Birthday dinner first night on Mars

[hoosier quilter]

The day we are boarding Mars is my birthday.  Would you recommend we make reservations for Manfredi’s or Chef’s Table?

Thank your suggestions. 

[TayanaLorna]

A dinner reservation on boarding day is usually easy to get when booking opens.   Given that you probably won't know the Chefs Table fixed menu in advance, i would say Manfredis as the menu has quite a variety of choice.  

[Clay Clayton]

14 hours ago, TayanaLorna said:

A dinner reservation on boarding day is usually easy to get when booking opens.   Given that you probably won't know the Chefs Table fixed menu in advance, i would say Manfredis as the menu has quite a variety of choice.  

Agree (as usual) with TayanaLoena. We have found getting reservations at Manfredi’s is usually more difficult than at Chef’s Table. With having one at Manfredi’s, once you’re onboard and you decide that you like the menu at the Chef’s Table you can likely change.  

[duquephart]

11 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

Agree (as usual) with TayanaLoena. We have found getting reservations at Manfredi’s is usually more difficult than at Chef’s Table. With having one at Manfredi’s, once you’re onboard and you decide that you like the menu at the Chef’s Table you can likely change.  

 

How would you know you like the menu?

[Clay Clayton]

Just now, duquephart said:

 

How would you know you like the menu?

By reading it. 

[Squawkman]

Last month, we Embarked on my wife’s birthday. About a month before, I mentioned that to my Viking agent. When we entered our cabin, there was a cake and bottle of wine waiting for her.

[TayanaLorna]

53 minutes ago, duquephart said:

 

How would you know you like the menu?

Once you are on board you will be able to look at each menu for Chefs Table and know what dates that menu is served.  Sometimes in the couple of weeks before your cruise the Sample Menus will appear in MVJ under the Chefs Table tab.  But rarely will the dates for each menu be posted.  That is why so many people change their reservations once on board - they dont like the menu.  We eat anything so focus on getting the time we prefer.  Last cruise we were even able to make reservations once on board for all the menus.

[duquephart]

Isn't there a difference between sounding good and tasting good? Are some menus more popular/better than otherss? Maybe a poll?

[Clay Clayton]

50 minutes ago, Squawkman said:

Last month, we Embarked on my wife’s birthday. About a month before, I mentioned that to my Viking agent. When we entered our cabin, there was a cake and bottle of wine waiting for her.

And unlike some other lines, (talking about you Norwegian!) that birthday cake is Tasty!

[Clay Clayton]

16 minutes ago, duquephart said:

Isn't there a difference between sounding good and tasting good? Are some menus more popular/better than otherss? Maybe a poll?

No.  I think most of us know what types of foods we like.  For instance, neither of us eat salmon, so we would likely pass on the Scandinavian menu, but we love the Lotus menu. 
 

i suspect so-many people don’t particularly care for the California Menu. We found it tasty but not the best. Similar feelings about the English one-but we really like it.  (Could be because I have befriended online the chef who came with it for the first world cruise.)

 

I still long to taste the sweet and salty menu but have yet to have it offered😢

[duquephart]

I don't remember which menu we had on Orion a couple years ago but I remember it being decidedly so-so. We cancelled remaining reservations in favor of Manfreddi.

[cmaasfamily]

28 minutes ago, duquephart said:

Isn't there a difference between sounding good and tasting good? Are some menus more popular/better than otherss? Maybe a poll?

Rule number one: there is no accounting for taste. 

 

Our observation is that there are Manfredi's preferring folks and there are Chef's Table preferring folks and a Venn diagram would show less overlap than one might expect. We happen to be Chef's Table folks. Menu's are more "interesting" with perhaps ingredents and preparations less familiar to some. Manfredi's is good too, but (pulling on my flame suit) a fairly conventional mid-tier-ish steakhouse / italian restaurant.  (Which we do eat at and enjoy - we are not anti food of any kind).

 

Edited May 19, 2022 by cmaasfamily

[duquephart]

1 minute ago, cmaasfamily said:

Rule number one: there is no accounting for taste. 

 

Our observation is that there are Manfredi's preferring folks and there are Chef's Table preferring folks and a Venn diagram would show less overlap than one might expect. We happen to be Chef's Table folks. Menu's are more "interesting" with perhaps ingredents and preparations less familiar to some. Manfredi's is good too, but (pulling on my flame suit) a fairly conventional mid-tier-ish steakhouse / italian restaurant.  (Which we do eat at there and enjoy - we are not anti food of any kind).

 

 

Indeed. Lots of folks rave about the rib eye which, IMO is waaaay too thin to cook properly. There are people on this planet who do not know what a great steak is.

[Frenchberet]

I love the Chef’s Table!  To me, this would be a more special birthday meal.  We’ve tried 7 menus and enjoyed them all.  Great atmosphere.

[Squawkman]

6 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

And unlike some other lines, (talking about you Norwegian!) that birthday cake is Tasty!

Very tasty. And ours had blackberries and raspberries in addition to the strawberries and blueberries.

 

[Heidi13]

Totally agree that Viking make brilliant birthday cakes. This is Judi's from Viking Sun. She doesn't like fruit so lots of chocolate.