Crown Grill or Sabatini's? Which is better?

[bcnvcanada]

We were just off the Emerald yesterday and did both resurants. Loved the localation of Sabatinis on the Emerald. Food was good, thought not outstanding. However, the Crown Grill was dismisal. The service was poor, the head waiter had taken to bussing the tables as the wait staff couldn't keep up. We we not the only ones in the room, there were five other tables occupied. The Crown Grill, is not any better than the main dinning room, and the food,

my sea bass was mush, way overcooked, the steak that was ordered

was cooked correctly, but was so tough it could not be eating. The deserts, again, I realize food is to ones taste, but ours were dry and we not anything special one bite was enough. Overall

it was not a good experience. However, early this year on the Pacfic it was just the opposite with the Crown grill being better. I guess

it depends on which ship you are on.

[Colo Cruiser]

We were just off the Emerald yesterday and did both resurants. Loved the localation of Sabatinis on the Emerald. Food was good, thought not outstanding. However, the Crown Grill was dismisal. The service was poor, the head waiter had taken to bussing the tables as the wait staff couldn't keep up. We we not the only ones in the room, there were five other tables occupied. The Crown Grill, is not any better than the main dinning room, and the food,

my sea bass was mush, way overcooked, the steak that was ordered

was cooked correctly, but was so tough it could not be eating. The deserts, again, I realize food is to ones taste, but ours were dry and we not anything special one bite was enough. Overall

it was not a good experience. However, early this year on the Pacfic it was just the opposite with the Crown grill being better. I guess

it depends on which ship you are on.

 

Thats terrible that you had that bad of an experience in the CG, I hope you passed on your comments to mgt. :(

[Cruiserkenn]

I absolutley love the Sabatini's loctaion on the Ruby/Emerald/Crown! :)

 

Yes, Sabatini's is more than the food. It is also the nice atmosphere and ambience, and the usually wonderful service. It is usually quiet and peaceful, too. Wonderful.

 

I must admit I have followed the advice of many here, to not order the lobster three ways. But I like most of the food.

 

I love the experience.

[Proud Grandparents]

Crown Grill....I ordered the "veal chop" and frankly it was the best I've ever had!!

[OCruisers]

I absolutley love the Sabatini's loctaion on the Ruby/Emerald/Crown! :)

 

We love that location too -- Deck 16 Aft beside the Adaglo Bar/Lounge. Very relaxing to go to Adaglo's for cocktails before having dinner at Sabatini's. :)

LuLu

[Mindy97]

We eat early, so the dining room is fairly empty. We talk friendly-like to both our waiter and the Maitre 'd. We've always gotten exemplary, friendly service, which flows well.

 

We wouldn't eat there if we didn't enjoy the food, too. We mostly cruise on the West Coast, so we've only experienced Crown Grill on Sapphire, Golden and Star Princesses.

 

One additional thing I like is the way they do dessert. They have five or more choices, and also something called "chef's choice." Chef's choice is three dainty, small, tasting size desserts. Since I am way full by this point, I ask them to serve me just the one I want most, in the teeny size. It is enough for me. I get to taste it without overdoing it.

 

Almost forgot...my sister only does no sugar added desserts. She tells the Maitre 'd and the waiter on her way in, so that if they don't have an NSA dessert set aside in the kitchen, then they can have somebody run down and get one before it gets too busy.

 

M.

[Astro Flyer]

Crown Grill....I ordered the "veal chop" and frankly it was the best I've ever had!!

 

I had the veal chop at Sabatini's & was disappointed in it & both of us disappointed with Sabatini's fish entrée which based on a recent post said that whole fish for 2 was no longer available on the Emerald. That's merely what our taste buds told us which may be very different for others.

[Treven]

Going over the menus , I'd go to one, then a couple nights later go to the other one. Then I'd need one of the staff roll me back to my cabin :D - I'd be so stuffed I wouldn't be able to move!

Actually for his 40th., I'd really splurge and do the Chef's Table. $95/person and takes 2.5-3 hours, but oh so worth it in regards to time and money, plus you'll get a 8.5x11" photo of your group plus a copy of Princess' cookbook, Courses; plus the ladies gets a rose.

Edited July 14, 2014 by Treven

[Timeforvaca]

We always do both more than once on our cruises, but we prefer Crown Grill. There are only a few entrees I would consider at Sabatini's, while the Crown Grill has several. Once at Sabatini's we had a delicious pasta in a brown sauce with meatballs. Does anyone know what this is called and if they still have it? If so I would love to book for this evening on our next cruise. It was a highlight!

 

The only thing I would say about the CG is that I find their apps to be weak compared to other cruise line Steakhouses. Here are a few of our favorites from each restaurant...

 

Crown Grill:

Black and Blue onion soup

Mussel Pot

Lobster Tails

Filet

Rack of Lamb

Crown Dependence

 

Sabatinis:

Artichoke souffle

Veal Chop

Lobster 3 ways (I agree you need to get it on a "good" night though)

Espresso Creme Brulee

 

Enjoy!

[canadarocks]

I had the veal chop at Sabatini's & was disappointed in it & both of us disappointed with Sabatini's fish entrée which based on a recent post said that whole fish for 2 was no longer available on the Emerald. That's merely what our taste buds told us which may be very different for others.

 

When we were on the Emerald in March, I ordered the Branzino (salt encrusted fish). It was good, but not any better than the fish I had been ordering almost nightly in the MDR. I had expected it to be better than it actually was.

 

But, as I said, the artichoke souffle and the citrus tart made up for it! ;)

[Astro Flyer]

When we were on the Emerald in March, I ordered the Branzino (salt encrusted fish). It was good, but not any better than the fish I had been ordering almost nightly in the MDR. I had expected it to be better than it actually was.

 

But, as I said, the artichoke souffle and the citrus tart made up for it! ;)

 

I never leave Sabatini's hungry & find more than enough to eat which applies to any shipboard dining venue. :p

 

I believe it was PescadoAmarillo who posted about menu changes on her Emerald cruise which to me would be a welcome change.

Edited July 14, 2014 by Astro Flyer

[Colo Cruiser]

I never leave Sabatini's hungry & find more than enough to eat which applies to any shipboard dining venue. :p

 

I believe it was PescadoAmarillo who posted about menu changes on her Emerald cruise which to me would be a welcome change.

 

 

They changed the menu again? :eek:

[Astro Flyer]

I don't know if it has changed on all the ships, but at least on the Emerald Princess last month the menu at Sabatinis is no longer the same as what is listed on the Princess website. The zuppa di pomodoro is gone as is the salt crusted striped bass. There are now two or three choices of pasta on the menu as opposed to a special one each night. There is a chef's special dish each night that is not listed on the menu. In lieu of the tomato soup with seafood there is a soup more like a pasta fagioli. The fish is now a grilled fish. The chef's special one night was Osso Buco and it was outstanding. The menu actually changed while we were on our cruise. The first night we had the old menu and the next time we went back we had the new one.

 

They changed the menu again? :eek:

My mistake, it was 'Sunviking' who posted about a change to the Sabatini's menu earlier in this thread.

Edited July 14, 2014 by Astro Flyer

[lovevacadays]

My mistake, it was 'Sunviking' who posted about a change to the Sabatini's menu earlier in this thread.

 

It seems they keep changing the menu. Too bad they cannot get this venue right. I will say the first time I ate at Sabatini's was back when the Star Princess was brand new. My sister, niece, and I did a West Coast "introductory short cruise" on the Star. We had an amazing experience on Sabatini's. It was the original menu which did have a lot of food but we didn't try everything. The food was amazing, service was amazing, we were serenaded, etc, etc. I would love to have that experience again in Sabatini's. The last time I went to Sabatini's was in 2010 which was not a good experience so I have never felt the need to go back.

 

I have always thoroughly enjoyed the Crown Grill and Sterling Steakhouse.

[wineandbeach]

I haven't been on Princess in 7 years. i was wondering if they still have Lobster on formal night. If so, Is it a lot better at Sabatinis and Crown Grill? My group is thinking of doing the specialty on the second formal night which on most ships I have been on is Lobster night. I am wondering if it is a waste to miss the Lobster to pay for Lobster. If there is a big difference (or if they don't have it anymore) the decision will be easy. Also, Does Sabatinis or Crown Grill have a better Lobster?

[Astro Flyer]

I haven't been on Princess in 7 years. i was wondering if they still have Lobster on formal night. If so, Is it a lot better at Sabatinis and Crown Grill? My group is thinking of doing the specialty on the second formal night which on most ships I have been on is Lobster night. I am wondering if it is a waste to miss the Lobster to pay for Lobster. If there is a big difference (or if they don't have it anymore) the decision will be easy. Also, Does Sabatinis or Crown Grill have a better Lobster?

 

Lobster? This can be a "hornets nest" where opinions will vary greatly but to me I prefer the lobster served at the Crown Grill, Chef's Table & Ultimate Balcony Dinner over that in the dining room or Sabatini's. I would prefer having steak & lobster at the Crown Grill plus to me all the other options are better than in the dining room.

Edited July 15, 2014 by Astro Flyer

[Dreamer333]

Thanks for the advice, everyone!

[trixiegal]

This is really great info. I'll also be turning 40 on my first Princess cruise and still trying to decide on my dinner choice. Think I'll do the Ultimate Balcony brunch and Crown Grill for dinner. I'm a steakhouse gal. ;)

 

 

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[Cruiserkenn]

Thanks for the advice, everyone!

 

Thanks so much for coming back and acknowledging the value and interest of the information.

 

I enjoyed reading all of it.

 

Thanks!

[upgradeluvr]

We just completed a 7-day Alaska cruise on the Golden Princess. We dined at both Crown Grill and Sabatini's. The following are my impressions:

 

Sabatini's:

We chose to conclude our day in Juneau with a 7PM reservation @ Sabatini's. We were seated immediately and found the experience and overall service to be a cut above the MDR. The new menu goes into effect this week (July 26th), so we were some of the last to dine on the older menu. Overall, the food was just ok. We are Italian and expected much more, after reading all the reviews on CrCr.

 

I would say the best part were the appetizers. The prosciutto (found on the crostini) is of very good quality. I believe it's Prosciutto di Parma. In fact, we requested they slice more on a plate, which they gladly obliged. Our neighbors at the adjacent table followed suit and requested the same. We decided to order many of the appetizers for the table, to sample. The highlights were the artichoke souffle and the blue crab appetizer. The burratta was just ok.

 

The pasta was the absolute worst part of the meal! I expected much more since this was supposed to be the chef's daily special. It was farfalle (bow ties) with meat sauce and meatballs. I've never seem this served in all my years in Italy. Why they decided to serve this to us, was beyond me...and none of us finished our plates. This was the only choice. The new menu offers three nightly pastas....but I suspect keeping the quality high with THREE choices will be very difficult. I was underwhelmed...good pasta is essential part of a great Italian meal. My parents, who are Princess Platinum level captain circle members, always raved about their past Sabatini experiences...not this time.

 

Main course. I ordered the veal chop. The cut was bad and very tough...I ordered medium and it was well done. The chef came out and apologized, offering to cook another portion, I opted for the Lobster three ways in stead. My brother in law had the Fiorentina steak, he liked it. The lobster was just ok. Nothing special.

 

Desert was better, I had the Zabaglione, which was quite good, though a touch too sweet for my taste.

 

In all, I would give this 2.5 out of 5 stars.

 

Crown Grill:

By far a completely different dining experience from Sabatini's. First of all, earlier in the week, I made a special request for their famous (no longer on the menu) scalloped potatoes. They happily obliged us. The Maitre'd (Arthur) was extremely polite and very prompt. We enjoyed his enthusiasm and attitude, though just receiving a tongue lashing from some horrible woman, prior to us being seated....

 

The restaurant was crowded, but our service was impeccable!! I ordered the scallop appetizer and the black and blue onion soup. Both were great! They suggested we try all the sides, which we happily agreed to...in addition to the scalloped potatoes! All were terrific. Our cuts of meat were sensational...I had the new york strip....others in the party had the filet, porterhouse and the rib-eye. We enjoyed the accompanying salt options...very nice addition which each kicked off the meat flavors.

 

Dessert was spectacular! I would rate this steak house 4.5 out of 5 stars....since they don't have fire grills, the char really wasn't as good as it should be...but we were aboard a ship...and I realize the limitations of cooking whilst at sea.

 

In all, I would recommend Crown Grill. We wanted Sabatini's to be special, but it was a severe disappointment. I will give them another chance one day...on a future cruise, but they REALLY need to up their game. Crown grill is blowing them away...at least on the Golden Princess, this is my humble opinion.

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for your comments.

[Love.II.Cruise]

For us, we like the Crown Grill, but have been disapointed with Sabatini's in the past. However, on the next cruise we are going to try both and see where they stand.

Edited July 27, 2014 by Love.II.Cruise

[KruzeKrazy!]

We always do both Crown and Sabatini's and if we do one twice it would be Crown Grill (hint hint). Crown Grill is your proverbial steakhouse menu and setting while Sabatini's tends to be higher fat content food that will "sit" with you longer.

 

If you like a steakhouse choose Crown Grill. If you prefer pasta or seafood try Sabatini's. If you want lobster definitely Crown Grill. And if you have the budget and a baclony cabin consider Ultimate Balcony Dinner - it's a wonderful experience with the ship's best food (can you say filet and great lobster!) served in private on your balcony. A great celebration!

[Colo Cruiser]

Mussels!

[Astro Flyer]

Mussels!

 

My wife skips courses to have mussels as her "appetizer" before her surf & turf entree.