Meat or fish in the Crown Grill

[Owlhelm]

Hi all,

 

Off in a few days. :D There have been a few opinions posted remarking on rubbery lobster and less than great steaks served in the Crown Grill.

 

We are definitely eating there (part of Anniversary package), and I wondered if I could get a more general opinion of what's great, what's good and what is to be avoided. We eat a lot of fish and aren't big meat eaters (my wife doesn't eat it at all).

 

So, in the absence of being able to create a poll, what would diners recommend and/or otherwise, based upon actual and recent experiences of the Crown Grill (and preferably, but not limited to the Crown Princess).

 

Thanks

 

Martin.

[-Lew-]

We do enjoy steaks at the Crown Grill. Their filet mignon and bone-in rib steaks are our goto menu items. I believe the tiny lobster tails are the only seafood you'll find on the menu.

 

In light of the fact that you're not big meat eaters, why not dine at Sabatini's instead? You'll find a much more diverse selection there.

 

Enjoy your cruise...

 

 

[lois1112]

I agree with the above poster, that Sabatini's would have more choices for you

I love the bone in Rib chop as well

[Guest arowe6]

They have a tiger prawn dish, which is delicious!! (albeit not very filling... we get it as an app and split it).

 

There is also a sea bass on the menu. Not my favorite.

 

And a scallop app

 

 

I believe Sabatinis has more seafood if that's what you're looking for. Or why not try both restaurants during your vacation?

 

Enjoy your cruise!

-Andrew :)

[Owlhelm]

In light of the fact that you're not big meat eaters, why not dine at Sabatini's instead? You'll find a much more diverse selection there.

 

I agree with the above poster, that Sabatini's would have more choices for you

I love the bone in Rib chop as well

 

Hi both, thanks for replying. The Crown Grill is billed as a Premium Seafood and Chop House, and a comparison of the menus shows that the Crown Grill has more choice seafood-wise than Sabatini's. Indeed, Sabatini's only offer two fish/seafood and 1 vegetarian entree, with a considerably smaller choice overall taking into account the meat dishes. The starters and appetisers in the Crown Grill are also a lot more pescetarian-friendly.

 

 

I assume the rib chop is the Porterhouse? I am considering this, but am a little daunted by 22oz.

 

Thanks

 

Martin.

[Owlhelm]

 

Andrew, you've succeeded in making my mouth water. My pre-cruise diet won't last until the wekend at this rate! ;p

 

M.

[-Lew-]

I assume the rib chop is the Porterhouse? I am considering this, but am a little daunted by 22oz.

No...the bone-in rib steak is not a porterhouse. It's listed as the Sterling Silver Beef Chop on the menu.

 

[canadarocks]

They have a tiger prawn dish, which is delicious!! (albeit not very filling... we get it as an app and split it).

-Andrew :)

 

Do they let you order this as an appetizer without charging extra? (since it's an entree, correct?)

[sunsetbeachgal]

My friend and I had the sea bass on our last visit to the Crown Grill and loved it.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Owlhelm]

No...the bone-in rib steak is not a porterhouse. It's listed as the Sterling Silver Beef Chop on the menu.

 

Thanks for the correction Lew. :)

 

 

M.

[Guest arowe6]

Do they let you order this as an appetizer without charging extra? (since it's an entree, correct?)

 

Yes, but this was about a year ago. We have another cruise scheduled this December. Will be interesting to see the changes. We eat there EVERY night so if they plan on charging us everytime we deviate from the standard menu, they'll be losing two cover charges and a bottle of wine purchase instead...

 

Nickle and diming....shaking my head. :rolleyes:

 

-Andrew

[Guest arowe6]

Andrew, you've succeeded in making my mouth water. My pre-cruise diet won't last until the wekend at this rate! ;p

 

M.

 

Diets don't count on vacation........

 

-Andrew ;)

[ggprincess2004]

The sea bass is my husband's favorite. They also have a mussel pot on the entrée menu now.

[joeyancho]

The sea bass is my husband's favorite. They also have a mussel pot on the entrée menu now.

I will second that, the Chilean sea bass is off da hook. Beautiful texture with a nice buttery finish.

[Guest arowe6]

The sea bass is my husband's favorite. They also have a mussel pot on the entrée menu now.

 

Forgot about that one.

 

Mmmmmmmmmm

[GRAYTech]

4 of us were on the CB in January and ate at the CG the first night with waved cover charges. (full suite)

 

It sounds like the seabass is the way to go for you especially if you are not big meat eaters. I wish we had listened to the waiter. He suggested the beef chop as #1 pick, followed by the filet and then the New York strip which I ordered and was just so-so. Nothing bad but also nothing that knocked your socks off as it had years ago.

 

This was not a $120 meal food-wise IMHO. With that said it was still a great experience, waiter was spot on and food overall pretty good.

[srpilo]

For me, the ongoing problem with the CG is the hit-or-miss quality on the beef..

 

Starting about a year ago (maybe earlier) the steaks have been VERY inconsistent with one time being tender and flavorful as a quality Steak House steak should be, and then the next visit (sometimes the same cruise), though looking like a great steak on the plate, the steak itself ends up being tough and bland (??)..

And before you say " well just send it back".. At home on land I don't go to a steak house EVER expecting a tough or cheap cut steak to even be on the premises let alone make to my table, and there no reason to expect different at CG and have to put up with being served a tough piece of steak... Sending back a cheap tough steak and having to pick something different on the menu in a fine dining establishment should never have to be a option

 

Something's definitely happening to the alterative dining experience on Princess Ships fleet wide, whether it's weird unproven and untested formats, or now maybe a bit to much cost cutting on the quality ingredients

 

YMMV

Srpilo

[nukesubsailor]

We usually eat at the Crown Grill 2 or 3 times per cruise. We love the shrimp bisque soup. The filet mignon is the only steak choice we order. It tastes great, is tender, and is just the right size. The Chilean sea bass is excellent. The small lobster tails you can get are ok but don't expect them to compare to eating a fresh lobster in New England. As we never have room for desert, I can't make any comment on the options offered.

Our only complaint we have about the Crown Grill is that they have never had the Caesar salad on the menu.

[JF - retired RRT]

I assume the rib chop is the Porterhouse? I am considering this, but am a little daunted by 22oz.

You don't have to clean your plate. The little kids in China and Africa will never know.:D;p;)

[yoyosma]

For me, the ongoing problem with the CG is the hit-or-miss quality on the beef..

 

Starting about a year ago (maybe earlier) the steaks have been VERY inconsistent with one time being tender and flavorful as a quality Steak House steak should be, and then the next visit (sometimes the same cruise), though looking like a great steak on the plate, the steak itself ends up being tough and bland (??)..

And before you say " well just send it back".. At home on land I don't go to a steak house EVER expecting a tough or cheap cut steak to even be on the premises let alone make to my table, and there no reason to expect different at CG and have to put up with being served a tough piece of steak... Sending back a cheap tough steak and having to pick something different on the menu in a fine dining establishment should never have to be a option

 

Something's definitely happening to the alterative dining experience on Princess Ships fleet wide, whether it's weird unproven and untested formats, or now maybe a bit to much cost cutting on the quality ingredients

 

YMMV

Srpilo

I agree with your assessment although I think the beef is a tad worse than you have stated. I can't remember the last time I had a truly tender filet. I usually get better at the grocery store -USDA choice. The last time at CG I had the sea bass and I will not order it again. And I am a fan of sea bass. My husband still enjoys it however and the meal is generally a tad better than certain nights in the MDR.

 

And I still miss the scalloped potatoes.

[XBGuy]

Owlhelm, you've received some good advice in the responses, above. I'm going to offer my opinion, even though it is not particularly recent. My last cruise on the Crown Princess was a year ago, April, and my last Princess cruise was on the Ruby Princess, last October.

 

My wife and I enjoy the specialty restaurants on Princess. We will dine in both Crown Grill and Sabatini's/SHARE on every cruise. If we find that one of them has superior service/food we will dine in that one multiple times per cruise.

 

I am in complete agreement with the above poster who stated that the beef quality of the Crown Grill is inconsistent. Not only does that agree with my experience, but I would extend it to say that if the beef quality in the Crown Grill is not up to par, then I will find the same thing with the beef in Sabatini's or, unfortunately, the Ultimate Balcony Dinner.

 

One of the many things on which my wife and I agree is that the best choice on the Crown Grill menu is the Mussel Pot. It is consistently good.

 

This may not concern you, but I'm going to rant, a bit. One of my biggest disappointments was when they took the fruit/berry crumble off the dessert menu. That was awesome. Now, when we go to the Crown Grill, my dessert is just a cup of coffee. First World problem. ;)

[bigchid]

Our recent experience with CG varies from ship to ship. On Ruby, it was first class, we would do it again in a heart beat (and did). On the Grand, not so much.

[moodyb1]

My husband and I have eaten on the Crown Grill on various Princess ships. We have never had a problem with the quality of the meat. I love the filet mignon. We're sailing on the Star and Crown soon and intend to make a reservation for the CG for each cruise.

 

Arlene

[Owlhelm]

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and opinions.

 

Cheers,

 

Martin

[Carolyn R]

No one has mentioned the Black and Blue onion soup. The mussel pot is excellent! My favorite entree is the lamb chops. The lobster tails we had were small but very tasty, not overcooked (lobster snob here). The menu is varied enough in the Crown Grill that I can easily eat there more than once a cruise. Sabatini's has been mostly a miss for me the last few years.