Celebrity, please change the menus

[bbappel]

I guess they don't make the right consistency here in Arizona either, because the baked potato I had on the Summit, tasted just like those I get the restaurants here. Oh well, I guess I live and learn.

 

Chain restaurants, like Ruby Tuesday's, Outback, etc. make baked potatoes exactly like they do on the ship, so that is why you are happy with them.

 

If you want to see what the fuss is about, do try this at home, get an Idaho potato (burbank russets might work, but a real Idaho is best), turn your oven onto 450°F, wash the potato and scrub it. Rub it with olive oil and sprinkle on kosher salt or even better sea salt. When the oven is well preheated, put the potato on a square of heavy aluminum foil - or put it on the grate as is. You will know it is done when a wonderful potato aroma wafts from the oven (45 min to an hour or more depending on size). Remove the potato, it should be squeezable and immediately cut into it, and squeeze so the insides come out a bit. Add butter if you like (best) or sour cream (OK) or it can be eaten au naturel. Then you will know what we are talking about. If you have eaten potatoes baked only in foil, you are missing a tasty experience.

 

Sorry for the off topic, but I just want everyone to experience a properly baked (or roasted) potato at least once.

 

Beth (yeah, I guess I'm close to being a foodie)

Edited February 8, 2015 by bbappel

[BosoxI]

Except the baked potato isn't really baked, it's steamed. The consistency if wrong

 

If it's baked in foil, then it's most likely steamed. Bake it without the foil and same some money in doing it.

Edited February 8, 2015 by BosoxI

[NLH Arizona]

Chain restaurants, like Ruby Tuesday's, Outback, etc. make baked potatoes exactly like they do on the ship, so that is why you are happy with them.

 

No, don't frequent them for baked potatoes. I go to well known steakhouses and BTW, I know how to bake a potato, but thanks for your advice, I think..

[true45]

I was hoping Celebrity would acknowledge our posts but guess not

Interesting experienced here

[fatbaldbloke]

What an excellent thread with some well thought out posts. I can only concur that indeed Celebrity need to look at the menus in the MDR or Blu & implement some changes. I particularly like the idea of a couple of specials on the menu appertaining to the local area that the ship is visiting at the time.

[gopro63]

I order two dishes and then I mix-n-match what I want repeated dishes are great if it is your favorite but dull when it is the same ole

[Mary El]

Let's do away with the Top Chef recipes. Ever since Celebrity started with this menu I order from the left side after trying some of the Top Chef recipes which I think are horrible.

[DYKWIA]

Let's do away with the Top Chef recipes. Ever since Celebrity started with this menu I order from the left side after trying some of the Top Chef recipes which I think are horrible.

 

I'm quite adventurous when it comes to food and will generally try most things, but agree. The Top Chef night was my only disaster in the MDR this summer on the Eclipse. It featured on the last night (IIRC) and proved to be poor from start to finish and made me wish I'd played safe and gone to the left hand side of the menu.

 

Would love to see a decent Curry with all the trimmings - a Chicken Tikka Masala featured on the lhs every few nights but I always find this dish a bit boring - would loves to have seen a decent Jalfrezi or Madras - particularly on the Eclipse summer cruises - so many brits you cannot go wrong with a decent Curry!

[NLH Arizona]

It must be so difficult for a cruise line to make everyone happy. I know that I would love to have the items that I really like or really want to try and I'm sure everyone else is the same.

 

I wonder how Celebrity or any other cruise line chooses what they are going to serve. Do the test items and if there is enough interest, it makes the menu. Do they just pick things, in hopes that it will be well received. If someone complains that they didn't like how something is made or seasoned, even though others like it that way, do they change it based on complaints, with the chance of ticking off the ones that liked it? Do they, which I think they should, try to balance the menu, so that it is inviting to those that are adventurous, but still satisfying for those that aren't? Must pretty much be a lose lose proposition for them, because no matter what they do, they will never be able to satisfy 100 percent of the people. At least the good thing is, I've never seen anyone go away hungry.

[patty1955]

I think if I have one request regarding menus,it's that Celebrity add more vegetables. We tend to take long cruises and by the end of the cruise, I'm really missing my veggies. Add to that the fact that I eat much more beef on a cruise than I do at home, the added veggies would be appreciated. I was especially disappointed that Blu had no more vegetables than the MDR.

[cle-guy]

On my last few cruses, I can remember one night there being carrots on an entree, another beans, another broccoli, and I think even asparagus one night, but not positive. I think Zucinni/squash medallions as well.

 

Certainly all veggies aren't served each night, and each entree offers a different side thus it is possible that by the choice of our entrees we may choose every night the entree with green beans while not enjoying the one with broccoli or carrots, but it's not like they are only loading on green beans and force feeding green beans on all entrees every night of a 7 night cruise, is it?

[true45]

It is also the quantity of veggies

2 asparagus spears?

2 tablespoons of mashed potatoes?

In other countries (& in my house) veggies are more plentiful in the plate than meat

And if I serve meat, it can be chewed

 

Happy sailing

[bighairtexan]

I agree PATTY that I wish there were more veggies. I have asked for a plate of steamed veggies to share between a couple of us and they were happy to oblige.

 

I ALSO agree about the TOP CHEF offerings. So BLAH! I'm fine w/ the MDR but as mentioned, my ventures into TOP CHEF were total misses. Disappointing.

[LightningB]

I think these two posts might just sum it up best..... No matter what, they aren't going to please everyone.

 

One of the true disappointments in the food is the seasoning...or I should say, the lack of seasoning. Most (dare I say all) dishes served in Blu and the MDR are bland and essentially tasteless.

 

I'd love to do the same thing. I'm not a food-educated diner, but know what I like and dislike. I'm not a spice or sauce person and found that there are many things on the right hand of the menu that I would love to try, but they appear (by the description) to have too much spice or have a sauce.

 

Overall, we are not experienced cruisers, but we thought the food was good on our last Equinox trip.

 

Up until this last summer, my wife was the executive chef at a fancy hotel here in the Twin Cities (MN). That being said, she was extremely impressed with the quality of the food... Given the quantity that was being produced, along with the logistical challenges of being on a ship. At her hotel, they had semi's bringing in food 5-7 days a week, from multiple vendors each day. They were all staggered as to keep congestion down, maximize storage space, and provide fresh quality food.

 

Now when we look at a ship.... Everything has to be in port when they pull in. It all has to be packaged to get loaded, some cold, some frozen, some fresh. Which, speaking of fresh, is going to be a challenge on a long cruise. If a load of corn didn't make if down from IA for that late Oct sailing, then what? Not easy to just call in a backup order of 5 tons of fresh corn and have it on a dock the next day. Produce will most likely always be a challenge on a ship. It just isn't easy to keep it fresh long enough.

 

I guess overall, we can all want more variety everywhere we go, which is fine, but keep in mind feeding 3000 guests plus crew for 2 weeks, 2-3 meals a day, with limited resupply is a very massive undertaking. Not only cooking that quantity of food, but storing it and procuring it from reliable vendors with ample supplies is no small feat. I'd keep giving them your thoughts on change, but understand things don't change quickly in the world of extremely high production cooking.

Edited February 9, 2015 by LightningB
typo

[DYKWIA]

.... it's not like they are only loading on green beans and force feeding green beans on all entrees every night ...

 

On one night we had an alternative to Green Beans it said the dish came with Haricots Verts :D

Edited February 10, 2015 by DYKWIA

[Celebrity Cruises]

I was hoping Celebrity would acknowledge our posts but guess not

Interesting experienced here

 

Please let this post serve as an indication that we are following along.

[TommyD3]

Let's do away with the Top Chef recipes. Ever since Celebrity started with this menu I order from the left side after trying some of the Top Chef recipes which I think are horrible.

 

I agree - the Top Chef menu is the worst of all 14 menus.

We always go to Tuscan the night of the Top Chef menu.

[nojoke]

Most nights my DH requests a veggie plate made up of the veggie sides from the meat offerings. He always gets a lovely assortment of 4-6 veggies plus a baked potato. So, if you are a meat-eater and don’t want to eat “haricot verts” every night, just check out the other veggies offered and request what you like.

Since I don’t have to plan the menu or cook it, I’m quite happy with whatever is served!

[DYKWIA]

Most nights my DH requests a veggie plate made up of the veggie sides from the meat offerings. He always gets a lovely assortment of 4-6 veggies plus a baked potato. So, if you are a meat-eater and don’t want to eat “haricot verts” every night, just check out the other veggies offered and request what you like.

Since I don’t have to plan the menu or cook it, I’m quite happy with whatever is served!

 

Yes, this what my wife and I would do most nights - an extra bowl of mixed veg and occasionally extra potatoes (or fries for a steak). That extra bowl made all the difference.

[Queen of Oakville]

One of my favourites on any cruise is the braised lamb shank. I think on Reflection, we had rack of lamb twice (not something I typically order) ... but not braised lamb shank.

 

I'd love to see that added to the menu.

[bighairtexan]

While we're at it, though I didn't like the Top Chef, I did like every SPE offering that I tried. Kale salad. BBQ chicken w/ grits, chocolate mousse. Hard to believe they were "healthy" options, they were so good.

(mentioning this since Celebrity Cruises is checking this topic). My opinion plus 25 cents will get you NOTHING.

[ailetoile]

I think if I have one request regarding menus,it's that Celebrity add more vegetables. We tend to take long cruises and by the end of the cruise, I'm really missing my veggies. Add to that the fact that I eat much more beef on a cruise than I do at home, the added veggies would be appreciated. I was especially disappointed that Blu had no more vegetables than the MDR.

 

We don't take longer cruises (7 days has been our max so far), but I will agree that I find myself missing vegetables on our trips. By day 3-4 my husband and I find that we are visiting the buffet or ordering room service just to get some vegetables. :eek:

[true45]

Please let this post serve as an indication that we are following along.

 

 

Thanks Celebrity for the post

Linda

[Redtravel]

I like the Celebrity menus. I am a picky eater. Most of the menus are good. I like the MDR food. I was just on the Eclipse. I did not like the new Top Chefs menu. It sounded good. Presentation was poor. I like having the set options available every night. The baked potato is good. List it on the menu. I love the desserts. Cheesecake is fabulous. Please list all available options on the menus. When we asked if there was another green vegetable beside the green beans, we got asparagus. Let people know what is available. Do not change. Print new menus once in a while. The old dirty menus are not pretty. Food is one of the big attractions for people on a cruise. The first thing that people ask is how was the food. Celebrity is good.

[DYKWIA]

Seems strange that they can print lots of stuff from daily newspapers in several languages to flyers yet don't seem to be able to print new menus