Favorite MDR entrees?

[jasbo49]

Greetings everyone. My wife and I have booked a semi-last-minute 35th anniversary cruise on the Constellation Jan. 20 out of Fort Lauderdale. Since we've never been on Celebrity before, I'm wondering whether there are particular meals in the main dining room people would recommend.

 

And I guess it could be broader than just entrees, if people have appetizers and/or desserts not to be missed. I know on Carnival, everyone raves about the Chocolate Melting Cake, and I had some favored entrees (Jamaican Jerked Chicken). My wife swooned for the Pumpkin Soup. So what's a knockout on the Celebrity MDR menu? Thanks in advance.

 

Jim

[Azulann]

Welcome aboard. i wiil be on the same cruise.

We were on the Constellation in November and never had a bad meal in the MDR. I love all their soups, especially their chilled soups. Chicken, fish and beef for entrees. Had a steak one night in MDR that was the most tender I have ever had. You could cut it with a butter knife. For desserts I alway go for the ice cream. They make their ice cream on board and their coconut ice cream is the best.

I urge you to book a dinner in Oceanliners. It is worth the price. A leisurely dinner with lobster bisque, Dover Sole entree and selection from their dessert menu. It will be a night to remember.

try the grill at the pool for great burgers, breakfast in the buffet with made to order omelets, waffles that are out of this world. Pizza by the slice late afternoon and small sandwiches and scones from, I think 4:30 -5:30 ,on one side of the buffet to hold you over till dinner.

 

congratulations, you picked a great ship and cruise line for your celebration.

[underthebluemoon]

I know it's gonna sound silly, but we got room service late one night when we didn't feel like getting frilly for dinner, ordered a couple turkey clubs and the grilled chicken, and Caesar Salads. It was one of the best Chicken Caesar's I've ever had! Also, one night on the buffet they had chicken tenders, and wow, these were really super good chicken tenders! :D (hey, after eating steak and shrimp and sushi -- sometimes you just get a hankering for some good junky food. :)

[fleckle]

If you don't feel like getting frilly for dinner, or are just not in the mood for another night in the dining room, another option is to order anything and everything you like from the main dining room menu and have it delivered to your cabin.

 

Lots of us love to do that and enjoy having dinner out on the balcony.

 

If you don't have a balcony, no problem. Just make friends with some people who have a large balcony (preferably the nice couple in one of the penthouse suites). ;)

 

 

Otherwise, the easiest way is to ask your stateroom attendant or butler to bring you a copy of the main dining room menu and check off the items you want, indicating how many of each you want.

 

You may be offered a choice of time for when the meal will arrive, or (as often done) it is delivered sometime near the end of first seating in the dining room, before second seating begins.

 

If you are in a suite, your butler will serve you the dinner in order, one course at a time.

 

If you are not in a suite, the entire meal will be delivered in covered dishes on trays. Then you uncover the dishes and serve yourself, in whatever order you please.

[d4m]

We always enjoy the creme brulee in the MDR. In the past they had different varieties, but on our most recent trip, it was always the same:( Some great free desserts at Cafe Al Bacio, especially oatmeal cookies!

 

On our most recent TA, I was very surprised that the prime rib was outstanding. Skip the escargot uness the size has changed. They were so small they were worthless. Don't have any particular must have's, but most often the food is good.

 

Daily menu is available in front of dining room after lunch each day. Actually on our last cruise, they had the dinner menu posted outside the buffet. They aim to please and will try to accommodate your wants.

 

Try the burgers, hot dogs and fries outside near the pool. Frankly, I loved the burgers, although that resulted in skipping dinner. Did have room for an extra cookie or two that night:)

 

Pasta bar is good at the buffet and personally love the poached eggs in the morning. I make sure to order them on toast instead of English muffins to make sure they are freshly made.

[purrlinda]

We always enjoy the creme brulee in the MDR. In the past they had different varieties, but on our most recent trip, it was always the same:( Some great free desserts at Cafe Al Bacio, especially oatmeal cookies!

 

On our most recent TA, I was very surprised that the prime rib was outstanding. Skip the escargot uness the size has changed. They were so small they were worthless. Don't have any particular must have's, but most often the food is good.

 

Daily menu is available in front of dining room after lunch each day. Actually on our last cruise, they had the dinner menu posted outside the buffet. They aim to please and will try to accommodate your wants.

 

Try the burgers, hot dogs and fries outside near the pool. Frankly, I loved the burgers, although that resulted in skipping dinner. Did have room for an extra cookie or two that night:)

Pasta bar is good at the buffet and personally love the poached eggs in the morning. I make sure to order them on toast instead of English muffins to make sure they are freshly made.

 

I am with you on the burgers and dogs at the Mast Grill. Next to Bistro on 5, it was the best food I had on the ship!

[ghstudio]

The MDR does a wonderful job on lamb...no matter how it's prepared. The onion soup (on the always available menu) is excellent as is the creme brulee (usually). But the best part of dinner, by far, are the bread sticks....sounds funny, but after you try them, you'll agree. you can order anchovies on your caesar salad (not on menu).

 

For a treat before dinner, try some sushi in the buffet area (5-8pm) as a pre-dinner appetizer.

 

Mast grill hamburgers are excellent. If you want pastries, go to the coffee bar on 5 (charge for coffee..but you can just get pastries which are free).

 

Try bistro on 5 for lunch on the day you board the ship.....it's worth the $5 per person and won't be crowded....the buffet is always a mob scene on the first day.

Edited January 5, 2014 by ghstudio

[Northern Aurora]

I really shouldn't share this info because it will now be even harder to obtain -- but my favorite dessert is the coconut cake at the Cafe al Bacio/Cova Cafe. Heavenly!! I know the thread subject is "Favorite MDR entrees," but since life is short we really need to consider eating dessert first!

[Gig103]

Hands down, my wife votes for the BBQ Spring Roll appetizer in the MDR as her favorite dish. I agree that both these and the Thai Spring Rolls are excellent, and IMO Celebrity makes one of the best French Onion soups I've ever tasted.

 

For dinner, it's hard to choose with 14 menus, but the prime rib is always delicious, as is the Chateaubriand. Mine was always cooked properly.

 

And for dessert, my favorite was something I believe was called a "Macadamia", and I also thought the tiramisu was very good.

 

Oh -- and in the buffet on the Infinity, they had "Authentic Curries" all day for lunch and dinner and they were excellent! But don't let the word 'authentic' worry you in terms of heat, just in flavor.

Edited January 5, 2014 by Gig103

[H2OH!]

We love the Mushroom and Onion soups...very good. Also if they have Escargot they are fabulous...the buttery garlic flavor is to die for. DH thinks the prime rib is good. I love the beef wellington.

 

the pistachio gelato at the gelateria is fantastic even though is extra charge. We also love getting a breakfast crepe at Bistro on 5 for $5 per person. you pick what you want in the crepe. yum. to finish breakfast off get a nutella crepe...another heavenly dish.

 

In one of the specialty restaurants I asked for Chocolate souffle...OMG!! It was fantastic. I still dream about that dessert. :)

 

Other rave about the almond croissants at Cafe Al bacio...I did not like them but others no these boards rave about them.

 

Happy sailing!

[jasbo49]

Thanks for all the info and opinions, everyone. So much to think about.

 

My wife is on the thrifty side (one of the reasons we can even go on this cruise), so we've never eaten in one of the extra-charge restaurants on a ship. I think I can talk her into the Bistro on Five, though. If $5 a head gives us a relaxing embarkation lunch instead of the melee of the first-day buffet, it might be worth it.

 

And the option of ordering off the MDR menu to eat on the balcony is attractive, especially since we've decided to skip the fancy clothes for formal night. We could dress comfortably and still get MDR food.

 

Based on your recommendations, I'm already looking forward to the French onion soup, spring rolls, burgers, prime rib, crème brulee and a dozen other things. Glad it's only two weeks away.

 

Thanks again. For those who'd like to chime in, keep em coming.

 

Azulann: Thanks for the welcome aboard. Can't say that I remember much about St. Paul, but I was born there.

 

Jim

[Hart10]

My DH loves the cafe pasta bar! We have only cruised once on X and ate in Blu, wonderful meals each night great lamb shank ! I enjoyed making big salads in the cafe for lunch using the Mexican toppers :) wonderful !

 

 

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[bigbenboys]

My favorites are Escargot, Prime Rib, Crème brûlée and East Indian food at the Sea Side Cafe. Richard

[Ron_L]

I don't remember the BBQ Spring Rolls on the Summit last month. Those sound interesting. I also don't remember seeing prime rib.

 

The best thing we had was the braised beed short ribs. The french onion soup was good, but not good enough to order twice, and the escargot had no garlic at all. We were also disappointed in the lobster on the second formal night. It wasn't just lobster. It was half of a small tail served in a sauce along with shrimp, scallops and mussels and didn't have much flavor.

[iancal]

Beef Wellington, Osso Bucco. Had both on our Eclipse Christmas cruise and they were, as always, excellent. Best meals that we had on the cruise.

 

For desert....Crème Brule.

 

What we miss, and seems to be off the menu....Mama's pork chops and the Chefs Meat Balls (stuffed with cheese).

[NLH Arizona]

I love the French Onion soup.

[chicagopaul]

Lamb Shank and Short Ribs. My two favorites. I'm very very picky with my steaks. I always order on temp level below. I typically order Medium Rare at steakhouses so on the ship I always order rare. Their prime rib was actually done perfectly.

[Kwenz]

Rack of lamb and short rib lasagna.

[figs4me]

If you don't feel like getting frilly for dinner, or are just not in the mood for another night in the dining room, another option is to order anything and everything you like from the main dining room menu and have it delivered to your cabin.

 

 

 

Are we able to do this on formal nights, as well? I think I may have a hard time choosing between entrees, so may want to order multiple dishes to be delivered to our stateroom (for maximum stealth gluttony:D).

[3418ahl]

Barolo braised short ribs and short rib lasagna!!!

[patty1955]

Beef tornadoes, chicken liver parfet, escargot and after eight choc/mint cake

[Philomath]

Just off the Christmas Constellation cruise and ate in the MDR every night! I love the MDR and have never felt the need to go to a for-charge restaurant. For me, it's a completely unique cruise experience and I never pass it up!

 

Favorites were the Colorado rack of lamb, pan seared sirloin (daily special, not the everyday grilled sirloin which is also tasty but not as tender), lamb shank, creme brûlée, and coffee pot de creme (custard). Escargot is a must-try at lrast once and you may find yourself ordering it every night thereafter! I'm of Indian origin and can say with confidence that the curries in the buffet as well as Indian snacks (pakora etc) are both authentic and delicious. A tip is that any Indian entree offered in the MDR can also be ordered in a small portion as a side dish, which works well as they are usually vegetarian.

 

Enjoy the Connie - we had a great cruise and I wish you the same!

[Shewie403]

If you have a concierge cabin, you have access to a fabulous breakfast room service! They bring it right to your balcony and you don't have to get ready first. We loved it! There is a wide assortment from oatmeal, to poached eggs, to omelets, to smoothies. So looking forward to it!

[fleckle]

Are we able to do this on formal nights, as well?

Yes, most definitely.

It provides an easy way to have the formal night dinner from the dining room without needing to dress formally to get it.

 

I think I may have a hard time choosing between entrees, so may want to order multiple dishes to be delivered to our stateroom (for maximum stealth gluttony:D).

No problem. Order whatever you want.

 

A confession :eek: (but don't tell anyone):

- on the first formal night, they typically serve rack of lamb in the main dining room.

I like to pick up the bones with my fingers to nibble that last remaining tasty, tender meat that clings to the bone and is difficult to cut off with a knife, but I would not do that in the dining room with other people around, especially not in the presence of those who are formally dressed.

 

In the privacy of our balcony, however, I have no hesitation about picking up the bones with my fingers and nibbling away.

 

[megfla]

Two words...VEAL CHOP!!