Category Archives: Wine & Food

March 4, 2013 · 5:35 am

The First Road Trip of Spring . . .

The Roadster Awakens

. . . and astronomical spring is still officially over two weeks away (although meteorological spring occurred a couple of days ago). But all of February we’ve been below normal temperatures, and this past Sunday we smashed through the magical 68° (20° Celsius) mark, climbed all through the 70s, and topped out somewhere around 80° (27° Celsius). As the roadster has been in hibernation since early December, it was time to wake her up and put her to use.

Galeria Azul

Courtyard at Peppers Café/Double Eagle

So off we set for one of our favorite driving destinations — Mesilla, New Mexico, and the magnificent Old Mesilla town square, San Albino Basilica (yep, a real Basilica right there at the north end of the town square), quaint shops, and delightful restaurants.

Basilica San Albino

Billy the Kid Gift Shop

We have several dining “favorites” in this area, but today in particular Ursula was hungry for La Posta de Mesilla (which I’ll share with you on Friday). After lunch we strolled around central Mesilla for a little picture-taking expedition.

Rustic Furniture

Mesilla Town Square

Let’s face it — if you can’t find worthwhile photo opportunities in this small town, you need to turn in your memory card and give up photography. From the macro views encompassing the town square to honing in on just one architectural feature, Mesilla abounds in subjects.

Typical Territorial-style Architecture

The Back of La Posta de Mesilla

And if the vibrant New Mexico colors are not your thing, there are many scenes just begging for a little monochromatic post-processing magic.

Josefina’s Winery and Café

We’ll continue looking around Mesilla for more photographic subjects on Wednesday, and on Friday we’ll sit down for a massive luncheon at La Posta.

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Filed under Automobiles and Driving, Photography, travel, Wine & Food

Tagged as BMW Z3, driving, Mesilla, New Mexico, photography, roadster, travel

February 27, 2013 · 5:35 am

Behind the Scenes on the Norwegian Star — The Kitchen, Bakery, and Food Stores

Ask Not For Whom the Bell Tolls — It Tolls for Thee Carnival Triumph, Thee Carnival Splendor, and Thee Other Carnival Ships

If you’re into the current stainless kitchen appliances craze, you’d certainly tire of it quickly aboard a cruise ship. Unless, of course, you’re on a Carnival cruise ship, in which case you’d be ecstatic just seeing the inside of a place that once held unspoiled food as you’re being towed back into port in the aftermath of the de rigueur engine or laundry room fire. A few days without edible food makes even an MRE sound like a gourmet meal. But, once again, I digress.

Stainless . . .

Stainless Everywhere

And Way too Much to Eat

It’s truly incredible to think how much food is prepared for upwards of 3,500 passengers and crew. That’s a lot of chow. Speaking of chow, my inside industry sources tell me that there’s absolutely no truth to the rumor that Carnival ships are going to start placing emergency supplies of Purina in cabins next to the life-jackets. Oh, wait, this article is about NCL. Sorry. Got sidetracked.

Amazingly, there are even charts posted about the kitchens displaying the different Main Dining Room fare depending on the day of the cruise.

Menus

And More Menus

Everywhere you look you’ll find culinary crew creating cuisine for crazed cruise customers craving everything from cold cuts to cantaloupes to cold-water crustaceans for their carnivorous contemplations.

Culinary Crew Creatively Cutting Cutlets

Cooking Away

But I Don’t Do Big Macs!

By the way, did I mention stainless? Take another look and this steel-clad kitchen:

Dishing It Out

The Racks

Where’s Tonight’s Menu?

But there’s more to a kitchen than just the kitchen. A kitchen wouldn’t be a kitchen with a bakery. This particular bakery makes everything from chocolate chip cookies (which our tour group sampled) to French baguettes and everything in between.

Bread Dough Rising

Baked Bread Cooling

And then there are the various food storage areas. This part of the tour was positively chilling, as we walked into storage areas from everything from dairy products to frozen foods.

Chilling

Positively Chilling

A Cool Place to Be

Keeping Stuff in Cold Storage

While we’re on the subject of food storage, I understand that Carnival Cruises is issuing all passengers long sticks and stocking copious quantities of hotdogs and marshmallows. That way, when there’s an engine or laundry room fire, the passengers can roast their own food as they camp out on the decks. No word yet on how Carnival intends for their passengers to trench out a latrine area, but there have been reports that some of their ship pools have been emptied of water and filled with dirt.

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Filed under Humor, Photography, travel, Wine & Food

Tagged as cruise ships, humor, Norwegian Star, photography, travel

February 18, 2013 · 5:35 am

Cozumel Bar Hop — Parte Uno

I’m not going to do a lot of narrative over this week’s collection of pictures. I’m still too hung over. Just kidding. Actually, the breathtaking scenery just speaks for itself without much help from me, and a good author knows when words are unnecessary.

We’ve been to Cozumel several times, but this is the first time we’ve traveled out of the port town of San Miquel. And what better way to get to know the far side of the island than during a bar hop? The Cozumel Bar Hop is a tour that cost us $49 per person (now up to $57 since our return), and it’s darned well worth it. Not only do you see raging surf and great beaches, you also receive a drink at each stop (second, third, and so forth are on you). The food is extra, and a bit pricey, but the authentic Mexican pub fare is definitely a tasty treat you’ll want to try.

Here’s a taste (pun intended) of what you’ll see (click on individual photographs to view a larger version):