Eurodam 1/2018 Food & Wine Recap

[HALrunner]

I thought I would add a different, albeit very subjective, recap of our recent 14 days on the Eurodam. A little about me, I love a nice full bodied dry red and generally aim for food and drink choices in that direction. I am no wine expert, but love to learn by the glass. I’m a proud member of the 4 Stars Under Forty club and this cruise was a great escape from the cold, snow, laundry and dishes that plague me at home.

I was delighted to discover just before sailing that the new wine packages would keep me busy onboard. I went to both basic (I believe now called “Sommelier Suite”, formerly known as Navigator) wine tastings as well as both of the premium wine tastings. I was eager to try some of the new wines from all three packages. Also, Chaba (spelling?) was the Cellar Master and I’m sure anyone who has sailed with him before would agree that his tastings are so informative and packed with history that they are hard to turn down!

It seems HAL has really taken all of our survey comments about the wine packages to heart and made some positive changes. Basically Cellar #1 is the old Navigator package, Cellar #2 is the old Admiral package and Cellar #3 is their new top tier package. Cellar #3 package offered the most new choices for me, so I went with that. The Estancia Meritage was my favorite, and quite a surprise as I have little enthusiasm for other Estancia reds. I just found it in my local wine shop and it retails for about $27. The Arboleda Cab ($20ish) and Boom Boom Syrah ($16) were both average, but nothing that would draw me back to Cellar #3. The wine steward in Tamarind recommended the Diseno Malbec to go with my soy & wasabi encrusted beef tenderloin and it was a delicious match. At the first basic wine tasting, Chaba had the Chateau Du Trignon on the tasting menu but swapped it out last minute for something else because he said the shipment they received that week was not good. I can’t recall the exact words he used, but it was enough to scare me off from ordering it as one of my bottles in the MDR. The following week he had it at the basic tasting, but my first impression was already tainted by his previous remarks and it did not appeal to me.

Another surprise for me was the Meiomi Pinot Noir in Cellar#2, which we had at one of the basic tastings. Meiomi seems to be everywhere these days from ads in magazines to Costco, so I assumed it was just another average and over marketed wine. I generally don’t even order a pinot noir, so I was quite amazed to find such a complex sip of deliciousness! Another favorite from Cellar #2 was the Decero cab. I hope to try a few others from Cellar #2 before our next cruise, as I think this might be the package for me.

As for whites, only two stood out for me. The La Fontana Albarino (Cellar #3) brought back instant memories of manzanilla sherry and cazon en adobo at la feria in Sevilla fr me. This La Fontana is unlike any white wine I have ever tried, and I would caution ordering it on a whim as it really needs a good pairing to shine. The other white that stood out was Kung Fu Girl Riesling($12 at home) from Cellar #1. I always equate riesling with super sweet, so I’m glad this was at a tasting or I would have never tried it. Although somewhat “off dry”, I could see how this would be good with spicy asian fusion dishes as Chaba suggested. I wish I would have ordered a bottle of it at the mouth watering Indonesian lunch for all the back to back guests. They served a red and rose at the luncheon and neither were a hit for me. To wrap up the wine piece here, kudos to Chaba and the new wine packages for taking me out of my comfort zone and introducing me to some wines I would have never tried on my own. Also worth mentioning, I always meet the most interesting people at these wine tastings, and this trip was no exception. Between the great company, Chaba’s wit & wisdom, and all the new wine to try it is safe to say these were my favorite activities of the whole trip!

As for the food recap, we ate in the MDR for most meals except one lunch in the PG, two dinners in the PG and two dinners in Tamarind. We went a little surf and turf in Tamarind and our favorite entrees on the ship were the above mentioned beef tenderloin and the lobster there. The PG had better service than we have had on previous sailings, but the entree and sides seemed pretty average compared to other experiences in the PG. Of course the Pinnacle Souffle alone would be enough to get me back in the PG soon, so I am not writing it off just yet. In the MDR, the best dish I had was a new one that involved chicken and gnocchi. We were disappointed that many of the menus from week one were repeated on week two. And for those still reading this and wondering, the Dive in and New York Pizza both delivered gluttonous goodness and the wait times seemed shorter than what they have been on previous sailings.

 

In conclusion, we definitely did not lose any weight on this cruise and give HAL two thumbs up in the food an beverage department.

[superoma]

Subjective or not this was a Great review. Thanks for your insight on the wines.

 

 

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[Krazy Kruizers]

Loved your report on the new wine packages. We tried the Navigator and Admiral packages years ago and were not impressed with them. So we just ordered bottles of wine that we liked.

Glad the food seems better.

[Bruinboy]

Runner ... thanks for posting your thoughts on the wine packages. DW and I love wine and all our upcoming excursions in Australia and NZ involve wine!!! I’ll try to remember to post our thoughts on our experiences with the wine tastings and packages on our upcoming ... and very far away ... cruise in November.

 

 

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[RocketMan275]

Thank you. Very good review.

Meiomi Pinot Noir: How does one open this wine without resorting to pliers, crowbars, etc.?

[sahara1]

I was so hoping Csaba would be on the Koningsdam in Feb. We had him last year and loved him.

 

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[panther1952]

Hi HALrunner,

 

Thanks so much for the great review and details on the new Wine Packages,

The Wonderful Wife had just printed them out for me last night, so it was great to

see and hear your thoughts. I, like you am still learning and love the Wine Tastings, all the details, all the new

Friends, and great wines out there. It was interesting to hear your

thoughts on the Meiomi as that's been a standby for quite a while and was very, very

highly rated I think #20 on the top 100. Also, I've been a fan of Charles Smith, so it's nice to

see his wines on there. I kept trying to like the Cellar # 3 but think # 2 has more wines that interest me.

 

Thanks so much, appreciate your neat review and thoughts !!! We're doing a Back to Back this Spring

On the Maasdam, so will be excited to give them a try.

 

Take Care,

 

CK

[kftw]

Thanks for your timely review as we were discussing the wine packages last nite.

[erewhon]

Thank you for your wine and food review.

[ArtsyCraftsy]

Great review! You sound a lot like me: not. A “wine snob,” but I did live in northern CA for 17 yrs and a nice hobby was visiting wineries in the area.

 

I’m hoping they offer similar packages on this summer’s Voyage of the Vikings. I did a “Cellar Master Package” on my 14-day Alaska cruise last September— 5 bottles of wine, two wine tastings (one “premiere”), two Pinnacle dinners, and some nice wine-related trinkets. Discovered some outstanding wines on the “Navigator” list. Looking forward to the same on the longer cruise this summer.

 

 

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[puppycanducruise]

Thank you for taking the time to post your comments about the new wine packages and the dining experience.

[Keith1010]

I enjoyed your report.

 

Keith

[kazu]

Great report!

 

Thanks so much for sharing with us.

 

Csaba is a great Cellar Master. We went to any event he had when we were lucky enough to have him on our cruise.

[Yankee Couple]

Thanks very much!

We will be on the Eurodam soon, and I have been trying to figure out the new wine packages.

Perfect timing!

[ithaca gal]

Thank you for your excellent review.

 

We were on the Eurodam in early January. We were taking friends who had never cruised before and really wanted them to have a great experience.

 

We dined in the Tamarind on the first night and, as expected, it knocked their socks off. Every dish was outstanding, as was the service.

 

We booked reservations for the six of us in the PG even though my husband and I have been underwhelmed the last several times we were there (on different ships). However, our server was the best in a long time and the food was better than usual. It is funny how subjective food is. We are very disappointed in the desserts in the PG, the soufflé in particular. We enjoyed the souffles they used to serve in the MDR. The main difference between those (and dozens that we've enjoyed in other restaurants) is that there is no sauce served with the one in the PG. Instead of a sauce, the PG gives you a chocolate truffle to melt in the soufflé. Just not our cup of tea. To us, a soufflé begs for a vanilla sauce, or some sauce -- just not a piece of chocolate. Again, this is just our opinion, of course.

 

We dined in the Canaletto and had a great experience -- what a difference from the menu of the early days of this restaurant. Some people complain about paying a surcharge to eat in an area that has been carved out of the "free Lido". This does not concern us at all and we enjoyed the service, the food and the ambiance. While the surroundings are nothing to write home about, it does not feel like the Lido at all. And, if you go at 8 p.m., the Lido is closed anyway, so there is little to no foot traffic outside of the Canaletto. All of the dishes our party of six tried were excellent. Well, the lasagna is not on the menu, it is offered as a special and we have to admit that it needs a little more of a flavor punch.

 

After our cruise on the Eurodam, we took the ten day cruise on the Zuiderdam to the Panama Canal. Oh, how we missed the Tamarind! We were with our son and his fiancée this time and we dined in the PG, as usual. The service was excellent but the food just seemed okay. Nothing special at all. We ordered the soufflé, minus the chocolate truffle. It was very moist and nice, but we would love to have a sauce to make it perfect.

 

Our experience in Canaletto was excellent again. In fact, we liked it so much, we chose to eat there on the final night, instead of in the MDR where we dislike the menu offered on the last night. (We tipped our servers in the MDR on the second to last night and told them we would be in Canaletto due to the menu. We know it is not uncommon for people to skip the MDR on the last night to avoid tipping their servers. Sorry, but it is true for some passengers -- not all.)

 

By the end of our 17th night of cruising, we were ready for some non-HAL menu items, even though we enjoyed the fare for the most part!

[mame42]

Now THIS is my kind of review! Thanks for posting.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Thank you. Very good review.

Meiomi Pinot Noir: How does one open this wine without resorting to pliers, crowbars, etc.?

 

 

 

Like it's bigger better brother, Belle Glos, if discount Meiomi has a wax top, there's a small pull tab in it. Pulling the tab cuts the wax top off so that you can uncork it.

 

 

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