New menu on Constellation

[smdubowsky]

Just got back from our fourth Constellation cruise. Everything was great except the new dinner menu in the main dining room has got some kinks in it. Most of the fish entrees were poached and rubbery. The steak dinner was rather tough (or maybe they need new steak knives). The duck is no longer available on the seven day cruise.

 

According to one of the assistant maitre d' we were not the only ones complaining. To compound the problem, our waiter would bring us all five deserts as an apology and they were better than ever.

 

All of the other meals including the AquaSpa were excellent.

 

Hopefully, they will fine tune the menu as time goes on.

[poetic license]

Hi Smdubowsky,

So, what exactly is on the new menu?

 

We're cruising CENTURY in April, and wonder if the menu changes will extend to all ships in the fleet.

 

Cheers,

[Andy]

Just got back from our fourth Constellation cruise. Everything was great except the new dinner menu in the main dining room has got some kinks in it. Most of the fish entrees were poached and rubbery. The steak dinner was rather tough (or maybe they need new steak knives). The duck is no longer available on the seven day cruise.

 

According to one of the assistant maitre d' we were not the only ones complaining. To compound the problem, our waiter would bring us all five deserts as an apology and they were better than ever.

 

All of the other meals including the AquaSpa were excellent.

 

Hopefully, they will fine tune the menu as time goes on.

 

Hi Smdubowsky !

 

Sorry to hear the new menus were not running smoothly. I am pretty sure it was due to these menus being very new (of course, that is no excuse).

 

We heard from some other posters, that the new menu items were quite good. It is Odd, that it wasnt working well on your voyage. Perhaps they had some new chefs on the ship, and that is why there were some problems.

 

Hopefully, they will work the problems out very soon.

[parrothead1]

Hopefully, they will work the problems out very soon.

 

Yeah - like before March 4th!

 

Could someone give me a rundown on what the new menus looks like? Tell me they still have Rack of Lamb? I am seriously dissapointed about duck being taken off.

 

Any input would be great!!

[lysolqn]

After 20+ X cruises we pretty much know the menus by heart and were looking forward to a change. Now I'm beginning to think maybe the same old same is better than venturing into the unknown.

[Fang]

I was on the January 8th sailing of the Inifintiy with the new menus.

 

There was no problem with them at all. I can't remember how many times duck was on the menu, but I did order it one night and it was great.

 

Perhaps, this is just an isolated problem. My wife and I really liked the new menu.

[smdubowsky]

According to the maitre d' the Constellation and the Millenium are the only ships with the new menu. Just stay away from poached fish dishes. I heard the rack of lamb was fine, but people also complained that there was nothing at al to eat when they ordered the quail.

Prime rib was good as were the tournadoes of beef.

[Squirrel's Mom]

We were on the Connie in January with the new menus. I have to applaud Celebrity for shaking up the menus but felt that some of the items needed more work.

 

The rack of veal was the worst. It was tough, tasteless and blah. There were three of us who ordered it at our table the first week and we all had the same reaction. (During the second week of our back-to-back, when the veal came around again, we ate in alternative dining.)

 

The lamb shank, however, was out of this world!! If it was possible I'd have ordered it every night. It melted in your mouth and probably could have been eaten with a spoon!

 

There was some kind of pasta and scallops thing named "eggs and straw" (I think) that our dining companions voted most silly. And my husband's "three

 

All the tasty little veggies are gone and have been replaced with generic pea pods or carrots. Some new appetizers have appeared and some excellent soups (but some less lovable ones too!). (The chilled fruit soups are terrific by and large.)

 

And, like others, I missed the duck! But I was pleasantly surprised when it magically appeared on the final night of our back-to-back. (They must have run out of something.)

 

They are still tinkering with the menu according to our waiter, our assistant maitre d' and to Bernard who stands between the pool area and the buffet every day! (He's terrific and if you see him, tell him the "veal lady" says hi!) They were most interested in our feedback and solicited our comments every evening -- after the veal incident!

 

Again, it's nice to see that Celebrity is experimenting!

[ocngypz]

Funny, except for some new pasta dishes, everything else I've seen mentioned has been around for some time (greater than one year).... just not on the usual 7 night menu rotation.

 

The rack of veal has been around for years!!

[Joanandjoe]

There was some kind of pasta and scallops thing named "eggs and straw" (I think) that our dining companions voted most silly.

 

"Hay and straw" is an Italian dish I've been eating all my life--and I'm not even Italian. It means that the fettucine is half egg, half spinach (green and yellow), and it's much more interesting than plain pasta, especially when the dish has scallops. Not silly at all, and I hope the have it on the Zenith in May. I also hope they have the lamb shanks. Yum to both!

[tinad]

Just returned from the Constellation Feb4 sail date. I thought the food was better this year than last year. Yes the fish was poached but I am allergic to shrimp so I requested my fish grilled. I had Halibut very good but one night I ordered the scallops. Very fishey I did not eat them.The only tough beef I had was the last night some kind of fillet mignon skewered, but I was the only one with tough meat.

[dileep]

 

Tell me they still have Rack of Lamb?

 

If not, that would be Lack of Lamb :D

[WeBeCruisin']

I feel sorry for the Celebrity chefs. It's almost like no matter what they do people aren't happy.

 

It seems that about half of the complaints on any food thread are from people who think the food's too bland and lacks variety, and the other half thinks the food is too spicy, and has too many weird "gross" dishes which you'd never find at Bob Evans or The Cracker Barrel.

 

If Celebrity tweaks their menu to please one group, then the other goes ballistic, and vice versa.

 

And then there's a third group which is so picky that usually nothing will please them. These are the people who will leave the dining room in a snit because nothing on the menu is good enough for their very narrow range of tastes.

 

Live a little. Try new things. Experiment with new tastes and cuisines. It's not like you're going to go hungry if you don't like it. :)

 

Allen

[cruising with marti]

I feel sorry for the Celebrity chefs. It's almost like no matter what they do people aren't happy.

 

It seems that about half of the complaints on any food thread are from people who think the food's too bland and lacks variety' date=' and the other half thinks the food is too spicy, and has too many weird "gross" dishes which you'd never find at Bob Evans or The Cracker Barrel.

 

If Celebrity tweaks their menu to please one group, then the other goes ballistic, and vice versa.

 

And then there's a third group which is so picky that usually [i']nothing [/i]will please them. These are the people who will leave the dining room in a snit because nothing on the menu is good enough for their very narrow range of tastes.

 

Live a little. Try new things. Experiment with new tastes and cuisines. It's not like you're going to go hungry if you don't like it. :)

 

Allen

 

 

Allen, that was beautiful and ain't it the truth:D

 

 

Phil

[WeBeCruisin']

Allen, that was beautiful and ain't it the truth:D

Phil

 

Phil, you said a mouthful. Ooops!!!! :D

[Blazerboy]

Allen and Phil,

 

:mad: When will you learn that I have an extremely sensitive pallet, so I must parse every menu item, and, after giving the chef , maitre d' and waitstaff the glorious benefit of my vast food knowledge, I am compelled to take them down a few notches just to reassure myself how fabulous I am.

 

But of course, that's not enough. I must also let other cruisers know, lest they think I have mere pedestrian tastes. No, no. My refined pallet is ledendary, and must be respected!:cool:

 

 

:D

 

Seriously, the food could always be better in most any restaurant, land or sea, and certainly can't suit every taste. And cooking for 1000 people at a seating has its drawbacks. But passengers, last time I checked, have mouths and, for the most part, brains. :rolleyes: Simply speak up, and let your waiter know that you like! Be upfront about your tastes, ask for recommendations, and, if there's a problem, let him or her know as nicely as is possible that something is wrong. If you make a mistake and order something not to your liking, this is one of the few places on earth, other than your mother's kitchen (and not always there!), that you can simply say that this wasn't to your liking, and could the waiter recommend something else, and they 'll replace it without charge. When you want it spicy, or bland, or cooked with in an inch of its life, or still wiggling, the waiter is most likely to know which way to steer you. For instance, even though I love duck, I dislike the way the cruise line does it. So I don't order it. Problem solved. I still manage to have a great meal. Have I ever needed to send something back? Yes. There was one pasta dish was not well done, and our waiter insisted, upon hearing that I didn't like it that I order something else. He went off to the kitchen and brought me some chicken, which was very tasty. :) Bad pasta...good meal! GREAT service.

 

Andrew

[Texed]

Andrew,

 

Now, that's the truth.:)

[Roadhawg]

We just returned from the Feb 4 cruise. Although we only went to the main dining room 3 times, every meal was great. I'll agree with a previous poster that the lamb shank was out of this world! Also, the sirloin tips on the last night. We always asked our waiter (Ishan, who was wonderful), what he recommended and took his advice from there.

[FISHHOOK1]

BlazerBoy - You are a person after my own heart, I have yet to be disappointed with the food:p . Our waiter(s) are always trying to insure that the food is what we want, and if not, than they will get something else. But they canot read a persons mind, so if you let them know, they will do all in their power to correct the problem..

[CaroleSP]

As long as there is a sushi bar, I will always be able to find something to eat! Oh, did I forget to mention the ice cream? This is why I only pack clothes with an elastic waist.

[lysolqn]

You can please all the people some of the time; some of the people all the time; but you can't please all the people all the time.

[smdubowsky]

The original purpose of this thread ( I started it) was not to whine but inform that Celebrity's staff quietly warned us about these menu changes ahead of time. They are aware of problems and want feedback from their customers so that these changes can be fine tuned.

[signman]

Zenith has the scallops with the egg and spinach pasta. I had it twice earlier this month on a 4 and 5 night B2B. Good scallops.