FoodMayhem

Breakfast
We had time for a leisurely breakfast in the dining room, which started with more donuts, still the best part of breakfast on the boat. I had a sugar donut, Lon had a chocolate almond pastry, and we shared a pretty good blueberry muffin. The Mushroom Fritatta was over-cooked, while the cheese on top was not even melted, but the sausage and polenta sides were better.

Lon’s pancakes were just good enough but the hash browns stole the show, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, nice and hot, with lots of onion flavor.

Lunch
Katakolon is a really small village, with only one main strip running maybe 4-5 blocks. We really didn’t enjoy it since it was 4-5 blocks of pure tourist traps. Everything was over-priced, nothing seemed authentic, and other than water views, it wasn’t at all interesting to look at. We started lunch at a table right by the water, ordering an Octopus cooked in red wine. We noticed that the menu stated a bread cover charge of 1.50 Euros per person. Crazy right? The octopus was tender but also stringy and the flavor was mediocre. The bread wasn’t great either and this meal cost 17 Euros (20 Euros with tax, which is like $34) and it wasn’t even a complete meal.

We didn’t have enough faith in the restaurant to order another dish so Lon decided he wanted to try Chicken Gyro Platter from a dive. It was pretty tasty since it was mostly chicken fat and skin with only a little bit of meat. The pita was soaked in oil, but at least the wonderful tomatoes and raw onions made it a little heathier. Thanks to this platter, I have a new favorite pairing, French Fries dipped in garlicky Tzaziki.

Afternoon snack
There really wasn’t anything else we could do in Katakolon, after walking up and down their one strip 3 or 4 times so we headed back to the ship for activities. First we hit the ping pong tables, then a little sun bathing (Lon also went into the pool), then we hit the buffet. As you can see, we’re still eating more dessert than real food. The beef stuffed into the pita was tasty but chewy. Lon spent a minute trying to chew one mouthful and then apologized as he finally gave up and spit it out. The walnut cake was pretty good, light and not too sweet. The blueberry pie had a very hard crust, more like a cookie, and the filling was canned stuff. The cookies are ok.

Pre-dinner
We were obviously bored today. With nothing to do, we hit the pizza bar where I had one with mushrooms and prosciutto and Lon had two slices with pepperoni. Again, just ok but it’s pizza.

Dinner
Dinner was a similar experience to last night, pretty good compared to the first two nights, but a few problems still remained. We started with a seafood appetizer, chilled and fresh, but sitting in way too much mayo. I also had a vegetable minestrone which was ok.

Lon’s entree was Pappardelle with Rabbit ragout. The pasta and sauce, with bits of rabbit, was very good, but the slices of rabbit on top were severely over-cooked, tasting like dry pork.

I had the Turbot Saltimboca, which was a bit over-cooked but still a pretty tender fish. I pulled of the prosciutto on top which was dry and chewy, but otherwise enjoyed the fish with the tomato sauce, nicely cooked plain broccoli, and al dente linguine in olive oil. The dish also gets points for being served piping hot.

Before dessert, our waiter came by and attempted to sell us some limoncello and a souvenir glass. When he left, our table got into a conversation about how this cruise has been trying so hard to sell us stuff. It really annoyed us. Our table, full of frequent cruisers, had all noticed that there was an extra charge for things previous cruises had not charged extra for. I’m appalled that we have to pay for ice cream and toppings, soda, espressos and capuccinos. They try to sell you extra things every chance they get which makes me feel awkward. There is an air of desperation that makes me uncomfortable, like panhandlers in your face on the subway. It’s such a constant bombardment when they call this an all-inclusive vacation.

Lon was too full for dessert but I tried the Berry Sabayon Gratin. The crust-like top was chalky and just not attractive, but underneath the berries and sabayon were fine, although a bit sweeter than their other desserts.

We’re off to Athens next, hoping to get more authentic Greek food there.