New Burger Concept - Noordam

[GeriatricNurse]

HAL's hamburgers were good a few years ago. But the last time either of us had one was about 2 years ago. We couldn't eat them. Full of gristle.

 

Well, they must have (greatly) improved the burgers, at least at the 'Terrace Cafe', because on my recent Ryndam cruise, they were gristle-free & excellent; probably the best burgers that I have ever enjoyed on a HAL cruise! :)

[prescottbob]

Ahoy,

 

Back in the 50's & 60's when little boys (& girls) were eating raw ground beef / consuming Mom's rare / medium-rare burgers the sourcing was mostly from USA slaughterhouses & processors.

 

These days, as everyone knows, all meats, veggies and fish products come from all over the world where in some cases the quality control is limited at best. Although the FDA try's to sample & test all imported meats as best they can it certainly can't be expected to catch each and every case of fecal contamination, etc.

 

Hence, on occasion we have an outbreak of E. Coli / Salmonella poisoning from contaminated ground meat (either by poor processing at the sourcing plant or poor sanitation practices by the food preparer).

 

Irradiated meats (& other foodstuffs) would certainly decrease the contamination / food poisoning cases seen in the USA, & worldwide for that matter, but has met quite a bit of resistance from various anti-irradiation groups.

 

The initial arguments by such groups attempted to say that irradiated meats would cause neoplastic processes (i.e., cancers) and the current argument has more to do with vitamin and mineral degradation from irradiation. Thus far neither of these scenarios has been proven (at least by the FDA).

 

Attached is a link that might help:

 

http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm261680.htm

 

So, the bottom line is thus: if there were more widespread acceptance & use of irradiated meats perhaps we could go back to those 'juicy' medium-rare burgers of yesteryear.

 

Hard to say though since backtracking on the current ground beef temperature rules (minimum internal temperature of 160 degrees F) would be difficult to do without a substantial reduction in food borne illness (via bacterial microbes) cases.

 

Bob Appetite!

 

Be well.

Bob:)

[runnergirl71]

We tried it on the Nieuw Amsterdam last week' date=' The Nathans hot dogs were ok very small, the burgers were very good ..[/quote']

 

 

Living just subway stops away from the original Nathan's, I can safely say they are not and were not intended to be jumbo dogs.

 

 

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Edited March 12, 2014 by runnergirl71

[Hlitner]

Any improvement is always a good thing. But regarding the medium rare comment (we love our burgers rare to med rare) there is at least one cruise line, Princess, who has quietly delt with this issue (at least they used to do this). On our last 2 Princess cruises they had a "special book" kept under the counter at the outdoor burger grill. If you wanted a burger cooked med rare, they would hand you book, have you read a short waiver which essentially said you agreed to take your life in your own hands and not hold Princess liable if you got sick. You then signed the book, and they would make you a med rare burger. The fact that they offered this option was not widely known since there was never any mention of it onboard or in handouts. It was one of those things where you had to ask to know. We found out by accident when the grill cook heard me complaining to another passenger (while we were waiting for burgers) that I really wish there was a way to bribe the cook to make me a rare burger. That is when the cook laughed and pulled out his book. I have now asked about similar options on both HAL and Celebrity, but the cooks have told me it is just not possible.

 

Hank

Edited March 12, 2014 by Hlitner

[Krazy Kruizers]

I am happy to report that both the old (frozen) and the new (fresh) burgers were free of gristle.

 

 

That is good to hear.

I only buy 92% lean ground sirloin at home.

[VermeulT]

I experienced the Dive In grill last week too. My nephew & his gf had burgers and said they were awesome. I had a (Nathan's) Dive In Dog - which was a hot dog with dive in sauce (mayo/ mustard/ relish) and topped with crunchy onions. It was good. I miss the brat or knockwurst they used to have at the Terrace. I do like the fries that you can get with cheese sauce or chili on top.

[runnergirl71]

Is the Dive In on every ship?

 

 

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[POA1]

Is the Dive In on every ship?

 

 

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It's the new name of the Terrace Grill - or as we call it, "the burger window by the Lido pool." ;) I'm not sure if they were planning to put up new signage on the Noordam after we got off or not. I'm just happy to have the improved burgers.

[runnergirl71]

It's the new name of the Terrace Grill - or as we call it, "the burger window by the Lido pool." ;) I'm not sure if they were planning to put up new signage on the Noordam after we got off or not. I'm just happy to have the improved burgers.

 

 

Cool! So that is on every ship but possibly by another name?

 

 

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[POA1]

Cool! So that is on every ship but possibly by another name?

 

 

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Yes indeed. There's usually a taco bar set up nearby as well. You can get your junk food fix during the day and eat big people food at night. (By "big people food" I am referring to sit down, table service in the dining room. Not food for people who are large.)

[runnergirl71]

Yes indeed. There's usually a taco bar set up nearby as well. You can get your junk food fix during the day and eat big people food at night. (By "big people food" I am referring to sit down, table service in the dining room. Not food for people who are large.)

 

 

Awesome! Thanks! :)

 

 

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[POA1]

Ahoy,

 

Back in the 50's & 60's when little boys (& girls) were eating raw ground beef / consuming Mom's rare / medium-rare burgers the sourcing was mostly from USA slaughterhouses & processors.

 

These days, as everyone knows, all meats, veggies and fish products come from all over the world where in some cases the quality control is limited at best. Although the FDA try's to sample & test all imported meats as best they can it certainly can't be expected to catch each and every case of fecal contamination, etc.

 

Hence, on occasion we have an outbreak of E. Coli / Salmonella poisoning from contaminated ground meat (either by poor processing at the sourcing plant or poor sanitation practices by the food preparer).

 

Irradiated meats (& other foodstuffs) would certainly decrease the contamination / food poisoning cases seen in the USA, & worldwide for that matter, but has met quite a bit of resistance from various anti-irradiation groups.

 

The initial arguments by such groups attempted to say that irradiated meats would cause neoplastic processes (i.e., cancers) and the current argument has more to do with vitamin and mineral degradation from irradiation. Thus far neither of these scenarios has been proven (at least by the FDA).

 

Attached is a link that might help:

 

http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm261680.htm

 

So, the bottom line is thus: if there were more widespread acceptance & use of irradiated meats perhaps we could go back to those 'juicy' medium-rare burgers of yesteryear.

 

Hard to say though since backtracking on the current ground beef temperature rules (minimum internal temperature of 160 degrees F) would be difficult to do without a substantial reduction in food borne illness (via bacterial microbes) cases.

 

Bob Appetite!

 

Be well.

Bob:)

 

That was an awesome science break, Bob. Thank you. Here we are accidentally learning things - and with reference links for further reading, too. :)

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Living just subway stops away from the original Nathan's, I can safely say they are not and were not intended to be jumbo dogs.

 

 

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They were very very small in diameter the ones on the ship, They are trying a very nice system which is you place your order and they give you a beeper.

Edited March 12, 2014 by we're sailing away....

[runnergirl71]

They were very very small in diameter the one on the ship

 

 

They are typically smaller than Oscar Mayers and definitely smaller than Ballparks.

 

 

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[serendipity1499]

Don't you wonder how those of us who are senior today managed to live this long seeing how many of us ate steak tartare for years? :D We didn't have tubs of hand sanitizer and relied upon bars of plain 'ole ivory soap? All those rare hamburgers we ate! What about all the coddled eggs we ate for years in caesar salads? Shocking we're still alive. :)

 

LOL.. They even sold steak tartare in restaurants I NYC..

Here's hoping that the new burger concept extends to all the ships. And that they really are an improvement.

 

Now, if they could be as good as they are on Oceania, then I will be in 7th heaven. :D Wow, but those burgers were the best ever, with cooked to order steak fries, and a hand-made milkshake.

Can't do that very often, but once or twice a cruise is worth the price of admission.

 

Your are right Ruth.. Now I'm getting hungry for a good rare Burger! Brandy, my Pup must know I'm posting about food.. She just put her paws up on my lap asking to be fed, but she is a half hour early! Now she went to Dad, & DH is asking for a snack..

 

LOL Betty

[nana51]

I love love burgers. I like 'em cooked all the way though. I don't like frozen and haven't tried them on HAL for that reason. If they are fresh, then yum. I'm on the Oosterdam in late July.

[Typhoon1]

Sounds great. Wish they'd let us sign a release and cook our burgers medium rare. ;)

:D

 

 

I agree Sail. I was actually able to convince a restaurant we frequent in Fort Lauderdale to cook one rare for me a few weeks ago.

 

If E coli kills me, at least I'll die with a smile on my face.

[POA1]

Just off the NA. Everbody in our part commented on the freshly made burgers from dive-in bistro. They clearly appeared and tasted fresh made.

Dennis

 

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I hope that the new burger concept takes off. It was excellent.

[legalslave]

What about the Steak Tartare in the Pinnacle? It's ground, high grade beef and raw. I ate it and did not get ill. Is there something different about it?

 

Diane

[cruz chic]

I agree Sail. I was actually able to convince a restaurant we frequent in Fort Lauderdale to cook one rare for me a few weeks ago.

 

If E coli kills me, at least I'll die with a smile on my face.

 

This seems to be the attitude of many posters on this thread. Would you really give up your life for a rare burger? I find that incredibly sad.

[sherilyn70]

I love a nice juicy med rare burger. I learned that by accident when I was 18, pregnant and desperate for a burger lol. I was home alone and tried to make it myself and it was almost raw. :p

 

The key to getting one still pink is to know where the meat came from. Grocery store I go med to med well, Butcher I go med rare to med. A restaurant that is respectable I'll go med rare to med. You just need to trust that wherever it is from cleans properly and handles their meat properly.

 

The only time I have picked a food related bug was actually from dirty vegetables! The med rare beef was not the cause per my doctor.

 

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Edited March 16, 2014 by sherilyn70

[Cruising-along]

This seems to be the attitude of many posters on this thread. Would you really give up your life for a rare burger? I find that incredibly sad.

 

So do I. There was a young girl a few years ago near here who nearly died of E coli. The news followed her long, sad story as she struggled to live. She did, but will have life-long problems because of that one burger. And she was young and healthy. Imagine someone with a compromised immune system or an elderly person. :eek:

 

I like my steak medium rare, but a burger? No way.

 

And there is no way you would die with a smile on your face.

Edited March 16, 2014 by Cruising-along

[sherilyn70]

E coli is often from veggies as well. It's not just a meat disease. It comes from dirt.

 

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[CowPrincess]

E coli is often from veggies as well. It's not just a meat disease. It comes from dirt.

 

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Actually it doesn't come from dirt per se though soil can be contaminated with e. coli from contaminated water, etc. For more info here's a link to the Mayo Clinic's e. coli info.

 

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/e-coli/basics/causes/con-20032105

[Lizzie68]

I understand it originates with feces, watched a documentary report on it during an outbreak. Enough to convince me never ever to eat undercooked hamburger meat.:eek: