Chef Daniel Boulad on the Equinox

[81Zoomie]

We did Chef’s table recently on the Equinox.  The food was excellent.  We did purchase the wine pairing.  The wine selection was very good, however, the pours were relatively small because they split one bottle among 6 guests.  
 

We have done Chef’s table on Azamara and Princess in the past.  Our best overall “experience” was with Princess because the head chef personally prepared/served each course and interacted with the guests throughout the meal.  Additionally, the wine flowed whenever your glass was empty.

[Jim_Iain]

14 hours ago, markeb said:

That’s sounds amazing, in theory. Doesn’t mean it was in execution. I’d probably try it on Boulud’s reputation but we live close enough to Manhattan, we’d probably just try Daniel and not worry about getting lost in translation. 
 

What was the cost?

I guess my disappointment came from the fact that Daniel Boulund was aboard Summit to initiate his menu pre-Covid.    In Retreat they had a reception for him and provided tray after tray of small samples.   They were extraordinary and Daniel was very engaging and posed for photos with all the guests.  

 

I was expecting something just as amazing for his Special Dinner.    Don't get me wrong the food was good but not extraordinary.   I love Sea Bass and Tuscan's is as good or better than what they served.

[terrydtx]

2 hours ago, LGW59 said:

Other than Eden, which we love, the specialty restaurants are not for us, always have as good or better meal in Luminae.  We do enjoy Eden even for breakfast or lunch and do not mind paying for the excellent dinner there in the evening.

I have to agree, we will have to try Eden at least once in our upcoming Edge and Apex cruises. 

Edited January 12, 2022 by terrydtx

[Guindalf]

We were going to do the Chef' table next week on the Apex, but decided against it, mostly because of the comments in this thread!

 

It is not just $278. It's $278 over he cost of the meal that's already provided in the MDR, Blu or Luminae, depending on your booking category.

 

We wil most likely try Eden, Le Petit Chef and/ or more, nut we'll buy a package, which I think is much better value, especially when considering we'll be using some of our $800 Non-refundable OBC!

[bama4cruisin]

It will be interesting to see the menu, as well as the cost, for 

Le Voyage, the Daniel Boulad specialty restaurant on the Beyond.  From a food perspective, will need to be exceptional to surpass the meal we had in Eden on Apex!

[zitsky]

4 hours ago, Guindalf said:

We were going to do the Chef' table next week on the Apex, but decided against it, mostly because of the comments in this thread!

 

It is not just $278. It's $278 over he cost of the meal that's already provided in the MDR, Blu or Luminae, depending on your booking category.

 

We wil most likely try Eden, Le Petit Chef and/ or more, nut we'll buy a package, which I think is much better value, especially when considering we'll be using some of our $800 Non-refundable OBC!

That’s $278 per couple, yes?  And wine pairing is an extra $60 per person, yes?

[Jim_Iain]

Also be prepared for the unexpected.    There were suppose to be 6 - 8 couples but at the last minute everyone except us and another couple cancelled.    It was very uncomfortable as the other couple wanted to debate politics and it is something I don't do.    It was like pulling teeth to keep a conversation going and continually steering away from his political beliefs. 

 

Iain was the only one to choose the wine pairing (I don't drink) so was also very disjointed.

[zitsky]

5 hours ago, 81Zoomie said:

We did Chef’s table recently on the Equinox.  The food was excellent.  We did purchase the wine pairing.  The wine selection was very good, however, the pours were relatively small because they split one bottle among 6 guests.  
 

We have done Chef’s table on Azamara and Princess in the past.  Our best overall “experience” was with Princess because the head chef personally prepared/served each course and interacted with the guests throughout the meal.  Additionally, the wine flowed whenever your glass was empty.

Were you able to ask for a second glass of wine?

[cangelmd]

Interesting to see how many people had similar experiences to us. 
We also thought Eden was exceptional.

[zitsky]

7 hours ago, cangelmd said:

OK, this is going to sound really snooty and cynical, but whatever. I don’t think they are doomed because the parties involved mostly got exactly what they wanted - Mr. Boulud got paid for very little effort on his part, Celebrity got a little gloss on the dinner they were going to offer anyway. They ran out of Celebrity Cruise cookbooks and he had a whole warehouse full of pretty cookbooks that got returned from Amazon. The people who actually eat at Daniel with some regularity would never be caught dead on a cruise and the folk going to the cruise dinner either don’t know the difference and think they are eating at Daniel, and those who do know, take the dinner for what it is and don’t care.

Someone on the boards, I think Jim_Iain, was fortunate to aboard for the cruise that Mr Boulud was on when this was launched and he appeared at the dinner, maybe cooked a little, I’m not sure - that would be a whole different experience.

 

 I’ve never eaten at Daniel, either. But have been to a few starred restaurants…

Nice way of insulting pax who want to give this a try.  🙄

[81Zoomie]

12 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Were you able to ask for a second glass of wine?

We didn’t ask, because it was obvious there was only one bottle set up for each course.  We were never offered a refill or an alternative.  At previous wine dinners or Chef’s table regardless of cruise line, the wine always flowed freely.

The food was really good with excellent presentation.  Just felt like they were stingy with the wine.  We had 6 people. If you had 8 or 10 at the table you would get a larger pour because they would need 2 bottles.  Just our experience, others may have been swimming in wine 😃

[Jim_Iain]

19 hours ago, zitsky said:

Were you able to ask for a second glass of wine?

I guess you could ask but  they are bringing out a full glass of each wine with each course so would be about 4-5 glasses of wine and a Glass of Champagne pre-dinner.   They were opening a fresh bottle for each pouring.  

 

As an aside, I can't drink alcohol because it triggers migraines   and they gladly paired non-alcoholic (Fre by Sutter Hill) with each course.   They did give me refills.

 

 

Edited January 13, 2022 by Jim_Iain

[Keys Kathy]

Just now, Jim_Iain said:

I guess you could ask but  they are bringing out a full glass of each wine with each course so would be about 4-5 glasses of wine.    They were opening a fresh bottle for each pouring.  

 

 

When they pour half full, they consider it a full pour. 

[Jim_Iain]

2 minutes ago, Keys Kathy said:

When they pour half full, they consider it a full pour. 

 

I would say you are correct if you consider a standard pour of 5-6 ounces to be a half full glass.   Usually the remainder of the glass is to allow the wine to breath.   The standard in most establishments is 5 glasses of wine per 750 ml so if you are drinking more than 4 glasses a bottle is a better deal.  

 

My sister on the other hand considers a glass of wine 12 ounces or more and then says "I only had two glasses"     But that's a different story.   LOL

[Keys Kathy]

32 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

I would say you are correct if you consider a standard pour of 5-6 ounces to be a half full glass.   Usually the remainder of the glass is to allow the wine to breath.   The standard in most establishments is 5 glasses of wine per 750 ml so if you are drinking more than 4 glasses a bottle is a better deal.  

 

My sister on the other hand considers a glass of wine 12 ounces or more and then says "I only had two glasses"     But that's a different story.   LOL

Your sister is correct!

[zitsky]

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

I would say you are correct if you consider a standard pour of 5-6 ounces to be a half full glass.   Usually the remainder of the glass is to allow the wine to breath.   The standard in most establishments is 5 glasses of wine per 750 ml so if you are drinking more than 4 glasses a bottle is a better deal.  

 

My sister on the other hand considers a glass of wine 12 ounces or more and then says "I only had two glasses"     But that's a different story.   LOL

 

I agree with your sister, and wonder why something so well understood needs to be repeated?  🙂

[DaKahuna]

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

My sister on the other hand considers a glass of wine 12 ounces or more and then says "I only had two glasses"     But that's a different story.   LOL

 

 I like the way your sister thinks.  I feel exactly the same way.  

 

 I tell the bar tender to top off my drink before I finish so I can truthfully tell my wife I only had one glass. 

[Jim_Iain]

My sister will enjoy everyone's support.    

 

[Laurab23]

3 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

I would say you are correct if you consider a standard pour of 5-6 ounces to be a half full glass.   Usually the remainder of the glass is to allow the wine to breath.   The standard in most establishments is 5 glasses of wine per 750 ml so if you are drinking more than 4 glasses a bottle is a better deal.  

 

My sister on the other hand considers a glass of wine 12 ounces or more and then says "I only had two glasses"     But that's a different story.   LOL

I like your sister already.

 

Laura

[miched]

We did the Chefs table once.   Not a good experience.   Table mates were rude and there were 11 of us crowded around a table for 8.   You get what is on the menu and have no choice.  The food was ok but nothing that I would say outstanding.   It was very awkward  dining with a group of strangers that were all @$$holes.  All of the table mates were trying to make everyone else know that they were the authority on everything about dining and what  Celebrity was doing wrong. They were constantly getting into argument over who was right and knew more.    In some ways it was rather comical.  We just sat there taking it all in wondering if this was how it always is?  

 

It would have been a better option to book 2 or 3 specialty restaurants  plus more  cost effective along with the opportunity to have a choice in the courses plus dining in peace 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

 

[sn2792]

We have done Chef’s table many times on Celebrity and I guess we were lucky to always have a good experience with the food and table mates. I feel it’s pretty pricy now that they charge additional for wine pairing. I didn’t do the pairing on our Equinox cruise since I don’t like red wine. I just ordered what I wanted off our drink package. If we have a lot of OBC, we will normally book it.

 

 

 

[Guindalf]

On 1/12/2022 at 5:18 PM, zitsky said:

That’s $278 per couple, yes?  And wine pairing is an extra $60 per person, yes?

 

Yes and I think so. I don't know what the wine pairing is, but I know it's more!

 

We have done one Chef's Table in he past and it was an amazing experience. It only cost (IIRC) $75 pp and was a tour of the galley with five amuse bouche along the way, a lesson in how to make their signature molten lava cake and a full seven or nine courses - INCLUDING wine! That was the highlight in an otherwise very disappointing, and final, Carnival cruise, not too long ago.

 

All this makes, for us, the X offering overpriced. I hadn't even thought of the possibility of being stuck at a table with only one or two other couples with a perchant to discuss politics!

 

[zitsky]

Hey, I won’t accept any more negative posts, only positive.  I really want to do this, and you people are scaring me!!!  😂

[Keys Kathy]

9 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Hey, I won’t accept any more negative posts, only positive.  I really want to do this, and you people are scaring me!!!  😂

It's your money, spend how you see fit! I just wanted people to know it wasn't worth the $$$. Perhaps you will think it is worth every cent.

[Bo1953]

20 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Hey, I won’t accept any more negative posts, only positive.  I really want to do this, and you people are scaring me!!!  😂

Not to worry, it is information which is being presented....

 

We are doing it on our May sailing.

 

I have been assured that they will accommodate my vegan diet or I will be refunded.... LOL

 

This, we shall see.

 

bon appetit and bon voyage