When we heard the descriptions of Eden being about healthy dishes and food inspired by the Earth's elements pre-cruise, I could feel Mr. Picky Eater recoiling at the thought before we ever stepped foot on the ship. We both agreed to give it a one visit try with the promise of grabbing food elsewhere if we didn't like it.
My version of the "My name starts with D so I'm going to pose inside the D in the Eden sign photo" doesn't turn out as well when you're only 5'7" tall! Note my trying to stand still on a rocking ship while Dad snaps the photo while I'm in the middle of asking if he's taken it yet pose.
Eden has a couple different options onboard. There is the Eden Cafe which is a small included venue where you can get some pastries and hot egg sandwiches at breakfast along with some panini style sandwiches at lunch. We checked it out shortly before it closed for the morning and found the place nearly empty. You place your order at the counter and get the lovely parting gift of a pager to let you know when your order is ready.
We ordered cinnamon buns and a couple egg based breakfast sandwiches. Dad picked out the bagel sandwich and I went with a panini style sandwich with bacon and cheese. A bite away from finishing his sandwich, Dad asks "Oh did you want to take a picture first?" The juice, coffee, and water is self serve across from the counter. Everything looked premade and sitting on display so the fact that we got a pager seemed silly.
When our pager went off, I walked back to the counter to retrieve my order. We were missing one of the cinnamon buns. It turns out that someone had placed the cinnamon bun plate next to the panini press when they were making my sandwich but then forgot to add it to the plates they handed me.
The cinnamon bun - basically a croissant squished into a circular hive shape and then shellacked with icing. Mostly hard as a rock and lacking in any recognizable cinnamon flavor.
The egg, cheese, and bacon breakfast sandwich - The bread was reheated in the panini press but I'm not sure how making it even more stale was going to help. I ended up taking off the thicker top piece of bread and eating the rest of the sandwich open faced.
Unfortunately, both the sandwiches and pastries tasted like they'd been sitting out all morning. My sandwich had the bread warmed but everything else was cold. We never made it a priority to see what was offered at lunchtime.
On to our dinner experiences for a much more enjoyable report. The cover charge for ordering off Eden's regular menu is $60 per person and $100 per person if you chose to try the Tasting Menu that includes a wine pairing. I believe our first (ooo foreshadowing) waitress, Edna (who with the biggest smile told us her name was easy to remember because it was like Eden only with an A) explained at the start of the meal that the Tasting Menu option was not included for us. However, I'm unclear whether she meant not included in the $60 cover charge or not included as part of our suite cabin level. We had no interest in the wine pairing so we didn't question her further. The Tasting Menu also limits you to choosing between only two dishes for each course and even this girl needs her options.
Our amuse bouche for this meal was some sort of beef tartare. I've never been a fan of anything followed by the word tartare. I don't think it's the raw food idea so much as a texture issue. I've tried some other meat tartare dishes on cruises but something about when it's beef with a slimy texture seems even worse. Maybe that's why I'm also not a fan of ceviche. I did though give it a proper try before vetoing the dish.
First up from the Appetizers section of the menu is Tandoori Style Beef - shredded vegetables, creamy polenta, hot tomato spice marinade. Dad's choice after Edna assured him it wasn't really spicy. He really enjoyed this dish as it was a great balance between the flavor of the beef and the creamy polenta.
I went with two appetizers - Sheep's Milk Gnocchi because I love trying gnocchi whenever I see it on the menu, and Truffled Huitlacoche Risotto. The latter was recommended as the dish to get by Dee from ParoDeeJay. Not normally a risotto fan but I was compelled to try it.
First up - Sheep's Milk Gnocchi - guanciale, sage butter, and smoked pecorino cheese. Bacon, flavored butter, and smoked cheese, what a wonderful combination. The portion was plentiful with large pieces of gnocchi. The gnocchi was easy to cut through but still had a substantial substance and texture allowing one to savor the flavor combination.
Next the Truffled Huitlacoche Risotto - hen of the wood mushrooms, pea tendrils, and mascarpone. I believe Dee described this dish as a hug in a bowl. I don't think I'll try hugging this dish anytime soon as I end up wearing enough food on my clothing as it is but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this risotto. It is a wonderful blend of earthy flavors mellowed out by the warm melty cheese. It reminded me of a portabella mushroom being used in place of burger meat only without the smoky grilled flavor. If you're looking for a vegetarian offering that doesn't make you feel like something's missing, this is the appetizer for you.
Y'all - if you've read any of my previous writings then you know my constant quest for soft bread rolls on cruises. I love that after asking on Princess they always brought me the soft "cafeteria rolls" of my youth. I love that on Viking I asked and was brought the soft popover style rolls from the Italian restaurant. Pasta and bread are two of their own food groups for me so when I find someone who brings me soft bread rolls, you're my new best friend! We ate in a lot of specialty restaurants on this cruise because we could but let me tell you, if you're a soft roll lover like myself, sail on the Celebrity Beyond. It seemed like the soft rolls were either the only option or at least always an option. It's a good thing my phone caddy wasn't any bigger or some rolls might have rolled right back to the cabin with me.
We also both tried the Filet Mignon and Mini Short Rib Wellington - mashed potatoes, vegetables, mushrooms, and bordelaise. Pictured below is the filet mignon cooked medium. I liked the combination of similar meats prepared two different ways. Both were tender and flavorful. Only critique I'd add is that the sea salt on top of the filet was a little too much of it and made random bites taste like a salt lick.
For dessert we chose different options. My choice was the Strawberry Dessert - vanilla chiffon sponge, strawberry, vanilla ice cream, and a souffle blanket. I was pleasantly surprised at how soft and light the sponge cake was and the strawberries tasted fresh. I'm not personally a fan of lemon flavor in dishes so the smell and taste of lemongrass sprinkled all over this dish became too overpowering to eat the rest of the cake part. I did finish the strawberries inside and most of the ice cream.
Dad went with the Azteca Chocolate Pie - mole ganache, praline croustillant, chocolate cremeux, and cardamom ice cream. Dad was hesitant about the cardamom ice cream because it was a flavor he'd never tried so Edna offered to switch the ice cream on the plate for vanilla. She encouraged Dad to at least let her bring the cardamom ice cream in a bowl on the side so he can try it. He did take the smallest bite of the cardamom ice cream - one that if it were any smaller we'd need to break out the microscope, before declaring that he didn't like it. He happily finished off the cake and vanilla ice cream however.
When we were deciding where to eat when pre-cruise, we intentionally left a night unscheduled about halfway through the cruise. This gave us a night to play it by ear based on how specialty dining-ed out we felt. Or to avoid the situation where we ate so often in specialty restaurants that we didn't get enough experience in our regular dining room. When this day rolled around, we checked out the Luminae menu and decided that Eden was worth another try after all. Normally, making a reservation that day would be a challenge but when we asked our butler to make the reservation, he was able to get us in close to the same time we'd booked all of our dining pre-cruise. This was definitely an improvement over our experiences trying to get specialty dining reservations when sailing in the Aqua Sky Suite on Equinox.
We were seated in a different section and thus had a different server tonight. Both visits had wonderful service and we made a point of commending them both to Eden's maitre'd before we left. I'd also like to send a friendly wave and hello to the kind couple seated next to us this evening. We shared our past Aruba excursion experiences with each other. They had plans to do the same submarine excursion we did in May and were concerned about how they'd fare. I had hoped to run into them again to ask how it went but never got the chance.
Tonight's amuse bouche was like a pumpkin cream soup with a dollop of whipped goat cheese in the middle. If you like drinking your pumpkins, then this would be perfect for you.
My appetizer choice was the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake - chipotle mayonaise, piquillo, cucumber, and dill salad. Yes, I'm biased when it comes to my crab cakes but this one gets a thumbs up! I liked how it wasn't breaded all the way around but instead just enough at the top and bottom to create a seared crust. There was a little bit of spiciness to the sauce that surprised me but not enough to turn me off of finishing the dish.
Dad ordered the Free Range Lamb Loin - dijon herb crust, apple, turnips, salsify, croissant, and lamb roasting juices. We were a little surprised by the dish's presentation as we expected more of the classic lamb on the bone appearance. Dad said this dish was just okay.
Realizing I'd made it this far in the cruise without ordering some version of lobster, I chose the Nova Scotia Lobster Casserole for my entree on this second visit. This dish features glazed leeks, neuski bacon, sweet corn, and marble potatoes. While I'd classify this entree with the 1-2 ravioli where's the rest of it club, this dish was very tasty. The lobster consisted of claw and tail meat, tasted fresh, and was cooked well. I loved how the sweet corn was presented as sheared off the cob remnants making it easier to eat with your dish and saving your loved ones from getting showered while you try to eat it straight off the cob.
Dad went back to his first love of the Azteca Chocolate Pie with vanilla ice cream for dessert tonight while I stepped out of my comfort zone to try the Butterscotch Creme Brulee. Doesn't every great dessert description read "Carrot gel and brandy snap?" Regular creme brulee is one of those okay every once in a while dessert options in my book but I've never been a fan of butterscotch flavored anything. And now we've added in the flavor of carrot into dessert (and no I'm not choosing that carrot cake either). Trust me, our server says, it's better than it sounds! If you love creme brulee and/or carrot cake, then maybe you'll love this combination. For me, some things just don't go together well. I gave this one such an old college try that I even went to graduate school in my efforts to give this dish a true tasting. Unfortunately, the flavor combination just Piled Higher and Deeper reinforcing my taste buds desire to drop (the spoon) out.
We had arrived in Aruba during dinner for our overnight stop so I hopped off the ship to grab some photos of the ship. To end this post, please enjoy one of my favorite pictures from the trip:
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