Beautiful Boston

Continuing with our American History tour - in early August, we spent a weekend in Boston. Wow, what a difference compared to Philly. Boston is a beautiful and clean city. It is sorely lacking a grid system, but with Michael's great sense of direction we managed to get around town just fine. We were lucky to get a great deal at the Omni Parker House, it's one of the oldest hotels in the area and it is right on the Freedom Trail. We were in the heart of the city, we walked everywhere. (The Parker House invented Parker House rolls and Boston Cream Pie.)

We took about a 4 hour train ride and were ready for cocktails with Bex, Pat, Joe, and Kathy on Friday night. We planned our visit when the Wades were in town as well. We had tour guides and hosts that drove in to the city Friday and Saturday nights and wait until you hear about Sunday dinner.

Friday night we headed to Fanueil Hall and then to some of Bex old haunts. Most of the bars in the trendy area had lines and DJs - too much for our mellow crew. We did find a great little place and enjoyed a few beers along with the Olympic opening ceremonies. We moved on to a cigar bar, a few members of our party were pretty happy with this turn of events.

Pictured below - Fanueil Hall during the day (it's home to shops and eateries, a fun touristy place.)

Saturday Michael and I were left to our own devices during the day. We started out with lunch at a pretty awesome Irish bar called The Black Rose. From there we walked up to the North End to enjoy some fine baked goods at Mike's Pastries. They are known for their cannoli, but we just enjoyed some pizelle cookies. The 'Big Dig' seems to be complete and there is a big open pedestrian walkway where there was once freeway.

We headed back down to Boston Commons and the Public Garden - along the way we stepped in to a historic graveyard and saw the grave of Paul Revere.



Did you know the Paul Revere's father was from France and his name was Apollos Rivoire. He was sent by his family to the New World and became an apprentice to a goldsmith. Eventually he opened his own store and anglicized his name to Paul Revere (it was better for business) - the same name he gave his oldest son. (The things you learn on the Freedom Trail!)

The weather was perfect on Saturday - not too hot or too humid. I thought the Swan Boats in Boston Commons were small pedal boats, I was all ready to rent one so we could ride around the lake. Well my memories of the boats were slightly off - just one boat operator pedals the boat for a slow 15 minute tour of the lake.




We passed on the boat ride, but did enjoy some great views of the lake from the shore.




After a quick break we headed to the Beacon Hill area for lunch and window shopping.

Beacon Hill was so quaint, we loved the brick houses and tree lined streets. Look at these great carriage doors.

I would love to have a walk up with this cute garden out front.

This is a close up of the same place but to the right of the stairs, love the weather vane.

The restaurants and stores all had great store fronts - lots of brick and lettered wood signs hanging over the doors. We enjoyed a quick lunch at a cute little place called Paramount. It was recommended to us, and the perfect spot for a light lunch. They have fabulous breakfasts too, but the lines are crazy. Lunch was quiet and quite enjoyable.

After lunch we headed down to the Charles River, on the way over we made a special stop just for Mel.

The 'Cheers' bar could quite possibly be her least favorite spot in Boston. The bar was used for the outside shots of the famous watering hole - but the inside isn't the same as the tv show. The bar used to be named something like 'Bull and Finch', apparently they figured out they could sell more t-shirts by changing the name (I imagine some kind of licensing deal had to be worked out as well). We didn't actually go inside, but I did insist on a quick photo.

The Charles River was packed with boats and wind surfers.

Saturday night we did a little pub crawl and went to some great bars with Bex and crew. It was a fun night that ended at a place called Kinsale, they had a huge outdoor patio and live music.

Sunday we were invited to a lobster feast hosted by Bex dad. We took the 'T' to the suburbs and met up with the Wade family on the Boston College campus.

Bex gave us a great campus tour and even arranged for us to walk on the football field. OK, I don't think she pulled any strings, but the gate was open so we were able to walk right on the field. She has all the photos, so we'll have to wait until she does her blog update to see us on the BC 50-yard line.

Now to the feast! We were totally spoiled by Bex and her family. We started out with chips and dips, and then moved on to two types of home made chowder - clam and salmon. Bex sister, Nancy, made the chowders, she didn't think the clam was her best effort but both Michael and I thought they were both delicious. We had to try both varieties, the clam chowder was our favorite.

After the chowder settled we were treated to fresh grilled swordfish steaks. Bex dad grilled the steaks and then served them simply by cutting them in big chunks. It was family style and we learned to not be shy, the food moves quick in that house.

Once the swordfish was long gone it was time for steamers. Fresh steamed clams with salty clam juice and melted butter for dipping. Even though both Michael and I have had clams before neither one of us had clams like this. They had a long neck and to eat them we had to peel the skin back from the neck. They were delicious.

And finally the main event - a 3 pound lobster per person!

Bex was the master of breaking down the lobster - each one was full of sweet, perfectly cooked lobster meat. There was so much meat you almost got tired of eating lobster!



Of course the drinks were flowing and there was an entire table of desserts. Jane made these amazing key lime pie bites - I could not stop eating them.

Thanks to the entire Wade family for not only inviting over to a great dinner, but making us feel warm and welcome. Feel free to invite us back anytime! ;-)

Phila-dump-ia

So we didn't exactly LOVE Philly. It has some great history, but for the most part the town is just a dump. From what we could see there is one very nice area (Rittenhouse Square), a pretty nice area (Society Hill) and the Independence Hall area is decent. The rest of the city needs to clean up. We did have a fun weekend and jam packed it full of the best Philly had to offer.

I finally had my cheesesteak. We went to the south side of town to the cheesesteak rivalry of all rivalries - Pat's vs Geno's.

The two cheesesteak vendors are right across the street from each other, both boast a huge fan following. Just look at the lines - they go in to the street, even at the lunchtime rush.

Geno's was bright, with lots of flair and a line that blocked the street.



Pat's has a more classic feel, and a line that wasn't quite blocking traffic.



We went with the shorter line and waited about 15 minutes for our tasty cheesesteaks. There is an entire ordering system, luckily they spell it out for on a big board. By the time we hit the window we were pros "two wit cheese" - that would be two cheesesteaks with onions and cheese. And you better have your money ready, no fooling around in this line.

The sandwiches did not disappoint - yum! As good as I remembered from my visit to Philly 15 years ago.



After all of that bread and cheese we did our best Rocky and climbed up the stairs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. And even though every other person there did the classic Rocky cheer, I resisted and went for more of a classic KO pose.






And just in case you don't know where to stand - they have his feet in the cement. The view from the top is awesome, the skies were so clear it was easy to see all the way down to City Hall.



We spent Sunday doing our best National Treasure recreation. We hit up Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and Reading Market. This is the staircase Nicolas Cage took to get to the top of Independence Hall. The tour guide was sure to let us know it was all filmed on site.



And even more impressive would be this banister - it is original to the building, which means everyone from George Washington to Benjamin Franklin to me has touched this same piece of wood.



One of our final stops was the Betsey Ross house. Did you know George Washington wanted a 6-pointed star for the American flag? Betsey showed him it was much easier to make a 5-pointed star, practicality won and history was made.

We had dinner at a great Irish pub - they had live Irish music and a great starter platter with hummus, pita, olives, and cheese on a big 's' shaped serving dish.

C'ya Philly - thanks for a good time, but will you try and clean up a little before our next visit!

So Creative!

Check out these thank you cards Linda made - they are amazing.

This one is for her birthday present, she took a picture of the flowers I sent to her and used that as the focal point (nice touch) and of course the colors of the card are pulled from the flowers. (And yes, Mel the gig is up - you got the same floral arrangement.)


Gordy received a popcorn sampler pack, one of my new favorite snack items. This card is stamped and has pop-ups - I'm trying to figure out where she found the popcorn machine cutout.


Well done Linda!

What I Did This Summer....

It has been a busy summer - so many things to blog but so little time to blog.


This is going to be a bit of a catch up entry and I'll do some separate entries for the really good stuff.


In July Michael went to CA to visit friends and family. I took the opportunity to have a little KO Broadway weekend. Friday night I went to the play 'Boeing, Boeing'. The show is a revival of a French show from the 60's. It is about an architect living in Paris and juggling 3 flight attendants fiancées- of course one day they all happen to be in Paris at the same time. The cast was made up of 6 start studded actors: Bradley Whitford, Mark Rylance, Christine Baranski, Gina Gershon, Mary McCormack, and Kathryn Hahn (you might not know her name - but you know her). It was full of innuendo, physical comedy, and that cool 60's vibe. The best part is the curtain call; the entire cast comes out and dances the samba. I absolutely loved it. Miss Karen would love it - of course she has probably already seen it in Paris! During the show the cell phone of a woman across the aisle from me started ringing - of course it was one of those big loud long ring tones. While her husband gave her dirty looks she rummaged through her bag and finally managed to turn it off. No less than 15 minutes later her husband's cell phone rings! And he answers it!! He told the person on the phone he was at a play and would call him back, hung up and did not shut off his phone!!!


Saturday night I went with one of our neighbors to see the movie 'Mamma Mia'. It was just totally fluff and fun - I really enjoyed it too (even Pierce Bronson's singing).


On Sunday I went to a matinee of 'Chorus Line', starring Mario Lopez. He was great at the dancing, fine at the acting, and I'm pretty sure he didn't sing. It was a good show, but not one I would go back to see again. I had a couple of moms and daughters in the row behind me. They had visited the M&M store before coming to the show. The girls both had cellophane bags of M&M's they ate through the show - that crinkling plastic noise drove me crazy. They got the stink eye more than once. Ironically the movie theatre crowd was the most considerate.


When Michael came back from CA it was Summer Restaurant Week!


Of course we ate at some of our old favorites and had some amazing meals: Mesa Grill, Lure Fishbar, and T-Bar Steakhouse. But we did work in some new places - the most average meal we had was from City Hall in Tribeca. The service was horribly slow - at least 30 minutes between courses. The food was fine, but not outstanding - while we weren't disappointed we won't be heading back any time soon. We had a fabulous dinner at Tribeca Grill. It's a pretty trendy place that has pretty decent Zagat ratings. We both loved our meals and would definitely go back - even not during Restaurant Week. Two places we enjoyed, but were pricey and best enjoyed during Restaurant Week were Primehouse NY and Devi. Primehouse NY is an ultra cool steakhouse in the Union Sq area. Very hip and very expensive. Devi is high end Indian food. I had a prawn dish that was out of this world - the huge prawns were coated in some kind of spicy dry rub, I loved every bite. Now it's back to cooking dinner again! It's so easy to get spoiled during Restaurant Week.


We took the train out to Jones Beach one night to see the Maroon 5 and the Counting Crows perform. Jones Beach is a New York equivalent of the Coors Amphitheatre, but on the water. It was stressful getting out there because we were both busy with work, but we made it right on time.


I had a chance to see Madam Speaker, Nancy Pelosi. She spoke to a group of 200 at our local Y. She was completely inspiring. I was ready to being volunteering for the DNC, until I read her book. Unfortunately the passion she shows while speaking didn't translate to the written page. I would gladly go see her speak again, but I think I'll pass on her next book.


We made a few trips out to the beaches of Long Island - none of them are worth the blog space. Unless we go to Sandy Hook we won't be going to the beach any more this summer. It involves too many transfers on the train, not enough trains, and the last trip we were eaten alive by mosquitoes (especially the sweet meat of Michael).

I think that pretty much gets me caught up, except for our few weekend get aways - no 'staycations' for us! (I can't stand that word, and unfortunately it is the buzz word for the summer!)

Best Rumor I've Heard Recently

We have two new high rise condos being built in the 'hood. Allegedly one will have a Whole Foods and the other will have an H&M. All of my needs would be met within a 4 block radius of the apartment - that is such a happy thought!

Oh and it has been restaurant week - I will be writing out my reviews and posting as soon as possible. We've had a pretty good run this time with a good mix of new places and old favorites.

Most Awesome New Storefront in the 'Hood

Whatever could this be?

How about the second floor of a new yoga studio in our neighborhood.

It's hard to tell if the plants are real, they do look like they are planted in dirt - but that would be a ton of maintenance, so I have to think they are fake. I guess we'll know when winter rolls around. The longer grasses blow in the breeze, it is incredibly awesome. I haven't been inside, but my guess it's pretty awesome as well.

Roof Garden at The Met

During the summer the Met museum opens up the roof garden. They serve beer and cocktails and along with drinks, we get to enjoy some great views of the mid-town skyline.

This summer the roof garden has three sculptures by American artist Jeff Koons on display. They are whimsical and make the roof garden a fun spot to unwind on a Friday night.

The balloon dog is my personal favorite.

I'm not sure if this is a hear, an apple, or just a gift - but if you look closely you can see Michael and I in the reflection.

This last piece was very different than the other two - it was translucent, so even though it is large it didn't seem as imposing as the other sculptures.



Weather permitting the roof garden will be open until October - definitely worth a visit.

Movie Review: National Treasure - The Book of Secrets

Sadie and I watched National Treasure - Book of Secrets Sunday night.

She agrees with me that it was a bit contrieved compared to the first National Treasure movie - but it was ejoyable until the end. It was so suspenseful she couldn't bear to look.

Yay for Birthdays

Once again it was Michael's birthday - seems like it was just a year ago we were celebrating his birthday, oh wait it was!


Because of work and I don't know what else we decided not to travel for his birthday this year. After spending another birthday in the rain we will not be in NYC next July 5th!



His birthday kicked off early with cupcakes for the office. This time they were vanilla cookies and cream cupcakes with classic vanilla buttercream frosting and rainbow sprinkles.

The 4th of July was a drizzly day. We did go watch the huge Macy's fireworks display - but because it was raining we had our umbrellas open for most of the show. There is just something wrong about watching 4th of July fireworks from under an umbrella!

Finally it was Michael day. I tried to plan a full day of fun filled activities.

We started with lunch at craftbar - which I have decided is one of my NYC favorites. For the price point the food is excellent and the atmosphere is casual and comfortable. We began lunch with two excellent starters. Michael had the brioche with a soft egg, braised leeks, and white anchovies. While this may look like a hot mess in the photo it was amazing. The soft egg soaked in to the bread, but the bread still had a crunch to it. The leeks and anchovies added just the right amount of flavor to the egg and bread. I had chick pea fries with a black olive aioli dipping sauce. The fries had a very smooth consistency - I was expecting something similar to falafel, but they were almost like french toast sticks. The were slightly crisp on the outside and creamy but thick on the inside. The fries were dusted in course salt and the black olive flavor of the dip really added a bite to the dish. While my fries were tasty, Michael's dish was the clear winner of the meal.

For lunch I was debating between two sandwiches, I should have tried the more daring combination of spiced chicken, black olive, feta cheese, cucumber, and mint - but I went with the choice I knew I would enjoy but no new flavor combinations. My sandwich was market zucchini, mozzarella, balsamic onions, and basil. It was creamy from the cheese and all of the veges really worked well together, but I knew I could make that at home. Next time I will try something more adventurous. Michael had the orecchiette pasta with fennel sausage, oven-roasted tomato, and ricotta salata. The sweet sausage and tomatoes were a nice match with the bite of the ricotta salata. Because it was a holiday weekend and most New Yorkers know to leave town because of the weather the restaurant was quiet, it was the perfect way to start the day.

After lunch we headed to the high flying part of the day. I booked a short helicopter tour over NYC.

We took off from the Chelsea Piers area.

Then flew over Ellis Island

Next it was a fly by the Statue of Liberty

And then a circle over Governor's Island before heading uptown. Governor's Island is a former military base that has just been opened up for public use. It has a fort and bike's for rent and one of the newly installed waterfalls. You can see the waterfall in the front center of the photo - it is on the edge of the island and looks like a white smudge.

We caught quick views of midtown and Central Park before we set down. Our 12 minutes went by way to fast - it was a great way to see the city. (Oh and if you don't want to pay for the helicopter tour the Panoram of New York City offers almost the same views for $5.)

After the excitement of the helicopter ride it was time for Michael to unwind at a barber spa. He spent about an hour at The Art of Shaving getting a razor shave and scalp massage. It is a great guys only place that has a great vibe. I think he would go back any time I book an appointment.

http://www.theartofshaving.com/

After a bottle of wine at home we got all spiffed up and headed to Gramercy Tavern. Gramercy is a perennial New York favorite. It is always highly rated in Zagat and you really have to work to get a reservation. The founding chef was Tom Colicchio, the dining room is very comfortable and the service was impeccable. The main dining room serves either a 3 course menu or a 5 course tasting menu. We opted to do the 3 course menu and we both had things we never tried before. I must say some things were not exactly to my liking, but I enjoyed the experience of trying something different and expanding my palette.

I started with the black tagliatelle with lobster, mussels, and chorizo. The house made pasta was perfect – I’m not sure how it was colored, but the lobster was the star of the bowl. The appetizer was packed with flavor, but even with it being a pasta course it wasn’t too heavy. Michael started with the smoked trout. I really expected the trout to be like smoked salmon and be rather fishy tasting, but it wasn’t. It was light and delicate and not fishy – it was almost like a slightly smoky mousse, but it was a filet of trout.

For my main course I had the rack of pork and braised belly with baby turnips and fingerling potatoes. I was really curious to try pork belly; it was a key ingredient in many dishes this season of Top Chef. It was too fatty for my liking. It was like a big chunk of thick cut bacon, but with more fat than meat. I would have preferred the fat to be crispier. The rack of pork was very tender and lightly seasoned. The turnips and potatoes were mellow side dishes. Overall everything was well prepared and presented, but it was a little flat. Nothing really popped out on the plate. It was a very good meal, but I enjoyed my birthday meal at Gotham Bar and Grill more – that meal has become the standard all other great meals are judged against.

Michael had the striped bass with snap peas, mussels, and lemon-mustard sauce. Again it was delicious, but not the best.

For dessert I was having a hard time deciding – so many excellent choices. I finally decided on the blackberry streusel cake with blackberry lime sherbet. Our waiter was so nice he even brought me a scoop of their mint chip ice cream just because I was having a hard time choosing between ice cream and other desserts. The blackberry lime sherbet was amazing. The sweet blackberry mixed with a little bit of tangy lime was a perfect combination – not too sweet and not too bitter. The mint chip was also excellent, much like a Bryer’s or any other natural mint chip it wasn’t artificially colored green and the mint chips were high quality dark chocolate. Oh yeah, the blackberry streusel cake was good too. It was like a really good muffin with lots of berries and a nice streusel topping.

They spoiled Michael with his dessert - check out the presentation:

So much better than a group of waiters singing Happy Birthday while presenting you with a scoop of vanilla and a candle.

Micheal had the Grand Marnier mascarpone cheesecake with raspberry sherbet and garnish of fresh raspberries and pistachios. I don't think I had any bites of the cheesecake...hmm, I do know Michael ate everything on his plate except for the writing.

It was a wonderful meal and the perfect way to end the day.

Next year - Vegas!

Best Thing I Overheard on Saturday

Heard Saturdday night, riding to Penn Station on the Long Island Railroad

Lady #1 - cough, cough, hack, cough, hack, hack, hack, cough, cough, cough

Lady #2 - (presumably a friend of Lady #1 - hands over a bottle of water) Here is some water it should help your cough.

Lady #1 - (takes a big drink from the bottle and stops coughing) Thanks that helped, would you like your water back?

Lady #2 - No.

Post Surgery

Many of you have asked how Michael is doing post surgery - he is doing well.

But he did require some additional medication to help him through the recovery.

Best Thing I Saw on Monday

I'm walking in the building, and especially during the summer months, each evening there is a dog club meeting on our stoop. They are relatively polite to non-dog owners, but you know you are not part of the club.

Anyway I stop to pet Jed and Maggie (two small dogs who live in our building). As I pet Maggie she kind of jumps up and I notice she has red nails.

I ask her owner "Did you paint her nails?"

Her reply - "Oh yes, I need to do mine tonight" (as she shoes me her toes).

So you can mock me for having 4 cats, but I'm not in my apartment painting their nails!

Little Mermaid on Broadway

The week we came back from the cruise we had tickets to Little Mermaid on Broadway. They were a birthday present from Michael.

The show was another fabulous Disney production. Disney has great sets, huge musical numbers, and elaborate costumes. Each Disney show usually has a tap dance sequence too - I was wondering how they were going to tap during Little Mermaid, but they did!

When the scenes were set underwater they used lighting and movement on the set to create the feeling you were underwater. When the mermaids and fish were on set they glided on Heely's. A very clever way to give the feeling they were swimming.

As I was walking to the theatre (Michael and I were meeting there), a bird pooped on my head right in the middle of Times Square! I just happened to have my hand up on my head to hold my hair back in the wind - so luckily my hand got most of it. I was so upset though as I kept running my hand through my hair and finding more poop! As soon as I met Michael we found a bathroom and I did the best I could to clean up my hair and of course thoroughly wash my hands. My hair looked fine, but my head itched all night - I think not because something was there, but the thought of what was there was running through my mind. Now here's the best part: as we were being seated the usher turns to me and says "Your hair is beautiful."

Father's Day Card

In a brief flash of creative brilliance I made this card for my dad. Now that he has received the card I can post it for everyone to see.



Front of card:

And the inside -

I'm about 6 months old in the photo, and I'm sure the beer can is empty!

For a family who doesn't do syrupy sweet sentiments it was perfect.

Best Thing Overheard This Weekend

Guy #1: If I don't have a girlfriend by next summer, I'm getting a dog.

Guy #2: You need a bigger place.

Guy #1: For a girlfriend or a dog?

By Popular Demand

OK, here they are - the wig photos.

I was told I look like the mom from My Big Fat Greek Wedding - I completely agree!

And here is Michael, he looks like he just came from singing in the musical Spamalot!

Carnival Pride Food

As most people who cruise know, it's all about the food. What amazes me is how easily one gets used to room service, round the clock pizza and ice cream, and minimum of 3 courses for dinner.

Room service: We only had room service in the morning, it was a limited but adequate selection of breakfast choices. We had the same order each day, a pot of coffee, bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon, a banana, and cereal with milk. Even though it was delivered according to our pre-selected time frame it always seemed to come a little too early. Each night we were sure to leave out a few dollars for a tip, so we wouldn't have to fumble around in the morning. The best part was enjoying the food out on the balcony watching the waves.

Breakfast buffet: I enjoyed the breakfast buffet. There were several stations with pre-cooked favorites including sausage, bacon, pancakes, waffles, scrambled eggs, potatoes, toast and bagels. There was an omlete station but it always had a line, so I never waited. I made my favorite - crispy bacon sandwiched between wheat toast. On the last morning I had a flash of brilliance and wrapped a pancake around a piece of sausage - pure breakfast delight!

Lunch: There were several lunch options, the main dining room offered menu service, Mermaid's Grill (the casual restaurant) offered 4 stations of choices including a rotating selection with an international menu, and there was usually a grill by the pool with hotdogs, hamburgers, and french fries. I only ate in the main dining room once and that time I brought my own food and just sat with the rest of the group. The menu was very nice and the food looked fabulous - the only complaint was the waiter who was less than helpful. Mermaid's Grill offered an Asian station, a made-to-order sandwich station, generic buffet food station, the international menu of the day, a salad bar, and a dessert bar. I never tried the Asian, but did hear it was good. I never tried the generic buffet station either, usually there was a baked pasta, a baked fish, maybe some kind of chicken in sauce - it was fine, but just didn't appeal to me. The sandwich bar had a great roasted pepper, arugula, and fresh mozzarella sandwich that was delicious. Definitely one of my favorite lunch items. The international station featured Greek food one day and offered a delicious tofu pita sandwich with cucumber, red onion, and a green sauce that I would love to re-create. The grill by the pool had fresh cooked hotdogs and hamburgers with a nice selections of topping including chili and grilled onions. I'll take a good chili dog for lunch any day! And finally my favorite lunch and late night snack food were the french fries - the ship had the best fries, thin and crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside with lots of salt. At lunch you could even get a side of ranch dressing from the salad bar for the ultimate indulgence of a dipping sauce.

Dinner: Every night, except for our last night on the ship, we ate in the main dining room. We had an awesome round table for 10. Our waiter was Manuel; he did a great job accommodating our large group. (He even took this photo and spent one night folding napkins in to shapes to entertain the kids. OK, the adults enjoyed the napkin tricks too.)

Dinner had starters, first course, main course and dessert. We usually each had a starter and a first course and dinner and dessert. Most of the time there was one item I wanted for a main course, but several items I wanted for starters/first course. The only disappointing meal I had was the first night. I had a horrible headache that would not go away - I even thought I might be seasick. I ordered a tilapia that was covered in an olive tapenade and sitting on a bed of asparagus covered in hollandaise. The fish was dry and both the olive tapenade and the hollandaise sauce were too heavy for the delicate white fish. I had about two bites and called it done. (Melissa had fish later in the week and it was dry as well - probably too hard to cook it well in such a huge kitchen.) I ended up eating late night at the grill and enjoying grilled chicken with mushrooms and chili fries. Dinner definitely improved - the next night was formal night and they offered a fabulous lobster tail. It was served with grilled shrimp and a side of mushroom risotto. Each section of the menu offered a featured item from the Carnival executive chef - we quickly learned those were generally the best items on the menu.

Another tasty starter were the stuffed mushrooms served with a cheese straw - yum!

Dessert: My favorite part of the meal. They always had about 4 dessert choices along with ice cream and cheese. You can also get a cappuccino for free after eating in the main dining room - usually they charge for the fancy coffee drinks, I definitely took advantage of my free cappuccino every night with dessert. Surprisingly some of my favorite desserts were the sugar free selections. One night it was an orange cake with cream frosting that tasted like a Creamsicle. Another night it was banana cake and then a lemon cake.

The dessert plating was always very fancy, with extra sauces and chocolate swirls. Two of the most delicious desserts were the warm fig cake with a super creamy white chocolate mousse on the side.

And this apple tart - it had a layer of creamy vanilla mousse and a layer of chopped apples with warm caramel sauce on the side. I love the crunchy puff pasty mixed with the smooth mousse.

David's Supper Club: The last night of the cruise the adults ate at David's Supper Club. There is an additional fee to eat here, but it was completely worth the expense. The food was definitely fine dining - lobster bisque, surf and turf, lobster tails, escargot. Just look at the proteins:

Michael and I both had the surf and turf - the plating was fabulous. It was a big square plate with four smaller plates. One had the lobster tail, one had the filet mignon, one had a large pumpkin ravioli, and the one had an asparagus puree wrapped in pastry and fried. Everything was delicious and the service was impeccable.

Grand Buffet: Well I didn't make it to the big midnight buffet, but Michael and Bex took photos. The displays are impressive but it maybe looks better than it tastes....

How cute are these deviled eggs?

I would love to learn how to make something like this - it's all fruit and veges!

And what better way to end than with an amazing dessert display. How about this for the next Oscar party?