HAL partners with Le Cirque

This sound like an evening of fun and fabulous food...:) :)

Holland America Line Partners With Legendary Le Cirque Restaurant

Famed Dining Experience Offered to Guests on All Sailings

Seattle, Oct. 25, 2010 — Holland America Line is adding another famous partnership to its innovative culinary program as it enters into an exclusive agreement with the illustrious Le Cirque restaurant to offer “An Evening at Le Cirque” in the Pinnacle Grill aboard its fleet of 15 ships.

Holland America Line’s Master Chef Rudi Sodamin is working with Le Cirque’s Executive Chef Craig Hopson to re-create the legendary eatery’s whimsical ambiance and award-winning dining experience on board — from serving the cuisine on fanciful orange Le Cirque china to featuring the restaurant’s famous crème brûlée.

“Le Cirque epitomizes the best of the best, further expanding our culinary program with innovative partnerships and world-renowned names,” said Richard D. Meadows, CTC, executive vice president, marketing, sales and guest programs. “To be able to extend one of the most exceptional dining experiences in the world to our guests is another exclusive element that we’re excited to be able to offer, and even the most discerning foodie will be impressed.”

On virtually every voyage, the Pinnacle Grill will be transformed for at least one night into a Le Cirque–like atmosphere. On those special evenings, menu offerings, wine selections, table decorations and the restaurant setting will be tailored to create an authentic Le Cirque dining experience that is sure to impress both the eyes and palates of Holland America Line guests. Reservations can be made for “An Evening at Le Cirque in the Pinnacle Grill” for a charge.

Not only will guests have the opportunity to dine on unique Le Cirque dishes including Lobster Salad “Le Cirque,” Sweet Corn Soup and Côte de Boeuf, they also will be able to learn how to cook a dish or two during special Le Cirque demonstrations in the on-board Culinary Arts Center.

“My family and I are excited to enter into a partnership with a cruise line that has such a celebrated and highly regarded reputation,” said Sirio Maccioni, founder of Le Cirque. “I recently sailed with Holland America Line and was very impressed with their cuisine, impeccable service and high level of hospitality. I look forward to putting my own culinary touch on the dining experience and sharing Le Cirque with Holland America Line guests."

Additional enhancements to the program include screenings of the HBO documentary “Le Cirque: A Table in Heaven” on in-stateroom television, as well as the opportunity to purchase a Le Cirque crème brûlée dish and Le Cirque founder Sirio Maccioni’s book, “Sirio: The Story of My Life and Le Cirque.”

A recipient of the coveted James Beard Award for restaurant of the year, Le Cirque has been ranked among the best in the world for decades by food experts, celebrities and high society. Le Cirque restaurants are located in New York, Las Vegas and the Dominican Republic and its founder, Sirio Maccioni, is a legend and one of the industry’s most-respected restaurateurs.

While the restaurant attracts many celebrity customers, Le Cirque and Maccioni also have helped launch the careers of many illustrious chefs, including Daniel Boulud, Christophe Bellanca, Alain Sailhac, Rick Moonen and Holland America Line Culinary Council Member Jacques Torres.

For more information on Holland America Line cruises and fares, contact a professional travel agent, call 1-877-SAIL-HAL (1-877-724-5425) or visit www.hollandamerica.com.

Editor’s note: Images are available at http://www.cleanpix.com/cleanpix/portal/WkZe-1mE-B5N.

- www.hollandamerica.com -

I just had the Le Cirque meal on the Oosterdam this past week. The food was great, but it would have been nice to get a little more variety.

Service was great, but it generally always is in the Pinacle.

I just had the Le Cirque meal on the Oosterdam this past week. The food was great, but it would have been nice to get a little more variety.

 

Service was great, but it generally always is in the Pinacle.

Could you tell us more, please. What was on the menu and what do you mean by 'more variety'? I would expect it is a select menu and not one with a lot of choices, but would love details. I know this is something we would love to do. How much is the charge and how did it go over with the pax?

I just had the Le Cirque meal on the Oosterdam this past week. The food was great, but it would have been nice to get a little more variety.

 

Service was great, but it generally always is in the Pinacle.

Interesting. How much was it and did they change a lot of the decor or just the table settings?

It hasn't been done yet; it's coming. The news was just announced. Thanks for bringing it to our attention, djhsolara. Those charming young ladies in the Pinnacle Grill are going to have to fine-tune their restaurant skills as it is. Some of them are quite good, others are very good at smiling only. This "Cirque" dinner may take some time to implement.

My apologies; I see that someone has already experienced it. I need to read faster!

My experience in the Pinnacle Grill has been very hit or miss. I've had very good service, and on recent cruises, I've had rather appalling service. I still think it will take time to train the staff for yet another type of service.

I believe it was $40 pp.

You weren't left with many decisions.

The salad was a lobster salad. I thought it was great. It was a mix of greens and veggies with lobster.

The second dish was a corn chowder. Again, your only choice. It was also very good.

For main dishes. You had the choice between halibut, lamb and beef. I had the rack of lamb and loved every bit of it. My wife had the halibut and she really liked it, but I didn't find it nearly as interesting as the lamb was.

Dessert was either crème brûlée or chocolate souffle. I'm not generally a souffle fan, but I tried it and I enjoyed it.

Sum it up all the food was great, you just didn't get any choice in starters. They probably need to add a veggie entrie to the menu.

There was a big wine list, but we opted for just buying bottles of the wines that were meant for the pairing. They were reasonably priced and were good, but nothing special.

I forgot to add that the service wasn't any different than a normal night. The dishes were different, but thats it.

Is the Le Cirque menu fleet wide (i.e. Eurodam)?

Can't wait--I'm really looking forward to this now on my December cruise!

We went to this event on the Oosterdam's Oct 9-16 cruise and I was not very impressed. The food, in my opinion, was no better than what the Pinnacle usually serves and the service charge was higher. In addition, the event was sold out so the staff was busier than usual. Service was OK, but the service from our regular servers in the MDR would most likely have been more enjoyable.

Perhaps as they implement this fleet-wide the details will change, but there weren't any special decorations in the room although I believed that the promotional literature implied there would be. There was a special menu. The plates had the Le Cirque monkey design on them but that was all. The cookbooks were on a table, for sale, at the entrance to the Pinnacle.

The lobster salad was very good, as was mentioned earlier. I'm allergic to basil and so could not eat the corn chowder (they knew it in advance; couldn't/didn't make any provision for a substitute) but my husband thought it was good. It looked awfully thick to me. We ordered the beef for 2 and I was shocked at the size of the thing when it came to the table. I know that the Pinnacle beef offerings are often more than one could eat, but if I heard correctly, this thing was 42 ounces--for 2 people! The waiter carved it and there was a lot of waste; by the time they removed the bone then trimmed and sliced it the servings were more manageable, but still a lot of food. I didn't think the beef was quite as tasty as other cuts I've had in the Pinnacle, but it was good.

My husband did the paired wines and he thought the choices were good; I don't really enjoy wine so I'll defer to his opinion. The dessert choices the night we were there included a sorbet trio which I chose because the meal was fairly heavy. Two were delicious but one (pineapple) was tasteless and full of ice crystals.

When she gets home and has time another CC member from our cruise will be dropping in to share their experiences at this dinner. Their experiences were different from ours; as others have pointed out, the Pinnacle is a sort of hit and miss experience. We've certainly been at both ends of this span, over the years.

This sound like an evening of fun and fabulous food...:) :)

This sounds like another way of generating more onboard revenue.

I've already paid for my meals in the cruise fare... and the MDR is plenty good enough for me!

I would eat in the Pinnacle again - I had two lovely meals there on the Prinsendam. However, I don't think I would do this special dinner, paying $40.00, unless there are more choices on the menu for the soup and salad courses. I would also hate to pay extra for a dessert, such as the sorbet, that had ice crystals in it. This takes away a lot of the flavour of the dessert.

Sum it up all the food was great, you just didn't get any choice in starters. They probably need to add a veggie entrie to the menu.

Sounds like another thing that won't tempt me, being vegetarian and all. I actually lost weight on my last cruise because the vegetarian choices were so limited.

It was frustrating to see something like Tortilla Soup on the menu and be told that chicken stock had been used (and was the only non-veggie ingredient).

I seriously doubt that most folks would notice the difference if vegetable stock was used instead of chicken and then we could all enjoy the soup.

It seems that HAL has a difficult time understanding that premise.:(

Thanks for the info,

cheers,

Lemur

I thank every one that posted a review.

When I first saw the topic I was "I'm there"

I have dined in Le Cirque a number of times in my life. The one in New York.

After reading the reviews I find this ain't what I expected. I'll pass.

There isn't enough variety.on the menu

Gramps

This thread didn't show when I made my posting.

This sounds like another way of generating more onboard revenue.

 

I've already paid for my meals in the cruise fare... and the MDR is plenty good enough for me!

Excellent observations. Personally, I would spend that same money having an extra good lunch on land in one of the ports, before trusting anything coming out of the PG again. HAL just does not get it yet. They used to stand for substance and quality.

Now they are going more for gimmick and frou frou. As long as they don't mess up their basics they will continue to get my loyalty (itineraries-cabins-MDR- quiet service). The rest of this added-on optional nonsense, we can continue to avoid.

Sounds like another thing that won't tempt me, being vegetarian and all. I actually lost weight on my last cruise because the vegetarian choices were so limited.

 

It was frustrating to see something like Tortilla Soup on the menu and be told that chicken stock had been used (and was the only non-veggie ingredient).

 

I seriously doubt that most folks would notice the difference if vegetable stock was used instead of chicken and then we could all enjoy the soup.

 

It seems that HAL has a difficult time understanding that premise.:(

 

Thanks for the info,

cheers,

Lemur

HAL may have a difficult time understanding your premise, but it sounds as though they know how to make Tortilla Soup.

Personally, I would spend that same money having an extra good lunch on land in one of the ports...

Yes.

Thats what exploring the world is all about (to us). Why in the world would you want to dine on the ship if Venice is just outside?

Still, there are those that wish to travel inside the bubble. HAL is going to exploit that preference for all its worth. I see nothing wrong with it. It might even prove an interesting diversion on a sea day.

Smooth sailing...

about a program that hasn't even started yet. I know dinner at Le Cirque in NY or LV will be over $200 pp. so it is worth a try. Sa with any named restaurant like Bobby Flay, Eric Rippert and others the source creates the menu and recipes and local staff actually creates the meal. Since the PG is the better dining room on the ships, there is a chance that you will like the meal and the ambiance. I have had the special chef's meal on a HAL ship and it was more interesting and a bit better than a standard PG meal. I for one will be booking it as soon as I can.

...that this is scheduled during the Master Chef Dinner - When the Pinnacle is always booked by folks attempting to avoid the mess in the MDR?

Interesting, I agree that it might jsut be another revenue generator. We usually try Pinnacle once each cruise and everytime I leave saying it was good, not great.

Kirk

Just got home from 2 weeks on the Ryndam -- this new dinner was not offered on our cruises.

From reading this I am getting the impression that it will be offered on the last night of the cruise? When the Master Chef's Dinner is being held in the main dinning room? What a bummer!!

This sounds like another way of generating more onboard revenue.

You say that as if it were a bad thing. HAL is in the business of making money for it's stockholders. That's the name of the game.

Some methods of making money are better than others. New ones are tried all the time. The ones that make the most money stay; they ones that don't are replaced.

Ruth- I was thinking the same thing. I always find it amusing when posters complain about cruise lines trying to make money. LOL.

When we tried the Le Cirque night on the Oosterdam it was held on a Wednesday night; the cruise runs Saturday-Saturday. So it didn't interfere at all with the Master Chef Dinner; we went to both.

Msteve, the Le Cirque will, I understand, be HAL-wide eventually but right now it's being tried on the Oosterdam (maybe others too I'm not aware of). The reviews you're reading are what's happening now on the Oosterdam. And perhaps subject to change as always happens when a new feature is in the trial phase. I'm hoping before it goes fleet-wide there will be improvements to what we experienced.

You say that as if it were a bad thing.

No, you interpreted that way. If people want to spend extra on specialty restaurants, buy art at auction and otherwise contribute to onboard revenue (I contribute by buying alcohol)that's fine by me because it helps to keep the 'basic' cost of cruising from rising.