Review of FOOD on Riviera 6/17 Lisbon to Rome(Work in progress)

[Paulchili]

I'm so happy that we're booked on Riviera for a transAtlantic crossing. Very few pesky ports to interfere with enjoying the delicious food. We'll be all over the stinky cheese! Reposado, thanks so much for your wonderful descriptions and visuals.

 

+1

We are on the TA crossing in Nov '13 - when are you sailing?

[MightyQuinn]

+1

We are on the TA crossing in Nov '13 - when are you sailing?

I thought we might have a match - but nooo.

We're on the inaugural TA in Nov '12 so we'll be your advance team to sample all the goodies. Top of my list is the Iberico de Bellota. :):)

[Paulchili]

I thought we might have a match - but nooo.

We're on the inaugural TA in Nov '12 so we'll be your advance team to sample all the goodies. Top of my list is the Iberico de Bellota. :):)

 

As long as you leave some for us :D

Enjoy!

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for taking the time to write a review of your cruise. I am a foody too, loved your pictures but really how many things did you really enjoy?

[babysteps]

Great glimpse of things to come, we're on Riviera Barcelona to Lisbon this Sept.

 

Caviar, great story from our last cruise (7 years ago or so!). We were 2 nights in St. Petersburg and wandered over to the big "Gostiny Dvor" department store, bought a similar tin of caviar - at the time about $200 if I remember (before a whole bunch of restrictions went into place that have boosted the price) - even at the time we calculated that an individual could fly to Russia, buy (& eat) the caviar, and fly home and it would be less total cost than buying the caviar in the US! We gorged ourselves & then shared the rest with the alumnae group that we were traveling with. Even in the soviet era the Russians may have understood marketing better than we give them credit for - the vodka kiosk was directly across the aisle from the caviar counter at the department store!

 

I love the concept of lamb chops for breakfast :) Will not be ordering mint jelly for myself - the spouse loves it on lamb chops, I find it too sweet. Did make some mint chimuchurri once, that was tasty!

 

Looking forward to the rest of the photos & comments - very helpful.

[reposado]

Thanks for taking the time to write a review of your cruise. I am a foody too, loved your pictures but really how many things did you really enjoy?

 

Thanks for yours and all the other comments!

 

Continuing on...

 

The lobster bisque from Polo Grill. 2/5. Rich and creamy with large chunks of sauteed lobster. A bit salty for my taste thus the lower score.

 

 

 

 

Drum roll please.... The 32 Oz "kings cut" bone in prime rib from Polo. Pictures lack perspective and is a 2D image of a 3D object. This picture does the size of the meat no justice. Seeing it in person vs picture is like seeing the grand canyon or niagra falls on a photo then seeing it live. Whispers of "good god" was heard on the table next door(by a texan no less) when the waiter presented this dish. The meat is around 3 inches thick and juicy, flavorful, well marbled, and DELICIOUS. 5/5 I've had lots of prime rib in my life, and this was close if not THE BEST ever.

 

 

 

Here is it again.

 

 

 

Eating it felt like I was on an episode of Man Vs. Food. Protein overload but the last thing you want to do is stop because its so freaking delicious. After plenty of sweat, diligence, and concentration, I've conquered it... twice. :D

 

 

For those of you with smaller appitite but love meat, order it anyways, skip the bread and the appitizers are usually very small. Oh and that shrimp tail (bot left corner) is not part of the dish :).

Edited July 6, 2012 by reposado

[reposado]

Continued...

 

28 day dry aged porterhouse. 20oz of USDA prime goodness. Expertly grilled with beautiful criss-cross grill lines. Perfectly cooked medium-rare and very tender(due to the lack of connective tissues from the aging process). Better than the last piece of porterhouse I had from Mastros steakhouse which costs an arm. 4/5. Only problem with this dish for us is that it sits next to its big brother, the king cut prime rib, and is outshined.

 

[reposado]

Continued...

 

We were too full after our dinner at polo to order dessert. After a few hours, dessert suddenly sounded good again so we hiked up to the Terrace Grill(cruising is such hard work) and picked up these treasures and brought it back to the room. Did I memtion you must diet before boarding the Riviera? :rolleyes:

 

Edited July 7, 2012 by reposado

[reposado]

Continued...

 

Random breakfast nicknacks at grand dining room. Wife had the classic melon and prosciutto.

 

 

 

As you can tell I ate a bit more than my wife for breakfast. Yup steak is served for breakfast in GDR.

 

 

More "exotic" asian inspired tea found at Red Ginger thats not found on other parts of the ship. I enjoyed mine. My wife being a more experienced tea drinker(who drinks the way overpriced types found in mall or boutique shops) also gave her thumbs up. They should have served these during afternoon tea as well IMO.

 

 

 

Red Gingers version of the Beef Carpaccio. Served with peanuts, shallots, and hot oil. Probably one of the most spicy dish found on the ship, Oceania redeemed itself in the carpaccio department after the lackluster carpaccio found in toscana. 4/5. bold, spicy, and making me very hungry as I am typing this.

 

[reposado]

Just wanted to share this before I take a break. Every little thing speaks of detail and quality on the Riviera. When was the last time you saw salt and pepper shaker like these ones in a restaurant?

 

 

 

Dont panic you food snobs... fresh ground peppers will always be offered graciously by the wait staff when appropriate. :)

Edited July 7, 2012 by reposado

[klscaz]

 

Drum roll please.... The 32 Oz "kings cut" bone in prime rib from Polo. Pictures lack perspective and is a 2D image of a 3D object. This picture does the size of the meat no justice. Seeing it in person vs picture is like seeing the grand canyon or niagra falls on a photo then seeing it live. Whispers of "good god" was heard on the table next door(by a texan no less) when the waiter presented this dish. The meat is around 3 inches thick and juicy, flavorful, well marbled, and DELICIOUS. 5/5 I've had lots of prime rib in my life, and this was close if not THE BEST ever.

 

 

 

Here is it again.

 

 

 

 

It looks more massive in the 2nd pic. My husband would have this every night if he could!

[Mura]

My first visit to Polo always includes the King's cut of the prime rib. I just prefer it bone-in even though there is no way I can finish it.

 

I usually start with the shrimp cocktail but once I ordered the salmon... the salmon was just as huge as the prime rib. Our dinner guests wondered how I could eat that much.

 

Well, the answer was that I couldn't. But it was such a wonderful meal.

 

The prime rib I had on Marina last October was rather different from the prime rib I've always gotten on the "R" ships ... and I preferred the "R"ship version. Not that I suffered on Marina ...

 

Mura

[hondorner]

Reposado, I was curious about your cruise critic name and googled it, for fun. I discovered that it's a term for fine tequilla.

 

Also, a restaurant in California with pictures as delicious looking as the ones you have posted -- any connection?

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I personally cannot imagine ordering that big a piece of meat! Do they offer a smaller cut of prime rib? I guess you could always share.

[Roccoforte]

Thanks for all the great photos and reviews!

We're sailing on 1/13/13 Mayan Mystique - can't wait!

[Paulchili]

I personally cannot imagine ordering that big a piece of meat! Do they offer a smaller cut of prime rib? I guess you could always share.

 

I am pretty sure they have a Queen's cut as well.

[Mura]

The King's cut is 32 oz -- but a lot of that is bone and fat. (It's just so wonderful ...)

 

The Queen's cut is 16 oz. That is boneless. Even so, a lot of meat ...

 

When we were in Boston in June 2011 we were at Durgin's Park and ordered the big prime rib -- that comes on the WHOLE leg! The King's cut looks small in comparison!

 

Mura

[Hambagahle]

All I can say is "Mon Dieu!" what amazing photos.

 

AND I particularly love the pepper grinder and large grain salt. It has been a long-standing beff of mine (no pun intended!) on Regent that they only give you salt and pepper shakers on the table... I love to grind my own pepper!!

[spook1]

The King's cut is 32 oz -- but a lot of that is bone and fat. (It's just so wonderful ...)

 

The Queen's cut is 16 oz. That is boneless. Even so, a lot of meat ...

 

When we were in Boston in June 2011 we were at Durgin's Park and ordered the big prime rib -- that comes on the WHOLE leg! The King's cut looks small in comparison!

 

Mura

Mura,

We once did an Oct. hike in Vermont with New England Hiking Holidays and vsiited Durgin's Park known for the prime rib. The guy at the next table had the super-sized and when it was put on the table the bone end nearly punched a hole in the wall. I was in awe. No way can I eat that much; I savor the flavor, though.

Ron:)

[Mura]

Ron,

 

We didn't finish ours either! One of our party was smart and ordered the boneless version (at Durgin Park) ... the rest of us had our meat on the hoof!

 

It WAS delicious, though.

 

Mura

[reposado]

Reposado, I was curious about your cruise critic name and googled it, for fun. I discovered that it's a term for fine tequilla.

 

Also, a restaurant in California with pictures as delicious looking as the ones you have posted -- any connection?

 

Reposado is a street that I used to live on a few years back... I am not in the restaurant business. :)

 

 

continued...

 

 

Fried calamari with sweet chili sauce from Red Ginger. Fried calamari is generally not something I usually like to order but wife wanted some so we did. Of course she turned out to be right. 4/5 This dish was surprisingly well executed. The batter was light and crispy on the outside, the squid tasted moist and fresh on the inside. The thai style chili sauce maybe a bit too sweet but not overbearing(because you can control the dipping).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuna Tataki from Red Ginger with shiso and wasabi cream. Nothing particularly wrong with the dish, but nothing exciting either. Of course I am a wanna-be sushi snob so it would take quiet a bit to impress me in this department. Flavor reminded me of a dish from Cheesecake Factory I had a few months back(basically like raw tuna with wasabi mayonnaise--not a plus). 2/5. It would have been nice if they used some more authentic but atypical ingredience like yuzu instead.

 

 

 

 

Avocado lobster salad from Red Gingier with hamachi, miso, and vinegar. Suffer from the same problem as the dish above, except with flavors that I personally enjoy more. 3/5. Not particular inspiring, however, Hamachi, with its buttery flavor, is one of my favorite non-exotic sushi fish, mixed with the creaminess of ripe avocado along the nice texture of lobster its pretty hard mess up. Avoid the sweet miso sauce on the side if you can.

 

 

 

 

Duck and water salad from Red Ginger with cashew, mint, and basil. 2/5. A dish that I heard about often but cant find myself being impressed by it. The reason I dont particularly like asian-fusion restaurants is because it seems every dish has to taste like sweet orange chicken. Sweet, sweet, and more sweet. The duck tasted had a "jerky" texture to and tasted... sweet. Watermelon of course is sweet. Dont get me wrong, I enjoy sweet dishes, but not one course after another.

 

Edited July 10, 2012 by reposado

[reposado]

The Miso glazed Seabass from Red Ginger. Another dish I heard much raving about, and boy, did it live up to expectations. 5/5. Unless you have a fish allergy, DO NOT leave the ship unless you have tried this dish. I love seabass and have been ordering them whenever its served, and this one tops them all. I suspect the outer shell was touched up with a torch giving it just a perfect amont of crust and char. The inside with warm flesh that just simply melts in your mouth. The thickness of the cut suggest a large, quality fish. When I looked around at the other tables it seems like no one around us ordered the bass, boggling, because they've missed an opportunity at tasting something truly, utterly, exceptional.

 

 

[aZ4me]

Reposado,

I have sure enjoyed reading your food reviews and seeing your wonderful pictures of the meals you enjoyed on your cruise.

 

I'm so glad you included the Sea Bass from Red Ginger---that was my absolute favorite meal on Marina, and it's the one meal I'm looking forward to the most on Riviera.

 

Thank you for taking the time to share your pictures and thoughts with all of us.

[sola7]

We were on Riviera last week. My wife asked for a smaller portion of the Prime Rib in Polo, and was offered a "Princess Cut". It was still pretty large, but manageable at least.

 

The real surprise for us was Red Ginger. The food, the service, the presentation was all fantastic, and it was, IMO, the star of the specialty dining options on the ship. For the rest of the cruise, we joked about trying to ask for the sea bass in the other dining areas.

[babysteps]

...

For the rest of the cruise, we joked about trying to ask for the sea bass in the other dining areas.

 

Great Thin Man restaurant movie scene, short excerpt -

!