Chops for Vegetarians

reviewing all op postings in a thread can often help one avoid embarrassment.

lol

Sooo you're going to a steakhouse and paying an up charge for salad you can get in the MDR?

Since when does being vegetarian mean you only eat salad?

My OH is vegetarian and we’ve eaten at Chops a couple of times either complimentary or on a BOHO.

We pointed out the menu says there are vegetarian options on request but on asking they simply point to items on the menu.

The goats cheese (as with almost all cheese onboard) contains animal rennet so isn’t vegetarian. Same with the Mac and Cheese. In the main dining room many dishes marked as vegetarian contain non vegetarian cheese so are not vegetarian. (Vegetarian = not eating anything that contains something for which an animal has died and the rennet in the cheese is derived from a calves stomach so it’s a bit naughty that they class the cheese as vegetarian.)

On Symphony Jamie’s has the widest veggie choice and they had veggie cheese on their menu and could swap non veggie cheese for veggie cheese on request. We had three lovely meals there.

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I really like eating in speciality restaurants. My wife and other members of my family are vegetarians. So this is the kind of problem I have all the time. We tend to go round the individual restaurants, check out the menu, discuss options with restaurant manager. Sometimes they shrug their shoulders and aren't very helpful. Other times they are happy to prepare something special or pull together something from the menu by taking out the meat components.

It is a great experience and if you have a complementary offer then definitely worth going. Just let them know that you are vegetarian ahead of time and see what they do.

Personally, I believe RC could make more of an effort to cater for vegetarians in speciality restaurants, even if it is through an unofficial menu that your can pre-order from.

IMO Chops is a colossal waste of money for a vegetarian.

I would agree with this, but if the OP is going with a group and doesn't want to be left out, I would go with the mushroom soup, the salad with the nuts and cranberries and a couple of the sides. Add a cocktail and some bread and I am sure you won't leave hungry! :D

A lot of if not most soups, including mushroom, are made with stocks made from chicken or beef and dairy products.

 

bosco

This shouldn't matter so much to some vegetarians, but it would matter to a vegan. :D

This shouldn't matter so much to some vegetarians, but it would matter to a vegan. :D

If a vegetarian is happy to eat a chicken or beef derivative then they are not vegetarians.

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If a vegetarian is happy to eat a chicken or beef derivative then they are not vegetarians.

 

 

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People define vegetarian in a few different ways. Even though there might be a “true” definition some will do things slightly differently. Anyway who cares what “vegetarian” is or not. She just wants some info and extras like the stock rod but is good info to know!

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Speak to them in advance about options. I travel with kosher people who will eat vegetarian or fish while on board. They have gotten fish at Chops brought from MDR and enjoy the other courses and sides. Yes, they pay for a main course they could get free at MDR but they enjoy the company of our group and the ambiance. Similarly, wait staff accommodated them in Wonderland by getting options from other restaurants. Work with them. They go between dining rooms for wine and other things and can do it for you.

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Welcome to Cruise Critic... sometimes too much emphasis on the critic part. [emoji6]

 

 

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Sometimes? lol

My wife is half vegetarian.

Does that mean her mother is a vegetarian but her father eats meat?

Does that mean her mother is a vegetarian but her father eats meat?

She eats very little meat and often says she could be a vegetarian.

I'm a big meat eater so usually I have a plate of meat and she has a plate of vegetables because we swap the meat and vegetables from each others plates.

Seven of us went to Chops on the Navigator last year for my sons birthday and we took his girlfriend who is a vegetarian. She was able to choose a vegetarian dish from the Giovanni's menu which she really enjoyed - along with Chops appetisers and sides

On 6/12/2018 at 2:46 PM, crewsweeper said:

Try 150 Centrale or Vintages. More choices there. But don't expect vegan.

Actually 150 doesn't have barely anything for vegetarians that I see, at least not on the current menu. For $40 per person, the only entree currently listed is some cauliflower. I am traveling with a vegetarian and if paying ourselves for a dining night, I would not pay $40 for a salad and a piece of cauliflower. 

As far as I can tell, the only specialty dining that actually has good options for vegetarians is Giovannis or Jaime's. Since the OP has the Chops for free then might as well do Chops and just get some sides to ask about any other items since you aren't paying for it. 

But for others that are looking into paying for specialty dining, I would only recommend whichever italian place your ship has as the others, based on the sample menus that I have seen, are not vegetarian friendly. At least not enough to justify the price. I really wish this wasn't the case, that every specialty dining place had some suitable options for vegetarians, but unfortunately this is not how it currently looks like. 

But if anyone has any experience recently that is counter to what is listed on the menu, please feel free to share as this might help out other cruisers that are traveling with vegetarians.

Happy cruising.