Been there, thought that

Think about this. How is a restaurant like a football team? If their performances are not in synch, the outcome is less than desirable. Which was the case during my recent visit to Ballaro, 214 Green Bay Road in Highwood. While the food was really quite good, the performance by the staff along with the less-than-ideal atmosphere would have, had this been a football team, resulted in a loss, or a failure to make the playoffs. Ballaro, which is approaching its second anniversary, offers unique selections from pizza to sliced Bavette. Entrees are in the mid-$20 range and are presented nicely. I had the wild Alaskan salmon, which featured Fava beans, glazed baby carrots, shaved carrot & parsley salad. A nice dinner portion with the flavor of the salmon augmented well by the fava beans, etc.   My wife had Pappardelle, with short rib bolognese, parmigiano Reggiano, which was flavorful. Available in a large and small portion, we opted for the large portion and found it mor

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about cruising, it’s don’t let online reviews set your expectations. One of the challenges of reviewing a cruise is that there are so many variables involved, not to mention individual expectations. Keeping things in proper perspective is a real challenge. In the case of our recent cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas (our ninth on RCCL and third on the Navigator) )exceeded my expectations – by a long shot. The atrium at the entrance of the Navigator of the Seas' promenade   Why?   Because in many ways Royal Caribbean continues its Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde approach to cruising. The Dr. Jekyll (who was the nice guy) was seen by the service and outstanding friendliness of the ship’s staff, service, food, entertainment – in other words, the cruising experience. Royal Caribbean continues, so it seems, to take on the role of the evil Mr. Hyde in its policies and miserable ability to communicate with its customers. The resu