Travel Food-lovers cruise After dozens of other cruises, we were dubious about Oceania’s tag line – “The Finest Cuisine at Sea.” But they’re not kidding. Everything is made from scratch, from soups and sauces to freshly baked breads and desserts. The produce is fresh, not frozen, and the beef is USDA prime. Flights deliver international cheeses to each ship under temperature-controlled conditions. Provisions staff source fresh fish and seafood locally. Specialty restaurants incur no extra charge, unlike most other ships. In Toscana, an Italian restaurant with floorto-ceiling windows, the server wheeled a trolley of bottles to our table and invited us to select an extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar to accompany the mouth-watering breads at our table. At the Polo Grill steak and seafood restaurant, servers spooned port wine reduction sauce over our warm foie gras and mushroom appetizers and removed steamed lobster from the shell tableside. The Grand Dining Room offered a four-course tasting menu paired with wines, as well as à la carte appetizers, soups and salads with at least a dozen main courses, including vegetarian offerings. (Chefs accommodate special kosher, gluten-free, diabetic and other diets upon request prior to booking.) Sommeliers helped us select matching wines. Should we have the lobster and spring vegetable crêpes with langoustine bisque, the roasted veal with marsala sauce and mascarpone polenta or the duck à l’orange with braised red cabbage and almond potato croquettes? Decisions! Decisions! We always saved room for one of the delectable desserts. International cheeses in the Terrace Café Dining in Polo Grill steakhouse restaurant Freshly baked breads on table by floor-to-ceiling windows in Toscana, the Italian specialty restaurant CSANews | FALL 2017 | 19
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