Number 10:
Mushroom soup at Manfredi's Italian speciality restaurant. This was not too thick, had some crunchy croutons for texture and a deep, savory mushroom flavor. A larger serving with a loaf of nice crusty bread and side salad and you would have a great meal.
Of course there were more than 10 dishes I liked, so here are a few honorable mentions.
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| Mushroom soup |
Number 9:
The waffle at Mamsen's which is the quick service deli onboard. They serve this for breakfast and it is also available as a late night snack. Thin, crispy waffle (almost triple the thickness of a pizzelle cookie) with thin sliced Norwegian Brunost (brown cheese). The cheese is halfway between sweet and savory and melts in your mouth. Combined with the crispy waffle, tart berries and pillowy whipped cream, it is a perfect bite.
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| Waffle with Brunost Cheese |
Number 8:
Lamb carpaccio from the main dining room. Normally, you see beef carpaccio and lately I have seen restaurants have a spin with octopus or veggie carpaccio. Had never seen or had lamb before. I really like lamb, but not cooked the way my mother used to, Which means I don't like it roasted to where it becomes the texture of balsa wood, with not an ounce of moisture. I like it rare so seeing it prepared this way made it an easy choice for an appetizer. The lamb was slice so thin it really just melted. This is usually done by slightly freezing the meat and using a deli slicer. Very hard to duplicate this at home. It was so flavorful without being gamey which is a complaint many have against lamb. Not with this dish.
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| Lamb Carpaccio |
Number 7:
Seared Black Bass from main dining room. Almost all the fish on this cruise was really great so hard to just pick a few. We were told by the General Manager of the Hotel that they try to get fresh fish in each port which likely explains why the fish is so good. The skin was super crispy with delicate, flaky fish. Seasoned simply and served on a bed of farro. Farro has the texture somewhere between a chickpea and brown rice. Has an al dente bite to it so it doesn't get lost in a sauce.
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| Black Bass |
Number 6:
I am probably one of the few people that really enjoy fried liver and most of the dishes made with liver. When I could come home from college, my mother would ask what I wanted for meals and I always asked for fried liver with onions and mashed potatoes. So good!! On this sailing, there were many dishes for me to try including seared foi gras, chicken pate and this dish which made the top ten. It was duck pate which tasted like the great chopped liver I have had at the Stage Deli in New York City. So smooth and savory, perfectly paired with the crisp toast. Not for everyone, but I would order this again and again.
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| Duck Pate |
Number 5:
I have eaten in a lot of steakhouses around the world and have yet to have a steak as good as the one at Manfredi's. We had sailed on the Viking Sea in 2017 and also ate at Manfredi's and the signature ribeye was one of the highlights of that cruise. Could history repeat? Let's start with how the ribeye is described. It is named Bistecca Fiorentina which translates simply to Florentine Steak. Doesn't tell you much. But then you read more. It is coated in garlic oil then rubbed with porcini mushroom powder, kosher salt, chili flakes and brown sugar. It is hard to say which of the ingredients holds the magic, but I am going to say it is the mushroom powder. Mushrooms have by their very nature "umami" which is a japanese word which roughly translates to "pleasant savory flavor". It is the "meatiiness" you taste in a good soy or fish sauce. That little something that elevates an okay dish to extraordinary. I imagine mushroom powder by itself would be attune to eating sawdust. Once seared and combined with the other ingredients in the rub is when the magic happens. The char on the outside has so much flavor and pairs well with how flavorful a rib eye can be. I plan to keep trying to find a better steak somewhere, but it will be tough competition.
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| Ribeye at Manfredi's |
Number 4:
Another steak dish makes the top ten. I know many people will always order a filet mignon in a restaurant but I think it is a waste of your money since it has little to no fat which is where the flavor comes from. Is filet mignon decadent? Yes - but I think restaurants have fooled us into thinking it is what we should order for a "great" steak. I never order a filet mignon instead sticking to more marbled cuts such as flank steak or rib eye. In this case it was called a flat iron steak which is cut from the shoulder and also has great marbling. And it should be no surprise that the ingredients included some perfectly sauteed, buttery mushrooms with onions. Cooked perfectly medium rare it was nearly as perfect as the rib eye at Manfredi's
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| Flat Iron Steak with mushrooms |
Number 3:
One of the earlier Top Ten was a lamb carpaccio. There are a few "must order" items for me when I see them on a menu. One is a mushroom soup. Another is any form of octopus. Mexico has proved to have some of my favorite octopus dishes. The chefs there really know how to treat it with respect and not artificially mask the taste with other ingredients. So when I saw octopus carpaccios on the Manfredi's menu, I just had to order it. I am still not certain how they were able to get the octopus sliced this way. It seems as if they pressed the tentacles together into a mold, then froze it to be able to slice it so thin. Much like the lamb carpaccio, it just melted when you ate it. Nice additions of the large fragrant basil leaf, kalamata olves, pickled onions and fresh tomatoes. Just enough to take small bites with as a contrast to the briny octopus.
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| Octopus Carpaccio |
Number 2:
Unlike some other ships I have sailed, Viking Sea didn't have a dedicated space for sushi. They did have it one night on the buffet as part of seafood night and it was pretty good. There were a few items on the list of appetizers on the main dining room menu so when I saw one I jumped on it. One dish was the seared tuna. It has been crusted with sesame seeds and barely seared to keep it a perfect rare. I liked that they didn't season it any further and let the tuna speak for itself. The drizzle of the wasabi mayo was just enough to give some contrast and creaminess. An appetizer that I would order as an entree if I am lucky enough to sail on Viking again.
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| Seared Tuna with Wasabi Mayo |
Number 1:
One of the way I have of testing a food establishment if to try a classic dish and see how they are able to prepare it. If that item is good, then it is promising for other dishes on the menu. For example, if I am at a new pub, I will try their basic cheeseburger with fries. A cheeseburger is something that sounds simple to make, but many things can go wrong. And then all the missteps that can happen with the french fry. One our last sea day, we had lunch in the main dining room. Somewhat hidden at the bottom of the menu was a burger. I wish I could remember the exact name but I think it was called a Bulguri Burger. They certainly weren't featuring this burger and our server even said that it wasn't going to be that good and maybe I should order something else. I stuck with my order (although did order a fish dish as a "backup"). I am so glad I did since it was one of the best burgers I have ever had. Let's start with the seasoning. While it wasn't listed, I think it used some combination of garlic, soy and fish sauce for the ultimate in umami!! It was topped with some sesame seeds for added crunch. And it was definitely cooked on a flattop grill where they obtained the flavorful crusty bits I craved while still maintaining moisture in the patty. And the fries were thin, crispy and had been salted fresh out of the fryer. Exactly what a french fry should be.
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| Bulgari Burger |
Of course there were more than 10 dishes I liked, so here are a few honorable mentions.
Escargot - These were a classic presentation with garlic and parsley. If you are afraid to try escargot, order them on your next cruise. When prepared this way, they mostly taste like garlic and butter - and if you like those flavors you will like these. Add crusty bread and it is a great start to a meal.
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| Escargot |
Artichoke ravoli - The filing was good, but this was all about the delicate lemon sauce.
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| Artichoke ravoli |
Eggplant "Rollatini" with Veal - Well seasoned veal wrapped with eggplant that was still al dente. I could have done without the blanket of cheese and the sauce was a little bland.
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| Eggplant "Rollatini" with Veal |
Green Tea Gelato - This ship had eight or more flavors of freshly made gelato that changed daily. Some great flavors, but my favorite was the green tea. Such a deep, rich tea flavor without being overly sweet.
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| Green Tea Gelato |
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