Breakaway Review, 2/23-3/2

[RikkuCat]

We must have been on a different Norwegian Breakaway than many of reviewers because we loved it and had a fantastic time! We have two vacations planned for this year and we were expecting this one to be the lesser of the two, but it will be hard to top this trip. :D

 

I wanted to write a review because I DEVOURED Breakaway reviews in the weeks/months leading up to our cruise, so I was very excited to see new ones - I'm sure others feel the same way! I'm going to break it into sections because I'll never finish if I try to say it all in one sitting - so I apologize in advance for breaks between posts. At the end, I'll address the common complaints about the Breakaway and how our experience compared.

 

Please feel free to ask questions and I'll try to answer them all. We did not experience everything on the Breakaway this trip and I'm not the type who saves dailies and takes photos of menus, but I have a pretty good memory and will answer whatever I can.

 

Background:

We are an early-30s couple with no kids yet. We live in the Washington DC area and both have rather demanding jobs, so our main goal for this trip was to relax and forget about everything. We usually take two vacations a year and are fairly experienced travelers. We've been on one previous cruise, on the NCL Star to Bermuda in Oct 2012. While we had a great time on that cruise, we thought the ship was a little boring and wanted to try a mega ship for our next cruise. We selected the Breakaway because we can easily travel to NYC without flying and because we thought NCL was a good fit for us in general. Also, the ship looked really cool. I read a lot of reviews prior to our cruise, so I feel like I went into it with reasonable expectations of the strengths and weaknesses of the Breakaway.

 

Next up: Embarkation

Edited March 5, 2014 by RikkuCat

[RikkuCat]

Embarkation:

We had decided to travel to NYC the morning of the cruise. I know, I know - some of you are going to tell me that we risked missing the ship by not arriving two weeks ahead of time! (KIDDING!) But we did not have far to travel and DC and NYC were both supposed to be 50 degrees and sunny, so we decided to risk it. ;)

 

 

We took the Megabus to NYC for our previous cruise and did it again this time. As someone who usually takes the train to NYC for work, I highly recommend Megabus. It's quiet - and I mean SILENT most of the time. There's free wifi and electrical outlets. You pretty much can't beat it. It is a 4-hour trip from DC to NYC (pretty much the same as the train) and VERY cheap. We took a cab from our house to Union Station in DC for our 5:30am departure. After an uneventful bus ride, we arrived in NYC around 10:15 and took a cab to Pier 88.

 

 

Checking in was quick and painless, no lines. We were given number 20 and told that embarkation would begin around 11:30. Once it began, it moved along pretty quickly and we were on board before noon. We were told that cabins were ready, so we went directly to our cabin to drop off our carry-ons before lunch.

 

Next up: Cabin

[RikkuCat]

Cabin:

We had a spa balcony cabin on deck 14, which was a great deal because it came with spa passes, which were important to our "relax and forget about everything" goal for the cruise. Especially since we got a free upgrade from a midship balcony to a spa balcony cabin when I noticed a huge price drop about a month before the cruise. Free spa passes - score!

 

The cabin was very spacious and felt larger than our cabin on the Star, though that could have been due to the layout. I read on CC that the layout is better if the bed is closer to the balcony - never fear, we had the opposite layout and the cabin still felt very spacious. There was plenty of closet room, plenty of hangers in the closet, and plenty of shelf space all over the room - we didn't come close to using all the storage space.

 

I had also read that the Breakaway had shelves rather than drawers for your clothes - and that is true, but the shelves are in the closet and in cabinets, not open shelving like I expected after reading some reviews. Don't worry - your underwear won't be out in the open, it'll be on a shelf in a closet! ;) (I was actually worried about this and had concocted a plan to keep my underwear in a makeup bag if it turned out to be open shelving!)

 

 

The bathroom was quite spacious as well. It was similar in size to the bathroom on our previous cruise, but the layout was better so it seemed a little larger. There was TONS of storage in the bathroom. If you can use all the storage space and STILL need a shoe hanger for storage, I want to know what you're packing! I have a hanging toiletry case and didn't use it. The shower was fine - the only potential issue I noticed is that it drained a little slow and we sometimes ended up with a little water on the bathroom floor after showering.

 

 

I was eager to see the infamously tiny balcony - CC reviews had painted a picture of dire circumstances and I was expecting to have to pile the pieces of furniture on top of one another, suck in our stomachs as tight as we can, and perform some kind of contortionist act if we both wanted to fit on the balcony at the same time. To my surprise, it looked pretty much the same as our balcony on the Star. I shrugged it off at the time, thinking that my memory must be wrong, but after returning home, I took a look at a couple photos of us on the balcony on the Star and it looks EXACTLY the same. I'm sure there's a size difference of some extent if everybody else notices it, but if nobody had said anything, I never would have noticed a difference. It didn't have a lounger, but it had two chairs and a small table - I sat in one chair, put my feet up on the table, and lounged away! Take my opinion with a grain of salt if you want, since I've only been on two cruises - but the balcony didn't seem significantly different to me.

 

Next up: Weather on our cruise

[BigDoug]

I am curious about the MegaBus. How was the drop-off in NYC and the availability of cabs? Also, I see that the departure stop is different than the drop-off. How easy was it to get to the NYC departure stop from the pier? There is a MegaBus stop at the University of Delaware that is only 15 miles from my home. This could be ideal.:D

[sheffield]

Was there any where in the shower stall to put bottles of shampoo/conditioner, face wash, bar soap and a razor?

Thanks

[mking8288]

Great ! Thank you for taking the time to write & post !! :)

 

We are leaving in less than 3 weeks so all the last minute "intel" for the BA are welcomed & sincerely appreciated - always looking for ways to lighten our luggage loads, even when we can bring practically everything except the kitchen sink and microwave - ok, just kidding on that last part, LOL. :D

 

Mrs. M actually wanted to take even less, pack less as she finally agreed that she seldom wear more than 1/2 of her stuff plus using my roller bag for the extras. Saw those pix of the bathroom shelves & storage -leaving behind the hanging wall organizer as 2 of us don't need it, ziplock baggies will do - that's 6 oz. in weight savings.

 

How's that nicely-sized HDTV & its channels? It's about time for NCL's newer ships to give us a decent one (the ones on the GEM were still on the smallish) and I'm going to try again to bring my gadgets to hookup the netbook to play MP4 videos if & when we are just chilling in the cabin.

[RikkuCat]

Weather:

 

Take this with a grain of salt, since weather can be quite different from week to week - but I know it helps to hear what others experienced, especially when you're trying to figure out what to pack.

 

Sunday (embarkation day):

It was surprisingly warm for Feb in NY. We would have been comfortable wearing light jackets to the pier, but since the forecast said that the following weekend would be colder, we wore our winter coats to the pier. Once on board, we hung them in the closet and didn't think about them again all week.

 

I was comfortable outside in a short-sleeved shirt before sailaway, but put on a sweatshirt once we started moving and the breeze picked up. DH, who does not get cold as easily as I do, started off in a long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up, but ended up rolling them down before we left NY harbor. We stayed outside until we sailed under the Verrazano Bridge and went indoors shortly thereafter. Most people had sweatshirts or light jackets on for sailaway, but there were people in the pool/hot tubs as well.

 

Monday (sea day):

Lovely weather - sunny and around 70. I was comfortable on deck in a sundress with a light sweater, and DH wore shorts and a t-shirt. Some people were laying out in bathing suits, using the pool, etc - others had light jackets on. It was quite warm in the sun, especially if you had a spot shelted from the wind. I sunbathed/read a book on our balcony for an hour or two that day and was warm enough in my bathing suit.

 

Tuesday (Port Canaveral):

Nice and warm - sunny with some scattered clouds and it MUST have hit 80 that day. We were fishing at Jetty Park and comfortable in shorts/T-shirts. DH got a little sunburned, as he had missed a few spots with the sunscreen. People were swimming and using the beach at Jetty Park. The water felt a little chilly when we took a walk on the beach in the late afternoon, but I think it would have been fine once you got used to it.

 

Wednesday (GSC):

PERFECT weather! It was sunny with a few puffy clouds. Not sure about the temp - low to mid 80s? Definitely warm enough for the beach. The water was a little chilly when you first got in, but you'd get used to it very quickly. I was never cold, even when I was dripping wet, but it was not oppresively hot.

 

Thursday (Nassau):

Another nice day - a few more clouds than Wed, but mostly sunny and about the same temperature. Water was about the same temp - chilly at first, but comfortable once you got used to it. More clouds in the late afternoon and a beautiful sunset.

 

Friday (sea day):

A little cooler, but still warm. People were sunbathing and using the pool decks. Very windy up on the top decks - we tried going to the ropes course twice, but it was closed (we JUST missed it the second time - they had just made the call to close again). Overcast most of the day, a little light rain in the afternoon. It cleared up in time for a lovely sunset. In the morning, I was comfortable on deck in capris and a short-sleeved shirt, but once the winds picked up, I needed a long-sleeved t-shirt.

 

We sailed through/near some sort of weather system that night. It was the only time all week that I felt more than a tiny bit of motion on the ship - we rocked from about midnight to 2am, enough to keep me awake, anyway. We usually sleep with the balcony door open a little so we can hear the ocean, but had to close it that night because the wind was whistling. The motion wasn't as bad as we experienced on our Star cruise, but the weather probably wasn't as bad, either (we sailed around a hurricane on the Star).

 

Saturday (sea day):

A little cooler, but still very warm for Feb. Still overcast for the most part, but the winds had died down a little and we had a chance to try the ropes course (the zipline and plank were still closed due to winds - at least when we were there). I was comfortable on deck in capris and a long-sleeved t-shirt.

 

Sunday (debarkation):

Normal weather for Feb in NY - glad we brought the winter coats! And...we came home to a snowstorm on Monday.

 

To be continued later...Next up, dining

[RikkuCat]

I am curious about the MegaBus. How was the drop-off in NYC and the availability of cabs? Also, I see that the departure stop is different than the drop-off. How easy was it to get to the NYC departure stop from the pier? There is a MegaBus stop at the University of Delaware that is only 15 miles from my home. This could be ideal.:D

 

I definitely recommend it - we took it to NYC for both cruises. The drop-off spot is further from the pier, about a 10-minute cab ride. TONS of cabs are available - both times, we had a cab within a minute of getting our luggage from the bus. Just watch your possessions and/or children because it is a busy area.

 

The pickup spot is a straight shot down about a dozen blocks from the pier. We took a cab the first time because we didn't know where it was - the cab ride was less than five minutes. This time, we walked it because we had time and knew where it was. It was about a 20-minute walk (for us) and the area that we had to walk through did not feel shady to us - but we are used to large cities. I would take a cab the first time or if you're uncomfortable walking on your own in a city you don't know. The waiting area is outdoors, so you need to dress appropriately.

[RikkuCat]

Was there any where in the shower stall to put bottles of shampoo/conditioner, face wash, bar soap and a razor?

Thanks

 

Yes, our shower had two small wire-type shelves to store your shower stuff. Shampoo and body wash are provided in dispensers in the shower. I didn't try the shampoo because I prefer my own brand, but I tried the body wash and it was fine. It is scented, but the scent is a unisex scent that didn't seem offensive to me. It did not bother my sensitive skin, but I didn't use it on my face.

[BigDoug]

I definitely recommend it - we took it to NYC for both cruises. The drop-off spot is further from the pier, about a 10-minute cab ride. TONS of cabs are available - both times, we had a cab within a minute of getting our luggage from the bus. Just watch your possessions and/or children because it is a busy area.

 

The pickup spot is a straight shot down about a dozen blocks from the pier. We took a cab the first time because we didn't know where it was - the cab ride was less than five minutes. This time, we walked it because we had time and knew where it was. It was about a 20-minute walk (for us) and the area that we had to walk through did not feel shady to us - but we are used to large cities. I would take a cab the first time or if you're uncomfortable walking on your own in a city you don't know. The waiting area is outdoors, so you need to dress appropriately.

Thank you so much for the information. It should put the DW at ease.:)

[RikkuCat]

Great ! Thank you for taking the time to write & post !! :)

 

We are leaving in less than 3 weeks so all the last minute "intel" for the BA are welcomed & sincerely appreciated - always looking for ways to lighten our luggage loads, even when we can bring practically everything except the kitchen sink and microwave - ok, just kidding on that last part, LOL. :D

 

Mrs. M actually wanted to take even less, pack less as she finally agreed that she seldom wear more than 1/2 of her stuff plus using my roller bag for the extras. Saw those pix of the bathroom shelves & storage -leaving behind the hanging wall organizer as 2 of us don't need it, ziplock baggies will do - that's 6 oz. in weight savings.

 

How's that nicely-sized HDTV & its channels? It's about time for NCL's newer ships to give us a decent one (the ones on the GEM were still on the smallish) and I'm going to try again to bring my gadgets to hookup the netbook to play MP4 videos if & when we are just chilling in the cabin.

 

We DEFINITELY had enough storage space! Next time, I won't bring the hanging toiletry kit and just pack in ziplocks.

 

We appreciated having the larger/nicer TV. I didn't watch it much, but DH watched a little TV before bed, after getting up, etc. They have a lot of Breakaway channels - view from the bridge, info/weather, shopping, excursions, etc. For regular channels, there were a few news channels, ESPN (international version), Nickelodeon, a movie channel, and a channel showing popular TV shows - probably a few more that I didn't notice. The movie channel repeated - we kept catching the Hunger Games at different points in the movie. We didn't check the input/outputs.

 

Forgot to mention, but we had TWO electrical outlets available over our desk. I didn't check the rest of the cabin, as that was sufficient for us. Hair dryer was under the desk, powered separately. The cord was long enough for me, but if you're really tall, you may have to sit to dry your hair.

[RikkuCat]

I'm going to break up dining into several posts so I can review each venue separately. As background, I don't consider myself a foodie, but some people would say that I am. I don't expect fine dining at every meal, but I notice food quality. I like many different styles of food and appreciate variety. And I'm really not a buffet person - nothing against cruise ship buffets in particular, I just don't like buffets in general. I'm not a picky eater, except where food quality is concerned. DH is less discerning, so I'll share both of our opinions.

 

On our Star cruise, we were very unimpressed with the food in the MDR. While it was perfectly edible and I could have eaten it every day, I just didn't want to. I thought the menus were boring, there wasn't enough variety, food quality reminded me of mid-level catering, and everything was salty. Sauces all tasted the same, different cuts of meat or different types of fish all tasted the same - it was just boring. So I went into this cruise with low expectations for the MDRs and figured that we would eat mostly at speciality restaurants. We decided not to get the UDP, however, because we didn't think it would be worth the price if we didn't eat at a specialty restaurant every night - and since our only plan for the cruise was to relax and NOT have a plan, we didn't want to commit to anything.

 

Our general consensus was that the food on the Breakaway was noticeably better than on the Star (at least, the Star in Oct 2012).

 

Next up: Taste/Savor

[iceburg1]

Hi,

Thanks for the great review. Did the MDR's have the new menus? Do you remember what fresh fish selections were on the MDR menu and was salmon on the available every night menu?

Thanks.

[RikkuCat]

Taste/Savor:

For anyone who hasn't read the detailed deck plans and reviews of the Breakaway, there are three MDRs: the Manhattan Room, Taste, and Savor. Manhattan Room is the formal dining room and Taste/Savor are the less formal options. Taste and Savor are technically separate, but they are right across the hall from one another, look exactly the same, and serve the same menu. Their dining hours may be slightly different, but for all extents and purposes, they are the same dining room. We did not eat at either one for dinner.

 

On embarkation day, we ate lunch at Taste or Savor - whichever was open. They DEFINITELY had the new lunch menu. I had the shrimp burger and DH had a regular burger - both were very good, MUCH better than anything we had for lunch on the Star. We never made it back there for lunch because they close at 2 and we found ourselves eating later lunches for most of the cruise. Service was just fine.

 

I ate breakfast at Taste or Savor on one of the sea days. Last cruise, I really liked eating breakfast in the MDR before DH got up - but Taste and Savor had very limited breakfast hours, at least on the days I checked. They were each open for one hour for breakfast - one from 8-9 and the other from 8:30 to 9:30. On the one day I made it there during the small window of opportunity, breakfast was very good. (The breakfast menu, BTW, does not look any different, though maybe someone else will notice subtle differences). It was very busy the day I was there, but the service was still fast. I ordered fruit, eggs benedict, and hash browns - all were good. And the pastries - I forgot about the HUGE basket of pastries! I was on my own and they gave me SIX pastries - I took some back to the cabin for DH because I felt bad about wasting them. I had a nice, leisurely breakfast. If I REALLY wanted to complain about something, the only thing that wasn't perfect was that they ran out of coffee carafes for the table (it was VERY busy) and I had to wait for someone to refill my coffee. LOL, no big deal! ;)

 

We also had breakfast there on debarkation day. They were serving a limited menu, and if we had known that in advance, we probably would have eaten elsewhere. Still, food was fine and service was good. The coffee was AWFUL that day, though - I don't know what they did to it. It was fine two days earlier, on the other day I ate breakfast there!

 

While we did not eat at Taste or Savor for dinner, I'm pretty sure that they are serving the new menus. We had dinner once in the Manhattan Room - that'll be up next!

[rogue 35]

I'm in.

 

Thanks for taking the time to share all this.

[Chesneygirl]

Excellent review!! I love the way you've broken it down into sections.

Looking forward to the rest of it!!

[RikkuCat]

The Manhattan Room:

The Manhattan Room is the more formal MDR on the Breakaway - it's very large and has a dance floor and live music. It is designed to look like a Manhattan supper club and I loved the art deco style of the space. We ate there once on one of the sea days late in the week.

 

 

We arrived around 7 or 7:30 and expected there to be a wait. When we checked in at the first hostess desk, the hostess told us that Taste and Savor did not have a wait and that they serve the same menu (this is not strictly true - the menus are similar, but there are slight differences). We weren't in a rush and we specifically wanted to eat in the Manhattan Room, so we told her that we didn't mind waiting and asked approximately how long of a wait they had - she told us fifteen minutes. That's NOTHING! We told her that we would be happy to wait, so she directed us to have a seat in the hall before the second hostess desk. We sat down for a minute and realized that everybody else was going directly to the second hostess desk, I so got in line to see whether we had to put our name on a list (very short line - just one party ahead of me). When I spoke to the hostess, she seated us immediately. Wow, those fifteen minutes just FLEW by! :D So...if you want to eat in the Manhattan Room, just be persistent if they try to direct you elsewhere and if they give you directions that don't make sense, ask someone. We experienced NO wait at all, just a little confusion.

 

 

It was PACKED, so we didn't get a table near the dance floor - but that was fine, as we were still able to hear the music. I didn't find the music or announcements (they announced birthday and anniversaries) to be excessively loud, but again, we weren't near the dance floor. The buzz of conversation in the room was to be expected for such a large venue and we were able to have a conversation at a normal volume. I liked the ambiance of the Manhattan Room - loved the live music and the lively buzz of conversation. For me, it was a much more intersting place to eat than Taste or Savor.

 

Service was great. Someone promptly greeted us and poured water and our waiter showed up to take our drink order a minute later. Drinks took a while to arrive, but it was very busy. (Sidenote: best martini I had on the entire cruise, including the martini bar). The Manhattan Room is definitely serving the new menu! :) Our courses were all served at the proper pace - we definitely did not experience slow service like a lot of reviewers complain about. I wonder whether the people who complain are not used to multi-course meals?

 

 

For starters, I had salmon tartar (good) and DH had a caesar salad (also good). I had the grouper for my entree and DH had some sort of seafood pasta dish. I thought the food was a step up from the MDR food on the Star - my grouper tasted like grouper, it wasn't too salty, etc. It is not fine dining, but it was an improvement over the MDR food on our last cruise. I was pleasantly surprised with the dessert - my creme brulee was very good and DH's cheese platter was nice.

 

 

All in all, we had a nice dinner at the Manhattan Room. I probably wouldn't want to eat there more than once per cruise, but I would go back next cruise. DH thought it was very nice.

[RikkuCat]

Hi,

Thanks for the great review. Did the MDR's have the new menus? Do you remember what fresh fish selections were on the MDR menu and was salmon on the available every night menu?

Thanks.

 

We only ate in the Manhattan Room once and never in Taste or Savor for dinner - but yes, I believe that they were all serving the new menus. Someone posted them here a couple weeks ago and those are the menus that I saw.

 

I'm not sure whether the new menus have the 'everyday selections' and 'special this night' sides of the menu like the old menus. The menu in the Manhattan Room was not broken down that way. I had grouper at the Manhattan Room and I noticed that salmon was on the menu as well. I don't remember whether there were other fish options, but I think DH had some sort of pasta dish with shrimp. Hope that helps!

[psac]

Thanks for your reviews. Waiting to see if you tried Ocean Blue!

[sheffield]

Thank you for your quick reply.

[RikkuCat]

Thanks everyone for reading - glad to hear my little review is helpful so far! :)

 

Uptown Grill:

Uptown was my favorite spot for breakfast. It is a semi-outdoor buffet style spot on deck 16. WAIT A MINUTE! Didn't I say I don't like buffets? Yep, don't like buffets very much in general, but I liked Uptown. It's illogical - the only explanation I can think of is that when I'm outdoors in the middle of the ocean, I like most everything. :D If you want to split hairs, Uptown is not technically outdoors - it has a roof and wind-blocking panels on the ocean facing the ocean, but a breeze comes through and it's pleasant to sit up there.

 

For breakfast, they have egg sandwiches, cinnamon rolls, bagels/toast/etc, yogurt parfaits, fruit, hash browns, and probably a few other things I never noticed. I usually had an egg sandwich and a yogurt parfait. DH liked the cinnamon rolls, but they were too sweet for me. My only issue with Uptown - and this would not be an issue for everyone - is that they do not open until 8am, so I had to wait or go somewhere else a couple times if I was up early. On the other hand, Uptown is right next to the jogging track, so it's really convenient to grab a bite there if you're out jogging early - provided that it is after 8am!

 

Based on CC reviews, I thought Uptown would be my go-to lunch spot, too, but it wasn't what I expected. I remember reading a couple reviews that mentioned Uptown having made-to-order sandwiches and "a variety of salads." Based on this description, I had been dreaming about what would happen if some sort of vegetable heaven and a NY deli had a baby - but that wasn't the case. They indeed make sandwiches to order: but only corned beef and pastrami. The "variety of salads" was potato salad, pasta salad, and a beet salad. They also have meatball sandwiches, burgers, sausages, brats, French fries, and probably a few other things I didn't notice. It wasn't a bad selection, but it wasn't what I thought it would be. The beet salad, BTW, was pretty good. They serve lunch until 2, I believe.

[RikkuCat]

Thanks for your reviews. Waiting to see if you tried Ocean Blue!

 

No, we didn't make it to Ocean Blue this time! We had weird eating patterns this cruise (late lunches) and never felt hungry enough at dinner time to enjoy Ocean Blue. We both wanted to try the Waterfront takeout for a lobster roll at lunch, but it was never open when we went by - I didn't check the hours, so it could be that they have a very short window for lunch.

[meatball_nyc]

Very helpful, thank you!

I have been following and enjoying very much.

 

Happy Cruising!

 

 

 

Robin

Norwegian Breakaway July 2014

Carnival Miracle 2010

Carnival Legend 2006

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

[RikkuCat]

O'Sheehan's

We liked O'Sheehan's - great spot. It has two sides - the bar side has a very limited menu, but there are more options on the restaurant side. DH liked the corned beef sandwich and had that a couple times. I liked the chicken pot pie, but I think it's been slightly over-hyped around here. Mozzarella sticks were good, but the wings were hit or miss. The first evening, we had some great wings there - but when I ordered them again later in the week, the meat was very funky, fatty and stringy. Gross. We didn't like the spinach artichoke dip, either - I read a review that said it was runny and that was the case for ours as well, so I would say skip it unless you want it soupy. DH had a milkshake there and we tried a couple of the frozen drinks on their menu, but with the exception of the mudslide, everything needed some more flavor. We didn't try O'Sheehan's for breakfast, but we ended up there a couple times for lunch because it's the only place to eat if you want a late lunch.

[RikkuCat]

La Cucina

We both like Italian food and we enjoyed La Cucina on the Star, so we tried it again on the Breakaway. The menu looked different, so either they have updated it fleetwide since our previous cruise or Breakaway has a different menu. Either way, it was the menu on the NCL website. We went there on the GSC day and would have liked to sit on the Waterfront, but when the sun went down and we started moving, it seemed like it might be a little chilly out there and I didn't want to run back to the cabin to grab a sweater, so we ate indoors.

 

To start, I had the calamari, which was lightly breaded and very good. DH had the beef carpaccio, which was good as well. For entrees, he got lasagne bolognese and I had the lobster fettuccine. DH's was very good and the sauce had a nice flavor. Mine was good, but I don't think I'd order the same thing again. The lobster and fettuccine were cooked well, but the sauce was heavier on peppers than I expected it to be - not bad, but I thought another flavor would go a little better with the dish. For dessert, we ordered the chocolate tart and the tiramisu and the waiter brought a slice of lemon cheesecake as well. The tiramisu was very good and the chocolate tart was pretty good, but neither of us cared for the cheesecake - I usually like lemon flavored desserts, too. Good meal at La Cucina, but I wouldn't get the same entree next time.