KenzSailing

Oh, that must be the waaambulance I hear.

You've never priced a tux in your life, unless it's a used one from a rental company.

Oooooh, that use of guarantees never occurred to me. That certainly helps demystify the whole "hey our guarantee got upgraded" phenomenon.

We got the September offering a couple of night ago. It came in 33 containers. I swear, I'm working as hard putting these pre-made meals together as I would whipping up a simple at home. Might be verging on overkill. To put it in this board's terms: some nights you're ready for the Osteria, some nights you just want Prego. (That's a semi-wry comment, so let's pass on the what-do-you-mean "just" want Prego replies.)

Wishing you fair winds and following seas Phileas.

When did this board turn into a cross between the Food Channel and the Hell's Kitchen TV show? -Asking for the proprietor of an imaginary bistro(not to be confused with a restaurant.)

I sympathize. I mean, once you've had Stouffer's frozen everything else is just lasagna on a fancy plate. Really, I'm not kidding. Stouffer's lasagna is a minor miracle of frozen food. Now if they'd just bring back their heavenly creamed spinach(still available in bulk for commercial operations, but what am I going to do with two pounds of creamed spinach?) Thinking about it some more, the bath tub is empty. Hmmmmm.... Hey, that's cheaper than 60 minutes at OneSpaWorld! (OneSpaWorld reminds me of the time Comcast cable rebranded as xfinity.)

There's a saying in every restaurant above the level of diner: first you eat with your eyes.

If your cruise lasts more than four hours, consult your physician. (Apologies in advance.)

The Chez takes a Night Off, Part 2: Or: Adventures in dining here in the DMV(District, Maryland, Virginia) The Salt Line Bethesda: First, some background. An outfit called Profish is one of the largest, if not the largest, distributor of seafood to restaurants in the DMV. More than a few years ago at this point, they went into the restaurant business with a place called The Salt Line. And yes, the restaurant specializes in seafood. It is located in the District, across the street from Nationals Park. So one year on Opening Day we made a rezzie for lunch, followed by taking in the game. We were immediately impressed. Great food, solid service, attractive decor. Eventually they expanded to NoVa, with I assume the same level of quality. Well, several years ago they announced they were coming to Bethesda in a location literally 5-10 minutes from our house. We watched and watched and watched for an actual restaurant to open. Then, about 8 months ago, lo and behold there was activity. Finally, happily, about 8 weeks ago they opened. Hoo boy, was this worth waiting for. Absolutely gorgeous space, same great food, attentive service, all at a price point that won't break the bank. And it's not a 30-45 minute Uber ride away. We've already been twice, and it's just been great. Last time we were there OLoPP had the scallops and had me try a bite. Utterly perfect(I know from sea scallops.) Absolutely top shelf U10 scallop, perfectly grilled, with a body of meat that was almost silky in texture. Think aquatic foie gras. These folks can cook. I started with the oysters: fresh, clean, briney, expertly shucked. (Vince, c'mon, Bethesda's not that far. Get down here and the first 6 are on me. You too Roy, although I don't think you're exactly a bivalve slurper.)😁 For anyone who knows of Kincaids from back in the day here, Salt Line is an ever-so-slightly down market version of it. It's that good. They have a massive bar area and they're doing late night hours with specials. Getting pretty big city here in sleepy BCC. (We realized that when we discovered we could see the Marriott HQ corporate signage from our front yard.) Table 22: OK, not a restaurant, but still dining related. There's this Table 22 outfit that is basically offering a one-stop-shopping service to restaurants for take-out/delivery orders. Essentially, what restaurants were doing to survive during the pandemic, but with a "you cook it, we'll take care of the rest" model. They handle the on-line ordering front end, delivery(inside the beltway), probably provide ancillary services like packaging recommendations, etc. They appear to be continental US wide, but they are really big in DC. You sign up for a restaurant and it's one meal a month, cancel anytime(I really like that no subscription is required.) It's a way to get high end meals delivered to our home, with just a bit of reheating involved. We're signed up for L'Ardente and The Dabney w/Petite Cerise. To give you an idea what I'm talking about, here's our last menu from The Dabney/Petite Cerise: Chilled summer corn soup, shrimp, poblano and vadouvan Heirloom tomato panzanella salad, ricotta salata, red onion and basil Duck leg confit, ragout of white beans, herbs and peppers served with peach gastrique Nectarine rice pudding, orange lavender honey, tangerine lace, white chocolate Some assembly required(this meal came in 16(!) containers of various size.) Now that's eatin' good in the neighborhood.

Sugar beets? Too sweet for you, Golden Delicious.

Well, our first Regent cruise is coming up fast and I'm packing my cravat. Dashing, I dare say.

I have no idea what the Kool Kidz are talking about. I'm flashing back to high school.

My hips(which are of the opinion that they are 10 years older than the rest of me) thank you.

Great post. Let me try to translate the bolded point in terms my slower firing synapses can process: Essentially, cruise lines collect monies from potential pax. These monies become non-refundable on a sliding scale prior to delivery of service(the cruise.) At the same time lines are paying out from accounts payable for goods and services attached to each and every cruise. The disconnect, however, is that these payment schedules and receivable inflows do not perfectly align(and probably far from it.) Most problems that might arise from this discontinuity can be patched over by the various mechanisms you outlined. However, the pandemic was what economists call a "black swan" event. IOW, everything stopped, and there were way too many entities vying for way too few chairs in this game of musical chairs.

Apologies for my confusion(I have to say that a lot.) Is it now possible to sit at a table for two in the Supper Club?

I find this thread fascinating. It started with an infrequent poster(as best I can tell) excerpting a general CC review(which I make a point never to read) of Crystal. And here we are with an extended discussion of the perceived social hierarchy within the transitory experience of the construct of a single cruise on a cruise line that has barely restarted. But to get more Cruise Criticey, hey, the mushroom soup is back(occasionally.)

Interesting. I remember when, during the hiatus, Explora was being talked up on this board.

My spouse Laurel, who lives in Maryland, appreciates your kind words. Also, I can assure you both Laurels are lovely.

Well, it's Cruise Critic, so here's my peanut gallery observations: 1) There was a pandemic. There was what I call "The Unfortunate Hiatus." It takes time to restart the engine after all of this, even in that little slice called the luxury cruise market. An occasional venue closing is a reflection of this. 2) The Venn diagram of people who want it all and want it now, and people who never held a real job in their lives, is almost a perfect circle.

Love it when The Historian reaches into the stacks. Also, have to admit I kinda like a swim-up bar and that Crystal Plaza look, even if it's easy to imagine Hef lounging there.

Whoa, shades of your Sandy adventure.

Oh my, to have a drink with the Voice of Reason in meat space(as the kidz would say.) Would probably go something like this: Question: why are you booking Serenity? (Kidding.)

Oh my, with that track record, could you please provide me with the next lotto numbers?😁

The Eternal Verities: AIDA Attention Interest Decision Action (Yeah, I'm borrowing from Mamet here, but he wasn't wrong.)