Favourite NCL meal?

[seachelt]

Hi. We are new to Norwegian and have just booked a TA on the Epic in April. For our 3 included specialty restaurants I have booked Cagney's, Bistro, and Moderno. What are your favourite things to eat at those restaurants? Or what is a great meal at any of the complimentary dining options?

With the beverage package are our drinks included at the Specialty Restaurants?

Thanks for any input or advice!

Happy trails..

seachelt

[FLAHAM]

1.  Shrimp and mussels on ice with cocktail sauce in the buffet.

 

2.  Carved whole pig (snout to tail) on spit in the buffet.

[ChiefMateJRK]

I've found the specialty restaurants on NCL to be a crap shoot.  No idea if I'll get a good meal or not.  Ironically, Teppanyaki has become a priority for me now provided I don't order the now-crappy steak.  The shrimp is usually good, with scallops or chicken as the second.  I thought I had it figured out at Cagney's (ask the waiter which steak is good right now), but that failed me on my last cruise.  The Ribeye had some good flavor, but was generally a chewy mess.  I've come to the conclusion that most NCL specialty dining is highly overrated, so just roll the dice and take what I get.  I recently tried Maderno on the Pearl, and the most memorable thing was the garlic cloves from the salad bar.  Yes, I'm serious.

[stefmaia]

Le Bistro for snails. onion soup and the scallops. Yum

 

Moderno for salad bar , picanha and grilled pineapple

 

Teppanyaki for shrimp and insider tip- ask for udon noodles as well as rice

[cruiser2015]

5 hours ago, seachelt said:

Hi. We are new to Norwegian and have just booked a TA on the Epic in April. For our 3 included specialty restaurants I have booked Cagney's, Bistro, and Moderno. What are your favourite things to eat at those restaurants? Or what is a great meal at any of the complimentary dining options?

With the beverage package are our drinks included at the Specialty Restaurants?

Thanks for any input or advice!

Happy trails..

seachelt

Your included drinks should be available ship-wide.

[BirdTravels]

7 hours ago, seachelt said:

Hi. We are new to Norwegian and have just booked a TA on the Epic in April. For our 3 included specialty restaurants I have booked Cagney's, Bistro, and Moderno. What are your favourite things to eat at those restaurants? Or what is a great meal at any of the complimentary dining options?

With the beverage package are our drinks included at the Specialty Restaurants?

Thanks for any input or advice!

Happy trails..

seachelt

Cagney’s the lamb chops

 

Le Bistro - Filet with Foie Gras

 

Moderno - Grilled Pineapple 

 

Your beverage package works in all restaurants. 

[BigRedFan]

7 hours ago, stefmaia said:

Le Bistro for snails. onion soup and the scallops. Yum

 

Moderno for salad bar , picanha and grilled pineapple

 

Teppanyaki for shrimp and insider tip- ask for udon noodles as well as rice

I echo these choices 🙂

[laudergayle]

8 hours ago, stefmaia said:

Teppanyaki for shrimp and insider tip- ask for udon noodles as well as rice

Thanks for the tip.  The Udon noodles looked amazing.  As @ChiefMateJRK said, the steak was really tough.  The shrimp were good.  Our next visit will include the Udon.

 

Our favorite restaurant is LeBistro followed by Cagney’s.  The filet at LeBistro is typically better than Cagney’s (LeBistro’s filet does have a $10 upcharge for the foie gras…which I don’t eat).  Also the scallops in cauliflower purée, the French Onion soup (yum) and the arugula salad with fried goat cheese are standouts.  And, the best dessert is the Ile Flontante.  
 

Cagney’s is your typical chain steakhouse with service and food quality hit or miss. But still a nice break from the MDR.

 

Tip:  Dine at LeBistro or Cagney’s on the first night.  There are fewer diners and food and service is better.

[spookylu]

Filet mignon at Cagney's.  Everything I ate at Onda 🤩. I haven't tried any others yet. 

[Asawi]

I'm not much of a meat eater, so steaks and stuff really isn't for me.
The salad with pear, walnuts and blue cheese at La Cucina... oooohhh... that one is good! Wouldn'r say no to the Fettuccine Alfredo either. 😄 

[trivimp]

Dover sole at Le Bistro, if you're not committed to the beef (I don't eat much red meat) 

[Daruma]

2 hours ago, laudergayle said:

... The filet at LeBistro is typically better than Cagney’s (LeBistro’s filet does have a $10 upcharge for the foie gras…which I don’t eat)...

 

I'm not sure how accurate the information is, but there are several folks who've posted in various food/restaurant threads here that you can ask them to serve the filet WITHOUT the "frog grass" and avoid the $10 surcharge. 🤷‍♂️

[complawyer]

it's correct. tell the waiter you dont want the foie gras and the upcharge will be removed. 

 

that being said, however, even with the $25 upcharge, the lobster thermador is delicious.

 

other's may have a different take, but personally in 13 years and 25 cruises, i have never had a disappointing meal in cagneys, and we try and eat there at least one night on every cruise.

[dexddd]

I'd probably pay them $10 not to get foie Gras, not trying to give them upcharge ideas though.

[dbrown84]

If you like Indian food, the Indian station at the buffet is really good 

[dbrown84]

I used to always use my one dining credit at moderno.  Lately the meat has not been as good and my last two cruises, there were no lamb chops.  People rave about the salad bar, but I'm there for the meat.  I'm not filling up on salad, so I can't comment on the bar.  My very first cruise on the Sun, they had some good ceviche but that was the only time I ever saw that 

[ChiefMateJRK]

17 minutes ago, dbrown84 said:

People rave about the salad bar, but I'm there for the meat.  I'm not filling up on salad, so I can't comment on the bar. 

On my last sailing, the salad bar had a lot of nice stuff, but no iceberg lettuce.  Only that leafy stuff that tastes like crap (I think it's supposed to be more healthy or some such nonsense).  I made better salads at the buffet.  A lot of the restaurants also have either cobb salad or iceberg wedge, both of which I really like.

[detroitlions]

23 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

On my last sailing, the salad bar had a lot of nice stuff, but no iceberg lettuce.  Only that leafy stuff that tastes like crap (I think it's supposed to be more healthy or some such nonsense).  I made better salads at the buffet.  A lot of the restaurants also have either cobb salad or iceberg wedge, both of which I really like.

This made me laugh about the leafy stuff. I agree. My wife buys all those greens and if there not cooked I dont like them. 

[Vegasvolfan]

I really enjoy Cagneys I usually get the porterhouse or ribeye and have really enjoyed both.  I eat at a lot of steakhouses and I find Cagneys to be a nice dinner.  Also like the shrimp app and chocolate cake.

[valleyvillage]

At Le Bistro I always get the Napoleon de Legumes, since I am vegetarian. It is really delicious!

[dbrown84]

31 minutes ago, Vegasvolfan said:

I really enjoy Cagneys I usually get the porterhouse or ribeye and have really enjoyed both.  I eat at a lot of steakhouses and I find Cagneys to be a nice dinner.  Also like the shrimp app and chocolate cake.

I'm not a big dessert guy, and I'm diabetic, but the chocolate cake is amazing 

[BirdTravels]

I would second that next in line after the filet with Foie, the lobster thermidor at Le Bistro is lovely 

 

[Asawi]

34 minutes ago, valleyvillage said:

At Le Bistro I always get the Napoleon de Legumes, since I am vegetarian. It is really delicious!

Oh yes! That one is GOOD! 

[mking8288]

We're on the Epic westbound TA this April and had a great time ... see the embedded link below -  signature for the pictorial semi-live report.  Has been a fan of Le Bistro for 15+ years but no longer find the shortened menu to our liking.  Cageny's remained as one of the prime choices - 8 oz. filet mignon, medium (easy to be overcooked if asked for medium-well) usually tender, juicy & butterly soft to slice thru - after starting off with the crab cake and soup, light enough for the entree plus side ... and dessert w coffee to enjoy, not an evening to rush off to catch a late show.  

 

Instead of Moderno, with a # of chatters on a different thread here, we opted for La Cucina, Deck 14 Fwd with direct access and also via staircase down from Deck 15's forward Garden Cafe (buffet) - that's used as extra seating for morning breakfast n lunch.  LC also used as the unofficial Observation Lounge at sea, grab coffee & snacks from the "upstairs" buffet.  

 

 

[seachelt]

Thanks for the helpful and interesting replies. Much appreciated. Happy New Year!

seachelt