Not amazed by Tuscan Grille lunch

[Moochi]

We are sailing on Millennium currently. Had lunch at Tuscan Grille and we are not happy at all.

 

It is a sea day today and they are having a “seafood lunch” there. 

1. The reservation was not correct. A group of fellow passengers met for a party on the first day and some of us from different cabins decided to book the seafood lunch together. We somehow had different reservations instead of one group so we were originally seated separately. Luckily the crews were able to pull the tables together and fixed the problem quickly.

 

2. The server took the food order before drinks. That might be the normal operation at Tuscan Grille but it threw me off. I like to order drinks first, and to sip it while ordering and waiting for the food.

 

3. The bar is as not very accommodating. I asked for a different gin other than what’s on the menu. The specific gin I like is available everywhere on the ship. I was told that they can’t do that because the bar doesn’t carry that gin. Fine. But any other bars I have been too, they can always get an ingredient from a different bar, as long as it’s not too far away, and the bartender gets tipped heavily for making such extra efforts.

 

4. It was my first time at Tuscan Grille. No one explained how the menu works. There are different sections on the menu, appetizers, soup, salads, main, and desserts. Some sections have a few options to choose from, and some has only one option. For example, there is one soup on the menu, and two salads listed. I assumed it works like a pre fixe menu, you pick one from each section, and for those sections that has only one option, everyone gets the same thing. So I ordered a salad, a main, and a dessert, and didn’t order the appetizer and soup, since we don’t have choices in these categories. I was surprised to receive a salad while everyone else has the appetizer. I asked the server and was told that I didn’t order the appetizer. They were happy to bring out an appetizer to me but it would be nice if they reminded me that I had to order the first course to receive it, otherwise I will start with the second course.

 

5. The food portion was tiny. The first course was grilled scallops. I was expecting two or three nice sized grilled scallops. Well they brought out tiny chopped scallops pieces served on an escargot plate.  My main dish coconut shrimp has exactly three pieces of shrimp. I understand seafood can be more expensive than potatoes but three shrimps? 
 

6. My drink order was wrong. No one noticed my cocktail glass was nearly empty. I told the server when he was filling my husbands water glass that I would like to order another drink. He acknowledged that but didn’t come back to take my order. Five minutes later, he showed up with the same drink I ordered previously. I told him he didn’t take my drink order yet and I wanted a different drink. He looks so shocked, so I told him I will take this one but want a different drink next round. When everyone was nearly done with the food, a different server came to ask if anyone wants to order coffee. I told her I would like to have an americano, the americano cocktail, not the americano coffee. I double checked with her that it’s a cocktail, not a coffee, since she was taking orders for coffee. The  americano cocktail is on the menu not the coffee, so the server should get it right. Guess what? A coffee showed up. 
 

My conclusion: the food at Tuscan Grille was tasty but the portion is ridiculously small. The service is not nearly as good as other restaurants or bars on the ship. It is definitely not worth giving up a lunch Luminae and paying $100 for two. 

Edited December 22, 2022 by Moochi

[upwarduk]

12 minutes ago, Moochi said:

but the portion is ridiculously small.

I can see why, if there are 5 courses.

[NutsAboutGolf]

Thanks for sharing

[LadyBerard]

I recently dined for dinner in the Tuscan Grille in Oct. on the Summit repo cruise.  I wasn't thrilled with it.    It wasn't bad, but it wasn't outstanding. I had just had lunch in September at Chops on the Voyager.  Tuscan Grille did not compare.  Chops was so much better, at least, I thought so.

[Kelownadon]

1 hour ago, upwarduk said:

I can see why, if there are 5 courses.

I wonder why you just can’t believe somebody when they say portions were ridiculously small. Makes me think of several occasions where I have gone out to a fancy restaurant for dinner only to find out I would have to stop at a fast food place on the way home to get something to eat for the same reasons expressed above, i.e., the portions at dinner were too small.  

[bigbenboys]

We dined at Tuscan Grille on Millie in Alaska. We all had the seafood lunch. "Please sir my I have some more". I think I just ask for another dish. I will say the meal was fine, not great. We used up OBC.

[Moochi]

1 hour ago, Kelownadon said:

I wonder why you just can’t believe somebody when they say portions were ridiculously small. Makes me think of several occasions where I have gone out to a fancy restaurant for dinner only to find out I would have to stop at a fast food place on the way home to get something to eat for the same reasons expressed above, i.e., the portions at dinner were too small.  

To be fair, you won’t walk out hungry if ate all 5 courses. But the three dishes I ordered at the beginning, they really were very small. A side salad, three shrimps, and a dessert that you can finish in two bites. The good part was, they didn’t mind at all when we ordered more food. Just the whole experience was not up to our expectations. 

[LB_NJ]

I have eaten dinner at Tuscan Grille (first night dinner with the discount).  I did not think it was great however I did not think it was bad.  Service was fine.

 

Also, I would not expect to get something I did not order, even if there is only one item listed.  

 

In general, I do not expect ship restaurants to be as good as good on-shore restaurants.

[SusieAV8R]

3 hours ago, LadyBerard said:

I recently dined for dinner in the Tuscan Grille in Oct. on the Summit repo cruise.  I wasn't thrilled with it.    It wasn't bad, but it wasn't outstanding. I had just had lunch in September at Chops on the Voyager.  Tuscan Grille did not compare.  Chops was so much better, at least, I thought so.

 

1 hour ago, LB_NJ said:

I have eaten dinner at Tuscan Grille (first night dinner with the discount).  I did not think it was great however I did not think it was bad.  Service was fine.

 

Also, I would not expect to get something I did not order, even if there is only one item listed.  

 

In general, I do not expect ship restaurants to be as good as good on-shore restaurants.

DH and I enjoy dinners in Tuscan Grille.  We order the half portions each because the full portions are simply too much!  The pasta dishes are as good as a number of upscale shoreside restaurants we have dined in.

[Guest 4-2-N-8]

5 hours ago, Moochi said:

We are sailing on Millennium currently. Had lunch at Tuscan Grille and we are not happy at all.

 

It is a sea day today and they are having a “seafood lunch” there. 

1. The reservation was not correct. A group of fellow passengers met for a party on the first day and some of us from different cabins decided to book the seafood lunch together. We somehow had different reservations instead of one group so we were originally seated separately. Luckily the crews were able to pull the tables together and fixed the problem quickly.

 

2. The server took the food order before drinks. That might be the normal operation at Tuscan Grille but it threw me off. I like to order drinks first, and to sip it while ordering and waiting for the food.

 

3. The bar is as not very accommodating. I asked for a different gin other than what’s on the menu. The specific gin I like is available everywhere on the ship. I was told that they can’t do that because the bar doesn’t carry that gin. Fine. But any other bars I have been too, they can always get an ingredient from a different bar, as long as it’s not too far away, and the bartender gets tipped heavily for making such extra efforts.

 

4. It was my first time at Tuscan Grille. No one explained how the menu works. There are different sections on the menu, appetizers, soup, salads, main, and desserts. Some sections have a few options to choose from, and some has only one option. For example, there is one soup on the menu, and two salads listed. I assumed it works like a pre fixe menu, you pick one from each section, and for those sections that has only one option, everyone gets the same thing. So I ordered a salad, a main, and a dessert, and didn’t order the appetizer and soup, since we don’t have choices in these categories. I was surprised to receive a salad while everyone else has the appetizer. I asked the server and was told that I didn’t order the appetizer. They were happy to bring out an appetizer to me but it would be nice if they reminded me that I had to order the first course to receive it, otherwise I will start with the second course.

 

5. The food portion was tiny. The first course was grilled scallops. I was expecting two or three nice sized grilled scallops. Well they brought out tiny chopped scallops pieces served on an escargot plate.  My main dish coconut shrimp has exactly three pieces of shrimp. I understand seafood can be more expensive than potatoes but three shrimps? 
 

6. My drink order was wrong. No one noticed my cocktail glass was nearly empty. I told the server when he was filling my husbands water glass that I would like to order another drink. He acknowledged that but didn’t come back to take my order. Five minutes later, he showed up with the same drink I ordered previously. I told him he didn’t take my drink order yet and I wanted a different drink. He looks so shocked, so I told him I will take this one but want a different drink next round. When everyone was nearly done with the food, a different server came to ask if anyone wants to order coffee. I told her I would like to have an americano, the americano cocktail, not the americano coffee. I double checked with her that it’s a cocktail, not a coffee, since she was taking orders for coffee. The  americano cocktail is on the menu not the coffee, so the server should get it right. Guess what? A coffee showed up. 
 

My conclusion: the food at Tuscan Grille was tasty but the portion is ridiculously small. The service is not nearly as good as other restaurants or bars on the ship. It is definitely not worth giving up a lunch Luminae and paying $100 for two. 

I would have taken this directly to the top the moment those servers got my [order of choice] wrong.

 

And I mean the top: Captain Stubing!

 

The LOVE Boat... Soon will be making another ruuunnn....

Edited December 23, 2022 by 4-2-N-8

[aml3679]

Tuscan is our favorite 

[Esprit]

Tried Tuscan once! Being part Italian I was really disappointed compared with the Sabatini's restaurant on Princess.

Murano however is far superior than both.

[Mark_T]

1 minute ago, Esprit said:

Murano however is far superior than both.

I agree, but sadly not an option on Millennium of course...

 

 

[Homosassa]

11 hours ago, 4-2-N-8 said:

I would have taken this directly to the top the moment those servers got my [order of choice] wrong.

 

And I mean the top: Captain Stubing!

 

The LOVE Boat... Soon will be making another ruuunnn....

You are confused about the cruise line.  

 

This is the Celebrity forum, not the Princess forum.

 

Wrong cruise line, wrong corporation....

 

[Guest 4-2-N-8]

13 minutes ago, Homosassa said:

You are confused about the cruise line.  

 

This is the Celebrity forum, not the Princess forum.

 

Wrong cruise line, wrong corporation....

 

Not confused. Aware of the difference. 

 

Just making note to find the good in what we experience (though I understand this is a site dedicated to criticism).

 

Gripers gonna gripe. Hey hey, now! What what?!🦸

 

Servers and suppliers and crew are people, too. Take up concerns with them and nicely. Help improve the experience for everyone is my point.

 

Share the love no matter the ship or the line.

 

And, ... the LOOOVE (Celeeeebriityyy) booaat... soon will be making another run... 🛳️

Edited December 23, 2022 by 4-2-N-8

[cublet]

Hello,

 

Being part Italian myself,  I find Tuscan Grille OK but not a patch on Murano though I've never lunched there only had dinner. To those in the UK and of a certain age, it reminds me of a Berni Inn which, if you know what you're going to get before you get there, is no bad thing. It is however far superior to Royal's Giovanni's Table/Kitchen.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

Edited December 23, 2022 by cublet
spelling

[George C]

I like Tuscan grill , my main issue was showing up at lunch and it was closed they said they didn’t have enough reservations to open, this was on summit earlier this year for lunch . Will definitely do it on summit in March .

[MarkWiltonM]

We've never had a good meal at Tuscan Grill (on Silhouette and Equinox). We tried it on Equinox about a year ago, after a few years off, and it was just okay, certainly not worth spending extra money for. The service was also excruciatingly slow. We used to like Murano a lot but the menu hasn't changed in many years and we got bored with it. We also failed multiple times to persuade our server not to overcook the lobster that is prepared tableside. (A good argument for servers to stick to serving and let the cooks do the cooking.) We actually had fairly good food in the main dining room on our most recent cruise on Equinox. At least we didn't feel ripped off by an upcharge for disappointing food, which is always a danger in specialty restaurants that aren't that special.  

Edited December 23, 2022 by MarkWiltonM

[SusieAV8R]

No question that the Murano is definitely our favorite X specialty dining venue!

[cheeseheads4ever]

Totally agree with MarkWiltonM,

We did the Tuscan Grill lunch at a discount that was offered at the time. This was a few years back. Although they overwhelmed you with the amount of food it wasn’t that great and I’m not sure why. Maybe temperatures of food not right. I think there was server issues too. 
Now I agree with SusieAV8R that Murano’s is our favorite Specialty Dining venue.

We never got tired of the Lobster Flambéed cooked table side. Did a 7 night cruise on Silhouette. 2 nights in Murano’s and did a special lunch at $20 pp that had Lobster Tail and Fillet.

Loved it!

[Sam.Seattle]

Interesting... On our last B2B Infinity cruise, we enjoyed 11-dinners at Tuscan.  They were so accommodating. And, every meal was excellent.  We did not have lunch there, but it is hard to imagine it would be that different.  

 

Edited December 24, 2022 by Sam.Seattle

[SusieAV8R]

10 hours ago, cheeseheads4ever said:

Totally agree with MarkWiltonM,

We did the Tuscan Grill lunch at a discount that was offered at the time. This was a few years back. Although they overwhelmed you with the amount of food it wasn’t that great and I’m not sure why. Maybe temperatures of food not right. I think there was server issues too. 
Now I agree with SusieAV8R that Murano’s is our favorite Specialty Dining venue.

We never got tired of the Lobster Flambéed cooked table side. Did a 7 night cruise on Silhouette. 2 nights in Murano’s and did a special lunch at $20 pp that had Lobster Tail and Fillet.

Loved it!

 

9 hours ago, Sam.Seattle said:

Interesting... On our last B2B Infinity cruise, we enjoyed 11-dinners at Tuscan.  They were so accommodating. And, every meal was excellent.  We did not have lunch there, but it is hard to imagine it would be that different.  

 

 

9 hours ago, Sam.Seattle said:

Interesting... On our last B2B Infinity cruise, we enjoyed 11-dinners at Tuscan.  They were so accommodating. And, every meal was excellent.  We did not have lunch there, but it is hard to imagine it would be that different.  

 

I agree with Sam.Seattle!  In fact we start a B2B2B next week and we have reservations every night in Tuscan Grille.  🙂

[SusieAV8R]

10 hours ago, cheeseheads4ever said:

Totally agree with MarkWiltonM,

We did the Tuscan Grill lunch at a discount that was offered at the time. This was a few years back. Although they overwhelmed you with the amount of food it wasn’t that great and I’m not sure why. Maybe temperatures of food not right. I think there was server issues too. 
Now I agree with SusieAV8R that Murano’s is our favorite Specialty Dining venue.

We never got tired of the Lobster Flambéed cooked table side. Did a 7 night cruise on Silhouette. 2 nights in Murano’s and did a special lunch at $20 pp that had Lobster Tail and Fillet.

Loved it!

I never get tired of the Lobster Flambeed at the table in Murano.  Often have it several nights in a row!  🙂

[jagoffee]

21 minutes ago, SusieAV8R said:

 

 

I agree with Sam.Seattle!  In fact we start a B2B2B next week and we have reservations every night in Tuscan Grille.  🙂

We traditionally dine there on the first night as a way to celebrate the start of our cruise. 

Edited December 25, 2022 by jagoffee

[cheeseheads4ever]

Such a crazy story. Our first time in Murano’s actually our first time in specialty dining aboard Silhouette. We heard that you were supposed to go right to restaurant you wanted to dine in when you board and make reservations. We get on board and head to Murano’s. We get behind a couple who is at the desk in the entry way of Muranos. The guy was a complete jerk to the person who was taking his reservation. The guy was totally over the top with his demands. Went on and on with this poor reservation guy.

Finally his wife said come on because she could see we were frustrated with the guy in front of us and his ridiculous requests.

He finally left with his wife and we said to the reservation guy Boy you did a much better job handling him then I would have.

We quickly made our reservations. Told him he did a great job handling that difficult couple.

Fast forward 3 days later we come to Murano’s for our dinner and low and behold our waiter is the guy at the desk taking reservations.

He smiled and did a incredible job with our flambéed table side lobster. We booked another night with him. We show up he says Hey I gave you extra lobster this time. 
Another great job…. Signed up for a $20 lunch special they were running. Lobster tail and nice sized fillet. Again we had him as a waiter.

It was so nice of him to take care of us in this way…..We just love Murano’s…..