Costa Cruises’ new flagship will celebrate her debut with a gala dinner, based exclusively on the use of Italian products and recipes of Italy’s most famous culinary specialties and food regions, created by two extraordinary, multiple Michelin star guest chefs.
Massimo Bottura’s restaurant Osteria Francescana and Carlo Cracco’s Milanese restaurant, Cracco, both possess two Michelin stars. Among the many awards received, the Osteria Francescana is in fourth place and is the “chef’s choice” in the S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants ranking, while Cracco has three forks in the Gambero Rosso culinary guide.
To mark the naming ceremony on 2 July, 2,000 guests will be treated to a lavish dinner onboard the Costa Favolosa. Bottura and Cracco have drawn inspiration from the ship for the menu and it will be a tribute to “Italianicity”.
Bottura has chosen dishes that remind him of his childhood in Modena, like Anolini with Parmesan Reggiano cheese; in this case, a pork-free variation of Anolini resting on a pure cream bed of Parmesan Reggiano cheese. Bottura also picked a dish made with cod, along with a variety of traditional ingredients representing various Italian regions such as creamed potatoes with hazelnuts from Piemonte and Sorrento lemons.
Veal medallion with traditional tuna sauce, Caprese salad and asparagus with eggs are the dishes that Carlo Cracco chose to interpret the menu.
The wines to be served during Costa Favolosa’s gala dinner were selected with the same care that Costa Cruises uses when choosing the wine list on board all fleet vessels. In addition to a select choice of champagnes and Italian sparkling wines, the wine cellars on board the Costa Favolosa and the other ships of the group include 2003 and 2004 vintages of Amarone Aneri riserva Stella, a wine appreciated throughout the world, with an unmistakeable bouquet for which each bottle has a label with the name of the ship.
To finish, guests will be treated to that classic Italian dessert, Cassata Siciliana, made with ricotta cheese, pistachios and red cherries in an Italian meringue.
Costa Favolosa is the latest ship to make her debut as part of the Costa Cruises fleet. She has 1,508 cabins, 103 with direct access to the spa, 594 with private balconies, and 12 suites with direct access to the spa.
There are five luxurious restaurants on board as well as thirteen bars to choose from, including a Cognac & Cigar Bar and a Coffee & Chocolate Bar. State of the art sports facilities are available and so are many other luxurious and deluxe amenities.
The ship totaled a cost of 420 million Euros and is the largest ship to fly the Italian flag. This ship and her sister ship are a part of Costa’s 9.6 billion euro fleet-expansion plan.
For more information, call 800-GO-COSTA or visit www.costacruises.com.