|
LAND OF LOBSTERS, MAPLE SUGAR & CLAM BELLIESBy Marty Martindale
It gets a bit coolish on a cruise to upper New England, some of the Canadian Maratimes, and down into Canada’s St. Lawrence River. However, it’s a quick art finding cushy hide-aways aboard the opulence of a well-appointed ship as she sleeks by the piney islands of Maine, the fishing villages of the northeast and slides into Canada.
Food is a very large part of a cruiser’s expectation. Plus. It’s “all you want, any time you want.” At breakfast, veteran cruisers of old may still expect kippered herring, daily if you wish, with scrambled egg and smothered onion. However, one must go to the dining room for this specialty. Sparcely-attended luncheons are served here as well. Evening time, “dress-up” time, brings out the largest dining crowds of the day.
Holland America’s rich Dutch history and her centuries-old association with the Indonesian and the Philippino people is an additional consideration for this cruise line in addition to where the cruise is taking place. The mixes of these races with New England and Canadian foods brought about some interesting dishes. Some were:
The Nasi Goreng Rijsttafel dinner is an Indonesian fried rice feast with juicy pork sate, spicy chicken drumstick, beef Sumatra, scallions, julienne of vegetables omelet served with pickled cucumber, crisp prawn crackers and a crisp-creamy fried banana. Hodge Podge is a Nova Scotian dish featuring freshly-harvested green beans, wax beans, carrots, turnip and new potatoes. These are cooked until tender, thickened with flour and water, made richer with butter and heavy cream. At the base of each night’s menu is information for people on semi-special diets. A small chef’s hat symbol indicates Chef Rudi Sodamin’s Signature Dish; “H” indicates a lighter dish; “V” indicates a vegetarian selection; “H” a healthful selection of grilled salmon, broiled chicken breast and grilled sirloin steak. Every night a no-sugar-added-dessert is featured. More special dietary limitation should be discussed when booking with a travel agent. Rather early in the cruise, during one late-night performance some of the crew presented “The Indonesian Crew Show,” their official ice-breaking Jakartan follies. We learned one of our waiters was the official Superman in the show, and we honored his super status for the remainder of the journey. On the same level as the Fountaine Dining Room separate bars and three different music lounges offer cruisers their type of music to dance to … to listen to before or after dinner. On Master Chef’s Dinner night, the wait staff donned French-styled chef toques, while guests put on tall chef toques. We read from menus shaped like a place-setting. The event opened when a grande marche of staff strutting with gigantic domed platters, bread fashioned into musical instrument shapes, the suspended dining room orchestra pit graced the elaborate music maestro conducted with a baton made from a golden bagette. The menu was festive: Phyllo Dough Purses oozing warm, Melted Brie … Tenderloin on Calvado-spiked Mushroom Ragout … topped off by Master Chef Rudi’s “Hats Off” finale dessert. Each Holland America ship has its Pinnacle Room, an extra fee, finely appointed, exclusive dining room. Cost: $30 per person, and on the Amsterdam, this room seats 68. Many cruisers dine several nights in the Pinnacle, and for this reason, Chef rotates seven menus for selection variety. On this particular evening, domed meat choices revealed exceedingly tall beef filets in two sizes, a ramblingly-large Porterhouse and a stately cut of Veal. These, Chef Shawn McKerness custom cooks in his 1600-degree Clamshell grill. A “Pittsburg” touch is a snap with the Clamshell. Fresh fish selections were Halibut and Cedar-Planked Scampi. A Wild Mushroom Ravioli was the vegetarian selection. The Amsterdam’s plush library, the Explorations Café, the largest library at sea, is complete with its own Barnes and Noble-type snackery serving Capacuccino, Latte, pastries and ice cream, all this with interesting books, internet privacy, easy music listening and scoochy leather loungers for any of the above complete with an ocean view. No snoozing tickets issued here. When not eating, other events entertained guests. Jill, the familiar loudspeaker voice, held a colorful napkin folding session, tricks to make napkins perky standing on their own waiting for a diner to spread them. Beth Foggin spoke on the foods of Eastern Canada and Chef? Chefs presented demonstrations on making Salmon Tartar, Dungeness Crab Cakes also Mangospacho. For those who seek mainlands, excursions, browsing, free trollies are the quest of many. Elaborately arranged excursions are the goals of others. It’s your call. © Marty Martindale, 2006, Largo FL Please visit: FOOD SITE OF THE DAY For more cruise information visit the HOLLAND AMERICA website. |
|
TM
From the Vikings and swells of Newport to the brave and
battered fishermen of Gloucester, the maple-sugar and pine country of Maine, the
“together feel” of Nova Scotia, the pristineness of Prince Edward Island we
journeyed. Then we went on to the Frenchiness of Quebec’s Chateau Frontenac with
a termination in upbeat, cosmopolitan Montreal. A northeastern North American
cruise is a nice way to go; in fact, Holland America only sends passengers this
way a few times each spring and fall. 
Built in the year, 2000 by the Fincantieri shipyard in
Marghera, Italy, the ms Amsterdam weighs 61,000-tons, accommodates 1380 guests
and an obliging crew of 590. She takes the sea like a hot knife through butter.
Amsterdam’s Lido Deck dining area is beautifully appointed
serves most of the more formal dining room menu. This deck is very popular deck,
made more-so with today’s increased reliance on informality and seeming day-long
hunger catering. . Once a quick snack stop for pool worshipers who wanted to don
a loose shirt and grab some really quick food, the Lido Deck has taken on a
newer definition in ships built more recently. A few of the newer type of cruise
passengers eats in this facility almost exclusively. 
Buffet presentation includes carving stations, salad bar,
an omelet station, sandwich bar, hot Mexican foods, quick hamburger-type foods,
a pasta station, hot Asian foods, in addition to what’s offered for breakfast
and at noon and main dining room selections at night.