Beef in Pinnacle vs Cirque Oosterdam?

fionan · February 24, 2011

I shall be sailing next month with my beloved on the Oosterdam Mexican Riviera. For health reasons she has been told to make red meat a (very) occasional treat. We have reservations for both the Pinnacle Grill and Le Cirque - which would you recommend for "beef night"? I had assumed Le Cirque, but some reviews on this board have made me reconsider. Any advice based on recent experience would be great.

Krazy Kruizers · February 24, 2011

jmo -- but i would order the beef on a regular night at the pinnacle -- more choices

on le cirque -- both of you have to order the beef -- no exceptions -- and from what i understand that beef is not as good as the pinnacle's -- that was the entry we did not try that night

woodworker&knitter · February 24, 2011

We ate in the Pinnacle Feb 10, which was Le Cirque. My husband had the beef. Myself and our 2 friends had the lamb. I must say much better than the Pinnacles. As far as the beef my husband says: it was very salty, and very fatty, they do trim the fat before they serve you. He also says he would eat at the Pinnacle on 2 occassions and skip Le Cirque completely.

The lobster salad. We (3) of us agreed that if it was marinated in some sort of citrus, as we were told they must have missed ours as it was completey bland, and the 4 tiny dollobs(sp) of dressing on the plate did nothing for the lobster.

We did all agree that the corn soup was amazing.

Creme brulee was OK.

Sea King · February 24, 2011

my vote is for Pinnacle

IMO Le Cirque is over-priced, not as good and the menu if very restricted

think Le Cirque was a "bad idea" from the beginning

kazu · February 24, 2011

My vote for the Pinnacle as well - just more choices and the meat is always good (at least it has been for us) :)

tcook052 · February 24, 2011

FWIW I very much enjoyed my recent Le Cirque meal and should you care to read more it's here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1357186&highlight=

I'd liked the beef so would recommend giving the special night a try. It's good however to be faced with such a decision as this as it's hard to go that wrong wither way, at least IMHO.

Krazy Kruizers · February 24, 2011

we also tried le cirque -- but still feel the beef on a regular pinnacle would be better

my review of le cirque:

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

fionan · February 24, 2011

You guys are great - thank you!

When someone has lost half their body weight and naturally doesn't want to go back to before, the occasional treat is really special, and it is hard to have a disappointing experience. I want to make this cruise as perfect as I can for her. CC is certainly helping me with that!

kakalina · February 24, 2011

I highly recommend the PG and NOT the Le Circque night. We thought the Le Cirque night was an unmitagated disaster.

sail7seas · February 24, 2011

If you were to try both, the halibut at Le Cirque is delicious but Pinnacle beef is better as per our experience. Pinnacles filet mignons, porterhouse and ribeye steaks are (almost always) wonderful. I eat very little beef and have my 'treat beef' in Pinnacle. :)

sapete · February 24, 2011

Pardon my ignorance, but what is "Le Cirque"? :confused:

kakalina · February 24, 2011

HAL bought the "rights" to offer one night per cruise of a dining experience in the Pinnacle that is supposed to be close to the one in NYC.

They supposedly use special dishes ( they didn't when we were there) and a fixed menu offering 3 entrees from "Le Cirque".

If you do a search you will find several reviews and threads regarding this new offering from HAL.

BumperII · February 24, 2011

LeCirque is a nice experience. But it isn't a life defining moment. We did it once, we won't do it again. We like to dine in the Pinacle Grill for dinner at least twice a cruise just to enjoy the skewers they set on fire at the table. They are outstanding.

I highly recommend a lunch at the Pinacle for the Halibut sandwich.

Between the MDR, the Lido, the Caneleto and Pinacle, there is plenty opportunity to get a change of pace in on board dining.

Just can't understand why I'm not losing weight.:D

jkrislc · February 24, 2011

LeCirque is a nice experience. But it isn't a life defining moment. We did it once, we won't do it again. We like to dine in the Pinacle Grill for dinner at least twice a cruise just to enjoy the skewers they set on fire at the table. They are outstanding.

I highly recommend a lunch at the Pinacle for the Halibut sandwich.

Between the MDR, the Lido, the Caneleto and Pinacle, there is plenty opportunity to get a change of pace in on board dining.

Just can't understand why I'm not losing weight.:D

You may have sold my wife on dining here for lunch with mention of the sandwich. Do you just book once onboard? I was able to book dinner, but I didn't notice the ability to book lunch.

maxout · February 24, 2011

You may have sold my wife on dining here for lunch with mention of the sandwich. Do you just book once onboard? I was able to book dinner, but I didn't notice the ability to book lunch.

Correct, only onboard.

sail7seas · February 25, 2011

Be sure to check as Pinnacle is not always open for lunch every port day. Sometimes yes but not always.

LarryF · February 25, 2011

What is the best time to make reservations at the specialty restaurants if we want to see the main stage shows?

Thanks,

Larry

bluecash · March 9, 2011

does anyone know if Le Cirque has vegetarian options?

Sue

Krazy Kruizers · March 9, 2011

does anyone know if Le Cirque has vegetarian options?

Sue

welcome to cruise critic

it is a very limited menu