Thomas Keller

[josephone]

What is this cuisine? How different from other food?

[2SailingNomads]

Also, odd that your TK review #2 menu was different than on the Odyssey.

 

On your blog Jen, you state:

"It was met with some criticism from Seabourn regulars who are accustomed to a certain wow factor with Seabourn. Several have been vocal with their distaste for the concept (and some for Thomas Keller in general) on social sites such as Cruise Critic. While some are turned off by the casual family style offerings (“unhygienic!” a few proclaimed) or more casual attire donned by the staff on these nights to mimic the Napa County uniforms, others take issue with the offerings themselves proclaiming, for example, that short ribs (one of the offerings) are not elegant and therefore not worthy of Seabourn’s cuisine standards."

 

On our 70+ days during the TK roll out on the Odyssey never once did they have short-ribs, what we were offered were "Hickory Smoked BBQ Ribs", as per the copy of the menu I have from Oct 15, 2015 - which definitely the nights we dined on them were not short ribs - so I have to agree w/ Emperor Norton that your menu was certainly different than what was on the Odyssey.

 

Would be interesting if they are trying different dishes on different ships.

[lincslady]

jeni - your report was very interesting and detailed. I imagine you tried some of the TK dishes served in the dining room, which I would assume are supposed to be similar to those in one of his 'fine dining' restaurants. Have you eaten at his shoreside 'fine dining' restaurants, to make a comparison there? One hopes that is not only the casual stuff that Seabourn is providing from the TK empire in the future, but perhaps the posh dishes in the redesigned restaurant 2.

[josephone]

Jeni, my apologies. I just read your actual review of TK and you beautifully describe all the food and have pictures. My take is that it is plain American. I use the same wine tumblers and very plain white plates. I also in a pinch use a white ram akin for butter. But, the plating is different and very lovely. All the other cruise ships have more formal food and China.

 

Thanks for all your work in the write ups!

[Chairsin]

I guess I am having trouble understanding the criticisms focusing on the "casualness" of the TK dining in the Colonnade. The Colonade IS the casual dining option on Seabourn. If you want the more "fine" dining option you eat in the MDR.

[PaulaJK]

Chairsin, I think it may be attributable,at least in part, to the staff uniforms and the family style self service.............. Perhaps those who are impressed by the TK reputation don't include/anticipate this aspect.

 

I think that I recall that you are on board soon. Have a great trip. Let us know

of your experiences. PK

[jenidallas]

jeni - your report was very interesting and detailed. I imagine you tried some of the TK dishes served in the dining room, which I would assume are supposed to be similar to those in one of his 'fine dining' restaurants. Have you eaten at his shoreside 'fine dining' restaurants, to make a comparison there? One hopes that is not only the casual stuff that Seabourn is providing from the TK empire in the future, but perhaps the posh dishes in the redesigned restaurant 2.

 

I have... albeit not recently enough for this type of side-by-side comparison. I'll have more about Thomas Keller on Seabourn later this week on my blog. I've now sampled almost a dozen other TK items on board and will offer some reviews and general observations about this rollout.

[Chairsin]

Paula, yes while TK did make his reputation on the French Laundry he has since won acclaim for his more casual restaurant Ad Hoc (where I have not yet dined but hope to on a trip to Napa this fall). I can understand that some passengers might find the family style of service unusual and I must admit I will definitely be asking for a stemmed wine glass when we try the TK nights in the Colonnade on our upcoming cruise. We board June 4 --- less than two months to go. I will take detailed notes of our TK experience and report back here.

[rols]

I finally wrote up my comments about the Thomas Keller Ad Hoc experience in the Colonnade.

 

Great reviews - thanks for taking the time to write them and be objective.

 

Mrs Rols and I both read them and felt that Ad Hoc (land version) sounded like a place we'd go after a day of yard work when we just wanted something simple but were too tired to cook.

 

For the Seabourn version we were a bit put off by the 'take it or leave it', no choice at all on the menu, or even the doneness of the meat, and it sounded as if you couldn't even ask for more cheese (or did I misread that?).

 

Not entirely sure how Seabourn ended up faithfully reproducing a dining concept which is at odds with their high service and guest choice levels elsewhere on the ship. Either they really think there's demand for 'Olive Garden' family dining, with slightly more creative food or they picked a chef to work with, iterated the concept a few too many times, and ended up with something rather incongruous.

 

Perhaps on our next cruise, 1 day out of 14 we'll be in the mood for the Ad Hoc experience, probably not though; at least we know what to expect now.

[catskier]

I am joining the quest in Monte Carlo next Saturday. Very excited about the itinerary, was confused by the term "ad hoc" I had to look it up. Now I know it is a restaurant, I have been to Napa 3 times and have never been able to secure a reservation at The French Laundry. So was excited about this new arraignment almost a year ago. I booked this trip 11 months ago. But now I am not so excited about TK. But we will be the 1st on the real deal, since it will be in dry dock and re- doing the restaurant then. Can't wait to see if I can report better reviews. Until then.

[BasandSyb]

Thanks for the detailed reports. We are boarding Quest in August so we hope things will be more settled at that stage.

 

We do enjoy casual dining (but not every night). Think the "O" style glasses are an excellent idea, particularly on the back deck without tablecloths. We use them at home and they are so comfortable in the hand (as long as they are fine rimmed). Music and casual dress for staff is fine.

 

Not impressed about sharing plates - particularly with people you have just met. This is fine with family, but otherwise the style of food is not exactly the sharing kind of rustic Italian trattoria. Tasting the flavours as they are intended will be hit and miss depending on who serves themselves first! Let's face it, dining is large part of the Seabourn experience. I want a relaxing holiday, not a hassle over food.

 

Not impressed about take the meat as it comes. We like it rare. Who's paying the bill?

 

Hopefully Seabourn has taken note of the range of different opinions expressed through CC and has a few tips on the way forward.

[jenidallas]

But we will be the 1st on the real deal, since it will be in dry dock and re- doing the restaurant then. Can't wait to see if I can report better reviews. Until then.

 

I have more details... I had dinner with Peppi (Quest's current hotel director) last night so I can now confirm some of the rumors I've heard around the ship over the last two weeks:

 

* New restaurant on board will be the Thomas Keller Grill (or TK Grill as some of the staff are referring to it) and will have an entirely different menu than anything we have currently experienced on board.

* R2 is being completely gutted in dry dock (down to the studs, if you will). Everything is going (furniture, wall coverings, fixtures, dishes).

* TK Grill will be reservations-only with two separate seatings per evening and will accommodate more guests than the present R2 (I'm still not sure if this means more seats total or simply more covers per evening due to two seatings).

* Ad Hoc evenings in the Colonnade will remain but the current menus are merely a test. They will rotate in several new menus and will also remove items that are not doing well.

* TK selections in The Restaurant will continue. Seabourn is evaluating guest feedback on which dishes work and which don't. Ther recognize there is a disconnect between expectations and delivery. As an example, Peopi talked about all the various ways foie can be prepared and how even before TK that some regional/national expectations over "proper" presentation would crop up with guests.

* Chef Keller himself and a couple dozen of his staff will board at the beginning of May (May 2, I believe) and will be on board for a couple of weeks to oversee some of the implementation personally.

* The staff who will be working in or cooking for the TK Grill are in Yountville now doing extensive training with TK's ground staff.

 

My takeaway is that Seabourn and Thomas Keller are both committed to making this partnership one that works for both brands. They know there is always a bit of consternation any time Seabourn makes changes. It sounds like overall that guest feedback has been positive although they are aware that a few things will require tweaking.

[frantic36]

I have more details... I had dinner with Peppi (Quest's current hotel director) last night so I can now confirm some of the rumors I've heard around the ship over the last two weeks:

 

* New restaurant on board will be the Thomas Keller Grill (or TK Grill as some of the staff are referring to it) and will have an entirely different menu than anything we have currently experienced on board.

* R2 is being completely gutted in dry dock (down to the studs, if you will). Everything is going (furniture, wall coverings, fixtures, dishes).

* TK Grill will be reservations-only with two separate seatings per evening and will accommodate more guests than the present R2 (I'm still not sure if this means more seats total or simply more covers per evening due to two seatings).

* Ad Hoc evenings in the Colonnade will remain but the current menus are merely a test. They will rotate in several new menus and will also remove items that are not doing well.

* TK selections in The Restaurant will continue. Seabourn is evaluating guest feedback on which dishes work and which don't. Ther recognize there is a disconnect between expectations and delivery. As an example, Peopi talked about all the various ways foie can be prepared and how even before TK that some regional/national expectations over "proper" presentation would crop up with guests.

* Chef Keller himself and a couple dozen of his staff will board at the beginning of May (May 2, I believe) and will be on board for a couple of weeks to oversee some of the implementation personally.

* The staff who will be working in or cooking for the TK Grill are in Yountville now doing extensive training with TK's ground staff.

 

My takeaway is that Seabourn and Thomas Keller are both committed to making this partnership one that works for both brands. They know there is always a bit of consternation any time Seabourn makes changes. It sounds like overall that guest feedback has been positive although they are aware that a few things will require tweaking.

 

 

Thank you for taking the time to report back on all of this jeni as this all sounds quite exciting.

 

I know my cruise on Sojourn in July won't be part of the newest rollout but it will still be interesting to see how things are evolving. Then I can look forward to trying out the new restaurant on the Encore. The new renditions for that looked interesting on the Seabourn email I received recently.

 

Julie

[lincslady]

Many thanks for taking the time, jeni. It is good to know that TK and staff will come on board to finalise, hopefully, the workings of his menu. One can see the difficulties for the ship to get the appropriate ingredients on board, from the various ports, to match TK's exacting requirements. I imagine a bit of compromise will be needed.

[Les Picantins]

Many thanks for taking the time, jeni. It is good to know that TK and staff will come on board to finalise, hopefully, the workings of his menu. One can see the difficulties for the ship to get the appropriate ingredients on board, from the various ports, to match TK's exacting requirements. I imagine a bit of compromise will be needed.

 

Ditto

[Chairsin]

Yes, I did like the rendering of the TK Grill I saw on the Seabourn blog (but of course you can make a picture look good). Jenidallas I think you have found a new career as an investigative reporter -- thanks for searching out the info and reporting back. Can't wait to try it for myself and report back.

[jenidallas]

-- thanks for searching out the info and reporting back.

 

This was, ironically, one of my career aspirations (that or forensic accounting) before I realized that management consulting would leave me better equipped to afford the lifestyle to which I've become accustomed.

 

If I could just get Seabourn to pay me to cruise.... ;)

[Roxburgh]

Yes, I did like the rendering of the TK Grill I saw on the Seabourn blog (but of course you can make a picture look good). Jenidallas I think you have found a new career as an investigative reporter -- thanks for searching out the info and reporting back. Can't wait to try it for myself and report back.

 

Nice job by Jeni!! I'm glad we brought her :D:D

[Chairsin]

Jenidallas -- Sounds to me like Roxburgh is volunteering to reimburse your cruise fare.

[jenidallas]

Jenidallas -- Sounds to me like Roxburgh is volunteering to reimburse your cruise fare.

 

At the very least, I'm going to make him buy me a drink tonight at the Observation Bar!

[Emperor Norton]

This was, ironically, one of my career aspirations (that or forensic accounting) before I realized that management consulting would leave me better equipped to afford the lifestyle to which I've become accustomed.

 

If I could just get Seabourn to pay me to cruise.... ;)

 

Ralph Grizzle seems to do fairly well getting paid to take cruises and report back about them;)

[pdx13]

Well, if TK and his staff are actually on board the Quest in early May we should be in for a treat. By all accounts he is fanatically fastidious when it comes to the quality and presentation of his product.

[Techno123]

This all sounds significantly more reassuring. I wonder if it would have worked better if guests were told that the full TK experience would be delivered on X date - in the meantime, they would like their loyal and discerning guest's opinions on the dishes that could be offered at this time rather than everyone panicking that this was going to be 'it'

[Roxburgh]

At the very least, I'm going to make him buy me a drink tonight at the Observation Bar!

 

Drinks are on me!

[pdx13]

This all sounds significantly more reassuring. I wonder if it would have worked better if guests were told that the full TK experience would be delivered on X date - in the meantime, they would like their loyal and discerning guest's opinions on the dishes that could be offered at this time rather than everyone panicking that this was going to be 'it'

 

Who knows what challenges presented themselves during this transition. We were on board Crystal a few years ago when they introduced a "modern" cuisine, and I recall some degree of angst, but it seemed to work fairly seamlessly. However, Seabourn bit off a much bigger chunk with the TK program as it impacts several different venues and reflects the philosophy of a well known chef. It seems the TK program roll out has been rather "chunky" and I think communication from Seabourn could have been much better. But I am very excited about being on board when they should be at the top of their game if in fact TK and his people will be aboard.