Sabatini's New Menu

Were you limited to one item of each course for the price or did they charge for additional items?

The charge was $29.00 and we could order whatever we wanted. We had each had two appetizers, but we did not order two entrees.

Thanks, partybarbie, for your update on this. We'll be on the Grand on the sailing departing on 07 June and looking forward to it. I'd really welcome your comments on the menus overall on your sailing--which ones were hits or misses--to help us plan which nights we should plan on dining outside of the MDR. Will you be doing a full review? Since you were the first Alaska sailing of the season on the Grand, inquiring minds want to know!

 

Many thanks,

The Alaskan menus were a nice change for us. The first night's menu had Alaskan Halibut. It was really good, but the portion is only 4 oz. I would order two if you are really hungry. The third night was our first formal night and the eighth night was the second formal night. On day nine, the crab legs appeared, along with the surf and turf. We ordered one of each. I think the Italian dinner was on day seven. Two of the other offerings were crab cakes (order two) and the Alaskan seafood chowder.

I probably won't do a full review, but maybe someone else will offer to? :)

Thanks again, Party Barbie!

I am just home from the 5/8-5/18/17, sailing on the Grand Princess. On our last night, we had dinner at Sabatini's. I asked about the new menu, and our waiter said that it was to be rolled out on the May 18th sailing. We did get to try one of the new pasta dishes. It was a ravioli stuffed with ground lamb. The lamb was very mild, but delicious. The pasta wrapper was similar to a won ton wrapper and made of a spinach flour. The sauce was a delicate blend of Parmesan cheese and mint. It was quite possibly the best ravioli that either of us had ever eaten. My husband said that he was ready to send his lobster back for more ravioli.

 

We will both miss the old menu, but if the new dishes are as good as the one we tried, I think it will be okay. We will be back on the Grand in October, so we are looking forward to going back then.

That sounds SO GOOD. Like you, I have enjoyed the Sabbatini's menu in the past, but I am looking forward to the new one. We will be on the September 15 sailing (last AK cruise of the season for the Grand), and I would not be surprised if we had dinner in Sabbatini's at least three times. Also, I'll bet that we do Alfredo's at least twice.

:D

That sounds SO GOOD. Like you, I have enjoyed the Sabbatini's menu in the past, but I am looking forward to the new one. We will be on the September 15 sailing (last AK cruise of the season for the Grand), and I would not be surprised if we had dinner in Sabbatini's at least three times. Also, I'll bet that we do Alfredo's at least twice.

 

:D

Yes, we went to Alfredo's for lunch. The pizza with the Buffalo mozzarella was excellent.:D

I grew up in an Italian household and most of this does not appeal to me. My mother, grandmother and aunt cooked authentic food, and it was delicious, but most of this just looks trendy. LA is not a place that I think of as a great Italian food city. It is a trendy city that runs on fads.

I grew up in an Italian household and most of this does not appeal to me. My mother, grandmother and aunt cooked authentic food, and it was delicious, but most of this just looks trendy. LA is not a place that I think of as a great Italian food city. It is a trendy city that runs on fads.

I agree with you, this is not the authentic Italian food I grew up on either:(

The charge was $29.00 and we could order whatever we wanted. We had each had two appetizers, but we did not order two entrees.

That sounds OK to me. Appetizers or desserts are the usual items I order extra of, but the main course is usually sufficient. :)

I grew up in an Italian household and most of this does not appeal to me. My mother, grandmother and aunt cooked authentic food, and it was delicious, but most of this just looks trendy. LA is not a place that I think of as a great Italian food city. It is a trendy city that runs on fads.

I don't think that's fair at all. Angelo Auriana was the executive chef at Valentino. Whatever one may think of Italian food in Los Angeles generically, that certainly cannot be applied to Valentino which ranks among the top Italian restaurants in the country irrespective of location. It has been a hallmark of Italian cuisine for decades, and while magazine lists are a dime a dozen, Valentino has been ranked as the #1 Italian restaurant in the country on a number of occasions.

As for comparing what comes out of a high-end Italian restaurant kitchen to what Mamma or Nonna used to make, they are apples and oranges. (Or Meatballs and Lamb Agnolotti). Most homemade Italian cooking follows the path of Cucina Povera. Immigrants of simple means came to this country and cooked and dined the way they did back home, which is to say, they cooked at home with inexpensive, fresh, readily available ingredients that they produced themselves or could source at local markets. Dining out was almost unheard of, unless dining out meant going to a friend's or relative's house. Certainly nothing wrong with that, and that is what came to be accepted as Italian cuisine both at home and many, many restaurants. But if you dined at a high-end restaurant in Florence or Milan or Turin or Rome (or Bergamo, where Angelo Auriana is from), the menu wouldn't look anything like Cucina Povera. Didn't back in the day and wouldn't now. High-end Italian restaurants are just as "trendy", creative and ever-changing as anywhere else in the world. Do you think that top chefs in Italy spend years in culinary school and as apprentices so that they can perfect Manicotti? The new menu at Sabatini's is not at all far afield from a high-end experience that one might find in Bergamo, Milan, Como or Turin. It is certainly very different from the home cooked cuisine found south of Rome in places like Naples, Bari and Palermo where the vast majority of Italians immigrants came from. But I don't think it can be condemned as "LA Trendy". Maybe "Milan Trendy". After all. Milan is actually more trend-conscious than even LA.

JimmyVWine...I agree with your analysis & my poor southern Italian immigrant grandparents brought their wonderful Cucuna Povera ("cooking of the poor") food to our famiglia from the old country.

While I'm disappointed that some of my favorites on the current menu will not be included in the new Sabatini's Trattoria menu, I'm looking forward to trying the new menu. Then I can then decide whether to go there on every cruise or not. But based on partybarbie's experience, hopefully the remainder of the menu will be just as tasty. The menu is much more appealing to us than in Share which replaced Sabatini's on a couple of ships.

JimmyVWine...I agree with your analysis & my poor southern Italian immigrant grandparents brought their wonderful Cucuna Povera ("cooking of the poor") food to our famiglia from the old country.

 

While I'm disappointed that some of my favorites on the current menu will not be included in the new Sabatini's Trattoria menu, I'm looking forward to trying the new menu. Then I can then decide whether to go there on every cruise or not. But based on partybarbie's experience, hopefully the remainder of the menu will be just as tasty. The menu is much more appealing to us than in Share which replaced Sabatini's on a couple of ships.

I think the ravioli dish we had was probably similar to the tortelloni that is on the new menu. I would never have guessed that from reading the new menu descriptions. Hopefully we will be pleasantly surprised and the food will live up to our expectations.

I don't think that's fair at all. Angelo Auriana was the executive chef at Valentino. Whatever one may think of Italian food in Los Angeles generically, that certainly cannot be applied to Valentino which ranks among the top Italian restaurants in the country irrespective of location. It has been a hallmark of Italian cuisine for decades, and while magazine lists are a dime a dozen, Valentino has been ranked as the #1 Italian restaurant in the country on a number of occasions.

 

As for comparing what comes out of a high-end Italian restaurant kitchen to what Mamma or Nonna used to make, they are apples and oranges. (Or Meatballs and Lamb Agnolotti). Most homemade Italian cooking follows the path of Cucina Povera. Immigrants of simple means came to this country and cooked and dined the way they did back home, which is to say, they cooked at home with inexpensive, fresh, readily available ingredients that they produced themselves or could source at local markets. Dining out was almost unheard of, unless dining out meant going to a friend's or relative's house. Certainly nothing wrong with that, and that is what came to be accepted as Italian cuisine both at home and many, many restaurants. But if you dined at a high-end restaurant in Florence or Milan or Turin or Rome (or Bergamo, where Angelo Auriana is from), the menu wouldn't look anything like Cucina Povera. Didn't back in the day and wouldn't now. High-end Italian restaurants are just as "trendy", creative and ever-changing as anywhere else in the world. Do you think that top chefs in Italy spend years in culinary school and as apprentices so that they can perfect Manicotti? The new menu at Sabatini's is not at all far afield from a high-end experience that one might find in Bergamo, Milan, Como or Turin. It is certainly very different from the home cooked cuisine found south of Rome in places like Naples, Bari and Palermo where the vast majority of Italians immigrants came from. But I don't think it can be condemned as "LA Trendy". Maybe "Milan Trendy". After all. Milan is actually more trend-conscious than even LA.

While I agree with most of this I would also that while some type of macaroni was always on the table so was always a fish or meat dish. But, then again when I eat Italian I'd much rather eat what Nonna used to make and I think that Princess could include some of that on their menu and please everyone. :) Good points though :)

But, then again when I eat Italian I'd much rather eat what Nonna used to make and I think that Princess could include some of that on their menu and please everyone.

I agree 100%. They could throw a bone (or lasagna) to those of us who love a good Southern Italian peasant dish. But if you ask any chef which dish on the menu is their least favorite, odds are it will be the one that has been on the menu the longest. Chefs hate stagnation.

I agree 100%. They could throw a bone (or lasagna) to those of us who love a good Southern Italian peasant dish. But if you ask any chef which dish on the menu is their least favorite, odds are it will be the one that has been on the menu the longest. Chefs hate stagnation.

I'm sure that you're right. :)

I am just home from the 5/8-5/18/17, sailing on the Grand Princess. On our last night, we had dinner at Sabatini's. I asked about the new menu, and our waiter said that it was to be rolled out on the May 18th sailing. We did get to try one of the new pasta dishes. It was a ravioli stuffed with ground lamb. The lamb was very mild, but delicious. The pasta wrapper was similar to a won ton wrapper and made of a spinach flour. The sauce was a delicate blend of Parmesan cheese and mint. It was quite possibly the best ravioli that either of us had ever eaten. My husband said that he was ready to send his lobster back for more ravioli.

Just a note to report that last night I had the pleasure (and I do mean pleasure) of dining at The Factory Kitchen (Angelo Auriana's home base restaurant in Los Angeles.) If that is any indication of what will be served at Sabatini's, people will not be disappointed. As partybarbie reports, the pastas were outstanding. No, you won't find common shapes such as penne or linguini, nor will you find a common marinara sauce as an option. But the family style service allowed us to try a variety of dishes and everything we had was delicious even if a bit unfamiliar. Reason for optimism, I say.

Just a note to report that last night I had the pleasure (and I do mean pleasure) of dining at The Factory Kitchen (Angelo Auriana's home base restaurant in Los Angeles.) If that is any indication of what will be served at Sabatini's, people will not be disappointed. As partybarbie reports, the pastas were outstanding. No, you won't find common shapes such as penne or linguini, nor will you find a common marinara sauce as an option. But the family style service allowed us to try a variety of dishes and everything we had was delicious even if a bit unfamiliar. Reason for optimism, I say.

Thanks for the report. I have to wait for October, but I'm definitely going back to try the full menu.

Just a note to report that last night I had the pleasure (and I do mean pleasure) of dining at The Factory Kitchen (Angelo Auriana's home base restaurant in Los Angeles.) If that is any indication of what will be served at Sabatini's, people will not be disappointed. As partybarbie reports, the pastas were outstanding. No, you won't find common shapes such as penne or linguini, nor will you find a common marinara sauce as an option. But the family style service allowed us to try a variety of dishes and everything we had was delicious even if a bit unfamiliar. Reason for optimism, I say.

Thank you for the report JVW. What wine did you have? :D

Thank you for the report JVW. What wine did you have? :D

2012 Castello di Verduno "Rabaja" Barbaresco. Drinking very nicely. The list there was almost all Italian or from Northern neighbors.

2012 Castello di Verduno "Rabaja" Barbaresco. Drinking very nicely. The list there was almost all Italian or from Northern neighbors.

Very cool.

I think an Italian restaurant should have lots of Italian wine choices. I can have a Napa CS or a DCV Zin at any of a zillion steak joints.

The Alto Adige choices looked fun to me. Italian Gewurztraminer? Lagrein? Bring 'em on.

DW and I are just back from the May 18th to 28th Alaska cruise on the Grand. We ate in Sabatini's on the first night of our cruise, and it was the first night that they served the new menu.

The menu at Sabatini's was the new menu that has been posted online with the $25 price and the restriction on multiple items. However, Princess had not updated all of their literature on the ship - literature in my cabin listed Sabatini's as still costing $29. I did not verify the price, because we received a free specialty restaurant on embarkation evening, so we did not see a charge.

The items we ate were prepared very well. Even though they may not have used the most expensive ingredients, they were obviously not simple dishes to prepare - some of them looked as if they took time.

However, neither DW nor I liked the new menu. There was nothing wrong about it - we just didn't care for this type of cuisine. We both definitely preferred the old menu. On our next cruise, we will probably eat in Crown Grill instead.

We normally don't eat more than once or twice per cruise in a specialty restaurant because we like the food and service in the MDR - especially with the somewhat better service we received in Club Class. On our next cruise we have two complimentary specialty restaurant cover charges each, so we may try it again.

 

The menu at Sabatini's was the new menu that has been posted online with the $25 price and the restriction on multiple items.

So now a second dessert will cost an additional $10.

Costing $50 per couple plus additional tip from many, I think they'll have irritated many old time customers & will be losing them in the future.

It's a shame to see them change to that new menu & way of doing business. :(

Same here. What happened to the old veal chop that was standard for many years. I wonder if it's now the "veal vallet"?

While I love adventurous and authentic food, especially when traveling or cruising, this menu just doesn't do it for me. It reads a little cheap to me. I would prefer the salt crusted Branzino, veal chop, etc. Sorry but what the hell is a veal vallet? Meh.

I would always order the veal chop. I can get a breaded veal cutlet any time at any restaurant or even at home. I wonder if the veal cutlet is tough like the one in the MDR? I'm not impressed with the menu at all. I noticed that the Crown Grill serves a veal chop.

I would always order the veal chop. I can get a breaded veal cutlet any time at any restaurant or even at home. I wonder if the veal cutlet is tough like the one in the MDR? I'm not impressed with the menu at all. I noticed that the Crown Grill serves a veal chop.

I can vividly recall the first time we ate at Sabatini's many years ago & had their veal chop. It was huge, tender & enough that you wouldn't want any more, although you could have ordered another if desired.

I can only wonder what's served today? :confused:

I was on the 5/13 British Isles Caribbean Princess cruise. I was disappointed in Sabatini's new menu. Usually, I have a hard time deciding on what to order. This time, I could only find 1 item that interested me. Taste is very subjective, but I wasn't fond of every course. Usually we eat twice at Sabatini's, but we went back to Crown Grill this time.

So now a second dessert will cost an additional $10.

Based on the new menu, having an additional dessert is not an option but for an additional $10 it's possible to get an additional pasta or main course: "Cover charge of $25/person includes one selection from each course.Please enjoy any additional pasta or main course for $10 each".

http://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/ships-and-experience/food-and-dining/sabatinis-trattoria/sabatinis-trattoria-main-menu.pdf