The Main Dining Room is one of main dining options on Carnival cruises. This is the sit-down restaurant version with three courses, whereas the Lido offers a buffet version. Plus, tons of other options but these are the big ones.

Breakfast
On days where the ship is in port, there is breakfast available in the Main Dining Room. It is always the same menu and consists of morning pastries, french toast, pancakes, waffles, fruits, cereals, eggs benedict, omelets, yogurt parfaits, avocado toasts, smoked salmon bagels and more.

SeaDay Brunch
On "sea days," where the ship is out to sea all day, there's a special brunch. It has similar items - breads, cereals, burgers, french toast, skillet cake, flamin' tomato soup, huevos rancheros, eggs benedict, salad, steak and eggs, fried chicken and salmon bagels.

Lunch
I learned that on longer cruises, they sometimes have specialty lunches on select days. This was a treat because they were themed and a bit of a surprise for me.

Tea Time
Held on sea days, tea time features tea, light pastries and sandwiches.

Dinner
For the Main Dining Room, you are select early dining, late dining, or "your time" dining for the duration of the cruise. Essentially, if you have early or late, you have a set time for dinner each night, you have the same table, and you have the same waiter. If you choose "your time" dining, you can request a table at any time during those dinner hours via the app, which is what I selected. You put in your table request and usually they have one ready for you within 30 minutes or so. So, the waiter changes, the table changes and, of course, the time changes depending on when you are hungry. That gives you a bit more flexibility, which I enjoy. You're also assigned a dining room based on those options.

While the breakfast options don't change, the lunch and dinner ones do. The Main Dining Room in general has set menus depending on how many days the cruise is. For example, on my first cruise, it was seven days long, and most cruises of that length have the same options. However, this cruise is 14 days long, so there are many new menus that I have not yet tried. Here are the new-to-me menus:

DAY 2 DINNER


DAY 4 LUNCH Specialty lunch menu "Far East Asia" Eggdrop Soup - with chicken, corn, tomato and mushrooms Pork Meatballs - with sweet chili sauce, mushroom soya, ginger and spring onions Sweet & Sour Fish - with tomatoes, pineapple, peppers, plum sweet & sour sauce Mango Sago pudding - with tapioca pearls and coconut milk; Lychee cream - with pomegranate jelly

DAY 4 DINNER

Shrimp escabeche - sweet pickled vegetables and plantain chips Ricotta & spinach crepe - charred cherry tomato and three cheese sauce Linguine with smokey mushrooms & ham - Emeril's original essence, cream, and parmesan cheese Orange sorbet Cheese plate DAY 5 DINNER

Sopa - chicken, avocado & lime tortilla charred poblano and roasted tomatoes.

Caldo de Queso - cheese soup with tomato and green chili salsa.



Fideos Secos - spaghetti, tomato chipotle ragu, confit chicken and pickled onion



Coconut Tres Leches - with trio of milk and spiced coconut crema



DAY 8 DINNER


Cucumber Basil Avocado Soup - with roasted pumpkin seeds



Grilled jumbo shrimp and fish cake - cauliflower and mashed peas, roasted broccoli



Grand Marnier Souffle with warm Creme Anglaise - this is maybe my favorite dessert on the cruise now



DAY 9 DINNER

Cheese Ravioli - tomato cream sauce, wilted garlic spinach



Tuna Tiradito Nikkei - crispy fried quinoa, kaffir lime, ginger orange dressing



Spinach, ricotta and feta filo - with grilled steak tomato and pinenapple beurre blanc



Shrimp Creole - Emeril's essence creole seasoning and steamed rice



Banana split



DAY 10 LUNCH

Ceviche de camaron y atun - shrimp & tuna ceviche with fresh citrus juice, onion, pepper, and cilantro. Croquetas de jamon - ham & potato croquettes Albondigas - beef meatballs, tomato sauce, sheep's milk cheese & basil Pollo Rustido - Catalan-style roasted chicken, lemon, herbs & salsa verde Creme Catalana - slow-cooked caramelized milk custard with a brown sugar crust DAY 10 DINNER

Stuffed Mushrooms - spinach, romano cheese & truffle herb veloute Linguine & Clams - linguine e vongole, white wine, garlic, red pepper flakes & Italian parsley Artichoke & Potato Cheesecake - with sweet chipotle sauce & tomato relish Chicken Parmigiana - pounded, breaded chicken breast, roasted broccoli, cauliflower Barlett Pear Almond Cake - pumpkin spice sabayon DAY 11 DINNER

DAY 12 DINNER

Brioche crab melt - Old Bay seasoning, gruyere cheese, red onion, chives, dijon mustard Broiled lobster tail & grilled jumbo shrimp - served over mushroom risotto Fresh tropical fruit
DAY 13 DINNER

Spicy shrimp deviled eggs - with mixed greens, tropical fruit, scallions Breaded beef cutlet - with pickled vegetables, yam and dipping sauce Eggplant and potato moussaka - with feta cheese, garbanzo bean and tomato salad Orange & pineapple sorbet
DAY 14 LUNCH

Caribbean pepper pot (Guyana) - island flavored soup with yams, okra, pepper, coconut and cilantro Beef empanada (Spain) - served with salsa de aji picante "hot pepper salsa" Chicken chasseur (French) - most popular French dish with bone-in chicken, mushrooms, tomatoes, wine and herbs, served with roast potatoes and sauteed green beans Rigatoni (Italian) with three meat bolognese Brownie sundae (American) - hot fudge, vanilla ice cream and whipped cream Milhoja (Spain) - flaky pastry layered with dulce de leche

Over a century and a half after Edgar Allan Poe’s death, this cocktail experience brings the most beloved works of Poe to life off the page and onto the stage. The immersive evening pairs four tales with a dash of history and heavy libations. The Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy is a 21+ only, chilling cocktail experience dedicated to the stories of Edgar Allan Poe. The event takes place inside a dark speakeasy. Four of his most famous stories will be retold and reimagined by our Poe historians. Our macabre lead mixologist will transform each of those stories into a 4-part cocktail experience. Reservations are restricted to a small number of guests for a 90-minute experience. The experience takes place for two nights only. Tickets are extremely limited. STORY: THE TELL-TALE HEART
DRINK: PALE BLUE EYE
A classic twist on a traditional collins
A refreshing light blue cocktail made with blueberry vodka, fresh lemon juice, rose syrup and topped with La Croix. STORY: THE BLACK CAT
DRINK: THE CAT'S MEOW
A twisted version of Poe's favorite brandy milk punch
Equal parts Kentucky Bourbon meets with French Brandy and is mixed with vanilla cream, milk syrup, and half and half. Topped with star anise. STORY: THE RAVEN
DRINK: THE NEVERMORE
A black and gold cocktail fueled by orange peach blossom vodka, lime juice, and secret spices.

STORY: THE MASQUE OF RED DEATH
DRINK: COCKTAIL OF RED DEATH
A bright vibrant cocktail made with 100-proof vodka, cherry herring, benedictine liquor, lime juice, pineapple juice, and bitters.

I enjoyed lunch yesterday for a good cause. Manna Meal hosted "Empty Bowls," which is a fundraiser for their mission.

"A simple meal with a big mission: nourish our community one bowl at a time. Empty Bowls is an annual fundraising opportunity to share a bowl of soup—served in a beautiful handmade bowl made by local artists—all in support of Manna Meal"



🥣 Each order includes a choice of soup, salad, and dessert.

Soup options included: Vegetable soup, chicken tortilla soup, gumbo and stuffed green pepper soup.

I went with stuffed green pepper and really enjoyed it, especially alongside the roll.

"We’re grateful to local potters at Taylor Books and Capitol Clay for donating bowls to honor the legacy of Jim Hores, a longtime supporter and friend of Manna Meal."

Scaffidi's Gnocchi Nook was a quick-service carryout restaurant located in Weirton that turned to a virtual kitchen based out of the Scaffidi Restaurant Group in Steubenville, Ohio.



They offeer Build Your Own Gnocchi Bowls, Pasta Bowls, and more. I with with a gnocchi bowl, which comes with your choice of Ricotta Gnocchi, Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi or Tomato Basil Ricotta Gnocchi. Then, choose the sauce: Alfredo Sauce, Marinara Sauce, Oil & Garlic Sauce or Pink Sauce. Finally, choose the toppings: Bacon, Banana Peppers, Black Olives, Capers, Crumbled Sausage, Feta Cheese, Grilled Chicken, Ham, Mozzarella Cheese, Mixed Peppers, Mushrooms, Onions, Pepperoni, Salami, Shrimp, Spinach and Tomatoes.

I ordered a ricotta gnocchi with marinara sauce, mushrooms and mozzarella cheese. What I received was a giant congealed mess of mozzarella sitting on top of some gnocchi. This is in my part my fault for choosing the ingredients, but I assumed erroneously that they would be mixed throughout. Now, none of this is bad - carbs, sauce, veggies. But the proportions were totally off. I went to search for a gnocchi, cut off a hunk of mozzarella and fork a mushroom to get a mix. This is part of the downfalls of a delivery-only restaurant. This probably would've been much beteter fresh.



Grade: C

College towns and pizza joints go together like peanut butter and jelly. In Morgantown, another one entered the scenee: 2G Brothers Pizza.



Based in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, 2G Brothers Pizza opened their second location in Cheat Lake.



"2G Brothers Pizza comes from 45 years of experience starting from Italy to Brooklyn, to now Uniontown. Gio and Giuseppe Schiano's father is the reason they're the proud owners of 2G Brothers Pizza. The brothers started helping their dad as young as 5-years-old making pizza, fetching ice, and other odd jobs they could find. Now it's time for the boys to carry on their father's proud legacy," reads the website.



"The Schiano brothers pride themselves on authentic cuisine that isn't made by machines but with labor and love. At 2G Brothers Pizza nothing is frozen and everything is fresh. Enjoy food from an actual Italian kitchen, made the Schiano way for nearly 50 years."



Even though pizza is the namesake, 2G Brothers Pizza offers fried apps, wings, salads, strombolis, calzones, subs, sanndwiches, burgers, wraps, paninis, pasta, soup, and more. I ordered the hot pepper cheese balls (guilty pleasure - always delish) andn the gnocchi to try something different. I went with the oil & garlic sauce, which was less of a sauce and just more of a "coating." I loved the huge chunks of garlic though and a kick of chili pepper. It ate a bit dry because there wasn't much of a "sauce," but I did enjoy the flavor.



Grade: B