My Experience at SHARE - Ruby 3/10/16 Sailing

[FloatillaTheHun]

On embarkation day, after unpacking and making reservations, we took a toured the ship and stopped by to check out the venue. The restaurant itself is gorgeous. Much more spacious, light, and modern yet inviting than any other space on Princess. On the day of dining the waiter said that the build took only 10 days, it's very impressive what they were able to accomplish in that time. There must have been a great deal of planning and preparation ahead of time to make that happen.

 

While there we asked about the possibility of getting a window seat and the maitre d' said that would be no problem and noted it in their ledger. When we arrived 4 nights later he greeted us saying "Ah yes, Mr. Hun and the window seat" and walked us to a nice spot with a large window. Unfortunately I think this was so easy because the restaurant only seemed little more than half full the entire evening. But there were plenty of seats without windows so we were glad we asked.

 

The waiter, Edward, came by and after sorting out water preference and drink orders he enthusiastically told us about the restaurant and Curtis Stone - who he was unfamiliar with prior to Share's existence. He seemed quite proud of everything and happy to be there.

 

They start you off with charcuterie, the star of which for me was the fennel salami. There was also ibirico ham, olives, and a chicken liver and pomegranate parfait which went great on the cute little bread shaped somewhat like a stalk of wheat.

 

For appetizers we went the sharing route. One was the tagliatelle which is made from delicate fresh pasta with king crab and was very lovely. The other was the cavatelli as the waiter made a very compelling case for it. I'm glad we listened because it was absolutely delicious. It's a gnocchi with beets sun choke and brussel sprouts, which to me doesn't sound like it'd be up my alley, but I am so glad I tried it. Wonderful combination of flavors.

 

We both went in wanting the twice cooked duck for our mains, and ordered such. But midway through the appetizers she asked if it was too late to try the mushroom ragu as well. He said he would check, and he was able to deliver. The duck skin was incredibly crispy, yet the meet very juicy and tender. It came with fennel, parmesan crumb, and bacon jus. I think there could have been a little more jus, but overall it was a beautiful dish. I can't really speak to the mushrooms, despite loving many things made with mushrooms I'm just not a fan of them in the flesh. I tried it and that was enough for me, she did enjoy it though.

 

For side dishes we again both wanted the same, the potato gratin. The waiter said he would also bring us the melted leeks because he thought they were too good not to serve. Once again he was so very right. This is nothing less than a perfect dish. It comes with a confit egg yolk on top that you break open giving a wonderful creaminess, and brioche breadcrumbs supplying a satisfying counter-texture. When I thanked him for bringing them and said how much I enjoyed them, he said he'd check if he could get us another serving, which he did. I hope to get the chance to have it again someday.

 

Next was a cheese course, we went for sharing style again with the bethmale French cheese and comes with honeycomb and a baguette, and the Spanish cheese La Gruta which came with quince paste dusted with toasted pecan. When trying the cheese alone I preferred the bethmale, however when eating the components as a whole I was once again surprised and preferred the la gruta.

 

Dessert was another sharing course for us, going with the dark chocolate crémbeux and the ricotta fritters. The crémeux came with a hazlenut pastry crunch that and burnt vanilla bean ice cream that really brought the whole thing together. The fritters were paired with a spiced pear rum compote and créme fraîche ice cream. The fritters themselves were lovely, but I'm not big on fruit in food and didn't care for the pear flavoring in the mix.

 

I've seen some mixed reviews here about Share. Some confusion about the concept of sharing, and some trepidation about the price. I don't know how many of those people have actually eaten there yet, but please do not let them turn you off to trying it. We had an amazing meal, and considering what something similar (3x easily) would have cost here in L.A. had no problem at all with the cost. If you don't go, you are really missing out in my mind. When thinking if I would go again, the answer isn't just yes, it's thinking would I go twice rather than once and once to Crown Grill as we did this time. Right now I'm leaning towards going twice next time.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report.

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the great review. :)

[DMCruiser]

Thanks for the review. This sounds wonderful! We are on the Crown to Hawaii in October, but I don't think Share will be there yet! :mad:

[Lucky TGO]

Thank You,

For a great review!! Now I have to go and find a place that makes Duck. I never had 🐧 .

Tony

[Host CJSKIDS]

I loved the gnocchi and the leeks and thought the fritter was one of the best desserts I had in a while.

 

And great...now you have me wishing I was back on the emerald to go eat there again!

[Cruiserkenn]

Thanks for the great review. I especially enjoyed hearing about each course, but particularly the duck, the cheeses, and the desserts.

 

Thanks!

[muggo11]

We also had a fabulous meal on Emerald's 3/10 cruise. I concur with your review. Money well spent. Every course was an experience. The duck was delectable, the tagliatelle brimming with crabmeat. And the lemon torte was amazing.

I was also impressed by the wine list.

Decor is great though chairs are smallish and uncomfortable (next time, I'll opt for the bench-style seating)

I tried the Curtis Stone items on the regular MDR menu as well. Liked them all. $39 IS a little pricey so maybe once a cruise for us.

AND i can't wait to experience a Chef's Dinner, SHARE-style!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[VibeGuy]

Glad you enjoyed it.

 

Out of curiosity, how did you find the lighting level?

[Keith1010]

Thank you for your review/report.

 

Keith

[QE2_Fan]

Oh my you had my mouth watering at the first sentence!! [emoji13] great review, and like that you went with your (excellent) waiters suggestions as I, like you, probably wouldn't have tried some off those combinations just from reading of the menu.

 

Those melted leeks sound sublime, I'm pretty sure I would've orders those lol!!

 

It's truly and art how these great chefs can marry components to the ultimate flavours! I'm actually really exited to try this venue thanks to your review- thanks again!!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited March 16, 2016 by QE2_Fan

[trystran72]

Thanks for the write up! I would love to give it a try if it's on a ship I am on in the future. I feel like the dark chocolate crémbeux is something I need in my life!

[notentirelynormal]

While none of the food items you described sounded at all good to me I think the overall experience you had is great. It sounds like it was a top notch dinner. If I ate that kind of food I'd for sure give it a try. Thanks for the review.

Edited March 16, 2016 by notentirelynormal

[land lover]

great review.... my moto is you have to try everything once and if you didn't like it the first time u must go back a second or even a third to really have an opinion. I m not a foodie, service and atmosphere is what I am after. I just read ur first few sentences and I was sold.

Edited March 16, 2016 by land lover

[Bimmer09]

Thanks for a well written account of what sounds like a great meal!

 

$39 for food with that finesse is a steal. Kudos to Princess for trying something different. As it seems never to be at capacity or even close to it I can't imagine Princess has plans to feature it fleet wide. It would be better if they didn't anyway so that ships could retain more individuality. They could just revamp the Sabatini menu which is a bit tired by now.

 

Have they subdued the lighting at all in Share? First photos showed it to be glaringly bright and industrial.

 

Thanks for Sharing your experience! (and sorry for misspelling your cool screen name- can't edit it now)

 

Norris

Edited March 16, 2016 by Bimmer09

[4x4bob]

Good detail, Thanks.

 

Bob

[Thrak]

While none of the food items you described sounded at all good to me I think the overall experience you had is great. It sounds like it was a top notch dinner. If I ate that kind of food I'd for sure give it a try. Thanks for the review.

 

I'm with you. I don't put chicken liver in my mouth. Ever. I don't like crab (yeah, I'm the one guy...) and I don't like beets or <shudder> brussel sprouts. Duck has never done anything for me.

 

I'm sure many will love this venue and the presentation. It just doesn't sound like it's for me. It's good there are choices for all. I'm always surprised by the people in MDR who are horrified at the thought of escargot. :)

[FloatillaTheHun]

Glad you enjoyed it.

 

Out of curiosity, how did you find the lighting level?

 

I'd not heard about lighting complaints before, and neither of us thought anything about the lighting at all while there. I found it to be well lit. It wasn't a romantic hideaway type of feel, but I didn't think it was overly bright at all. There were tables more along the non-windowed walls that were less lit than other areas, so you could request something like that if you prefer.

 

Looking at a couple of the photos I took, it definitely wasn't garish or anything.

[FloatillaTheHun]

While none of the food items you described sounded at all good to me I think the overall experience you had is great. It sounds like it was a top notch dinner. If I ate that kind of food I'd for sure give it a try. Thanks for the review.

 

I think you might be surprised. I am a very picky eaters, especially when it comes to anything bitter, such as green vegetables. I can hardly eat if I'm near cooked broccoli for instance, much less actually eat it myself. Everything in that plant family shuts me down.

 

That said, I have been shocked to not just tolerate, but actually love a brussel sprout once at Nobu. And again in the cavatelli they were a welcome addition. I also do not care for liver typically, and I've tried it many ways in different countries. There have been a few that worked, and this dish, when put together with the pomegranate and bread, was one of them.

 

As I mentioned, I tried the mushrooms and it wasn't for me. However I really recommend you open yourself up to some new things when you have the chance to try them as prepared by top level chefs. We all have things that will likely never work for us, but there are many times where you will be surprised.

 

Best of luck!

[notentirelynormal]

I think you might be surprised. I am a very picky eaters, especially when it comes to anything bitter, such as green vegetables. I can hardly eat if I'm near cooked broccoli for instance, much less actually eat it myself. Everything in that plant family shuts me down.

 

That said, I have been shocked to not just tolerate, but actually love a brussel sprout once at Nobu. And again in the cavatelli they were a welcome addition. I also do not care for liver typically, and I've tried it many ways in different countries. There have been a few that worked, and this dish, when put together with the pomegranate and bread, was one of them.

 

As I mentioned, I tried the mushrooms and it wasn't for me. However I really recommend you open yourself up to some new things when you have the chance to try them as prepared by top level chefs. We all have things that will likely never work for us, but there are many times where you will be surprised.

 

Best of luck!

 

None of the meats are something I will eat and I don't eat seafood. I also don't eat innards like liver. Ever. Pretty much the entire menu is not food I would enjoy but that doesn't mean I begrudge anyone else and I like to hear a "feel good" story. I will leave those tables for others will enjoy it and/or who are adventurous eaters. Nor would I deny my DH if he wanted to go there.

[deise17311]

We were a party of six so were able to get everything on the menu - it was good but we felt only for one time and decided not to go back (we had booked 2x)- spent the rest of the evenings in Crown Grill -

[Elizabeth K.]

We just tried it on the Emerald and enjoyed it immensely the first night. Since they offered it at 1/2 price for a second visit we decided to try it again since we weren't getting too excited about the food in the Botticelli dining room. I can tell you the lighting is a bit of an issue there. The first night we had a fantastic table in a choice area. For the second experience we arrived and they didn't have our reservation. After a short wait they produced a table for us on the outer edge of the room where it was quite dark. It was hard to read the menu. The waiter admitted they were working out some issues and that they had to dim the lighting over what I'll call the choice tables because it was too bright and there are apparently only a couple of switches that control most of the lights. No dimmers. So the lighting over the table we were at was simply turned off, as it must've been too bright. Not only is it difficult for the middle age eyes, but it kind of makes you feel like you are sitting in an area that was an afterthought. While the food was delicious that night, the service experience was less that great. Having said that, I would give it another try in the future. Ingredients are as fresh as can be and you can really tell with the seafood.

[VibeGuy]

On Ruby, you could do surgery in SHARE on that first sailing - it was so bright they had to draw the curtains in Adagio to keep the light levels suitable. They relamped and added a bunch of decorative fixtures in the transition, and it's taking some work to get it perfect, it sounds like.

[easyboy]

Very interesting review. Thanks.

[FloatillaTheHun]

None of the meats are something I will eat and I don't eat seafood. I also don't eat innards like liver. Ever. Pretty much the entire menu is not food I would enjoy but that doesn't mean I begrudge anyone else and I like to hear a "feel good" story. I will leave those tables for others will enjoy it and/or who are adventurous eaters. Nor would I deny my DH if he wanted to go there.

 

There's nothing at Share I'd call adventurous, pretty standard fare. Pork (ham and salami), duck, beef, white fish, crab, and lobster. Only the duck may standout from what is offered in the regular dining rooms. But if it's not for you, then that's great too. You're in good company with The Blues Brothers

 

Mrs. Murphy: May I help you boys?

Elwood: You got any white bread?

Mrs. Murphy: Yes.

Elwood: I'll have some toasted white bread please.

Mrs. Murphy: You want butter or jam on that toast, honey?

Elwood: No ma'am, dry

 

 

;)