Specialty restaurants

[M&T]

We have yet to tried the specialty restaurants. I am now interested. Does their menu change nightly? If so, is there a way to know in advance in order to pick the night you go based on the menu you want.

 

Do any of them service lobster tail or crab legs. I am missing having these in the MDR. I know that, in our early years of sailing, we had lobster in the MDR because I remember people having more than one. If you really like something, can you get more of it as you can in the MDR.

 

Does the new porch grill have lobster? I believe I read that they have scallops.

 

Anything else you want to share about any of the restaurants. Our next cruise is Silhouette in Jan. of 2013.

[Gonzo70]

The menus rarely change at the specialty restaurants (and will be the same throughout your cruise; every once in a great while they might have a special dish on any given night). At Murano you are generally restricted to one entree, but can order multiple appetizers/soups/salads/desserts. Qsine is tapas style (so you order lots of small plates and share with the table). Lawn Club Grill you can have as much as you want. Tuscan Grille generally you can order multiple appetizers/soups/salads/desserts and often a pasta course in addition to a meat course.

 

The Porch does not generally have lobster. It specializes in panini sandwiches. There are also various salads and sides as well as desserts.

 

While Murano does have a lobster dish, I personally avoid lobster on cruise ships as lobster does not taste as good frozen as fresh and also cruise ships almost always have warm water lobster. IMHO you will get a lot more bang for your buck at Murano ordering a steak or rack of lamb type entree than the lobster.

 

I would look into ordering a specialty restaurant package once on board as this will save you some money and enable you to enjoy all of them. All the specialty restaurants are quite good (the Porch was the only one I did not care for, but some do like this venue).

[2Fltravelers]

We have yet to tried the specialty restaurants. I am now interested. Does their menu change nightly? If so, is there a way to know in advance in order to pick the night you go based on the menu you want.

 

Do any of them service lobster tail or crab legs. I am missing having these in the MDR. I know that, in our early years of sailing, we had lobster in the MDR because I remember people having more than one. If you really like something, can you get more of it as you can in the MDR.

 

Does the new porch grill have lobster? I believe I read that they have scallops.

 

Anything else you want to share about any of the restaurants. Our next cruise is Silhouette in Jan. of 2013.

 

The menus do not change nightly and remain the same for months at times. When they do change, it is not by much as I see most of the same items I saw 2 years ago. So pick the night you want to go based on things other than the menu which will be the same. Murano does serve a lobster dish that is prepared tableside. I have heard that it is good but I have never had it. There is a lobster pasta dish in Tuscan Grill made with cream sauce and pasta that is excellent. I am not aware of any other place other than the MDR that has lobster (on one formal night) and it is not Maine lobster but Caribbean lobster. My friend's were in the MDR on the Eclipse last month and said they were given more than 1 lobster tail after they requested it. As for getting more in the specialty restaurants, you can request more of anything but we never have as we are always so full. Sorry, but I don't know about the Porch Grill.

[acwmom]

I would look into ordering a specialty restaurant package once on board as this will save you some money and enable you to enjoy all of them. All the specialty restaurants are quite good (the Porch was the only one I did not care for, but some do like this venue).

 

Gonzo,

 

Are these packages only available once on board, or can you prebook them?

 

Thanks in advance.

[Gonzo70]

Gonzo,

 

Are these packages only available once on board, or can you prebook them?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

For now they can only be booked on board.

[M&T]

Thanks. Sounds as if I should get my lobster and crab somewhere other than the ship. I had the lobster in the MDR last month and a year ago in Jan. and did not care for it.

[CathyCruises]

DH and I had the lobster prepared tableside in Murano in November and were very disappointed--it was tough and tasteless even with the 'sauce' it was cooked in. No way worth $80. We are anxious to go back to Qsine though--had a great tme there.

[Gonzo70]

DH and I had the lobster prepared tableside in Murano in November and were very disappointed--it was tough and tasteless even with the 'sauce' it was cooked in. No way worth $80. We are anxious to go back to Qsine though--had a great tme there.

 

Do not give up on Murano; the meats are excellent. I have dined 5-6 times at Murano and did not care too much for the lobster, but loved everything else I have ordered there.

[Sloop-JohnB]

Hi All,

 

I actually liked the Lobster Dish that was offered in Murano's... but then again, I had done my reading & research here in advance on CC... so I knew going in what I would be getting.

 

As has been pointed out, all the Lobster that is offered aboard seems to be Warm Water Rock Lobsters (and the menus say that)... so not anything at all like Cold Water Lobsters that one sees coming out of Maine, The Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia or Prince Edward Island.

 

Still though if you like seafood they can be good when prepared in a variety of ways... including Lobster Thermidor style (Murano's) and Stuffed Lobster (MDR)

 

Celebrity Website - Murano's Menu = http://www.celebritycruises.com/dining/product/detail/view.do?ProductCode=MURADINNER&componentType=3&currencyCode=USD&shipCode=CN

 

I have attached some photos below...

 

PHOTO

 

1- Murano's Lobster Dish being Flambeed tableside

2- MDR Lobster Stuffed with Crab

 

Cheers!

[Northern Aurora]

I have had the lobster thermidor several times in Murano, and also like it. Murano also offers at least one other lobster dish.

 

While the menus in the specialty restaurants remain essentially the same, you do see some tweaking. For example on Century last November the goat cheese souffle was not "caged." It had been at least eighteen months since I had ordered it (while I love it, it is so darn rich) so I asked about the lack of the pastry cage, and was told that about six months before they had started eliminating the cage. I didn't ask if that was fleet wide, or just on Century.

 

We also have asked for some special dishes, and have had our requests granted. For example, I ordered Steak Diane last November. The maitre'd also had lamb encroute prepared for my hubby. For that lamb dish they needed a two day lead time since the lamb was specially butchered for the dish.

[FrankinPA]

We dined a number of times in Olympic recently and the chef offered to fix us anything they had on the ship. So we had chateaubriand one night, steak Diane another night and bananas foster. None of this was on the menu. So treat them nice and they will be very nice to you. It was the same story on the Infinity last fall.

[Leibe_]

The lobster in Blu was quite good. Better actually than Murano IMHO.

[M&T]

Do they have crab legs in Blu?

[riandei]

We were in murano last year and had a fantastic salad with a fried egg on it....it was not on the menu this year as the menu had changed...i mentioned it to the waiter...they said had i let them know ahead ... They would have prepared it for me....they are so accommodating

[Leibe_]

Do they have crab legs in Blu?

 

I didn't see them. 3-4 evenings that I ate someplace else so maybe on those evenings??

[GeriatricNurse]

The menus rarely change at the specialty restaurants (and will be the same throughout your cruise; every once in a great while they might have a special dish on any given night). At Murano you are generally restricted to one entree, but can order multiple appetizers/soups/salads/desserts. Qsine is tapas style (so you order lots of small plates and share with the table). Lawn Club Grill you can have as much as you want. Tuscan Grille generally you can order multiple appetizers/soups/salads/desserts and often a pasta course in addition to a meat course.

 

The Porch does not generally have lobster. It specializes in panini sandwiches. There are also various salads and sides as well as desserts.

 

While Murano does have a lobster dish, I personally avoid lobster on cruise ships as lobster does not taste as good frozen as fresh and also cruise ships almost always have warm water lobster. IMHO you will get a lot more bang for your buck at Murano ordering a steak or rack of lamb type entree than the lobster.

 

I would look into ordering a specialty restaurant package once on board as this will save you some money and enable you to enjoy all of them. All the specialty restaurants are quite good (the Porch was the only one I did not care for, but some do like this venue).

 

Thank you for this info! :) How would I go about ordering a "specialty restaurant package" once on board? :confused:

[FrankinPA]

Thank you for this info! :) How would I go about ordering a "specialty restaurant package" once on board? :confused:

 

We went to the Speciality dining room after boarding and purchased the dining package we wanted. There will be someone there at the Maitre 'd desk to greet you. The actual charge appeared on our cabin statement after we dined there the first time.

[GeriatricNurse]

We went to the Speciality dining room after boarding and purchased the dining package we wanted. There will be someone there at the Maitre 'd desk to greet you. The actual charge

appeared on our cabin statement after we dined there the first time.

 

Thank you for this info! :) For clarification, does the "specialty restaurant package" pertain to just one alternative dining venue or may it be used at different dining venues? :confused:

[FrankinPA]

Thank you for this info! :) For clarification, does the "specialty restaurant package" pertain to just one alternative dining venue or may it be used at different dining venues? :confused:

 

The M class ships only have one speciality restaurant. The S classes have several and their packages, as I understand, cover most or all of theirs. Our first S cruise is coming up in a couple of weeks so we look forward to seeing the details of their package offers.

 

The package we purchased included wine but we could have bought a package without wine. Details are on the Celebrity web site.

[Kathie44]

M-class ships have crab filled lobster tail on the second formal night. It's a shadow of its former self, when the lobster tails were whole. I don't eat lobster in any case or even fish, unless it's deep-fried and disguised. The only seafood I eat on ships is the crab-cakes.

RE: cold-water lobster--we had people from Maine as tablemates one time and they were horrified to find out the lobsters came from Honduras. They were glad they asked ahead of time and declined because, "There is no lobster like Maine lobster".

I always eat in the MDR. Never disappointed with the food. Can't justify spending extra and the menus look too artsy and gourmet for me.

[GeriatricNurse]

The M class ships only have one speciality restaurant. The S classes have several and their packages, as I understand, cover most or all of theirs. Our first S cruise is coming up in a couple of weeks so we look forward to seeing the details of their package offers.

 

The package we purchased included wine but we could have bought a package without wine. Details are on the Celebrity web site.

 

Thank you for this info! :)

[FrankLasVegas]

I was on the Equinox in April, 2011 (1st time on S-Class) and Silhouette December, 2011.

 

On the Equinox I had pre-booked 3 specialty restaurants - once on board learned of the 5 restaurant package - worked out to very little more $$$ for the 2 extra times. So I converted, able to keep the times I pre-booked and chose 2 more.

 

For the Silhouette, I pre-booked the 5 (knowing now many of each were in the "onboard" package) - so I secured the days & times I wanted. Once onboard I converted to the package and the $$$ amount was adjusted accordingly.

 

So while you can't "pre-book" the packages you can pre-book and then convert once onboard to get the package savings.

 

Will do this again for my April Silhouette T/A.

 

Frank

[TLCOhio]

We did and enjoyed all three of the speciality dining places during our Solstice cruise. Below is more info, details and some of my visuals as proof that it is "good stuff" there. Is it worth it? Much depends on what specials are offered, your budget, personal interests, etc. On a longer cruise, as we had, we liked this added variety. Those "specials" will vary much from cruise to cruise depending on the advance bookings they get, their needs to "fill up" these places, etc. Watch out and check at the start your cruise for these specials.

 

Speciality Dining Photos/Tips:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1434523&page=2

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 65,236 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

Doing dining “family-style” is especially fun in an Asian-style setting such as Silk Harvest. That sharing of the experience adds to the fun and interest. This first course is called “small plates” and we started with a nice mix, including interesting sauces that added much to the enjoyment.

 

 

 

For sushi, they put together a nice variety of options and the waiter did an added sauce option that was great to test and vary the flavors. Liked it LOTS here at Silk Harvest!! Testing new things is a good value/purpose for such cruises and these types of dining options. Fun, also!!:

 

 

 

This was the Tuscan Grille “Signature Creme Brulee” that I enjoyed. A key tip for the Tuscan Grille is to “pace yourself” as the portions are large (and good). You need to save room for the desserts, etc.:

 

 

 

Here is an overview for this wonderfully-appointed, speciality Murano dining room with nice wood, ceiling, glass, etc., details.* Maximum capacity for seating in 90.* For the last night, they have 30 people on a waiting listing.* We booked ahead which was smart in order to get a specific date on a sea day.:

 

 

 

The “Creamy Maine Lobster Bisque” is one of their most popular starter items at Murano. It is far different from what is served on the rest of the Solstice. It involves seven hours prep time for the different items. The broth is poured into your bowl with nice drama . . . and great taste. There are ten different starter options. You can have as many courses of starters as you wish. I had a second starter of Diver Scallop Wellington-Style. The warm goat cheese souffle is also a popular item here. :

 

 

 

My dessert choice was “Les VI Etoiles du Murano”. It is six different bite-sized desserts. My wife and I were going to share this one, but she switched for the “Grand Marnier Souffle”. I got this whole selection, but, don’t worry, I didn’t and couldn’t eat it all. Very delightful!:

 

[Texed]

The M class ships only have one speciality restaurant.

 

After updates that some "M" class have already received, there are now more than one specialty restaurant. :)

[FrankinPA]

After updates that some "M" class have already received, there are now more than one specialty restaurant. :)

 

Correct. Unfortunately, Celebrity has not yet updated their on-line package descriptions. It's now been almost 2.5 months since Infinity came out of dry dock

with her new look. The speciality dining package still only shows the SS United States.

 

http://media.celebritycruises.com/celebrity/content/celebrity/en_US/cel_pdf/Wine_Dine_Final.pdf

 

I did see that the Constellation has a Tuscan grill which I did not know about. Have not been on her yet.