150 Central Park on Allure

[Scribbles77]

Hi

 

I was looking for some advice, I have booked 150 Central Park for the Allure in April.

 

I did not realise it would be a fixed menu. Does anyone know where i can see what the menu will be or have experience of it.

 

I ask because I am highly allergic to shell fish :( and my mother does not eat meat (she eats fish but not shellfish)

 

I'm wondering if this will be a problem and whether i should cancel my reservation.

 

Thanks in Advance :)

[Merion_Mom]

Hi

 

I was looking for some advice, I have booked 150 Central Park for the Allure in April.

 

I did not realise it would be a fixed menu. Does anyone know where i can see what the menu will be or have experience of it.

 

I ask because I am highly allergic to shell fish :( and my mother does not eat meat (she eats fish but not shellfish)

 

I'm wondering if this will be a problem and whether i should cancel my reservation.

 

Thanks in Advance :)

 

I have eaten there once. Other times, I walked up to the door, read the menu, and decided against booking.

 

To me, you should only eat there if you are willing to eat what they are serving.

 

Others will tell you that they will make allowances and changes and such.

 

To me, if you want some other meal, eat some other place.

 

For all that money, you can get an excellent meal anywhere on board. As a matter of fact, if you compare the price at 150 CP with the wine pairing to the Chef's Table, the Chef's Table is a better buy!

 

:)

[icedzz]

We went to Central Park West last spring on the Allure, and we had only heard excellent reviews and very high remarks about the food there. The venue itself is very stunning, with large highback chairs, and the waitstaff in elegant finery. The courses are served 15 minutes apart, so there is plenty of time to relax and savor each item. The downside is the courses are on a fixed menu, and each item is "bite sized". Wine pairings with each "course or bite" are highly recommended. This place is for someone who is happy with one taste of soup and not an entire bowl. ;)

[sassy12]

Here is the menu we had two weeks ago on the Eastern Allure cruise. We ate on Day 3. They serve the same menu on Days 1 - 4 and then have a different menu Days 5 - 7. Don't know what the second menu was.

 

150 CENTRAL PARK AUTUMN SALAD - fall-berry granola crusted duck confit, red-eye ailoi, bitter green salad, duck prosciutto mocha swirl brioche, huckleberry aigre-doux

 

ROASTED CHESTNUT VELOUTE - gingerbread croutons, quince chutney, whipped cider-mascarpone, shaved celery

 

"CLAMS OREGANATA" - house-made wakame fusilli, steamed littleneck clams, oregano breadcrumb "sand" salsify variations, sea beans, American paddlefish caviar

 

SEARED SCALLOP WITH MISO-BRAISED BERKSHIRE PORK BELLY - kabocha squash puree' spicy-soy caramel, pickled plum pudding, Swank Farms pac choi, bacon sabayon

 

MODERN SHEPHERD'S PIE - Guinness braised lamb shank pave, glazed thumbelina carrots, pickled mustard seeds, caramelized cippolini onions, rosemary-hot potato espuma

 

- OR -

 

HARRIS RANCH BEEF TENDERLOIN "REUBEN" - spice-rubbed pan-seared filet, rye bread puree, roasted brussels sprouts, pickled tomato puree, gruyere potato dauphinoise, thousand island hollandaise

 

TOASTED PISTACHIO GENOISE - orange blossom-creme fraiche ice cream, honey poached cranberries, sweet pistachio cream, crispy orange meringue, whipped cranberry syrup

 

My dh got the Modern Shepherd's Pie and I got the Tenderloin Ruben. Both were delicious but if I had to choose one I would get the Shepherd's Pie - very unusual.

 

The only thing I didn't finish was the granola crusted duck confit. The taste was too strong for me.

 

The roasted chestnut soup was to die for. I could eat it every day.

 

The servings aren't large but are sufficient. Your waiter will explain each course as it is served.

 

Very enjoyable experience.

 

We would definitely go back to 150 Central Park.

[Eriksgarden]

I got flamed on another thread on this topic, but I don't care. If you are unable or unwilling to eat ANYTHING placed in front of you, then this is not the venue for you. There are so many wonderful options onboard. Why risk having a bad experience?

[LBumb]

great info

[smoosh21]

I got flamed on another thread on this topic, but I don't care. If you are unable or unwilling to eat ANYTHING placed in front of you, then this is not the venue for you. There are so many wonderful options onboard. Why risk having a bad experience?

 

I agree on this. If you are doing a tasting menu, the chef has prepared a very specific progression of courses. This is not a restaurant to make substitutions at. I believe that there is always a meat course at 150 so it is probably not the best choice for your mother

 

Somebody else mentioned the Chefs Table, but that is also a fixed menu. I don't know how often it changed, but we had both Shellfish (Lobster) and meat (veal and lamb) when I went. I would also caution you for going there.

 

I would suggest Giovannis as they have several pasta dishes for a nice dinner

[Scribbles77]

I got flamed on another thread on this topic, but I don't care. If you are unable or unwilling to eat ANYTHING placed in front of you, then this is not the venue for you. There are so many wonderful options onboard. Why risk having a bad experience?

 

 

Thankyou to all

 

I do think i will have to phone and cancel the booking. I think it is a big risk for a lot of money, I only have to touch something with shellfish and that will be me air lifted off the ship :(

 

Thankyou to the member who posted the menu as well, i think my mum would have managed it but not me xx

[Scribbles77]

I would suggest Giovannis as they have several pasta dishes for a nice dinner

 

We are doing a B2B trip i have booked Giovannis for the first week, will cancel 150 Central Park and re book Giovannis for the second week i think, both my mum and i LOVE pasta :D

[elephant98]

I ate at 150 Central Park last week and had the same menu posted above by Sassy12. I advised the staff of my shellfish allergy the day before our meal. (They would have called me on the day of to inquire anyway). For the Clams Oreganata, they substituted chicken for clams. It was still an amazing dish. For the Seared Scallop with the Pork Belly, they just doubled up on the pork belly. I found that dish to be very dull. Obviously, that dish was all about the pairing and MORE pork belly wasn't good enough to pull it off. I was kinda suprised that they handled the dish that way. On a prior visit to 150 Central Park, they completely replaced a scallop dish with a Chilean Sea Bass which was from the menu being served later in the week. Oh well. No biggie, the rest of the meal was terrific.

[gambee]

I posted a review of 150 on my review with pictures and all. I believe that they will adapt to whatever situation you present them. I remember on the tv show mega ships (or something like that) there was someone refusing lobster for whatever reason and the kitchen adapted to it.

 

Also when my mom refused the dessert the server asked her if she did not like chocolate the chef would prepare her some else that she might like.

 

If I was you, I would not cancel the reservation. Instead what I would do is that as soon as you board the ship stop by and tell them about your allergies. I am sure they will offer you a nice alternative.

[Gonzo70]

I would encourage you to consider keeping your reservation. As someone who engages in frequent fine dining it is extremely common for chefs to adjust tasting menus to accommodate not just allergies and dietary restrictions, but even aversions. Some of the very best restaurants in the country such as Eleven Madison Park, Per Se and Alinea excel at doing so. My wife and I loved our meals at 150 Central Park and so long as you provide them a little advance notice (I would look over the menus a day or two before your meal and discuss any changes you need made at that time) they should be able to handle any reasonable requests handily and happily. The atmosphere in 150 Central Park is great, they have the most skilled chefs aboard working there and the food is the best I have had on a cruise ship.

[Scribbles77]

thankyou all for your advice :)

 

I think what i will do is keep the reservation, it is for day 5 of the cruise so i will go down to the restaurant and discuss things with them

 

Thanks everyone :D

[Lionesss]

Excellent postings, with everyones input.

I have to conclude this is not the place for our family.

So glad I read the reviews.

Not that we are finicky......well......maybe we are:rolleyes:

Sea Ya