Menu vs Reality

[purpletequila]

Hysterical. I can't believe someone finally posted about this. Lol I was on the Reflection recently and had the same experience. It happened a few times, most notably when we ordered a "vanilla" cheesecake. It was 100% lemon.

[vedettes1]

Shredding up some veal (assuming it even is veal) and wrapping it with prosciutto and calling that Osso Buco is completely outrageous. It should have been sent back simply on principle, to let X know they cannot get away with stuff like that.

[MartinsCruise]

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!)

We were in Blu on the Eclipse for 13 nights in November and loved it. I'm a picky eater and usually have to order from the left side of the menu in the MDR at least a few times during a cruise. Blu had something I liked every night without needing to order from the "classic" menu. The service was wonderful.

[BosoxI]

Shredding up some veal (assuming it even is veal) and wrapping it with prosciutto and calling that Osso Buco is completely outrageous. It should have been sent back simply on principle, to let X know they cannot get away with stuff like that.

 

Believe me, I took my fork and spread the shredded meat on the plate, called for the waiter, and started the complaint process. If I'm in the right mood, I just might order it again next week on the Eclipse, just to see what's served.

[donaldsc]

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

 

 

I missed your 2nd post. Sorry.

 

DON

[BosoxI]

I missed your 2nd post. Sorry.

 

DON

 

No sweat. I've also responded without reading all the following posts. It goes with the territory

[LabGuy64]

Can't see why you would bring up being calm and not creating a scene. Why would anyone raise there voice or be more than mildly annoyed when they could just order something else. Personally, I wouldn't have done more than passing inquiry....you seem much more upset than warrented

 

 

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.

[D C]

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!

 

You are more close to correct than you think!

A family member in the restaurant business explained the difficulty in creating menus these days. With the Food Network and various food-oriented shows, everyone is a foodie....or at least they think they are, even if they can't tell a hot dog from a knockwurst. "plain" doesn't cut it anymore. "A hunk of cow that we heated up" needs to have some dramatic flair to it in order to sound appetizing to those who have no idea what they're reading. A burger can't have ketchup, it needs a rich tomato and vinegar ensemble with exotic spices on top of it.

[Hlitner]

The faux descriptions exist on nearly all cruise lines. HAL used to serve "crispy duck" which was simply sliced duck breast with no skin. I asked the Maitre'd how you could make duck "crispy" without the skin and he laughed and totally agreed.

 

Hank