SHARE on Ruby: First Bites

[Cruiserkenn]

In the first videos Stone did suggest sharing food from each other's plates. He was explicit about it. Now the $49 fee thing--I saw that coming and said at the time that they were floating that price to make $39 look like a bargain and I was right.

 

Yes, thanks, Shredie. I know I didn't just imagine all of this.

Thanks for clarifying.

[RocketMan275]

I think the "pivot" was more from the wild speculation on CC of what SHARE "might" be than what it actually is. They had no info expect a press release.

 

People here were freaking out about having to share tables and entrees with strangers, it never was going to be that. They freaked out about the $49 cost...wrong. The freaked about about the tables...wrong. On and on.

 

People just assumed based upon the SHARE name. And you know what happens when you assume....

 

Why did they name this venue "Share"?

[Cruiserkenn]

Why did they name this venue "Share"?

 

Good question. As is often said in other contexts... "words matter."

[RocketMan275]

Good question. As is often said in other contexts... "words matter."

 

Apologists for this venue seem to want us to ignore that "SHARING" is central to the concept of this venue. Sure, there are some smaller tables and no one is forcing you to eat off the plates of others. This is just an adaptation of the "shared dining experience" currently popular in a number of locations. Google that and see.

[notentirelynormal]

In the first videos Stone did suggest sharing food from each other's plates. He was explicit about it.

 

That is the video I watched. I have no interest in sharing other people's food.

[jim_in_nyc]

Absolutely loved your detailed review, honestly I don't think I've every heard of a menu quite like it! We're sailing on the Regal Princess in two weeks, wish Share was on our cruise! Did you happen to try any of the Curtis Stone items in the main dining room? If so, did they come close in the taste or execution dept.?

[GUT2407]

Absolutely loved your detailed review, honestly I don't think I've every heard of a menu quite like it! We're sailing on the Regal Princess in two weeks, wish Share was on our cruise! Did you happen to try any of the Curtis Stone items in the main dining room? If so, did they come close in the taste or execution dept.?

 

If I may jump in, we had Curtis stone in MDR ON Diamond, I was nderwhelmed.

 

The chicken and leek pot pie was, first night, almost empty, but we had the same issue With the Steak and Kidney pie at Pub Lunch, I gave it another go later on and it was filled a bit more, but not great.

 

The Pork Belly was no better Han I had in he buffet, no worse either.

 

The veal Oco Busso was about the same quality as the Lamb Shank that we available in MDR many a night.

 

In summary I didn't think it was much different o what is normally on he MDR menu in terms of quality or presentation.

[srpilo]

I'm looking forward a more broad spectrum of reviews as others try SHARE and report back with additional experiences.

Food is subjective and any valuable food reviews of a specific venue require a large swatch of tastes and expectations over a extended period time to get a more realistic idea if the food, service, and value will appeal to the average consumer (and me :))

 

One review is just that, one review

Srpilo

[shredie]

I'm looking forward a more broad spectrum of reviews as others try SHARE and report back with additional experiences.

Food is subjective and any valuable food reviews of a specific venue require a large swatch of tastes and expectations over a extended period time to get a more realistic idea if the food, service, and value will appeal to the average consumer (and me :))

 

One review is just that, one review

Srpilo

 

Good point.

[mythictravel]

I'm looking forward a more broad spectrum of reviews as others try SHARE <......>One review is just that, one review Srpilo

 

 

yup... And based on Vibe Guy's one review....I wish Share were available on my upcoming cruise so I could explore my viewpoint on what sounds like, based on available data to date, an awesome experience. Thanks Vibe Guy!

[OCruisers]

Let's all keep in mind that the specialty restaurant, SHARE, is completely different from the Curtis Stone offerings in the MDR. :)

 

LuLu

[VibeGuy]

In part, that's why it's titled First Bites. This was not a fair night to review a restaurant - first day open for guests, executive management at other tables, everybody new in role. It's why I focused on the dish concepts and execution rather than service, ambiance, pacing and overall execution, which is what really makes or breaks a dining experience.

 

Since I posted, 5000 people have had six nights of service to dine at either SHARE and post about how it went for them. I am also anxious to hear their impressions.

[hcat]

What happens with the "free" dinner or included perk dinner is that you'll have a card in your cabin on arrival with assigned restaurant, date and time. If you're happy with it, nothing needs to be done. If you're not happy with it (venue, date, time, etc) run, don't walk to wherever the table or maitre'd is that is handling specialty dining reservations and change up to what you want. Usually, not a problem at all to switch, however you may need to be flexible with time or date. The earlier you go to change, the better your options will be. Don't wait on the DINE line either...go in person.

Enjoy your sailing!

 

Thanks...glad we may be able to get the Crown Grill if booked into Share...we are flexible about date and time...but not the venue,

 

Curtis Stone now has recipes in our supermarket circular...guess he is the hot item these days!

[no ka oi]

have not sailed Princess in about 12 years; sounds great, but what is share?

[IECalCruiser]

have not sailed Princess in about 12 years; sounds great, but what is share?

SHARE is a new specialty restaurant with a $39 cover charge developed with Curtis Stone that replaced Sabatini's on the Emerald and the Ruby this month and will be added to the Coral and the Sun in coming months. Edited December 22, 2015 by IECalCruiser

[RocketMan275]

have not sailed Princess in about 12 years; sounds great, but what is share?

 

As noted, SHARE is replacing Sabatini's on several ships. It's been rather controversial on cruise critic. Suggest you visit the dining section of the Princess website for more information. There are several videos there as well as some press releases. There are several threads as well.

 

The first post in this thread describes the menu. It's rather fancy. Some like it, some prefer Sabatini's. Sharing is a new popular trend in some areas where a number of people share a table and each orders different things to share around the table. SHARE does not require sharing in either fashion but there are portions of the videos on Princess which state that the concept is to share.

 

You'll note the original poster enjoyed and heartily recommends SHARE. However, the OP was with a large party of eight. How would this work for two people looking for something romantic?????

[trinaM]

DESSERTS

 

Dark Chocolate Crémeux

Toasted Hazelnut Feuilletine, Burnt Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Common sense says you don't serve pudding with ice cream. And a cremeaux is essentially a very thick, rich pudding.

 

Common sense is no damn fun. This is insanely delicious. Smoky chocolate, smoke notes in the vanilla, and a wafer-thin crisp cookie garnish. This was a plate-licker. As good as the Norman Love desserts are, this is superior. Best plated dessert I've had on any ship of any line, ever, bar none.

 

 

Ricotta Fritters

Spiced Pear Rum Compote, Crème Fraiche Ice Cream

You mean made-to-order tiny donut holes. Tim Horton could learn something here. The galley crew is currently filling my bathtub with the ice cream and compote so that I can eat my prodigious weight in this. The pears are ethereal and provide a counterpoint to the lactic tang of the ice cream.

 

Tarte au Citron Vert

Raspberry, Meringue, Granola

It's a three-bite lemon tart with a short crust, garnished with freeze-dried raspberry and soft meringue. What makes it worth talking about is how good it is. Not cloying, not bitter. I've spent $11 for less-impressive lemon tarts.

Thanks for the review. Sounds like a good dinner.

[VibeGuy]

You'll note the original poster enjoyed and heartily recommends SHARE. However, the OP was with a large party of eight. How would this work for two people looking for something romantic?????

 

Frankly, it would work better for two - the pacing is inherently better with small parties. They absolutely need to fix the lighting to get "romantic" right - my understanding is the parts were being shipped to meet the ship in LA, because you could do surgery in there as it stands. It's so bright it lights up Adagio. The entry foyer is downright painful.

 

But, as I wrote in reply to the question of small parties,

 

"If I were one of two adults of reasonable appetite, here's how I would order:

 

One each of the two cold apps/salads (one gets the salad, one gets the shrimp - they are very manageable-sized)

 

One each of the pastas ( one has the crab, one has the sunchoke)

 

One entree each

 

At *least* the potato gratin from the sides (seriously, two perfect bites each - it's the diameter of a tennis ball and less than 1/2" thick) - I could skip the kale and the leeks are *VERY* rich.

 

One dessert each - four nice bites each.

 

I would gladly enjoy this as dinner a deux. Ordered this way, it is absolutely less food than a normal Sabatini's or Crown Grill trip. I did not feel anesthetized after."

 

It's a much more romantic space than Crown Grill already by virtue of being out of the way. The lighting will get fixed, and I don't think the hard surfaces make it automatically less romantic than the carpeted Sabatini's. The smaller tables are still generously spaced and the corner banquettes which I loved for two when it was Sabatini's are still there. It's very much in the style of a contemporary upscale restaurant - a place where two adults share a bottle of wine and a special evening. I would specifically reserve one of the tables along the edges, and perhaps ask if the port aft curving banquette is available.

[RocketMan275]

Frankly, it would work better for two - the pacing is inherently better with small parties. They absolutely need to fix the lighting to get "romantic" right - my understanding is the parts were being shipped to meet the ship in LA, because you could do surgery in there as it stands. It's so bright it lights up Adagio. The entry foyer is downright painful.

 

But, as I wrote in reply to the question of small parties,

 

"If I were one of two adults of reasonable appetite, here's how I would order:

 

One each of the two cold apps/salads (one gets the salad, one gets the shrimp - they are very manageable-sized)

 

One each of the pastas ( one has the crab, one has the sunchoke)

 

One entree each

 

At *least* the potato gratin from the sides (seriously, two perfect bites each - it's the diameter of a tennis ball and less than 1/2" thick) - I could skip the kale and the leeks are *VERY* rich.

 

One dessert each - four nice bites each.

 

I would gladly enjoy this as dinner a deux. Ordered this way, it is absolutely less food than a normal Sabatini's or Crown Grill trip. I did not feel anesthetized after."

 

It's a much more romantic space than Crown Grill already by virtue of being out of the way. The lighting will get fixed, and I don't think the hard surfaces make it automatically less romantic than the carpeted Sabatini's. The smaller tables are still generously spaced and the corner banquettes which I loved for two when it was Sabatini's are still there. It's very much in the style of a contemporary upscale restaurant - a place where two adults share a bottle of wine and a special evening. I would specifically reserve one of the tables along the edges, and perhaps ask if the port aft curving banquette is available.

 

Yeah, I get it. You loved the food. Frankly, I'm not impressed by the menu or by "contemporary upscale restaurants" and I hope SHARE is only implemented on the ships currently listed.

 

BTW, the hard surfaces are there to increase the noise level and sense of excitement. That is "automatically less romantic than the carpeted Sabatini's."

[elliair]

VibeGuy: I'm pretty sure you are a writer for a newspaper. You probably write reviews of restaurants. You certainly talked me into trying SHARE on our next cruise in about 17 days. Thanks for the review!

[oskidunker]

Since they are selling the ship

[GUT2407]

Since they are selling the ship

 

Right.

[GUT2407]

So far I've only seen roll out dats or maybe 8 ships.

[Rockwife]

Yeah, I get it. You loved the food. Frankly, I'm not impressed by the menu or by "contemporary upscale restaurants" and I hope SHARE is only implemented on the ships currently listed.

 

BTW, the hard surfaces are there to increase the noise level and sense of excitement. That is "automatically less romantic than the carpeted Sabatini's."

 

You're getting argumentative at this point and I can't really understand why.

 

DH and I live in a major city and we dine out quite often and the SHARE menu looks fresh, modern, and much closer to restaurants opening now. We have enjoyed alternative restaurants on cruises and a carb-heavy three hour meal from Sabatini's does not appeal to us in the least. We can't eat that much food and my rear end starts hurting after hour two, no matter how padded a chair might be.

 

Thanks for the review VibeGuy. I'm hoping it will be on our Crown cruise next May, along with the Salty Dog. These concepts might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I like variety and options and they have me excited to try new dishes!

[msmoger]

You're getting argumentative at this point and I can't really understand why.

 

DH and I live in a major city and we dine out quite often and the SHARE menu looks fresh, modern, and much closer to restaurants opening now. We have enjoyed alternative restaurants on cruises and a carb-heavy three hour meal from Sabatini's does not appeal to us in the least. We can't eat that much food and my rear end starts hurting after hour two, no matter how padded a chair might be.

 

Thanks for the review VibeGuy. I'm hoping it will be on our Crown cruise next May, along with the Salty Dog. These concepts might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I like variety and options and they have me excited to try new dishes!

 

Everything she said. :)

 

Thanks VibeGuy, this thread is very helpful. I'm looking forward to enjoying SHARE someday.