Help me choose my specialty dining!

[schmoopie17]

On 7/11/2023 at 5:11 PM, sharonann24 said:

Teppanyaki was just too much food that it was not enjoyable. 

That's funny, every time we go to Tepanyaki I walk out of there hungry. 

[cruiseny4life]

On 7/15/2023 at 2:13 PM, schmoopie17 said:

That's funny, every time we go to Tepanyaki I walk out of there hungry. 

HOW BIG IS YOUR BELLY???? I want your belly!

 

Or do you not eat the rice? I get at least two servings of rice, plus I eat my husband's soup and salad. We generally skip dessert since it's not really "tropical" fruit. I do agree there isn't enough steak or chicken or shrimp, but there's generally enough rice to fatten anyone up (or so I thought). 

  

On 7/15/2023 at 1:05 PM, Cruiseguy14 said:

I have dined at le bistro, Cagney and la cucina. Obviously food is a very personal taste but I’ll give you my two cents. 
 

First it’s my experience that any comparable restaurant on land is better than what you will get at sea. This is not to say that they don’t have good dishes but I’ll take a $50 steak on land over a $50 steak at cagneys. This might sound obvious but I think it’s important in your decision making. 
 

With this in mind, think about your offshore experiences and how they might affect your experience. If you live near a great steak house you frequent maybe you choose Le Bistro bc French food is less readily available. That’s usually why I choose Le Bistro.

 

I think all the speciality restaurants are comparable. None of them will be the best of that cuisine that you ever had on land but it will be a solid meal. Don’t stress over the decision that much bc your probably not missing out on much.

Gosh this is the most common sense post I've ever read about specialty restaurants. I'll just add the following:

 

Cagney's = Texas Roadhouse (minus the atmopshere)

La Cucina = Olive Garden

Q BBQ = Famous Dave's

Moderno = Texas de Brazil

Teppanyaki = your neighborhood hibachi that is so-so

Trust me, specialty restaurants are ho-hum, middle of the road places. Don't believe the hype. 

Edited July 19, 2023 by cruiseny4life

[Cruiseguy14]

19 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

HOW BIG IS YOUR BELLY???? I want your belly!

 

Or do you not eat the rice? I get at least two servings of rice, plus I eat my husband's soup and salad. We generally skip dessert since it's not really "tropical" fruit. I do agree there isn't enough steak or chicken or shrimp, but there's generally enough rice to fatten anyone up (or so I thought). 

  

Gosh this is the most common sense post I've ever read about specialty restaurants. I'll just add the following:

 

Cagney's = Texas Roadhouse (minus the atmopshere)

La Cucina = Olive Garden

Q BBQ = Famous Dave's

Moderno = Texas de Brazil

Teppanyaki = your neighborhood hibachi that is so-so

Trust me, specialty restaurants are ho-hum, middle of the road places. Don't believe the hype. 

@cruiseny4life Thanks. I think we are in a minority viewpoint but I think it might be because we are both from NY. NY has a lot of varied food options that we take for granted, for example Olive Garden might not be a bad option for Italian in certain parts of the country. 
 

I hope I don’t come off a snobish that is not my intent but living near a major metropolitan area has pros and cons and good food is one of the pros. 
 

To be honest I think some of your comparisons are a little dramatic but they’re closer to reality than what NCL would like you to believe. To be honest I was least disappointed with teppyanki because generally speaking it’s more about the show than food quality and it’s easier to make a good fried rice than quality steak. 
 

since we both seem to have similar taste, have you stayed at the haven ? What did you think of the food quality there ? I am staying there this 

Edited July 19, 2023 by Cruiseguy14

[Grimix]

1 hour ago, cruiseny4life said:

La Cucina = Olive Garden

 

That's an insult to La Cucina... The only thing good at Olive Garden is their salad. (Even their breadsticks are more often than not stale and cold...)

 

Unfortunately the OG happens to be my kids favorite restaurant (for the stale breadsticks...) so I usually have to go at least once a year for a birthday... If you're doing chain's then Macaroni Grill is better, and we really liked Carrabbas (unfortunately none out where we live...)

 

If you want a nice Italian place "near" you one of our favorites was Rosalie's Cucina in Skaneateles (A one off by the Romano who did Macroni Grill.) Their banana Budino is my wife's all time favorite desert from anywhere.