Chops or Giovanni's?

[OCSC Mike]

24 minutes ago, Husky1987 said:

I've always been a big fan of the risotto in Giovanni's.

 

That's my wife's 2nd entree to go with her filet and I agree its good. It would likely be mine if I didn't like carbonara so much.

[Husky1987]

23 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

We are getting the 3 night dining package for our Adventure sailing. Since DW does not like Sushi we are booking Chops 1 night and Giovanni’s for two nights. Then on a sea day I’m doing the Sushi and Sake lunch at Izumi since I love sushi.

 

Oh wow, just checked that out and it looks good!  We love sushi...we've done the sushi-making class before but never the Sushi and Sake lunch.  May have to really consider that one!

[Sea Dog]

I ate sushi before it was cool to eat sushi. Back in the late 1970’s there was one sushi restaurant here in Kansas City. A eccentric friend of mine who has traveled the world took me there to introduce me to sushi. He taught me slow by tasting things I was used to like a plain cucumber roll to get me used to the texture. Then a plain shrimp negiri. Over several visits he challenged my palate and I learned how to taste the different kinds of fish. Now I could eat sushi everyday if it wasn’t so expensive.

 

Join us on Bella 2 on Wonder February 2nd 2025. I’d love to talk sushi with you.

[Loracpin2]

9 hours ago, Sun Lover said:

For anyone who has dined at these specialty restaurants, which do you think is the better choice overall?

Based on our experience this past July for 8 of us dining in Chops on the Oasis.......don't waste your money.  My husband and I picked up the tab of over $700 and we might as well have flushed the money down the you now what!!!!

 

[firefly333]

11 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

We need to cruise together. My wife won't go near sushi either. She'd eat chicken teryaki at Izumi but I'm too frugal to go there just b/c I like sushi.

I just deleted a bunch of my izumi pictures. So much more than sushi which is only about 1/3 of the menu.

 

I LOVE poke. Their poke bowl also had that green seaweed salad and sushi rice. It tasted perfect, like hawaii. 

 

I had the tempura veggies and shrimp. Wasnt my favorite but my friend helen suggested trying it. Sorry I took a bite of the fried onion ring and then said I should get a picture. I also had the 5 wontons lightly browned, fried. Pretty good. I had the wonton soup the week before which has mushrooms floating in it. 

 

Let me add for the fixed price meal, I got 4 sushi as you see in front of the poke bowl. Only 4 per order. If order ala carte you get 8 pieces per order. 

 

Lol tempura fried shrimp and veggies with a bite out of the onion ring but you can see this is a appetizer. Or get a larger meal sized. I would rate the poke bowl fabulous. I asked for a double order the next week, no picture. 

 

Edited October 4, 2023 by firefly333

[orville99]

9 hours ago, Sun Lover said:

For anyone who has dined at these specialty restaurants, which do you think is the better choice overall?

Depends on which ship. There are two distinctly different Giovanni's - Giovanni's Table (Great), and Giovanni's Kitchen (Not so much). On ships with Giovanni's Table, it is our go to over Chops. On ships with Giovanni's Kitchen, it is Chops or Izumi.

[OCSC Mike]

4 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

I had the tempura veggies and shrimp.

 

Looks good!

 

If they had chicken tempura we might consider going. Wife loves tempura but won't eat any seafood... and she's also picky about which veggies come with it of course. We used to get tempura nearby and the place would make her nothing but carrots and broccoli as her veggies (I think those were the two). Onions aren't on her approved list.

 

You clearly get why I asked about food on Allure so much by now.

[firefly333]

5 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

Looks good!

 

If they had chicken tempura we might consider going. Wife loves tempura but won't eat any seafood... and she's also picky about which veggies come with it of course. We used to get tempura nearby and the place would make her nothing but carrots and broccoli as her veggies (I think those were the two). Onions aren't on her approved list.

 

You clearly get why I asked about food on Allure so much by now.

She doesnt like onion rings? Now that's seriously wrong. I did think asparagus was a bit wierd tbh. I love red pepper tempura fried I've seen in the DL. She can have my broccoli. I want it more cooked, not al dente. 

 

After this cruise add 150 to my list of approved eating places. Best food and service. I'd done lunch at Giovanni with friends and good but not my thing so much. Chops is a no. 

[orville99]

1 hour ago, Husky1987 said:

I've always been a big fan of the risotto in Giovanni's.

Our favorite at Giovanni's Table; IIRC, not on the menu on ships with Giovanni's Kitchen

[OCSC Mike]

12 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

She doesnt like onion rings? Now that's seriously wrong.

 

There's a lot wrong. The list of things she will eat is pretty short... and amazingly it used to be even shorter. She tries some new things but likes almost none of them.

 

We get the burgers at Playmakers that come with all types of stuff (bacon, cheese, an onion ring, etc.) and she orders hers COMPLETELY PLAIN, just the burger patties and the bun, not even cheese, then adds ketchup. I make her get the onion ring so she can give it to me.

[yogimax]

Best Value... Giovanni's for Lunch.

 

You get a great filet mignon as well as an awesome meat and cheese plattter.  Chops is way overpriced, especially for dinner.  We also discovered we could use the BOGO for lunch.

[orville99]

29 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

and she orders hers COMPLETELY PLAIN, just the burger patties and the bun, not even cheese, then adds ketchup.

DW even skips the bun😱

[firefly333]

I did the chops lunch that I didnt mention in my review. No fillet. I got the hamburger. It was so thick I couldn't hardly get it into my mouth. A slice of tomato and lettuce on top. And cheese. I would rather a burger from carnivals guys burgers in all honesty.

 

I had it booked for lunch on a future cruise and cancelled after I ate lunch in chops. Ok but nothing special. 

[nelblu]

2 hours ago, mets07 said:

Amen. We even wrote that on our last survey.

 

Also I used to love the "colossal" shrimp at Chops in the shrimp cocktail. They are no longer very big or as good based on our most recent experience. 

They were quite big if not the same as previously on my Oasis August 20 cruise. In addition to the shrimps, I get the crab cake and the lamb chops as the entree.

 

Ps.  If they were any bigger, they would be the size of the lobster tail. 🤣

 

By the way for those that like seafood, may I recommend Seafood Linguini at Giovanni's, but with marinara.

Edited October 4, 2023 by nelblu

[OCSC Mike]

34 minutes ago, orville99 said:

DW even skips the bun😱

 

You got me beat.

[OCSC Mike]

39 minutes ago, yogimax said:

We also discovered we could use the BOGO for lunch.

 

Much like the day 1-2 issue, this varies greatly by ship/sailing. I've seen reports of being able to use it or not being able to for lunch.

 

I would love to use one on Mason Jar brunch on Wonder once we're D+ but I don't like my chances based on recent feedback. But we won't be D+ until after our March cruise so who knows what it will be like by next summer.

[firefly333]

9 minutes ago, nelblu said:

They were quite big if not the same as previously on my Oasis August 20 cruise. In addition to the shrimps, I get the crab cake and the lamb chops as the entree.

 

By the way for those that like seafood, may I recommend Seafood Linguini at Giovanni's, but with marinara.

I did get a picture of one, had it several times. It also came with lunch. Maybe not colossal but nice enough sized. 

 

2 weeks ago allure. And my pork belly, crispy fat, no pork on it, maybe a thin sliver on a corner, not a fork full total, teensy amount, 99.9% fat.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 4, 2023 by firefly333

[orville99]

16 minutes ago, nelblu said:

By the way for those that like seafood, may I recommend Seafood Linguini at Giovanni's, but with marinara.

Only available om ships with Giovanni’s Table. Not on the menu on ships with Giovanni’s Kitchen.

[mets07]

28 minutes ago, nelblu said:

They were quite big if not the same as previously on my Oasis August 20 cruise. In addition to the shrimps, I get the crab cake and the lamb chops as the entree.

 

Ps.  If they were any bigger, they would be the size of the lobster tail. 🤣

 

By the way for those that like seafood, may I recommend Seafood Linguini at Giovanni's, but with marinara.

 

20 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

I did get a picture of one, had it several times. It also came with lunch. Maybe not colossal but nice enough sized. 

 

2 weeks ago allure. And my pork belly, crispy fat, no pork on it, maybe a thin sliver on a corner, not a fork full total, teensy amount, 99.9% fat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Agree. Those were the ones we used to get in Chops. This was not the case on Jewel in September.

 

They were perhaps slightly bigger/better than the MDR shrimp cocktail. Not like pictured above.

 

Hopefully a one-off. I don't know.

[Husky1987]

1 hour ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

There's a lot wrong. The list of things she will eat is pretty short... and amazingly it used to be even shorter. She tries some new things but likes almost none of them.

 

We get the burgers at Playmakers that come with all types of stuff (bacon, cheese, an onion ring, etc.) and she orders hers COMPLETELY PLAIN, just the burger patties and the bun, not even cheese, then adds ketchup. I make her get the onion ring so she can give it to me.

 

For YEARS that's how I ate my hamburgers...I'd just order a "dry cheeseburger" and have at it.  Didn't even like ketchup on it.  In fact, I wouldn't even dip my fries in ketchup....to this day I dip fries in my milkshake.

[OCSC Mike]

5 minutes ago, Husky1987 said:

to this day I dip fries in my milkshake.

 

Nothing wrong with that. 👍

[firefly333]

5 minutes ago, Husky1987 said:

 

For YEARS that's how I ate my hamburgers...I'd just order a "dry cheeseburger" and have at it.  Didn't even like ketchup on it.  In fact, I wouldn't even dip my fries in ketchup....to this day I dip fries in my milkshake.

We could make a whole thread of how we like our food. No ketchup on my fries, which is why I'm still a bit miffed they forgot the truffle seasoning. The only thing I eat ketchup on is fried fish.

[George C]

Since this conversation has added Restaurants , my favorite is habatchi, which will do a couple of times next cruise , my next cruise has two specialty restaurants that we have not tried , Jamie’s which I am hoping is as good as Giovanni’s and Wonderland, we definitely do both , I am one of the very few who does not care for 150cp. Luckily we got a good price on UDP.

[nelblu]

1 hour ago, Husky1987 said:

to this day I dip fries in my milkshake.

Good grief. 😆 Possibly sweet tooth.

[Jimbo]

No complaints at all at Chops,Bone End Ribeye was excellent. 

As far as Giovannis,would go back there again,they don't know how to ring up the correct bill.

Jewel of the Seas 2 weeks ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 4, 2023 by Jimbo