The Invitation
Executive Chef Ralph Fernandez had graciously offered to present my girlfriend Michelle and me with a Private Tasting. Such a dinner consists of a combination of food and wine selections, some especially created for the meal, in order to highlight the kitchen’s skills creativity and the depth of the restaurant’s wine cellar. These special dinners can be arranged for parties of almost any size. This is something you should experience at least once in your lifetime.
My girlfriend, Michelle, and I arrive for our reservations a bit early and are given a tour of the Chef’s Table by the Moshulu’s Assistant Director of Food and Beverages, Jake Wade. This magnificent private dining room is able to seat 25 guests, is equipped with a private restroom, and a separate chef’s entrance. Special arrangements may be made for the Chef’s Table’s use. Jake then seats us at our table and briefs us on what we should expect tonight.
The Tasting
Tonight, we will enjoy seven courses, each served with a separate wine. Some of the dishes will be taken from the current menu, while others have been created especially for our culinary delight. The wines have been chosen to match each course very carefully. We will find many of the quaffs on the ship’s wine list; however, there will be a few that have been selected from the reserve stock with the intent of tantalizing our palates in ways we cannot imagine. Executive Ernie Rich is personally creating the seventh, dessert course for us. It will be a symphony of his pastry creations designed to triumphantly cap a perfect meal.
With these words, Jake leaves us, and Chef Fernandez comes to the table. He says, “Are you guys ready?” with a wide grin. “This is gonna be good. My sous chef, Joey, is helping me tonight. He’s our newest addition and I think you’re going to be really happy with his creations.” He looks at us anxiously, “Okay, let’s get you started.” Chef walks back to the kitchen.
Waiting in the wings, we notice our favorite waitress, who approaches the table with two flute glasses of champagne. “Jake has chosen the
Cristalino Cava for you to start your evening,” she says with a broad smile. “This is a Spanish sparkling wine with a toasted almond finish,” she informs us.
We try the Cava. It has a nutty nose; a bit yeasty with a floral nuance. It has no legs. It is a golden yellow. Most definitely, this is an extra dry champagne with a toasted pear flavor and finish. Only a hint of nut is present in the finish, though I cannot pinpoint it as being almond.
We talk with our waitress until she is summoned away to the kitchen for our first course. Returning, she brings us Hawaiian Tuna Crudo. This is sushi grade tuna, red and yellow watermelon, balsamic reduction, sea salt, microgreens, and mustard oil. The presentation is gorgeous. The tuna is pinker than the watermelon. The melons’ natural sweetness has been intensified by the sea salt. Combined with the microgreens that line the top of the tuna, the mélange of colors creates a magnificent sight. Mustard oil and balsamic reduction meld to provide a sweet and a spicy choice of sauces. Together, they were fabulous.
With the Cristalino, the Tuna Crudo sends shivers down my spine. Had the champagne been anything but extra dry, it would have ruined the dish. The extra dry toasted pear finish, however, magnifies the flavors in the dish seamlessly. This is very surprising given the multitude of tastes that I have to deal with. A sweeter champagne would be too cloying for the dish, I am afraid. This inexpensive, non-vintage wine, however, does the trick.
With the table cleared, Michelle and I discuss the tuna. We cannot believe how delicious our first course was. Chef Fernandez will be hard pressed to outdo himself. And the champagne was such a treat, too. We wonder what the ship has in store for us next.
Our waitress does not keep us in the dark for long. She informs us that she will be selecting our wines this evening, and begins with a 2005 Sterling Chardonnay that no longer appears on the Moshulu’s wine list.
The
Our waitress soon serves us the Tempura Shrimp and Lobster Taco. This is accompanied by a yellow tomato and red onion jalapeño salad,
avocado salsa, red pepper jam, and cilantro crème fraiche. The dish appears to be two miniature taco towers of seafood wonderment. On the left, I find the avocado salsa covered tower. This is topped by the yellow tomato and red onion jalapeño salad. To the right stands the cilantro crème fraiche topped taco tower. Both are surrounded by a lovely swirl of the red pepper jam.
To the eyes, this is a delicious dish. Now, I must taste with my mouth. The avocado salsa is not a guacamole. Rather, it is a chunky salsa of avocado, onion, garlic, salt and pepper, and cilantro. Most prevalent, however, is the avocado. The salad is a fabulous combination of sweet, refreshing yellow tomatoes, mild, yet piquant red onions, and spicy and exhilarating jalapeños. Taken together, the two toppings are a delicious accompaniment.
The tempura shrimp has been very lightly flash fried. This leaves the shrimp quite moist and flavorful. The lobster tastes as though it has been steamed, creating a buttery morsel that cannot be mistaken for anything else. When the two are eaten with the salsa-salad topping, the results are magnificent. I can taste each of the seafood flavors distinctly; while gaining the additional perspective of experiencing a melding of flavors with the topping’s elements. The avocado salsa contributes a soft textured sweetness. The salad adds its menagerie of flavors to accentuate the sweet seafood tastes, in a manner not unlike a cocktail sauce.
I try the second, crème fraiche topped taco. The crème fraiche has a light taste. It is not dominating in any way. Instead, it will allow the seafood to play the major role on the palate. Tasted with the taco, I find that I am correct. The crème fraiche brings out the seafood’s sweetness in a magical way. It complements the dish very well. I next taste this combination with a bit of the red pepper jam. The jam is sweet and plays well against both the shrimp and the lobster.
Now I test my waitress’s wine acumen by tasting the Sterling Chardonnay with each of the taco towers. With the avocado salsa topped tower…Homerun! The round, buttery nature of the wine works wonders, and the ultra dry nature of the wine is dissipated a bit. Gone is the grapefruit nuance in the finish. The effects on the taco are similarly well taken. The sweet, spicy contrasts in the taco’s toppings are kept at a neutral so that I do not have to suffer through unusual sugars or spiciness.
The crème fraiche topped taco is a winner as well. The mild nature of the crème fraiche leads me to anticipate a great match, and I find my predictions correct. The wine complements the seafood extremely well. It even plays off of the red pepper jam in a most enjoyable way, augmenting the sweet pepper flavors, without making them annoying.
When our plates have been cleared, both Michelle and I make a point of complimenting our waitress for the Sterling Chardonnay. Her response? “I really wanted to surprise you with that one. It’s not on our wine list anymore, so when I found it in the cellar, I thought you should have some.”
Our water glasses are refilled, and our waitress brings us our next wine: Airlie 7,
As Michelle and I are discussing the Airlie 7, our waitress serves us the next course: Maine Diver Scallops. These are served with truffle-scented, house-made pea and mint ravioli in heirloom tomato jus. On the dish are three of the largest scallops I have ever seen, topped with two large ravioli. The aroma is heavenly, and the presentation is beautiful.
First, I taste a forkful of a ravioli. The fusion of pea and mint with a truffle scenting is divine. This is caressed by the mild tomato flavoring in the jus. The mint is not such that I can pick up an aroma, but rather a background flavor used to intensify the bold taste of the pea in the ravioli. This, my friends, makes this portion of the dish fantastic.
Next, I cut into gigantic scallop with my fork. This is like passing a sharp knife through melted butter. The scallop tastes like a scallop which means that the kitchen has neither overcooked it, nor have they attempted to improve on the shellfish’s wonderful flavor. Perfect! The morsel absolutely melts in my mouth. It is almost creamy in texture, without any sand. With the tomato jus, the two light flavors are a superb complement to one another. The scallop tastes a bit more buttery in the jus.
Now, I must combine the three elements. The pea, mint, scallop, and tomato meld into a magnificent flavor kaleidoscope. The sweet pea, nuanced mint, sweet scallop, and mild tomato create what could be a light marinara. The pasta in the ravioli is not so bold flavored as to overwhelm the scallop, nor is the pea robust enough to overshadow the buttery scallop flavorings. This allows all three flavors to appear on the tongue and palate equally.
The Airlie 7’s fruity flavorings and dry finish work well with this dish because there is no competition between tastes. Instead, the wine augments the flavors of the pea and the scallop with its apple and pear. Similarly, the dish does not create chaos with the wine, most likely due to the lack of a taste of alcohol in the wine and the dry finish. Residual sugars would have ruined this pairing.
While we are enjoying this course, Chef Fernandez comes to the table to ask our opinion on everything so far.
After we finish the scallops, and our water glasses have been refilled, we are given a short rest before the next wine is served.
The next wine to arrive is Trinchero Chardonnay,
To accompany the Trinchero Chardonnay, we soon receive Porcini Crusted Halibut, served with celery root potato puree and glazed petite vegetables, surrounded by a ring of summer black truffle vinaigrette. The halibut rests atop the potato puree, and the vegetables lean against them to the side. As mentioned, the truffle vinaigrette is presented in a ring around the whole. This is a very colorful, well presented dish. The eyes are drawn to the halibut at the highest point on the platter, but cannot help glancing at the brightly colored vegetables.
My first taste is of the celery root potato puree. This collaboration of flavors is quite interesting. The mashed potato base is mellowed out by the celery root. The celery root is not a predominant flavor, although it is present in a supporting role. These are a mashed potatoes recipe worth trying for the holidays if I can convince Chef to part with the recipe. When I dip the puree in the truffle vinaigrette, however, things are, to quote another chef, “Kicked up a few notches.” The vinaigrette has savory aspects to it that no ordinary potato gravy could ever aspire to have. The summer truffle brings to it a boldness that intensifies the celery root potato puree without overpowering it with its own overwhelming flavors.
The Trinchero’s peach and citrus work well with the puree and do not fight with the vinaigrette. The very dry finish is appropriate for the flavors I am experiencing on my fork as a sweet wine would be quite contrary.
Next, I try the glazed petite vegetables. These are fresh, crisp, and sweet. They have not been overcooked, nor over seasoned. The Chef has allowed them to show their true personalities and flavors. Given that the halibut is the star of the dish, he probably does not wish to confuse us with too many magnificent tastes all at once. I choose not to try the vinaigrette on the vegetables since they have already been glazed.
I taste the wine. The vegetables truly serve as neutrals. They could be served with almost any white wine and still taste delicious. Such is the case with the Trinchero. There is nothing in the wine to detract from the vegetables, nor anything in the vegetables to clash with the wine. If anything, the wine amplifies the fresh, earthy flavors of the vegetables, making them taste so much sweeter.
At last, I taste the porcini crusted halibut. The porcini has been chopped and mixed with breadcrumbs. Between the two, however, there is obviously more porcini. This has been used to crust the top of the halibut in a thick layer. The porcini’s flavor is quite savory, almost meaty. I don’t detect any spices in the mix other than the possibility of salt to enhance the porcini’s flavor. The halibut falls apart. It is light and flaky. The combination of the two elements’ flavors sets rockets off in my mind. The first bite takes both Michelle’s and my breath away, it is so delicious. Michelle comments to me, “For anyone who does not like fish, this is the fish for them to try because there is no fishy flavor to the halibut at all.” And right she is. This dish has no unpleasant tastes to it.
I dip the halibut in the vinaigrette and taste it. Mixing the summer truffle vinaigrette with the porcini crusted halibut is similar to discovering the combination of chocolate and peanut butter for the first time. The savory truffle combined with the equally savory porcini and the mild halibut is exactly the way that fish should taste. Of course, the porcini and truffle vinaigrette would probably go with just about anything.
The chardonnay, with its ripe fruits and very dry, crisp finish, complements the halibut very well. Given that the halibut is such a mild fish in this dish, my worry in the pairing are the porcini and the truffle vinaigrette; however, those worries are quickly allayed when the fruits lift the porcini to a new height of boldness and the truffle rounds out the wine’s buttery aspects.
Our waitress has been keeping our water glasses full throughout the meal to assist us with our wine tasting. She has also been very attentive to all of 
our needs.
With our course finished, our waitress clears the table. She soon returns with a Spanish wine: Vina Sardasol,
We can only wonder what Chef Fernandez has in store for us next.
We are not kept waiting long. Soon, our waitress appears bearing two platters of Hudson Valley Foie Gras with Chocolate Dipped Crostini. The presentation is very simple. First, the Chef combed bittersweet chocolate across the bottom of the plate. The foie gras was placed on the right hand side of the plate, and the chocolate dipped crostini was placed on the left hand side of the plate. Atop the crostini were three candied wedges of mandarin orange.
Quickly, I taste the foie gras, making sure to get some bittersweet chocolate on my fork. Tremendous! Who would have ever imagined that chocolate and goose liver could taste so good together? Could this be the next Hershey’s candy? The foie gras is rich, buttery, and delicate, yet luxurious on the palate.
The Vina Sardasol complements the foie gras oh so well. The blackberry, dark fruit, and tobacco draw out the foie gras’s richness, accentuating its luxurious nature. The long finish allows you to enjoy the experience endlessly. Furthermore, the wine’s berry and fruit aspects work magnificently with the chocolate. As a singular taste mixture, this is a masterpiece. The tobacco in the wine rounds things out with its sweet, mouth-filling properties.
Before I have an opportunity to taste the crostini, Chef Fernandez comes to speak with us. “How do you guys like the foie gras?” he says. “That’s my sous chef, Joey’s, creation. When he told me he wanted to do chocolate with foie gras, I was like, “Eh. Go for it. Either they’re gonna love it, or they’re gonna throw it at me.’ So which is it?”
From the enormous smiles on our faces, the answer is obvious. Joey has created a masterpiece. We send our compliments back to the kitchen for Joey.
Now for the crostini. The first bite is amazing. The sweet crostini, the bittersweet chocolate, and the candied mandarin orange go together only too well. I can imagine myself enjoying this treat at Christmas. I decide that, although the foie gras is amazing, these two elements are not meant to be mixed.
I taste the wine. Again, the wine and the chocolate are a superb pairing. The slight sweetness added by the crostini and the mandarin orange are not enough to ruin the match. Indeed, the orange helps to bring out the blackberry in the wine.
Our waitress has awed us thus far with her sommelier-like abilities. I have no idea how many courses are left, but I hope that she does not let us down before it is over.
With our table cleared, our waitress brings us glasses of Solaris, Cabernet Sauvignon, 
serious blackberry and dark chocolate nose with a dash of nutmeg. It is brown with purple to the rim. The flavors are blackberry, black cherry, and tobacco. The Solaris has a very short finish. I detect no sugar. It is dry on the tongue. There is a bit of smoke evident in the finish.
Before long, we are served Lamb Tenderloin with extra virgin olive oil, panzanella salad, ricotta salata, and nodine bacon. The lamb is cooked medium and sits in its own juices. The panzanella salad, a lovely combination of green, red, and white, rests beside it. The ricotta salata is draped across the two of them. The nodine bacon leans against the panzanella salad and is garnished with some microgreens. A beautiful, colorful display 
in the center of the white platter, making good use of empty space.
The nodine bacon, an apple smoked meat, is not salty like many bacons, nor is it greasy. Its flavor is of the apple smoke and pork, pure and simple. The ricotta salata is firm and a bit salty. It is a dry cheese with a creamy taste. The panzanella salad is a nice addition to this mix. Here, I encounter a fresh sweet tomato, fresh basil, a hint of lemon, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and finely diced red onion. The salad is delicious and refreshing.
Each of the above elements goes extremely well with the Solaris. The Cabernet seems made for red meats, and the bacon is no exception. This bodes well for the lamb. The ricotta salata is a fine, mild tasting cheese to pair with almost any red wine. The minimal saltiness has no negative effect on the Solaris. Instead, the Solaris enhances the subtle flavors of the cheese, bringing out its fresh flavor and creamy taste. The panzanella salad is ripe with flavors for the Cabernet Sauvignon to play with. The tomato, lemon, balsamic, and onion risk having their acidity overwhelm the wine; however, the wine is big enough to handle it. The sweet tomato flavors and basil meet the wine halfway, in fact, with their contributions.
The juicy lamb tenderloin has been beckoning me. I cut through the meat with ease with only my fork. Juices flow from the lamb freely. My mouth floods with flavor as I take my first bite. The lamb is sweeter and tenderer than beef. The meat has a buttery texture to it. The flavor is uniquely delicious; rarely have I enjoyed a piece of meat this much. Michelle points out that I am rolling my eyes back.
The Solaris pairs with the lamb perfectly. The strong black cherry and tobacco in the wine play off of the lamb magnificently, bringing out some subtler nuances in the meat that I had not noticed before. I am now picking up the grilled taste on the outside of the tenderloin that has sealed in the juices, and the differences in flavor between the center of the meat and the outer portion of the tenderloin. This, my friends, is what food-wine pairing is all about. A well matched wine can intensify a meal in such magical, mystical ways. Standing Ovation for our waitress!
When the table has been cleared, we are given a few moments to relax and regroup before facing the next course.
Our waitress surprises us with glasses of Jackson Triggs, Vidal Ice Wine,
My waitress, once again, fails me not. We are soon greeted by cups of cappuccino and dessert: a scoop of mango sorbet riding atop a shortbread cookie. Adorning the sorbet is a triangle of colored white chocolate. Surrounding the dessert is a raspberry coulis. It is pretty, yes, but how does it taste? The white chocolate decoration tastes like real chocolate, not the plastic faux chocolate we are forced to suffer through at Easter time. The mango sorbet comes as close to being a real mango as it can without being a real mango. The flavor is sweet is scrumptious. I lick my lips with glee. The shortbread cookie makes for a 
delightful service piece. It adds crunch and texture without being overly sweet. It carries the flavor of the sorbet, and even picks up the raspberry coulis to allow me to enjoy that taste, too. This dessert takes the cake!
I taste the ice wine. The sweet mango and the fruit heavy Jackson Triggs go together splendidly. The complementary natures of the grape and mango work very well alongside the shortbread. The chocolate gains an added dimension to its flavorings from the wine due to the sweet length in the ice wine. This approaches fruit-filled chocolate confections in taste. Marvelous pairing.
Before we have finished licking our fingers, Executive Pastry Chef Ernie Rich appears with yet another dessert-filled platter for us! He holds a presentation of The Grand Chocolate Tasting, The Brown Butter Walnut Tart, and The Lemon White Chocolate Cheesecake, each obviously attempting to out-entice us more than the next. Michelle and I smile wickedly at one another before taking our first bites.
I first taste the Lemon White Chocolate Cheesecake. This is presented with a ginger poppy tuile, blueberry sorbet, and hibiscus reduction. The ginger poppy tuile is a sweet, slightly spiced cookie adding some crisp texture to the cake. The blueberry sorbet is divine. The blueberries are ripe and the flavor is bold. The cold, sweet addition provides perspective to the dessert. The hibiscus reduction combines sweet and mellow flavors with a floral attitude. The grand finale to this dish, however, is the cheesecake itself, of course. Mixing the nuance of lemon with the white chocolate brings out the chocolate’s cocoa attributes, allowing you to experience chocolate for what it should be. Using white chocolate increases the cocoa butter while decreasing the cocoa solids. This works well with cheesecake because the white chocolate will blend better with the cream cheese. The flavors in this dish mix without problem. Any combination of elements works equally well.
I sip my wine. Again, the white chocolate and the ice wine are a magnificent match. Similarly, the sorbet, the tuile, and even the hibiscus reduction pair perfectly with the Jackson Triggs. The various fruits in the dessert, the sweet, spice of the cookie, and the sweet fruit of the wine all complement each other in a dance. There is no misstep or miscue between flavors.
My next target is the Brown Butter Walnut Tart. The pastry crust has been blind baked. The filling seems to be a combination of walnuts, brown sugar, and butter. It is elegant in its simplicity. The tart is topped with a scoop of banana sorbet, a fried banana spear, and dark rum crème Anglaise. The banana and walnut aromas waft their way to my nose.
First, I taste the banana sorbet. Mmmm…this is as creamy and banana as it can get, far outdoing any banana ice cream on the market. The fried banana spear is sweet and crunchy. I cut into the flaky pastry crust. The tart filling is wet and sticky, almost like a nutty caramel. And the taste causes me to roll my eyes and moan. I think Chef Ernie Rich has created dessert perfection! I have to find a way to keep Michelle from noticing this one. Maybe I can distract her with the ginger poppy tuile. Oh, this is too good. The walnuts are fresh and crunchy, full of, well, walnut flavor. The flaky crust is dry and heavy, and the filling is like liquid caramel, only stickier. Damn! She’s seen the tart!
I might as well taste my wine now.
With the Ice wine’s long, sweet fruit flavor, the walnut tart is overwhelmingly good. I am surprised that the combination of sweets does not come across as sickening. Rather, they play well off of one another. The walnuts and the grapes are great companions for each other. The caramel and pastry are equally well suited to the wine. And the bananas go hand-in-hand with the luscious flavors found in the Jackson Triggs. I may have died and gone to heaven. Oh no! She likes the tart!
On to the Grand Chocolate Tasting. This symphony of chocolate confections is composed of: a warm chocolate tart, chocolate sorbet, Black Magic Cake with a trio of ganaches, and Chocolate Surprise. I feel myself slowing down as the effects of our multi-course dinner begin to show themselves. Our waitress stops by to see how we are doing and to refill our water. We signal that we are still alive and well and thank her for checking.
The chocolate sorbet is decadent. I see images of fudgecicles in my head, only much more chocolaty. The chocolate is bittersweet and rich. No effort is spared at the Moshulu to create food that borders on the artistic. I enjoy this simple sorbet as much as anything else I have enjoyed all evening long.
The warm chocolate tart is presented in a miniature of the pastry crust used for the brown butter walnut tart. This has been filled with what tastes like a blackberry under-filling, and a top-filling of dark chocolate. The collision of sweet berry and decadent, pure chocolate is nothing short of hedonistic. I can see myself requesting a much larger version of this for a special occasion…like Tuesday.
The Black Magic Cake (recipe available on the “Chefs’ Offerings” page) with a trio of chocolate ganaches may be Chef Ernie Rich’s signature dessert. The four-layered chocolate cake is moist, rich, decadent, sensual, and heavenly. And those are its worst qualities. The three ganaches—white chocolate, milk chocolate, and bittersweet chocolate—are creamy variations on a theme designed to offer you three different looks at the Black Magic Cake. Each tantalizes your taste buds differently, opening up a different window to the world of chocolate. Taste them separately, or taste them together. It matters not. You will find yourself in the gourmands’ heaven.
I sip my wine after each bit of the tasting. As different as the chocolate desserts are, the results with the wine are all the same: unimaginably magnificent! The chocolate and the Jackson Triggs, Vidal Ice Wine go together immeasurably well. The grape heavy wine carries the decadent chocolate flavors on its sweet length, combining the fruit and chocolate as would a grand chocolatier.
Before I rate the evening’s experience, Michelle and I would like to invite you to arrange a Tasting of your own aboard the Moshulu. The Moshulu can work with you for almost any size group, whether you prefer a romantic evening for two, or a larger gathering for friends. Please, call the Moshulu at (215) 923-2500 to make your reservations.
Also, Culinary Quest will be arranging Wine Dinners, similar to the experience described here, for our readers to enjoy with us at a variety of restaurants. If you would like to enjoy world-class cuisine paired with some of the finest wines available, watch for our Wine Dinner announcements. There, you can make your reservations, on a first-come first-serve basis due to seating limitations, to join us on our Culinary Quest.
Here is where I get to grade my dining experience. I grade on 5 factors: Atmosphere, Service, Presentation, Taste, and Value. These areas are scored on a 0 to 10 scale with 0 being the lowest and 10 being the highest.
Atmosphere: 10 I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, nothing can compare to dining aboard the largest four-masted sailing ship still afloat. The luxury and ambience are beyond compare. We have a quiet, romantic table for two with a view. A 10 is not nearly high enough.
Service: 10 Between our waitress and Jake Wade, we received better service than the President receives from his staff. Our wines were impeccably selected and our every want, need, and desire met. I am still trying to find a way to bring these two home with me. Pardon me while I address them for a moment. If the two of you read this, please, take a bow. You deserve all the adulation you receive and then some. You are magnificent. Ladies and gentlemen of my reading audience, you will not be disappointed when you dine aboard the Moshulu. The service gets a 10, the servers get a 20.
Presentation: 10 Chef Fernandez keeps a guild of artisans in the kitchen. Attention is paid to every detail in creating the dishes, from plate shapes, to food arrangement and colors. Even textures and aromas are given notice before the diners are served. Chef Fernandez realizes that people eat with their eyes before they eat with their mouths. If the food does not look delicious, it will not taste delicious. For that reason, his food all looks like 15’s.
Taste: 10….I take that back. 100. I am not a politician, so I will not even try to lie about this one. 100 is my honest answer on a scale of 0 to 10. Every morsel of food, every drop of wine sent my senses soaring skyward. A great meal is one thing, but to have that meal properly paired with magnificent wine is another thing entirely. Chefs Fernandez and Rich created masterpieces in the kitchen. Oh, and we cannot forget the magic of Joey’s foie gras and chocolate crostini. (THAT is a work of art!) But when first Jake and then our waitress selected the nectars of the gods for us to enjoy with our various courses, the experience became surreal.
Value: 10 The sheer quantity of food makes this meal a steal at any price. To then consider that the food and wine quality was higher than even our wildest expectations increases that value geometrically. And to enjoy this meal aboard the Moshulu with Michelle made it priceless.
21 August 2007