Todd English New Restaurant Panned by The New York Times

[Jeanne S]

The "Paper of Record" ran an article yesterday in the Dining Out/Dining In Wednesday Section, whereby Restaurant Critic Frank Bruni gave Todd English’s new place in Manhattan only a Satisfactory Rating and I think this was only because some of the prices and wines were reasonable.

 

The restaurant is called “English is Italian” and Bruni awarded the 2005 award for most nonsensical name to start, going downhill from there.

 

How has Todd English on QE2 been lately?

[glenneagle]

On the QM2 in december it was awful

[Jane Pond]

Let's face it; Tood English is becoming a bit over-extended. I had dinner in Boston at his steak house (something like Firecracker, or the like) and it was marginal at best. His 'Olives' in Boston and Las Vegas are very good. On the QM2 in March, I had a lovely dinner there, but then, it was no better than my dining in the Princess Grill.

 

Jane in PHL

[scottsanfilippo]

I was on the QM2 in April..... the food in the Queens Grill was much better than Todd English. People who I talked to on ship who went to TE to eat, said for the most part the restaurant was empty and they were overwhelmed to the point of annoyance with the attentiveness of the servers since they had no one to wait on!

[Mickb]

We were very disappointed with Todd English on the recent May 4 eastbound crossing. The chicken was undercooked and the food and service in The Princess Grill were streets ahead. $60 surcharge for 2 was unacceptable for what we got.

[Jeanne S]

Thanks everyone. On our first QM2 in May 2004, we were not able to book TE for lunch or dinner (it was a 3 day cruise) In November (10 day), reservations were available each day and advertised in the Daily Programe. My friends did not wish to go to TE and I had wondered what we missed.

[tree29]

I disagree.

 

 

I recently ate at Todd English on a crossing and it was a superb meal. Easily the best food of the cruise, better than Brittania on formal nights. In particular the chocolate pud was out of this world.

 

I can't compare it to the grills having not eaten there, but it is a really great change of scene plus great food and service if you are in Brittania.

 

It gets my vote

[nyca]

everyone has a different experience I guess. we liked TE very much on the QM2, much better then his Vegas place.

[Jeanne S]

Are all TE places the same type of cuisine - in Vegas the same as on QM2?

[ciaobella]

Some posters say that TE is not worth the $30/per person surcharge. Are the PGrill and the QGrill really worth the several thousand $$ per person surcharge? I couldn't eat that expensively in a week at home, and I would also be hard pressed to spend that much for a hotel room for 6 nights, in addition! But, if TE charges any surcharge, the meal ought to be fabulous!

[sailsalot]

Ciaobella--

Great point!! I had to laugh when I read your post about the PGrill and QGrill "surcharge."

[Jeanne S]

Passenegers in the P Grill I met last year while on QM2 were not impressed with P Grill at all - one went to TE three times.

[CL-JW]

When we ate at Todd English on QM2 in May 04 we really enjoyed it. Can't say whether its the same now or not.

 

However, based upon our experience, we had a large group eat at Olives at the Bellagio in Las Vegas last September. We weren't very impressed. It was OK, but I don't think it lived up to the hype.

[Jeanne S]

and there is also an Olives in Boston?

[nyckruzer]

As a jaded New Yorker (a city where gastronomes are quite sated as a rule), I do not go on a cruise for the cuisine. With that said, my four or five meals in Todd English/QM2 were consistantly good, if not quite good. A menu change would be nice, some lighter fare at lunch in particular. Perhaps there will be when I sail again on QM2 in June. The new TE restaurant in NYC happens to be in my office building. I find it to be a big step up quality wise from its predecessor, Tuscan Steak.

[sandramerle]

I have eaten there MANY times and it is truly wonderful