Vegan Meal in the Steakhouse?

[Velvetwater]

My sister says that other than regular pasta with red sauce Italian food doesn't really lean towards the vegan lifestyle. Those veggie dishes usually contain butter and more of the other sauces have cream, milk, butter, and/or of course cheese! She is one of the stricter variety of vegan, she doesn't even eat honey because it comes from an animal.:eek:

 

 

Not sure about US italian food but here pasta is often lubricated with oil instead of butter when eating out. Being vegan sucks sometimes :)

 

Thank goodness for Tofu and and soya cheese!

[skittl1321]

I've had excellent versions of onion soup--that's why I wanted to try it in the steakhouse. People rave about it. I'm just glad I asked the question ahead of time. They really should note that on the menu. A lot of people object to eating veal.

 

You'd be shocked how often veal is hidden in food. I question anything that is 'beef'- it is often used in meatballs, for instance.

[DirtyDawg]

You'd be shocked how often veal is hidden in food. I question anything that is 'beef'- it is often used in meatballs, for instance.

 

We had a great onion and leek soup on Celebrity recently. Its base? Veal stock! YUMMY.

 

It's everywhere.:eek:

[LandlockedCruiser01]

Not sure about US italian food but here pasta is often lubricated with oil instead of butter when eating out. Being vegan sucks sometimes :)

 

Thank goodness for Tofu and and soya cheese!

Italian pasta in the US is usually lubricated with olive oil in good restaurants, or canola oil in cheap restaurants. (Canola oil is supposed to be made from rapeseed, although there are stories going around that it's made from petroleum.) If I had to pick a favorite vegan pasta, it'd be spaghetti with pesto sauce, sprinkled with basil and red pepper. I still say that an Italian restaurant lets vegans "blend in" better than a steakhouse. So if awkwardness is an issue, go there.

 

Soybeans were recently discredited as being unhealthy in large amounts for boys and men. They contain plant sterols that raise estrogen levels in the human body. Just an FYI.

[boaterette]

My daughter is vegan and hates mushrooms. It is hard to eat out with her sometimes. We do eat a lot of indian and egyptian food. We would not do the steakhouse.

[WayTooCool]

Just got back from cruise where friends of ours went also, and she had the special "glulten free" menu and her "personal advisor" . . . they took very good care of here. If someone chooses a vegan lifestyle (which is difficult to follow!!) I would think it's not up to Carnival to support that restricive lifestyle. They try hard to accommodate everyone who cruises with them, and your friend needs to have a clear understanding of what will and will not be done once on board. And I don't mean to sound negative, but why would you go to the Steakhouse and look for a vegan meal?

[oncruisecontrol]

Just got back from cruise where friends of ours went also, and she had the special "glulten free" menu and her "personal advisor" . . . they took very good care of here. If someone chooses a vegan lifestyle (which is difficult to follow!!) I would think it's not up to Carnival to support that restricive lifestyle. They try hard to accommodate everyone who cruises with them, and your friend needs to have a clear understanding of what will and will not be done once on board. And I don't mean to sound negative, but why would you go to the Steakhouse and look for a vegan meal?[/quote]

The OP mentioned that one person in their group going to the steakhouse was vegan. I would imagine that the reason this person is going is simply to share quality time and a meal with friends/family. But, I'm sure that the individual does not want to sit there and eat nothing. It does not sound to me that the vegan individual wants Carnival to "support that restrictive lifestyle". They just want Carnival to serve them foods without animal ingredients. And that is something Carnival can easily do by offering steamed vegetables, salad greens and vegetables with olive oil and vinegar, tofu, steamed rice, baked potato, sautéed mushrooms in oil and garlic, grilled eggplant, just to name a few items. If they notify the steakhouse of their needs in advance, I cannot see where there would be a problem. It costs Carnival no money or extra effort to offer such foods in the steakhouse upon request (especially remembering that the vegan guest is paying extra to dine there).

[mikel24m]

Just got back from cruise where friends of ours went also, and she had the special "glulten free" menu and her "personal advisor" . . . they took very good care of here. If someone chooses a vegan lifestyle (which is difficult to follow!!) I would think it's not up to Carnival to support that restricive lifestyle. They try hard to accommodate everyone who cruises with them, and your friend needs to have a clear understanding of what will and will not be done once on board. And I don't mean to sound negative, but why would you go to the Steakhouse and look for a vegan meal?[/quote]

The OP mentioned that one person in their group going to the steakhouse was vegan. I would imagine that the reason this person is going is simply to share quality time and a meal with friends/family. But, I'm sure that the individual does not want to sit there and eat nothing. It does not sound to me that the vegan individual wants Carnival to "support that restrictive lifestyle". They just want Carnival to serve them foods without animal ingredients. And that is something Carnival can easily do by offering steamed vegetables, salad greens and vegetables with olive oil and vinegar, tofu, steamed rice, baked potato, sautéed mushrooms in oil and garlic, grilled eggplant, just to name a few items. If they notify the steakhouse of their needs in advance, I cannot see where there would be a problem. It costs Carnival no money or extra effort to offer such foods in the steakhouse upon request (especially remembering that the vegan guest is paying extra to dine there).

 

My thoughts were the same ,if i couldnt find something to eat i would go just to be with my family/friends and just snack or have a drink.For $35 im sure the chefs/maitre d will make that person alittle something that would make them really happy with the whole experience

[Quilting_Cruiser]

You'd be shocked how often veal is hidden in food. I question anything that is 'beef'- it is often used in meatballs, for instance.

 

 

Yes, I know it is--I really think it should be noted but am realistic enough to know it isn't. I always ask if I think there's any chance something might have veal in it. I'm sure at some point I've eaten it without knowing. But, if I do know, not a chance!

[cruisinJenF]

Pasta is NOT vegan, so the Cucina is out. Pasta is made it's with eggs- eggs are not vegan so it's not the butter on the noodles that is the biggest problem, it's the pasta itself that makes it a no go for Vegans.

[ldlewis45]

If I had to pick a favorite vegan pasta, it'd be spaghetti with pesto sauce, sprinkled with basil and red pepper. I still say that an Italian restaurant lets vegans "blend in" better than a steakhouse. So if awkwardness is an issue, go there.

Pasta is not vegan (eggs) and neither is pesto sauce (parmesan cheese is usually an ingredient). Vegetarian (ovo-lacto vegetarian, anyway), yes. Vegan, no.

[oncruisecontrol]

Pasta is not vegan (eggs) and neither is pesto sauce (parmesan cheese is usually an ingredient). Vegetarian (ovo-lacto vegetarian, anyway), yes. Vegan, no.

Not all pasta contains eggs. Fresh pasta usually contains eggs (especially fettuccine and linguine), but dried pasta does not necessarily contain eggs. Sometimes the ingredients of dried spaghetti or penne is just semolina wheat, water, and salt.

[ano]

I'm 99% Vegan but really haven't had a hard time on a cruise. I just happened to check out the steakhouse on the Dream and menu didn't good, but its possible they could have accommodated a Vegan.

 

Different people eat different subset's of Vegan, so its important to realize that. And most pasta is 100% Vegan.

 

I say that I am 99% because i am Vegan for health reasons, and while its pretty easy to be 99% Vegan on a cruise, its very hard to be 100%. The reason being that so many things are technically not Vegan, its almost impossible to know for sure. For example honey is not Vegan, but to tell if something has honey is pretty hard.

 

The real reality is that unless you grow your own food, you really can't be 100% sure what is Vegan. This person would not be happy on a cruise. But if you are 99%, and your willing to accept minor things here and there, its really a different story. Lots of options. And if you are "just" vegetarian, that is not hard on a cruise at all.

 

So just "Vegan" alone is really not enough info to know if a cruise is for them. In my option, 99% is fine and offers 100% of the benefits, but to each his own.

[LandlockedCruiser01]

Not all pasta contains eggs. Fresh pasta usually contains eggs (especially fettuccine and linguine), but dried pasta does not necessarily contain eggs. Sometimes the ingredients of dried spaghetti or penne is just semolina wheat, water, and salt.

In that case, pasta is vegan. So an Italian restaurant is a better option. And if I were a vegan, I'd rather be in a situation where my food looks at least somewhat similar to what my tablemates are eating, rather than where I'm having spinach salad while my tablemates are having strip steak.

[LadyBurdett]

As the OP, let me assure you that my vegan child would expect no special meal to accommodate her diet. She always tells me, "Mom, don't worry about it---- I can always find something to eat." I guess it is a MOM thing...I want her to be comfortable and enjoy the food with the non-vegan family members who do enjoy steak. In retrospect, I agree that it sounds odd to ask about vegan food at a steakhouse but thought there may be some vegans out there that had direct experience. I will contact the steakhouse and report back regarding what I find out. I appreciate all the helpful comments and also get a kick out of those who question my sanity:)

[Velvetwater]

Not all pasta contains eggs. Fresh pasta usually contains eggs (especially fettuccine and linguine), but dried pasta does not necessarily contain eggs. Sometimes the ingredients of dried spaghetti or penne is just semolina wheat, water, and salt.

 

Stole the words out of my mouth and usually restaurants use this (they have little v's on the menu for veggies and vg's for vegan). Luxury high end restaurants however are a different story.

 

I dont let my hubby eat soya but hes a carnivore anyways :). I dont want his testosterone dropping! :P

[Gig103]

We had a great onion and leek soup on Celebrity recently. Its base? Veal stock! YUMMY.

 

It's everywhere.:eek:

 

The French onion soup on Celebrity might be the best I've ever had, on land or by sea. Now I know the secret is veal!

[angeleyez915]

I have reservations for the Steakhouse on our upcoming cruise on the Liberty in June. One, in our group of 5, follows a vegan diet (no meat, eggs, dairy). Have any of you had experience with ordering a vegan dish from the Steakhouse?

 

I think typically Vegan's dont even like to have anything that has touched non vegan so not sure that they would have much luck in having something that truely hasnt been cross contaminated via cookware, grill, etc... in a steakhouse