"New" menus - how are you liking them?

[shoreguy]

Just returned from NCL Texicaribbean cruise; took the same cruise two years ago. The new menu is not even half as good. Too many vegetarian selections and not enough fish selections- isn't that a major reason for cruising the Gulf of Mexico????

Disappointed in the food, but still enjoyed the trip!

 

Interesting to see the same thing from different points of view. Please don't ask me to create a fleet wide menu.

 

Feedback from our group on the Dawn not enough vegetarian selections and too much fish. :D :rolleyes:

[shoreguy]

Some of the items they removed from the menus were quite popular- rack of lamb and duck. I would have no problems with the current menus if those two entrees were available in the main restaurants once during the cruise.

 

I agree but keep in mind those are two things very few Americans eat.

[welove2cruise*]

I am not normally a breakfast eater, but I have to go to the dining room when they have the Cheese Blintz with Warm Pear sauce for breakfast. I also once had the low fat frittata which was also very good. Please tell me they have not done away with those as well.

[Hikini]

I too, will miss the cold soups with dinner, but will for sure seek them out in the main dining rooms at lunch time. NCL introduced me to cold soups and I LOVE them!

 

Have fun!

Hikini:D

[micheleg]

FISH, OXTAILS, PRUNES

 

Who needs Prunes when Oxtails would probably give the same desired result? :eek: ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww....

 

Nobody better put a steaming plate of oxtails in front of me on our Jewel Transatlantic...lol :)

[electricron]

There's way too much discussion over oxtails. Oxtails are not a main entree selection on the new NCL Caribbean Dinner menu. It's a soup choice.

 

Who really cares where the beef/meat comes from for a soup?

[DroopySails]

There's way too much discussion over oxtails. Oxtails are not a main entree selection on the new NCL Caribbean Dinner menu. It's a soup choice.

 

Who really cares where the beef/meat comes from for a soup?

 

No kidding. No one serves them as a meat dish, only as soup, and this is pretty well understood outside insular America. I swear, sometimes I think these ships should put in McDonalds and Olive Gardens for all the must-have-only-familiar-foods cruisers out there. The rest of us can enjoy the uncrowded dining rooms.

[electricron]

Golly, most chicken soups, even in America, get most the chicken from the back. Just because it is not called chicken back soup, doesn't mean the chicken comes from elsewhere.

 

Tails, back, same thing!

[shoreguy]

There's way too much discussion over oxtails. Oxtails are not a main entree selection on the new NCL Caribbean Dinner menu. It's a soup choice.

 

Who really cares where the beef/meat comes from for a soup?

 

The soup is served a couple nights after Caribbean night which feature a main course of Oxtail Stew.

 

http://community.webshots.com/photo/546965658/2709370200085053152sUfuRs

 

The funny thing those that tried it (not me) said it was very good

[electricron]

Stew ~Soup ~ almost the same thing! The only difference, the amount of liquids (water) in the bowl.

 

Main Entry: stew

Pronunciation: 'stü, 'styü

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English stewe heated room for a steam bath, from Middle French estuve, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin extufa -- more at stove.

1 obsolete : a utensil used for boiling

2 : a hot bath

3 a : bordello b : a district of bordellos -- usually used in plural

4 a : fish or meat usually with vegetables prepared by stewing b (1) : a heterogeneous mixture (2) : a state of heat and congestion

5 : a state of excitement, worry, or confusion

 

Main Entry: soup

Pronunciation: 'süp

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English soupe, from Middle French, sop, soup, of Germanic origin; akin to Old Norse soppa soup, Old English sopp sop -- more at sup

1 : a liquid food especially with a meat, fish, or vegetable stock as a base and often containing pieces of solid food

2 : something (as a heavy fog or nitroglycerine) having or suggesting the consistency or nutrient qualities of soup

3 : an unfortunate predicament

[shoreguy]

Stew ~Soup ~ almost the same thing! The only difference, the amount of liquids (water) in the bowl.

 

 

What ever - to me there is a big difference between the consommé with oxtail and Oxtail Stew with onion rings, roasted vegetables, fried plantains, and sweet potato mash.

[nursebubba]

Thank you for posting the menus. I like being able to see them early. I hear the first 7 days a re the same on all ships. One of the things I have always done is order a soup, salad and an appetizer so that if I don't like the entree as well it is not like I will go hungry. I and my family are pretty picky but be adventurous, try something new. Often times they use fancy or unusual words to describe something taht isn't reall all that unusual. Also, ask for the sauces on the side. I love cold fruit soups.

[vreihen]

Some of the items they removed from the menus were quite popular- rack of lamb and duck. I would have no problems with the current menus if those two entrees were available in the main restaurants once during the cruise.

 

We just returned from the Dawn last Thursday, and both lamb and duck were on the dinner menus at least one night. Cagney's also serves rack of lamb every night on their regular menu, if you want to pay the $20/person cover charge.....

[KyCatfan]

I loved the chilled soups and will miss them but without that bowl full of calories, there will be other choices for me to enjoy. It is still a day in paradise...and I am not cookin!

[electricron]

On the Caribbean Dinner menu, there's other main selections as well:

 

For those who don't want to eat Oxtail Stew, your other choices include:

 

>Baked Meat Tortellini

Creamy Primavera Chardonnay Sauce and Grated Parmesan Cheese

>Chicken Supreme

Stuffed with Ham, Prunes, and Eggs on Spicy Fava Beans

>Crisp Crouton-Crusted Tilapia on Island Ratatouille

Sweet Potoato Mashers and Fried Plantains

>Island Sweet Potoato and Cassava Quiche

Served with Island Greens, Carambola, Watermelon Chunk, Papaya, and Tamarind Sugar Cane Vinaigrette

 

Always Available

 

>Caesar Salad with Herbed Croutons and Parmesan Cheese

>Grilled Supreme of Farm-Raised Chicken

>Grilled Salmon Steak with Lemon Butter

>Steamed Seasonal Vegetables

>Baked Potato with Condiments

 

To Start With

 

>Coconut Curried Chicken Salad

>Tropical Fruit Medley with Anise Liquor

>Oyster Fritters with Spicy Island Sauce

>Jamaican Red Bean Soup

>Caribbean Spiced Snapper Broth

>Limbo Dancer Salad

 

Desert Selections

 

>Coconut Cream Pie

>Pineapple Spice Cake on Raspberry Sauce

>Jamaican Chocolate Bread & Rum Pudding

>Banana Cake

>Pineapple Sherbet- Coconut Sherbet

>Chocolate Frozen Yogurt

>Vanilla, Chocolate Macadamian, and Sugar-Free Ice Cream

Chocolate Fudge, Butterscotch, and Strawberry Sauce

>International Cheese Plate with Crackers

 

I can't believe there isn't something on this menu you can eat.

 

Like I wrote before, There's been too much discussion over Oxtail Stew.

[shoreguy]

On the Caribbean Dinner menu, there's other main selections as well:

 

For those who don't want to eat Oxtail Stew, your other choices include:

 

>Baked Meat Tortellini

Creamy Primavera Chardonnay Sauce and Grated Parmesan Cheese

>Chicken Supreme

Stuffed with Ham, Prunes, and Eggs on Spicy Fava Beans

>Crisp Crouton-Crusted Tilapia on Island Ratatouille

Sweet Potoato Mashers and Fried Plantains

>Island Sweet Potoato and Cassava Quiche

Served with Island Greens, Carambola, Watermelon Chunk, Papaya, and Tamarind Sugar Cane Vinaigrette

 

Always Available

 

>Caesar Salad with Herbed Croutons and Parmesan Cheese

>Grilled Supreme of Farm-Raised Chicken

>Grilled Salmon Steak with Lemon Butter

>Steamed Seasonal Vegetables

>Baked Potato with Condiments

 

To Start With

 

>Coconut Curried Chicken Salad

>Tropical Fruit Medley with Anise Liquor

>Oyster Fritters with Spicy Island Sauce

>Jamaican Red Bean Soup

>Caribbean Spiced Snapper Broth

>Limbo Dancer Salad

 

Desert Selections

 

>Coconut Cream Pie

>Pineapple Spice Cake on Raspberry Sauce

>Jamaican Chocolate Bread & Rum Pudding

>Banana Cake

>Pineapple Sherbet- Coconut Sherbet

>Chocolate Frozen Yogurt

>Vanilla, Chocolate Macadamian, and Sugar-Free Ice Cream

Chocolate Fudge, Butterscotch, and Strawberry Sauce

>International Cheese Plate with Crackers

 

I can't believe there isn't something on this menu you can eat.

 

Like I wrote before, There's been too much discussion over Oxtail Stew.

 

There wasn't but that is the great thing about NCL. Enjoyed a wonderful Lamb Chop dinner at Cagney's

 

Anyone make this at home or ever seen anything like it on a menu:confused:

 

Chicken Supreme Stuffed with Ham, Prunes, and Eggs on Spicy Fava Beans

[vreihen]

Interesting to see the same thing from different points of view. Please don't ask me to create a fleet wide menu.

 

As a former food critic for a national publication, my guess is that perhaps NCL is testing different menus by region for feedback.

 

Feedback from our group on the Dawn not enough vegetarian selections and too much fish.

 

There was one dinner on the Dawn last week that consisted of all seafood, with the exception of a pasta dish for vegetarians. Normally, I eat food (versus what food eats), but I went with the vegerarian fare that evening because I really don't like shellfish, seafood, and particularly fillet of flipper.

 

The menus were somewhat lacking from my memory of our 2004 Crown cruise, and while I still didn't have to resort to the emergency chicken menu choice I did find myself eating lots of ceasar salads and bread. Oh, and much to my amazement, I lost 10 pounds during the cruise without trying. That should speak volumes.

 

I think that some of their menu problems are from trying to "Europeanize" their descriptions. As the passengers are a majority American, calling string beans "haricots vert" isn't really selling them to the masses. Maybe they should publish translated menus? Of course, then we run the risk of running out of Scotch bangers at breakfast if everyone were to find out that they were really just thick sausage and not a punk rock act.

 

Vegeratians apparently had an entire buffet line set up for them, although I didn't personally check it out.

 

Now, my disappointment at the chocoholic buffet on the Dawn is another story. Like, what rocket scientist picked 11:00 PM for it?!?!? Why wasn't there any mousse, pudding, or cookies...only cakes??? There were chocolate pieces of artwork, but by and large the whole spread was cakes and pastries, along with ice cream scoops at the back. We won't even go into the chocolate-dipped melon pieces on a stick, with a tiny scrap of strawberry sandwiched in between.

 

If I didn't have expectations based on my 2004 Crown experience, I probably would have been none the wiser. However, you can put me down for not liking the changes, as well as for being someone with enough experience in group dining where I know that *nobody* can please everyone when it comes to food.....

[electricron]

Well, they are mostly European chefs.

 

There's still the Always Available choices.......

[Dolphins]

We just returned from the Dawn last Thursday, and both lamb and duck were on the dinner menus at least one night. Cagney's also serves rack of lamb every night on their regular menu, if you want to pay the $20/person cover charge.....

 

I understand that duck is available one night on the Dawn 11 day cruise but not on the 10 day cruise. We were on the Dawn 11 day cruise in January and Rack of Lamb was not on the menu in the main restaurants on any night. It was also not available in Cagney's though they did offer the larger Lamb Chops. I must disagree with Shoreguy who says Rack of lamb is not a popular entree. On all my Dawn cruises, many passengers said they looked forward to it and often had a double order. On our table for six, everybody ordered it.

[Carolyn1950]

As a former food critic for a national publication, my guess is that perhaps NCL is testing different menus by region for feedback.

 

There was one dinner on the Dawn last week that consisted of all seafood, with the exception of a pasta dish for vegetarians. Normally, I eat food (versus what food eats), but I went with the vegerarian fare that evening because I really don't like shellfish, seafood, and particularly fillet of flipper.

 

..

What is fillet of flipper?

[shoreguy]

What is fillet of flipper?

 

It is Mahi Mahi , dolphin , but in fact a fish - not the mammal like flipper

 

[DroopySails]

It is Mahi Mahi , dolphin , but in fact a fish - not the mammal like flipper

 

:p

 

Yes, and it's something I'd have guessed a former food critic for a national publication would know.

 

As for the prunes, they're pretty hot right now in some food circles. I'd absolutely try the dish shoreguy mentioned. Contrasting sweet and spicy and salty tastes in one dish can be very pleasing. Maybe/maybe not in this one. I'd give it a try.

 

It's funny that someone thought there were too many vegetarian choices. One veg entree per meal is too many?

 

Not sure why a few people seem to depend so much on one dish. If you love duck or very fresh (not frozen) lobster or anything else, is a cruise your only chance to order it? It's only one meal...

[DAARR5]

Have they changed the menus on the NCLA ships also? I sail on the 5/6 PoAM.

Dee

[vreihen]

:p Yes, and it's something I'd have guessed a former food critic for a national publication would know.

 

I know the difference between the mammal and the fish, but have a relative who lived in the Florida Keys who used to call mahi mahi "fillet of flipper" and I still get a chuckle out of that description. :)

 

Oh, and notice that I said former food critic. :D After a few columns, everyone knew who I was, and was trying to push exotic local dishes on me wherever I went. Mahi mahi was tame compared with catfish in the south, rattlesnake in the southwest, alligator in Florida, and almost rocky mountain oysters on the western plains which is where I drew the line and turned in my pen. Of course, I did get to write a whole column on the history of King Cake and Mardi Gras, which was a welcome break from having to describe things that taste like used bubble gum scraped from the bottom of a school desk, coated in Shake 'N Bake, and deep-fried until they're chewy again.:eek:

 

With regards to the food on the Dawn, I figured that NCL was only buying food at NYC, and put my trust in the New York Department of Agriculture that everything on the ship was safe for human consumption. I had the Oxtail stew, and it was pretty good. No different than homemade beef stew that I've had, and if I had run into it without a label on a buffet line I probably would have eaten it without knowing. As I said, I'm not really a seafood person, and these new menus that are heavy in seafood left me asking "what can I eat?" instead of "what do I want to eat?" when I looked at many of them. In 2004 on the Crown, I remember feeling like a pig ordering two entrees because I couldn't make up my mind between them. I didn't have that problem on the Dawn last week. :(

 

The only major concern that I had was that food in the Venetian on the Dawn (and in the main dining room on the Crown) seems to come out on the cool side. Don't know if it's because of a long trip from the galley or because there's a chain of delivery that's delaying it from getting to the tables, but there are people who don't like room service in general for this very same reason. It doesn't really bother me (except for the breakfast hash browns), but I know that it does bother some people. On the Dawn, the Aqua restaurant consistently delivered hot dinners, and I highly recommend it to those who like their food served hot.....

[marilynd]

I found that I liked many of the items on the new menues. I also missed having the cold soups.

 

The portions were smaller, but I liked that. I could get an appetizer, soup and salad and still be able to enjoy my entree.

 

I didn't like that the lobster served on formal night came with only a small asparagus quiche. I just ordered the steak and the lobster entrees both. That made the dish just right.

 

I did not like the Stroganoff served on the last evening. Stroganoff is usually my favorite food and I make it at home quite often. This stoganoff had pickles in it. I have never had it with pickles in it. Just steak, onions, mushrooms, a beef sauce and sour cream on noodles.

 

I found the rest of the meals to be to my liking. I like that there are more fish options on the menu in the main diningrooms.