Cagney's vs. Main dinning roo meat

[david_sobe]

Funny, when I took the behind the scenes tour on the Gem in June they had one meat locker. I had ask the provisions manager and he said point blank.......the steaks for all the restaurants come from the same meat locker. A filet in Cagney's is the same meat as the MD.

They may come from the same meat locker on the ship but they do not originate from the same place and are different cuts of beef.

 

My wife is from Argentina and we consider ourselves beef experts. I got a kick out of this thread and what people are saying is quite amusing. We have eaten at Cagneys multiple times and on 4 different ships. Luckily for us, the quality has always been consistent. But to compare the premium beef at Cagneys to the MDR or even Outback (as someone did) is an extreme analogy.

Since no one has posted any knowlege about the beef of Cagneys, I will share some knowlege since we asked where they get the beef for Cagneys.

We were told on the Sky the beef at Cagneys comes from Wisconsin. It is certified USDA prime black angus beef. It also comes from grass fed cattle. We could tell the beef was grass fed but were surprised it came from Wisconsin We have eaten at some of the best steakhouses in the world and we are always impressed by the quality of the beef at Cagneys. In fact, paying only $25 for such a meal is a good deal.

I am not saying Cagneys is the best beef in the world. Yes there is better but no doubt the high quality is there and is not MDR or Outback LOL

 

On Oasis of the Seas there is a prime steakhouse that costs $75 per person. I would love to try it but we dont sail Royal :(

 

Prime beef has no fat and the texture is consistent.

 

Long story short, the beef may come from the same locker but it is not the same beef. I have had the steak at Cagneys for lunch and it is no where near the quality of the upcharge dinners. Difference of night and day!

Next time at Cagneys look at the bottom of the menu. It says "Beef is premium 100% black angus"

[Sizzlechest]

My wife is from Argentina and we consider ourselves beef experts. I got a kick out of this thread and what people are saying is quite amusing. We have eaten at Cagneys multiple times and on 4 different ships. Luckily for us, the quality has always been consistent. But to compare the premium beef at Cagneys to the MDR or even Outback (as someone did) is an extreme analogy.

 

You think the beef they give you at Cagney's is grass fed-prime? Whoever told you that was smoking something good. For an "expert" you should be able to tell the difference between choice and prime real fast. That steak is not prime. "Premium" does not equal "prime."

 

Outback does an excellent job of quality control and is personally involved in all aspects of the food including sourcing. For example, the onions they use for the bloomin' onion is a special oversized breed with only one heart. They have exclusive rights to these onions.

 

Regarding the ambiance of Cagney's, here's a video of it on the Star:

 

 

Nice, but not spectacular. Certainly not what you'd expect for a $25 surcharge.

 

Here's Versailles:

 

 

The video doesn't do it justice. The amount of light coming through the beveled glass windows is overdriving the camera. And eating there is free. I know where I'd rather have breakfast.

[njhorseman]

They may come from the same meat locker on the ship but they do not originate from the same place and are different cuts of beef.

 

My wife is from Argentina and we consider ourselves beef experts. I got a kick out of this thread and what people are saying is quite amusing. We have eaten at Cagneys multiple times and on 4 different ships. Luckily for us, the quality has always been consistent. But to compare the premium beef at Cagneys to the MDR or even Outback (as someone did) is an extreme analogy.

Since no one has posted any knowlege about the beef of Cagneys, I will share some knowlege since we asked where they get the beef for Cagneys.

We were told on the Sky the beef at Cagneys comes from Wisconsin. It is certified USDA prime black angus beef. It also comes from grass fed cattle. We could tell the beef was grass fed but were surprised it came from Wisconsin We have eaten at some of the best steakhouses in the world and we are always impressed by the quality of the beef at Cagneys. In fact, paying only $25 for such a meal is a good deal.

I am not saying Cagneys is the best beef in the world. Yes there is better but no doubt the high quality is there and is not MDR or Outback LOL

 

On Oasis of the Seas there is a prime steakhouse that costs $75 per person. I would love to try it but we dont sail Royal :(

 

Prime beef has no fat and the texture is consistent.

 

Long story short, the beef may come from the same locker but it is not the same beef. I have had the steak at Cagneys for lunch and it is no where near the quality of the upcharge dinners. Difference of night and day!

Next time at Cagneys look at the bottom of the menu. It says "Beef is premium 100% black angus"

 

 

Your statement "prime beef has no fat" couldn't be further from the truth. In fact USDA prime beef has the highest degree of fat marbling.

 

Further, the menu statement "Beef is premium 100% black angus" is meaningless. "Premium" is just a marketing slogan, not a grade of beef and in no way means "prime". "Black Angus" is a breed of cattle that originated in Scotland and has nothing to do with the grade of beef...a huge percentage of beef cattle in the US are of the black angus breed. Using the term "black angus" does not mean that the beef is "Certified Angus Beef".

 

Cagney's would be charging a lot more than a $25 cover if it served prime beef.

[luddite]

I'm still coming to grips with Outback being included on a list of great steakhouses.

[ColinIllinois]

The best cut of ribeye darned well better have fat marbeling in it.

[HighVoltage#9]

My son had the strip in Mdr and it was very good.I tried the porterhouse in Cagney's did not like it but the fillets that I had were very good

[dogdoc14]

Your statement "prime beef has no fat" couldn't be further from the truth. In fact USDA prime beef has the highest degree of fat marbling.

 

Ditto that! My undergrad degree in Animal Science and I spent a lot of time in a meat locker earning that degree. I assure you that fat is what gives the cut taste and quality. Not the chunks of fat on the outside, around the cut, but the fat that is marbled into the steak. The more marbling, the higher the grade and the more expensive it is. That's Steak 101, and any expert should know this.

[david_sobe]

You think the beef they give you at Cagney's is grass fed-prime? Whoever told you that was smoking something good. For an "expert" you should be able to tell the difference between choice and prime real fast. That steak is not prime. "Premium" does not equal "prime."

 

Outback does an excellent job of quality control and is personally involved in all aspects of the food including sourcing. For example, the onions they use for the bloomin' onion is a special oversized breed with only one heart. They have exclusive rights to these onions.

 

Regarding the ambiance of Cagney's, here's a video of it on the Star:

 

 

Nice, but not spectacular. Certainly not what you'd expect for a $25 surcharge.

 

Here's Versailles:

 

 

The video doesn't do it justice. The amount of light coming through the beveled glass windows is overdriving the camera. And eating there is free. I know where I'd rather have breakfast.

I am not going to take the bait and argue nonsense. You raving about Outback steak is like raving about Burger King. I would not even give my dog anything from Outback. Outback is not a fine dining experience at any level.

 

So you say the NCL chef who came to our table to answer our questions about the beef lied to us? You are certainly allowed your opinion. We were so impressed, we had so many questions and the waiter did not know the answers.

[Evarista Candelario]

I loved the quality of the New York Strip stake at the Grand Pacific. It was delicious.

[njhorseman]

I am not going to take the bait and argue nonsense. You raving about Outback steak is like raving about Burger King. I would not even give my dog anything from Outback. Outback is not a fine dining experience at any level.

 

So you say the NCL chef who came to our table to answer our questions about the beef lied to us? You are certainly allowed your opinion. We were so impressed, we had so many questions and the waiter did not know the answers.

 

I don't disagree about Outback...but whomever you spoke to is certainly wrong about the Cagney's beef being "prime". Even the menu doesn't say it's prime...it uses the meaningless word "premium". As I said in my earlier post, they wouldn't be charging only $25 if it was prime beef. I don't think I've seen a prime steak sell for much less than $50...and that's with nothing accompanying it...not a potato, vegetable or salad, which are virtually always a la carte in a steak house that serves prime beef.

[Sizzlechest]

I am not going to take the bait and argue nonsense. You raving about Outback steak is like raving about Burger King. I would not even give my dog anything from Outback. Outback is not a fine dining experience at any level.

 

I think the reason your taste is so off is due to your foot being so often wedged in your mouth. Nobody ever claimed Outback is "fine dining." However, the fact that a steak from there far surpasses the slab of meat they serve at Cagney's should make any sane person wonder why they're paying $25 per person.

 

So you say the NCL chef who came to our table to answer our questions about the beef lied to us? You are certainly allowed your opinion. We were so impressed, we had so many questions and the waiter did not know the answers.

 

Did he also mention the cows are given massages in the spa every day? I hear that really softens up the beef. The grass these cattle are fed is a special blend of Kentucky Bluegrass, Featherbead Bent, and Northern California Sensemilla. (The same stuff they use on the golf courses in Bermuda.) I hear the eggs used for the Eggs Benedict in Cagney's are delivered stright from the Easter Bunny himself. They're stored with the regular inferior grade A ones, but the staff is VERY CAREFUL to ensure only the suckers, er, uh, customers in Cagney's get the RIGHT ones every morning.

[seluased]

I made a reservation for Cagney's cause I wanted a special dinner one night, but now I'm having second thoughts. Is their filet good? That's my favorite cut of steak. Not to mention the shrimp cocktail, crab cakes, and other apps and sides I saw on a sample menu... :confused:

[kylenyc]

As I've been to Cagney's once and didn't find it remarkable (but I'm mostly an Outhouse... err Outback prime rib kinda guy). Instead, I prefer Le Bistro and their table-carved 24 ounce ribeye for two which comes with both Au Jus and Bearnaise sauce (i hate when i have to choose between the two :D). There's a surcharge for this dish in addition to the cover but I love it. Make sure to bring your appetite. I never make it to dessert.

 

The quality of MDR's NY Strip is variable. Sometimes they have better cuts in the evenings and tougher cuts during lunch but Hey! it's steak! :rolleyes:

 

On the Sky's buffet recently they served "minute steaks" that were yum!

 

Cagney's vs. Main dinning roo meat

 

Roo meat! Oh say it isn't so! :D