Chef's Table Review - Crown Princess 12/15/07 sailing

[ancldaca]

On my just completed Crown cruise I was lucky enough to attend the Chef's Table program. Here's a cut and paste from my cruise review/journal for all of my fellow CCers here on the Princess boards:

 

THE CHEF’S TABLE:

 

At 6:45pm we met at the International Café for the Chef’s Table Event (tour?). After Maitre D’ Hotel Nicola Furlan herded us all together (there were 11 of us) he went through some of the facts and figures of the Crown Princess especially those pertaining to Food & Beverage. The galley of the Crown Princess prepares all the food consumed aboard with 2 exceptions: kosher dishes and baby food. These come prepared ahead of time.

 

At roughly 7pm, it began.

 

In a single file we made our way to the main galley through the Michelangelo dining room. Once inside, we were at a dish washing station, we were made to wash our hands (20 second scrub) and were then handed white overcoats (like lab coats, not chef’s coats). It was here that Nicola ‘handed us off’ to Executive Chef Martial Diffor. Chef Diffor is a very young man from Strasbourg (close to the Swiss-Franco border in France) and his wife had given birth to his firstborn just yesterday.

 

Once everyone was properly garbed we went through the kitchen, keeping to a side to allow the waiters space to move through. Everywhere, all cooks, waiters, and other staff looked up at us. Without exception, they all smiled and seemed happy to see us. At times, a few words were spoken and all of us kept thanking them for their hard work in putting out some terrific food. I at least felt that it was very important that I do so since these hard working men and women rarely get a chance to get a direct thank you from us passengers.

 

At the end of our galley walk-through, by the second entrance/exit to the restaurant, a couple of tables had been set up. There, our little group was joined by a couple of more Officers from the F&B Department. My parents and I mostly spoke to Guenther Kopf, the First Purser Food & Beverage who was from Austria; a nice opportunity to speak German for me.

 

Chef Diffor explained how the galley is set up and works. Along the cooking line, there is a defined section for each dish for that particular meal. For each dish, there is a color photograph with notes clearly stating what everything is on the plate plus there is an actual finished sample plate under the photograph. This gives a good reference to the wait staff.

 

There is a cook for each plate. Actual cooking is done “behind” him and he plates the dishes at the counter which the waiter then takes to the dining room. The food at these stations comes out “standard”. There is one cooking section exclusive for special orders.

 

At this point we were served some Moet & Chandon Brut champagne and the amuse bouche. The first I had was the Quiche Provencale. Then, I had the Blue Crab Margarita with avocado and mango (think of a ceviche here). Third, came the Blinis with Sevruga caviar and crème fraiche and finally the foi gras terrine on toast with apple chutney. All the portions were just about bite sized - else I would have been full already.

 

After the hors d‘oevre, we walked back to the first entrance we had been at and returned our coats. We then left the Michelangelo dining room and moved down to the Da Vinci restaurant. There was a line of people waiting to get in but we had a specially prepared table so we moved right in with Nicola and Chef Diffor. I saw a lot of people looking at us wondering why a Chef would sit with us. The Chef passed around a hand written, one page, menu for the evening (which included the appetizers we had already eaten in the galley).

 

Our first dish was a goat cheese soufle which was followed by a champagne Risotto. This was followed by a “Lip Smackin’ Bloody Mary” sorbet to cleanse the palate. These two menu items were accompanied by a California Sauvignon Blanc.

 

Then it got real interesting because the main entrée was a “Trio of Beef, Veal, and Pork Tenderloin on Medieval Spiked Flambe Roaster“. All of a sudden, the Chef and Nicola came from the galley with three carts which they parked close by. On each cart top, there was a large wooden tray with a cast iron hook. From this hook hung a metal tube with spikes sticking out; each spike about 2 inches long. On these spikes, they had impaled the various tenderloins. Arranged in pre-cut holes in the tray were several small bowls of dips, etc. for our meats (Herb butter, Béarnaise sauce, Jus, and Salsa Verde).

 

Chef Diffor then proceeded to flambe the tenderloins table-side. This was quite the show stopper. We were all taking pictures and many a waiter stopped their own work to see the Chef in action - as did many fellow diners that took the opportunity to take pictures as well.

 

For good measure, they started plating with half a Maine lobster to which we were then served some of the tenderloins, boiled potatoes, and a myriad of fresh vegetables (I had the cauliflower, broccoli, and the baby zucchini). The wine paired with the entrée was a Californian red.

 

Once we managed to eat all of that food, the table was cleared and we were served a third wine. This was an Errazuriz, a Chilean dessert wine. The cheese dessert which was a Potted Stilton cheese with Port Wine & Walnuts, served with Rosemary Biscotti. The second dessert was an Iced Parfait of Amaretto with a Vanilla sauce, and a Brandy reduction.

 

After a round of coffee for those that wanted them, Chef Diffor sat back down with us for a quick chat. Turns out that the program has been on the Crown only for the past 5 weeks or so. It is done only once per week and is limited to just a very few number of passengers (in our case 11, but normally only 10).

 

Chef Diffor then autographed copies of Princess’ Cook Book as a present to each couple while a red rose was gifted to each lady present at the table. A ship’s photographer took pictures of the Chef with each of us plus a couple of group pictures to celebrate the event. These pictures would then be delivered to our respective cabins tomorrow.

 

After we bid each other good bye, my parents and I stopped by the International Café for an after-dinner port wine.

 

Wow. What can I say after all this. It was a spectacular event and although I’ve tried to describe it in much detail, this report does not do justice to the experience we had. I feel so very lucky to have been able to participate in it. I also know, because it is so very exclusive, that I will NOT sign up again for it. Not because it wasn’t good - far from it. But because so few passengers are able to participate, I feel it would be unfair to take someone’s spot in the future that hadn’t done it before.

 

 

[jdm]

Thanks for the report. I'm on the Crown 12/29 and am trying to get on as early as possible to hopefully reserve the Chef's Table. This is something we would love to do. Can you tell me what day this took place?

[Colo Cruiser]

Excellent!! :)

[TorontoTL]

Wow, that sounds incredible, what a wonderful experience. Thanks for posting your experience with the Chef's Table.

[Debathome]

I had often heard of the "Chef's Table" and wondered just what was involved and if it would be my cup of tea. Thank you for a detailed description. It absolutely sounds like something I would be interested and look forward to signing up on the Emerald next March. Thanks again. Happy Cruising.

[mii]

Fantastic. Now that is something I would like to do.

 

Marilyn

[cruzkitty]

I would totally like to do this, too-it sounds like so much fun, not to mention good food! Thanks for sharing your experience~

[quincytoo]

has this in our cruise next year!! If not, I will have to come back and reread this and look at the wonderful pictures :)

 

 

Thanks you so much for posting this !! I love it :)

[GBeret]

Sounds great! did it cost each person $75.00? My understanding is that a $75 Dollar fee is set for this experience as it's listed as a Speciality meal. ;)

[vickie_bernie]

all i can say is WOW, now I was already looking forward to doing the Chef's table, but now I can't wait. Thanks, I felt like I was right there.

[cactusrose]

Great review

 

Not all ships have this so how did you find out it was on the ship and how did you sign up for it?

[Shoalwater]

We participated in the chef's table on the Caribbean Princess on the 9-Dec cruise with 3 other couples. Our menu was about 90% of that described above, but the pastry chef did a bit more with dessert. I asked the maitre'd about this event, and he said its a big deal for them. We had heard of it on CC, but thought it had been discontinued based on a few posts. I saw it in the Patter late on the first day and caled to put our name into the mix, and was told we were on the waiting list.:( Two days later we received instructions about the event (one stated they required that all shoes were closed toe). Then the maitre'd called and asked to meet with me individually to discuss the table. It was basically an interview. Later, at the dinner I asked him if he excluded folks, and he said yes. One couple was not invited because they wanted to know if it would be over in time for the show in the Princess Theater. Another was not invited because the wife began laying down requirements for the food prep, apparently she liked her food prepared just so. Two couples were deemed too young to enjoy the experience. The maitre'd said he tries to put together a table of people that will enjoy themselves and mix well. The minimum number is 3 couples, the max about 5 or 6. Its done once per voyage. I think that you get most of your $75 pp back in value if you count in the champagne and wines that were poured ad-libidum, the Courses cook book and two 8x10 portraits (group and individual with chef/maitre'd). My only concern is that it will become so popular that it wil be almost impossible to do again, so SSsshhhhhhh.....let this post drop!

[Lindypc]

Oh my goodness; what wonderful descriptions~~thanks so much for posting, I am drooling;)

[Brad1185]

At $75 pp I dont think you have to worry about it being too popular.

[senior lady]

We're doing a b2b on the Emerald Princess in Jan "09" and want to do this. I figure that if we don't make it on the first week, we'll have an advantage on the 2nd wk as we'll already be on the ship before the new passengers get pm:D I would rather do this then spend money in th specialty resturants.

[ancldaca]

Shoalwater's post confirms what we, no, let's be honest - my mom, thought. I had called the 800# prior to our cruise to ask about the program and was told it wasn't available.

 

But then I first saw it posted on the first day's Patter. My parents called in the morning and we were placed on the waiting list. That night, the head waiter approached us and I mentioned my disapointment with the 800# while my mom mentioned us being placed on the waiting list. We basicaly talked to him for about 10 minutes.

 

To be just brutally honest, my parents are quite sofisticated diners, certainly more than I. My father is a member of the Venezuela chapter of the Chaine des Rotisseurs (he recently moved up in rank too). We are all also extremely well traveled and the fact that we spoke portuguese to our head waiter probably helped out a lot.

 

A bit later Nicola (Maitre D' Hotel) came over and we had another 10 minute conversation with him. Again, it probably helped that my mother spoke a bit of Italian with him.

 

All of our table mates were also very cosmopolitan. There were two Canadian couples and two American couples apart from us 3 who were the "internationals" (latin america and Puerto Rico). My parents played the role of the elderly well travelled couple, 5 of us were in our late 30's to 40's, plus one younger couple. Everybody was "quietly outgoing", elegant without being gaudy or appearing nuveaux riche.

 

It is definitely a program not designed for everyone...

 

Apparently, it is also not an automatically held event.

 

Our CT was held on day 4 if you count embarkation day as day 0 (day 5 if you count embarkation as day 1).

[Denisern2]

Thanks for making my mouth water. Sounds like the same menue I had on the Emerald. I would love to do it again. A must for all the foodies out there.

[cruisinbuddy]

So, A; do you think, me being a chef in my mid 40s would have a chance?

B; I checked the thumbnail looking for the dress attire and It looks like Smart casual, correct? I want to do this, but not on formal night. Our 2nd formal night is Valentines day.

[bdjam]

Wow...thanks for the great "journal" of the evening. Where do I sign up? :D

[dforeigner]

Freaking awesome, thanks!

[m steve]

We were on the Emerald Dec.6 cruise and they didn't offer iteven though it was available on a previous cruise. Maybe they were afraid that the Boca group might show up. We were really disappointed that they arbitrarily cancel it before the ship even leaves port. We were planning to do this since we booked early in the year when Emerald was the only ship offering it.

[1bigsexy]

excellent review, thanks for sharing. Now if I could only convince our girls to take another cruise :rolleyes:

[Shoalwater]

So, A; do you think, me being a chef in my mid 40s would have a chance?

B; I checked the thumbnail looking for the dress attire and It looks like Smart casual, correct? I want to do this, but not on formal night. Our 2nd formal night is Valentines day.

 

Ours was not on formal night. I doubt they would do it then, too much else happening on the ship.

[parisbully]

ancldaca, i can't tell you how much I enjoyed your complete review of that cruise under "member reviews". You must be a writer in real life.