New Pinnacle Menu

[innlady1]

Our cruise will only be seven nights, but my plan is to try every venue once in the first few nights and then repeat what we liked on the remaining nights. I will be happy to enjoy a meal that I didn't have to shop for, prepare and cook and then do the dishes. I won't have to listen to complaints from my kids and I can have an uninterrupted meal with the love of my life -- no phone calls or kids asking me to do something for them. I'll go to the Pinnacle and Canaletto, and Lido and MDR and just be happy that I was able to have saved enough for our dream vacation. If one of the meals becomes the best thing I ever ate, that will be my icing on the cake.

 

 

I love your attitude, and I hope you have a wonderful cruise and enjoy every last morsel of food on the ship...

[Krazy Kruizers]

Our cruise will only be seven nights, but my plan is to try every venue once in the first few nights and then repeat what we liked on the remaining nights. I will be happy to enjoy a meal that I didn't have to shop for, prepare and cook and then do the dishes. I won't have to listen to complaints from my kids and I can have an uninterrupted meal with the love of my life -- no phone calls or kids asking me to do something for them. I'll go to the Pinnacle and Canaletto, and Lido and MDR and just be happy that I was able to have saved enough for our dream vacation. If one of the meals becomes the best thing I ever ate, that will be my icing on the cake.

 

 

Love your attitude -- enjoy meals.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Not quite correct. Yes' date=' the tenderloin on one side of the bone, but it is the strip steak on the opposite side.

 

And our supermarkets and butchers down here sell the NY Strip both bone in and boneless.[/quote']

 

 

After I dropped DH off at the dentist, I went to our grocery store.

And sure enough -- I was right when I said that NY Strip had a bone in them. That is the way they are also sold in our stores.

Never ordered one on the ship -- so can't say which ones they have.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I thought we are the only ones who do this when we don't find food or service what we like in the MDR. Generally we have been okay with the MDR on HAL but we special order every night off menu.

 

Had planned to try the PG, have eaten there before a couple of times, but guess we will pass on our 14 TA on the New Amsterdam.

 

HAL is not the only line were food quality has sufferred. We eat in the Lido on a Ruby Princess 7 Day cruise a few years ago, did the same on NCL Jade on a 11 day Eastern Mediterranean (assumed we might on NCL), Celebrity Equinox, Mediterranean cruise we did the same after 5 less than satisfactory nights in the MDR, on an 11 day curise . When food and service are not good, we have found the Lido is a good option, we usually do a late lunch and ship dinner. We don't miss the MDR at all in such situations.

 

We do enjoy breakfast in our cabin on most cruises including HAL.

 

You really should give the new menu a try just to see if you like it or not.

That is what we are going to do.

[sail7seas]

After I dropped DH off at the dentist, I went to our grocery store.

 

And sure enough -- I was right when I said that NY Strip had a bone in them. That is the way they are also sold in our stores.

 

Never ordered one on the ship -- so can't say which ones they have.

 

The irony is that when people we dine with order a Pittsburgh steak here, they get a boneless NY strip steak which is cooked charred black outside and red inside on high heat grill. I have never seen a Pittsburgh with a bone. :D

 

I believe you have mentioned here on CC that you are from Pittsburgh? If not, sorry for my error.

Edited January 7, 2014 by sail7seas

[startwin]

You really should give the new menu a try just to see if you like it or not.

 

That is what we are going to do.

 

I agree. You can't make up your mind not to like something before you try it.

[CruiseWhere]

Our cruise will only be seven nights, but my plan is to try every venue once in the first few nights and then repeat what we liked on the remaining nights. I will be happy to enjoy a meal that I didn't have to shop for, prepare and cook and then do the dishes. I won't have to listen to complaints from my kids and I can have an uninterrupted meal with the love of my life -- no phone calls or kids asking me to do something for them. I'll go to the Pinnacle and Canaletto, and Lido and MDR and just be happy that I was able to have saved enough for our dream vacation. If one of the meals becomes the best thing I ever ate, that will be my icing on the cake.

 

There's the attitude to go with!! Open minded! Enjoy your cruise. I'm sure you will and enjoy all your dining experiences:)

[INSIDERS CABIN]

Just got off Noordam, enjoyed 2 nights in Pinnacle. Was best run and most efficient of our many experiences there. New menu fine. Shrimp cocktails were lovely, and a must-pick, since the MDR one was no comparison. Caesar salads were served in small " Parmesan cups, " and we were offered the anchovy as well! Sides we tried were grilled asparagus, mushrooms, and the baked potato with toppings. Entrees I tried were king salmon and halibut with scampi garnish. It is noted that HAL is on board with sustainable seafood-

so we noticed the limitations all 'round- did not see tuna, sea bass, sword fish, grouper...... Ossetra caviar and king crab available for up charge . (yes, we fondly remember our young sons enjoying the caviar plates once upon a time!)

Desserts we tried were raspberry cheesecake, vanilla souffle (15 minutes) and lava cake. So....overall the Pinnacle dining is well worth the service, the quiet, the nice table or booth, the Bulgari plates, and the well-prepared and beautifully presented dishes. Hard to find a comparable on land without spending $$$s and booking a month ahead and enduring crowd.....and the ubiquitous denim....need I mention pretentious staff? We ate breakfast there as well, just like the calmer atmosphere . I have not read all previous pages, but I am a loyal fan of HAL and for the first time, looked at MDR and lido selections twice on this trip and could not put together anything interesting.

[Krazy Kruizers]

The irony is that when people we dine with order a Pittsburgh steak here, they get a boneless NY strip steak which is cooked charred black outside and red inside on high heat grill. I have never seen a Pittsburgh with a bone. :D

 

I believe you have mentioned here on CC that you are from Pittsburgh? If not, sorry for my error.

 

Outside of Pittsburgh.

Restaurants as a rule do not but their cuts of meat from grocery stores -- thus the difference of what you can buy in grocery store from what you can order from a restaurant.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Just got off Noordam, enjoyed 2 nights in Pinnacle. Was best run and most efficient of our many experiences there. New menu fine. Shrimp cocktails were lovely, and a must-pick, since the MDR one was no comparison. Caesar salads were served in small " Parmesan cups, " and we were offered the anchovy as well! Sides we tried were grilled asparagus, mushrooms, and the baked potato with toppings. Entrees I tried were king salmon and halibut with scampi garnish. It is noted that HAL is on board with sustainable seafood-

so we noticed the limitations all 'round- did not see tuna, sea bass, sword fish, grouper...... Ossetra caviar and king crab available for up charge . (yes, we fondly remember our young sons enjoying the caviar plates once upon a time!)

Desserts we tried were raspberry cheesecake, vanilla souffle (15 minutes) and lava cake. So....overall the Pinnacle dining is well worth the service, the quiet, the nice table or booth, the Bulgari plates, and the well-prepared and beautifully presented dishes. Hard to find a comparable on land without spending $$$s and booking a month ahead and enduring crowd.....and the ubiquitous denim....need I mention pretentious staff? We ate breakfast there as well, just like the calmer atmosphere . I have not read all previous pages, but I am a loyal fan of HAL and for the first time, looked at MDR and lido selections twice on this trip and could not put together anything interesting.

 

 

Thank you for your report.

I just wish they would bring back the chocolate soufflé -- it is way better than the vanilla one.

[Typhoon1]

Just got off Noordam, enjoyed 2 nights in Pinnacle. Was best run and most efficient of our many experiences there. New menu fine. Shrimp cocktails were lovely, and a must-pick, since the MDR one was no comparison.

 

Direct contrast from the previous review that was telling us how bad it was. Another example of try it for yourself and find out.

[PirateShark]

Stop it! You are all making my mouth water :p Short loin, long loin, bone in or out as long as its good I'm good!

[sherilyn70]

The irony is that when people we dine with order a Pittsburgh steak here, they get a boneless NY strip steak which is cooked charred black outside and red inside on high heat grill. I have never seen a Pittsburgh with a bone. :D

 

I believe you have mentioned here on CC that you are from Pittsburgh? If not, sorry for my error.

 

Pittsburgh is a style and not a cut. You can do it to any steak that is thick enough. That's how I always get mine prepared. Pittsburgh rare is delicious. The strip is my favorite cut so it's usually what I have it done to.

 

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4

[startwin]

Stop it! You are all making my mouth water :p Short loin, long loin, bone in or out as long as its good I'm good!

 

My favourite cut - NY strip loin (no bone!).

[innlady1]

Thank you for your report.

I just wish they would bring back the chocolate soufflé -- it is way better than the vanilla one.

 

I do, too, Yonnie. Love that chocolate soufflé.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I do, too, Yonnie. Love that chocolate soufflé.

 

On our recent Nieuw Amsterdam cruise they did the DARK chocolate soufflé. I got it a few times.

[startwin]

On our recent Nieuw Amsterdam cruise they did the DARK chocolate soufflé. I got it a few times.

 

Oh yum! And of course as it was dark chocolate it was also good for you.:cool:

[Krazy Kruizers]

Exactly!!

I even bring my own dark chocolate as I don't care for HAL's milk chocolate.

[PaulaS8071]

Well, we are PG fans. On our cruise last month on the NA, we ate in the PG 5 of 7 nights. The Sterling Silver beef was amazing. We enjoyed it so much that when we got home, I researched and found where to order it online. We finished our first box last night, I immediately ordered two more boxes this morning. So disappointed to hear that they are discontinuing this beef. But I will go with an open mind on our next cruise and see what they have to offer. I will also miss the table side Caesar salad. We had the most wonderful server, a black gentleman from Jamaica (on Hal, quite a surprise!). He was so efficient and entertaining at the same time. We ate breakfast there every morning, and he always had a funny story to tell us about what went on in the crew quarters the night before. I believe his name was Chris, he had just been hired by HAL from Disney. Anyone else know who I am referring to? I have to believe if you have met him, you would remember him.

Paula

[Ejelizajo]

Thinking that we might be cancelling some of our upcoming reservations in the PG on our upcoming cruise:(

 

Just thinking of booking several PG dinners for an upcoming Mediterranean cruise ... Not happy with the $29 higher charge but if quality is gone will try Tamarind. Too bad as the PG was a dining highlight on our last HAL cruise.

 

Beware HAL ... If you lower standards or remove quality and services that cruisers have been willing to pay a bit more for, then your loyal followers will cruise with someone else.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Just thinking of booking several PG dinners for an upcoming Mediterranean cruise ... Not happy with the $29 higher charge but if quality is gone will try Tamarind. Too bad as the PG was a dining highlight on our last HAL cruise.

 

Beware HAL ... If you lower standards or remove quality and services that cruisers have been willing to pay a bit more for, then your loyal followers will cruise with someone else.

 

 

Sadly HAL isn't worried about the loyal followers in the Pinnacle.

They are more interested in promotions like the Explore4 and Above & Beyond where they are giving out free dinners to attract the new cruisers.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Well, we are PG fans. On our cruise last month on the NA, we ate in the PG 5 of 7 nights. The Sterling Silver beef was amazing. We enjoyed it so much that when we got home, I researched and found where to order it online. We finished our first box last night, I immediately ordered two more boxes this morning. So disappointed to hear that they are discontinuing this beef. But I will go with an open mind on our next cruise and see what they have to offer. I will also miss the table side Caesar salad. We had the most wonderful server, a black gentleman from Jamaica (on Hal, quite a surprise!). He was so efficient and entertaining at the same time. We ate breakfast there every morning, and he always had a funny story to tell us about what went on in the crew quarters the night before. I believe his name was Chris, he had just been hired by HAL from Disney. Anyone else know who I am referring to? I have to believe if you have met him, you would remember him.

Paula

 

 

We remember Chris. He was on our 14 Nieuw Amsterdam in November. Very nice man. We only had him for breakfast. We had 2 other gentlemen waiting on us for dinner.

Seeing as we were on for 14 days, we split our dinners between the Pinnacle and Tamarind. We never ate in the dining room on that cruise.

We are fortunate that we can buy Black Angus Filet Mignonn steaks at home.

[rkacruiser]

Having very recently returned from the Westerdam and experiencing the new Pinnacle Grill menu, count me among those who are not well pleased with the change.

 

I did not like seeing that there were extra cost entrees available when one has already paid for the dining experience.

 

While the food was very good, it was no better than the Main Dining Room and my service was less professional and friendly than what I experienced in the Main Dining Room. My Dining Room Stewards, Dewa and Ari, and my Wine Steward Jel did an excellent job.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Months before this new menu came out, we booked the Pinnacle for every night on an upcoming cruise.

We were not pleased with food in the main dining room on our Westerdam cruise last spring. Steaks were tough, fish choices --DH were disappointed in them. I could on but won't.

Now we don't know what to expect.

[Zyzygy]

I enjoyed the new Pinnacle menu on a recent Zuiderdam New Years Eve cruise.

 

I missed the former lobster tail, but I thought the beef was better from the new Oregon supplier than the former Sterling beef. I always thought the Sterling beef was somewhat over-aged, and I found the new beef (ribeye) to be somewhat fresher and tastier.

 

The vegetable portions are now much smaller--a serving is only enough for one person, but still quite good.