Moderno??

[LadyBerard]

Although we've sailed on NCL many times, we've never eaten at Moderno.  On our next NCL cruise on the Gem, we have 5 specialty dinners included.  We will eat in LeBistro (once or twice) and Cagney's.  I have read that Moderno has an outstanding salad bar with over 40+ items on it.  Besides the standard salad bar items, what items do they have?  Also, what types of meat do they come around and carve?  I'll  probably be full from the salad bar, but my husband will enjoy the carved meats.  I'm just wondering if we should use one of our specialty dinners to dine there one night.

[roger001]

I think it is worth trying once.  I do like the salad bar. They also bring bowls of additional items to your table to share.   I don't think the meat is anything special though, ok but not outstanding.  I think I remember 5 different types of meat. But again, try once and then you can make a decision.  

[janabanana1701]

The salad bar is great! We did Moderno on the Getaway and they had (in addition to the regular green salad items) sushi, lots of different cheeses, marinated vegetables, pasta and couscous salads, soups, rolls, cold meats and definitely more items that I now can't remember! (This was back in July 2019). 

The meats were good - I particularly liked the beef selections - but the pineapple they bring around on the skewer is a definite must try! Delish!!!

[mking8288]

It's worth a try and a fair value, nice dinner. We like it and enjoy ours, food is subjective with taste & personal. You never leave this place hungry.

[Weluv2cruise2gether]

I second the pineapple!!! My favorite!😋😋😋😋

[Turtles06]

We just spent 20 nights on the Gem.  We keep giving Moderno a try each time we are on NCL, and each time we've been terribly disappointed, as we just were again.   While the salad bar used to really be fabulous (and the only reason to go, imho), it no longer is.    You could still make a meal of it if you want.  The meats have never been good.  I know food is subjective, of course, and in my subjective opinion, NCL can't pull off a churrascaria at sea.  YMMV.  

[seemoreroyals]

We have eaten at Moderno three times.  Most recently a little over a year ago on Breakaway.  At that time salad bar was exceptional.  Meats can be hit and miss at times.  Take your time to enjoy.  They had a bean soup on the salad bar that was very good.  They were skimpy on the sides.  At our table for four they only brought enough side dishes out for two but we were mainly interested in eating the soups, salads, and meats so we did not ask for more sides.  I think they would have probably brought us more if we would have asked.  

[meglet]

Twice I've enjoyed Moderno, last summer on the Gem not so much.  Maybe wait to book until you get on board and ask around how it seems to be doing in 2020.  Last summer they were slow bringing the better cuts of meat around,  meat was cooked more than the medium they aim for, and it all was very salty. Love the pineapple and the little cheese biscuits.

[Heckah]

It was cool to do for the experience.  Salad bar was terrific, the rolls were great, the meats were OK, not the best, but certainly not terrible.  That pineapple though was incredible!    

[Travelicious]

The only meat I really liked, both times, was the chicken leg.  We’ve decided not to use any if our 7 specialty dinners on upcoming cruise at Moderno.  But, the cheese biscuits are very good.

[spanishguy1970]

the meats at Moderno have decreased in quality, some are either too salty others like rubber. Moderno used to be one of my favorites but lately it has been a hit or miss, i think i depends on the ship. We love the salad bar and like others on here have said the pineapple is definitely a must. For dessert we like the 3 leches cake.  I say give it a try.

[P_Mcruisers]

The best part of Moderno  is the Salad bar..........

We have eaten here several times and have been disappointed each time. We found it difficult to get a medium rare lamb or beef portion. Chicken is just  good as is Chorizo. The cooked pineapple is delicious.

We have decided to skip Moderno and go to another specialty restaurant

[Starry Eyes]

33 minutes ago, spanishguy1970 said:

the meats at Moderno have decreased in quality, some are either too salty others like rubber. Moderno used to be one of my favorites but lately it has been a hit or miss, i think i depends on the ship. We love the salad bar and like others on here have said the pineapple is definitely a must. For dessert we like the 3 leches cake.  I say give it a try.

Experiences do vary.  We have visited Moderno for many years now.  The meats on our recent visits have actually been better (less rubbery) than the ones we were served a few years ago.  Maybe it is different ships or different suppliers or different chefs?  The meats are salty, though.  Depending on the position on the skewer, sometimes I am served edge pieces that are more well done than I like (I disregard the toughness of those bits as it can happen on any visit, long ago or recent).  I do enjoy the salad bar and. Love the pineapple.  Since we can use the Platinum voucher, we keep visiting.

[spanishguy1970]

45 minutes ago, Starry Eyes said:

Experiences do vary.  We have visited Moderno for many years now.  The meats on our recent visits have actually been better (less rubbery) than the ones we were served a few years ago.  Maybe it is different ships or different suppliers or different chefs?  The meats are salty, though.  Depending on the position on the skewer, sometimes I am served edge pieces that are more well done than I like (I disregard the toughness of those bits as it can happen on any visit, long ago or recent).  I do enjoy the salad bar and. Love the pineapple.  Since we can use the Platinum voucher, we keep visiting.

Yes, we only use our voucher. We have a cruise coming up on the Bliss but i heard that ship does not have Moderno, so i will be using it in Los Lobos, it will be my first time there so i hope is good.  You are right it does vary, On the Getaway 2 years ago, we ate at Moderno twice, first time the meats were terrible, chewy, very rare and salty, we gave it another go and the second time around the meat was a lot better, more to our liking not as salty...My restaurants are Le bistro and Moderno, not big on La Cucina too many carbs, they changed the menu and not for the better.

[fastpitchdad]

For me it is how they compare to quality land based restaurants. LeBistro, Ocean Blue, Cagney's, Teppanyaki all compare pretty well. Moderno not so much. I think there must be limitations on how they are allowed to cook on ships (open fire?) VS land which affects Moderno more than the other restaurants.

[luv2kroooz]

7 hours ago, LadyBerard said:

Besides the standard salad bar items, what items do they have? 

The salad bar may contain some of the following. I like the salad bar better than the meats.

 

Smoked salmon filet

Marinated artichokes

Tomato/fresh mozzarella

Fried provolone w/pesto

Imported olives

Sushi

Imported meats

Imported cheeses

Heart of Palm

Cloves of garlic

 

 

[FLAHAM]

7 hours ago, roger001 said:

I think it is worth trying once.  I do like the salad bar. They also bring bowls of additional items to your table to share.   I don't think the meat is anything special though, ok but not outstanding.  I think I remember 5 different types of meat. But again, try once and then you can make a decision.  

 

I think this is spot on.  Surprisingly enjoyable salad bar, forgettable but plentiful meats.  Worth a try, but not my favorite. 

[DinaS]

We've been to Moderno's on the Gem - it was just OK.

 

In my opinion, if you live near a major metropolitan city, there are so many BETTER churrascaria choices.  Even the chains like Fogo de Chao are MUCH better than on board.  I have been to a few different churrascarias, and all of them were better than on NCL.  Fogo de Chao was MUCH Better.

 

If you don't have any of these places nearby, and the ship is your only opportunity to try it - then go for it.

 

We personally love Le Bistro - it rivals a few of the other good French restaurants in our area. 

 

We'll have 5 specialty dinners on our upcoming 12 day cruise - so not sure how many will be at Le Bistro - I would say at least 3....LOL

Edited February 14, 2020 by DinaS

[spanishguy1970]

5 minutes ago, DinaS said:

We've been to Moderno's on the Gem - it was just OK.

 

In my opinion, if you live near a major metropolitan city, there are so many BETTER churrascaria choices.  Even the chains like Fogo de Chao are MUCH better than on board.  I have been to a few different churrascarias, and all of them were better than on NCL.  Fogo de Chao was MUCH Better.

 

If you don't have any of these places nearby, and the ship is your only opportunity to try it - then go for it.

 

We personally love Le Bistro - it rivals a few of the other good French restaurants in our area. 

 

We'll have 5 specialty dinners on our upcoming 12 day cruise - so not sure how many will be at Le Bistro - I would say at least 3....LOL

Completely agree with you. There is a Brazilian churrascaria here in DC which is similar to moderno, it costs 89 dollars per person includes 2 caipirinhas the food is the way is supposed to be.. I love the Bistro too, my only criticism is they changed the duck dish and i wish the onion soup was more authentic, I' ve had real French onion soup and it just outstanding.

Edited February 14, 2020 by spanishguy1970

[McFins]

We enjoyed Moderno on both the Gem and the Escape. We recall  lamb chops, pork, chicken, sausage, a couple kinds of beef and then grilled pineapple at the end of the meal.  On the Gem it was next to the Sugarcane Mojito Bar which was also a nice place to stop before or after dinner.  

[trex-de]

I go to Moderno for the salad bar. The meat is a bonus.  The price, like all Ncl, has exploded.  I remember when it was $15 pp. Now it is ridiculous in price.

 

We go as a change of pace when we have a SDS.  GOOD not great.  

[joeyancho]

We tried Moderno  on the Getaway in December. It was terrific. The beef was very tender and the sausage was outstanding.  The rest of the meats were good too. To each his/her own.  The specialty restaurant we did not care for was the italian one, whose name escapes me now. 

[casofilia]

We always take Moderno if we have a FREE meal  but we certainly wouldn't pay the $45+ it now costs with the 20% "tax".   I remember what was available 4-5 years ago and there are fewer great choices anymore, some of the better things have disappeared, except the pineapple (according to my wife!!).

[LadyBerard]

Thank you everyone for your opinions and information.  As we are platinum, we will probably visit Moderno for one of our platinum dinners.  If there still is salmon and sushi on the salad bar, I will be happy, and my husband is not fussy at all when it comes to beef; although, I am.  The salad bar will be plentiful for me for dinner.

 

[Daytonasailor]

3 hours ago, LadyBerard said:

Thank you everyone for your opinions and information.  As we are platinum, we will probably visit Moderno for one of our platinum dinners.  If there still is salmon and sushi on the salad bar, I will be happy, and my husband is not fussy at all when it comes to beef; although, I am.  The salad bar will be plentiful for me for dinner.

 

 

We ate at Moderno for one of our 5 dinners included in our cruise on the Breakaway last month. We always enjoy our vacation and roll with the good and the bad.  The dinners we have on board are usually very good and there is not much to complain about, but, I will comment on the service. We had not eaten in Moderno before and I thought it would be fun. We went to the salad bar and it was good as many others have stated. We then waited for the servers to come around with the racks of meats. When the server came around with some beef, he began to cut the meat into our salad bowl. We said wait, we need a plate. He said no, just eat out of your salad bowl. Humm, this was strange. We had a server bring us a plate and scooped the meat out of the bowl. Meat was OK. I had chicken, pork and beef. You have a card on your table, with one side being green and the other red. Green means you want more and red means no more. The servers were rushing thru from table to table and they rushed right by us. The man on the table next to us was waving his card in the air in an effort to get the servers to stop at his table. We decided that this was enough for us and decided to skip dessert. We got up to walk out and the manager approached us and asked if everything was OK. I hesitated but the wife then explained what was going on. We were polite but firm. The manager stated he was sorry and offered us a refund on the dinner. We explained that that was not our purpose but thanked him anyway. We have always eaten in the speciality  restaurants and enjoyed them all. I am hoping this event was just an unusual one.