Any must-try MDR foods or ones to avoid?

[smahama]

Best: Vidalia onion tart, mushroom puff pastry, brownie sandwich, escargot

 

Worst: Shrimp ravioli (BLECH), that pasta with the scallops in it

[Traveling Library]

In June on the Independence we wanted to try the Indian dinner alternative one-evening. The waiter discouraged us (said "not so good") but then arrived with a lamb meat curry. WOW! The next evening the head waiter arrived with a print out list of alternative meat curries that are not on the menu but are available (a different one each night). I can highly recommend the lamb and chicken. Beef curry was so-so. All arrived with nan, pappadam and rice. I barely ordered off the MDR menu after that! And, yes, we gave the waiter and head waiter a very nice tip.

[deek72]

Vidalia onion tart the first night is my favorite but now I'm torn between the MDR for that or using the BOGO coupon for a specialty restaurant the first night!

 

What's this then :confused:

[Oscar_the_Grouch's_Sis]

Vidalia onion tart the first night is my favorite but now I'm torn between the MDR for that or using the BOGO coupon for a specialty restaurant the first night!

 

No brainer!

 

Order a Room Service "pre appetizer" .... then go use your bogo. :p

[sr4mjc]

I'm not sure which night it was, could have been the first night, but I ordered the grouper and it was horrible. Terribly dry and very, very fishy. I have a hard time believing it was the kind of grouper I'm used to in FL, which is very mild. The few at our table who ordered it also found it inedible. That's the only thing that stands out as something I'd never order again.

 

Loved the pumpkin soup. And also loved a peach/blueberry cobbler that came with ice cream.

[olibubble]

What's this then :confused:

buy one get one free voucher.

 

there is a voucher for bogof meals in speciality restaurants on the first night of the cruise, though i thnk its only for people who are diamon in the C&A? i could be wrong though!

[deek72]

buy one get one free voucher.

 

there is a voucher for bogof meals in speciality restaurants on the first night of the cruise, though i thnk its only for people who are diamon in the C&A? i could be wrong though!

 

Ah, thanks. I'm only a garnet :o

[GrammyJill]

My 2 favorites are escargot and creme brulee. Oh my..... at dinner I always order a wet & dirty martini! Also loved the tiger shrimp.

[north29]

The quality of all the food varies so much from time to time it is hard to say what will be good or bad on any given cruise.

One thing for sure, if you know what good lobster should taste like, if you do take a chance on it, be prepared to send it back if not happy.

[terpfan101]

Just got off the Enchantment last week...here are some that we recall:

 

Excellent: escargot, tiger shrimp, scallop risotto, shrimp & mahi mahi tempura, key lime pie & sugar free key lime pie, cold fruit soups, peach & blueberry cobbler, caesar salad.

 

Avoid: sea bass, some cherry dessert (not jubilee but there was another low fat cherry dessert that was awful).

[richstowe]

Lots of great stuff. Favorite was not a single dish but the non self serve salad bar in the MDR on sea days. GREAT!

 

Only unedible dish were the lamb chops. Tasted steamed not broiled.Ugh! No problem as there were lots of alternatives available.

[swcruise]

Here's one to avoid, the roast duck had it two years in a row, won't be caught a 3rd time and will definitely steer clear...

[cookiebox]

I too, will be on the Enchantment in just 5 more days (out of Baltimore, my home town). I have asked a few people about the MDR, and even though some folks recommend gong there, so many others have said that it is disappointing, and would rather pay extra at Chops for better food. I now am having second thoughts about attending the "formal night" because of the negative reviews I'm hearing, yet I don't particularly want to pay extra for the Chops meal. I think I will be eating at Windjammer often, as they have more variety and the teenagers will probably enjoy the food more as well. We will have our first dinner at the MDR, and might even go for Formal night, but I would like to try Chops at least once.

[terpfan101]

I too, will be on the Enchantment in just 5 more days (out of Baltimore, my home town). I have asked a few people about the MDR, and even though some folks recommend gong there, so many others have said that it is disappointing, and would rather pay extra at Chops for better food. I now am having second thoughts about attending the "formal night" because of the negative reviews I'm hearing, yet I don't particularly want to pay extra for the Chops meal. I think I will be eating at Windjammer often, as they have more variety and the teenagers will probably enjoy the food more as well. We will have our first dinner at the MDR, and might even go for Formal night, but I would like to try Chops at least once.

 

Please don't do that! I was just on Enchantment last week (see my best and worst a few posts back) as well as my review here: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/getreviews.cfm?action=ship&ShipID=73. Overall WJ's food was not very good (for lunch). We ate in the MDR every night and overall were very happy. (NOTE: I've been called a "food snob" and will agree to this name as I have pretty high standards). The buffet food quality is poor plus the fact that you aren't at a table with others and don't get to know your waitstaff more. Our waitstaff were incredible and it helps make the trip that much more enjoyable! Also at WJ, you have the added drawback of lack of portion control which will only increase the odds of gaining more weight on the cruise ship as it's easier to overeat there. I was always content with the amount of food at MDR even if it seemed small, an app, entree, and dessert was always enough that I never ate after dinner (except the night of the canapes - 70s night).

 

I'm trying to recall what was available on formal night and can recall the escargot, roasted duck and shrimp ravioli. The escargot was excellent (never had it before but it was great), they also had shrimp cocktail which was ok but not as nice as it was on Navigator years ago where it had several large shrimp as opposed to 5 medium ones. The duck was just good but I wouldn't order it again. My girlfriend got the ravioli and it was good as well. I believe there was a steak that night of sorts. But again I must reiterate, don't eat any more meals in Windjammer then you need to! Your kids will find something they like at the MDR even if it means ordering off the kids menu. Enjoy your cruise!!

 

PS. Feel free to PM me with any other questions about Enchantment/Bermuda.

[audal29]

Coffee you pay extra for is ok but free coffee not. Take Nescafe sachets and just add hot water

[travelbuddies]

Carved beef and shrimp salad served at lunch in the Windjammer only available the day you board. Escargot, cold soups, rum ice cream, veal chop. A tasting of what I wouldn't normally buy large containers of at home like figs, dates, prunes. and cheeses. Often a small portion of local fare is brought in and served at lunch at port in the dining room. On occassion, I like to sample that as well... the backlava from the Greek Isles was the best I've ever had.

[Cruisin MarcnFran]

Lots of great stuff. Favorite was not a single dish but the non self serve salad bar in the MDR on sea days. GREAT!

 

Only unedible dish were the lamb chops. Tasted steamed not broiled.Ugh! No problem as there were lots of alternatives available.

 

That wonderful salad at lunch in MDR is our favorite too!

[cruisevet614]

My advice is pretty simple. Try a lot of the food.

 

And you can do so by ordering 3 appetizers and 2 dinners every night ..... or more if you so desire.

 

Go for it.:cool:

After taking more cruises than I can count, I can say one thing about trying three appetizers and two dinners (or more) every night. Before long the only ship you'll fit on is the SS Obesity...

[richstowe]

I too, will be on the Enchantment in just 5 more days (out of Baltimore, my home town). I have asked a few people about the MDR, and even though some folks recommend gong there, so many others have said that it is disappointing, and would rather pay extra at Chops for better food. I now am having second thoughts about attending the "formal night" because of the negative reviews I'm hearing, yet I don't particularly want to pay extra for the Chops meal. I think I will be eating at Windjammer often, as they have more variety and the teenagers will probably enjoy the food more as well. We will have our first dinner at the MDR, and might even go for Formal night, but I would like to try Chops at least once.

I believe what is special about formal night is more about people dressing up than the food itself.

The food was fine but not that different than other nights. I spoke to a very experienced cruiser who prefered going to

the "premium" restaurants on formal nights as they enjoyed the atmosphere and the quiet on those nights.

[pim]

Will be on Enchantment in just days, and would appreciate some recommendations on which food items in the MDR are not to be missed or conversely, really ought to be avoided. I know that food preferences are subjective, but I'm trusting that there will be some things that will be consistent across many people's tastes. There was a thread similar to this about a month ago, but it has since died out, and I was hoping to get a new one started up again.

We try EVERYTHING!!! That's the beauty of cruising. We'll order several of each course and eat a bit of each. Of course it helps if you're not a picky eater (we eat anything and everything), but then if you are, this is the ideal opportunity to try new foods and not be obligated to eat them.

 

Bon Appetit!

[cruisefor42011]

we loved the escargot and the onion tart and the tiger shrimp....yum !! the cold soups were good too!!

[simplylife0010]

Wrong thread.

[Mjflowers]

Eating anything and everything for the sake of a bite seems so wastefull. Have you ever seen the trash bins on a cruise ship after a dinner service. I don't think you have an obligation to try it all for one bite.

[sinta]

Hi Mjflowers,

I agree with you:

Think that those animals are killed unnecessarily, when someone does not eat the food he has ordered.:(

[paramedicduo]

I'm not a very big eater and dh likes to eat frequently instead of big meals...so we skipped the starters each night & dove right into the entrees instead. His faves were the duck & lamb, not something I'd usually serve at home. Being the fussier of the two, I stuck to chicken & steak...I was never disappointed with the cuts of meat I was served.

Now dessert...yum, yum :) One of our faves was a trio of desserts (can't remember what each were, a mousse of some sort, a tart and something else maybe??), and a brownie sandwich - that made my blood sugar spike just watching our "neighbors" eat it! Most nights I ordered a little dish of ice cream to go with whatever treat I was sampling :)