Equinoq specialty restaurants

[merknerk]

Okay Everyone...We are at odds on which specialty restaurant to book for our cruise in March on Equinox ... any suggestions ? This is our first Celebrity Cruise.

[JoePDX]

Okay Everyone...We are at odds on which specialty restaurant to book for our cruise in March on Equinox ... any suggestions ? This is our first Celebrity Cruise.

 

 

We really enjoyed Murano. Went there two nights. Top notch service, food and ambience. Silk Harvest was just OK. Tuscan Grille was nice but I wouldn't call it excellent....

 

Joe

[ghstudio]

I would definitely put Murano#1 and Tuscan #2....silk harvest is very optional, in our opinion. On our next b2b on the equinox, we'll just eat at those two and skip silk harvest.

[Gonzo70]

It depends what style of food and dining you prefer; you make want to look at the menus and see which appeals the most to you. For me I liked Murano best but my wife prefers Silk Harvest.

[macusr]

Silk Harvest #1 - Superlative service, food, & ambiance

Murano #2 - Excellent service & food, but ambiance suffers from location next to a lounge and you can hear all the noise when the restaurant doors open

Tuscan Grille #3 - Okay service & food - we had a weird waiter and I was disappointed in a couple of the dishes we had

[bighairtexan]

1,Murano, 2,Tuscan, 3,Bistro on 5 (no reservations and only $5pp) then Silk Harvest.

[Clydesmom7865]

I THOROUGHLY enjoyed Tuscan when I went. After that I would say Silk Harvest. It all depends on what you want to eat!

[Lois R]

Food is very subjective. While you may love one thing, someone else

may not like the same thing at all......

How many places do you want to try? Equinox is usually 10 or 11 nights

and they have been offerening deals if you choose all 3 places. If you

know you like all 3 types of food offered, why not buy the package and

try them all:)

[Host Anne]

I agree with those who say it depends what you like. We've eaten in all several times on different cruises.

 

Murano is an elegant, fine French dining experience. There is no doubt that the service and food are consistently excellent. Tuscan is less formal and the steaks and pasta are are what you'd get in a nice Italian restaurant with normally great service and very good food. Silk Harvest is an upscale Asian experience. Service is always good and food is is fine (think P.F. Chang).

 

For me, if I were going to just one, I prefer Tuscan Grille. It comes down to the food for me. I just happen to like good steaks and Italian dishes better than the dishes served in Murano. Make no mistake, the food in Murano is wonderful. I just happen to prefer the food in Tuscan a little better.

 

So look at the menus and make your decision based upon your likes. You can't go wrong trying any of them.

[dogsrule]

Silk Harvest number one only if you are familiar with and appreciate great sushi and fantastic thai food. Some folks think its a chinese restaurant..lol but its far more

 

Tuscan Grill has moved to second slot as they have stepped it up a notch or two and changed their menu. Excellent food and service in a more casual atmosphere than Murano.

 

Murano I have always loved but for some reason its getting a little tired for me. Maybe they need to change the menu or something but sometimes its so quiet in there it feels like a morgue.. Fine dining no doubt and excellent service abounds.

 

Bistro on five is excellent for salads and crepes and you can order bloodys there as well. Its definitely a leap up from the chaos of the buffet. as always, excellent service...:D

[dogsrule]

I agree with Lois and encourage you to purchase the package and try all three!!! Its well worth it in my opinion... Enjoy!!:)

[merknerk]

Sorry about the misspelling of Equinox. :(

[ghstudio]

Silk Harvest number one only if you are familiar with and appreciate great sushi and fantastic thai food. Some folks think its a chinese restaurant..lol but its far more

 

 

Actually, that's exactly why I rate it last.....

 

I am very familiar with and appreciate outstanding asian food, having spent many years living and eating in NYC (Manhattan) and travelling to Thailand, Japan and different regions of China, etc. eating at local, non tourist restaurants.

[TLCOhio]

Silk Harvest number one only if you are familiar with and appreciate great sushi and fantastic thai food. Some folks think its a chinese restaurant..lol but its far more.

 

We enjoyed all three speciality dining places very much. On our cruise, it added nice variety to our adventure/experience. We expected very good with Murano and Tuscan Grille and got it. Silk Harvest surprised us for how much fun it was doing things "different" than our normal.

 

See some of my pictures below, plus added details from this earlier posting:

Speciality Dining Photos/Tips:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1434523&page=2

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 59.873 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

This was the Tuscan Grille “Signature Creme Brulee” that I enjoyed. A key tip for the Tuscan Grille is to “pace yourself” as the portions are large (and good). You need to save room for the desserts, etc.:

 

 

 

Doing dining “family-style” is especially fun in an Asian-style setting such as Silk Harvest. That sharing of the experience adds to the fun and interest. This first course is called “small plates” and we started with a nice mix, including interesting sauces that added much to the enjoyment.

 

 

 

For sushi, they put together a nice variety of options and the waiter did an added sauce option that was great to test and vary the flavors. Liked it LOTS here at Silk Harvest!! Testing new things is a good value/purpose for such cruises and these types of dining options. Fun, also!!:

 

 

 

Three of us had the Murano Lobster as our main entrees. It is cooked and prepared table-side from lobster tails that are first presented table-side. And then the lobster is served!!!:

 

 

 

My wife had this “Potato-Laced French Turbot” at Murano that looked great on its presentation plate. Tasted good, too!:

 

 

 

My dessert choice was “Les VI Etoiles du Murano”. It is six different bite-sized desserts. My wife and I were going to share this one, but she switched for the souffle. I got this whole selection, but, don’t worry, I didn’t and couldn’t eat it all. Very delightful!:

 

[TeaBag]

I'm with Lois. Why don't you purchase all 3? Wait till you get on the ship and book them the first day so you get a good choice of time. We got a pkg $70pp for all three, meaning we got Silk Harvest for free. We enjoyed Murano and Tuscan Grill equally and only enjoyed the appetizers and coconut ice cream at SH. We were disappointed in the entree dishes and didn't think they compared anywhere near to PF Changs. We thought the sushi was not great either. If I went again, I would just keep ordering the squid and the wontons. Both were fantastic. We were on a B2B, so we went twice to Tuscan grille and the second time we thought their steak was tough. They were very quick to bring us the entree of scallops and shrimp that we had on the first visit. Both times in SH, we were disappointed but then, Vancouver has a huge Asian population and we are used to very good Asian food.

[TLCOhio]

I'm with Lois. Why don't you purchase all 3? Wait till you get on the ship and book them the first day so you get a good choice of time. We got a pkg $70pp for all three, meaning we got Silk Harvest for free. We enjoyed Murano and Tuscan Grill equally and only enjoyed the appetizers and coconut ice cream at SH. We were disappointed in the entree dishes and didn't think they compared anywhere near to PF Changs. We thought the sushi was not great either. If I went again, I would just keep ordering the squid and the wontons. Both were fantastic. We were on a B2B, so we went twice to Tuscan grille and the second time we thought their steak was tough. They were very quick to bring us the entree of scallops and shrimp that we had on the first visit. Both times in SH, we were disappointed but then, Vancouver has a huge Asian population and we are used to very good Asian food.

 

Agree on getting the "Three for $XX" deal. Our pricing wasn't as good as that. Maybe it was $79 for the three, but prices have gone up since June.

 

Vancouver does totally spoil one by comparison on getting and rating great Asian food. Being from the midwest, we were very pleased with our quality at Silk Harvest.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 59,873 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[merknerk]

We enjoyed all three speciality dining places very much. On our cruise, it added nice variety to our adventure/experience. We expected very good with Murano and Tuscan Grille and got it. Silk Harvest surprised us for how much fun it was doing things "different" than our normal.

 

See some of my pictures below, plus added details from this earlier posting:

Speciality Dining Photos/Tips:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1434523&page=2

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 59.873 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

This was the Tuscan Grille “Signature Creme Brulee” that I enjoyed. A key tip for the Tuscan Grille is to “pace yourself” as the portions are large (and good). You need to save room for the desserts, etc.:

 

 

 

Doing dining “family-style” is especially fun in an Asian-style setting such as Silk Harvest. That sharing of the experience adds to the fun and interest. This first course is called “small plates” and we started with a nice mix, including interesting sauces that added much to the enjoyment.

 

 

 

For sushi, they put together a nice variety of options and the waiter did an added sauce option that was great to test and vary the flavors. Liked it LOTS here at Silk Harvest!! Testing new things is a good value/purpose for such cruises and these types of dining options. Fun, also!!:

 

 

 

Three of us had the Murano Lobster as our main entrees. It is cooked and prepared table-side from lobster tails that are first presented table-side. And then the lobster is served!!!:

 

 

 

My wife had this “Potato-Laced French Turbot” at Murano that looked great on its presentation plate. Tasted good, too!:

 

 

 

My dessert choice was “Les VI Etoiles du Murano”. It is six different bite-sized desserts. My wife and I were going to share this one, but she switched for the souffle. I got this whole selection, but, don’t worry, I didn’t and couldn’t eat it all. Very delightful!:

 

Great Photo's ! Thanks for sharing .

[AUNTDEBBA]

Does anyone know how the Beverage Packages work when you are in a Specialty restaurant? Also it states max is 6 but if you have a larger group see restaurant manager when you board we have a group of 8. When I mentioned it to the Celebrity Rep while booking she said the Tuscan Grille can not accommodate a party of 8 and to just sit at different tables

[Lsimon]

Does anyone know how the Beverage Packages work when you are in a Specialty restaurant? Also it states max is 6 but if you have a larger group see restaurant manager when you board we have a group of 8. When I mentioned it to the Celebrity Rep while booking she said the Tuscan Grille can not accommodate a party of 8 and to just sit at different tables

This is not true, they can accommodate 8.

 

But the tables for 8 are limited as is their serving capacity. If you want to preserve a certain time slot then make two sets of reservations for 4 at the same time and then go to the restaurant ASAP after boarding to consolidate the two reservations into one table for 8.

[AUNTDEBBA]

This is not true, they can accommodate 8.

 

But the tables for 8 are limited as is their serving capacity. If you want to preserve a certain time slot then make two sets of reservations for 4 at the same time and then go to the restaurant ASAP after boarding to consolidate the two reservations into one table for 8.

 

Larry

 

Thanks for the info our Group is six and Lisa and her friend wanted to join. I got us booked but sent Lisa an email telling her what time we booked and the problem . So you go to the restaurant? I thought they were set up on the pool deck (where they send everyone upon boarding generally) trying to sell dinner reservations?

[Buffybott]

Larry

 

Thanks for the info our Group is six and Lisa and her friend wanted to join. I got us booked but sent Lisa an email telling her what time we booked and the problem . So you go to the restaurant? I thought they were set up on the pool deck (where they send everyone upon boarding generally) trying to sell dinner reservations?

 

Oh, shoot! A fellow Cen. Valley'r... we missed cruises by a week and a 1/2! Hope you have a great trip!

[TLCOhio]

Great Photo's ! Thanks for sharing .

 

Appreciate the nice comments on the pictures. Here are a few more. Looking at these visuals adds no calories. Guaranteed . . . or your money back!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 60,049 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

Here was our mix of “large plate” or main items during our Silk Harvest experience on the Solstice. This includes the wonderful Spicy Pad Thai, Chinese Pepper Steak, Salmont/Scallop Stir-fry, etc. :

 

 

 

Desserts were wonderful, including this Caramelized Banana with coconut ice cream. All low cal, right?:

 

 

 

For dolce or dessert, here is what the dark chocolate fondue appeared as you needed to tackle this “finish” at Tuscan Grille.:

 

 

 

Here is an overview for this wonderfully appointed Murano room with nice wood, ceiling, glass, etc., details. Maximum capacity for seating in 90. For the last night, they have 30 people on a waiting listing. We booked ahead which was smart in order to get a specific date on a sea day.:

 

 

 

Three of us had the Murano Lobster as our main entrees. It is cooked and prepared table-side from lobster tails that are first presented table-side.:

 

 

 

Three at our table at Murano went for the “Grand Marnier Souffle” with Creme Anglaise a la Grousse Tahitenne. It was loved so much, especially the sauce that poured in the middle.:

 

[sabrefan]

My wife and I went on the 11 night Caribbean cruise last year in aqua class so we ate a Blu most nights but we did eat in all 3 specialty restaurants. They were all very good. I had a great tasting rib eye steak in Tuscan and of the 3 restaurants I liked this one the best. The service at all 3 were all great. In fact we are going back on Equinox again March 16th for the 10 night Carribean cruise. We are going aqua class again but we only plan on eating at Tuscan trip and eat at Blu all the other nights.

 

You will be able to buy a package on board for all 3 restaurants. If you only want to eat in one restaurant it really comes down to what type of food you like between Italian /Steak, French or Asian.

[AUNTDEBBA]

Oh, shoot! A fellow Cen. Valley'r... we missed cruises by a week and a 1/2! Hope you have a great trip!

 

 

You enjoy your also...tired of this cold....Yes I know Californians don't know cold like other states but we have thin blood from all the warm weather:)

[Milhouse]

It was our first time on an S-Class ship this past December and we did the package to try all three specialty restaurants.

We didn't find any of the meals to be "life changing" experiences but we're glad we did them all at least once. Service was terrific in all three.

 

Least favourite was Silk Harvest because we didn't find the food comparable to what we can get in Vancouver. If you don't get to eat Asian cuisine often, Silk Harvest is kind of safe way to sample different things.

 

Murano was an interesting experience. There's a lot of tableside prep and interesting presentation for the ooh factor. You pay a bit of a premium for it though.

 

Enjoyed Tuscan Grill for a lot of recognizable favourites that we could sample.

 

Another option to consider is that the specialty restaurants occasionally have service during lunch.

 

Highly recommend trying Bistro on 5 for $5 also.