Odyssey Cruisin'

I spent a fare share of time this past weekend aboard the Odyssey Boston, a luxury cruise vessel stationed at 60 Rowes Wharf behind the Boston Harbor Hotel, departing regularly for various mealtime harbor cruises and special occasion events.Friday evening was spent cruising the harbor for dinner and Sunday morning for brunch with the Boston Food Bloggers and the Boston Brunchers, respectively.

Friday was a gray drizzly evening as we boarded the ship and took our seats on the lower level among a crowd of diners surrounding elegantly set tables and a dance floor backed by a band set-up. Dinner aboard the Odyssey is priced at $90 which includes three courses and one alcoholic beverage. The ticket was comped on our behalf, but additional alcohol, tax and tip we covered ourselves. It was an evening of bubbly all the way, I began with a glass of Westport Rivers RJR Brut and moved on to sharing a bottle of Wycliff Sparking Wine ($28). We were instructed to order all three courses at once, understanding somewhat that the intentions of the waitstaff is to pace the meal to your parties liking. We ate our appetizer and dinner right away and then decided to hold off on the dessert course to head outdoors.

It was windy, can you tell? Not to mention foggy! The Boston Harbor skyline was still in view from a distance, glowing in the mist.

For my first course, the Carmelized Duck en Croute boasted an extensive menu listing of duck confit, forest mushrooms, sage and monterray jack cheese baked in a puff pastry, served over spaghetti squash with dried cherries, candied pecans and a drizzle of marsala wine demi glaze. This was certainly a lot of elements for one plate, not all of them working harmony. I felt the texture of the puff pastry could have been a little more crisp to balance with the soft confit. The dish was definitely on the sweet side, I wanted more flavor from the savory elements to balance the sweetness of the squash, dried cherries and candied pecans. Overall the appetizer was palatable, but could have used a little finesse. For the main course, my Bourbon and Peach-Glazed Pork Tenderloin was cooked perfectly. A seriously huge cut of pork, I was impressed at how juicy and tender it remained. The side elements of harvest green beans and sweet potato hash browns were delicious.My dessert was less impressive, the Raspberry Mousse Cup suffered from the lack of house-made whipped cream (as advertised.)If served as intended based on the menu description, I think the whipped cream would have balanced out the too thick mouse and overly powerful (perhaps even artificial?) raspberry flavors, but ultimately the dish lacked in execution. Service at dinner could have benefited from a little more focus - throughout the courses and on multiple occasions certain members of our party (myself included) were served the wrong dish. I was perplexed thinking we had a salad course and in actuality almost dug into someone else's food!

At brunch on Sunday we boarded the boat in similar fashion - (this time with a much bigger group!) and were seated on the opposite side of the same dining room which now included a buffet spread; breakfast on one side, lunch on the other and dessert (complete with a chocolate fountain!) in the middle. We started with cruise with mimosas - similar to dinner, this complimentary brunch included one drink and any additional cocktails I paid for.I wasn't feeling any of the lunch options (but heard they were great) and instead piled my plate with Wisconson Cheddar Scrambled Eggs, Hash brown potatoes with pepper and onion, Applewood smoked bacon and Turkey sausage. Additionally, the House-Griddled Belgian Waffles served with whipped cream and a berry sauce compote and the Strawberries and Cream French Toast saw their way onto my plates. The eggs, potatoes and waffles were delicious while the bacon and french toast let me down. It was mainly a textural thing - fluffy eggs and tender potatoes for the win; overcooked bacon and soggy french toast, not so much. In a nutshell - I was satisfied but not overly impressed with the food. Thankfully, service at brunch was attentive and friendly, prompting another cocktail or two starting with a Perfect Orange Martini ($14) a blend of Gin, OJ, Grand Mariner and sweet and dry vermouth. It was a pretty perfect breakfast cocktail indeed!Above with my brunch date, Megan taking advantage of the warm weather and gorgeous harbor views, an overpriced ice cold Corona ($7) in hand.

The dinner cruise ran three hours while the brunch cruise was two. I preferred the shorter time frame - three hours felt a little too long to be confined to the ship, but maybe that was a result of the rainy weather keeping us (mostly) limited to the indoor deck and the fact that we weren't feeling the dance floor scene. The weather on Sunday and the boat parade scene on the other hand could not be beat. The top deck of the boat was an ideal spot to relax.

There are no shortage of event opportunities presented to bloggers in this city - whether you're new to the scene or have been writing a blog for years! It is easy to become a part of either group, run by some fantastic local bloggers; Rachel (follow on Twitter @bostonfoodblogs) and Renee (follow on Twitter @bostonbrunchers.) I was happy to attend both events this weekend and discover what cruising aboard the Odyssey is all about!

Boston Harbor Wine & Jazz Cruise

Melissa complimented my zest for life in her recent post Sharing Some Love. Check her out if you have a minute, she keeps it real and brings humor and a fresh perspective in her "lazy girls guide to healthy living" blog. She had some really positive words to say about myself and some other local bloggers. It is such a great feeling to know people get just as excited to read your blog as you do theirs. Thanks for the love, Melissa!
The blog community here in Boston really is just one big lovefest. Case and point; at brunch this past Sunday Alicia offered up tickets she'd won to a wine cruise but wasn't able to redeem. How thoughtful of her! Takers? Anybody? No? Are you sure?! Because I live just around the corner from Rowes Wharf and I'd be happy to take them off your hands. Spontaneous wine cruises around Boston Harbor are just what I need more of in my life. As the group of us were settling the tab at brunch, I realized it was just past 11:30 and I better head for home it if I wanted to make the 1:00 departure!
I made it home, changed, (was still mildly under dressed, what are you gonna do, I has 15 seconds to throw on something nicer than my brunch attire) and Adam and I made it to the docks with not 5 minutes to spare before boarding The Markia, one of the vessels operated by Princess Yacht Charters, LTD.
We took in the scene at Rowes Wharf, one of my favorite spots on the Harbor. I'll let the architecture speak for itself. Boston Harbor Hotel docks are always pristine and inviting. I was excited, but I'll be honest with you, I had no idea how I was going to partake in a wine tasting right about now. I was s-t-u-f-f-e-d to the brim from Lord Hobo's Pork Belly Hash and feeling more like I needed a nap on my couch from the previous nights bachelorette party festivities. They had couches on the boat, so there's that going for me. We cruised by the Institute of Contemporary Art and Fort Point Channel. Soon enough I decided it was time to dive headfirst into the tasting. (Did you really think I was going to pass on free wine?)I started with a glass of champagne (who's name I can't recall) and a 90+ Cellars Malbec. 90+ Cellars provided the majority of the wines offered aboard the Marika. I had never seen or heard of this brand before but I really enjoyed all of the wines that I ended up tasting. So much for feeling like I couldn't drink. After the first glass, the wine flowed like water.....When I inquired about 90+ brand and location I was told they are a new world wine company and they don't have a single winery, but are located all over the world; from Napa to Argentina to Australia. I was intrigued. I knew I was going to have to do my own research if I wanted to get down to the bottom of these fantastic tasting "new world" wines...You'll be amazed at what I learned!! Paraphrased from the website: 90+ Cellars purchases high quality and highly rated finished wines direct from wineries at a discount and then passes the savings on to you. Price and availability aren't the only selection criteria. The wines we purchase must have a pedigree of 90 or higher ratings, best buy or gold medal accolades from a respected wine authority or publication.
Fascinating. I've never heard of such a concept. There is more. Stick with me on the long italic paragraphs here: Other companies with a similar concept are usually buying the winery's excess or distressed wine. We are buying a winery's best and most highly rated finished wine, which they would normally sell under their own label. Wineries are willing to work with us because they either produced more than they need or sales have slowed. In return, they are promised complete anonymity, which we take very seriously.
And I promise, the last fun facts about the 90+ Wine Cellars company: The wines are great values because we are a virtual winery, we don't own any land or bottling facility. In fact, the source wineries bottle and label our wines for us. We simply search out world class wine, negotiate a great price and then pass the savings on to our customers. Upon release, each 90+Cellars wine is assigned a "Lot" number. A lot is defined as a particular wine from a winery. On successful lots we may purchase the next vintage (if available) if the quality is the same or better.
I wish I knew about the "lot" numbers as I was tasting. I would have made it a point to note them more closely. Actually, I wish I knew more in general about these wines when I was tasting. The woman I engaged was surely lacking in her knowledge of the wines she poured. The "Lot 16" Pinot Grigio from Napa Valley tasted incredible. It was rich and full bodied with fruity notes of pear and grapefruit that gave way to more tropical notes such as mango and guava. (No, my palate is not that distinct, or my memory that good, I just know that I liked it and I'm reading the flavor profile from the website.)
I'll tell you what else I was fascinated with, the views of the city from the ship!We cruised past Logan Airport and saw a few planes land and take off. And past the some of the Harbor Islands, which I still have yet to visit any.Castle Island below
I mostly snapped shots of the Financial District and Downtown skyscrapers.
Check out this vessel - I could barely fit it all in the frame.
It was, if you couldn't tell from the photos, overcast and windy. I didn't mind so much, it was actually somewhat refreshing. Most of the ship is indoors anyways, so the second you felt too much of that windy chill run through your bones you could step back inside.
It was a great day for a sail.
The jazz was a lovely touch.
They had a buffet but I didn't partake. Again, way to stuffed. And enjoying my wine way to much!Adam had a plate of the pulled BBQ Chicken and the Lobster Mac-n-Cheese.
We made our way to the inner harbor which provided views of the Zakim Bridge,
as well as The Charlestown Navy Yard and The USS Constitution. We actually took a tour of the USS Constitution in late August.
I can't believe that afternoon didn't make the blog. Perhaps it will one of these days!While most of my adventures do make it up here, there are definitely a few missing out! Experiencing Boston from afar and tasting some awesome new wines made for quite an afternoon. Thanks again Alicia for offering up these tickets!
I grabbed a Pumpkin Spice Latte on the walk home at the Long Wharf Marriot Starbucks. This hit the spot. Then I passed out on the couch. Weekend was bound to catch up with me sooner or later....