HAL introduces Signature Master Chefs Dinner

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Holland America Line Introduces Signature Master Chef's Dinner

 

An Entertaining New Concept in Fine Dining at Sea

 

SEATTLE, April 5

Dancing waiters! A napkin ballet! Flying pepper grinders and a

plate-spinning kick-line! "Dinner theater" takes on a whole new

meaning on Holland America Line with the debut of the entertaining and

innovative Signature Master Chef's Dinner which combines the premium

line's award-winning cuisine, service and entertainment into an

engaging new fine dining concept at sea.

 

"We are well-known for our outstanding service, excellent food and

innovative entertainment," said Richard D. Meadows, vice president of

marketing and sales. "Our new Signature Master Chef's Dinner builds on

these strengths while creating an unforgettable dining experience."

 

Guests are greeted by more than 75 smiling service staff including

dining room stewards, cruise activities staff as well as the ship's

singers and dancers, all dressed as "chefs," wearing dazzling white

hats and jackets.

 

A crisp, pleated chef's hat festooned with a clever collector's menu

in the shape of kitchen utensils describes the evening's dining and

wine selections. Stewards welcome guests to the special dinner event

and invite them to join in the fun and don the honorary chef's hat,

which when lifted off the plate reveals a fresh-baked dinner roll also

in the shape of a chef's hat.

 

Musicians set the tone for the evening with custom-made "foodical"

instruments such as drums shaped like cakes sitting on bread-stick

stands, a banana saxophone, and a pear-shaped bass. The lights dim as

the music begins.

 

Act 1, the "Waltz of the Napkins," involves the precise delivery of

napkins by staff in a choreographed waltz. The dancers orchestrate

each movement culminating in the presentation of a domed silver

platter containing the "Chef's Amuse Surprise," a small treat that is

a welcoming gesture from the executive chef. The "Chef's Amuse

Surprise" selections are served on a rotating schedule and include

delicacies such as Mushroom Mousse with Asparagus in Bouche, Smoked

Salmon Mousseline with Chive and Dill, and Foie Gras Petit Four with

Caramelized Anjou Pear.

 

Act 2, the "Show Salad Spectacular," literally brightens the air with

blurs of red, green and yellow as stewards juggle colorful vegetables

into an over-sized salad bowl. Singer "Pepper Romaine," costumed in a

sequined, full- length green "salad" gown, accompanies the action. The

atmosphere pulsates with servers cavorting around the salad bowl

tossing baby greens, peppers, mushrooms, scallions and cherry

tomatoes. The juggling is raised a notch as pepper grinders join the

airborne entourage. Salads are then delivered direct from the galley

as servers point out to guests the delectable choice of starters and

entrees detailed on the menu's rolling pin and butcher knife.

 

The menu offerings feature an array of starters, including Alaskan

Salmon Tartare with Avocado, Golden Baked Brie in Phyllo Dough,

Lobster Bisque or Oxtail En Croute. The evening's highlight comes in

the form of a choice of entrees that are a food-lover's delight. Whole

Roasted Tenderloin of Beef; Grilled Lamb Chops with Oregano and Apple

Chutney; Duck Breast a l'Orange; Sauteed Shrimps "Provencale"; Apricot

Glazed Salmon with Soya Garlic and Ginger Splash; Tagliatelle with

Roasted Chicken and Portobello Mushroom; or Wild Mushroom Strudel. The

band provides background music during the starter and main courses.

 

The Signature Master Chef's Dinner "Grand Finale!," Act 3, features

Master Chef Rudi Sodamin's "Hats Off" dessert -- an incredible

creation that captures the dynamic, nuanced flavor of bittersweet

chocolate in a luxurious mousse, surrounded by rubies of macerated

berries and topped with a white chocolate chef's hat with Chef Rudi's

signature in dark chocolate.

 

As guests receive and enjoy their signature "Hats Off" desert, the

sweet sounds of The Archie's hit song "Sugar, Sugar" resonates

throughout both levels of the stylish dining room. Next, the spectacle

turns to the ship's real chefs who emerge from behind-the-scenes to

line the dramatic balcony. The clever choreography continues as the

servers dance through the audience with dinner plates spinning high in

the air and then line up to form a kick-line. The rousing finish has

guests singing and clapping along with the music as confetti flies

through the air.

 

The Signature Master Chef's Dinner will be featured in the elegant

two- tiered main dining room once on every Holland America Line cruise

by fall of 2006. The event has debuted on the ms Volendam and will be

rolled out on the ms Amsterdam in May. By early July, the dinner

theater show will be on the ms Rotterdam, ms Zaandam, ms Maasdam, ms

Ryndam, ms Statendam and ms Veendam. The dinner show debuts on the ms

Prinsendam in late July and will be on board the Vista-class ms

Noordam, ms Oosterdam, ms Westerdam and ms Zuiderdam in the fall.

 

The event is the creation of Master Chef Rudi Sodamin, who serves as

culinary consultant for Holland America Line's fleet of five-star

ships. Sodamin, a driving force behind the enhancement of Holland

America Line's already superb dining offerings has developed a fresh

line of full-concept dining "experiences" for Holland America Line

guests. One of the hospitality industry's most accomplished chefs,

Sodamin brings excitement, innovation, and unparalleled quality

standards to menus at sea. Together with the Holland America Line

Culinary Arts Team, Sodamin continues to whip up more cruise line and

food industry firsts, such as the new Signature Master Chef's Dinner.

 

Bill

[localady]

Wow!

This is quite an interesting, and potentially quite fun, dining experience!:) Look forward to trying it on the Noordam, and I know my boys will enjoy it at Christmas !!:D

[K&RCurt]

The food sounds tasty.

 

BUT...I think I'll go to the Pinnacle Grill that night!

 

I want my waiters to bring me my food, not dance, juggle my food or sing.

 

Refined elagance turns into kitschy "cuisinetainmant".

 

No thanks.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

...this isn't another April Fool's joke, is it?

[Maryandi]

This all happened on our Volendam, Mar. 13 cruise. They used some dancers from the shows and the waiters, had an emcee and music while all this was going on.

 

Special salad, menu, dessert and we all wore paper chef's hats. It was a novel dinner to say the least.:D

 

MaryAnn

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I didn't want to comment when I originally posted but I didn't think this would go over well with the HAL traditionalist. The jury is still out.:D

 

Bill

[peaches from georgia]

No, it's not a joke. They have been experimenting with this on the Volendam for a number of months. If this is what we wanted on a cruise we would have stayed with RCI and the tacky nightly parades.

 

HAL, just get back to the excellent service in the dining room that you were known for before the steward cutbacks of the last few years. The line never has been known for award winning entertainment, so if you want to improve that area start in the lounge and not the dining room. :rolleyes:

[FlorenceItaly]

The food sounds tasty.

 

BUT...I think I'll go to the Pinnacle Grill that night!

 

I want my waiters to bring me my food, not dance, juggle my food or sing.

 

Refined elagance turns into kitschy "cuisinetainmant".

 

No thanks.

 

I am also one that prefers NOT to have this as part of my dining experience :)

 

 

Marie

[Randyk47]

We experienced the "dinner" on our Volendam cruise. What can I say? It was OK....not great, not terrible. The meal itself was not one of the better ones so maybe that's influenced my thoughts. Luckily our tablemates really enjoyed it and it was as much fun to watch them get into it as it was to watch the whole production. I can't say I'd beg HAL to keep it up. Here's the menu:

http://www.geocities.com/theklugspage/MasterChef_sm.jpg

[shonuf]

I've never worn the hats on "Dutch nite" and don't intend to wear a paper chef's hat now. I can't even imagine children enjoying such nonsense.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

....for the diners as well as the servers. Localady, while I agree that our children might enjoy it, I doubt if the staff will. Personally, I ask nothing more than good food with good service, and to be left in peace to enjoy my meal. I'm with Peaches; I think the money would be better invested in hiring more dining room stewards. (But I could be wrong; it won't be the first time.:rolleyes:, and what do I know? )

[Guest Celestia]

The food sounds tasty.

 

BUT...I think I'll go to the Pinnacle Grill that night!

 

I want my waiters to bring me my food, not dance, juggle my food or sing.

 

Refined elagance turns into kitschy "cuisinetainmant".

 

No thanks.

 

 

 

Sounds like an EXCELLENT night to order Room Service. While the menu sounds delicious, this sounds extremely tacky to me and this sort of 'entertainment' is why I would not choose to cruise on a certain other line...

 

Celestia (who does not care for the HAL version of Upcharge Restaurant)

[rcriley]

I believe I would like to experience it before passing judgement. Sometimes change can be a good thing. The most wonderful thing about a cruise is you have choices and because I may enjoy having entertainment with Dinner, doesn't mean I am a lesser or don't deserve to be on HAL.

 

Besides, I am much superior to most of you anyway. LOL :rolleyes:

[kryos]

I believe I would like to experience it before passing judgement. Sometimes change can be a good thing. The most wonderful thing about a cruise is you have choices and because I may enjoy having entertainment with Dinner, doesn't mean I am a lesser or don't deserve to be on HAL.

We had a "watered down" version of this on the Amsterdam in January. I don't recall singers and dancers, though. But we did have the chef's hats at the table and the menu was a special one.

 

I don't know ... it was actually a good time ... as was some of the other special dining room events they did during that 30-day cruise. But, I guess if I had sailed HAL with these events going on for a number of years, it would get a bit old. If they want to do this stuff, I hope they think about keeping things "fresh;" i.e., changing around the program every couple of years ... adding new events and deleting old ones.

 

But, man ... this is gonna be a whole lot of work for the dining room staff ... folks who are struggling with a heavy workload now. I hope when they do these "special events," that they think about adding extra staff for those nights so that the waiters don't have as many tables to deal with, in addition to these other duties.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[FlorenceItaly]

I believe I would like to experience it before passing judgement. Sometimes change can be a good thing. The most wonderful thing about a cruise is you have choices and because I may enjoy having entertainment with Dinner, doesn't mean I am a lesser or don't deserve to be on HAL.

 

Besides, I am much superior to most of you anyway. LOL :rolleyes:

 

I agree, change can be a good thing. I agree very much with that statement. For myself, I have experienced this on other lines, and I don't care for it, but that is just me. And, I agree with whoever posted that the stewards and asst stewards are already stretched so thin now. I think it's wonderful HAL is wanting to make changes, but a wonderful change would be more servers in the dining room so that we may return to excellent service. I do not fault the servers, I fault HAL management for assigning too many passengers/tables the the dining room staff...but that is a whole other subject :), I digress.

 

Marie

[peaches from georgia]

But, man ... this is gonna be a whole lot of work for the dining room staff ... folks who are struggling with a heavy workload now. I hope when they do these "special events," that they think about adding extra staff for those nights so that the waiters don't have as many tables to deal with, in addition to these other duties.

 

--rita

WHAT 'extra' staff is there to help wait on tables on these nights? If there is extra staff available, just hanging around with nothing to do, I wish HAL would get them the heck out in the dining room every night- the stewards have many more tables than they can comfortably handle as it is w/out having to be chorus line entertainers, too.

 

The decrease in service and quality steward/pax interaction is one of the major complaints on here all the time. Who would have guessed there is 'extra' staff. ;)

[elmorejj]

WOW!! I don`t think I`ve seen those kind of DR capers since I last sailed Carnival about 20 years ago. I really don`t think I want to watch stewards doing something they probably don`t want to do, and I definitely wouldn`t want to get HAT HAIR from the chefs toque!.....jean:cool:

[serendipity1499]

Realize I'm in the minority, but it sounds like fun to me!;)

 

Will not pass judgment until I experience it for myself..

 

Even though I'm in the Older population, I can still enjoy fun things! I'm one of those who wears a costume when attending a Halloween Party or a 1920's Costume when attending a Roaring 20's Party..:D

 

To each his own..Betty

[gizmo]

When I got to "The Waltz of the Napkins", I was ROTFLMAO. :D

 

Juggling of veggies ? This could have been a bit hit on Ed Sullivan especially with the "Flying pepper grinders".

 

"Rubies of macerated berries" Sounds so delightful.

 

"Flying pepper grinders" . Bless you ! Please pass the tissues. :eek:

 

"The clever choreography continues as the servers dance through the audience with dinner plates spinning high in the air and then line up to form a kick-line. " Another Ed Sullivan hit. I wonder how many plates they broke practicing? The Rockettes are going to be soooo jealous. :rolleyes:

 

I think Hal should bring the "Whirling Dervishes" on board for a special show after dinner. They would fit right in.

 

I think I will "Waltz" down to the Pinnacle or Lido instead. :)

[peaches from georgia]

This could have been a big hit on Ed Sullivan ....

 

You hit the nail on the head about Ed Sullivan, that's for sure, but I had no idea you were that old, gizmo. :D

 

I feel sorry for the stewards, many of whom with years of experience, I'm sure had thought of themselves as professionals.

[mrsred]

I think it is great for drawing customers from the other, less traditional lines who may like a little excitement with their dinner.

 

If HAL pax like it...that's great too!

 

Us...we'll be at the Pinnacle or room service.

 

We like the traditional elegance (and serenity) that HAL offers.

 

Dancing waiters just aren't our thing.

 

And I'm so not wearing the hat!

 

~e

[gizmo]

Ed Sullivan ! I was a kid but I remember the show well. :)

 

Elvis, The Beatles, The Whirling Dervishes, all those jugglers with dishes on the sticks, Topo Gigio. Those were the days !

[Joanandjoe]

I guess we'd better find out what night this is being held, and reserve seats at the Pinnacle now. I like Dutch night, but this sounds awful. Based on the CC threads for the trial run, it also means neither of us will have dessert, since there seems to be only one dessert, which neither of us can eat (allergies to chocolate and strawberries).

 

IMHO, the waiters and assistants have enough to do without waltzes and juggling.

[arzz]

Been there, done that on the Volendam and once was more than enough -- must find out what night it will be on in June and the Westerdam and decide if it is going to be the Pinnacle that night, or the Lido!

[obriendan]

Oh, good grief!!! Good food is entertainment enough!