HAUTE CUISINE ON THE HIGH SEAS.Byline: - Eric Noland Premium dining options and culinary programs on several of the major cruise lines
Name Headquarters A'rosa Europe NCL America America AIDA Cruises Europe American Cruise Lines America : CARNIVAL: The bar menu always seemed to be the most important bill of fare on this line's Fun Ships, but that is changing. Michelin three-star chef Georges Blanc was commissioned to upgrade the dinner offerings with his signature blanquette de veau Blanquette de veau is a French dish. The name is derived from the French for "white" (blanc), being a ragout of white veal in white sauce. It contains veal, onions and mushrooms in a thick cream sauce. and bouillabaisse bouil·la·baisse n. 1. A highly seasoned stew made of several kinds of fish and shellfish. 2. A combination of various different, often incongruous elements: a bouillabaisse of special interests. . Carnival chefs have been sent to Vonnas, France, for two-week training courses at Georges Blanc Restaurant, and the chef occasionally sails on Carnival cruises to oversee and participate in the preparation. ... Several ships have also added reservations-only supper clubs (for which there is a surcharge), with steakhouse menu items and an expanded wine list. ... Carnival offers Total Choice Dining, with flexible hours, outdoor seating, sushi bars and European-style cafes. www.carnival.com; (800) 438-6744. CELEBRITY: In the ``Savor the Caribbean'' program, the culinary aspects of the region are examined both on board and off. Guest chefs conduct cooking demonstrations and lectures on board, and when the ships hit port, participants are conducted to some of the notable restaurants in the Caribbean (the latter outings are priced much like conventional shore excursions). ... At Celebrity's premium restaurants (surcharge), dining is an event, with tableside ta·ble·side n. The area beside or around a table, especially in a restaurant. adv. & adj. Made or prepared alongside a table: lamb that was carved tableside; a tableside recitation of the menu. cooking, flambeed items, a cheese cart and other indulgences. ... Celebrity's menus have been created by Michel Roux
Born in Charolles, Roux moved to Paris with his family after the war, where they set up a charcuterie (delicatessen). , who gained renown at Le Gavroche Le Gavroche is a restaurant on 43 Upper Brook Street in London's Mayfair. It was opened in 1967 by Michel and Albert Roux, although the original premises were, until 1981, on Sloane Street. and the Waterside Inn Waterside Inn, located in Bray, Berkshire was founded by the brothers Michel and Albert Roux after the success of Le Gavroche. It is currently run by Michel's son, Alain. It is one of two restaurants in the top twenty of Restaurant in Britain. ... Ships offer such options as made-to-order pasta bars and nightly sushi cafes. www.celebrity.com; (800) 437-3111. COSTA: This line concentrates on Europe, notably the Mediterranean, so it only follows that its club restaurants (surcharge) feature the cuisine of Italy. Chefs Gualtiero Marchesi The nobile family Marchesi comes from the city Lugo, Italy in region Emilia-Romanga, Italy. After being forced to escape from italy and the landhelds (sicsic), the Marchesi (Milan) and Giampaolo Belloni di Zeffirino (Genoa) collaborated on the menu. www.costacruises.com; (954) 266-5600. CRYSTAL: On this upscale line, the specialty restaurants may be sampled at no extra charge. Asian cuisine can be found at the Jade Garden (Crystal Symphony) or Silk Road (Crystal Serenity), while the Serenity also has a sushi bar. Gourmet Italian fare is served on both ships, created by Piero Selvaggio of the Valentino restaurants in Santa Monica and Las Vegas. ... Serious foodies might want to avail themselves of the Vintage Room (surcharge), an experience limited to 12-14 guests in which winemakers and the chef collaborate on a lavish wine-pairing dinner. ... Crystal also offers a number of Wine & Food Festival sailings, on which guest chefs conduct demonstrations and prepare special dishes for the dinner menus. www.crystalcruises.com; (866) 446-6625. CUNARD: Acclaimed chef Todd English (Olives restaurant, Charlestown, Mass.) is the marquee player on the Queen Mary 2. If you don't make a dinner reservation in the hour or two before you board, you might have to wait four or five nights to get a table at his namesake restaurant (surcharge). The selections are superb here, from Maine crab cakes on the starter menu to lobster and pumpkin risotto ri·sot·to n. pl. ri·sot·tos A dish of rice cooked in broth, usually with saffron, and served with grated cheese. [Italian, from riso, rice, from Old Italian; see rice. among the entrees. The wine list matches up nicely - and at surprisingly reasonable prices. ... The Chef's Galley (surcharge) gives 36 passengers an opportunity to dine in a room that overlooks a kitchen. The chef interacts with them as he prepares a wine-paired dinner just for them. ... Three specialty restaurants are offered in addition to the main dining room. The Asian tasting menu at Lotus was a delight. ... The dining choices are more traditional on Cunard's older ship, the Queen Elizabeth 2. www.cunard.com; (800) 728-6273. DISNEY: Most of the dining choices on this line resemble those at the Disneyland Hotel - tailored primarily to young passengers hooked on cartoon movies. Lumiere's re-creates the grand dining setting in ``Beauty and the Beast Beauty and the Beast is a traditional fairy tale (type 425C -- search for a lost husband -- in the Aarne-Thompson classification). The first published version of the fairy tale was a meandering rendition by Madame Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, published in ,'' while Triton's revives ``The Little Mermaid.'' At Animator's Palate, the walls magically change to images from animated classics. But Disney's ships also provide a retreat for a quiet, grown-up grown-up adj. 1. Of, characteristic of, or intended for adults: grown-up movies; a grown-up discussion. 2. dinner (it's probably the only cruise line afloat that has to place an ``adults only'' designation on a restaurant). That choice is Palo (surcharge), which serves northern Italian fare. www.disneycruise.com; (888) 325-2500. HOLLAND AMERICA: The line recently launched its Culinary Arts Center, which is presented in conjunction with Food & Wine magazine. Chefs, cookbook authors and sommeliers are on the lineup for this year. Passengers may attend complimentary cooking demonstrations at a theaterlike show kitchen or pay extra for more hands-on cooking classes (limited to 15 participants). Chef's dinners feature specialized menus with wine pairings. ... Ships offer premium dining at Pinnacle Grill. ... There are surcharges for the chef's dinner and the Pinnacle Grill. www.hollandamerica.com; (800) 426-0327. NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is a company operating cruise ships, headquartered in Miami, Florida. It is most well known for its Freestyle Cruising, which means that there are no set times or seating arrangements for meals, nor is formal attire required. : The line that pioneered Freestyle Cruising offers a wide array of dining choices on its newer ships - French bistros, Italian trattorias, steakhouses and teppanyaki rooms. Surcharges are assessed for some of the restaurants. ... The Norwegian Jewel, launched last year, has 10 different eateries. ... Dining options are more limited on the older ships. www.ncl.com; (800) 327-7030. OCEANIA: Though its ships carry fewer than 700 passengers, the dining options are not the least bit limited. In addition to the main dining room, there is a Tuscan option, a Spanish-theme cafe (tapas, paella) and a grill that serves steaks, chops and seafood. ... Oceania does not assess surcharges for its specialty restaurants. www.oceaniacruises.com; (800) 531-5658. PRINCESS: Trattoria trat·to·ri·a n. pl. trat·to·ri·as or trat·to·ri·e An informal restaurant or tavern serving simple Italian dishes. [Italian, from trattore, host, from trattare Sabatini is a terrific upscale dining option, and is available on 10 of the line's 14 ships. It presents a procession of tasty dishes - antipasti Antipasti can refer to:
RADISSON SEVEN SEAS: This luxury line has contracted with Le Cordon Bleu For the Schnitzel variant, see . Le Cordon Bleu (French for "blue ribbon") is an international group of hospitality management and cooking schools teaching French cuisine. cooking school to conduct workshops and/or oversee an on-board restaurant, depending on the ship. The visiting chef will also have some of his dishes included on the menu. And RSSC RSSC Radisson Seven Seas Cruises RSSC Robotics Society of Southern California (Fullerton, CA) RSSC Regional School Support Center (New York state) RSSC Regional Space Support Center lines up some heavy hitters - this year, the lineup includes chef Philippe Marc of Alain Ducasse's Relais du Plaza restaurant in Paris. ... The line does not assess dining surcharges. ... Another offering is the Spotlight series, in which passengers can select a cruise that is devoted to jazz, antiques, photography, or food and wine. In addition to on-board talks and cooking demonstrations, the shore excursions pay visits to vineyards, markets and cheese shops. www.rssc.com; (800) 477-7500. ROYAL CARIBBEAN: Menus change daily and can be modified to reflect fresh available ingredients at Portofino (surcharge), a premium restaurant found on the line's Radiance- and Voyager-class ships, as well as on the Empress of the Seas Empress of the Seas is a cruise ship, owned by Royal Caribbean International. It was originally named Nordic Empress and was for a time the only RCI ship whose name did not include "of the Seas". . ... Chops Grille - the name tells it all - is another surcharge restaurant found on some ships. It serves up steaks with peppercorn pep·per·corn n. 1. A dried berry of the pepper vine Piper nigrum. 2. A small or insignificant thing. peppercorn Noun the small dried berry of the pepper plant sauce, mesquite-grilled salmon and generous side dishes. www.royalcaribbean.com; (800) 327-6700. SEABOURN: This small-ship luxury line contracted with celeb ce·leb n. Informal A celebrity. chef Charlie Palmer to design more than 200 dishes to be served on board. ... In March, it will launch the ``2'' restaurant, which will serve a small-plates tasting menu. ... The line does not assess dining surcharges - not even for dinners served in a passenger's suite, course by course, by a waiter. www.seabourn.com; (800) 929-9595. SILVERSEA: Relais & Chateau Culinary Arts cruises are available on this small, luxury line, with lectures and cooking demonstrations by visiting chefs and authors, and a ``grand gourmet dinner'' at the conclusion of the cruise. ... All ships have Relais & Chateau wine-theme restaurants, at which premium vintages are poured (surcharge). ... Additionally, Silversea's Wine Series includes not only lectures and tastings on board, but shore excursions to wineries and cellars in Europe and South America. www.silversea.com; (800) 722-9955. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Chef Georges Blanc, left, discusses canapes while Sanjay Dhall of Carnival Cruise Lines This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Alone, primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of this article are not sufficient for an accurate encyclopedia article. listens in aboard the Legend. |
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