What is the primary problem with Curtis Stone in the MDR

[GUT2407]

Oh right so they must be Deep-Fried then,how odd.:confused:

 

They are actually a bit like porridge but made out of ground???? Corn rather than oats.

[mrs and mrs]

I get it.

I ate them once and they gave me the GRITS.:eek:

[GUT2407]

I get it.

I ate them once and they gave me the GRITS.:eek:

 

That's it.

[mrs and mrs]

Whatever the outcome,about C.S esquire,i can feel the slap on the wrist,coming.:eek:

[OzKiwiJJ]

One evening in the Mdr a table-mate asked me how was the pork-belly Trace, I said Crap.

Next day at breakfast, he asked me how was the Grits Trace, I said Crap Curtis must have cooked them.

What the hell are grits, I thought he was talking about my Scramblers.

And then someone showed me, BUT what the hell are Grits.

 

Grits are similar to polenta. Essentially cooked cornmeal.

[SwissDave]

On Emerald 2 weeks ago all of the CS items on the menu went down very well. All of it very well cooked and tasty.

 

SHARE was also excellent - again.

 

It would seem the issue is really that some chefs on the ships are better than others at preparing things that are a little bit different to a bowl of soup or pasta.

[mzloolue]

Grits are similar to polenta. Essentially cooked cornmeal.

 

Grits are made from white corn or hominy.

They are not really thrilling on their own.

It's a southern thing.

I eat them with eggs.

Grits should not be too thick and should be very hot.

Butter, salt and pepper.

Bite of egg, bite of grits.

Good with runny yolks.

 

Sometimes folks make casseroles with cheese and stuff that are nice.

[dtb55]

One evening in the Mdr a table-mate asked me how was the pork-belly Trace, I said Crap.

 

Next day at breakfast, he asked me how was the Grits Trace, I said Crap Curtis must have cooked them.

 

What the hell are grits, I thought he was talking about my Scramblers.

 

And then someone showed me, BUT what the hell are Grits.

 

 

Grits, like pasta or potatoes, are just a vehicle for what you want to put on them. Personally, I like my grits with lots of butter and some salt.

[JimmyVWine]

It would seem the issue is really that some chefs on the ships are better than others at preparing things that are a little bit different to a bowl of soup or pasta.

 

This is certainly one of the biggest issues. The idea that one can take the "name" of a celebrity chef and attach it to a dish is antithetical to the whole idea of cooking. The finished product is 100% dependent on the quality and freshness of the ingredients that can be sourced coupled with the skill of the people in the kitchen doing the prep and cooking. They can call a dish a "Curtis Stone Dish" all they want, but Curtis Stone is neither shopping for the ingredients nor preparing the dish. It is really no different than any one of us buying The French Laundry Cookbook and making "Oysters and Pearls" at home. You can call it a "Thomas Keller Dish", but when you make it at home, is it? Really? Now imagine making 500 portions in the ship's galley. Ugh! The galley of a mass market cruise ship is a lousy place to try to showcase the precision cooking of chefs who made their name in kitchens that served 100 people a night. Princess could close down all the Crown Grills, sign a contract with Ferran Adria, and rename them "El Bulli at Sea" complete with recipes from the genius himself. But how well do you think the kitchen staff could pull that off?

 

The other major issue is that Curtis Stone himself simply isn't all that. Far more sizzle than steak. He's a good looking guy with an exotic accent (for those of us who aren't from Down Under). He is good TV. He is good Home Shopping Network eye candy. But he certainly has not risen to the ranks of true kitchen stardom. Many years ago Cunard partnered with Daniel Boulud. Seabourn recently partnered with Thomas Keller. Oceania partnered with Jacques Pepin. So Princess joined the fun by hooking up with Curtis Stone. As between Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, Jacques Pepin and Curtis Stone, which one of these guys doesn't belong?

[redtogo]

Grits are made from white corn or hominy.

They are not really thrilling on their own.

It's a southern thing.

I eat them with eggs.

Grits should not be too thick and should be very hot.

Butter, salt and pepper.

Bite of egg, bite of grits.

Good with runny yolks.

 

Sometimes folks make casseroles with cheese and stuff that are nice.

 

 

Grits with shrimp.

Grits with garlic and cheese - baked, soufflé style

Grits with yellow mustard - especially good with fish

 

(((These are NOT your grandmother's grits. They are not just for breakfast anymore.)))

 

AND, I liked the "Always Available" menu better than the CS menu.

Edited August 30, 2016 by redtogo

[curlybelle2]

I had Curtis Stone Mahi Mahi dish on our cruise in February. It was bad. I couldn't eat it.

 

There might have been other dishes of his that was good but I never tried another of Curtis Stones dishes after that.

[RJ2002]

We sampled some of the CS dishes in the MDR recently.

 

Chicken pot pie was very good.

 

Seafood stew was good.

 

Pork Belly was chewy (maybe an off night?)

 

And for those who complain that the pork belly was fatty, well.... it is supposed to be! Tip: know before you order.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pork_belly

[Cruiserkenn]

Grits are made from white corn or hominy.

They are not really thrilling on their own.

It's a southern thing.

I eat them with eggs.

Grits should not be too thick and should be very hot.

Butter, salt and pepper.

Bite of egg, bite of grits.

Good with runny yolks.

 

Sometimes folks make casseroles with cheese and stuff that are nice.

 

Thanks for the description. Very good.

 

I was going to say that they are a U.S. Southern dish, and that they are best when prepared by a real Southerner, in the South.

 

They used to have wonderful grits, peppery and buttery, at the Top of the

World Sunday Brunch, at the Contemporary Hotel at Disney World. Fantastic!

Maybe it was partly the atmosphere, with the great high rise views of the area. Regrettably, the Top of the World has been replaced by a more "trendy" place.

 

Do try grits in the South, if you have the chance.

Edited August 30, 2016 by Cruisin'Rabbit

[Murphey]

This is certainly one of the biggest issues. The idea that one can take the "name" of a celebrity chef and attach it to a dish is antithetical to the whole idea of cooking. The finished product is 100% dependent on the quality and freshness of the ingredients that can be sourced coupled with the skill of the people in the kitchen doing the prep and cooking. They can call a dish a "Curtis Stone Dish" all they want, but Curtis Stone is neither shopping for the ingredients nor preparing the dish. It is really no different than any one of us buying The French Laundry Cookbook and making "Oysters and Pearls" at home. You can call it a "Thomas Keller Dish", but when you make it at home, is it? Really? Now imagine making 500 portions in the ship's galley. Ugh! The galley of a mass market cruise ship is a lousy place to try to showcase the precision cooking of chefs who made their name in kitchens that served 100 people a night. Princess could close down all the Crown Grills, sign a contract with Ferran Adria, and rename them "El Bulli at Sea" complete with recipes from the genius himself. But how well do you think the kitchen staff could pull that off?

 

The other major issue is that Curtis Stone himself simply isn't all that. Far more sizzle than steak. He's a good looking guy with an exotic accent (for those of us who aren't from Down Under). He is good TV. He is good Home Shopping Network eye candy. But he certainly has not risen to the ranks of true kitchen stardom. Many years ago Cunard partnered with Daniel Boulud. Seabourn recently partnered with Thomas Keller. Oceania partnered with Jacques Pepin. So Princess joined the fun by hooking up with Curtis Stone. As between Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, Jacques Pepin and Curtis Stone, which one of these guys doesn't belong?

 

Excellent points! BTW, I did enjoy the seafood stew...but I wouldn't consider it a "signature" dish by anyone.

[JimmyVWine]

And for those who complain that the pork belly was fatty, well.... it is supposed to be! Tip: know before you order.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pork_belly

 

I disagree. The wikipedia article, (hardly an authoritative source for culinary advice), states that the pork belly "is a boneless cut of fatty meat". Yes, the uncooked cut of meat is fatty. But the finished product should not be. It should contain fat, but not be fatty. Proper cooking time and technique will account for that.

[HleeCruiser]

I disagree. The wikipedia article, (hardly an authoritative source for culinary advice), states that the pork belly "is a boneless cut of fatty meat". Yes, the uncooked cut of meat is fatty. But the finished product should not be. It should contain fat, but not be fatty. Proper cooking time and technique will account for that.

 

Your description is right on. I had it once in a restaurant and it was crispy with some fat but not "fatty". On a cruise in Jan. on CB one of our table mates ordered it and it was not great. Not crisp and fatty. All depends on the cook.

 

Henry

[stoneharborlady]

They better keep him away from the stove. ;)

 

Thanks shredie, I just spit salad all over myself laughing.

[Steelers0854]

I very much enjoyed the flank steak and the pork tenderloin on the Curtis Stone offerings. Do I miss some of the items like the beef medallions and the salmon? Yes. But I was happy with the new dishes. DW, not so much. She much preferred the beef medallions to the flank steak (as did I) but I still found both of the CS dishes to be of my liking and I would order them again.

[miagirl]

We're just off the Pacific Princess and we very much enjoyed the two CS dishes we tried - the Seafood Stew and the Chicken and Leek Pie. I think it probably does come down to the chef on board's interpretation and also the number of meals that have to be produced.

[OCruisers]

I had Curtis Stone Mahi Mahi dish on our cruise in February. It was bad. I couldn't eat it.

 

There might have been other dishes of his that was good but I never tried another of Curtis Stones dishes after that.

 

Agree, the CS Mahi Mahi in the MDR was really bad!

Also, we tried SHARE and were very disappointed. :(

[takeadip]

It's all beige. The meals all look the same, unappetizing to the point of revulsion. So presentation would be number one in my opinion. I'd also add a fifth problem and that's the influence Curtis Stone's preparation style is having on all meals in the MDR.

 

Last time we were on princess we were soooo underwhelmed in the MDR...we are platinum and never tried specialty (pay extra) restaurants on princess...but now i think we have to start if we want the quality that we used to get (and take fro granted) 10 years ago...i would say it has been a steady downhill slide with the food over last 10 yrs in the MDR...but the desserts have been really great...so i guess we can just spend a lil extra money for pay restaurants and bite the proverbial bullet.

[shredie]

People don't like change. There are quite a few that have trashed his food without ever trying it. There have been good reviews of Share. I've never had a CS dish, but I'm willing to give them a try.

 

There have also been some bad reviews of SHARE.

[USNUZULOOSE]

Stupid question, but could it be an attempt to start charging for the MDR by bringing in a so called famous chef. Not trying to start anything. But it just seems the lines are trying to find ways to take away anything that comes with the cruise. It would be disappointing if that is what they are trying to do.:mad:

[Taters]

Saute' some onions and bell peppers, cook some bacon, shred some cheese. Cook your grits, throw the other stuff in there, stir and serve right away. A little bit of butter and pepper on the top and YUM!

[JimmyVWine]

Stupid question, but could it be an attempt to start charging for the MDR by bringing in a so called famous chef.

It's not a stupid question at all. In fact, the idea has some merit, but if Princess wanted to do this, they have gone about it the wrong way and have blown their chance. In other words, the idea of offering a "luxury ingredient" entree, or famous chef's "specialty" for an upcharge is not at all a silly idea. You want king crab legs in the MDR? That'll be $10 extra. A whole cold water lobster? $10 more, please. This is done all the time with prix fixe meals. You pay $60 for the set menu, and can pay $15 more for lobster, or $25 more for Kobe beef. So the idea of starting to offer "for a fee" items in the MDR is not unprecedented, nor is it ridiculous. But Princess can't very well start charging for CS specialties now that they have given them away for "free" for almost a year. Especially given the lukewarm reception that they debuted to. And by now I have become accustomed to, and expect, Norman Love desserts as part of my cruise fare. Start charging me for those and someone is going overboard. (Double entendre intended).