Visions of Crystal in Northern Europe - cruise on luxury liner 'Crystal Harmony' - includes related articles on air travel

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), March, 1994 by Laurel F. Lehrer, Sheila Rothenberg, Robert S. Rothenberg

Eating in the Crystal Dining Room was an elegant experience. White and gold columns rose above plush carpeting. Reflective ceilings near the windows were resplendent with fixtures fashioned into numerous crystal petals. Large picture windows, dramatically defined by mauve drapes, were covered by sheer white Austrian shades. Their scalloped edges were raised day and night to reveal passing sights of chalky cliffs, rolling green meadows, mist-shrouded grey mountains, freighters, fishing trawlers, and tall, lonely North Sea oil rigs. In the evening, the moon cast glints on the smooth waters.

In the center of the dining room was a raised level encircled by a polished wood wall. Choice Villeroy & Boch china, fine crystal goblets, and colored napkins, embossed with the dual sea horse logo of Crystal Cruises, adorned all tables.

Creative cuisine

Food preparation on Crystal Harmony was under the supervision of Executive Chef Hubert Buelacher of Innsbruck, Austria. At 31, he was one of the youngest chefs I have encountered at sea - and certainly the most talented. Not only did he supervise a galley staff of 91, he also created tempting menus. His duties even extended to late night and luncheon buffets, the special Mozart dessert tea, supervising food preparation for the two specialty restaurants (Kyoto and Prego), the pool snack and ice cream bars, room service, and food services for 550 officers, crew, and staff members.

Meals not only were very fresh and tasty, they also were picturesquely served. Avocado Ritz, filled with luscious marinated baby shrimp, was surrounded attractively by a semi-circle of thinly sliced cucumbers. The crisp lettuce salad was crowned with marinated radishes so finely grated that they almost melted in my mouth. Osso bucco cremolata (fork-tender braised veal shanks in zestful garlic herb sauce) resembled a still-life painting with pretty scored carrots, small broccoli flowerets, and crescent-shaped, lightly browned gnocchi. Green beans were circled with strips of bacon. Even sauces next to desserts were trimmed with circular white lines to make them appealing to the eye.

Luncheons never were boring. Freshly made pastas, such as meat-stuffed tortellini in basil sauce, Cajun-flavored broiled chicken breast with Caesar salad, pan-fried rainbow trout, grilled lamb chops, and beef Stroganoff were all delicious choices. Even a simple mushroom omelette, though not on the menu, was placed accommodatingly before me within minutes.

Dinners offered infinite variety: appetizers, for instance, included spicy beef turnovers with onions and garlic as well as Sevrugia caviar with buckwheat blinis and tropical fruit cup with Cherry Heering and fresh mint. Soups followed with such selections as cream of leek with potatoes, cream of navel oranges with Grand Marnier, and Hampshire white asparagus soup. Salads of every description preceded such mouth-watering main courses as Chateaubriand (sliced Black Angus beef tenderloin with wine sauce), sauteed grenadine of veal in port wine and truffle gravy, and baked supreme of Sonoma chicken filled with Brie cheese and basil. Meals concluded with desserts as tempting as English sherry trifle, Tahitian vanilla cream brulee with fresh berries, chocolate paradise cake with cappuccino sauce, almond-whiskey cake, and amaretto parfait.