Giovanni's Table Lunch Review

[secret1122]

In light of the positive responses I got for my Chef's Table review, I decided to share my most recent review of another Royal Caribbean venue, Giovanni's Table. I had lunch during embarkation for my Allure cruise this past may.

 

I'm currently working on a 150 Central Park review which I hope to have posted in about a week.

 

Here is the link to the Giovanni's table review: http://kleenplate.net/2014/09/12/giovannis-table/

[dancinman66]

Love the review

Nice pics In it also

Thanks

 

 

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[dancinman66]

Love the review

Nice pics In it also

Thanks

It was really appreciated

 

 

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[Sunny AZ Girl]

Thank you for the review. We are planning to do this on the Oasis in May. Did you make reservations ahead of time or just walked in?

[dacsmom]

Thank you for the review and the wonderful pictures. We are planning on lunch at Giovanni's Table on embarkation day.

[Jobeth66]

Thank you for the review. We are planning to do this on the Oasis in May. Did you make reservations ahead of time or just walked in?

 

You can't make reservations for lunch. :(

[Glad Trimble]

Thank you for doing this, really helpful. Your photos are fantastic :) Do you mind me asking what camera you have?

Thanks again,

Sally

[venicia]

Wonderful review and fabulous photographs! Are you a professional food critic? Your comments and the accompanying photographs are amazing.

 

By the way, my exact feelings on the lasagna, was disappointed with it. We went there for dinner one evening and enjoyed that much more.

 

Did you eat at Chops? We really enjoyed Chops and had an amazing waiter.

 

I'm looking forward to your review on 150 Central, we are probably the only 2 persons around that did not like 150 Central, it just was not our "cup of tea", but with all the food areas on this fantastic ship, we never were hungry.

 

JB

[celly]

In light of the positive responses I got for my Chef's Table review, I decided to share my most recent review of another Royal Caribbean venue, Giovanni's Table. I had lunch during embarkation for my Allure cruise this past may.

 

I'm currently working on a 150 Central Park review which I hope to have posted in about a week.

 

Here is the link to the Giovanni's table review: http://kleenplate.net/2014/09/12/giovannis-table/

 

Thanks for sharing! Love your review and those wonderful photos.

Looking forward to your other reviews.

[George C]

Excellent review, now I am hungry

[venicia]

I am so embarrassed! I just looked at several of your other reviews and now I know you are undoubtedly a fabulous food reviewer and probably have a huge following. I will be one of those followers! You have a magic way with words to make the sensation of the food you review become real and the photographs that accompany your review are just perfect.

 

So in my previous posting when I asked if you were a professional food critic and photographer it should have been obvious.

 

wonderful review

[Big_G]

Nice job. We did the lunch at Giovanni's on embarkation day back in January. I would have rated it slightly higher but that's just me. I thoroughly enjoyed your review.

 

 

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[2004corvette]

great pics & a very informative review.....thanks for your honest critique

[dancinman66]

Definitely got to do this on quantum in a few weeks

 

 

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[bigkauhuna]

Loved your review of Giovanni's. I have already planed my meal for embarkation. Loved your honesty of the food.

[MattInFLL]

Thanks for the great review. It's funny, when my foccacie came out, we all remarked: "looks like they raided Sorrento's" - it was not a true flatbread :)

 

 

For the person who asked about reservations - there should be no issue just showing up and getting a seat on embarkation day. Most people do not know about it. If you are D+ or in a GS or above, you can also contact the Suite concierge by email ahead of the trip and he or she will make a reservation for you. I did that on Oasis.

[mlmbar]

Had lunch there last Sept on ALLURE embarkation day and it was wonderful. We DID have a reservation but it was unnecessary as we were the only ones there. Meanwhile , we sat under an umbrella enjoying our drinks and wonderful food watching the lines grow at Park Cafe and people wandering around trying to find a place to sit so they could balance their food. The chef made us smaller portions of everything we ordered and also added some extras because he wanted us to enjoy all of the offerings. It was a totally delightful way to begin the cruise and well worth the $15

[Steeler Nation At Sea]

Definitely got to do this on quantum in a few weeks

 

 

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No Giovanni's on Quantum :( [emoji30]

 

 

I've eaten a few times at Giovanni's. Love it. One thing mentioned in the review that I'm not so sure about though. Page 2 of the menu was always treated like Primi and Secondi and we were encouraged to order both a pasta AND a main.

 

 

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Edited September 14, 2014 by Steeler Nation At Sea

[riclop]

Thanks for the explicit review.

[kftw]

Thank you for your review.

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for your review and awesome photo's.

[secret1122]

Thank you for the review. We are planning to do this on the Oasis in May. Did you make reservations ahead of time or just walked in?

 

You can't make reservations for lunch. :(

That is incorrect, you can make reservations for lunch, and that's exactly what I did. I booked 3 (I think) reservations a few weeks before boarding, and Giovanni's Lunch on boarding day was one of them. After lunch, I went to speak with someone to reserve the rest of the week's meals at specialty restaurants. That night I had an OBC for the reservations I booked at home before the trip ($30% of the price I paid for the 3 prior booked restaurants), and every meal thereafter was discounted by 30% at the time of payment after the meal.

[secret1122]

Thank you for doing this, really helpful. Your photos are fantastic :) Do you mind me asking what camera you have?

Thanks again,

Sally

I have the relatively cheap and basic Canon T2i, nothing special. The lens I use is also low end, it was the one that came with the camera.

[secret1122]

Wonderful review and fabulous photographs! Are you a professional food critic? Your comments and the accompanying photographs are amazing.

 

By the way, my exact feelings on the lasagna, was disappointed with it. We went there for dinner one evening and enjoyed that much more.

 

Did you eat at Chops? We really enjoyed Chops and had an amazing waiter.

 

I'm looking forward to your review on 150 Central, we are probably the only 2 persons around that did not like 150 Central, it just was not our "cup of tea", but with all the food areas on this fantastic ship, we never were hungry.

 

JB

Thank you for your nice comments about my photography and writing, I'll address that in a moment... I too, had dinner at Giovanni's later in the week (we ate exclusively at specialty restaurants for dinner the whole week). The funny thing is that I have no recollection of what I ate for that dinner or whether I enjoyed it more than lunch. You've worried me now :) I have eaten at Giovanni's in the past for dinner and while I enjoy it, I don't find it much more spectacular than certain Italian restaurants on land.

 

I did eat at Chops, and as with every visit, I really enjoyed it. I did not review that dinner though. This past cruise I had my 7 month old with us, and my wife doesn't necessarily enjoy me doing these reviews as it is, and with an infant she really needs my help with taking care of him during meals so she can get a chance to relax and enjoy her meal. There were a few meals during this cruise that I agreed to leave the camera in its bag.

 

Chops has always been a favorite of mine. I think the service at times could be much improved, but the food is excellent if you have the patience to wait for it during those poor service nights.

 

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy 150 CP. My wife and I love that place, and ate there twice during this cruise to enjoy both menus (although they were surprisingly similar in some ways). The service for us has always been great, and the food even better. We were also well accommodated with our son so that we didn't disturb anyone if he got noisy (which he didn't luckily).

 

I am so embarrassed! I just looked at several of your other reviews and now I know you are undoubtedly a fabulous food reviewer and probably have a huge following. I will be one of those followers! You have a magic way with words to make the sensation of the food you review become real and the photographs that accompany your review are just perfect.

 

So in my previous posting when I asked if you were a professional food critic and photographer it should have been obvious.

 

wonderful review

I thank you immensely for such kind comments, but in reality I'm nowhere close to being a professional food reviewer. I have a full time job in life, but enjoy doing reviews on the side. As you can see from my first review on the site, I just started this about a year and a half ago.

 

The back story is that everyone at my work knows how much I can eat (I have become a bit of a side show during meals), and I used to always talk so highly of the amazing foods at Disney World. On that trip last April, I promised everyone I would write a review of all the food I ate so they could visually see what I was talking about. It turned out that I enjoyed doing it, especially after they all told me how much they enjoyed reading the reviews. I decided to keep going, at least for now.

 

I have looked up what it takes to become a professional blogger, and I don't have the time or patience to attempt it, so I will continue to do this as a hobby during my free time. My camera equipment is basic, and I use it for personal photos (which I have enjoyed doing since childhood). To someone not too knowledgeable about photography, my photos might look amazing, but compared to true professionals, I don't think they hold up at all. I really do appreciate the kind words though, and as long as some people still enjoy the photos and reviews, I'll try to keep doing them. It's just tough at times, as I write these entire reviews during my breaks at work. I don't want to take valuable time away from my family at home with this.

 

If you are following my blog, I am still transferring old reviews from my original site, so you may get some emails about new reviews, that in reality are older and being transferred to the new site. You can tell by the date of each review at the top.

 

Again, I'm very honored that you feel I have professional qualities, but I don't feel that I do. I've seen many truly professional photos, and mine don't compare. The writing is something I've never been great at, and I feel that these reviews have helped me learn new words, and new ways to express them in writing. I do a lot of research when writing these. I research both vocabulary, spelling, and even types of foods. I have learned so much about different cuisines while writing about food, and the blog has really given me an appreciation for the food I eat, and taught me to pay more attention to what I eat and allowed me to enjoy the tastes even more.

 

I have a 150 CP review coming up next, and after that I have reviews still to write for Boardwalk Dogs, Cupcake Cupboard, Park Cafe, and Samba. Samba will be the only other detailed review after 150 CP, the rest are quicker looks at some samplings (actually I ate every dog at Boardwalk Dogs in one sitting, but there's not much detail to put into reviewing a hot dog).

[secret1122]

No Giovanni's on Quantum :( [emoji30]

 

 

I've eaten a few times at Giovanni's. Love it. One thing mentioned in the review that I'm not so sure about though. Page 2 of the menu was always treated like Primi and Secondi and we were encouraged to order both a pasta AND a main.

 

 

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Wow, I wish I had known that. I was under the impression that you're not supposed to order more than one entrée, but people had gotten away with it in the past. If I thought at all that there was the possibility of it being acceptable to order a pasta and an entrée from the second page, I certainly would have done so. I just didn't want to bother asking at the time. I will certainly ask on my next cruise.