Chef's Table and QSine ?

[woneill63]

Hello, everybody, my wife and I, along with some family and friends, will be sailing on the Infinity in October of 2022.  We have done Chef's Table a few times on Royal and thought it was spectacular, but not on our one Celebrity cruise.  We are sure that the meal will be outstanding but please tell me about Chef's Table and what to expect.

How about QSine ?  For those of you who have tired it, how was it ?

Thanks for your input.  Cheers.

[jelayne]

We haven’t done the Chef’s table so I can’t help you with that.
 Qsine has been changed to Le Petit Chef at Qsine.  A entirely different experience.  Le Petit Chef & a second version Le Petit Chef & friends are set menu dinners that are accompanied by a animated show on your table & plate.  There are 2 seatings nightly.  All attending are served the same course, at the same time so no lingering between courses.  It was fun and we prefer the Le Petit Chef menu vs the menu for LP & friends .  For us it was a one & done .

 

[Oceansaway17]

Qsine was just plain old strange.  and Le Petit is trying to entertaining with animation.

 

Do the Chefs table as I think it would be more grown up and good food.

[sn2792]

We have done Chefs table on Celebrity and Royal. I think it is better on Royal. Celebrity doesn’t include the wines pairings with the Chef Tables price. It is an additional $60 per person for the wine pairings. I think the price is excessive but if you have a lot of OBC, it may be worth it to you.

[Ken the cruiser]

6 minutes ago, sn2792 said:

We have done Chefs table on Celebrity and Royal. I think it is better on Royal. Celebrity doesn’t include the wines pairings with the Chef Tables price. It is an additional $60 per person for the wine pairings. I think the price is excessive but if you have a lot of OBC, it may be worth it to you.

If I might ask, if you have a drink package can you still get wine served at the Chefs Table if you choose to bypass the wine pairing fee?

[bikerunner]

8 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

If I might ask, if you have a drink package can you still get wine served at the Chefs Table if you choose to bypass the wine pairing fee?

you can still get wine, or I have just not the ones being offered in the pairing.  

[Ken the cruiser]

55 minutes ago, bikerunner said:

you can still get wine, or I have just not the ones being offered in the pairing.  

Good. Never was much into wine pairing, especially at $60 extra pp when we already have a premium beverage package. 

[woneill63]

We were thinking of doing both.  Our sailing has the Le Petit Chef at QSine meal, which I don't think is worth all that money for an 'animated' dinner.  We will probably pass on this.

I had thought the Chef's Table would have included the wine pairings, like Royal, thanks so much for letting me know it wasn't.  We would have to think about if the meal and wine pairings will cost 200 dollars extra.

We were on the Constellation two years ago and thought the dinners in the main dining room were very good and the service was excellent.

 

Thanks for the responses, happy sailing !

[blueboro]

11 hours ago, Oceansaway17 said:

Qsine was just plain old strange.  and Le Petit is trying to entertaining with animation.

 

Do the Chefs table as I think it would be more grown up and good food.

 

Funny how people view things differently.  We LOVED Qsine and the fact you could eat there several times and never order the same things with the huge menu.  Great for a group.  Thought it was imaginative and food very good.  On the other hand, Le Petit Chef holds no interest for us with a fixed menu and a high price tag (even though we would not go even a a much lower price point).  

[bikerunner]

8 minutes ago, blueboro said:

 

Funny how people view things differently.  We LOVED Qsine and the fact you could eat there several times and never order the same things with the huge menu.  Great for a group.  Thought it was imaginative and food very good.  On the other hand, Le Petit Chef holds no interest for us with a fixed menu and a high price tag (even though we would not go even a a much lower price point).  

Agree had fun picking the multiple different options on the Qsine menu and never made it thru all the options we chose.  It was a fun way of food preparation and presentation,  Le Petit also holds no interest for me at least with a fixed menu overall

 

[TeeRick]

Qsine is fun with a large group.  So is Le Petit Chef.

[Jim_Iain]

We have done all 3 and enjoyed each for their uniqueness.  

 

The Chef's Table and the Chef B's dinner are each a nice experiences but will depend on the luck of the draw on your compatibility with the guests you are matched with.   I don't drink alcohol but  Iain enjoys nice wines and selects the pairing whether included or a surcharge.     Once while it was included the Sommelier asked if he could pair non-alcoholic wines with each course for me.     It was a nice gesture and helped me feel included.

 

La Petite prince is a fun evening but generally I feel one and done.    The food is good but the event is choreographed and everyone arrives at the same time and each course is served  at the same  time.     We had a difficult time getting wine service and refills for Iain.  The staff is just overpowered when you have everything happen for everone at the same time.

 

Qsine is unique and a fun experience.    It  is best to go with a group so you an sample more of the menu.    Each dish is Tapas size portions and many many courses are suggested.   Our last visit was on Summit and we have known  the Restaurant Manager and his wife for over 10 years,  he invited us to dine there as his guest and was having off menu items prepared for us.  

 

Personally I would dine at Murano's any time and have dined there every night on a couple cruises.   Always superlative service and the chef would prepare off menu items for us as a nightly guest.

[Kathy53]

We booked The Chef's Table for our next cruise at a cost of $175.00 per person, CDN.  I continue to be confused on the issue of Wine Pairings.  On the Celebrity website, it says, "Delicious wine pairings for each course are available for purchase on board."   Does this mean that we are offered/served wine during our meal BUT if we wish to have wine pairings with each course, then we pay the additional $60 per person.  Also, we have the Premium Beverage Package so can I assume that we can order wine covered under this package without any additional cost.   

[bikerunner]

Pretty much, there is a wine pairing for each course at the cost of around 60.  The wine is matched with the course your eating.  If you choose not to pay extra for the pairing you can get wine that is included in your package at the venue being served.  The premium package for drinks does not include the wine pairing menu and those wines are usually (not always) are over the premium drink package.  I think I found it once with one wine that it was not.  I remember a dinner I had that paired Elks Cove Pinot Gris with one of the courses, that wine is available by glass at the Wine Cellar I know not sure where else

[Kathy53]

12 minutes ago, bikerunner said:

Pretty much, there is a wine pairing for each course at the cost of around 60.  The wine is matched with the course your eating.  If you choose not to pay extra for the pairing you can get wine that is included in your package at the venue being served.  The premium package for drinks does not include the wine pairing menu and those wines are usually (not always) are over the premium drink package.  I think I found it once with one wine that it was not.  I remember a dinner I had that paired Elks Cove Pinot Gris with one of the courses, that wine is available by glass at the Wine Cellar I know not sure where else

Perfect and thank you so much!  I think the confusion is when posts say that wine is not included.  "Wine pairing" is a very different thing to ordering a glass of wine covered under your beverage package.  Much appreciated.

[woneill63]

All right, we are a party of six who have all upgraded to the premium drink package, so we will take a vote and perhaps try the Chef's Table, but skip the extra cost of the wine pairing.   

I have yet another question, what is the difference between Murano's and Tuscan Grille ?  Or, is it just a different name with the same menu ?   We dined at Tuscan Grille two years ago on the Constellation and thought it was just so so.  

[Jim_Iain]

Murano's is a French Based fine dining experience while Tuscan is a Mediterranean based menu and is much more casual.    In my humble opinion I would choose Murano's.    I've never been disappointed but disappointed a number of times in Tuscan.  

[bigbenboys]

5 hours ago, woneill63 said:

All right, we are a party of six who have all upgraded to the premium drink package, so we will take a vote and perhaps try the Chef's Table, but skip the extra cost of the wine pairing.   

I have yet another question, what is the difference between Murano's and Tuscan Grille ?  Or, is it just a different name with the same menu ?   We dined at Tuscan Grille two years ago on the Constellation and thought it was just so so.  

If I remember right Infinity has TG with a private dinning. That might be nice for your group. I dont think that Infinity has Murano.

[woneill63]

Thanks, again, for your responses.  I wish we could try Murano's but it is not on the Infinity.  Private dining in the Tuscan Grille sounds interesting, I will ask about this when we board.  

We have cruised many, many times on larger ships on Royal and got used to having many dining options.  As my wife and I, and our 14 year old son, get older, we are slowly transitioning to Celebrity.  We greatly enjoyed our 10 day Constellation cruise a few years ago and thought the main dining room dinners were very good.

 

Cheers.

[Kathy53]

9 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Murano's is a French Based fine dining experience while Tuscan is a Mediterranean based menu and is much more casual.    In my humble opinion I would choose Murano's.    I've never been disappointed but disappointed a number of times in Tuscan.  

Diddo.  We had both dining experiences on the Eclipse so felt we could compare fairly being on the same ship.  Murano's was fabulous in that each course complimented each other.  Tuscan Grille felt like it was all over the place.  So many sides to choose from which didn't coincide or compliment the pasta choices and the steaks, while very good, made us feel too full to enjoy since they were served at the end of everything else we ate.  We passed on dessert.      

[keels81]

The last time I did Chef's Table on Celebrity was Alaska on the Solstice in 2017, so its been a minute, but it is in my Top 3 of all Chef's Table experiences -- I do the Chef's Table on every new ship across all lines, just because I enjoy the experience and love the extras like galley tours and spending more one-on-one time with culinary crew members.

 

For the wine pairings, you don't have to decide until you are at the table AND you can see what the pairings will be.

* On Celebrity, I usually have the Premium drink package so the pours are included and I just go for it (and, because I am turned off of a couple specific styles of wine, I may order a glass of my choosing to pair with a dish).

* On Royal, I've been 50-50 and generally let the pairings make my decision and have paid a little bit extra over what the drink package allowance per pour was.

* On Carnival ... its been a crapshoot. They generally just have one red and one white -- I typically try to "DIY Sommelier" on Carnivals ships, but I happened to be away from the table and my husband told them to give me the wine pairing (sweet man) and the red offering happened to be a good Caymus so it wasn't all for naught. 

 

This is a roundabout way of saying ... if wine is important to YOU, unless there is a true sommelier overseeing the dinner -- which, sometimes there is! -- ask to see the pairings, make sure it meets what you're looking for otherwise pair for yourself. Full pours of a white, red, rosé, sparkling/port that you will appreciate with your menu versus small pours of suggestions will never be frowned upon.

[TeeRick]

9 hours ago, woneill63 said:

Thanks, again, for your responses.  I wish we could try Murano's but it is not on the Infinity.  Private dining in the Tuscan Grille sounds interesting, I will ask about this when we board.  

We have cruised many, many times on larger ships on Royal and got used to having many dining options.  As my wife and I, and our 14 year old son, get older, we are slowly transitioning to Celebrity.  We greatly enjoyed our 10 day Constellation cruise a few years ago and thought the main dining room dinners were very good.

 

Cheers.

Are any of you in the group sailing in a suite?  If so you could arrange to dine in Luminae for only $30 pp for non-suite guests.  We have done this several times and had great meals.

[Oceansaway17]

On 7/14/2021 at 10:01 AM, blueboro said:

 

Funny how people view things differently.  We LOVED Qsine and the fact you could eat there several times and never order the same things with the huge menu.  Great for a group.  Thought it was imaginative and food very good.  On the other hand, Le Petit Chef holds no interest for us with a fixed menu and a high price tag (even though we would not go even a a much lower price point).  

oh I loved the food but still though it was strange.  and would not do Le Petit chef with cartoons running around my plate.  I will save for Mouse cruise.

[Padster72]

On 7/14/2021 at 5:15 PM, Jim_Iain said:

We have done all 3 and enjoyed each for their uniqueness.  

 

The Chef's Table and the Chef B's dinner are each a nice experiences but will depend on the luck of the draw on your compatibility with the guests you are matched with.   I don't drink alcohol but  Iain enjoys nice wines and selects the pairing whether included or a surcharge.     Once while it was included the Sommelier asked if he could pair non-alcoholic wines with each course for me.     It was a nice gesture and helped me feel included.

 

La Petite prince is a fun evening but generally I feel one and done.    The food is good but the event is choreographed and everyone arrives at the same time and each course is served  at the same  time.     We had a difficult time getting wine service and refills for Iain.  The staff is just overpowered when you have everything happen for everone at the same time.

 

Qsine is unique and a fun experience.    It  is best to go with a group so you an sample more of the menu.    Each dish is Tapas size portions and many many courses are suggested.   Our last visit was on Summit and we have known  the Restaurant Manager and his wife for over 10 years,  he invited us to dine there as his guest and was having off menu items prepared for us.  

 

Personally I would dine at Murano's any time and have dined there every night on a couple cruises.   Always superlative service and the chef would prepare off menu items for us as a nightly guest.

Hi, we’re you able to get non-alcoholic wine in any of the restaurants?

 

thanks

[Boo's Mom]

On 7/15/2021 at 8:17 AM, TeeRick said:

Are any of you in the group sailing in a suite?  If so you could arrange to dine in Luminae for only $30 pp for non-suite guests.  We have done this several times and had great meals.

I was hoping this was a possibility. 

Were you able to schedule this prior to sailing?