Any recent Eurodam Pinnacle dinner reports?

[OlsSalt]

Taking my finicky sister (Regent cruiser)  on the Eurodam soon and also taking advantage of my "free" Pinnacle dinners. DH and I  in the long past have found the Pinnacle on just about any HAL ship to remain highly inconsistent. We have tried working my way around the menu hoping to find a sure thing, but more often than not come away disappointed.  

 

So any recent reports about the Eurodam Pinnacle and what might be the hits along with the unfortunate misses. Realizing that chefs and staff change all the time, so we may find an entirely new crew a month from now.  Thanks.  

Edited November 27, 2018 by OlsSalt

[vms]

I ate in the Pinnacle on 11/25/18 and was unimpressed. I ordered shrimp cocktail (good), king crab legs (overdone and with no flavor), brussel sprouts (the best thing I ate all night), asparagus (a bit oily), mashed potatoes (fine), and the chocolate lava cake (center was too done for a lava cake, IMO).

 

At another table, a diner was very upset that they were brought a different dessert than what was ordered. Not sure where the mix-up was and the staff subsequently tried to bring out the ordered dessert to please the guest but the guest refused. 

[mungojerrie]

We are on the Eurodam now, and ate at the PG last night. Food and service were great with one exception, the mushroom raviolis were tough and gummy. Both the waiter and manager were prompt to offer anything else I would like and were very apologetic. We started with crab cakes and caviar, then their amuse Bouche was like a lobster flan and it was delicious. I had the raviolis and my DH had the pork chop with a side of asparagus. Finished with soufflé and molten chocolate cake. Service from our waiter, Frank, was excellent. 

[KroozNut]

Good to hear the mostly positive reports. We'll be dining in PG on Eurodam in just a few days.

[St Pete Cruiser]

We just returned from Eurodam's Hawaii cruise and dined at Pinnacle one night.  It was excellent!  However, it was a gala night and therefore most of the guests choose to go to the MDR.  We had 7:30 reservations and had much attention from all the staff as it was not busy.  We had the halibut with shrimp scampi and the 10 oz fillet, both of which were perfect.  

With many promotions for free dinners there, try to go when they are not as busy.  

[OlsSalt]

23 hours ago, KroozNut said:

Good to hear the mostly positive reports. We'll be dining in PG on Eurodam in just a few days.

 

Very much looking forward to you post-cruise report. Thanks.  We are currently booked for embarkation night, but we sill have one more "free" Pinnacle dinner after that - not yet booked. I hope we decide the Tamarind is so good, we will just park there for the rest of the cruise.

 

We have Christmas Day booked at the Tamarind - that should be novel way to remember the holidays- but my sister worked for years  and traveled extensively in Asia while in the clothing industry, so this may well feel like home for her.   (Yes, yes we know Tamarind is not "real asian" but still has a lot of fun things on the menu)

Edited December 1, 2018 by OlsSalt

[KroozNut]

5 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

 

Very much looking forward to you post-cruise report. Thanks.  We are currently booked for embarkation night, but we sill have one more "free" Pinnacle dinner after that - not yet booked. I hope we decide the Tamarind is so good, we will just park there for the rest of the cruise.

 

We have Christmas Day booked at the Tamarind - that should be novel way to remember the holidays- but my sister worked for years  and traveled extensively in Asia while in the clothing industry, so this may well feel like home for her.   (Yes, yes we know Tamarind is not "real asian" but still has a lot of fun things on the menu)

 

We also have Tamarind booked on Eurodam next week, and really looking forward to it based on reviews. DW is Asian, so she's really excited about it!

[Heartgrove]

We specifically sailed aboard the Eurodam last month on  the the 18-Day Circle Hawaii so that we could dine at the Tamarind twice during the cruise. That also meant that we could dine at Canaletto twice as well. We had decided to see how the MDR and Ledo faired on the cruise before trying the Pinnacle Grill again. We have dined there a few times on various ships but feel that the overall quality of the Pinnacle Grill has fallen off in the last four years.

 

This time we decided to only have lunch at the Pinnacle Grill - and even that was disappointing. The food was simply average this time, and the service was lackluster in comparison to the attention to detail shown at the two aforementioned restaurants. Examples include our iced teas not being served until the Mains arrived plus I even had to request mine a second time as my wife's was the only one initially brought. No checkup on how our meals were while eating and then just having the deserts brought. After we had finished eating I waited for someone from the wait staff to request my ship's card as they do in Tamarind and Canaltto. When a waiter finally came to the table, I offered my card but he said "No, the meal was free!" I thought, okay but I didn't think so. Of course it was on my account the next day! Maybe it was his odd sense at trying for humor?

[momatibm]

I can't reply about the Eurodam, however, my last trip - was 'interesting' - apparently my husband and I didn't look like high rollers because after telling the maitre'd we wanted cocktails -- no one came -- the wine steward didn't really care what we wanted -- -we had to refill our glasses.  This was for dinner.  However, we had a lunch from our travel agency and it was totally different. No clue why it was so different.  We will be checking it out again this year.

[KroozNut]

Recently back from the Eurodam and Tamarind was awesome...  definitely one not to miss! On the other hand PG was just okay in our opinion.

 

DW had the King Crab Legs which she thoroughly enjoyed, and I had the bone-in ribeye which was good. But honestly, I thought the steak in the MDR on our second Gala Night was better, it was literally fork tender and oh so flavorable!😋

[Copper10-8]

Broke bread in the E-dam's PG one week ago Tuesday. 

 

We had a six thirty reservation in the Pinnacle Grill and, upon arrival, were duly escorted by the restaurant’s female host  to a nice table for two across from one of the windows. The place filled up nicely the closer it got to 8:00 PM. We received primary service from an Indonesian male steward by the name of Hirawan Sucahya from the island of Java. Our wine steward was a Filipina by the name of Emely Ortega. I counted ten staff members inside Eurodam’s Pinnacle Grill and they were busy. Emily got us an Appletini and a very masculine Lemon drop! Tonight’s PG menu:

 

“Chef’s Amuse Bouche” (fun for the mouth/stimulate the taste buds):

Lobster flan with somethung else

 

A tenderly prepared and laid out basket of Bread, Rolls & thin Toast (with a cup of beurre blanc next to it). The basket included two of those “stand up”  Lavosh thin big cracker bad boys with sesame seeds on them.

 

“First”:

Tomato Broth with Spicy Lemongrass Chicken Soup

Lobster Bisque

Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail

Beefsteak Tomato and Basil Salad

Spinach Arugula Salad

Caesar Salad (no longer prepared tableside)

Crab Cakes

Ossetra Malossol Caviar ($70 supplement)

Steak Tartare

 

“Land”:

Double-Cut Kurobuta Pork Chop

Grilled Colorado Lamp Chops

Roasted Jidori Chicken with Porcini Mushrooms

Baked-stuffed Eggplant

Wild Mushroom Ravioli

Roasted Pumpkin Risotto

 

“Double Ranch North-west beef”:

7 oz. Petite Filet Mignon

10 oz. Petite Filet Mignon

12 oz. New York Strip Steak

18 oz. Bone-in Rib Eye Steak

23 oz. Porterhouse

Rib Eye Steak

President’s Cut 36 oz. Bone-in Rib Eye Steak ($59 supplement)

 

All steaks are served with choice of hand-crafted sauce

(Bearnaise green peppercorn, hollandaise, horseradish-mustard, maître d’ garlic butter, sun-dried tomato)

 

Surf and Turf (by the addition of a 5 oz. lobster tail ($10 supplement)

 

“Sea”:

Broiled Alaskan King Salmon

Steamed Alaska King Crab Legs

Cedar Planked Halibut with Shrimp Scampi

West Coast-Style Seafood Cioppino

12 oz. Maine Lobster Tail ($20 supplement)

 

“Sides to share”:

Creamed Spinach

Sautéed Mushrooms

Roasted Baby Carrots

Grilled Asparagus

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Parmesan and Pancetta

Classic Whipped Potatoes

Shoestring Fries with Truffle Aioli

Jumbo Baked Idaho Potato

(individual serving)

 

Desserts:

Not-so-classic Baked Alaska (Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia ice cream with Bing Cherries Jubilee)

Grand Marnier Chocolate Volcano Cake

Pinnacle Soufflé

Creamy Home-made Raspberry Cheesecake (with fresh berries)

Lemon-Brule Tart

Fresh Berries (with Sabayon sauce)

Premium Ice Cream or Sorbets

Assortment of International Cheeses

 

Maria chose the two crab cakes, followed by Cedar Planked Halibut with Shrimp Scampi. We shared the Shoestring Fries with Truffle Aioli. I had the Tomato Broth with Spicy Lemongrass Chicken Soup, a Caesar Salad, followed by a 7 oz. Petite Filet Mignon. Maria had Lemon-Brulee Tart while I had two scoops of mint chocolate chip ice cream. We ended the whole shebang with an Espresso and a Cappuccino and both felt that dinner turned out to be “enak sekali” (excellent) and the service by Hirawan and Emily very good and professional.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[OlsSalt]

Our two best meals on the Christmas Eurodam were both surprises:

 

1. On Christmas Day evening, Canaletto offered a two setting time prix fixe dinner -  antipasto, lamb chops,  and dessert - not entirely Italian per se, but it was one of the finest meals I have had on any HAL ship - everything was exceptionally well executed and of prime quality.  (Picky sister raved praise about this choice. )

 

2. The Mariners Lunch was also a standout - Mexican flavor based choices from beginning to end - really excellent. I had the shrimp cocktail with a chipolte sauce, ah with salsai and cinnamon (horchata themed) rice pudding dessert. And usually I avoid the often-tired Mariners lunch menu. But last several times, it has been very creative, fun and tasty.  (Picky sister equally happy with this choice. )

 

Agree, Pinnacle was ho-hum  (picky sister not happy) and Tamarind remains a solid favorite. (Picky sister was okay with this,  but did not want to go back)  

 

Love the appetizers and first course more than the mains at Tamarind, but picked tofu option this  time and really loved it - this means I get to continue filling up almost to the gills on the very yummy first offerings - have something light for the main course and then still have room to score one of their inventive desserts.  Waitperson asked if I knew I was ordering tofu - just to make sure. It was nicely firm and pan fried - very good preparation for that main course. 

Edited January 9, 2019 by OlsSalt

[Loreto]

Glad You enjoyed the Tamarind on the Eurodam...our 2 experiences were fantastic!  DH said we should have eaten there every nite...he was that impressed!  Mariner lunch was surprisingly good...I had the burrito.  Pinnacle grill experience was not good on either of our 5 * visits: loud, rude guests,  bad service (one night) terrible crab legs, but I do always love the crab cakes and lemon brule tart (good choice Copper/Maria!😋)

Karen

[Himself]

I have NEVER had a bad meal in the Pinnacle/  I usually order the 7 ounce fillet..  

[FetaCheese]

On 12/1/2018 at 12:04 PM, St Pete Cruiser said:

We just returned from Eurodam's Hawaii cruise and dined at Pinnacle one night.  It was excellent!  However, it was a gala night and therefore most of the guests choose to go to the MDR.  We had 7:30 reservations and had much attention from all the staff as it was not busy.  We had the halibut with shrimp scampi and the 10 oz fillet, both of which were perfect.  

With many promotions for free dinners there, try to go when they are not as busy.  

hello, will be on eurodam in Feb.  Can you tell me about the free offers in Pinnacle ?  Was on K-dam last Nov (1st HAL cruise) and the Pinnacle was really terrific. ( Except for way over-salty lobster bisque ).  We did have a free dinner offer in Pinnacle -- It required an 8 bottle wine purchase from any of the 3 regular cellar list --  (3 price points-- corresponding to the wine qualities on offer ).  The wine package was itself a very good value -- and with the free Pinnacle dinner for 2 -- an excellent value.

[St Pete Cruiser]

Some travel agencies add a perk such as a a free Pinnacle dinner and sometimes HAL has used it also, the explore 4 promo being one.  I hadn't heard of the one you got with the 8 bottle wine package.

[FetaCheese]

4 minutes ago, St Pete Cruiser said:

Some travel agencies add a perk such as a a free Pinnacle dinner and sometimes HAL has used it also, the explore 4 promo being one.  I hadn't heard of the one you got with the 8 bottle wine package.

Thank you.  When I inquired about that cruise -- agency said a coupon booklet came with booking -- however, when I booked, the agent said my fare code would not include the coupon booklet.  The 8 bottle wine package offer was 1 of several offers -- casino, spa, bingo, etc. -- that were on a sheet of paper ( not a booklet ) in our cabin. 

[Perkins52]

I have never been disappointed with dinner at either Pinnacle or Tamarind. We are going on Mexican cruise in October and have promised to take son and daughter in law to Tamarind.