Voyager to Baltic pt. 3 - Dinner and all that wine

[Call me Ishmael]

The next major event onboard is dinner. If you are like us, you have selected or are considering RSSC because you have no interest in being forced to eat at either 5:30 or 9:30 (and probably your first choice would not be available anyway), you want to have alternate dining options and you prefer something more than a cut of prime rib served to 2600 people simultaneously. If so, by and large, the Voyager will not disappoint and may even, at times, make you moan in delight and satisfaction.

 

 

That said, the first night’s dinner was pleasant but somewhat uninspiring. Whether they give some of the chefs the night off or they are recovering from their brief hiatus or they haven’t yet unpacked the newly loaded provisions, for whatever reason, the first night was pretty ordinary. We left the table feeling we had been well fed and it was all good, but there was no moaning. Interestingly, we had the same reaction on our first night on the PG earlier this year. Fortunately, in both cases – bam!, they definitely kicked it up a notch after the first night and there was plenty of moaning.

 

 

A word about the menus in the main dining room, Compass Rose. Read carefully! Much like the daily program, Passages, there are hidden tidbits that you won’t necessarily see unless you study in detail. While there’s no quiz later, you may be surprised when someone orders or receives a dish that you didn’t realize was on the menu.

 

 

Page 1 gives information about the wine. Page 2 lists the appetizers, soups, salads, pasta dish and main course selections. Page 3 is devoted to the Menu Degustation (chef’s proposed tasting menu “designed to take you on a culinary journey”) which consists of six courses, including an intermezzo palate refresher, and a dessert (which are not otherwise listed on the main menu). Finally, page 4 consists of the “Speciality Menus”: “Low Carb, Light and Healthy;” “Low Carb Wines;” (Diet chardonnay?); “Vegetarian;” “No Salt Added;” and “Simplicity.” Whew! Some items appear on more than one page or even in more than one speciality category. However, not all items on the Degust. Menu appear on page 2. (And who’s on first?) It probably isn’t as complicated as I make it sound unless you happen to have indulged in a few pre-dinner cocktails or glasses of bubbly.

Here are few selections from the final night’s menu for your pre-moaning pleasure. Foie Gras with grapes and fruit. Seafood bisque. Baby spinach with crabmeat. Fresh brill with white truffle foam. Chateaubriand with Bernaise sauce. Scallops, jumbo prawn and lobster tail on truffle pilaf rice.

 

 

For those with gout or other ailments and for non-foodies, or picky kids the back page is generally the place to go. There you will find fruit cup, pasta with tomato sauce and plain chicken breast or sirloin steak to suit you. For the truly adventurous, the menu each night lists a game entrée. Grilled ostrich medallions, antelope, and my favorite: camel steak. (Will that be one lump or two?) I’ll await your report on that one!

 

 

A quick word on wine. Everything you have heard is true. The tables are set with both red and white wine glasses - Riedel no less. They’ll remove one or both if you don’t care to indulge. Otherwise, the sommeliers have taken an oath to never allow you to have an empty glass once you get started. The wines are quite good and come from many different regions of the world. California, France, Chile, Australia, Italy. Different varietals. One red and one white are selected as the free pours of the evening. For the most part these are very good wines: Chablis, chardonnay, zinfandel, merlot and some interesting ones you may not have previously encountered such as an Italian Gavi. You aren’t getting Montrachet or Rothschild Bordeaux , but neither are you getting wine from a box or two buck chuck. Should you, like me, think that California’s chardonnay should be reserved for woodchucks, simply state that the evening’s choice is unacceptable and the server will track down an alternate choice. Port and dessert wine are also available if you ask. I have heard rumors of stronger beverages also be served free of charge, but since none of my group opted for the hard stuff, I can’t confirm.

 

 

After you have finished the main course, the Gourmandises (their spelling) are placed in the table on a three tiered serving dish. Think petit-fours, chocolate dipped strawberries and other tidbits designed to prevent you from getting hungry before dessert. Unfortunately, these are not presented in a quantity that allows one of each per person – at least not at our table for four. Therefore, the chocoholics were forced to pretend politeness while quickly surveying the dish and then eating as many chocolates as possible in under 15 seconds. There was a bit of embarrassment when another tray was brought when someone noted the lack of chocolates to the waiter. Desserts themselves are offered in a "something for everyone" mode: cake, fresh fruit, ice cream in a concoction, by itself or with sauce, pudding, mousse, and dietary selections. They were good, but rarely knocked our socks off. If you are really into desserts, you will find greater quantity and choices at the luncheon buffet in the Verandah or better still hit tea at the appointed hour. There were at least two specialty teas: the chocolate lovers’ tea and the Vienna pastry tea. Both were well attended and deserve your consideration.

 

 

A quick word about seating and service. We usually dined about 7:30 or 8:00 and had no trouble getting a table. The room often seemed half empty when we arrived but eventually appeared to fill up. There is a large center area with tables, two traffic lanes and then two seating areas along each side of the ship. Aside from the inherent desirability of window tables, we found the center area acoustically like many modern restaurants, i.e., noisy. This was not our preference as we prefer not to play charades or lip read at the dinner table. Avoid it if you feel similarly. Service was always good, pleasant and reasonably well-paced with the exception of the cheese board. If you have not tried cheese as a dessert in the European fashion (or even after dessert as some did), by all means give it a go. I can personally recommend the Reblochon as a delightful cheese that I rarely see in this country. When you can find it, it is priced in excess of $25 per pound, which attests to RSSC’s commitment to luxury. Unfortunately, a few more cheese carts in the dining room would be appropriate. There were apparently many cheese eaters on board and only one cheese trolley. Often, the rest of the table would be finished with dessert and drumming their fingers before the cheese was wheeled into view. Then if one wanted port there was some further delay to track down the wine steward with the bottle. No problem if you are in good company and no one wants to see the 9:45 show. Otherwise, you might have to choose between the cheese and port, the show, politeness or separation of cheesers and non-cheesers. Perhaps you will be luckier in hijacking the trolley than we were.

 

 

Hmm… all this talk of food and wine has made me very hungry and thirsty ..

 

 

Still to come: Speciality restaurants, breakfast and lunch, entertainment and the Baltic

 

[dwelsh]

Here are a couple of PDF files of menus in 2004. How do they compare with your very ample description of those you have recently enjoyed?

 

 

 

http://www.cruisereviews.com/RadissonSevenSeasCruises/Voyager4Pictures/CompassRoseRestaurant.pdf

 

http://www.cruisereviews.com/RadissonSevenSeasCruises/Voyager4Pictures/SignaturesRestaurants.pdf

[abc1]

Thank you so much for all your information. How in the world will I fit in my clothes at the end of the cruise!!!:confused:

 

waiting to hear about the entertainment.

 

thanks again

cs

[Call me Ishmael]

dwelsh,

 

The first is identical in layout, but the only dish I recall seeing is the liver. The second from Signatures has many of the same dishes that we had or were offered. I have a Signatures menu in hand and I'd say 50 to 60% is identical.

[NCCruzQueen]

CMI, Many thanks for your great reviews. This is so timely as I leave on Friday. I've been sending all your comments on to other family members going with us on our first Voyager cruise.

 

dwelsh, Thanks for posting the links to the Voyager menus. Looks like Radisson is keeping up its wonderful standards in the dining rooms.

 

abc1, Don't even think about your clothes fitting. Bring elastic waist pants for the end of the cruise. I actually lost 2 lbs on my Greek Isle cruise, though. Climbing to the top of every acropolis helped. My sister and I enjoy our brisk walks in the AM.

[nyfeds]

Once again, your report did not disappoint. Your fine detail and wit make for informative and enjoyable reading.

 

You've described RSSC dining to perfection. There truly is something for everyone - from the "meek eater" to the "adventursome foodie." We've special ordered deserts a few times (raspberry souffle - very, very good). The staff never disappoints and our request is served after a fine dinner. When we were on the Diamond last year, we drank a wine very much to our liking. When we expressed our delight, our Sommolier (sp?) tucked a bottle away for us to enjoy with another dinner.

 

We love great dining experiences; however, we'll pass on the camel steaks (regardless of how many humps!).

 

CMI, I so look forward to your next installment! Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences with us!

[petlover]

Something else for any newbies to know is that on any night you can order certain things like a Caesar Salad or shrimp cocktail (those 2 pop into mind) even if it's not on the menu...just ask!

 

I love reading your reports!

[trinidad]

Thanks for the great info. It will be especially useful in planning our Baltic cruise next year. HOWEVER- watch the comments about California Chardonnays. Woodchucks indeed!! You just haven't had the good ones.

I'll forgive you this time.

[Call me Ishmael]

Trinidad,

 

Are you in the wine business in my home state or just an irate oenophile?

 

In either case, it's my opinion that Calif. chardonnays are over-oaked and I guess you agree that some are. I've never understood why that is.

 

I would love to know of some that truly do not have the barrel as the predominant flavor. I guess you are just the guy to send me a case or at least mention a few. ;)

 

CMI

[trinidad]

Not in the wine business, just a wine lover. I also dislike oaky chards and also very fruity chards. My very favorite is Porter Creek, a very small winery in Sonoma's Russian River Valley. Others are from Santa Ynez, Santa Barbara wineries- Au Bon Climant and Rancho Sisquoc. Unfortunately all these wines are hard to find, esp Porter Creek as they do not sell to retailers. So- that makes the "case" for taking frequent trips to the wineries. Send me a blank check and I'll pick up a case or two for you. I did have some pretty good Chardonnays on the Paul Gauguin but cannot remember what they were. Wine at lunch tends to do that to you.

[Call me Ishmael]

Petlover,

 

Thanks for the feedback. I was probably inspired by the reports that I believe you wrote during your world cruise. Writing these comments has helped slow the reentry into the real world.

 

Trin,

 

Glad to hear that you agree that wine should be sipped or slugged but not chewed. I appreciate the names: it does sound as if the winemaker at A.B.C. understands what wine should be about: the grape not the oak. Too bad the chardonnay is sold out.

 

Perhaps in the future we can compare tasting notes on a cruise.

 

A votre sante,

 

CMI