilled, poached mussels
• a build-your-own chicken soup bar, with noodles and fresh vegetable garnishes
• two kinds of quesadillas; one with meat, one without
• beef burgers; turkey burgers; grilled chicken breasts; three types of sausages; bacon, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms;  sliced cheeses
• french fries
• a salad bar with three kinds of lettuce and twenty plus toppings and dressings
• a couple of different vegetable salads
• potato salad; coleslaw; bean salad
• hummus and pita
• shrimp cocktail
• a bread bar with pretzel rolls, seeded rolls, wholegrain rolls, baguettes and lavash
• a cheese board with at least six types of cheeses, crackers and a variety of dried fruits and nuts
• mini sandwiches:  tuna on a croissant;  bresaola on a pretzel roll;  turkey on a baguette
• a station with chicken caesar wraps

Simultaneously, there were two other buffets presenting a smaller array of options;  one by the pool and one outside at the back of the deck, with outdoor seating under a vast white tent.  This last area also provided a sandwich bar with sliced meats and cheeses; tuna and chicken salad;  condiments;  sliced breads and rolls.

And then there were the desserts.  By God, it wouldn’t be a cruise without dessert:

• three traditional plated desserts, such as cakes, pies, mousses or bavarians, each with a sauce
• two such options in a sugar-free version
• three kinds of cookies
• frosted walnut brownies
• poundcake; banana bread; carrot cake
• jell-o
• a warm fruit cobbler or bread pudding
• sliced fresh melon and pineapple
• an ice cream bar with eight flavors, plus sauces and toppings
• two flavors of soft-serve ice cream
• a chocolate fountain with fruit and cake for dipping
• a made-to-order crepe station with a variety of fillings and toppings

This is not to say that all these things were offered on this first day.  I can say that each line above was represented each and every day, though.  There were some repeating items, but never enough that we felt bored with the choices.  If we did, we could simply choose one of the nine other restaurants on board or call for Room Service.

I’ll come back to the food; it was one of the major themes of our sailing.  For now, let’s return to that first afternoon. We presented ourselves for the muster drill.  We were delighted to find our muster station in one of the bars of the ship, rather than on deck.  I  imagined slipping bottles of vodka underneath my life jacket as the ship went down.  I supposed there were worse ways to go.  Especially given the survey of our fellow passengers this stop allowed.  They appeared to be a dour group, deadly serious in their intent to sail through the Panama Canal before they left this earth. Many, many, many senior citizens with little or no apparent zest for life.   There was also a large contingent of Germans aboard and we know how much little fun they can be. (Spoken from the perspective of a German.)  After dinner and the opening night show, we crawled into bed under a veil of complete exhaustion.

dinner at la grenouille

our dinner on saturday night was a somewhat different event. we dressed ourselves up and headed out for a pre-dinner cocktail at the king cole bar in the st. regis hotel. it was quite a lively scene in there at 8pm, with a lot of men in suits and young ladies dressed to the nines. the most noise came from a group of gals out for some “sex and the city” style fun…perhaps a bachelorette evening…with lots of martinis, camera flashes and off-the-shoulder outfits. we finished our kir royales and strolled across town to la grenouille.

the scene inside the door there was equally lively. the second seating guests were all jammed into the bar waiting for their tables. the room was timeless “french restaurant” with red velvet banquettes, mirrored walls and gold leaf everywhere. the flowers were as promised: sumptuous, skyscraping and delightful. after a brief wait, we were escorted to our table. we were tucked into a corner of the room, seated next to one another on the banquette, both facing out on the space. this location, along with the profusion of mirrors, made for superb people watching. a spray of deep pink roses and peruvian lilies adorned our setting.

the crowd here was decidedly older and decidedly moneyed. there were no culinary adventurers here—no foodies coming up from downtown. the clientele clearly considers this their own turf. outsiders, while tolerated, are not really welcomed with open arms. the only young people were the sons and daughters of the regulars and they were obviously in their element as well. we saw evidence of many episodes of plastic surgery, hairplugs and tanning beds. it was a different kind of people watching, but fascinating nonetheless. the clothes were hand-tailored suits and couture dresses, except for the “lady with the shoes” (more on her later).

the menu is strictly classic french. blinis with caviar; terrine with pistachio; endive salad with roquefort; duck a l’orange; veal kidneys; frog legs provencale. we made our selections (including pre-ordering a dessert souffle) and chose a french wine (when in rome, right?) from bordeaux: a 2005 duhart milon from pauillac. our hors d’oeuvres arrived shortly thereafter. a tiny bowl of potage st. germain (split pea soup) upon which floated the tiniest crouton ever. the waiter also placed a wee silver caddy with a few gougeres (cheese puffs) and a pair of cheese straws. we were offered miniature baguettes and some delectable, salty butter as well. while good enough, the baguettes were the only bread offered during our service and they were not served warm.

our appetizers were two of the house specialties: ris de veau and foie gras de canard. my sweetbreads were a textbook example, a crispy exterior giving way to a custardy soft interior. they were sauced with a port reduction scented with the piney aroma of fresh rosemary. drew’s foie gras was also outstanding. the two generous slices had been given a deep, mahogany crust that enclosed the still-rosy liver. the saucing was similar, but the accompaniments included a couple of perfectly turned lozenges of baked quince and a tumble of sultanas.

after a brief interval, our waiter arrived to present my grilled whole dover sole. following nods of approval all around, it was whisked away to be filleted and plated on the sideboard. when he returned, there were four perfect fillets, some haricots verts, half a lemon and a silver bowl of rich mustard sauce to spoon atop the fish. drew had ordered a true classic of the french canon: quenelles de brochet lyonnaise. these rich, airy pillows of pike were bound with cream, poached in fish stock and floated to the table atop a pale cream sauce. alongside were served perfectly cook grains of white rice; crowning each quenelle was a spoonful of caviar. the dish was a composition in shades of white, contrasting with the shiny caviar on top and the use of a matte, black plate beneath it all.

once these plates were cleared, we were presented with an assortment of classic patisserie from which to choose. chocolate ganache cake; coffee eclairs; apple tart; oeufs a la neige (floating islands). to accompany our chocolate souffle, we chose a clementine granite and a miniature almond cake. the icy crystals of the granite were a necessary foil to all the richness we had consumed thus far. the almond cake, served with a spoonful of crème anglaise (custard sauce) was completely unremarkable. the star of this course was most definitely the souffle. presented tableside in all its towering glory, it was plated at the waiters station with unsweetened whipped cream. it arrived all quivering and steaming, the heady aroma of chocolate filling our noses and tempting us to dive in. we were rewarded with a decadent, elegant and nearly overwhelming sensation of warm, melting chocolate.

as we settled back into our seats, dark coffee was poured and a silver tray of cookies presented. crunchy caramelized almonds, classic madeleines, almond tuiles and chewy florentines were tiny enough to still be enjoyed without us feeling too stuffed. it was late and the room was starting to empty. as people got up to leave, it became even clearer that they all knew one another. they stopped to chat at various tables as they left and this gave us a chance to really see their beautiful clothes. a woman from the front room walked by on her way to the restroom and she caught my eye because she seemed really out of place. a bizarre blouse with holes cut in it, an ugly tan leather skirt and shoes that lit up??? did i really see shoes with lights in them? i quickly related this to drew and he was completely unbelieving. a few moments passed, she returned from the powder room and we saw it again. clear plastic mules whose soles were filled with multi-colored flashing lights! incredible! we fell all over ourselves in laughter and she smiled a big grin. this lady knew exactly what she was doing wearing that outfit in this room. we were the only ones that were relaxed enough to get the joke.

in the final analysis, we agreed that we need not go back. everything was perfectly executed: the décor, the flowers, the service, the food, the pastry. ultimately, though, there were no surprises; nothing that wowed us; nothing that made us sit up and take notice. it remains a bastion of gallic excellence. perhaps we are just jaded, but there are other settings where we agreed we would rather pass a few hours to fill our bellies.

lunch at le bernardin

my flight from cleveland arrived early; my bag was waiting on the belt; there was no cab line and virtually no traffic. from boarding the plane to walking into the apartment was just about two hours. the worst part of the trip was arriving at hopkins 2.5 hours early and sitting in the food court and gate area, waiting for my flight. drew served a late breakfast (my third of the day) of croissants, scones and coffee. we got ourselves together and headed out to the museum of modern art. the highlight of that visit was the retrospective of
tim burton’s work. drawings, sketches, paintings, film, video, puppets, costumes, props, and other ephemera were all jammed in together to make for a wild and almost nightmarish exhibition space. we also strolled through the photography and design archives, as well as spending a few quiet moments with monet’s water lilies.

we had a late lunch reservation and when we arrived the restaurant was really buzzing. we settled into our chairs in the center of the room and ordered a couple of big fat martinis. almost immediately we were presented with one of my favorite parts of lunch here: the salmon spread and toasts. a luscious preparation including fresh and smoked salmon, mayonnaise, lemon and chives, it is an integral part of the moment wherein we leave the outside world behind and allow the restaurant to envelope us.

for the first course, I chose a progressive tasting of kumamoto oysters en gelee. the six mollusks arrived atop a hillock of crushed ice woven through with a strand of seaweed. each was topped with a dice of differently flavored jellies, from yuzu to shiso, dashi to kimchi. each was a bracing mouthful of briny goodness. drew was presented with a salad of grilled bacalao (salted cod). the strong tastes of salt and the grill were tempered by a cool, white gazpacho, almonds and sliced white grapes. alongside, we nibbled at an assortment of breads that included parkerhouse and seven grain rolls, sliced raisin bread, and an olive baguette. when we finished these plates, I was brought a silver fingerbowl with which to wash away any traces of oyster.

for our entrees, we chose two different types of bass. drew had baked striped bass. two skinless pieces of fillet shared the plate with a corn “canneloni.” a fine mince of black truffle was scattered across the fish; the light perigord sauce spooned around the plate was also flecked with this precious fungus. i was served a beautiful piece of crispy skin black bass, laid across two stalks of melted celery. the sauce here was a sharp combination of iberico ham and green peppercorns. alongside arrived a ramekin of parsnips three ways: custard, foam and chips.

after a lengthy pause that included a consultation on dessert wines with the sommelier, we commenced with the sweets. a pear composition that included a cinnamon caramel parfait, fromage blanc sorbet, smoked sea salt and “liquid pear”–a colloidal suspension filled with the essence of pear. a hazelnut themed plate featured gianduja cream, brown butter ice cream, caramelized banana and roasted hazelnuts. we topped this course off with a trio of seasonal sorbets: coconut, blood orange and pineapple buttermilk. these arrived with a pair of butter cookies. there were also served a basket of warm almond madeleines and pistachio financiers. to drink, we tasted a lovely fortified muscat wine and rich, dark roasted coffee.

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a weekend in new york

so i haven’t posted in just ages and ages and ages and i thought i had better throw something up here lest blogger try to take away this piece of real estate.

i spent last weekend in new yawk eating. the little owl, eleven madison park, bar masa, nougatine and per se. (sorry i am too lazy to put up the links.) i posted about it all on FB, but here it is in the altogether.

lunch the first day at the little owl: a dish of heirloom tomatoes (red, yellow and green) with shaved radish, cucumber and red onion and a bit of basil. exquisite! then a plate of grilled scallops atop a salad of asparagus, grapefruit and cracked green olives. as much as i wanted to try their famous fried softshell crab, it was just too darn hot!

that evening, dinner at eleven madison park…
6 tiny canapes, including the lightest gougeres ever and foie gras with strawberry gelee and the tiniest radishes dipped in salted butter.
then a liquid insalata caprese: a colloidal suspension of mozzarella and one of tomato water.
next was caviar with panna cotta and lobster gelee, served in the caviar tin;
followed by heirloom tomatoes three ways: poached, served with Jamon iberico; warmed and topped with a tomato cloud: as a sorbet with “provencal granola.”.
a lovely dish of sea urchin cappuccino with cauliflower and peekytoe crab arrived next; then a mille-feuille of foie gras plated with compressed plums and bitter almonds
now we are on to the fish courses: snow white halibut with sweet corn three ways, radishes and purslane (this was my favorite dish);
poached lobster with lemon verbena and quenelles of zucchini, eggplant and peppers.
the next course was served in an empty egg shell: frog leg ragout with truffle and vin jaune sabayon. with this course we made the leap from the sea back to land.
a plate arrived covered with a glass bell filled with smoke. the waiters lifted the bells simultaneously, filling our nostrils with sweet smoke. on the plate rested a thin slice of pork belly with a sugary crust. pure theatre.
the last savory course arrived: herb roasted lamb, lamb sweetbreads, garbanzo beans and a sheeps milk tart with haricots verts. by now we have finished our martinis and are deep into the wine.oh yes…the wine. a 2005 chateau neuf de papes les hautes brusquieres. light enough for the tomatoes and fish, yet bold enough for the lamb and cheese.
ooooh! the cheese. the cheese trolley was wheeled up and we were informed about the dozen or so choices. cow, goat, sheep, washed rind, triple creme, blue, aged, fresh, blahblahblah. drew chose and they were plated with apple butter, port jelly, marcona almonds, toasted nut bread, fig cake and baguette
okay so now the desserts. an icy strawberry sorbet atop lemon gelee, crowned with champagne emulsion.
then jivara chocolate: moelleux with vanilla, olive oil and cocoa raspbery sorbet. this came with a whisper of a cocoa tuile.
all that remained were macaroons in seven flavors, along with coffee, and the check. we stumbled out into the night 4.5 hours after we had arrived–fat and sassy.

saturday night we opted for a japanese dinner at Bar Masa. we started with cocktails: a raspberry champagne concoction for drew and a refreshing watermelon martini for me.
we sat at the bar and drew handled the ordering. first up was hirame (fluke) layed atop perfect cylinders of cucumber and drizzled with a spicy vinaigrette. these were garnished with a tangle of cilantro sprouts. next was “Mako Karei”: slivers of flounder draped over quartered cherry tomatoes and anointed with tomato vinaigrette.

thanks to the perfectly dreadful heat, we were ready for another round of cocktails at this point. we each chose a wicked good elixir of ketel one, cointreau and clementine juice muddled with mint. two more sashimi selections came up next. unagi shirayaki (grilled eel) and toro (fatty boston bluefin tuna). each was laid next to a nest of shreds of shiso leaf and daikon.

next up were some warm selections. BBQ toro suji: fatty tuna cooked with a deeply flavored, spicy sauce, flecked with sesame and finely diced daikon, then mounded on bibb lettuce leaves. our last dish was grilled eggplants. these came in a heated black stone bowl and were crowned with a shower of bonito flakes that danced in the waves of heat from the dish.

opting out of dessert here, we settled the bill and crossed the street to have something sweet at jean-george vongerichten’s Nougatine in the trump hotel. we sat at the bar and noshed on cherry clafoutis with an amazing pistachio ice cream; apricot semifreddo; and the original warm chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream.

the last was dinner in per se’s salon on sunday night: we were seated in the middle of the room on a velvet couch in front of a silk rug set with a low table. a gorgeous setting, but not the most conducive to (fine) dining. we settled on a bottle of champagne (pol roger NV) and the food started coming.

the traditional thomas keller beginning: cheese gougeres (more substantial than those from friday night) and the salmon creme fraiche cones. next up was a luscious, silky gazpacho with a float of armando manni olive oil. a breadbasket was presented with pretzel rolls, miniature sourdough boules and tiny baguettes, accompanied by salted butter.

we ordered everything on the salon menu, leaving out only the foie gras and the cheese course. the first dish to arrive was a matsutake mushroom salad with very thinly sliced fresh mushrooms, chunks of lightly sauteed mushrooms, confit of fairy tale eggplant (about 2 inches long!), french breakfast radishes and bok choy. also a dish of sweet corn agnolotti with new crop potatoes, celery and tarragon butter.

then a fish course: pan roasted chatham bay cod with summer pole beans, smoked chili puree, frisee and whole grain mustard emulsion; butter poached lobster with lemon cucumbers, “ranch dressing,” and a baton of red pepper puree encased in the lightest, crispiest phyllo imaginable.

our entrees followed: rare duck breast, accompanied by a duck leg “sausage” with crispy okra, corn and huckleberries; a lovely lamb chop, garnished with crispy bits of lamb sweetbreads, infant brussel sprouts, chanterelle mushrooms and lamb jus.

dessert was next: a sorbet selection that included manjari chocolate, red currant, strawberry (set atop a brunoise of strawberries) and coconut, (set atop “croutons” of toasted genoise); a double chocolate brownie with caramel ice cream. this was followed by coffee and sweets (chocolates, pate de fruits and fudge).

new york in winter part five

from here we strolled back down along the eastern edge of the park. it was almost time for dinner in midtown. our final destination was l’atelier de joel robuchon in the four seasons hotel. this is one of a small string of these restaurants across the globe, designed to offer a less formal setting in which to partake in this legendary chef’s craft. centered around a pearwood counter seating twenty guests at high stools overlooking the kitchen, it is a beautiful room across from the bar of the hotel. after a slight misstep on the part of the hostess, we were shown to our seats at the counter and greeted warmly by our waiter.

the visible kitchen is mostly for show and is decorated with stunning arrangements of fruits and vegetables in glass vases and bowls. it is done up in black lacquer with red accents, everything polished to a high gloss. the blond wood of the counter is set with black rubber placemats, red water glasses, signature chargers and futuristic silverware.

we decided that a series of small plates was the way to go, rather than traditional appetizers and entrees. we wanted to be able to taste as many different things as possible–plus the fact that we had already had a good-sized lunch. our amuse-bouche was once again a verrine, this time layered with foie gras and port gelee. the bread basket proffered wheat rolls, black olive focaccia and the most perfect miniature baguettes imaginable.

the first plate was a tower of roasted slices of zucchini, japanese eggplant and tomato, layered with buffalo milk mozzarella. this was dressed with a summery little basil sauce. nothing spectacular here (i.e. no luxury ingredients), but the elements were all perfectly cooked and seasoned and clearly assembled with great care. next we were presented with a gold leafed charger onto which had been lain a geometric oblong of smoked foie gras and lightly caramelized eel. atop this had been showered shavings of black truffle, while the plate was decorated with precise lines of finely ground pepper and and dollops of cream.

we had both wanted to taste the langoustine, but had only ordered one serving, figuring we would just split it. the kitchen generously sent a second plate of it, much to our surprise. i tasted mine first, biting through the incredibly thin shell and the basil leaf beneath it, into the sweetness of the shellfish’s flesh. it was simply astounding! i resisted the temptation to slap drew and cry out, “this is the best thing i have ever eaten!” i just sighed and stopped to savor the experience instead. moments later, i was smacked out of my reverie by drew, having the exact same reaction. this dish was truly transporting….unlike anything i have ever eaten in my forty-some years. the only garnish was a dab of intensely colored basil puree, and even that seemed superfluous.

what followed was a plate of classic vitello tonnato. the paperthin slices of veal were rosy pink and fork tender, napped with a luxurious, creamy tuna sauce and sprinkled with a few pearls of capers. the rim of the plate held a lightly dressed half of a baby romaine heart, which offered the textural contrast needed to make this plate of richness not seem overwhelming. we also tasted an onion tart, the base of which was the just the barest whisper of crisp puff pastry. topped with meltingly sweet onions, tomatoes and some fresh field greens, it also benefited from a dusting of black truffle shavings.

the plates cleared away, the silverware removed and our placemats wiped down, we were ready to think about dessert. we started with a complimentary pre-dessert of grapefruit gelee, a fresh raspberry and lychee syrup. then we were given another complimentary plate with a nage of fresh fruits, all cut into the tiniest, most perfect dice imaginable and plated with lemongrass broth and a scoop of basil lime sorbet.

next came the desserts we had actually ordered…bracingly sour pink grapefruit supremes, garnished mint sorbet, two different creams, lemon foam, cubes of elderflower gelee and a shard of frosted sugar-glass inlaid with sliced almonds. it was absolutely stunning to look at and even more rewarding to taste. the other dessert was a warm souffle of yuzu plated with a quenelle of raspberry sorbet. as in the case of the the vegetables and the langoustine, there was nothing inherently special about this dish. it was in the execution and presentation that we glimpsed perfection.

we lingered with the last drops of wine (an outstanding 2001 chateauneuf du pape) and our cups of coffee, which were presented along with a caramel and seasalt filled chocolate. the sadness at being at the end of this meal (and the end of my visit) was mitigated by the knowledge that this one would rise into the pantheon of some of my best meals.