A Tale of Two Cruises

An expert sampling of the culinary options aboard Atlas and Virgin

- BY TERRY ZARIKIAN

TWO CRUISE LINES and their distinct culinary experiences can please the same adventurous traveler. Recently, a journey on the Atlas World Traveller allowed me to visit Malta, Sicily, Civitavecchia and Nice. I enjoyed the food at each destination and aboard ship, where the kitchen team created special menus highlighting the various destinations. With fewer than 200 explorers onboard, conversation and making new friends was easy.

On our trip, visiting gastronomic guest, author and chef David Shalleck shared his Mediterranean expertise and simple trade tricks with fellow passengers. Meals were paired with wines from Attimo winery, whose CEO, Jon Schlegel, founded the Denver-based breakfast empire Snooze before he was 30.

Shoreside excursions included Lipari Island sights and pizza; a pasta workshop in a farmhouse in Tarquinia, near Rome; and a taste of Gozo (Malta). Unforgettable dishes aboard included pumpkin soup with smoked paprika and manchego cheese; green-pea velouté soup with lobster praline and curry foam; local grouper with mussels over parsley risotto; soft and light potato gnocchi; chargrilled lobster with lobster ravioli; and a delicious mille-feuille of freshly baked puff pastry layered with a delightful cream.