Queens Grill vs Princess Grill on QM2

[travel-to-go]

Oh they were good grits, alright. I had them 3 times and they were delicious. They actually offered shrimp and grits on the last night (I was 'steaked' out by then) and I was in heaven! No gravy or ham but the shrimp made up for that.

 

Karie - we've got to meet - two southern, Cunard lovin' transplants living ~20 minutes from each other in Yankeeland? It has to be destiny :D

 

msk, If you ever get to Key West, You've got to have the cheesy shrimp grits at Blue Heaven (I call it my Blue Heaven Rendezvous- A Jimmy Buffett song- And yes, the show last night, with the stars and a cresecent moon out over the waterfront amphitheater at Jones Beach (-Southern Long Island) was FABULOUS - I do fear it may be Jimmy's last year of touring though. ) Oh yeah! I got to cruise twice this weekend! On the car ferry to Long Island and back! <G>

 

Okay, we definitely have to get together. Hmm, wonder if the Bee and Thistle makes good grits- Probably not. Maybe that family restaurant in Norwich. In fact, I am thinking its called Family Times or Good times or something like that- Ate at a Cracker Barrel in Ormond Beach last month- Their grits were HORRIBLE! Definetely not cooked with salt in. YOU CANNOT ADD THE SALT POST-COOKING IT DOES NOT TASTE THE SAME!!!! It doesn't blend and ou have to add toomuch. Otherwise they are bland and tasteless.

 

Folks, grits are normally served as a hot breakfast cereal, like cream of wheat or oatmeal. Purists would never DREAM of sugary stuff- Cream of Wheat- I have to add a pound of sugar to taste them! And Oatmeal I use salt and butter, maybe cinnamon. What's is that British hot cereal, Gruel? Umm... You know what I mean!

Grits served properly should be cooked with plenty of salt in the water -but not TOO much! (normally for about twenty minutes- Top on, No need usually to stop and stir after you've brought them to a second boil and turned them to low for a simmer- If they get too dry, or lumpy, add COLD water- It frees the starch up, and blends marvelously, not like something where the water just sits there) Grits are made from Hominy- Hominy is the corn kernels with the hulls of the kernals removed (in the old days, by soaking them in a lye solution) Then ground up into a meal, like corn meal, only, a little less "gritty" than corn meal. When boiled (well. simmered relly- boiling ould make them "tougher" with proper seasoning, and done RIGHT they are to die for! A pat of butter melting on top makes it devine artistry! Swimming in a little red-eye gravy (there are as many recipes for this as there are southern cooks- involving the "juice or au jus of country ham- which, the ham being aged at least a year, and dry cured, there is not much of- with a tablespoon of coffee, usually , added to give it an interesting twang. Salty from the country ham- many people wash or soak country ham before eating it- But I say that's the best part of it! it is more of an au jus than a traditional flour and milk southern gravy a la chicken fried steak gravy or sausage gravy with biscuits. Oh, Grits mi well with scrambled eggs, also.

 

Grits made wrong are like grade-school paste, or worse. Grits made right are sheer heaven- edible nirvana.

 

Next week's lessons: sopping bread, buttermilk spoonbread and cornpone (Darn it, I missed the last shows of Li'l Abner this weekend at the GoodSpeed Opera!)

 

Karie,

Who laughs at the other definition of Grits. it's true, you know ! (Girls Raised in The South) Just watch Fried Green Tomatoes or Steel Magnolias to know who really rules the roost... and the rooster! We are the heart and soul of a Southern family. (Grannies, even more so! God rest mine! Both of them! Strong southern pioneer women who dealt strongly with adversity and semi-poverty and made the best of it!)

And BTW, You can take the girl out of the south, But you can't take the south out of the girl!

[travel-to-go]

 

Next week's lessons: sopping bread, buttermilk spoonbread and cornpone (Darn it, I missed the last shows of Li'l Abner this weekend at the GoodSpeed Opera!)

 

Oops,

Sorry.:o

I missed the post about ~~~hijacking~~~(Like yelling fire n a theater0 talking about hijacking on a travel forum, no? :eek: )

 

Karie,

Who is now hanging her head in shame and slinking over to the Celebrity Food board (Aren't the the ones with the famous Michele Leroux who cooks every meal for every guest on board every ship?) Hmmm, Le Roux- Isn't Roux a standard preparation for French- or New Orleans soups and sauced casseroles and gumbos- So his name would mean... browned (not burnt- with little black flecks in it- throw it out and start over) flour and butter with seasonings?

 

Oops! There I go again! :D

(P.S. I make a fine roux, and don't believe I have EVER ruined one!)

[Olls]

we just recieved and booked 7 day caribbean cruise December 9,2006 from fort lauderdale $1,999. for p-3 and $2,999 for Q-7 (great prices) we booked the Q-7 with a gty(too good to be true.) same price is available on the December 16 cruise as well!!! godd luck!! we sailed in the p cat twice before and loved it and thought we could never afford the Q cat. The QM2s a magnificent ship no matter which cabin your in. good luck and bonvoyage

 

How / where did you find such good fares?

[pnhmrk]

I hope i didn't hurt any ones feelings best regard to all

 

Jim - you didn't hurt my feelings - I don't see anything to get hurt over:)

 

This thread has been hijacked from a discussion of QG vs. PG to one of food preferences

 

We are talking about foods that are normally only served in the Queens/Princess Grills (all be it with a slightly risqué twist). I have never seen a suet pudding or haggis on the normal menu, black pudding isn't there either. Is (are?) grits on the normal menus? Or are they just on the menus of QG & PG? One of the big things for me in either QG or PG is being able to order off menu - not necessarily the expensive food, but the everyday things you might eat at home (like a suet pudding or grits).

 

Isn't Roux a standard preparation for French- or New Orleans soups and sauced casseroles and gumbos- So his name would mean... browned (not burnt- with little black flecks in it- throw it out and start over) flour and butter with seasonings?

 

Not for soups - just a basic sauce, that can be used as a base for soups.You get white, brown and blond (half way between white and brown) roux. They're basically fat, flour and liquid - nothing else. Adding seasoning makes it a sauce. (Now I'm not sure what that has to do with either QG or PG:rolleyes: ).

[2moose]

How / where did you find such good fares?

email from cunard 2 days ago @ 6:00am nyc time . i think it went to all world club members. I responded at 8:00 am by calling cunard to book and had to wait 2 hours for the reservation department to have it in thier computers give them a call it might still be available. we didnt plan on this but we couldnt let this great fare escape us good luck

[Guienevere_Arianette]

What about Haggis? or Black Pudding?:)

 

You know, tried the Haggis, and it wasn't that bad. I've had way worse here in the states; liver and onions, for instance! GAG :mad: Didn't get to try the black pudding, but I think it's because most of the pubs we went to had more mainstream cuisine, like the standard fish and chips and beef pie. When it comes to food, I'll try anything once. I must say, the Spotted Dick, despite the horrendous name, was divine!

[pnhmrk]

Didn't get to try the black pudding, but I think it's because most of the pubs we went to had more mainstream cuisine

 

Black pudding is mainstream - at least it is in the UK:) What's wrong with liver and onions? I like it as a dish (at least the way it's cooked over here). Before anyone asks I've eaten liver, not with onions though, in the Princess Grill.

[travel-to-go]

Before anyone asks I've eaten liver, not with onions though, in the Princess Grill.

 

I've pickled my liver.. In the Golden Lion and the Commodore Club! <G>

 

Karie,

Who thinks pickling is a fine time-honored way to preserve things!

[pnhmrk]

Who thinks pickling is a fine time-honored way to preserve things!

 

You can smoke things as well to preserve them:D

[travel-to-go]

You can smoke things as well to preserve them:D

 

But only in the smoking section!;):rolleyes:

[blacksmithcrm]

I suppose, in the fine naval tradition, we'll be "treated" to hardtack and salt-beef now? Which grill class is that?