Thomas Keller NY Times review

[Nigella]

Markham - would it be possible for you to post some menus? Not necessarily whilst you are on board - don't want to use up your valuable internet time!

 

 

I posted Keller menus here :

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2299205

 

I'm assuming that 'margbem' has me on Ignore for some reason, so perhaps someone could copy and paste my post over to this thread so that 'margbem' can see it. Thanks!

[Emperor Norton]

well then

During the Odyssey Holiday 2015 cruise, Keller menus were served on alternate evenings in the MDR and The Colonnade.

 

In the MDR, 3 courses were offered. Diners have the opportunity to try the whole menu, or they can take just one or two courses from it and the others from the regular menu.

 

A couple of menus :

 

Menu 1

 

Moulard Duck Foie Gras "Trifle" - Gros Michel banana, Celery Branch, Balck Walnut Dacquoise and Banyuls Vinegar "Gastrique"

 

Herb-Roasted Saddle of Elysian Fileds Farm Lamb - Confit Biyaldi, Tarbais Bean Purée and Roasted Garlic Jus

 

OR

 

Caramelized Fennel Bulb - Corona Beans, Aged Asiago "Cromesquis", and Sweet Pepper Sofrito

 

Ginger and Yoghurt Semifreddo - Whipped Green Tea and Persian Lime Meringue

 

Menu 2

 

Pacific Yellowtail Crudo - Globe Artichokes, Hass Avocado, Preserved Meyer Lemon and Country Bread Croutons

 

Snake River Farms Pork Tenderloin - Applewood Smoked Bacon, Raclette Cheese Croquette, Young Leeks, Spiced French Prunes and Grain Mustard Sauce

 

OR

 

Buckwheat Dumplings - Citrus Roasted Golden Beets, Napa Cabbage and Barrel Aged Tamari Glazed Shiitake Mushrooms with Yuzu Gastrique

 

Frangipane Tarte - Poached Plums and Raspberry Jam.

 

This second menu was a winner for me, although the dessert was quite heavy and the portion size of it could have been smaller.

 

The quality of the ingredients was similar to the food we've experienced in the past on SB on the regular dinner menus. So it was considerably better than what was being served in general on this cruise, but not that much better than what we expect from SB food. Presentation was as step up, as one would expect.

 

 

In The Colonnade, dining was by reservation only.

It's based on TK's "Ad Hoc" restaurant. It's a set menu of four courses.

The dining is "family style" which was a new concept to me. The food isn't individually plated, it's brought to the table on a large platter or serving dish, and diners serve themselves.

 

On our cruise the usual included wines were served, however I've read elsewhere on CC that sometimes there are different wines available for the TK menu. The wine is served in stemless wine tumblers. We use similar at home for red wine if we're having an informal supper, however the ones on the ship weren't very good quality. The ship's regular wine glasses are better quality and I prefer them for white wine in particular.

 

Menu 1

 

Waldorf Salad - crisp chicories, Fuji apples, celery branch, white wine poached currants, candied walnuts, Roquefort bleu dressing

 

Grilled "RR" Ranch in Ribeye - blistered green asparagus, whipped red bliss potatoes, Santa Maria remoulade, A4 sauce

 

Humboldt Fog - Marshall's Farm honey, grilled country bread (this was a delicious goat's cheese)

 

Chocolate Silk Pie - whipped Chantilly

 

Menu 2

 

Gem Lettuce Salad - slow baked beets, radish, fried capers, chopped egg, green goddess dressing

 

Hickory Smoked BBQ Ribs - braised greens, baked beans, corn pone, whipped honey butter

 

Jasper Hill Farm Cabot Clothbound Cheddar - Maldon flat bread, Blue Apron Ale mustard

 

Potted Cheesecake - poached blueberries and vanilla Chantilly.

 

 

The plan is for the O class ships to have Restaurant 2 changed to this Keller Ad Hoc theme, I believe it will happen as each ship goes into its next dry dock. This means that The Colonnade will revert to as it was prior to Keller.

[margbem]

Nigella - so sorry - I forgot that you posted them. I have read your comments re your cruise avidly and certainly don't ignore you! We are due to cruise Odyssey in September and are taking our sons and wife/fiancee as a 60th birthday celebration for me. We have sailed the triplets six times and have bored them often with our praises of Seabourn! We are slightly alarmed at some of the negative comments coming out now regarding food and service. We so want this cruise to be perfect. Our eldest son in particular is a real foodie and we have always found the food excellent. Only a couple of not so good meals in our 54 nights on board so all this discussion about falling standards is worrying.

[JPH814]

Very interesting review...and it is always a shame when a quality product begins to lose its luster.

 

This discussion has prompted these thoughts.

 

I enjoy going on cruises. I enjoy many aspects of them and a wide range of costs . I have gone on cruises from Carnival to Seabourn to the Queens Grill on the Queen Mary. I adjust expectations and have enjoyed the mall.

 

I also consider myself somewhat of a foodie - enjoying both eating and preparing it. I have eaten in some of the best restaurants in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and elsewhere.

 

However, to me, food on a cruise is not one of the top three or four aspects of why I go on a cruise. On a cruise, I expect good food and good service. On an upscale line like Seabourn, I expect very good food and very good service. But I do not expect a cruise line - with its limitations in facilities and provisions - to match the experience of great land based restaurants.

 

My upcoming cruise on Seabourn will cost my wife and me an average of $1100 per day. If you assume (No idea how valid this is, but for arguments sake) that half of that can be budgeted for virtually unlimited food and drinks , that is $550 per day - $275 per person per day. So what would a $275 per day budget for meals and wine and cocktails buy me - three meals a day - on the land. Certainly not the French Laundry or Per-se.

 

So if bringing a chef like Keller or Palmer on board can infuse a small taste of what he provides in their restaurants, I am all for it. But I do not expect to have the same experience as eating in their land based restaurant - whether that land based restaurant has four stars or two.

Edited January 15, 2016 by JPH814

[wripro]

JPH814,

 

What a refreshing and incisive post. Thank you for bringing some logic into the discussion,

[Emperor Norton]

JPH814,

 

What a refreshing and incisive post. Thank you for bringing some logic into the discussion,

 

Because if it intersects with your point of view its refreshing, incisive and logical, but if it doesn't it must be stale, dull and illogical? :rolleyes:

Edited January 15, 2016 by Emperor Norton

[JPH814]

Because if it intersects with your point of view its refreshing, incisive and logical, but if it doesn't it must be stale, dull and illogical? :rolleyes:

 

 

Am i to assume my point of view does not intersect with yours? If so, ok. Share your point of view. But why attack someone just for agreeing with me.

[Nigella]

Nigella - so sorry - I forgot that you posted them. I have read your comments re your cruise avidly and certainly don't ignore you! We are due to cruise Odyssey in September and are taking our sons and wife/fiancee as a 60th birthday celebration for me. We have sailed the triplets six times and have bored them often with our praises of Seabourn! We are slightly alarmed at some of the negative comments coming out now regarding food and service. We so want this cruise to be perfect. Our eldest son in particular is a real foodie and we have always found the food excellent. Only a couple of not so good meals in our 54 nights on board so all this discussion about falling standards is worrying.

 

Hello margbem, no worries at all. I just thought I may be on your Ignore List and you wouldn't have seen my post. I'm sure Markham will post more when there's time to do so, but I thought you'd like to see what the menus were like on our cruise.

(Thanks to Emperor Norton for copying it, although I realised too late that I could have copied it myself. Doh!)

 

We enjoyed much of the TK food, although I sometimes found the menu descriptors a little complex. I'm looking forward to reading about other poster's impressions of it.

[sfvoyage]

My upcoming cruise on Seabourn will cost my wife and me an average of $1100 per day. If you assume (No idea how valid this is, but for arguments sake) that half of that can be budgeted for virtually unlimited food and drinks , that is $550 per day - $275 per person per day. So what would a $275 per day budget for meals and wine and cocktails buy me - three meals a day - on the land. Certainly not the French Laundry or Per-se.

 

So if bringing a chef like Keller or Palmer on board can infuse a small taste of what he provides in their restaurants, I am all for it. But I do not expect to have the same experience as eating in their land based restaurant - whether that land based restaurant has four stars or two.

 

Exactly! Excellent reality check.

 

Currently, tasting menu at Per Se is US$325 per person, including service but excluding tax and beverages. At French Laundry, it is US$310. TK restaurants have access to year-round provisioning of the finest and freshest ingredients, including locally grown produce and herbs harvested à la minute.

 

Perhaps initially, when SB announced its collaboration with TK, some of us (myself included) saw stars in our eyes (and stomach) and naively assumed we'd be treated to an abbreviated version of TK's tasting menus, however misguided and unrealistic that assumption would have been.

 

But as you so correctly pointed out, this was but a fantasy, financially and logistically infeasible.

 

The reality, however, is that TK dishes rolled out thus far are still upping the game on board the SB vessels. As I had mentioned in a different thread earlier, many of his dishes in the MDR as well as the Colonnade are very good. It's amusing and perplexing to read all the criticisms, the horrors, the doom and gloom, especially from those who haven't even experienced the new dishes and concept. And no, not every single issue at the restaurant can be blamed on TK implementation.

 

Bon appétit.

[my crow's nest]

I just wonder how many Seabourn guests have actually dined in one of Mr Keller's restaurants?

[jenidallas]

I'm certain quite a few of us have. And thus my personal expectation that dining by Keller on Seabourn would be more Ad Hoc or Bouchon than French Laundry or Per Se.

[markham]

I am pleased to be back reporting as we sail from Rangiroa to Papeete!

 

2 nights ago we dined outside on a TK family dinner! We had Waldorf salad with a fabulous Mayfair blue cheese dressing on the side, large roasting dish with beef rib steak sliced with remoulade, mashed potatoes, asparagus, Humble Fog cheese with special Napa honey and then chocolate pie tart. All excellent.

 

Last night was in the MDR and we chose the 3 course TK dinner: foie gras mousse, 2 lobster claws plus other bits with vegetables in a serious bit light dark sauce, apple dessert with a tart base and biscuit with a creamy top. Most pleasing and I must add that the lobster was cooked to a firm and sweet texture such that I wondered if it were market fresh. No kidding!

 

But tonight it's going to be Patio with the grilled veal chops and tomorrow we leave Papeete for an overnight in Moorea's Hilton. So more news etc in a few days is the plan.

 

Happy sailing!

[Roxburgh]

I just wonder how many Seabourn guests have actually dined in one of Mr Keller's restaurants?

 

Not us! In fact, unless we are traveling, we eat at home. That way we can enjoy a nice bottle of wine without having to worry about a DUI.

 

Anyway, we like good food but we are not foodies. I am just as happy with nice steak and fries/chips or a rack of ribs as I am with some fancy fusion or other concept. And if I had to choose between a fancy desert and sticky toffee pudding and custard then the latter would win every time.

 

So the food that is served on Seabourn is just fine for me.

[Emperor Norton]

I just wonder how many Seabourn guests have actually dined in one of Mr Keller's restaurants?

 

I have, though I'd rather dine at Bouchon than the French Laundry. It's a pity they didn't start off slower with TK, say using bread,pastry and cookie recipes from Bouchon bakery then working up to Kellers more complicated dinner fare.

[Emperor Norton]

I am pleased to be back reporting as we sail from Rangiroa to Papeete!

 

2 nights ago we dined outside on a TK family dinner! We had Waldorf salad with a fabulous Mayfair blue cheese dressing on the side, large roasting dish with beef rib steak sliced with remoulade, mashed potatoes, asparagus, Humble Fog cheese with special Napa honey and then chocolate pie tart. All excellent.

 

Last night was in the MDR and we chose the 3 course TK dinner: foie gras mousse, 2 lobster claws plus other bits with vegetables in a serious bit light dark sauce, apple dessert with a tart base and biscuit with a creamy top. Most pleasing and I must add that the lobster was cooked to a firm and sweet texture such that I wondered if it were market fresh. No kidding!

 

But tonight it's going to be Patio with the grilled veal chops and tomorrow we leave Papeete for an overnight in Moorea's Hilton. So more news etc in a few days is the plan.

 

Happy sailing!

 

The cheese wasn't Humbolt Fog perchance was it? I wonder how many of the new dishes are sous vide.

[Chairsin]

Yes, the cheese being served on board is Humboldt Fog -- one of my favorites cheeses. A bit of cheese trivia -- the ash line in the middle of the cheese separates cheese made from the morning and afternoon milking of the goats. The texture of each is quite distinct. And the other cheese Markham mentioned is Maytag, not Mayfair, blue cheese. Perhaps the Mayfair cheese is something served in certain London restaurants [emoji6]?

[Emperor Norton]

Yes, the cheese being served on board is Humboldt Fog -- one of my favorites cheeses. A bit of cheese trivia -- the ash line in the middle of the cheese separates cheese made from the morning and afternoon milking of the goats. The texture of each is quite distinct. And the other cheese Markham mentioned is Maytag, not Mayfair, blue cheese. Perhaps the Mayfair cheese is something served in certain London restaurants [emoji6]?

 

Hence my asking;) Goat cheese trivia? If the bucks and does are in too close a proximity it will turn the flavor of the milk and thus the cheese.

[Nigella]

Yes, the cheese being served on board is Humboldt Fog -- one of my favorites cheeses. A bit of cheese trivia -- the ash line in the middle of the cheese separates cheese made from the morning and afternoon milking of the goats. The texture of each is quite distinct. And the other cheese Markham mentioned is Maytag, not Mayfair, blue cheese. Perhaps the Mayfair cheese is something served in certain London restaurants [emoji6]?

 

I'd never heard of Humboldt Fog until it was served on Odyssey a couple of weeks ago. It's one of the nicest cheeses I've ever eaten. Bearing in mind I spend most of my time living in France, a country whose cheeses I adore!

It was so perfect served with the TK bread and honey.

I've tried to track it down in Europe without any success so far, I'd be happy to pay huge import charges for it, that's how much I love it.

[Bostonactor]

Humboldt Fog is one of our favorite cheese and readily available at fine food shops in the Boston area. I went online to the California maker, cyressgrovechevredotcom, and went through the steps as if to purchase. It looks like they ship to the UK, although they also say that they ship only by FedEx Overnight, so I'm not sure what the process is for long-distance. You can call or e-mail them. This cheese keeps very well, refrigerated and loosely wrapped. I took it to my in-laws, with several outstanding cheeses, for Christmas, and it was gone in a flash.

[Nigella]

Humboldt Fog is one of our favorite cheese and readily available at fine food shops in the Boston area. I went online to the California maker, cyressgrovechevredotcom, and went through the steps as if to purchase. It looks like they ship to the UK, although they also say that they ship only by FedEx Overnight, so I'm not sure what the process is for long-distance. You can call or e-mail them. This cheese keeps very well, refrigerated and loosely wrapped. I took it to my in-laws, with several outstanding cheeses, for Christmas, and it was gone in a flash.

 

That's so helpful, thank you! I tried the usual suspects that I buy from for food imports but never thought to try the maker direct. I'll contact them to get shipping details.

Thanks again.

[wripro]

Am i to assume my point of view does not intersect with yours? If so, ok. Share your point of view. But why attack someone just for agreeing with me.

 

Don't worry about it. I won't take it seriously if you won't.

[Chairsin]

Nigella,

But you must admit how ironic it is to order a cheese from the US when as you say you have access to hundreds of cheeses in France. Sort of like importing coal to Newcastle!

[Bostonactor]

Chairsin, I disagree. It is quite unlike any cheese we have had in France or imported from France, and we are there often. If they don't charge an arm and a leg to ship it, why not? Or try perhaps try to get your local grocer to get it for you?

[Chairsin]

I'm not saying it isn't worth shipping -- believe me, I have been a fan of this cheese for years -- but you do have to admit it is ironic, no?

[Bostonactor]

I'm honestly not being difficult; I just don't see the irony, which to me, would be if the identical cheese or near-identical cheese were available in France. But it is all semantics. In the end, the important thing is a great cheese. I am suddenly hungry for the Morbier we have in the fridge.