please tell me about La Cucina dining

[kcwingwalker]

^^^Ugh. Please don't use Comic Sans for your font. Please! We're not in the 2nd grade. Go here for more info: http://comicsanscriminal.com/ ^^^^

 

Back on topic...

 

I've always liked La Cucina on the 3 NCL ships I've been on (Epic, Dawn, Star).

 

It always gets a bad rap around here though, which I find unfair. I suspect it's because most people don't know what true Italian pizza is like and are expecting Domino's or Pizza Hut or Papa Johns or something of that style. So when their pizza arrives, they're like "well, this is crap!" and then have a bad attitude for the rest of their meal.

 

On the Epic, La Cucina had a 14 oz Ribeye that was melt-in-your-mouth good. It was extraordinary. I didn't even need a knife to cut it. I could have just used the side of my fork. They also had the best Caesar Salad this side of the moon.

 

I had to laugh at the people we met on BOTH the Dawn and the Star who scoffed at La Cucina when we told them that's where we were going to eat (or had already eaten there). Then they go on to boast about Le Bistro and how much better it is. We just rolled our eyes. Little did they know that both La Cucina AND Le Bistro come from the same kitchen on those ships. It's just a different menu.

 

Agree 100% with the ribeye and salad. It's just as good as Cagney's and we like the atmosphere better. Much more relaxed! We are more likely to go to La Cucina than Cagney's. On our Jewel cruise in April the Cagney's staff seemed cold and indifferent. Because we had a suite we were also having lunch and breakfast sometimes at Cagney's and always the same indifference. But at La Cucina go once and you'll be a friend for the rest of the cruise:)

[dorito6778]

We are just off the breakaway and it was the only speciality restaurant we ate at...and we got our money refunded for the awful meal. It looks like Olive Garden and the food is worse. The service was crappy too.

 

The bread and infused oils were def the best part. The bread was hot from the oven.

 

I ordered the caprese appetizer, which was actually fine. Tomatoes were ripe, cheese was very soft but too cold. Husband had carpaccio. Also fine. Took about 15 minutes to get a bottle of balsamic though. For dinner, husband ordered the carbonara and I ordered the osso buco w half order of lobster fettuccine (to try). Carbonara was inedible. A congealed glob of sticky spaghetti. He sent it back and got the rigatoni w meatballs. The sauce was a dead ringer for Prego from a jar. Osso buco was good, but the polenta was good but had a dry "skin" on top like it had been plated and sat for a while. Lobster fettuccine was dry.

 

We never got beverage refills (water and soda!).

 

Dessert was good. I had the affigato: macadamia ice cream with hot espresso drizzled on top. Husband had the chocolate tart. It was very rich.

 

After this experience we canceled our plans to eat at Le Bistro, in fear we'd spend more money on sub-par food.

 

 

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[njitalian76]

We are just off the breakaway and it was the only speciality restaurant we ate at...and we got our money refunded for the awful meal. It looks like Olive Garden and the food is worse. The service was crappy too.

 

The bread and infused oils were def the best part. The bread was hot from the oven.

 

I ordered the caprese appetizer, which was actually fine. Tomatoes were ripe, cheese was very soft but too cold. Husband had carpaccio. Also fine. Took about 15 minutes to get a bottle of balsamic though. For dinner, husband ordered the carbonara and I ordered the osso buco w half order of lobster fettuccine (to try). Carbonara was inedible. A congealed glob of sticky spaghetti. He sent it back and got the rigatoni w meatballs. The sauce was a dead ringer for Prego from a jar. Osso buco was good, but the polenta was good but had a dry "skin" on top like it had been plated and sat for a while. Lobster fettuccine was dry.

 

We never got beverage refills (water and soda!).

 

Dessert was good. I had the affigato: macadamia ice cream with hot espresso drizzled on top. Husband had the chocolate tart. It was very rich.

 

After this experience we canceled our plans to eat at Le Bistro, in fear we'd spend more money on sub-par food.

 

 

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Your spot on with La Cucina my experiences there were the same! but you should give Le Bistro a try it is the best restaurant on the ship! I recommend the escargot and the steak for two! The duck duo is good too!

[awaywego0000]

I'm going on the Dawn soon and after reading these posts I've decided I am going to try La Cucina. Why? Because I like the Olive Garden! After reading these posts I am also glad that I am easy to please.

[swedish weave]

I have made many cruises on various NCL ships and have NEVER had a bad meal at La Cucina (previously La Trattoria).

 

The self appointed EXPERTS can have their opinions, but I speak from experience.

[njitalian76]

I'm going on the Dawn soon and after reading these posts I've decided I am going to try La Cucina. Why? Because I like the Olive Garden! After reading these posts I am also glad that I am easy to please.

 

 

That means you love sub par over sauced so called Italian food. So you will absolutely love la cucina! Enjoy!

 

 

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[njitalian76]

I have made many cruises on various NCL ships and have NEVER had a bad meal at La Cucina (previously La Trattoria).

 

 

 

The self appointed EXPERTS can have their opinions, but I speak from experience.

 

 

That means your taste buds are dead or you're just lucky to have a good experience.

 

I am an expert but I also talk from experience having eaten there twice on two different ships.

 

We all have eaten there. So everyone is talking from their experience. So your point doesn't make sense.

 

Listen some love it some don't we all don't have to agree!!! Eat there and make your own decision!

 

 

 

 

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Edited August 4, 2014 by njitalian76

[buckirj1]

I only ate there once, several years ago, but remember the vegetarian lasagna was good, as was the bread.

[Warm Breezes]

NOTHING! We ate there on our Epic TA - the food was horrible. The pasta was stuck together in a big gloppy mess, the chicken parm was soggy like it had been pre cooked and reheated, the sauce was flavorless - I could go on. We spoke with MANY folks who had the same experience as us. I did hear the calamari was good.

 

The pasta station at the lunch buffet was fantastic - fresh & yummy!

 

For me - you can't beat Cagney's or Le Bistro

 

The Noodle Bar was very good

 

Unfortunately we did not try Teppanyaki & Churriscaria

 

JMHO

 

I have to agree. We've tried it on the Jewel both times we sailed her. First time it was before they started charging for it and 2nd time we received a free meal voucher to there from the Latitudes party drawing. All I can say is that I'm glad I didn't pay for it either time because we were disappointed both times. There is just something about their sauce that DH and I don't like. I definately wouldn't pay to eat there in the future. We like Churriscaria much better and have not tried the other specialty restaurants.

[Warm Breezes]

^^^Ugh. Please don't use Comic Sans for your font. Please! We're not in the 2nd grade. Go here for more info: http://comicsanscriminal.com/ ^^^^

 

Back on topic...

 

I've always liked La Cucina on the 3 NCL ships I've been on (Epic, Dawn, Star).

 

It always gets a bad rap around here though, which I find unfair. I suspect it's because most people don't know what true Italian pizza is like and are expecting Domino's or Pizza Hut or Papa Johns or something of that style. So when their pizza arrives, they're like "well, this is crap!" and then have a bad attitude for the rest of their meal.

 

On the Epic, La Cucina had a 14 oz Ribeye that was melt-in-your-mouth good. It was extraordinary. I didn't even need a knife to cut it. I could have just used the side of my fork. They also had the best Caesar Salad this side of the moon.

 

I had to laugh at the people we met on BOTH the Dawn and the Star who scoffed at La Cucina when we told them that's where we were going to eat (or had already eaten there). Then they go on to boast about Le Bistro and how much better it is. We just rolled our eyes. Little did they know that both La Cucina AND Le Bistro come from the same kitchen on those ships. It's just a different menu.

 

I'm pretty sure the pizza was not my reason for not liking it. In fact my kids did enjoy the pizza there when they went with us on our first Jewel cruise. It's the pasta have issues with.

[NLH Arizona]

From the posts, it looks like 25 like La Cucina and 14 didn't.

 

We all like different things and experience things differently and no one should throw insults at someone, just because they disagree with their opinion and/or experience. The only expert, is the person voicing their opinion, because everyone knows what they like or dislike and for someone to tell them they don't know what they are talking about, well isn't really nice.

[DaisyGoldberg]

Haven't tried La Cucina yet, but I grew up with good Italian food (In Massachusetts everybody's got a relative or neighbor who can cook the Real Thing) so it's not something I tend to get in restaurants.

 

I did have a perfectly horrible fettucine in Cagneys on the Dawn (lunch menu for suites). It really was a pile of tasteless white glop. I gave it the college try, then finally admitted it was virtually inedible and gave up. I went to the buffet on the way back to my room. Yes, I could have sent it back, but I'd already had most of the quicker service items on the menu during that back to back and didn't want to wait again.

 

Only bad meal I had there but it reinforced my reluctance to try more NCL pasta. My mother did say she had pasta and meat sauce in the buffet one night and liked it very much.

[opalinem]

I would not say that about other NCL ships but in the specific case of the breakaway, I would recommend using buffet a lot. We loved the choice and preparation there even for dinner. We found it better than the free dining rooms. If you want to splurge, we loved the bistro and ocean blue.

[Mr Robberts]

I will say the lacicina meal I ever had was the dawn in I think 2011 NYC to fl when Richard ran it good was superb. Then the next year on the star the new menu stunk as did the one on jewel and gem. I asked for spaghetti and marinara and got egg noodles and ketchup.

 

 

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[swedish weave]

That means your taste buds are dead or you're just lucky to have a good experience.

 

I am an expert but I also talk from experience having eaten there twice on two different ships.

 

We all have eaten there. So everyone is talking from their experience. So your point doesn't make sense.

 

Listen some love it some don't we all don't have to agree!!! Eat there and make your own decision!

 

 

 

 

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Your insulting comments are not appreciated. My taste buds are fine, and I appreciate good food -- Which by the way I have had on all my NCL cruises.

 

Speaking of experience ----I have made over forty cruises on NCL.

 

Try to impress someone else with your expertise and experience.!!!

Edited August 5, 2014 by swedish weave

[njitalian76]

Your insulting comments are not appreciated. My taste buds are fine, and I appreciate good food -- Which by the way I have had on all my NCL cruises.

 

 

 

Speaking of experience ----I have made over forty cruises on NCL.

 

 

 

Try to impress someone else with your expertise and experience.!!!

 

 

Good for you that makes you a ncl cruise expert. Not a food expert. I never need to impress anyone. I just tell it like it is. Don't like it tough! I felt your comments were a shot. Keep your comments to yourself if you can't take what you give.

 

 

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[njitalian76]

I will say the lacicina meal I ever had was the dawn in I think 2011 NYC to fl when Richard ran it good was superb. Then the next year on the star the new menu stunk as did the one on jewel and gem. I asked for spaghetti and marinara and got egg noodles and ketchup.

 

 

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Rest my case! To all the La Cucina lovers out there! But like I said in my other post before weave put their two cents in. Some love it some hate it. Go try it and make your own decision.

 

Listen Italians take their food very personally. It's part of our heritage and defines who we are because it is so regional. Unless you are Italian or Italian decent you won't understand. So what is Italian food to you is not considered Italian food to us Italians.

 

I apologize if anyone is offended by the previous comment in the threads but it's something we are very passionate about! If you are offended don't read it! Ciao!

 

 

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Edited August 5, 2014 by njitalian76

[nickgraz95]

I will say the lacicina meal I ever had was the dawn in I think 2011 NYC to fl when Richard ran it good was superb. Then the next year on the star the new menu stunk as did the one on jewel and gem. I asked for spaghetti and marinara and got egg noodles and ketchup.

 

 

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Spaghetti and marinara? Italians have a lot more to offer than that.

[Nisky18]

I enjoyed reading this thread and feel compelled to add my own two cents. First of all I happen to like the font called Comic Sans because it is whimsical. I would not use it in a professional letter or document but find it perfectly acceptable anywhere else I feel like using it. Regarding the restaurant called La Cucina, which I am not familiar with, this is strictly a subjective issue. I happen to like Olive Garden and as a vegetarian who enjoys a good eggplant parmesan, I think this dish at the Olive Garden is pretty good because it's thinly sliced and crispy and I like the marinara sauce. I don't go to the Olive Garden expecting an authentic Italian meal, just a decent good tasting one. And what we like to eat is subjective, what our taste buds enjoy is subjective. I will be on the Breakaway in September and don't yet know whether I will try any of the specialty restaurants, because there aren't many vegetarian choices. I'm ovo-lacto rather than vegan so I do eat dairy, though very little. I love most ethnic cuisines, including Italian, and have an open mind. Your good and bad reviews intrigue me so I might use my small on board credit to sample La Cucina. I will say this, if I go to La Cucina I will inform the maitre d of the mixed reviews on the Cruise Critic website. I figure in that way I will be sure to have an extraordinary experience there.

Edited August 5, 2014 by Nisky18

[Mr Robberts]

Spaghetti and marinara? Italians have a lot more to offer than that.

 

Sorry you missed the goodfellas reference in that 😀

 

 

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[Mr Robberts]

I enjoyed reading this thread and feel compelled to add my own two cents. First of all I happen to like the font called Comic Sans because it is whimsical. I would not use it in a professional letter or document but find it perfectly acceptable anywhere else I feel like using it. Regarding the restaurant called La Cucina, which I am not familiar with, this is strictly a subjective issue. I happen to like Olive Garden and as a vegetarian who enjoys a good eggplant parmesan, I think this dish at the Olive Garden is pretty good because it's thinly sliced and crispy and I like the marinara sauce. I don't go to the Olive Garden expecting an authentic Italian meal, just a decent good tasting one. And what we like to eat is subjective, what our taste buds enjoy is subjective. I will be on the Breakaway in September and don't yet know whether I will try any of the specialty restaurants, because there aren't many vegetarian choices. I'm ovo-lacto rather than vegan so I do eat dairy, though very little. I love most ethnic cuisines, including Italian, and have an open mind. Your good and bad reviews intrigue me so I might use my small on board credit to sample La Cucina. I will say this, if I go to La Cucina I will inform the maitre d of the mixed reviews on the Cruise Critic website. I figure in that way I will be sure to have an extraordinary experience there.

 

I could not agree more with you. Except the vegetarian part I don't agree with that part 😜

 

 

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[sparks1093]

Since we ate at La Cucina on the Gem I'll throw my two cents into the pot. We decided to try our first specialty restaurant and settled on La Cucina because we both like Italian and the menu offered more choices that both of us liked and could eat. I had the calamari and DW had the mozarella/tomato appetizer, we both had the chicken parmesan and we split an order of tiramasu. Our appetizers were very nicely presented and tasted great. The chicken parmesan was also great, but the spaghetti side was, well, ketchup and noodles so we didn't eat it. Thing is the serving of chicken was very ample and we both had trouble finishing it so we certainly didn't miss the spaghetti. The tiramasu was also very good (and we split an order because we were full of the chicken). So we found La Cucina to be worth what we paid for it. We both like Olive Garden and felt that La Cucina was a step above that.

[4774Papa]

If La Cucina is not Italian food. Those of you that had Italian Grandmothers, please explain why.

Was it the recipe or the ingredients that were not authentic?

 

I suppose someone can cook Lasagne with a recipe that added or deleted ingredients normally in "Italian" food.

 

Of was it just the overall quality that you Italians found not up to speed?

 

Details for all those Italians that are the experts.

[LrgPizza]

Comparing Olive Garden to La Cucina seems bizarre to me, mainly because Olive Garden has about 10 times the food options offered at La Cucina. Even though I think they both suck, I have better chance of finding at least something to eat at Olive Garden that isn't going to make me gag.

[njitalian76]

I could not agree more with you. Except the vegetarian part I don't agree with that part 😜

 

 

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I'm with you on that but to each their own. I do like eggplant parm too!

 

 

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