How the food at Portofino Restaurant RCI?

[coolett]

I'm wondering how's the food at Portofino? How much do you have to pay?

[dougp26364]

We got off the Explorer last week. The food was very good at Portifino's. IMO much better than in the dining room. The cost was $20 per person and the meal was well worth the additional cost.

 

However, if you're expecting something like Ruth's Chis Steak House, Morton's of Chicago or Smith and Wollenski, then you might be a little disappointed. It's good but not 4 or 5 star restauarant good.

 

We also found the service to be lagging behind most high end restaurants on the night we were there. While the service was very good, there were lapses. One meassure I use of service is how long my glass of water sits empty before it's refilled. After 15 minutes I had to ask to have the glass refilled as it was ignored. When I did ask to have it refilled, I was told, "In just a minute." It sounded like I was at a Denny's for that moment in time.

 

Don't get me wrong, it's very good and I will eat at the specialty restaurants again on my next cruise. However, my expectations will be somewhat lower as I was expecting 4 to 5 star service and food.

 

Keep in mind that my idea of a 5 star restaurant would be in line with AAA or Mobile ratings. There are very few 5 star restaurants out there and they'll cost you big bucks to eat at when you find one.

[mikeblum]

when on the NOS this past february (2004) we ate at the chops restaurant i got to tell you it was outstanding well worth the $20...the portions were HUGE and the service was excellent...don't get me wrong the food in the main dinning room was very good but this was a little special...we're on the VOS this coming march (2005) and we'll be trying the portofino's on board...

[timbo89]

We have eaten at both Chops and Portofinos several times on several ships.

 

Consistently, the food is far superior to the dining room food, and the service is usually a notch above as well.

 

Chops seems to us to be more consistent from ship to ship, but Portofinos seems to vary a little. For instance, on the Navigator in March of this year, we found Portofinos to be excellent, but on the Jewel in October of this year we found Potofinos to be not at the same standard, but would still rate it as very good...

 

Just our experience....others' experiences will definitely vary...

[denb]

I know the topic is Portafinos, but since others have mentioned it....

 

We were just on Jewel and at Chops. Although the food was very very good, and the service was very good, it was no where near the experience of Celebrity's specialty restaurants. Way more low key and people running back and forth all the time. Don't get me wrong, we actually liked low key better, as we were more comfortable with less formality. We also liked not having wine pushed at us between each course (like Celebrity) and the less formal dress code (no tie). And, since we had a table for 2 in the regular restaurant, our service in Chops was much better. We felt the waiters gloated over the larger tables and we got their leftover time. For my wife, the Chops meal was the best meal of the cruise. She got the fillet mignon and it was done perfect for her. I got the strip steak, ordered it medium rare, and it was not a great experience (tough, no flavor). So you see, 2 people, 1 yes vote and 1 no vote. We'll try Portafino on Empress in January. And, we'll try Chops again when we get the chance.

[coolett]

Do we have to make reservations at Portafinos? And does it count as one formal dressing dinner? Just don't know how does it work. And any recommendations on the menu?

 

Have a nice weekend, everyone.

[lvcruiser]

I'm not sure of your question about counting as one formal dressing dinner. If you are under the impression that you must dress formal on two of the seven nights and have your choice as to when, you are mistaken. You will have two formal nights on a seven night cruise that will be announced after you sail. On our 10/23 Navigator sailing, the formal nights were Sunday and Wednesday, but they will differ from ship to ship and itinerary to itinerary. When you attend one of the specialty venues, you have the opportunity to dress as you wish, provided you meet the minimum standards. Some people like to eat at Chops or Portofino on formal nights so they DON'T have to dress up for the main dining room. Others like to eat there on the casual nights for the exact opposite reason - they enjoy dressing up every night. However, most people choose the evening they go to the alternative venues from what is going to be served in the main dining room. You will have the chance to find out the various evening's menus at either venue while making reservations and decide which evening you would most like to miss in the dining room. And yes, you must make reservations. I suggest you do it immediately after boarding the ship to avoid the rush and allow yourself the opportunity to get the evening and time you desire. If you wait for two days until you make reservations, you may be too late.

 

The price of the alternative venues varies between ships. While most ships still charge $20, the Navigator has been charging $25 for several months. I brought that to RCCL's attention in the form of a complaint while onboard our last cruise and was told it was another test program for quality control, similar to that being done with the Johnny Rockets charge. Since Celebrity raised their specialty dining fee from $25 to $30 earlier this year, I think you can expect the rest of the RCCL fleet to go to $25 sometime in the near future.

 

On our first cruise aboard the NOS in 4/03, we ate at Chops and although we found the food to be excellent with me receiving the best prime rib I have ever tasted, we were disappointed in the service for the same reason that denb mentioned. Our last cruise had been on the Celebrity Infinity and the experience we had in the S.S. United States venue was something to be remembered for a lifetime with six wait staff members waiting on a table of four. We expected the same thing at Chops and instead, got a waiter and assistant waiting on four to six tables, just like in the dining room. The cost was the same as on the Infinity, but both the food and service were quite lacking.

 

Since we got a very good deal on our recent cruise, we decided we could take the savings and spend it on better food. Accordingly, we booked reservations for both Chops and Portofino. Afterward, we looked at a Portofino menu and found it had changed from the one we had seen online, with lobster and dover sole no longer being offered. Instead, the menu consisted of mostly Italian dishes with only one beef entree and two fish - salmon and halibut. Since we had heard that the food there was not true Italian or even American Italian, but instead, a form of Caribbean Italian, we were only interested in the fish dishes they used to have, and cancelled the reservation. The next evening, we dined at Chops and found a completely different experience than the first time, with some of the better service found on the entire ship. However, the food quality was not as good as the first time. Overall, I would still do it again. If I had to rate the food quality and service on a national star or diamond scale, I would give it 3.5 stars. It's very good, but it isn't 4 star. Since I never ate at Portofino, I can't give you an opinion other than from what I have heard - excellent food and service from most diners, but don't expect real Italian food. If you were brought up on food from Little Italy in New York or the Hill in St. Louis, you will be very disappointed according to those to whom I have talked.

[denb]

Just thought I'd mention.... on our recent Jewel cruise, Chops offered a Lunch menu. We didn't take advantage of it, but I think it was $10. I remember looking at the menu and not being impressed. If anyone is interested, I can post it later. I don't know if they're offering Lunch on all ships, or just trying it on selected ones.

[judyzoo]

We found the food in Portofinos on the Empress to be very good, close to excellent, and much more creative than in the dining room; worth the extra $20 per person -- once during a cruise, but not more than that, just for the variety. Although we found the service on most of the ship to be really good and better than on the other RCL ship we had cruised, I cannot say the same for the service in Portofinos, which was not friendly and was too rushed.

[coolett]

Could someone post the Portofinos menu on the board? I love to have lobster, do they serve it in the main dinning room or at the Portofinos? I think I'll stick with the formal dinner schedule cos I want to feel the two nights and eat at Portofinos on casual nights.

[denb]

I also have the Portofinos menu from Jewel and will try to post it later. But remember, "Menus change daily and can vary from ship to ship". Neither specialty restaurant has lobster. That's only available in the regular one.

[ssantow]

We ate in Chops 3 times on our last cruise and I thought the food and service were excellent. Almost as good as the regular dining room on Princess Ships.

[judyzoo]

I can't post the entire menu, but here is what DH and I each had recently at Portofinos on the Empress -- a sampling of what's available:

 

 

Appetizer

Richard: Risotto al Gamberetti -- tiger shrimp sauteed with fresh herbs on a bed of creamy saffron risotto

Judy: Sformato al Formaggio Caprino, Insalatina di Campo e Funghi Trifolati Profumati al Tartufo -- warm double baked goat cheese souffle served on a bed of forest mushrooms with crisp garden greens, sage infused cream, and drizzled with truffle oil

Soup

Richard: creamy vegetable

Judy: Zuppa Fredda di Pomodori e Peperoni Dolci con Capesante ed Avocado -- chilled plum tomato and pepper soup with seared scallops and avocado Entree

Richard: Spaghettini al L’Aragosta e Mazzancolle -- chunks of lobster, roast zucchini and garden peas, with a piquant lobster basil sauce

Judy: Filetto di Halibut “Ippoglosso” alla Piastra -- grilled filet of American halibut on wilted baby spinach, with lobster ravioli and roasted purple onions, sun-dried tomato confit and basil oil (the ravioli was striped, and the waiter also drizzled olive oil over the top of the entree)

Dessert

Richard: Torta al Cioccolato Gianduia e Mandorle con Crema al Caramello e Gelato al Caffe Espresso -- flourless gianduia chocolate cake served with semi-whipped espresso cream

Judy: Tartufo Cioccolato Bianco al Latte con Fragole -- white chocolate truffle cake with vintage balsamic vinegar tossed strawberries

 

Note that, although lobster by itself sn't an entree, there were a lot of lobster chunks in the spaghettini dish.