Standard for a "great meal."

[AKman2495]

I have enjoyed many great meals at sea, but frankly, the best meal I can really was on land in Puerto Vallarta. It was "Mexican night" and although the food was good, it was nothing special-yet...it was a magic night. We were eating out on the patio of the place. Under the stars and palm trees. It was dark with candle light and the mood was sublime. The ocean was crashing in the background. They had local servers dressed in traditional outfits. Real Mexican music being played by real live musicians....

 

It was an amazing experience....

[Raxter54]

Economic status plays a role because if someone has more money they would have the option of dining out more frequently and be able to pay for a more upscale experience. Yes, when on vacation we try to eat at restaurants that we don't normally frequent, but that is a special occasion and not an everyday thing.

 

Being in the lower middle class ( or possibly upper lower class) we eat what we can afford and splurge occasionally. And being in a small rural town surrounded by a lot more rural towns, splurging usually means Olive Garden or Texas Roadhouse. "No money" and "no opportunity" equals "take what you can get." So yes, my under utilized palate will probably enjoy what is served in the MDR on the Serenade, since I will have no frame of reference of what haute cuisine would actually taste like.

 

Of course, 10 years from now I'll probably be complaining on Cruise Critic about how food on cruise ships is not as good as when I first started cruising :)

[Flatbush Flyer]

Being in the lower middle class ( or possibly upper lower class) we eat what we can afford and splurge occasionally. And being in a small rural town surrounded by a lot more rural towns, splurging usually means Olive Garden or Texas Roadhouse. "No money" and "no opportunity" equals "take what you can get." So yes, my under utilized palate will probably enjoy what is served in the MDR on the Serenade, since I will have no frame of reference of what haute cuisine would actually taste like.

 

Of course, 10 years from now I'll probably be complaining on Cruise Critic about how food on cruise ships is not as good as when I first started cruising :)

 

 

In the not-too-distant past, my professional responsibilities took me to a small rural town in upstate New York, where things like avocados and artichokes (like fine dining restaurants) were few and far between. And when the local butcher said he was unfamiliar with tri-tip, I knew we were in for a culinary challenge.

But there was a positive side in that the challenge to find a really great dining out experience became an adventure.

One restaurant we found and frequented often was The American Hotel in Sharon Springs. Though it won't be on my final list of "top three" for this CC thread, it is noteworthy for its unique take on everything from an overstuffed seafood burrito (not what you may think) to the best Poutine south of Montreal and Maple cake to die for. Ambiance was rustic - I recommend it heartily if you find yourself caught between Albany and Cooperstown. For many locals, it's a bit costly. But, most folks can get it together to enjoy at least one or two special occasion meals per year.

 

 

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[Flatbush Flyer]

I have enjoyed many great meals at sea, but frankly, the best meal I can really was on land in Puerto Vallarta. It was "Mexican night" and although the food was good, it was nothing special-yet...it was a magic night. We were eating out on the patio of the place. Under the stars and palm trees. It was dark with candle light and the mood was sublime. The ocean was crashing in the background. They had local servers dressed in traditional outfits. Real Mexican music being played by real live musicians....

 

 

 

It was an amazing experience....

 

Name? Might it have been LaPalapa?

 

 

 

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[navybankerteacher]

Economic status plays a role because if someone has more money they would have the option of dining out more frequently and be able to pay for a more upscale experience. Yes, when on vacation we try to eat at restaurants that we don't normally frequent, but that is a special occasion and not an everyday thing.

 

Absolutely correct. It is obvious that people able to spend lavishly on dining out will have more experiences to compare, as well having had the opportunity to dine at places other than chain restaurants.

 

Cruise ship food ranges from fair to fairly good -- it will seem great to people whose other experiences have been limited to Olive Garden and Denny's , while it will seem ordinary to those who have tried Le Tour d'Argent or many of the extraordinary establishments referred to on this thread.

 

Then, too, there are people with simple tastes for whom the fact of being at sea outweighs the culinary level experienced.

[sail7seas]

In the not-too-distant past, my professional responsibilities took me to a small rural town in upstate New York, where things like avocados and artichokes (like fine dining restaurants) were few and far between. And when the local butcher said he was unfamiliar with tri-tip, I knew we were in for a culinary challenge.

 

 

<snip>

 

 

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I know what you are saying but tri-tip is not common in Boston. It is just about never available in an ordinary but major size supermarket. Some butchers will provide it if asked. :o Boston has become known for some very fine dining. :) (It took a while but we certainly have 'gotten there'.)

 

[iancal]

There is such a huge difference in the prep,the ingredients, well just about everything between the banquet style food in the MDR of a mass market ship and an individually prepared meal in a restaurants. Cruise lines have a per diem budget. restaurants can easily increase the menu prices to reflect increased costs rather than simply reducing the quality of the ingredients in order to meet a food cost target.

 

Our best meals range from a meal in a small Italian restaurant at home to a $3. Penang curry w fresh shrimp dinner in a hole in the wall market stall in SE Asia. Each very different...each very good.

 

There have been several times on various cruises where we would have preferred that $3. meal to the MDR blue plate special complete with plate presentation and a fancy place setting to make up for very mediocre banquet food served lukewarm.

 

Fancy place settings, smart presentation, and wait staff in nice uniforms are very nice and we do appreciate them. But they are in no way a substitute to a wonderful meal where you can taste and recognize the medley of ingredients and spices. We find that the cruise lines tend to focus on the former at the expense of the latter.

Edited January 10, 2015 by iancal

[SPacificbound]

A great meal for me is Indian, Turkish, Greek, Italian, Spanish or Mexican and is vegetarian (nothing that ever had a face) with no pasta or tofu

[iaa]

To me, a great meal is one which I wouldn't have made any changes to if given the choice. And it certainly has nothing to do with the cost: I've had great Mexican food for under $5 and $50+ entrees that were just ok. One of my favorite restaurants is the purple pig in Chicago, because the dishes are unique and well-executed, and I am always able to get out of there for under $80/pp, including alcohol.

 

Cruise ships are at a disadvantage because they obviously have to play it safe, while feeding the same 5-10 dishes (often with no option to customize at all) to a few thousands of people every night. So in my (very limited) cruising experience, I've had a few good, but not great, meals onboard. A good meal to me is one that has nothing wrong with it objectively, while it may not be exactly to my own personal taste. All of these were at specialty restaurants. MDR food so far ranged from "fancy cafeteria food" to bad/unacceptable (regarding the latter: crunchy "risotto" on HAL, smelly scallops on HAL, "stroganoff" on NCL that looked like it came out of an instant microwaveable pouch).

[iancal]

In my business life I did fair amount of entertaining at high end restaurants and mid level restsurants in various cities.

 

An expensive menu with fancy nomenclature is absolutely no indicator of good food. Either is a top notch service, fine table settings, and a wine steward. The only sure thing is that the wine will be overpriced and you will be pressed for pre diner drinks, wine,and after dinner drinks.

 

The food can still be amazingly mediocre notwithstanding the price and the atmosphere. I have experienced it more times than I care to remember in my working life.

[greatam]

In my business life I did fair amount of entertaining at high end restaurants and mid level restsurants in various cities.

 

Me too.

 

I am a steak eater. So have eaten at probably most of the top steak houses in the world. And that is where I take clients most of the time unless they really, really want something else or have an opposition to beef.

 

We also ship PRIME beef from CA to all over the world every single week. So call me a beef connoiseur if you want to. I DEFINITELY know good beef. You may THINK you are getting prime but since less than 4% of all meat in the USA grades PRIME, unless you are in a high dollar steak house, you are probably getting Angus Choice. And you are definitely getting Angus Choice on any cruise ship I have ever been on. We ship full airline container loads of PRIME beef from CA to Dubai, China and Bahrain every single week. That PRIME meat is just very, very scarce in those countries at most restaurants.

 

While fancy names with Celebrity Chefs may make the tourists ooh and ah, some of the best steakhouses are not that well known. French Laundry was a true disappointment to me, even though the price was way over the top. The Royal Orchid in Bangkok on the patio has some of the finest beef I have ever had. The beef at the Peninsula across the river SUCKS.

 

Of the well known names, of course, Peter Lugar's, Sparks and Old Homestead in NYC all serve PRIME. But the Original Pantry in LA serves Prime if you get their top of the line steak which is pure PRIME from the same old packing house in LA that has been in business since I was a kid over 60 years ago and is about 12 miles from the Pantry. Hole in the wall place that has been there for almost 100 years, hasn't changed much in the 50 years I have been going there but the meat is great. Lines around the block sometimes (especially after a Laker's game-Jack Nicholson loves to eat there)

 

Le Cirque, both in NYC and at the Bellagio in Vegas has some spectacular dining. NOT cheap. But well worth the splurge. The Macconi Group just opened Circo in Abu Dhabi with their Tuscany flavored menu that may whet my appetite (I eat sea bass if there is not steak) and my next trip to the Middle East will be sure to include a stop.

 

The 21 Club in NYC is another favorite. Steak is again PRIME from some of the best beef houses in NYC (we ship it in-I KNOW what it is) and clients ooh and ah if not so much for the food but for the ambiance and history.

 

And another off the wall place with NO AMBIANCE-6 stools inside, 3 tables and a patio-is El Tepeyac on Evergreen Ave in East LA. But some of the best Mexican food with HUGE servings you will ever eat. Born and raised less than 6 blocks from the place. Been eating there for about 50 years (they opened in the early 50's). Celebrities, lines around the block. All of us that have been going there for years are just simply astounded that this little taco stand is now a premier place for Mexican food in LA.

 

But my favorite place in all the world-River Cafe in BROOKLYN. You can't find those views on any cruise ship in the world.

[screwsmcernst]

In a recent CC post, someone referred to a steakhouse meal on a cruise ship as one the five best meals they've ever had. While that statement may be true for that person, it proves once again that food is subjective and people's experiences vary significantly.

 

That said, I think it would be very informative to hear from CC folks regarding what has been their very best (maximum of three) "dining out" experience(s) in the last five years and why.

 

I'm guessing that cruise ships (even including their specialty restaurants) will be few and far between in the citations. At the same time, this exercise may provide some framework for better understanding what are the common elements of a memorable meal while also offering up some suggestions for dining out at ports or elsewhere during our travels near and far.

 

 

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When I wrote that My Husband thought that the Steak House on Carnival was a top five meal on land or sea, I was not comparing it to the Sizzler. His top four meals on land have been at Morton's Steakhouse, Shula's Steakhouse in Miami, Peter Lugar's and various Ruth Chris' Steakhouses. So it was a comparison of apples to apples. So On our Cruise, on that evening, in that steakhouse, it was an outstanding meal that rivaled any other.

Edited January 11, 2015 by screwsmcernst

[Flatbush Flyer]

Me too.

 

 

 

I am a steak eater. So have eaten at probably most of the top steak houses in the world. And that is where I take clients most of the time unless they really, really want something else or have an opposition to beef.

 

 

 

We also ship PRIME beef from CA to all over the world every single week. So call me a beef connoiseur if you want to. I DEFINITELY know good beef. You may THINK you are getting prime but since less than 4% of all meat in the USA grades PRIME, unless you are in a high dollar steak house, you are probably getting Angus Choice. And you are definitely getting Angus Choice on any cruise ship I have ever been on. We ship full airline container loads of PRIME beef from CA to Dubai, China and Bahrain every single week. That PRIME meat is just very, very scarce in those countries at most restaurants.

 

 

 

While fancy names with Celebrity Chefs may make the tourists ooh and ah, some of the best steakhouses are not that well known. French Laundry was a true disappointment to me, even though the price was way over the top. The Royal Orchid in Bangkok on the patio has some of the finest beef I have ever had. The beef at the Peninsula across the river SUCKS.

 

 

 

Of the well known names, of course, Peter Lugar's, Sparks and Old Homestead in NYC all serve PRIME. But the Original Pantry in LA serves Prime if you get their top of the line steak which is pure PRIME from the same old packing house in LA that has been in business since I was a kid over 60 years ago and is about 12 miles from the Pantry. Hole in the wall place that has been there for almost 100 years, hasn't changed much in the 50 years I have been going there but the meat is great. Lines around the block sometimes (especially after a Laker's game-Jack Nicholson loves to eat there)

 

 

 

Le Cirque, both in NYC and at the Bellagio in Vegas has some spectacular dining. NOT cheap. But well worth the splurge. The Macconi Group just opened Circo in Abu Dhabi with their Tuscany flavored menu that may whet my appetite (I eat sea bass if there is not steak) and my next trip to the Middle East will be sure to include a stop.

 

 

 

The 21 Club in NYC is another favorite. Steak is again PRIME from some of the best beef houses in NYC (we ship it in-I KNOW what it is) and clients ooh and ah if not so much for the food but for the ambiance and history.

 

 

 

And another off the wall place with NO AMBIANCE-6 stools inside, 3 tables and a patio-is El Tepeyac on Evergreen Ave in East LA. But some of the best Mexican food with HUGE servings you will ever eat. Born and raised less than 6 blocks from the place. Been eating there for about 50 years (they opened in the early 50's). Celebrities, lines around the block. All of us that have been going there for years are just simply astounded that this little taco stand is now a premier place for Mexican food in LA.

 

 

 

But my favorite place in all the world-River Cafe in BROOKLYN. You can't find those views on any cruise ship in the world.

 

 

It's outside if my recent 5 yrs. but, I agree that the River Cafe has it all: Food, service, view.

Isn't it interesting that the best view Manhattan view is in Brooklyn.

If you didn't find the French Laundry to your liking, head over to Auberge du Soleil in Rutherford.

 

 

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[biker@sea]

Regina Pizzeria

http://www.pizzeriaregina.com/

[biker@sea]

Alpine Inn Hill City , South Dakota

 

http://www.alpineinnhillcity.com/restaurant.php

[Flatbush Flyer]

Regina Pizzeria

 

http://www.pizzeriaregina.com/

 

 

The original Regina (vs the satellites, which fall short on ambiance) has the best pizza in New England!!!

Nonetheless, I was spoiled as a younger fellow, having spent much time at DiFara's on Avenue J in Brooklyn. The NY Times was correct when it named DiFara's the best pizza in NYC.

The downside is that now, as long time residents in the SF Bay Area, we are so often disappointed at what folks call "NY style" pizza. Close (but yet so far from NYC standouts) is Pizza My Heart (where many folks in line to buy a slice have a NYC (or Boston) accent. Our closest Pizza My Heart is in Emeryville.

 

 

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[sherilyn70]

Amada (Jose Garces) in Philly.

 

Lola (Michael Simon) in Cleveland

 

Smith and Wolensky for an amazing steak.

 

Laurie Raphael in Quebec City.

 

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Edited January 11, 2015 by sherilyn70

[kimlovesfl]

One of the best meals I ever had was at the now-defunct Kura Hulanda resort in Curacao, at an Indian restaurant called Jaipur. The restaurant was outdoors, poolside, and had a tandoori oven. I had tandoori mahi-mahi, caught fresh that morning, that was the best fish I have ever eaten in my life. They made their own naan and papardam by throwing the bread right up against the walls of the tandoori. Divine.

[buggins0402]

 

 

The Royal Orchid in Bangkok on the patio...

 

This is also on my list for ambiance and a great green curry. We were staying next door at the Oriental...but loved the setting at the Royal Orchid.

 

Our tastes are pretty simple...and usually run to good ethnic, done by a chef who cares. Setting is also important. One of our favorites in the past few years, was a waterfront restaurant in Paphos Cyprus...just simple grilled octopus, grilled vegetables, olives and bread.

 

Have to admit that Oceania's Miso glazed Sea Bass, also makes our list. I tried to recreate for Christmas Eve Dinner this year..failed miserably. Given the $28 per pound that I paid for the fish, I was really kicking myself.

[Telynau]

I have not been on a cruise yet; that's why I joined Cruise Critic, to get open & honest opinions from seasoned travelers. Food is always "an issue" for me... DH has Celiac disease.

 

Our most memorable land-based meals have been the small, local.

"The Gladiator". King Street, Alexandria VA. Northern France & Brittany cuisine.

"Lobster Pot". Reddington Shores/Beach FL. Fresh seafood & produce.

"Comeaux's". DeQuincy, LA. Cajun cuisine. Fresh boudin & cracklins, too.

 

Having people who understand the severity of gluten for Celiac's is a blessing. It's impossible to "just pick off the croutons" or "scrape off the gravy". Worse when a waiter says, "it's just flour in the bread, not wheat"... or some such equally humorous comment. That's how it's become how I determine a "great meal" in too many respects.

 

One of the BEST meals I've ever had was a breakfast of fresh bagels, ripe red sliced tomatoes, sliced Vidalia onion, smoked salmon, and cream cheese. With enough fresh brewed coffee to float one of HMSs. This was at the DoubleTree Hotel, Garden State Convention Center, Somerset NJ.

 

OH! Almost forgot...

"Jallo". Crystal City VA. Tapas. (Only went for luncheons and thoroughly enjoyed it.)

 

 

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[sail7seas]

Regina Pizzeria

http://www.pizzeriaregina.com/

 

I haven't had pizza there in years. Is it still delicious? :)

 

[biker@sea]

I haven't had pizza there in years. Is it still delicious? :)

 

 

Hot , Delicious and served with North End attitude . :D Followed up with a stroll to Bova's bakery .

Edited January 12, 2015 by biker@sea

[wassup4565]

One of the BEST meals I've ever had was a breakfast of fresh bagels, ripe red sliced tomatoes, sliced Vidalia onion, smoked salmon, and cream cheese. With enough fresh brewed coffee to float one of HMSs. This was at the DoubleTree Hotel, Garden State Convention Center, Somerset NJ.

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See, you just can't go wrong with that. It's a no-brainer, you could make it in your own kitchen, and chefs should stop messing around with what works. (Although I would appreciate a small bowl of capers and a couple lemon wedges on the side).

[Telynau]

LoL WASSUP4565 forgot to mention the capers & lemon wedges on the side. It became a running joke with the waiter over the 10-years I went to SSFHF. Talk about excellent service. He remembered me, out of hundreds of thousands of people coming through the dining room each year. Perhaps, just perhaps, that's what made that breakfast memorable. He also remembered I take coffee neat.

 

 

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[Flatbush Flyer]

When I asked the original question about the best 3 dining out meals in the past 5 yrs, I didn't realize just how difficult would be whittling down the list.

 

Nonetheless, here goes (not necessarily on order of preference):

 

Frankies Sputino with two locations (lower Manhattan and one of my childhood neighborhoods - Carroll Gardens in Brooklyn). The nod goes to the Brooklyn location if for no other reason than the awesome food that comes out of what has to be a kitchen smaller than half a food truck. High energy, great cocktails, memories of the neighborhood past (and my uncle always complaining that there were too many yuppies moving in).

 

Frontera Grill in Chicago. The line forms well before the place opens for dinner. Even eating at the bar is a taste and hospitality extravaganza of all that Mexican cuisine can offer. And if Chicago is only a "change planes" place for you, extend your connection time and head over to Terminal 1 B concourse to savor the same food (and great cocktails) at Tortas Frontera. Thanks Rick Bayliss!

 

With apologies to a slew of other great SF restaurants (including The Slanted Door [Ferry Building] and Foreign Cinema), my third choice is Perbacco. A terrific variety if contemporary Italian dishes along with a wine list that won't break the bank. Right next to the venerable Tadich Grill on California Street.

 

I know that I've not listed anything outside the US even though we've enjoyed some very fine meals in foreign locations. Perhaps, I should've asked about the 10 best meals.

 

In any case, please keep responding to this thread. Multiple mentions of particular restaurants will help us all with research.

 

 

 

 

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