Kmom NEEDS LOTS OF HELP PLEASE - Pre-Planning Pre-Review Preview Mardi Gras August 7, 2021 - Join me if you dare

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

2 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

...

 

Still I have always enjoyed the rave reviews I read about the Chef's Table. I have never seen anyone complain about it after the fact or say it wasn't worth the $$.

 

The only (non positive, in my opinion) aspects of the Chef's Table would be that it borders on tiring - I've had a couple hit 3+ hours - and that you had better enjoy interacting with other guests, as you'll be sitting next to them for hours. Many years ago, once we realized that you could ask for a private table in the MDR there was no turning back. Prior to that we've had table mates we enjoyed chatting with, and others that were annoying as hell: "my Johnny just made quarterback, and Jenny was homecoming queen" - it was like the live versions of bragging Christmas cards. We had a special wine lover's meal on Celebrity once (in Ocean Liner's) where a couple others at the table could not wait to roll out their list of accomplishments... ugh !

 

Tom

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

2 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

A word about alcohol here.  ...

 

 A martini making class on Adventure of the Seas reminded me of the consequences of exceeding my max limit of 2 per day, which will be strictly followed on this cruise. ...

 

Reading this took me back to an afternoon we spent at Pancho's Backyard in Cozumel. I'm rather a lightweight in the alcohol department, enjoying a couple here and there. I enjoyed my first margarita there so much, I asked for another. Let's just say that I soon realized that two is not always better than one! If it seems, at the time, that you're having too much fun - that might be the case !

 

Tom

[KmomChicago]

57 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

Reading this took me back to an afternoon we spent at Pancho's Backyard in Cozumel. I'm rather a lightweight in the alcohol department, enjoying a couple here and there. I enjoyed my first margarita there so much, I asked for another. Let's just say that I soon realized that two is not always better than one! If it seems, at the time, that you're having too much fun - that might be the case !

 

Tom

It’s certainly an easy road to travel too far. At this point, if there’s any buzz whatsoever, it’s time to pause, not accelerate as in the younger days.

[TheGrandSnackoneer]

On 7/11/2021 at 7:04 PM, KmomChicago said:

 

One advantage of the filet, for me, is actually the mignon part, i.e. the small size.  Steak is incredibly delicious and I love rib-eye, and Tom recommended it, and I am sure it's divine.  But it's going to be too much food. There is no rib-eye mignon. And I cannot mentally waste beef - sorry, folks, I just personally can't. If my husband says he'll eat my extra then I'll get it. 

 

If it helps, when I had the Australian Wagyu it wasn't a large piece of meat at all. Slightly larger than a filet mignon and smaller than a ribeye. Eyeing the ribeyes at other tables mine was maybe half the size? Personally, I liked it a lot and would order it again. Just for context I don't like filet mignon and I really enjoy rib cap. I don't mind chewing for flavour.

 

I'm in the same boat as @Tom-n-Cheryl and still can't figure out what cut is was. The waiter described it as, "sirloin that tastes like flat iron" but the piece of meat itself was pretty flat wide rectangle. The grain was also running a little more horizontally almost like a flat iron. Maybe it's a really trimmed coulotte, top sirloin or weird piece reserved for the solo diner?

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

I think this is the "Australian Wagyu" we're talking about:

 

 

It looks pretty tasty here - wonder if I should try it again !!

[RoperDK]

Following along.  We have MISSED cruising these last months and are so happy to see others report on starting again.  We have had many cancelled cruises and are booked on the Mardi Gras twice starting next year.  We have strayed from Carnival to try other lines, but have to admit that the fun brings us back.  We are seniors, a little slower than we used to be, but the atmosphere always brings a smile to my face and a pep in my step.  We only cruise on newer ships and enjoy the many options they have to offer.   

 

I am looking forward to the many food options on Mardi Gras.  I have come to enjoy the grab and go options on the newer ships and don't eat at the MDR anymore.  We do like specialty restaurants and I am looking forward to trying them for dinner on several nights.  In the past we have enjoyed JiJis, Cucina Del Capitano, and the Steak House.  I am also looking forward to trying Rudis.  They have Halibut there! Yum.       

[KmomChicago]

3 hours ago, RoperDK said:

I am looking forward to the many food options on Mardi Gras.  I have come to enjoy the grab and go options on the newer ships and don't eat at the MDR anymore.  We do like specialty restaurants and I am looking forward to trying them for dinner on several nights.  In the past we have enjoyed JiJis, Cucina Del Capitano, and the Steak House.  I am also looking forward to trying Rudis.  They have Halibut there! Yum.       

Thanks Roper. You know, I don't know that I have ever even tried halibut.  Rudi's looks like a very nice addition to the specialty lineup.

[KmomChicago]

14 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

I think this is the "Australian Wagyu" we're talking about:

 

 

It looks pretty tasty here - wonder if I should try it again !!

 

YEAH - Thanks for this Tom.  So what we have here is getting REAL CLOSE to the whole Kmom vibe. 

 

1. Something I would absolutely, 100% never consider paying for stateside. I would never buy four 8 oz. flat irons for $40 to cook myself (and risk ruining) as per this Chicago website:  

https://www.secondcityprime.com/collections/australian-wagyu/products/8oz-wagyu-flat-iron-marble-score-4

 

And I would never order a flat iron wagyu steak cooked in a steakhouse for $45 without any sides (LOL $16 for mashed potatoes) or accompaniments: 

https://stksteakhouse.com/venues/chicago/

 

2. I have been consciously reducing my red meat and beef intake but at the same time, I willingly bought dinner in the steak house. And flavor wise, I have to admit I love steak as much as anyone.

 

3. Tom's pic of the Wagyu looks perfect. Like, perfectly cooked, perfect size, perfect fatty marbling, just perfect.

[KmomChicago]

After seeing Dee of ParoDeeJay on her Carnival Horizon cruise with her brand logo T-shirt, I decided to make a logo as well for my CC profile pic. I like simple designs and I have to admit I love it, but frankly it somehow feels extremely conceited and presumptuous to make a customized brand logo for myself.

 

I am actually laughing every time I look at it here now on the screen in its brazen tininess.  Who in the heck do I think I am anyway? Oh, I guess apparently I think I am Kmom. I'm not really either from Chicago nor have I ever lived IN Chicago so that's not so relevant to my, uh, er, personna? Character? I don't know y'all.

 

There is a significance to the design and I am sure a few people might pick up on it.

Edited July 16, 2021 by KmomChicago

[TheGrandSnackoneer]

17 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

It looks pretty tasty here - wonder if I should try it again !!

It really does and you absolutely should. Reminds me of too many Polaris cocktails and eating leftover cheesecake in my bathrobe. Great meal.

[KmomChicago]

17 hours ago, TheGrandSnackoneer said:

If it helps, when I had the Australian Wagyu it wasn't a large piece of meat at all. Slightly larger than a filet mignon and smaller than a ribeye. Eyeing the ribeyes at other tables mine was maybe half the size? Personally, I liked it a lot and would order it again. Just for context I don't like filet mignon and I really enjoy rib cap. I don't mind chewing for flavour.

 

I'm in the same boat as @Tom-n-Cheryl and still can't figure out what cut is was. The waiter described it as, "sirloin that tastes like flat iron" but the piece of meat itself was pretty flat wide rectangle. The grain was also running a little more horizontally almost like a flat iron. Maybe it's a really trimmed coulotte, top sirloin or weird piece reserved for the solo diner?

 

Snackoneer, not only do I LOVE your Cruise Critic handle / nickname, this is helpful info. You've inspired me to research Wagyu flat irons and sirloins and it sounds like, supposedly, this magical beef breed is so special that those cuts, properly prepared, can approach or even surpass the deliciousness of better cuts from worse creatures. 

 

I used to do reasonably well with humble eye of round in the oven broiler back in my college (poor) days. This whole foodie thing is just a big experiment for me anyway. I think we have found a winner.

[KmomChicago]

18 minutes ago, TheGrandSnackoneer said:

It really does and you absolutely should. Reminds me of too many Polaris cocktails and eating leftover cheesecake in my bathrobe. Great meal.

 

Okay what is a Polaris cocktail?

[KmomChicago]

On 7/11/2021 at 8:10 PM, SonoranDevil said:

Looking forward to hearing about your awesome adventures as well!  

 

I just realized, you'll be onboard the week before us. Maiden voyage and so forth. I hope you'll share your adventures in kind, either here or on your family blog. 🙂

[SonoranDevil]

4 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

 

I just realized, you'll be onboard the week before us. Maiden voyage and so forth. I hope you'll share your adventures in kind, either here or on your family blog. 🙂

We're so excited.  I actually have a review thread already started on here, all of that will eventually get edited to go on the blog as well.  I love seeing the trip reviews showing back up here!

 

 

[KmomChicago]

5 hours ago, SonoranDevil said:

We're so excited.  I actually have a review thread already started on here, all of that will eventually get edited to go on the blog as well.  I love seeing the trip reviews showing back up here!

 

 

 

Yay! I am excited to hear more about your, Shani's and the offspring's experiences aboard. We are all going to have just the BEST. TIME. Are you doing a cabin crawl with your roll call? I would certainly think your fancy schmancy digs would be in high demand for that.  I will be showing off my premium interior down in Steerage so's I can get invited into Tom and Cheryl's presidential suite. 🙂

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

3 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

 

Yay! I am excited to hear more about your, Shani's and the offspring's experiences aboard. We are all going to have just the BEST. TIME. Are you doing a cabin crawl with your roll call? I would certainly think your fancy schmancy digs would be in high demand for that.  I will be showing off my premium interior down in Steerage so's I can get invited into Tom and Cheryl's presidential suite. 🙂

 

We've sailed in basically every category. The only one that occurred JUST ONCE was an interior with an upper/lower. Boy - I hated that ladder !!

 

Tom

[IntrepidFromDC]

13 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

 Tom's pic of the Wagyu looks perfect. Like, perfectly cooked, perfect size, perfect fatty marbling, just perfect.

Medium-rare, Tom?  Looks like I remember every Carnival Steakhouse steak I tried - AMAZING.  Rack of Lamb was also AMAZING.  Surf-n-turf was excellent.

[KmomChicago]

1 minute ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

We've sailed in basically every category. The only one that occurred JUST ONCE was an interior with an upper/lower. Boy - I hated that ladder !!

 

Tom

 

I've been in several interiors but the only upper/lower we had was on SS Oceanic, my second cruise ever,  Premier Cruise Lines (Big Red Boat).  It was a BIG room. It must have been about 18x14 without the bathroom, and there were 4 bunks all against the same long wall, two lower and two upper, with just tons of open floor space. Basically twice the size of everything else in the same category for the same price. We picked it off the floor plan, just some anomaly of the old ship.  Loved it. For me room size is worth more than windows and even balconies.

 

My best room was my last cruise, Junior Suite on Adventure of the Seas. 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

5 minutes ago, IntrepidFromDC said:

Medium-rare, Tom?  Looks like I remember every Carnival Steakhouse steak I tried - AMAZING.  Rack of Lamb was also AMAZING.  Surf-n-turf was excellent.

I'll order all beef rare, except the Ribeye - which I'll order M-Rare. A rare ribeye can border on tough unless it's a REALLY tender cut, so I'll have them warm it up more than a filet or strip steak!

 

Tom

 

 

[KmomChicago]

17 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

I'll order all beef rare, except the Ribeye - which I'll order M-Rare. A rare ribeye can border on tough unless it's a REALLY tender cut, so I'll have them warm it up more than a filet or strip steak!

 

Tom

 

 

 

Okay then you must plan to join me in that marrow and tartare appetizer, I presume?  If Imma kill the poor steer, I might as well devour it raw like a caveman as nature intended.

[TheGrandSnackoneer]

10 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

 

Okay what is a Polaris cocktail?

St. Germain elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, and sparkling wine. Nice and light. Perfect to get the night started. Only improvement might have been a tiny splash of ginger liqueur.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

4 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

 

Okay then you must plan to join me in that marrow and tartare appetizer, I presume?  If Imma kill the poor steer, I might as well devour it raw like a caveman as nature intended.

 

I have a photo of that somewhere as well... (searching) !

 

Tom

[KmomChicago]

2 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

I have a photo of that somewhere as well... (searching) !

 

Tom

 

You are like a one-stop-shop for cruise info. Awesome!

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Just now, KmomChicago said:

 

You are like a one-stop-shop for cruise info. Awesome!

 

BINGO ( and loved it)! 

 

 

 

 

Tom

[KmomChicago]

14 minutes ago, TheGrandSnackoneer said:

St. Germain elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, and sparkling wine. Nice and light. Perfect to get the night started. Only improvement might have been a tiny splash of ginger liqueur.

While I have never heard of this liqueur, the beverage sounds delightful. I'm now thinking maybe I should have a couple airplane bottles of something (strong) with me in the car and shoot 'em right before heading in to security. Would be a lot cheaper than a Fun Ship Cocktail. It won't hit me until we're onboard, right?

Edited July 17, 2021 by KmomChicago