Master Chef Rudi Sodamin

[kelmac]

I'm not sure if anyone posted this last week?? I came across it today, and was very pleased with the direction HAL is heading! I'm think Celebrity has upped the ante, and HAL is responding. Good Stuff!

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040825/sfw067_1.html

Enjoy! Kel

[sail7seas]

Thanks for the link, Kel.

We did reads about it earlier this week.

Time will tell what changes he makes.

I'm sure we'll all be watching closely and will have lots to comment about.

[bepsf]

I understood that he was executive chef for another major line - RCL was it?

Was their food really all that much better than HAL?

[Little Feet]

I certainly hope this chef does something about the horrid dinner selections on "Dutch Night".

[TedC]

I understand he's bringing his acclaimed meatloaf recipe - the one with the "secret sauce."

[kelmac]

bepsf,

I think Sodamin's first cruise job was on the Vistafjord (the old Norwegian American Line). He was the Chef de Cuisine.

[sail7seas]

I understand he's bringing his acclaimed meatloaf recipe - the one with the "secret sauce."

What about his famous 'fish and chips'??? Seems that shares a spot on the same menu as the meatloaf. :D

[Krazy Kruizers]

I'll assume that his influence will be seen by the time we get on the Statendam in October.

[gizmo]

I understand he's bringing his acclaimed meatloaf recipe - the one with the "secret sauce."
Is the secret sauce tomatoe based or brown gravy?

[sail7seas]

:confused: Does it make any difference??? :D MEATLOAF on the dinner menu on an HAL Cruise??? Are they serious???!!!


Sorry if Meatloaf sounds good to you. (and everyone else it appeals to). If so, I hope they serve it with your preference of tomato sauce or brown gravy.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Neither DH or I like meatloaf - just reminds me of a cheap meal.

[gizmo]

I think some have missed the humor in this thread.....:D

[Roadwork]

I think I will have mine with the tomatoe sauce. :D

[bookworm0911]

Doesn't make any diference who the master chef is if the cruiseline doesn't give him the budget to provide quality food in the dining room. If he is just there to make meatloaf and cheap dishes look better then they aren'g going to be fooloing anybody, at least not this cook. :(

[gizmo]

Bookworm,

I agree. Without the right budget, it is not going to make any difference.

[sail7seas]

Bookworm,

I agree. Without the right budget, it is not going to make any difference.


:D And that would not be the least bit funny!!! :D

[gizmo]

:confused: No one ever said the "Budget" was funny.

[sail7seas]

I never said any of it was /is funny.



Grass is green; sky is blue.

[RevNeal]

Sorry if Meatloaf sounds good to you. (and everyone else it appeals to). If so, I hope they serve it with your preference of tomato sauce or brown gravy.

I took the meatloaf references as humor. Nevertheless -- and perhaps this is just my weirdness -- but I actually LIKE meatloaf. It needs to have a tomato-base sauce, and it should have a little spicy sausage in it, but I enjoy a nice meatloaf -- from time to time. I wouldn't want it for DINNER on a Cruise Ship, but as an option at lunch in the Lido ... sure ... why not?

[gizmo]

I never said any of it was /is funny.



Grass is green; sky is blue.I guess I misunderstood.


Soap is green; jello is blue

[gizmo]

I took the meatloaf references as humor. Nevertheless -- and perhaps this is just my weirdness -- but I actually LIKE meatloaf. It needs to have a tomato-base sauce, and it should have a little spicy sausage in it, but I enjoy a nice meatloaf -- from time to time. I wouldn't want it for DINNER on a Cruise Ship, but as an option at lunch in the Lido ... sure ... why not?Yes Rev, most of the meatloaf comments are humorous.:D
Nothing wrong with liking meatloaf. I like meatloaf also but agree it is not my idea of a nice dinner on a cruise ship.

[ekerr19]

My kids love it when I make meatloaf - DH likes it too. :D

gizmo - I have to agree, it's not exactly the type of meal we expect on cruise... we can get it in my fine kitchen, here at home, in good ol' Colorado - anytime!

We are usually looking for a bit more upscale experience onboard. :)

[gizmo]

We are usually looking for a bit more upscale experience onboard. :)
We too are looking for something more upscale. I am curious to see what this new chef does.
The current Dutch night menu can sure use some help. :)

[sail7seas]

Soap is green; jello is blue


Last edited by gizmo : Today at 03:58 PM




You Betcha.........That green soap really is terrific!! Have you tried it yet? Hard to say if you would like it or not but I think it wonderful.

And I still think of HMC every time I look into that dish of blue jello. Especially if I move the dish, just a bit, it looks like the movement of the sea.....to my eyes. ;)

How attentive of you to have noticed two things that give me pleasure. What a nice Lady you are!!

But, of course, this does take us away from our conversation about Meatloaf for dinner in the dining rooms of HAL. Let's see......Nope, I can't think of a way to include green soap into the conversation but we sure could add some blue jello to the menu...but only if it is sugar free, for me. Do you care for it with or without sugar? Or not at all?



Grass is green; sky is blue.

[Jacqueline]

We had neither meatloaf nor fish and chips. Our menus were great on the Westerdam and I was just on the Constellation a few months ago. We sent back 2 meals in a week on X and none on HAL (in 13 nights times 6 people).
We had Dover Sole on Dutch night.

[sail7seas]

You were fortunate.

At first I thought maybe only deeply discounted Caribbean cruises were getting the meatloaf, but for our recent Canada/New England cruise we paid a considerably higher per diem so that theory didn't hold water.

[peaches from georgia]

The budgets demanded for HAL to achieve its desired net income would be calculated on the basis of fleetwide costs and revenues, so deeply discounting one or more ships is going to impact all the ships eventually, even those where higher fares are able to be maintained. It is not surprising at all there was meatloaf on the Maasdam and not just on the Zuiderdam.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Jacqueline

Dover Sole - when and what ship did you have Dover Sole?

It wasn't offered on Dutch Night this past May on the Maasdam.

[sail7seas]

I agree.......Dover Sole has disappeared from recent HAL menues I have seen.

[Jacqueline]

I was on the July 30 sailing of the Westerdam from London to Athens. I dont think the ship was sold out until the end. Prices were very reasonable.
We found the menu to be varied- at least 7 entrees a night.
I was suprised to see the sole on the menu based on what I read. They did the provisioning for this ship in Rotterdam, her first visit to her homeport. Perhaps that influenced things ?

[sail7seas]

Did you order it? :)

[Vicar]

I agree

I love meatloaf, Actually I make mine with with ground beef, ground pork and ground veal mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmm, a little cumin, little corriander, a little sage :)

But again that is great for Tuesday night dinner . Not on a cruise

[elmorejj]

We had Dover Sole on the 21 day repo on the Zaandam in Ap/May, also on the menu was the Beef Wellington, Chateaubriand, lots of filet steaks, and Lobster was served in some fashion every formal night. The F&B manager told me this was an exception, due to the high per diem of this cruise. I guess a lot has to do with who the F&B manager is. BTW, he was transferring in the fall to the Westerdam, then on to the Prinsendam for the world cruise....jean :cool:

[sail7seas]

Jean.....F & B on Prinsendam is Mike Mahn. GREAT, GREAT guy. Is he doing World Cruise or is another F & B coming aboard?

[elmorejj]

We were told by the F&B on the Zaandam that he would be on the Prinsendam by January, Of course as we all know, that could change before then...jean :cool:

[sail7seas]

Who is the F & B on Zaandam?

[elmorejj]

If he`s still onboard, it is Henk Hoekstra. We have also sailed with him a couple of times on the Rotterdam. He is supposed to leave the Z soon, (he might already be gone) and join the Westerdam then the Prinsendam.....jean :cool:

[sail7seas]

Thanks, Jean.....I think I recognize his name. We may have sailed with him on Rotterdam.