Chef's Table by Daniel Boulud - $139pp

[mfs2k]

Despite a limited kitchen and probably limited access to storerooms to accommodate substitutions, it seems in 2022 they should be prepared for vegan, dairy free, and gluten free options. It’s short sighted and frankly, old-school, to not have those menu choices. Reminds me of bullish chefs I’ve known. 

[cruisemom42]

I have an issue with the whole concept of having "chef's tables" on cruise ships. The chef's table concept is that the chef (not a trained substitute) takes those ingredients that inspire her or him on that particular day and crafts a one-off meal for those at the table -- it is not a pre-set menu, there are not substitutions. You either buy into the concept that you're experiencing the CHEF'S vision or not. The chef's tables I've been to at restaurants on land do not offer substitutions either.

 

If your dining choices are limited by necessity or by choice, then chef's table is not the place for you. On the other hand if you're willing to put yourself into the hands of a truly knowledgeable and expert chef and experience their vision with an open mind (and good appetite), that's what a chef's table is all about.

 

I just don't think that true chef's table experiences are possible onboard ships. 

 

 

[Bo1953]

1 hour ago, mfs2k said:

Despite a limited kitchen and probably limited access to storerooms to accommodate substitutions, it seems in 2022 they should be prepared for vegan, dairy free, and gluten free options. It’s short sighted and frankly, old-school, to not have those menu choices. Reminds me of bullish chefs I’ve known. 

For myself, I do understand and accept accordingly.

 

Was the sailing ruined because I could not eat there? No.

 

Would it have been enhanced were I able to eat there? Most likely.

 

Really, it was not a deal breaker or upset for me.

 

I plan on asking Chef Boloud to add a vegan option to his menu for the sailing in 2023... I will start this by November of this year for August of 2023... plenty of time to know if it will happen or not.. LOL

 

bon appetit and bon voyage

[Vagabond Knight]

We did the Chef's Table on our March/April cruise on the Equinox and would absolutely NOT recommend it. 

The galley tour that was mentioned in the description simply didn't happen.  Don't know if it was yet another "Covid thing" or if it was skipped for other reasons.  We started in the "Craft Beer Bar" and had a couple of tiny OK-but-not-great appetizers and a glass of bubbly, and then we moved to Murano, where they squished 10 of us into a side room that's sized for a party of eight. The chef popped in during the appetizer and for a few moments a couple of times, but was not there the entire time to introduce and describe the courses as has been our experience at Chef's Tables elsewhere.  It also seemed that we were possibly sharing staff from the regular Murano seatings as we'd sometimes have pauses after courses where it seemed that they were waiting for staff to assemble. 

It's an additional $79 charge to the already expensive $139 dinner charge if you want to add a wine pairing (remember... you've already paid Celebrity for dinner by booking the cruise and have already paid an invisible upcharge if you're normally in Blu or Luminae, so this is $139 per person in addition to that!).  We did not add the wine pairing since we already had the premium drink package and figured we'd still be able to get some good wines.  However, it felt that those of us who didn't add the pairing were sort of treated like a second class citizens (after explaining the pairing wine at each course, the wine "...for the rest of you" was simply poured for those who were on drink packages or wanted to purchase a glass). 

 

The soup was good, but nothing that special... butternut squash, I think.  The other food items ranged from uninspired to unappealing to simply not good.  We had something (I forget what... maybe a piece of fish?) that had a green pea foam on it.  We had a tiny beef fillet that had gristle running through it (don't know about anyone else's, but that was the case for both my husband's and mine), a small stacked vegetable square that interleaved sweet potato and celery puree (we both normally like sweet potato, so it must have been the celery puree that made it taste so unappealing), and a small short rib that was room temperature on the outside and actually cold on the inside. We each tried a bite of each of these and didn't feel enticed to move beyond that.  Dessert was apparently neither terrible nor wonderful because honestly, neither of us can remember what it was. We had an absolutely marvelous dinner in Murano two days prior to this and an absolutely marvelous dinner in Tuscan two days after, but felt that the Chef's Table was an extremely disappointing and waaaay overpriced experience.

We had done Chef's Table twice on another cruise line and absolutely loved it.  It started with a galley tour and the chef showing us how one of their signature desserts was made (we even got the recipe afterwards).  The dinner was held in a large dedicated area (basically, set up in the center of a dance club, with small spotlights showcasing the table) with a completely dedicated staff, the chef introducing/describing each course, and with a wine pairing for every course included.  The food was creative, beautifully presented and delicious (and, it cost less than Celebrity's Chef's Table).  I've also done Chef's Table in a high end restaurant in New Orleans and loved it. Based upon our previous Chef's Table experiences, our dinners in Blu, and the excellent dining we've enjoyed in the onboard specialty restaurants, we were so excited to try it on Celebrity... but unfortunately it didn't even come close to living up to our expectations.

 

Edited June 4, 2022 by Vagabond Knight

[WKUTopperFan]

On 6/3/2022 at 8:26 AM, cruisemom42 said:

I have an issue with the whole concept of having "chef's tables" on cruise ships. The chef's table concept is that the chef (not a trained substitute) takes those ingredients that inspire her or him on that particular day and crafts a one-off meal for those at the table -- it is not a pre-set menu, there are not substitutions. You either buy into the concept that you're experiencing the CHEF'S vision or not. The chef's tables I've been to at restaurants on land do not offer substitutions either.

 

If your dining choices are limited by necessity or by choice, then chef's table is not the place for you. On the other hand if you're willing to put yourself into the hands of a truly knowledgeable and expert chef and experience their vision with an open mind (and good appetite), that's what a chef's table is all about.

 

I just don't think that true chef's table experiences are possible onboard ships. 

 

 

I couldn't say it any better myself!

 

People that complain or have a "suggestion" or want to make requests regarding menu don't grasp the concept  ( in other words are ignorant) of a "Chef's Table"/"Tasting Menu." It's like my momma said growing up... "You'll eat what I cooked or you'll go to bed hungry."  If you want it your way, Burger King (AKA the buffet on a cruise ship) is down the street. 

[tanzania2015]

The Chef's Table is a misnomer.  It should be called the Danial Boulud Table. The menu is set by the contract between Celebrity and Danial Boulud and not by the head chef.  The Chef's Table menu is the same an all Celebrity ships.  We attended the Chef's table eight times when the menu was determined by the head chef.  After attending the Chef's Table twice with the menu by Danial Boulud, we said no more and haven't attended on our last four cruises.  The dinner to attend is the Champagne Veuve Clicquot Dinner where the menu is prepared by the head chef (better quality) and the price is considerably less.

[emmas gran]

4 hours ago, tanzania2015 said:

The Chef's Table is a misnomer.  It should be called the Danial Boulud Table. The menu is set by the contract between Celebrity and Danial Boulud and not by the head chef.  The Chef's Table menu is the same an all Celebrity ships.  We attended the Chef's table eight times when the menu was determined by the head chef.  After attending the Chef's Table twice with the menu by Danial Boulud, we said no more and haven't attended on our last four cruises.  The dinner to attend is the Champagne Veuve Clicquot Dinner where the menu is prepared by the head chef (better quality) and the price is considerably less.

Someone has reported the Veuve dinner is now $250 per person

[DCPIV]

On 6/3/2022 at 6:26 AM, mfs2k said:

Despite a limited kitchen and probably limited access to storerooms to accommodate substitutions, it seems in 2022 they should be prepared for vegan, dairy free, and gluten free options. It’s short sighted and frankly, old-school, to not have those menu choices. Reminds me of bullish chefs I’ve known. 

 

I know we live in a more enlightened world, but I would never expect an 8-10 person event with a set menu to have that many options.

 

Having 3 or 4 options is not a set menu. That's just a menu more akin to the MDR than a "chef's table."