Pinnacle Grill - first timers.....

[garden girl]

We have only cruised with HAL once before. What is the Master Chef's dinner? When is it?

 

Thanks

[kvblueridge]

What is the lunch menu at Pinnacle Grill? How did you like it? Is it only available on sea days? I assume you should make reservations right away....

[betsy23]

I would definitely recommend eating at the Pinnacle Grill. The steak Diane is fabulous and prepared tableside, as is the cesar salad. Try it at least once, I suggest. We eat at the Pinnacle at least once on every HAL and look forward to it.

[Willsot]

While I have posted criticisms of the PGs and swore off them for period of time, I have been eating one PG dinner per cruise. I do not believe that I have had a negative PG food experience. My concerns were more with service, which(for me) has often been inconsistent. I like dining in the PG because I enjoy the more intimate atmosphere and change of pace from the MDR, enjoy the meat, and am not bothered by a $20 charge or leaving a gratuity. I also enjoy wine and spent $80 for a nice bottle with our last PG dinner (I have been a wine card user in the MDR). When on a ship with both PG and Tamarind choices, I opt for the Tamarind. Just a matter of personal preference.

[DaveOKC]

I am not one to easily spend money, and I understand the comments of why have to pay more for food when it is already included in the fare we paid. However, the $20 each spent in the Pinnacle is well worth the money IMO. I always have the filet and it is far superior to the filets served in the MDR, both in quality and how well it is cooked. Thich filets are always difficult to cook completely through (and we have had a number of undercooked centers in the MDR), but the Pinnacle seems to get it exactly right.

 

My wife normally has the lobster tail and she is convinced they are much better than the ones served in the MDR.

 

We try to go to the Pinnacle on nights when we do not like the menu in the MDR (we normally find out the night before or early the next morning).

 

Do it once and see for yourself. If you do not like it, you can blame DaveOKC.

[boards]

We had dinner in Pinnacle on the Noordam Nov. 2010 and it was a fantastic experience. The service, the food, and the moment, sharing with your loved one was great. More than worth the $20 charge.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Oops -- answered incorrectly.

[Krazy Kruizers]

What is the lunch menu at Pinnacle Grill? How did you like it? Is it only available on sea days? I assume you should make reservations right away....

 

It is just as much food as a dinner -- big portions.

Sometimes it is open on port days. Just check the Explorer (new name for the daily program).

 

Pinnacle Lunch Menu

Menu - $10 per person.

Starters:

1)Grilled Prawn Bruschetta with a primavera salsa - aged asiago cheese and balsamic fusion

2)Mediterranean antipasto plate - pesto virgin olive oil

3)Scallops creme brulee - caramelized parmesean wafer

4)Northwest five onion soup - tomato shallot soubise

5)Chilled carrot and ginger soup - creme faiche and fried sage

6)Chiffanade of greens and tomato tower salad - Italian vinaigritte

Entrees:

1)Pacific rim beef salad - mesclun leaves, mangoes and lotus fruit

2)Alaskan halibut fillet sandwich - sour dough bread, cilantro relish and cucumber potato salad

3)Crab and shrimp cake - exotic fruit chutney, lime Thai curry sauce and orange rice with pine nuts

4)The Pinnacle burger - apple smoked bacon, cheddar cheese and bistro style shoestring potatoes. This dish can be served with a low carb bun and without the potatoes.

5)Sterling silver beef tenderloin with Oregon blue cheese crust - grilled asparagus and scalloped potatoes

6)Penne with grilled chicken breast, lemon basil sauce, sun dried tomatoes and arugula

7)Vegetarian couscous - grilled vegetables and fried mint leaves and harissa

Desserts:

1)Fresh strawberries with raspberry sorbet - sugar dough gaufrette

2)Chocolate brownie decadence - an explosion of chocolate

3)Orange and lime panna cotta

4)Ice creams and sorbets - ask for the day's selections

5)Fruit plate

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have only cruised with HAL once before. What is the Master Chef's dinner? When is it?

 

Thanks

 

On most ships the Master Chef's Dinner is held on the last night of the cruise.

This is a description of it -- the menu has changed since I last wrote this:

Master Chef Dinner:

 

The group "The Mix" from the Crow's Nest played the music about 80% of the time. The crew staff and dancers from the production shows led the waitstaff in the dance routines. The lead singer from the cast did the opening song. It was the only time she sang. Since she was on the steps, halfway down, many people didn't even know that she was singing.

 

When we entered the dining room there was already a Parker House with various seeds on top on the butter plate which was under your chef's toque and menu. The menu was a special cut out showing a spatula, cork screw, rolling pin, chopping knife and big spoon.

 

Then we had the Ballet Service. This was the only time we had a singer. The waitstaff entered both levels of the dining room to the tune of "Swan Lake". The assistant waiter held the try of napkins while the waiter placed them in our laps. The crew and cast had to help out here in some sections as there weren't enough waitstaff to quickly get the napkins to everyone.

 

Act 1 - Once again the waitstaff, crew and cast entered the dining room carrying the Chef's Amuse Surprise -- mushroom mousse with asparagus en bouche. This was a tiny empty puff pastry with a tiny dab of mouuse on top.

 

After those dishes were cleared away, the waitstaff. crew and cast again assembled in the hall and entered the dining room to begin Act 2 -- The Swing Service. The crew and staff "mixed" the salad in HUGE salad bowls to music -- waitstaff get throwing in fake tomatoes, peppers, etc -- some of the waitstaff tried to juggle the peppers -- very funny. Show Salad Spectacular: menu said that we were to have assorted baby greens, pepper rings, mushrooms, scallions & cherry tomatoes with a honey mustard dressing. What we actually got was a tomato stuffed with the assorted baby greens, enoki mushrooms with chopped up onion, scallions and peppers sprinkled on top and the honey mustard dressing drizzled over everything.

 

Then the waiters came around and took our orders for the Starters and Entrees.

 

Starters:

1.Dialogue of Alaskan Salmon Tartare with avocado: cold smoked, pickled and chipotle-hot-smoked salmon with lime-avocado-tomato sauce. DH had this -- loved it the first segment. 2nd segment -- it was mostly BIG chunks of onion and very little salmon.

 

2.Golden Baked Brie in Phyllo Dough served with a cinnamon-spiced apple cranberry compote -- have had this many times in the past -- love it -- it was excellent the first segment -- not completely heated through -- brie -- wasn't even melted a little bit.

 

3.Lobster Bisque sensuously smooth classical shellfish soup enhanced with aged French cognac and whipped cream. We both have had this in the past -- it's okay -- not one of our favorites.

 

4.Oxtail En Crote - flavorful classical soup slow-simmered and served in a crisp pastry crust -- excellent both segments.

 

Entrees:

 

1.Tagliatelli with Roasted Chicken & Portobello Muchrooms tossed in olive oil and lemon cream.

 

2.Sauteed shrimps "Provencales" scented with Mediterranean herbs, tomato concassee', florets of crisp, tender broccoli and sticky rice -- you got 4 medium size shrimps -- some people ordered 3 of this dish in order to get more shrimp -- which sent the waiter into a tizzy since they were on a time schedule.

 

3.Apricot Glazed Salmon with Soya Garlic and Ginger Spalsh -- I have had this on other ships and love it. 1st segment -- excellent RED sockeye salmon -- 2nd segment -- pink salmon -- tasteless.

 

4.Duck Breast a l'Orange - the old time favorite, oven roasted until crisp amd served with a Grand Marnier sauce, braised red cabbage, pea pods, carrots julienne and William potatoes. DH had this the first segment -- excellent.

 

5.Whole Roasted Tenderloin of Beef on an earthy bed of calvados-spiked mushroom ragout, with vegetable bundle, braised onion & horseradish mashed potato. DH had this the second time -- beef was tough and fatty.

 

6.Wild Mushroom Strudel - selected forest mushroom spinach & feta cheese rolled in Phyllo dough and baked until crisp and flaky. Served with a Thai red curry sauce and a timbale of basmati rice.

 

Act 3 - The Final Service --- the waitstaff, crew and cast began to assemble out in the hallway around 7:15 for this. Then they came parading into the dining room carrying trays of Chef's Rudi's "Hat's Off" dessert. Some of the cast and crew members had bottles of fake champagne that when they popped the corks, some bottles sent out streamers aimed towards the chandeliers which also landed on the people and tables directly below. Other fake botles of champagne gave off smoke. We have had this dessert before. There is a small piece of cake resembling a peg that holds the chef's hat in place - the chef's hat is made out of white chocolate - chef's hat conceals a small amount of chocolate mousse. It was excellent the 1st segment. The second segment -- the cake was flavored in mint -- the mousse was flavored in mint. All you could taste was mint!! A lot of white chocolate went to waste. Many people could not (including us) break the hat up -- it was too thick in places.

 

The ACTS are still the same -- but this was the menu we had on the Ryndam in October:

Day #7 (Master Chef Dinner)

 

Appetizers:

Dialogue of Salmon Tartare with Avocado

Golden Baked Brie in Phyllo Dough

 

Soups and Salad:

Oxtail en Croute

Lobster Bisque

Master Chef Rudi's Salad

 

Entrees:

Tagliatelle with Roasted Chicken

Sauteed Shrimp Provencal

Apricot-Glazed Salmon

Roasted-Whole Tenderloin of Beef

Grilled Lamb Chops with Oregano and Apple Chutney

Duck Breast a l'Orange

Wild Mushroom Strudel

 

Desserts:

Baked Alaska

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Individual Baked Alaska - no sugar added

Sliced Fruit Plate

Artisan Cheese Selection

Vanilla Ice Cream

Burgundy Ice Cream

Passion Fruit Sorbet

Heath Bar Crunch Frozen Yogurt

No Sugar Added Fudge Track Ice Cream

The Master Chef's Sundae

[SwingChickie]

we found the Pinnacle to be head and shoulders above the MDR. if we were to ever cruise HAL again, we'd eat exclusively in the specialty restaurants as the quality was so much better (the food is cooked to order, not mass-produced the way they have to in the MDR). the 4 of us ordered steaks, each a different cut... we were all passing slices around to each other raving, "you have to try this!!!" my ribeye was perfectly cooked and seasoned, and my one friend's NY strip was the thickest cut i've ever seen on that type of steak. looked like almost 2 inches thick.