Dinner at Rocca Tampa

Really great dinner at a relatively new place in the Heights district in Tampa.  Their signature feature is a mozzarella cart where they make a tableside caprese salad. They take mozzarella curds in a bowl, add hot water and then hand stretch at the table.  Served with sliced  heirloom tomatoes, a drizzle of 10-year aged balsamic and basil. So good!!   I don't think I will be able to order any other caprese salad again.  Having the cheese freshly made and still warm gave it so much flavor.  

Also tried the Ravioli Del Plin which were plump sage ravioli filled with Berkshire pork on a demi glace.  Such a delicious filling. The demi glace was slightly overreduced so it got a bit salty towards the end.  

My favorite dish was the Tagliolini Al Ragu.  This was closer to a Bolognese than a true Ragu but so delicious!   The Parmigiano added just enough saltiness.  And such delicate, eggy noodles.  I could order this again and again. 

For dessert we went to the nearby Jeni's ice cream and tried Strawberry Buttermilk, Buttermint and one called Everything Bagel.  The bagel one was my favorite.  Bits of bagel and then hints of salt, garlic and sesame all nestled in a cream cheese ice cream.  It was like having an everything bagel. So well balanced.

QUICK BITE: Post Cruise Breakfast

Good Morning from YVR!!  Time for breakfast after disembarking the ship.  Smoked Meat Hash with poached eggs and Mixed Berry French Toast. Both super satisfying.  Especially the hash with thin layers of meat in a vinegary sauce over sliced peppers and crisp potato wedges, topped with poached eggs.

Harmony Restaurant on Majestic Princess

We tried Harmony last night and it greatly exceeded my expectations. This is a unique restaurant. Other ships in this class have Princess' signature Italian restaurant called Sabatini's in this space. Because this ship was designed to spend most of its time in Asia, this restaurant is one of those influences.  

They have a very approachable menu with both familiar dishes and some more interesting.  

All has great flavors.  Especially the hot and sour soup, Peking duck salad and diced salty fish fried rice.  

The soup was a delicious broth which had just enough heat to keep you going back for more, without being overpowering.  They had also added some scrambled egg white which gives the broth a richer texture.  Some.flavorful and tender pork as well as crunchy bamboo shoots put this soup over the top.  My favorite hot and sour soup I have ever had.  

The salad had several slices of flavorful duck tossed with crunchy romaine, tomatoes and citrus. The dressing had hints of sesame oil and citrus. And there was some bite sized sesame crackers for crunch.  

Also tried the crab Rangoon. 

In most restaurants, this starter is heavy on the cream cheese and light on the crab.  That was completely reveesed for this dish. It has so much delicious crab with just enough cream cheese to keep it together without overwhelming the delicate flavor.  Well done!!

Also tried the Mongolian beef and General Tso's chicken.  Both had such great flavor and just enough heat to keep it interesting. 

Desserts were sake marinated fruit and green tea cheesecake.  

Both desserts were excellent.  They were familiar yet had interesting Asian twist.  The cheesecake had two layers. The bottom had the savory quality of green tea - almost like matcha.  And the top was a more traditional cheese cake consistency.  Definitely "Easy meets West".  

The sake marinated fruit was so refreshing with the lemony quality and the tea biscuit. 

It is $29/person.  We used a complimentary specialty dining coupon we had from a promo.  I wish they had some option "to go" since I would definitely get more of that soup and rice.