Rudi's Sel De Mer

[OlsSalt]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

You know for certain that it is tinned?  (An honest question, not meant to provoke.)

 

My local place for gourmet goodies makes their own fois gras paté and it is delicious; I actually prefer it to the whole fois gras for an appetizer and usually get some for Thanksgiving.

 

 

A couple of questions first: 

 

If they had real whole piece foie gras, why on earth would they grind it up into a patè would be the first question I would first ask. (Duck, goose or both, undisclosed.)

 

Why would they list it on the menu as "foie gras" and not "paté au foie gras" if this was a house made paté specialty ,since that could be something they could be proud of offering?

 

I believe the also use the perfectly round slab of paté on one of the chafing dish specials - Steak Diane?

 

So it would make sense to have it tinned and ready and not something to made and kept fresh. The perfectly round and smooth sides are not necessarily a test for tinned, but the total lack of any flavor made it appear to be something far more commercially produced rather than a house made offering.  Thus my own conclusion this was tinned - which depending on the brand again can be okay. 

 

It is smooth, soft and buttery and spreads easily on bread, so paté it was. Just list it as such on the menu is all I ask. Knowing this up front will save other's disappointment if they are going to get whole piece foie gras. Nor did I even think to ask - I took the menu listing for face value. Others might now be forewarned to ask if they are expecting what the menu was offering.

 

I do like house made patés myself and am eager to order them when they rarely show up in some  of our local restaurants, so that is not the problem. However, it was an entire evening of disappointments for us at Rudi's that night, which has been reported previously post-voyage.

 

A one off night on the 2022/23 Konigsdam Christmas/NewYears voyage? Hard to know, but not worth taking another chance on it.    Needless to say we canceled our second segment Rudi's reservation, and were very happily pleased with a vastly improved Caneletto on the Konigsdam on that cruise.

[highscar]

As a single cruiser I am already pay ing double so I’m not paying extra for a meal.  

[OlsSalt]

4 minutes ago, highscar said:

As a single cruiser I am already pay ing double so I’m not paying extra for a meal.  

 

You will dine well in the MDR,  or even the Lido. 

[highscar]

Never had a problem in  MDR. Ienjoy the interaction with the servers. 

[wdw1972]

1 hour ago, highscar said:

As a single cruiser I am already pay ing double so I’m not paying extra for a meal.  

I'm a solo cruiser, as are the friends I cruise with (each in our own stateroom) but we'd never deny ourselves the nicer dining experiences using your logic.  Life's too short. On our upcoming 11 night cruise I think 8 nights will be in specialty dining.  I've not eaten in the main dining room in close to 20 years and may never return there for dinners, but it's just fine as a choice for people who like it.  

 

Sue/WDW1972

[fairydustca]

18 minutes ago, wdw1972 said:

I'm a solo cruiser, as are the friends I cruise with (each in our own stateroom) but we'd never deny ourselves the nicer dining experiences using your logic.  Life's too short. On our upcoming 11 night cruise I think 8 nights will be in specialty dining.  I've not eaten in the main dining room in close to 20 years and may never return there for dinners, but it's just fine as a choice for people who like it.  

 

Sue/WDW1972

Agree! Life is short! Enjoy yourself whatever you choose. We have loved Rudi's. These are  French-inspired meals that I would probably not prepare myself. As far as Canaletto, I am 100% Italian and a fairly experienced home cook and really did not care for the food there or the atmosphere. Of course, I'll admit to being more critical about Italian food since I was raised on it. We have eaten at Canaletto because it is sometimes comped.  But to us it was very similar to Olive Garden.

[OlsSalt]

Correction:  It was not Steak Diane,  but Tournedos Rossini that uses what looks like tinned Paté au foie gras. One cooks version of this dish where she admits she too uses the paté instead of whole piece foie gras, with good cause:

 

Firstly fois gras is super expensive and a lot of it raises questions about animal welfare. So I just use a standard pâté from the supermarket. Pick one you love and go with that, although I would avoid anything with orange as I think it makes the red wine sauce taste strange. My personal favourite is Maggie Beer's Pheasant Farm pâté.

[Ready2go11]

On 10/27/2023 at 8:54 PM, fairydustca said:

 If you are 3 or 4 star Mariner you do get at 25% or 50% discount which does help make it more affordable. The biggest problem is trying to get a reservation. It always fills up early.

We always eat at least one night at Rudi’s when available. We enjoy the premium menu items you cannot get in other venues on ship and it feels special to us. I celebrated my birthday on board earlier this month by dining at Rudi’s and they brought me a fish shaped chocolate mousse cake (that is a square shaped in other restaurants on board to celebrate special occasions). I appreciated the special touch. 
 

It is a 25% discount for 4* and 5* off the base price (no discount on 18% added service charge). My discount was refunded to my on board account since I booked online ahead of the cruise. 
 

Also, the recent pricing changes (effective in Sept 2023 I think) include an up charge above the dining cost for lobster and dover sole. 

[fairydustca]

1 hour ago, Ready2go11 said:

We always eat at least one night at Rudi’s when available. We enjoy the premium menu items you cannot get in other venues on ship and it feels special to us. I celebrated my birthday on board earlier this month by dining at Rudi’s and they brought me a fish shaped chocolate mousse cake (that is a square shaped in other restaurants on board to celebrate special occasions). I appreciated the special touch. 
 

It is a 25% discount for 4* and 5* off the base price (no discount on 18% added service charge). My discount was refunded to my on board account since I booked online ahead of the cruise. 
 

Also, the recent pricing changes (effective in Sept 2023 I think) include an up charge above the dining cost for lobster and dover sole. 

Everything is getting so expensive,  I'm not surprised they are charging an upcharge on certain items. I really appreciate the special touches also. Carnival Corp. still has alot of losses to recoup. The stock price is still very low, but not at the all time low it was during covid. Frankly,  I'm surprised we are not getting charged the fuel supplement they can charge us.  The good news is-people are cruising again!

[SeaCapt]

We always enjoy a dinner at Rudi's on the pinnacle ships, and book one night there each cruise. We tried one of the pop-ups on a different ship, and it really wasn't the same, so wont do that again.

[BSR]

I have a lot OBC to spend so I'm thinking of trying Rudi's for the first time. Any recommendations?

[oakridger]

6 hours ago, SeaCapt said:

We always enjoy a dinner at Rudi's on the pinnacle ships, and book one night there each cruise. We tried one of the pop-ups on a different ship, and it really wasn't the same, so wont do that again.

 

The other non-pinnacle ships no longer offer Rudy's pop ups. (since October 2022)

 

~Nancy

[fairydustca]

6 hours ago, BSR said:

I have a lot OBC to spend so I'm thinking of trying Rudi's for the first time. Any recommendations?

My husband got the hot smoked salmon appetizer last time which is brought under a smoke filled glass dome which the waiter removes at the table and the aroma fills the air--it was heaven.  We will be on the Koninsgdam next week and I can't wait to order that! We love lobster so usually get that as an entree,  but I may try the Dover sole that everyone raves about. Make a reservation early or you will only have 8pm or later.  There are only about 10-12 tables and it fills up.  Take your time... it's at least 1.5 -2 hour experience. Bon Appetit!

[gameazel]

On 10/28/2023 at 12:18 PM, OlsSalt said:

Be forewarned, they serve paté au fois gras, a slab cut from a tin; not whole segments fois gras itself.  

 

Which even the HAL dining room used to serve whole. So ordering this menu item at Rudi's and getting only tinned paté was among the many menu surprises that night. 

I agree - this was a bit of an unpleasant surprise! 

[hbsurfcitycruiser]

On 10/29/2023 at 5:35 PM, BSR said:

I have a lot OBC to spend so I'm thinking of trying Rudi's for the first time. Any recommendations?

I love the foie gras and the lamb is outstanding.

[kopykat]

On 10/25/2023 at 4:50 PM, Blackduck59 said:

My wife and I recently went to a land based restaurant here in our home town, The bill was close to $300.00 (CDN) of which $60.00 was the bar tab. For us with a beverage package the bar bill would not apply. If the service and food are very good at Rudi's then it is not any more expensive than any high end restaurant on land. One must decide if they are willing to pay the tariff, or dine in another venue.

My sister and I ate at Elliott’s oyster House in Seattle right before cruise. Our bill was $200

[kopykat]

On 10/27/2023 at 8:54 PM, fairydustca said:

It is pricey, but we find it worth it.  The last couple of times we cruised, we were served 14 oz. impeccably prepared lobster tails along with all of the other delicious courses like foie gras and oysters. Lobster in our area is usually over $30/lb. if you want to prepare it yourself. Actually, every meal we've had there has been wonderful and the service is very personal and highly attentive. If you are 3 or 4 star Mariner you do get at 25% or 50% discount which does help make it more affordable. The biggest problem is trying to get a reservation. It always fills up early.

Only a 25% discount for 5*

[Blackduck59]

25 minutes ago, kopykat said:

My sister and I ate at Elliott’s oyster House in Seattle right before cruise. Our bill was $200

That's getting really close to $300.00 Canadian. 😉

[57redbird]

Did it on the K -- decent food but felt it was too pretentious.

[fairydustca]

2 hours ago, kopykat said:

Only a 25% discount for 5*

You're correct. I forgot Rudi's doesn't get the discounts like the other specialty restaurants.

[PalmSprings]

On 10/29/2023 at 5:35 PM, BSR said:

I have a lot OBC to spend so I'm thinking of trying Rudi's for the first time. Any recommendations?

The bouillabaisse is amazing.  I’ve actually loved everything that I have tried on the menu.  I hope you have a terrific meal there on your cruise!

[crystalspin]

5 hours ago, hbsurfcitycruiser said:

I love the foie gras and the lamb is outstanding.

I do not eat foie gras. Last winter on the K'dam, I tried the lamb in all four specialty restaurants, and the Canaletto had the best flavor and texture for chops/rack. The lamb rogan josh curry in the Lido was good. Watched on the app for the MDR to have lamb; when lamb shanks were on the menu -- we couldn't get a reservation before 9pm at a shared table! So we missed that. (Did not understand that half the As You Wish tables were saved for walk ups. Would try that now, but not hold up much hope.)

[Crew News]

My favorite ending for a Rudi's meal is Rudi's souffle..