Beef on Honeymoon, Robot Reporting

After the electric-blue-and-definitely-not-tequila-based margaritas at the Peveto reception aboard Carnival Cruise Lines' best impressionist painting-cum-ship, I simply had to report in. The "Degas-rhymes-with-Vegas" Room [a quote from one of the hands on deck] was the reception site; Toulouse-Latrec's art decorated the ceremony area. Degas ballerina caryatids were the newel posts of many a stairwell, making for a delightfully arty promenade around, well, the promenade deck.

We grubbed a solid lunch buffet, including some standard chicken and lasagna dishes and the unquestioned winner of the hour, the Eggplant Tart. It was a slice of the aubergine atop puff pastry, topped with some mozzarella. The puff pastry was fairly light and the balance of all three flavors (along with a little tomato sauce, I believe), was very well-executed. Given more time (say, a week on the cruise ship), I might have added a couple of inches to the old waistline in Eggplant Tart alone.

By the way, did you know the eggplant is classified as a berry and is closely related both to tomatos and to tobacco? Try peeling your next eggplant and using it in place of potato for an interesting changeup. Or, continue to hate it because you "don't like the texture." (Now that we've said that, I should tell you that I initially left out the 'l' in peeling in the second sentence of this paragraph. That particular method is for paid professionals only. Do not try at home!)

The reception featured some tasty mushroom balls - a delight to Brad, no doubt - as well as some very good chicken nuggets. They weren't McDonald's quality or anything, but it is hard to make a chicken nugget really good, and these were really good. The ship seemed to succeed at frying various things, and even if they didn't keep everything piping hot, the food at least tasted very good.

I conclude with a great prayer of thanks and love to the fine folks at Pappasito's, who were so kind as to have added a take-out location at Houston's Hobby airport. 3 cheese enchiladas, rice, and beans made for 2 full bellies on the flight back to D.C. You may scoff, but Pappasito's was the best Tex-Mex we have had in months.

Robot out (to finish the capicola and emmenthaler sandwich sitting here).