Italian food

[Quilcruisers]

We just sailed the breeze in August. The for fee places were good this time but nothin over the top for me. The Mdr food and buffet were very good for us this time. Some cruises, like the valor, the steakhouse was my top choice over MdR but maybe because it was my first time there. Also, it could be that the MDR and buffet foods were especially good to me on this cruise. I did not have one bad meal. We also ate guys BBQ for lunch on a sea day and their homemade sausage was very good. We ate at every venue on this cruise, steakhouse, guys, blue iguana, mdr, buffet, deli and cucina.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[evandbob]

I don't judge food by what is served in New York. They have their own style and think it is the best in the world. It isn't. Whether pizza or parmigiana.

 

Many of the senior staff on Carnival ships are Sicilian and/or Italian and manage to choke Cucina food down.

 

 

That's why food preferences and taste are so totally subjective. Did you know that there are regional recipe differences between different southern localities? Chefs and Grandma's from Naples, Sicily, Bari and Positano make the same food with mostly the same ingredients, but the finished plate is always a little different.

 

Whatever pleases one taste buds, diversity is wonderful. But after 1 lunch and 2 dinners at 3 different Cucinas I'll frequent the MDR and Steakhouse instead. Mangiare bene!

[A&Jfamily]

I don't judge food by what is served in New York. They have their own style and think it is the best in the world. It isn't. Whether pizza or parmigiana.

 

 

 

Many of the senior staff on Carnival ships are Sicilian and/or Italian and manage to choke Cucina food down.

 

 

Actually I have never seen senior staff eat at Cucina. steakhouse, Jiji’s and Bonsai, yes.

 

If you want food Italian, sail Princess. The chefs are all Italian as opposed to Carnival where most are Indian...which explains why the Indian in the MDR on Carnival is fantastic!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Shaded Lady]

I tried Cucina for dinner on my last cruise and really enjoyed it!

 

But then again, my palate may be tainted - don't count on me as your taste indicator. Growing up my mother's idea of spaghetti was pasta boiled to mush consistency, then a can of Campbell's tomato soup dumped on top of it! No wonder I hated Italian food growing up!

[BlerkOne]

That's why food preferences and taste are so totally subjective. Did you know that there are regional recipe differences between different southern localities? Chefs and Grandma's from Naples, Sicily, Bari and Positano make the same food with mostly the same ingredients, but the finished plate is always a little different.

 

Whatever pleases one taste buds, diversity is wonderful. But after 1 lunch and 2 dinners at 3 different Cucinas I'll frequent the MDR and Steakhouse instead. Mangiare bene!

 

Of course. Did you know Yankee grits and cornbread are different from Southern grits and cornbread. Even within the South there are differences. Whatever you grew up on will likely influence your taste buds, whether or not it is authentic.

 

Having choice is good.

[schazzy]

Actually, yes they do. The officers have their own wardroom for their meal service and the chefs work hard to prepare foods from Italy for them as well as other international fare. The meals are served to the officers. While the officers can eat in public areas more often than not many prefer to use the dining room designated for them rather than a public venue.

 

On the Miracle we ate dinner with several officers and other senior crew members at the Lido restaurant. :D

[sanmarcosman]

On the Miracle we ate dinner with several officers and other senior crew members at the Lido restaurant. :D

Yep, it happens.

[schazzy]

I tried Cucina for dinner on my last cruise and really enjoyed it!

 

But then again, my palate may be tainted - don't count on me as your taste indicator. Growing up my mother's idea of spaghetti was pasta boiled to mush consistency, then a can of Campbell's tomato soup dumped on top of it! No wonder I hated Italian food growing up!

 

 

DH and I both grew up with and still use jarred sauce like Prego and Ragu, so our palate for Italian food is based on that. That said, we've enjoyed our food at most Italian restaurants we've been to, including Olive Garden, and if Cucina is similar, I'm sure we will enjoy it too when we try it for the first time in April next year on the Sunshine.

[Luckiestmanonearth]

I'm Italian but born in the Bronx. I certainly enjoyed the plate of antipasto I had in the Cucina. But after 2 dinners and 1 lunch on different ships, that was the only item on the menu I enjoyed. The pasta sauce was way too sweet for my taste, not like my Grandma's homemade gravy. Chicken parm was huge but like a door stopper or flattened hockey puck.

 

My take is that if you like the Olive Garden, or have never eaten real southern Italian cooking, Cucina will be okay for you. Me, not so much.

 

 

 

You nailed it. My parents are from Northern Italy but everything else you said is spot on. We’ve never done the dinner as the lunch experience has been “cosi cosi”

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[BlerkOne]

There is a restaurant chain with locations in New York named Cosi!

 

https://www.getcosi.com/