Favorite Foods on the Mardi Gras!

[chrcruiser]

Sailing on Mardi Gras in February. Wanted to know the menu items - MDR, Lido Buffet, specialty or non specialty restaurants - that you wouldn't want to miss when sailing on her again. Please include menu item and place - pictures would be nice. Thanks in advance.

 

[ninjacat123]

My favorite menu items: M.D.E. chicken sandwich from Big Chicken, Pain Perdue, Muffuletta sandwich and Banana Fosters Crepes from Emeril's, gelato from the gelato station on Lido (flavors change), pretty much anything from Streetz Eatz, Bonsai Teppanyaki.  Go to https://www.saintgregtravel.com/mardi-gras-menus/

for menus and details.  Enjoy MG!!  

[TxTeach79]

Man... so many. I loved so many of the quick bites at Street Eats. Grabbed something each day. 

Seadogs had some great hot dogs, different varieties daily.

Shawarma station was delicious and seldom a wait. 

Everything at Emeril's was incredible. Special thumbs up to the boudin and shrimp & grits. 

[NutsAboutGolf]

Just of the Celebration, be sure to try the BBQ along with Chi-Bang

[cruisinqt]

Emeril’s Bistro:

Boudin Balls $6 (huge & tasty)

Beignets $5 (cooked perfectly)

Red Beans & Rice $3 (huge!)

Chicken Shrimp & Sausage Jumbalaya $10

Fried Shrimp & Oyster Po Boy $8

lemon ice box pie $4 (very rich!)

(Don’t be fooled, every dish is huge. The red beans & rice was a meal in itself & one person could never finish the beignets) All of these dishes were top notch and some of the best food I’ve ever had on a cruise. And there were never long lines either. 
 

Bonsai Teppanyaki:

Absolutely amazing food with excellent seasoning. I would highly recommend the lobster and steak. I also liked the salmon, shrimp, and chicken (on previous cruises.) But the steak and lobster I ordered this time were juicy and cooked perfectly and definitely my favorite. You can choose 2 meats and those are the best in my opinion. The chef cooks it right in front of you with flames flying in the air, there’s singing, dancing, clapping, and it was a whole lot of fun. 
 

Cucina Del Capitano:

The Cavatelli in the bolognese sauce with veal & pork butt with a wine reduction is by far their best dish. I’ve gone many times trying different dishes and this one was excellent. 
 

Chibang!

Mandarin Honey Crunch Salad (so good!)

Singapore Chili Shrimp (perfect balance of sweet and spicy)

Can you tell I’m a foody? Lol 😂 

 

[Pellaz]

11 hours ago, TxTeach79 said:

Man... so many. I loved so many of the quick bites at Street Eats. Grabbed something each day. 

Agreed!   I discovered what "bulgogi beef" was, thanks to Street Eats.  And it was good.   😄  

 

11 hours ago, TxTeach79 said:

Seadogs had some great hot dogs, different varieties daily.

Shawarma station was delicious and seldom a wait. 

Although Seadogs is supposedly available on other ships, this was the first time I've ever found it.  A permanent spot in the Lido buffet really helps.   Good stuff. 

I also discovered what this mysterious "shawarma" was.  I'd heard the name, but wasn't sure.    And it was ALSO good.  🙂 

 

Other choices I loved on Mardi Gras:  

• Fresh Creations, salad bar in Serenity (for that matter, Serenity itself was great too!)
• Complimentary lunch Asian stir-fry bowls at Chibang!   (full disclosure; I am a stir-fry/hibachi FIEND) 
• Fried AND grilled chicken sammiches at Shaq's Big Chicken.  If you want more than a spoonful of potato salad as a side, ask for a separate plate
• Complimentary pasta bowls at the Cucina for lunch, and we liked the Cucina for dinner enough that we went twice
• Free lunch BBQ at Guy's Pig & Anchor was good; however our dinner experience was...sub-par.  
• Italian-themed sandwiches at Piazza Panini were really good (this is similar to the Deli on other Carnival ships)  

 

Note that most complimentary dining options aside from the Pizzeria will close by around 10 pm, so plan accordingly and hoard food for later if needed.  

 

 

 

[crewsweeper]

Anything from Street Eats.

Pain Perdue at Emerils

Cioppino at Rudi's

Sushi Ship at Bonsai

Tomahawk porkchop and apple crostata at Cucina 

Salumeria sammie at the Panini

Arepas and Huevos Rancheros at Blue Iguana.

Big Chicken sammie  at Big Chicken.

 

[chrcruiser]

Great suggestions! thanks to all!

[FTLCruiseGal]

The pork belly appetizer from ChiBang.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

[chrcruiser]

Anyone have food suggestions from the MDR?

[ninjacat123]

6 minutes ago, chrcruiser said:

Anyone have food suggestions from the MDR?

One of my favs is the vegetarian Indian dish that is offered every night.  We usually get one for the table to share in addition to our other entrees.

[Elaine5715]

On 12/21/2022 at 9:14 PM, cruisinqt said:

Emeril’s Bistro:

Boudin Balls $6 (huge & tasty)

Beignets $5 (cooked perfectly)

Red Beans & Rice $3 (huge!)

Chicken Shrimp & Sausage Jumbalaya $10

Fried Shrimp & Oyster Po Boy $8

lemon ice box pie $4 (very rich!)

(Don’t be fooled, every dish is huge. The red beans & rice was a meal in itself & one person could never finish the beignets) All of these dishes were top notch and some of the best food I’ve ever had on a cruise. And there were never long lines either. 
 

Bonsai Teppanyaki:

Absolutely amazing food with excellent seasoning. I would highly recommend the lobster and steak. I also liked the salmon, shrimp, and chicken (on previous cruises.) But the steak and lobster I ordered this time were juicy and cooked perfectly and definitely my favorite. You can choose 2 meats and those are the best in my opinion. The chef cooks it right in front of you with flames flying in the air, there’s singing, dancing, clapping, and it was a whole lot of fun. 
 

Cucina Del Capitano:

The Cavatelli in the bolognese sauce with veal & pork butt with a wine reduction is by far their best dish. I’ve gone many times trying different dishes and this one was excellent. 
 

Chibang!

Mandarin Honey Crunch Salad (so good!)

Singapore Chili Shrimp (perfect balance of sweet and spicy)

Can you tell I’m a foody? Lol 😂 

 

I would add the ceviche at Emeril's.

[Pellaz]

6 hours ago, chrcruiser said:

Anyone have food suggestions from the MDR?

I'm no foodie and I don't "do" seafood so my suggestions are automatically suspect.  

I really like the short-ribs, lasagna bolognese, prime rib, most of the pasta dishes, and more stuff I can't remember.  🙂  

 

Note that any pasta "main" entree can also be ordered as a half-portion as an appetizer.  

[fozzy1975]

On 12/25/2022 at 1:01 PM, FTLCruiseGal said:

The pork belly appetizer from ChiBang.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Agreed!

[chrcruiser]

Looks Great!

[mimi7ccr]

We are on the Mardi Gras 2/4. I've done some research but can't find which venues are complimentary for lunch and which have extra charges.  The same for breakfast.  Regarding the MDR menus, if there is an *by an item (such as the salmon and flat iron steak) is there an extra charge and, if so, how much?

If someone can answer this, I would be very appreciative.  Thank you.

 

[ninjacat123]

21 minutes ago, mimi7ccr said:

We are on the Mardi Gras 2/4. I've done some research but can't find which venues are complimentary for lunch and which have extra charges.  The same for breakfast.  Regarding the MDR menus, if there is an *by an item (such as the salmon and flat iron steak) is there an extra charge and, if so, how much?

If someone can answer this, I would be very appreciative.  Thank you.

 

Here's the link to MG dining choices.  Click on the arrow in the picture to find each venue.  Included means no charge, Additional means charge to dine there. You can view the menu as well.

https://www.carnival.com/cruise-ships/mardi-gras.aspx#dining/1

 

Here is a larger overview:

 

https://www.carnival.com/cruise-food/?shipCode=MD&icid=icp_explr_shp_mardigras_09112020_lp_hyp_dining

 

You can go to your cruise manager, click on Specialty Dining and the cost will be available for many of the venues.

Edited January 5, 2023 by ninjacat123

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Yum - FOOD !

 

Two trips on the MG already, and heading back again next month. I'll try a few of the items listed here (that I have not already enjoyed)!!

 

I'll second the MDE at Big Chicken and the Muffuletta at Emeril's 🙂 

 

Here's my first sighting of SeaDogs (Breeze '13)... you'd have thought I yelled out something (I didn't)!

 

 

 

Tom

[chrcruiser]

Thanks for great info. Can anyone tell me if they still offer the BBQ Filet Migon on first night at Pigs and Anchor?

[Joebucks]

2 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

I'll second the MDE at Big Chicken and the Muffuletta at Emeril's 🙂 

 

#3. I'm thrilled one of my favorite sandwiches is available on the ship. I could care less about the $7.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

13 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

 

#3. I'm thrilled one of my favorite sandwiches is available on the ship. I could care less about the $7.

 

Yeppers !!

 

 

Tom

[Joebucks]

3 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

Yeppers !!

 

 

Tom

 

Is this the one from the ship?!

[ninjacat123]

1 hour ago, Joebucks said:

 

Is this the one from the ship?!

so yummy!!

[jimbob22]

8 hours ago, chrcruiser said:

Thanks for great info. Can anyone tell me if they still offer the BBQ Filet Migon on first night at Pigs and Anchor?

we were on MG over Thanksgiving and I'm pretty certain they do not.  They did not seem to have nightly specials at all, and P&A actually has a slightly different menu than the ships where it is fee based.  Eg. on MG there are no 'trashcan nachos'.  Be aware ahead of time that dinners at P&A are small, very small side portions.  I'd actually request two 'menu sheets'.  They would not let me pick a meat from the left and right sides (even though it is complimentary).  I felt like they were trying to put me on a diet!! (and I'm actually very slim, fit)

 

Unrelatedly, everything at Chibang is 'tapas sized'.  Anyone with a decent appetite will want a minimum of like 2/3 appetizers, probably 2 entrees.  

 

best foods on the ship: street eats, big chicken, Guy's, Blue Iguana, Pizza, Pannini.  Unfortunately most of those are not open for dinner.  We did have one dinner at the Capitano. If I had it to do over, I'd have gone there again instead of trying Chibang a 2nd time.  But some might disagree with us on that; it's worth trying Capitano and Chibang.

Edited January 6, 2023 by jimbob22

[Pellaz]

13 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

Here's my first sighting of SeaDogs (Breeze '13)... you'd have thought I yelled out something (I didn't)!

 

 

Aha, so a Seadogs kiosk DOES exist!    🙂  

.

 

14 hours ago, ninjacat123 said:

Here's the link to MG dining choices.  Click on the arrow in the picture to find each venue.  Included means no charge, Additional means charge to dine there. You can view the menu as well.

https://www.carnival.com/cruise-ships/mardi-gras.aspx#dining/1

This one isn't quite accurate; it shows Cucina and Pig & Anchor as "additional" when they are included in the fare for lunch and dinner.   I think it showed Chibang! properly as "included."  

 

 

14 hours ago, ninjacat123 said:

 

Here is a larger overview:

 

https://www.carnival.com/cruise-food/?shipCode=MD&icid=icp_explr_shp_mardigras_09112020_lp_hyp_dining

 

That one is wrong, too.  

 

Also shows the Pizzeria to be 24 hours and that is no longer the case.  

 

 

Edited January 6, 2023 by Pellaz