Master Chef's Dinner Best Culinary Secret Afloat

[tcook052]

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rudi-sodamin-named-top-chef-in-cruise-industry-and-master-chefs-dinner-best-culinary-secret-afloat-by-porthole-cruise-magazine-116192219.html

 

SEATTLE, Feb. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Holland America Line's Culinary Consultant Rudi Sodamin was named Best Cruise Line Chef by Porthole Cruise Magazine in its February 2011 issue. The award recognizes Sodamin's dedication, innovative approach and unique contributions to the culinary arts at sea.

 

Additionally, Sodamin's new Master Chef's Dinner in the Pinnacle Grill was named Best Culinary Secret Afloat by the publication.

Chosen annually by Editor-in-Chief Bill Panoff, the Porthole Awards are a selection of his current favorites from the cruise and travel industries. Sodamin joins an elite list that includes Steiner Leisure for best on-board spa operators and Micato Safaris for best African safari tour operator.

 

"Rudi's culinary contributions to Holland America Line and the industry as a whole have paved the way for exciting new concepts and a forward-thinking approach to cruising cuisine," said Richard D. Meadows, CTC, executive vice president, marketing, sales and guest programs for Holland America Line. "Because of Rudi's professionalism and dedication, we've been able to step outside the box and transform our culinary operation into a highly regarded experience. We are proud of Rudi and he certainly has earned this recognition."

 

The new Master Chef's Dinner in the Pinnacle Grill recently debuted aboard the line's newest ship, ms Nieuw Amsterdam, and represents the diversity of Holland America Line's unique culinary experience. The evening features a seven-course dining experience for up to 18 guests, with each course personally delivered by a special culinary expert who serves as the gracious dinner host. The uniforms and menus were designed to resemble an elegant chef jacket that embodies the theme of the dinner and experience. Each meal is enhanced with wine pairings specially selected by the ship's sommelier and the elegant table is set with signature Versace china.

 

"Master Chef's Dinner is a culinary journey that highlights Holland America Line's fine culinary expertise and the creativity and passion of artisan and Master Chef Rudi," added Meadows.

 

Sodamin is internationally recognized as a food authority and one of the hospitality industry's most innovative chefs who has directed the evolution of fine dining and unique menu options at Holland America Line through his role as culinary consultant. The award-winning Tamarind, for example, is a pan-Asian restaurant with traditional and eclectic offerings on ms Eurodam and ms Nieuw Amsterdam.

 

His ideas have been instrumental in the development of Holland America Line's interactive culinary-arts program on board as well. Sodamin also chairs Holland America Line's Culinary Council, which recently was formed to enrich the premium line's culinary program and is composed of international chefs Jonnie Boer, David Burke, Jacques Torres, Charlie Trotter and Marcus Samuelsson.

 

Sodamin is the author of numerous internationally published cookbooks, including "Seduction & Spice" (Rizzoli, 2000) and Holland America Line's "A Taste of Excellence"(Rizzoli, 2007), "A Taste of Elegance" (Rizzoli, 2009) and "A Taste of Celebration" (Rizzoli, 2010). Sodamin belongs to the Academy Culinaire de France, Master Chef Society and Club de Chefs des Chefs.

[sail7seas]

Outstanding!!!

 

Congratulations, Chef Rudi. How nice to see his accomplishments recognized in this way.

There is no question dining/food service on HAL has dramatically changed(:) for the better) in the time Chef Rudi has been with HAL.

 

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Rudi Sodamin Named Top Chef in Cruise Industry and Master Chef’s Dinner Best Culinary Secret Afloat by Porthole Cruise Magazine

 

Seattle, Wash., Feb. 14, 2011 – Holland America Line’s Culinary Consultant Rudi Sodamin was named Best Cruise Line Chef by Porthole Cruise Magazine in its February 2011 issue. The award recognizes Sodamin’s dedication, innovative approach and unique contributions to the culinary arts at sea.

 

Additionally, Sodamin’s new Master Chef’s Dinner in the Pinnacle Grill was named Best Culinary Secret Afloat by the publication.

Chosen annually by Editor-in-Chief Bill Panoff, the Porthole Awards are a selection of his current favorites from the cruise and travel industries. Sodamin joins an elite list that includes Steiner Leisure for best on-board spa operators and Micato Safaris for best African safari tour operator.

"Rudi’s culinary contributions to Holland America Line and the industry as a whole have paved the way for exciting new concepts and a forward-thinking approach to cruising cuisine,” said Richard D. Meadows, CTC, executive vice president, marketing, sales and guest programs for Holland America Line. “Because of Rudi’s professionalism and dedication, we’ve been able to step outside the box and transform our culinary operation into a highly regarded experience. We are proud of Rudi and he certainly has earned this recognition.”

The new Master Chef’s Dinner in the Pinnacle Grill recently debuted aboard the line’s newest ship, ms Nieuw Amsterdam, and represents the diversity of Holland America Line’s unique culinary experience. The evening features a seven-course dining experience for up to 18 guests, with each course personally delivered by a special culinary expert who serves as the gracious dinner host. The uniforms and menus were designed to resemble an elegant chef jacket that embodies the theme of the dinner and experience. Each meal is enhanced with wine pairings specially selected by the ship’s sommelier and the elegant table is set with signature Versace china.

“Master Chef’s Dinner is a culinary journey that highlights Holland America Line’s fine culinary expertise and the creativity and passion of artisan and Master Chef Rudi,” added Meadows.

Sodamin is internationally recognized as a food authority and one of the hospitality industry's most innovative chefs who has directed the evolution of fine dining and unique menu options at Holland America Line through his role as culinary consultant. The award-winning Tamarind, for example, is a pan-Asian restaurant with traditional and eclectic offerings on ms Eurodam and ms Nieuw Amsterdam.

His ideas have been instrumental in the development of Holland America Line’s interactive culinary-arts program on board as well. Sodamin also chairs Holland America Line’s Culinary Council, which recently was formed to enrich the premium line’s culinary program and is composed of international chefs Jonnie Boer, David Burke, Jacques Torres, Charlie Trotter and Marcus Samuelsson.

Sodamin is the author of numerous internationally published cookbooks, including “Seduction & Spice” (Rizzoli, 2000) and Holland America Line’s “A Taste of Excellence” (Rizzoli, 2007), “A Taste of Elegance” (Rizzoli, 2009) and “A Taste of Celebration” (Rizzoli, 2010). Sodamin belongs to the Academy Culinaire de France, Master Chef Society and Club de Chefs des Chefs.

For more information and cruise fares, contact a professional travel agent, call 1-877-SAIL-HAL (1-877-724-5425) or visit Cruises, Cruise Ship Deals, Travel Cruises - Holland America Line.

Editor’s note: Photos are available at: http://www.cleanpix.com/cleanpix/portal/W1b2w-QMb-gs7.

 

- www.hollandamerica.com -

[BumperII]

Oh Boy! I wonder if they are going to offer this Master Chef's affair in the Pinacle on the smaller ships.

We dined twice in the Maasdam Pinacle Grill last week and really enjoyed the lamb and seafood flaming skewers. The creme brulee is out of this world. So, I'm wondering what they do to improve on what is already a fabulous dining experience.

We are going back on the Maasdam April 24 for the relocation cruise to Canada - New England. This will be the first cruise following a drydock. I wonder if they will be training the staff for this.

[Krazy Kruizers]

it's hard to tell if all the ship's are going to have it

on the nieuw amsterdam there is back room in the pinnacle grill where it was held $75 per person -- thus the rest of the restaurant was still open for the regular diners

on the vista class ships and the eurodam a similar dinner was offered -- held in the queen's lounge

don't know how they are going to handle it in the s and r class ships -- the pinnacle is already shut down once every 7 days for the le cirque dinner -- to completely close the pinnacle for another special dinner could iratate people if they find there are very few nights to book a dinner there

[tcook052]

The press release was mentioned previously, KK, though know you probably had your fall around then. :) It's here BTW:

 

Rudi Sodamin Named Top Chef in Cruise Industry

[sansterre]

le cirque dinner??

[Himself]

Thanks for the information and I hope you are well these days KK. I heard you were hurt in a fall last week and hope you are mending well

[elycelynne]

When I first saw mention of the Master Chef's Dinner, I thought it was referring to the "spectacle" held on the last night of the cruise. My initial reaction was "are you serious, Bill Panoff"? I was relieved to read that it was something else altogether!

[pms4104]

Will the Pinnacle Grill MCD include the floor show of singing, dancing and fruit juggling ... the true signatures of the MCD?

[LAFFNVEGAS]

When I first saw mention of the Master Chef's Dinner, I thought it was referring to the "spectacle" held on the last night of the cruise. My initial reaction was "are you serious, Bill Panoff"? I was relieved to read that it was something else altogether!

Have to admit that is exactly what I thought as well and thinking those exact words :D

 

HAL is trying so hard to be a step above for dining why do they continue with that thing they do in the main dining room the last night:confused:

 

On Princess they call it Chef's Table I believe and they book up fast. I am debating if I will want to try it on the Nieuw Amsterdam in a few weeks. With knowing we are already dining one night in the Tamarind, another in the Pinnacle (regular Pinnacle menu) then say if someone wanted to do Le Cirque then also try Canelletto it does not leave much room on a 7 day cruise to get to know you servers if you have fixed dining :eek:

[SwissMyst]

Wonder what Chef Rudi has to say about the consistently inconsistent experiences passengers have in his Pinnacle Grill restaurants fleet-wide. :confused:

[x lindsay x]

Almost all of the lines are doing something like this now for around the same price. We did one on board Princess and it was tough to get a slot as they only offer two of those dinners per cruise and they only seat about 14 people per dinner. Somehow the Maitre'd selects a group he thinks will mesh well together for the evening and you are sent invitations to your room and meet up beforehand to go over rules/timing/get to know each other.

 

We went through the kitchen during dinner service and had champagne and appetizers in the kitchen before being escorted out to our table in the dining room from the captain. Everyone who was at our dinner had done it previously or heard about it on these boards. It was a dining experience and all involved would do it again in a heartbeat. I'm also sure all those who saw the wonderful time we were having will sign up for it their next trip.

 

We signed up for the Chef's Table experience on our upcoming Carnival trip so we will have a point of comparison. Hope to do the HAL one in the future.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Will the Pinnacle Grill MCD include the floor show of singing, dancing and fruit juggling ... the true signatures of the MCD?

 

this dinner is not the same master chef dinner that is offered in the main dining room -- this dinner has a special menu -- costs $75 per person which includes some wines -- no singing, juggling or dancing

i don't have the menu for this dinner

[ironin]

EDIT: Never mind. Not worth the effort.

 

Looking forward to this dinner if offered on our next sailing.

[Krazy Kruizers]

le cirque dinner??

 

this is also a new dinner venue being offered on all hal ships -- it is $39 per person and has a limited menu -- no substitutions

The first Le Cirque on the Nieuw Amsterdam was on Dec 2, 2010.

 

And it was excellent!!

 

The special place settings and decorations had not arrived but the food and service by the Pinnacle staff was great.

 

The meal was $39 per person and you could buy for $20 per person a special wine offering which was 3 glasses selected for the special dinner.

 

Each person was first srved an Amuse (just like the regular Pinnacle offers). It was Pate Foi Gras -- goose liver mousse with rhubarb chutney -- very good.

 

The appetizer was Lobster Salad "Le Cirque" -- poached lobster with haricot and citrus (I will post at a later time the recipe foe this)

 

Soup - Sweet Corn Soup -- prepared table side. On the bottom of the soup bowl were ground corn fritters, wood ear mushrooms and some whole kernals of corn. The corn soup -- nice and thick and very tasty with a hint of basil -- was served from a tureen.

 

There were 3 choices for the main menu:

Wild Halibut with leek fondue, Rocca Di Fransinello sauce -- DH had this - very flaky and tasty.

Rack of Lamb - goat cheese panisse, artichokes and arugula -- I had this -- excellent -- very tasty and meaty lamb chops -- got 2 big double ones.

Cote de Boeuf - (aged prime rib steak) - horseradish flan, sweet and sour baby beets for two. Can't comment on this.

 

Side Dishes:

Seasonal vegetables -- DH had them -- a mixture broccoli, summer squash, cauliflower, bamboo shoots, zuccini in a truffle oil -- excellent.

Pommes Dauphine -- I had them -- mashed potatoes made into tiny puffs and quickly fried -- good -- hot and crunchy.

 

Desserts:

Chocolate Souffle -- we passed on this as we had already had a couple of chocolate souffles in the Pinnacle.

Creme Brulee Le Cirque -- we both had it and loved it -- recipe will be posted at a later time.

Assortment of Sorbets - again we did not try them - so - no comment.

 

 

As I mentioned we chose to try the $20 per person selected wine paring.

 

When we sat down we were each served a glass of sparkling wine.

 

For the appetizer and soup we were each served a glass of Ruffino Pinot Grigio, Italy - juicy white peaches and citrus with a flinty-minerality (glass $8; bottle $39)

 

For the entree we were served Villa Florita Barbera D'Asti Superiore, Italy - persistent and intense, yet warm and harmonic (glass $10; bottle $54)

 

If you didn't want to go with that offering you could order anything from the list below -- all prices are for the bottle.

 

White Wine

 

Michel Redde Pouilly Fime, France - highly expressive nose and a mouth-smaking finish - $59

 

Cloudy Bat Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand - herbaceous flavors with hints of citrus fruits - $78

 

Marques de Caceres, Spain - delicious flavors of pears and apples - $29

 

Laboure-Roi Pouilly Fuisse, France - collage of white fruits flavors, lively floral undertones - $54

 

Franciscan Chardonnay, California - lively and lengthy on the palate with a great body - $47

 

Conundrum, California - peach, apricot, green melon and pear - $39

 

Red Wine

 

Meridian Pinot Noir, Italy - bing cherry with hints of strawberry, roses and violets - $37

 

Chateau Ste Michelle, Canon Ridge Merlot, Washington - a medium to full bodied rich, berry flavored long finish wine - $69

 

Perrin Reserve Cotes Du Rhone, France - full bodied, rich fruit with peppery finish - $39

 

Beringer Founders Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, California - bursts with cassis, black fruit and sweet brown spice - $39

 

Arboleda Carmenerem Chile - dark berries with plum, dark cherries and violets - 449

 

Castello Banfi Brunello Di Montalcino, Italy - soft and velvety with licorice, spices and cherry notes - $108

[Krazy Kruizers]

Almost all of the lines are doing something like this now for around the same price. We did one on board Princess and it was tough to get a slot as they only offer two of those dinners per cruise and they only seat about 14 people per dinner. Somehow the Maitre'd selects a group he thinks will mesh well together for the evening and you are sent invitations to your room and meet up beforehand to go over rules/timing/get to know each other.

 

We went through the kitchen during dinner service and had champagne and appetizers in the kitchen before being escorted out to our table in the dining room from the captain. Everyone who was at our dinner had done it previously or heard about it on these boards. It was a dining experience and all involved would do it again in a heartbeat. I'm also sure all those who saw the wonderful time we were having will sign up for it their next trip.

 

We signed up for the Chef's Table experience on our upcoming Carnival trip so we will have a point of comparison. Hope to do the HAL one in the future.

 

on the nieuw amsterdam is was different

we did not know that it was being offered and when we found out -- all 18 seats were gone

the second week of our cruise we went to sign up on the first day at 11 am when the computers had been changed over for the new cruise and all 18 seats were already gone -- someone in the cruise terminal had signed up for all 18 seats for his entire party

there was no going through the kitchen

[m steve]

It's a different experience than dinner in Pinnacle or whatever restaurant is on the ship. We have done it on every HAL or Princess cruise that it has been offered. It's really a bargain compared to a land based restaurant and I think better than the LeCirque evening. They pour a lot of wine along with the meal and offer refills as well. Usually the head sommelier attends and describes the wines and why they were chosen. As for LeCirque, I hope that they change the menu at least once a year or better yet by season or it's just more of the same Pinnacle repeats.

[djhsolara]

I'm hoping this will be offered on our Westerdam sailing next month.

 

We did this on our Carnival sailing last September and loved it (was about the only thing we liked about the entire sailing). It was called the Chef's Table there and was for 12 people. A wonderful experience.

[Zyzygy]

Does anyone know the day of the week that this meal is offered on the NA's current Caribbean itineraries?

 

We're trying to reserve other meals around it.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Does anyone know the day of the week that this meal is offered on the NA's current Caribbean itineraries?

 

We're trying to reserve other meals around it.

 

when you get on the ship -- go to the pinnacle right away -- you sign up for the dinner then -- they will tell you what night it will be

[kazu]

Does anyone know the day of the week that this meal is offered on the NA's current Caribbean itineraries?

 

We're trying to reserve other meals around it.

 

If you go onto the website (for booked guests - book gifts), Le Cirque dinner is listed there (at least it is for my cruise) - hit select and it will show the date(s) and, if you want to book it you can. all our dates show for ours (there are 3 on our 20 day). hope this helps :) Master Chef doesn't show but there may not be one on this sailing, not sure. The Master Chef and Sommelier were also posted in our daily paper on our NA cruise

[Zyzygy]

Thanks for the info. We'll go straight to the Pinnacle Grill when we board.

 

Because we've decided not to try Le Cirque this cruise, we booked Tamarind on Wednesday evening, when Le Cirque is served.

 

We're hoping (speculating) that they won't offer the PG MCD on the same night as Le Cirque, and so we're hoping that our Tamarind reservation won't interfere with PG MCD.

 

I'll try to report about the special meal scheduling when we return in a few weeks.

[brucory]

This sounds like a great experience...

 

Very much looking forward to someone's first hand review of the dinner and the wines!!!!

 

:D:D:D