SABATINI'S - Dined last 6-9 months?

[napunani]

We are sailing next month on CP which has Sabatini's and Crown Grill. Its been a couple years since we've had a chance to dine at Sabatini's, so I would like to get some feedback from those of you who have Sabatini dined in the last 6-9 months.

Thanks!

[JF - retired RRT]

We went to Sabatini's for the first time in January (after 18 cruises we finally decided to give it a try). We were always underwhelmed by the menu.

We were amazed. The food and service were excellent. Very few customers, which is probably why the service was so good.

 

Sorry we waited so long to try it.

[Brian1713]

Service and food are excellent . My only complaint is the menu hasn't changed in years. They do it well but change wouldn't hurt.

[PescadoAmarillo]

We are always a but underwhelmed by Sabatinis. Or maybe it's just that the Crown Grill is so darn good. Given the opportunity to rank the specialty restaurants, I think the Crown Grill wins, followed by the Crab Shack, the fondue offering, Sabatinis and lastly Curtis Stone. Of course, Chefs Table is my favorite but it's not something I would do every cruise. I would do Crown Grill every cruise.

[RocketMan275]

We love Sabatinni's.

[johnmik1]

We are sailing next month on CP which has Sabatini's and Crown Grill. Its been a couple years since we've had a chance to dine at Sabatini's, so I would like to get some feedback from those of you who have Sabatini dined in the last 6-9 months.

Thanks!

 

CP is the designation for Sea Princess which has no Sabatini's or Crown Grill.Perhaps you are on Coral,Crown or Caribbean.

Edited September 18, 2016 by johnmik1

[dforeigner]

Back in March we did Sabatinis and Crown Grill. On the last night, we decided to do the specialty restaurant thing one more time. Our little ones loved both restaurants. They decided to go back to Sabatinis.

 

If there is a member in your party that prefers steak, Sabatinis does have steak in their menu.

[waltd]

What on the Sabatini's menu have you tried that you liked as the main course? We have looked at the menu a million times passing by and nothing seems interesting.

[rockdoctor]

We usually go to Sabatini's once a cruise for dinner. On our last two cruises on the Royal and the Crown, it was very full. When I asked what was going on, the waiter told me that most diners were on vouchers. Same staff more people. Food was still good. I love the triple lobster. Moral, make reservations early.

[Astro Flyer]

What on the Sabatini's menu have you tried that you liked as the main course? We have looked at the menu a million times passing by and nothing seems interesting.

Joe...taste is very subjective but for me the weakest part of the menu are the entrees. I've tried all of them & this was my favorite: Petto di Pollo con Asiago e Pomodorini, Salsa al Marsala (chicken supreme stuffed with eggplant, asiago and sun-dried tomatoes, marsala sauce). The last time I had them add a lobster tail which was larger than the ones in the Crown Grill & like what we've had with the UBD.

 

The antipasti (burrata, calamari), pasta (Penne con Brasato di Manzo, Spaghetti allo Scoglio) & desserts (all of them) are Molto Bene to me. :)

[waltd]

Joe...taste is very subjective but for me the weakest part of the menu are the entrees. I've tried all of them & this was my favorite: Petto di Pollo con Asiago e Pomodorini, Salsa al Marsala (chicken supreme stuffed with eggplant, asiago and sun-dried tomatoes, marsala sauce). The last time I had them add a lobster tail which was larger than the ones in the Crown Grill & like what we've had with the UBD.

 

The antipasti (burrata, calamari), pasta (Penne con Brasato di Manzo, Spaghetti allo Scoglio) & desserts (all of them) are Molto Bene to me. :)

 

Frank thank you for the translations. I got worried there for a moment. Actually the stuffed chicken does sound good. :)

Joe

[Astro Flyer]

Frank thank you for the translations. I got worried there for a moment. Actually the stuffed chicken does sound good. :)

Joe

I could make a meal of the penne & my wife enjoys that seafood spaghetti...I took the definition from their online menu where the other items are described.

 

http://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/Onboard_Experience/Sabatinis-Menu-Sample.pdf

 

http://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/Onboard_Experience/SabatiniDessert-2013-Sample.pdf

[XBGuy]

We've dined in Sabatini's on four or five different ships. I can say the same about Crown Grill/Sterlings Steakhouse.

 

I like the Sabatini's menu more than the Crown Grill menu, but I have found that I have to visit each room on every cruise to decide which one I prefer on that cruise. There have been times that I have found the service to be superior in Crown Grill, and there have been times when I have found service to be superior in Sabatini's. On my first visit to each room I decide if there will be subsequent visits on that cruise.

 

In the last eighteen months I have sailed on the Crown Princess three times (I like to sail out of Los Angeles, and the last three times have been Crown Princess. Pretty simple.) On those three cruises the highest grade I would give to our Crown Grill visits would be C. I just never felt like an "honored guest." On the contrary service in Sabatini's has ranged from B+ to A+ (awesome server by the name of Francesco).

 

I think there is a lot of truth to the above posters who indicate that Sabatini's is less used. That might be the issue. On the other hand, if you know that the Crown Grill is going to have more guests, then, maybe, there should be more servers on the floor. Also, in my last three Crown Grill experiences, the headwaiter was, pretty much, invisible. That is where I assign a lot of responsibility for my criticism.

 

Service and food are excellent . My only complaint is the menu hasn't changed in years. They do it well but change wouldn't hurt.

 

I have to agree, Brian. I might add, though, that occasionally, they will have a special. One of my best meals ever at Sabatini's was an Osso Buco. It is not on the menu. On the other hand, I read once here on Cruise Critic a report that the Osso Buco that the poster had at Sabatini's was terrible--too fatty. Was he unlucky, or was I lucky? I guess the answer to that is, "Yes."

 

What on the Sabatini's menu have you tried that you liked as the main course? We have looked at the menu a million times passing by and nothing seems interesting.

 

I have, pretty much, gone through the menu, Walt, and I have, pretty much, enjoyed everything. I know that doesn't help you. I will say that the one sub-par entree I had, once, was the steak dish--chewy and lacking in flavor.

 

Often my wife will order an entree portion of pasta. It's funny beacause she is not really a "pasta person," but she loves the Sabatini's pastas.

[partybarbie]

My DH and I are also fans of Sabatini's. We had the Osso Buco on the Emerald Princess last year and loved it. I also like the Lobster and the Calamari.

[Lucky TGO]

We went to Sabatinis's this year and it was Great!! We also went to the Crown Grill the Steak and Service was not that good.

Tony

[RJ2002]

We dined in Sabatini's in May when we were on the Diamond. It was just "OK" for us. I had the lobster three ways, and frankly it was no better than MDR. A minuscule amount of the lobster bisque sauce. Spouse had the seafood pasta, and it also was just "OK".

 

It was a slow night (first night of cruise) and we were dining there on a complimentary basis. Perhaps our experience was a one off, but it certainly gave me pause about paying to dine in Sabatini's in the future.

[JHLH821]

we dined there in August, the final night of our cruise. From the appetizer, to entree and dessert-everything was top notch, including the service.

 

Our reservation was fairly early, 6:00pm, service was prompt too.

[ggprincess2004]

Food and service can vary tremendously. The ships tend to rotate staff between Crown Grill and Sabatini's each cruise. Hence, the service can be highly variable. We have also encountered that just between different waiters the same week.

 

The caliber of food as is somewhat dependent upon the Chef de Cuisine who is overseeing both of those restaurants. There are some excellent Chefs de Cuisine.....we appreciate them immensely.

 

All other things being equal, I much prefer the Crown Grill menu to that of Sabatini's. There isn't much in the way of entree's that appeal to me. Making a choice a Crown Grill is difficult as there is so much that is very appealing.

[canadarocks]

I love the Artichoke Souffle and the Citrus Tart at Sabatini's. I haven't yet come up with an entree that I really like, but those two are worth the trip!

[Cruiserkenn]

We love Sabatinni's.

 

I agree. I love Sabatini's, too.

 

I especially like the seafood pasta, and I would opt for an extra portion of that to serve as my entree.

 

I also love the artichoke souffle.

 

The espresso creme brulee is my favorite desert:) :) :)

[umbluemusic]

We are always a but underwhelmed by Sabatinis. Or maybe it's just that the Crown Grill is so darn good. Given the opportunity to rank the specialty restaurants, I think the Crown Grill wins, followed by the Crab Shack, the fondue offering, Sabatinis and lastly Curtis Stone. Of course, Chefs Table is my favorite but it's not something I would do every cruise. I would do Crown Grill every cruise.

 

Ooh! I haven't seen anyone mention the fondue offering lately. Is that still going on?

 

Our last cruise, we made a reservation to go on Valentine's Day but DH was really seasick (and wouldn't admit it, even though I KNEW he was). We went up, he ate like, one bite of the appetizer...and ran out of the buffet sick! So it would be nice to have a do-over. :)

[Astro Flyer]

Ooh! I haven't seen anyone mention the fondue offering lately. Is that still going on?

 

Our last cruise, we made a reservation to go on Valentine's Day but DH was really seasick (and wouldn't admit it, even though I KNEW he was). We went up, he ate like, one bite of the appetizer...and ran out of the buffet sick! So it would be nice to have a do-over. :)

I haven't seen Fondues on our recent cruises & it's not listed on this current list of dining options (Crab Shack is listed).

 

http://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/food-and-dining/dining-options.pdf

[Papa Yoda]

Fondue Pop-Up was on Star last November/December (2015). We think the MD was pushing it for the fleet, but it was not like shore side fondue restaurants, limited choices.

 

Sabatini's: Manicotti !! Best I ever had was on Ruby before they killed it. Light cheese filled pasta delights with a perfect tomato coulis. It is appetizer course but they will make it an entree.

 

Ditto the Artichoke souffle. We are still looking for castelrosso cheese so we can try to replicate it. We got the recipe from the sous chef but he doubted anyone's ability to recreate it at home.

[kennicott]

Well, obviously we are big fans of Satatini's, even did our 50th anniversary there three years ago. Here are pertinent clips from my recent reviews on Princess ships.

 

----The specialty restaurants were very good, particularly Sabatini's, wife didn't care much for the service in the Crown Grill, the only time we ate there this voyage the waiter took her plate away before she was ready and their lobster wasn't as good as Sabatini's, so we booked Sabatini's five more times. We also booked the "Crab Shack" almost every time we had the opportunity (Do yourself a favor and don't miss that if you love shell fish).

 

----The specialty restaurants were pretty good, particularly Sabatini's and the Crown Grill. We also booked the "Crab Shack" almost every time we had the opportunity.

 

----The specialty restaurants were exquisite, particularly Sabatini's and the Crown Grill. A pleasant surprise was the high end "Alfredo's Pizzeria" which was a no extra charge restaurant laid out like a fine dining Italian restaurant and located in a central portion of the ship's huge three deck level atrium complex.

 

----The specialty restaurants, particularly Sabatini's, but also the Bayou Cafe and its special "Crab Shack" luncheon were exquisite. Meals in these venues, which you pay extra for, represent top of the line gourmet dining. Well staffed by knowledgeable and friendly personnel and your dining experience takes place in a wonderful, quiet, well decorated environment. Unfortunately, the main dining room(s), are not so good, stink. (Coral Princess)

[muggo11]

Ate there last night on Crown and were impressed. Calamari crisp and delicious. Pasta interludes perfect. I had lobster, nick had veal,chop. Both cooked perfectly. Excellent waiter.

 

 

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