ALLURE: New 150 Central Park menus + Chef's Table compare/contrast

[Artemis]

We just returned from the August 25 sailing of Allure OTS. It was a wonderful week at sea!

 

As the 150 Central Park menus are new and we also tried Chef's Table, I thought I'd share some updated information and our opinions about both specialty dining experiences. [Disclaimer: While my husband and I love to eat (and cook) and have had the opportunity to dine at many special venues in the US and abroad, we are not sophisticated epicureans or oenophiles. Accordingly, this is just one middle-aged, well-cruised/-traveled American couple’s very subjective response to two different foodie events as they were presented to us on these particular evenings. YMMV (your mileage may vary)!]

 

On embarkation afternoon, there were folks hawking dining and beverage packages in every restaurant and on the promenade. The ship's Executive Chef, Derek McKnight, was working the crowd in his apron and toque. When my husband visited with him and noted we don’t usually do tasting menus because of my husband's food allergies and preferences, Chef Derek encouraged us to give Chef’s Table a try and simply provide his staff 24 hours’ notice to work out alternate menu items. So...we ended up booking the Chef's Table Package, which was offered for $120 per person and includes not one but two tasting menu dinners: Chef's Table with wine pairings and 150 Central Park without wine pairings, plus a third dinner at our personal favorite Chops Grille (priced separately, the restaurants are $85 + $40 +$30 = $155, so the package is a terrific deal).

 

150 Central Park – current celebrity chef: Michael Schwartz

 

Here are the Fall 2013 menus for 150 Central Park as published on RCI's website. When you dine at the restaurant, your name is printed on your keepsake menus. These seasonal degustation menus were introduced August 18; it's my understanding they will remain in effect about three months. The cost is $40 per person; optional wine pairings are an additional $75 per person.

 

BOOKING TIPS: Pay attention to the fact that there are two different menus—one is served Sunday-Wednesday and the other is served Thursday-Saturday! We didn’t realize this because only one menu (that wasn’t marked by days of the week) was displayed at the specialty restaurant station on the promenade on embarkation afternoon. Had we known about the menu choices, our decision as to when to dine at 150 Central Park would have been dictated by what was being served. As it was, we decided based on schedule—we thought it would be fitting to partake of our "fancy tasting menu meals" when we were all dressed up on formal nights, so when the ship’s availability options required us to do Chef's Table the second formal night, we unwittingly committed ourselves to the Sunday-Wednesday menu. Allow a minimum of 2-1/2 hours for the meal.

 

REVIEW: Our six-course “farm-to-ship” meal at 150 Central Park was a lovely experience, but to our tastes, it didn't stand out in any memorable way.

 

Ambiance

150 Central Park has a stylish look and feel, and the music choices underscore a low-key hip vibe. We were seated at a table for two in the restaurant’s fanciful high-backed chairs. The two-tops to our left and right were close enough that we could often overhear our neighbors and vice versa. Fortunately, we all had fun with that; if I had desired something more intimate, I would have been sorely disappointed. Table tip: Ask the maître ‘d to recommend a more private table if that’s important to you!

 

Food and Wine – the Sunday-Wednesday "Meadow" menu

• There was no amuse bouche (or later palate cleanser).

• The first item served was bread accompanied by unsalted butter and six kinds of salt from all over the world. (A salt tasting sounds intriguing, but after we tried a couple, we stopped to avoid filling up on bread and salty butter!)

• Although each of the first three courses was tasty enough, I felt the lobster and lychee starter, cauliflower soup and crab cake were fairly unremarkable.

• The pasta, on the other hand, was incredibly interesting; but the serving was on the small side, even by tasting menu standards.

• As for the Harris Ranch strip, we were not the only diners who believed the galley had yet to master the "slow and low" technique required to grill grass-fed meat (a neighbor and I both sent back the first steak, and the second was nearly as overcooked as the first—well past medium rare).

• The dessert was delectable, but not adventurous in any notable way.

• The wine pairings were nice enough. The pours are fairly scant, the Ramey chard and Caymus cab were the highlights for me and I thought the soup overpowered the Spanish white and the Shiraz was an uninspired match for the pasta.

 

Service

We thought it was odd (especially at this price point) that there was no sommelier service. Our waiter was generally professional and competent; but we found his stiffly formal demeanor and scripted food and wine explanations to be unsatisfying. Moreover, he had not been given sufficient knowledge to go off script when guests had questions or comments. For example, when I engaged him about the doneness of the steak and pointed out the brown interior and clear juice, he countered that my steak exhibited all the hallmarks of grass-fed beef. (I didn’t argue the point, but as I understand it, the taste and texture differences between grass-fed and grain-fed beef don’t have anything to do with preparation to a desired temperature!)

 

Special Needs

The restaurant worked around my husband's food allergies and preferences by borrowing substitutions from other specialty restaurants. It was an acceptable solution for us—we didn’t expect them to do more, and my husband was just doing 150 Central Park as a treat to me!—but if this is a critical factor for you, Chef's Table is far better equipped to customize the menu to meet special needs (read below).

 

SUMMARY: We thought 150 Central Park was a pleasurable shipboard specialty restaurant experience and a fairly good value at $40 per person; as irrational as it sounds, when wine pairings were added to make the total cost $115 per person, we expected a little more overall. This particular menu—as envisioned by Michael Schwartz—wasn’t very compelling to us, but that’s certainly a “to-MA-to vs. to-MAH-to” observation. Objectively, however, several of the individual courses, including the entrée—as executed by 150 Central Park the night we dined—seemed to fall short of the chef’s intentions, which I trust was primarily due to the fact we dined during the second “still working out the kinks” week of this menu.

 

All in all, we probably wouldn't have deemed 150 Central Park so forgettable if we hadn't had the opportunity to contrast it to:

 

Chef's Table

 

Linked here is the five-course menu we were served the night we dined at Chef’s Table. It's my understanding the menu varies often depending on ship, chef and season. We received a personalized version of the menu, which (privacy alert) included a diagram of the table reflecting the place seating of each guest by full name—I'd call in advance if I needed my identity protected; one Royal Caribbean “Carte du Jour” cookbook (2nd Edition) per couple; and a Chef’s Table (disposable) apron. The cost is $85 per person inclusive of wine pairings.

 

BOOKING TIPS: Chef’s Table is offered to a maximum of 14 pre-reserved guests at 7:30 PM in the Concierge Lounge. The number of nights Chef’s Table is available during any given cruise week depends on various factors, including private party demand, so it’s prudent to book pre-cruise (online or by phone) to secure a reservation for a specific date or avoid the disappointment of a sellout. Printed materials state guests must be 21 years old, but they make exceptions. Call the day before you dine to learn the general makeup of the guests at your seating—when we learned (1) we were the only two outsiders to be seated with an extended family, and (2) the group included small children, we had no choice but to switch to a night when the guest complement was more compatibly described as “four couples and a solo adult.” Allow three hours for the evening.

 

REVIEW: Wow! (That’s an unqualified “wow!,” not just a Royal Caribbean “wow!” ) Our Chef’s Table experience was truly exceptional in every respect.

 

Ambiance

Guests are instructed to gather in the ship’s library. We were greeted with a glass of champagne, which set an elegant tone from the start. Then, our group was escorted through the nearby Concierge Club (reserved for guests in grand suites or better, as well as Diamond Plus and Pinnacle cruisers—giving “ordinary” guests like us a peek into Concierge life is a savvy marketing strategy!)—and up a sweeping, curved staircase to the second level of the lounge, which is a lofted area sized to comfortably accommodate the 14-person rectangular dining table but little more. Initially, the venue struck me as stark and even a bit makeshift, like when you carve out a place for that extra holiday table. But after settling in, I began to appreciate the overall design. The space “cocooned” the table and was warmed by a rich gold-off white-brown palette used for the walls, carpet, dining furniture and chandeliers. And in lieu of prominent art, there was a striking, and constantly changing, light play created by an expansive window-mirror pairing: diners seated on the back wall looked out over the loft railings to and through the lounge’s spectacular two-story window, which features a view over Central Park to the Aqua Theatre and beyond to the ocean, and those of us seated with our backs to the window enjoyed the reflected view in the huge mirror hung behind the table. It was a gorgeous setting as the sun went down, and after dark, the twinkling lights made it feel festive. All in all, I decided the fairly unadorned space appropriately kept the focus on the beautifully-set table, the food and wine and the chef, sommelier and fellow diners.

 

Speaking of people, Chef’s Table is an interactive group experience—if you’re in search of a private dinner for two, this probably isn’t it! At the beginning of each course, the sommelier addresses the group, followed by the chef. I think we were especially fortunate sommelier Richard Jacobs and sous chef Eddy Barretto were at the helm. Both were enthusiastic educators who knew their stuff and liked drawing guests into the conversation about each food and wine pairing. After their introductions of each pairing, they stepped aside, and conversations naturally evolved among the guests. Ours was a congenial group—occasionally, the whole table was engaged in the same discussion; more often, three or four conversations were going on at the same time! We liked the people aspect of Chef’s Table—it kept the ambiance from skewing stuffy and pretentious, and over the course of the meal, one could easily make “cruise friendships” to enjoy the balance of the week. Place seating tip: Linked here is a diagram of the table and the thoughtful manner in which Chef’s Table Manager Jenie Espedido arranged our group of nine. If you are left-handed, hear better on one side or have some other concern, call the day before to address a suitable place seating.

 

Food and Wine

• There was no amuse bouche (or later palate cleanser).

• Bread was offered, but it was not a significant element of the meal.

• Because Chef’s Table menus are in flux vs. the fixed seasonal options at 150 Central Park, I won’t elaborate (too much!) on specific courses. Instead, I’ll say we were impressed with both the design and execution of the menu as a whole and its separate courses. Each dish was strong enough to stand on its own, but melded well into the array of five. All were prepared and presented as I think the chef intended. The chef’s attention to creative taste and texture combinations was evident throughout, e.g., I thought he achieved a perfect tart-to-sweet accent with his different uses of grapefruit in the shellfish salad starter, and I am actually going to use food writers’ tied-for-favorite “exquisite” and “complex” adjectives (!) for the fish course described on the menu as “pan roasted black cod”—in my own words, it was a delicious, multilayered blend of diverse ingredients from the savory sauce bed up through the delicate fish and vegetable strata to the crispy, fried “fish skin sword” balanced on top.

• Serving sizes seemed just right for most people, and even a bit oversized for some—by the time we reached the entrée, I had to leave some of it behind just so I had room to taste dessert!

• Wine pours were average to generous. I thought each pairing was an excellent match, particularly the Kim Crawford sauvignon blanc from New Zealand to the shellfish salad and the Spring Valley Uriah meritage from Washington to the beef entrée.

 

Service

Service was excellent in every respect. The staff was attentive to individual needs, as well as to the unique rhythm of the group in consuming each course. I particularly admired the unobtrusive way the courses were served and plates were removed. The flow of food, wine and conversation was seamless!

 

Special Needs

As Chef Derek suggested when he encouraged us to give Chef’s Table a try in spite of my husband’s dietary limitations (e.g., he can’t eat any seafood, which impacted three of the five courses the night we dined), my husband talked with the staff 24+ hours in advance. They previewed each course and identified issues, as well as agreeable alternate ingredients. My husband did not know what to expect, but each wholly- or partially-altered course reflected the same degree of design creativity and care in preparation as the original menu items—it was amazing! More importantly, he had feared suffering the embarrassment that frequently accompanies specialized attention, but there was no public mention of his customized meal—as each course was served, a discreet explanation was offered to him alone, and that was that. We think Chef Derek and Chef’s Table went “above and beyond” in respecting his needs and meeting them in a dignified manner.

 

SUMMARY: If I had to choose just one food and wine dinner aboard Allure, it'd be Chef's Table. We were wowed by the experience and are now eager to try it on other ships.

 

__________________

 

In addition to our “package dinners” at 150 Central Park, Chef’s Table and Chops Grille, we also had dinner at Giovanni's, Samba Grill and Chops (again!) and ate the 7th meal at our assigned MDR table. (We probably wouldn’t have done any specialty restaurants outside the package but for the fact one was a gift and two were benefits of our MLife status. Truth be told, we found the week of near-total specialty dining to be so delightfully satisfying, I’m afraid going back to punctuating our week in the MDR with the occasional special night out has met the same fate as booking an inside after that first balcony splurge—we’ve been spoiled for future cruises!)

 

By way of thumbnail review, we give our dinners at the other specialty restaurants the following grades:

 

Chops Grille – A+ (and we felt the Allure offered the best version of this Royal Caribbean signature restaurant out of all the Chops restaurants we’ve tried, including most recently on Liberty, Freedom, Splendour and Oasis)

 

Giovanni’s – B+ (reliable Italian in an attractive setting, loved our server)

 

Samba Grill – A- (this was our first experience with Samba, it exceeded expectations as to food, service and ambiance, we gave the restaurant manager Catharina a Wow! card for not only the Samba dinner, but also her capable guidance of the restaurant as the complimentary daytime Solarium Bistro featuring surprisingly ambitious and reliably delicious healthy options for breakfast and lunch—my husband would get his Windjammer lunch and kindly schlep it from aft to fore and down a flight to join me at the Solarium Bistro!)

 

Thanks for reading. Hope this helps other first-timers to the tasting table experience aboard Allure. If you have any questions, fire away!

Edited September 3, 2013 by Artemis

[Truluv]

I wish I had the opportunity to read your review before our August cruise. I completely agree with your assessment of 150 Park Avenue, and wish we had skipped it.

 

Also agree with your quick note about Giovanni's. We also had a great server, and as a result we enjoyed our meal there much more than 150 Park Avenue.

Edited September 3, 2013 by Truluv

[A&L_Ont]

Thanks for the thorough review. We have yet to do Chef's Table as my DW does not eat seafood. After hearing about the ability to change parts of the meal it does sound very tempting. I will have to work on her.;)

 

Andrew

[jdvmd]

Wonderful, wonderful!

[LindaO]

Thank you so very much for your thoughtful and excellent review... I appreciate you taking the time to describe not only the food, but the experience. I'm sailing in December with my mother for her 81st Birthday... and would love to take her to the Chef's table for an evening. I do have a couple of questions... She is unable to do stairs... do you think there is an alternative route we could take to the "room" where she would not have to do stairs. We do not want the rest of the table to miss the route through the CL I can also ask this on board... but it will help in my planning if I have an idea before we board. Also, what is the dress if it is not on a formal night? And finally... thank you so much for describing your husband's experience... I too am allergic to seafood... and it sounds like they are well adept to handling the situation with grace. Thank you!

[Artemis]

Hi, Linda, thanks for your kind feedback, and hats off on your advance birthday planning for your mom!

 

It is a coincidence you ask about accessibility because as I wrote my review, I wondered the same thing, did some quick online research and came up empty. I would sure hope there is an elevator option that could be made available to transfer mobility-impaired guests to the second floor of the Concierge Lounge!

 

Maybe someone who knows the answer will post shortly. Regardless, I suggest you have your TA call and make inquiries that, if fruitful, can be reduced to a written confirmation of your booking + the accessibilty arrangements. If you're not using a TA, I think I would start by contacting dining vs. special needs. There are old CC posts indicating you can email RCLDining@rccl.com, but I have no idea if that works! (I did check the business card I have for the Chef's Table Manager, Jenie M. Espedido, and it doesn't contain her email, but perhaps you will get an answer by asking if she could get in touch with you to work this out.) As an alternative, here's the accessibility home page with contact info: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/allaboutcruising/accessibleseas/home.do

 

Regarding dress for Chef's Table, I think the guideline is a simple "smart casual"--see this statement on the RCCL website. Although it was formal night when we dined at Chef's Table and we enjoyed dressing up, not everyone at our meal chose to dress formally; but all guests met or exceeded "smart casual" and had obviously put some thought and care into their dress and grooming (as opposed to showing up straight from the pool deck :p).

 

Hope this works out for you--it would be a very special birthday dinner for your mom!

[rclibertygirl5]

We will be sailing on Oasis in October and I was wondering if anyone knew if this would be the same 150 Central Park menu?

 

Thanks for the comprehensive review!!

[Artemis]

Hi, rclibertygirl5,

 

Yes, per the website, the 150 CP on Oasis features the same menus. See this page , click the For A Charge tab, scroll down to 150 CP and click Oasis.

 

Enjoy!

Edited September 3, 2013 by Artemis

[ContemporaryTraveler]

Thank you for your review. I'm planning on doing the Chef's Table as a solo cruiser next year. The Chef's Table Package sounds like a great deal!

[LindaO]

Hi, Linda, thanks for your kind feedback, and hats off on your advance birthday planning for your mom!

 

It is a coincidence you ask about accessibility because as I wrote my review, I wondered the same thing, did some quick online research and came up empty. I would sure hope there is an elevator option that could be made available to transfer mobility-impaired guests to the second floor of the Concierge Lounge!

 

Maybe someone who knows the answer will post shortly. Regardless, I suggest you have your TA call and make inquiries that, if fruitful, can be reduced to a written confirmation of your booking + the accessibilty arrangements. If you're not using a TA, I think I would start by contacting dining vs. special needs. There are old CC posts indicating you can email RCLDining@rccl.com, but I have no idea if that works! (I did check the business card I have for the Chef's Table Manager, Jenie M. Espedido, and it doesn't contain her email, but perhaps you will get an answer by asking if she could get in touch with you to work this out.) As an alternative, here's the accessibility home page with contact info: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/allaboutcruising/accessibleseas/home.do

 

Regarding dress for Chef's Table, I think the guideline is a simple "smart casual"--see this statement on the RCCL website. Although it was formal night when we dined at Chef's Table and we enjoyed dressing up, not everyone at our meal chose to dress formally; but all guests met or exceeded "smart casual" and had obviously put some thought and care into their dress and grooming (as opposed to showing up straight from the pool deck :p).

 

Hope this works out for you--it would be a very special birthday dinner for your mom!

 

Thanks so much for your response... I will send emails tomorrow or make calls... I appreciate your help -- I am so very blessed to be able to sail with my mother! We are making her birthday cruise a yearly event -- and I'm hoping we have many many years to go... I have to tell you that when I called reservations to add mom's birthday to our celebrations note the gentleman on the other end said -- 81 wow... you are so very lucky!! I do know that I am!! Thanks again for the suggestions and I'm hoping we can work something out... if not... we'll be celebrating all week and I'm sure find an alternative!!

[rjgdjg]

Hi-

Just a quick note to thank you for your detailed and informative review. We're going on the Allure for the second time in late May and was noodling over doing the Chef's Dining Package as something different. Your terrific review is helping us make up our mind! - Diana, http://musingaboutcruising.blogspot.com

[Artemis]

Hi, Diana, I'm glad your noodling through the archives turned up something of use! I've enjoyed perusing your blog--thanks for sharing, and well done!--and note we share a love of food and cruising, as well as the same name (Romanize my handle!). :)

 

Hope you enjoy your Chef's Table experience as much as we did.