Menu vs Reality

[BosoxI]

We left the Connie yesterday, having eaten eight times in Blu where we noticed the description on the menu did not always match the food on the table. On the last night, for example, the menu contained "Spicy chicken and Coconut Soup".. It sounded pretty interesting until it was served. It contained no chicken or coconut, a pretty drastic difference, I'd say. I ordered osso buco, one of my favorite dishes. It means "bone with a hole" and I always look forward to scooping out the marrow. But not in Blu. What I was served was the same shredded meat wrapped with prosciutto that is regularly served in the MDR under a different name. There was not a bone in sight, and the dish was not even close to the classic Milanese dish known as ossobuco .

 

If the food being offered is not what is described on the menu, the waiter should be so advised by the chef, so the diner can make an informed decision. For those who think dining in Blu is something special, I can only say "Think again"

[LabGuy64]

If there was no chicken or coconut in the soup....what was in it?....Also, did you bother to ask if perhaps you had been accidentally brought someone else's order? Am thinking there is a good chance this was the case

 

 

 

We left the Connie yesterday, having eaten eight times in Blu where we noticed the description on the menu did not always match the food on the table. On the last night, for example, the menu contained "Spicy chicken and Coconut Soup".. It sounded pretty interesting until it was served. It contained no chicken or coconut, a pretty drastic difference, I'd say. I ordered osso buco, one of my favorite dishes. It means "bone with a hole" and I always look forward to scooping out the marrow. But not in Blu. What I was served was the same shredded meat wrapped with prosciutto that is regularly served in the MDR under a different name. There was not a bone in sight, and the dish was not even close to the classic Milanese dish known as ossobuco .

 

If the food being offered is not what is described on the menu, the waiter should be so advised by the chef, so the diner can make an informed decision. For those who think dining in Blu is something special, I can only say "Think again"

[Mynki]

 

If the food being offered is not what is described on the menu, the waiter should be so advised by the chef, so the diner can make an informed decision. For those who think dining in Blu is something special, I can only say "Think again"

 

Indeed. Did you speak to the maitre d' or even ask to speak to the chef though?

 

After all, if the food being served is not what is described on the menu, the diner should advise the relevant staff.

[Sandtrap328]

I have to agree with the OP. I also got off the Constellation on Sunday. Food in the MDR was basically mediocre. The duck was very good, the lobster tail was very good. Other entrees like the steak, salmon, and short ribs were not worth eating. The Oceanview Grill did make excellent Asian stir fry and excellent grilled fish and beef to order.

[cruisingsince94]

We were just recently off this ship as well and all I will say about the matter is they need a new chef on the Constellation. The food was often indescribable on its own, and very much forgettable.

[Host Jazzbeau]

We were just recently off this ship as well and all I will say about the matter is they need a new chef on the Constellation. The food was often indescribable on its own, and very much forgettable.

 

Hopefully the natural contract rotation will solve this problem soon [as in, before May 31 when I board!]. We have seen what a tremendous improvement a different chef can make on the same ship.

[cruisingsince94]

I have to agree with the OP. I also got off the Constellation on Sunday. Food in the MDR was basically mediocre. The duck was very good, the lobster tail was very good. Other entrees like the steak, salmon, and short ribs were not worth eating. The Oceanview Grill did make excellent Asian stir fry and excellent grilled fish and beef to order.

 

I agree with you on the mediocre rating in the MDR. The food was actually pretty decent in the Ocean view Cafe. Plenty of options and much better tasting to us.

[broberts]

What explanations were provided by the waiter(s) and/or maitre d'?

[LabGuy64]

First,

 

The OP was talking about BLU not the MDR...and he was saying the food was not as described not how it tasted

 

 

 

I have to agree with the OP. I also got off the Constellation on Sunday. Food in the MDR was basically mediocre. The duck was very good, the lobster tail was very good. Other entrees like the steak, salmon, and short ribs were not worth eating. The Oceanview Grill did make excellent Asian stir fry and excellent grilled fish and beef to order.

[BosoxI]

There was no mix up in the order. This was the only hot soup offered. My wife's was served first, and she immediately noted the lack of chicken or coconut. Mine came several minutes later, and nothing had changed. There were a few small slices of mushroom floating in an indescribable liquid. I don't know what it was meant to be.

 

Of course, when the "ossobuco" arrived I told the waiter it was not ossobuco. He had no explanation. I wouldn't expect him to have one unless the chef advised him of it. The head waiter arrived almost immediately and I went through the same explanation with her. She left and the maître d'hôtel came on the scene and for the third time in four minutes I explained the situation. Again, no explanation was offered but there was an offer to replace the meal. I would expect that. I will say at this point, I could not have been calmer. At no time was I upset, nor did I even raise my voice. I even said to the maître d'hotel that the dining room staff was put in an awkward and untenable position which wasn't fair to them. Maybe I should have called for the chef, but I didn't think it necessary to create a possible scene.

 

On the subject of the Blu menu, there's more. Duck was served in some form three nights in a row. Yes, for you Celebrity apologists, while waiting to be seated, I certainly mentioned this to the maître d'hôtel who wanly said it wasn't the same dish every night. True, but it was duck. Celebrity must have gotten a fantastic deal on that poor fowl.

 

.The Blu menu was pedestrian at best. Nothing exceptional was offered. My old favorite lamb chops were excellent, as they always seem to be. I had a wonderful Hawaiian salmon one night and in general the food was well prepared, though DW struck out with a super bland vegetarian dish one evening. I didn't even bother with dessert, as they didn't appeal to me, but my wife raved about the lava cake.

 

We'll be back on the Eclipse in ten days for three back to backs, two in Blu and one in Luminae. I am not looking forward to the dining experience . I hope my concern is unfounded. We are not complainers but we do know good food, properly prepared. I am glad I addressed the issue, as my tendency is to pass off a disappointing meal as just one of those things.

Edited December 9, 2015 by BosoxI

[chemmo]

Describing food in a bizarre way seems to be a trend in land based restaurants as well as on board ship! Perhaps it is an attempt to try to make our food seem more exciting.

 

Do you remember a few years ago when everything from Black Forest gateaux to shepherds pie suddenly came 'deconstructed'!

 

After our first couple of nights in Luminae (April, as it opened) I simply asked the waiter to tell me what to expect from each item as I scanned the menu as like the OP I found some dishes not what I expected. Before my next cruise I will be looking back at reviews and pictures to refresh me.

 

I have no objection to dishes having interesting names but a clear description underneath would be very helpful!

[chamima]

There was .

 

 

We'll be back on the Eclipse in ten days for three back to backs, two in Blu and one in Luminae. I am not looking forward to the dining experience . I hope my concern is unfounded. We are not complainers but we do know good food, properly prepared. I am glad I addressed the issue, as my tendency is to pass off a disappointing meal as just one of those things.

 

 

Please come back after or during your next cruises to update us!

(We're on the Eclipse in Blu in February so I have personal interest in hoping it's different!)

[Sandtrap328]

First,

 

The OP was talking about BLU not the MDR...and he was saying the food was not as described not how it tasted

 

AND I was giving MY viewpoint on the food including the taste in the MDR. If you have comments about the appearance or taste of the food, please post them.

[Jimbo59]

The MDR, Blu, Luminae, etc. are high end banquet food, better than most hotel restaurants. The Lawn Club Grill on some Celebrity ships cooks every main course to order.

[warmwinds]

It's one of my pet peeves when ingredients are different/missing than what is described. TELL ME, so I can make an informed decision. Don't just bring me something different.

 

I, too, love Osso Bucco - the menu did not describe it's presentation at all?

 

And soups are another weird thing - sometimes a cream soup or bisque will not have chunks of the ingredients, but rather have those ingredients pureed - do you think that might be the case here?

 

I've always avoided the "rack of lamb wrapped in phyllo" because to me encasing something in pastry sucks all the life/juices out of it (I don't care for Beef Wellington for the same reason).

[ghstudio]

There is an art to menu writing. In most cases, there is a match between the menu and what you are served although the amount of each ingredient mentioned on the menu may differ for that picture it forms in your mind. Then there are the menus that are written by someone who has never seen or experienced the actual item being served and describes what might be served. Sadly, Celebrity menus tend towards the latter...the description of many items really doesn't match.

 

We've cruised in aqua/blu a number of times....and in most cases, the excellent waiters explain the osso bucco that isn't and the short ribs that aren't....and like many good restaurants, they suggest you not order the pheasant (or whatever). But then there are the other waiters who just take orders...and that happens in land based restaurants as well.

 

You can eat quite well in Blu...we do it but we've sent items back. The soups are disappointing to me because they are all a little bit of something in the bottom with a broth or puree. I like soups with something in them like chunks of vegetables.

[jenniebnyc]

I totally agree with you OP. It has been the running joke when we eat in BLU what we are going to get exactly. If we are not up for a surprise we just get a salad, onion soup and the airplane chicken or grilled salmon, but now you are saying the salmon wasn't even good? Oh dear.

 

The funniest one we have encounterd is the seafood 'napoleon' which is presented as a fanned out, flat layer of cucumber and some seafood. Not sure where they came up with napoleon for that one.

 

We gave up on the duck a while ago. Even the soups which used to be wonderful are not anymore.

 

I will say it again--just keep it simple and fresh and they will have much happier customers. If their chefs are not qualified to execute the dishes properly, tone them down.

 

Does anyone know if the powdered mashed potatoes are now shipwide, including BLU (and Luminae)? This is also a a major fail.

[az_tchr]

The Osso Buco dish was changed a couple of years ago to the shredded meat inside a slice of proscuitto. Ditto with the lamb shanks with meat removed from the bone and shredded. The preparation is according to X guidelines and I agree both unfortunate and not to my liking either. Need to let the chef know. Take your comment immediately to them. Have them come to your table immediately. Only if this is done over and over will there be a change.

 

 

On mashed potatoes do not know the answer to your question, but do know that if made properly even a top chef cannot tell the difference. Simplot - the Idaho potato people - had a contest recently and you honestly could not pick the potato flakes from real mashed. And I agree there are a bunch of really terrible instant powdered out there.

Edited December 9, 2015 by az_tchr

[CanadianDee]

No. Powdered mashed potatoes? American cheese on pizza? Just, no. :(

Edited December 9, 2015 by CanadianDee

[Quo Vadis?]

I love the Mexican section in ocean view Cafe but both the melted cheese and re fried beans have more liquid than actual content as described.

 

I've never seen so much watered down food as on this cruise whether it's onion soup with few onions, rum raisin ice cream without raisins or split pea soup that is watered down lacking taste and substance.

 

It's like the problems of three years ago are here again.

[blueboro]

I am far from a cheerleader, but we found the food on our October Reflection cruise to be some of the best we have ever had in the MDR and buffet. Thought Tuscan was below standards though.

[donaldsc]

We left the Connie yesterday, having eaten eight times in Blu where we noticed the description on the menu did not always match the food on the table. On the last night, for example, the menu contained "Spicy chicken and Coconut Soup".. It sounded pretty interesting until it was served. It contained no chicken or coconut, a pretty drastic difference, I'd say. I ordered osso buco, one of my favorite dishes. It means "bone with a hole" and I always look forward to scooping out the marrow. But not in Blu. What I was served was the same shredded meat wrapped with prosciutto that is regularly served in the MDR under a different name. There was not a bone in sight, and the dish was not even close to the classic Milanese dish known as ossobuco .

 

If the food being offered is not what is described on the menu, the waiter should be so advised by the chef, so the diner can make an informed decision. For those who think dining in Blu is something special, I can only say "Think again"

 

Did you tell them that what they served was unacceptable and then ordered something else. If you did not do this, you became part of the problem.

 

DON

[BosoxI]

Did you tell them that what they served was unacceptable and then ordered something else. If you did not do this, you became part of the problem.

 

DON

 

Don, Did you read what I wrote? I spent some time giving a quite detailed synopsis of what I said and to whom.

 

Jennie, The Hawaiian salmon was excellent.

 

Warmwinds, The menu described classic ossobucco prerparation.

 

Az Tcr, I won't argue the point, but I know I've had ossobuco on an X ship earlier this year, because I remember pointing out to my wife the chunk of marrow I was about to devour. It might have been on the Reflection, and it might have been a lamb shank, not veal, but it definitely was a reasonable attempt at the classic preparation.

 

I am almost to the point where getting a good veranda cabin and spending the savings on specialty restaurants at least half of the cruise is the best way to go. Oceanliners on the Connie is absolutely my favorite X restaurant for ambiance, service and food preparation. We ate there only once this trip, but I let every employee I encountered there know how much I enjoy eating in their restaurant. Their faces beamed. Murano on the larger ships has been good, and I've even come to enjoy Qsine, something I never thought would happen. Tuscan Grill is just OK for me, as I've been spoiled by Princess and a Mother of Northern Italian descent who was a master in the kitchen. That's probably why I'm so fussy about osso buco.

Edited December 9, 2015 by BosoxI

[cirpi]

We left the Connie yesterday, having eaten eight times in Blu where we noticed the description on the menu did not always match the food on the table. On the last night, for example, the menu contained "Spicy chicken and Coconut Soup".. It sounded pretty interesting until it was served. It contained no chicken or coconut, a pretty drastic difference, I'd say. I ordered osso buco, one of my favorite dishes. It means "bone with a hole" and I always look forward to scooping out the marrow. But not in Blu. What I was served was the same shredded meat wrapped with prosciutto that is regularly served in the MDR under a different name. There was not a bone in sight, and the dish was not even close to the classic Milanese dish known as ossobuco .

 

If the food being offered is not what is described on the menu, the waiter should be so advised by the chef, so the diner can make an informed decision. For those who think dining in Blu is something special, I can only say "Think again"

 

I once ordered osso buco at Aqualina on the Azamara Journey and the dish that arrived was exactly what you described: a cylinder of shredded overly dry veal wrapped in proscuitto and no bone for marrow. Oddly, osso buco was on the MDR menu a few nights later and it was d one right with the bone and a side of saffron risotto.

[BosoxI]

I once ordered osso buco at Aqualina on the Azamara Journey and the dish that arrived was exactly what you described: a cylinder of shredded overly dry veal wrapped in proscuitto and no bone for marrow. Oddly, osso buco was on the MDR menu a few nights later and it was d one right with the bone and a side of saffron risotto.

 

Sounds like you ate in the Galleria :p Risotto. I used to make various types for my foodie friends. They loved it so much, they actually bought me a new pot to prepare it in. And then there is polenta and tripa with a side of aged gorgonzola. I'm making myself hungry:D