Favorite food in main dining room

[stephensfamily5]

We love cruising, but we don't usually pay a lot extra for the specialty dining.  I am wondering what are the not-to-be-missed foods in the main dining room?

[oakridger]

Prime Rib!  Trout at lunch.

[rkacruiser]

Swedish Pancakes for Breakfast 

[OlsSalt]

One cruise had the best lamb chops ever. Not sure where they were sourced, but never had them as good on later cruises. I hear good things about the lamb chops in the Canaletto and one Christmas cruise I can concur they were just as good as that one cruise MDM items.

 

I also like the pasta main dishes on gala nights. Otherwise, the food is usually good, choices are decent but nothing memorable. Nothing unpleasant either. And yes they do a very decent job with liver and onions. So many other items through out the day are good, so often dinner has little appetite left - will miss the dinner entree salads which were always welcome if one indulged too much before dinner on the fun stuff.

[stephensfamily5]

14 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

Swedish Pancakes for Breakfast 

RKA, Do you mind me asking, "What are Swedish Pancakes?"  Sounds interesting.

[rkacruiser]

2 minutes ago, stephensfamily5 said:

RKA, Do you mind me asking, "What are Swedish Pancakes?"  Sounds interesting.

 

They are crepes with a Lingonberry Sauce.  Usually, they are dusted with some powdered sugar.  The crepes are rolled into two tubes with a cream cheese filling within.  They are very close to what I was served when I sailed on Royal Viking Sky many years ago.  Delicious!  

[westcoastsue]

1 hour ago, rkacruiser said:

Swedish Pancakes for Breakfast 

I agree. Very light & tasty.

[HALrunner]

I am not vegetarian, but have loved all the vegetarian dishes in the MDR.

[MisterBill99]

It used to be the fois gras with apple tart tatin appetizer. Then they changed it to something other than fois gras, maybe duck breast. Now, I think they've gotten rid of it entirely on the new reduced MDR menus.

[TwinMommyByGrace]

For breakfast one of my favorites is the banana bread French toast. For dinner I love the best short rib stroganoff! I get it whenever they have it on the menu! In fact, I'm hoping they'll still have it on my cruise next July. I'll be skipping the appetizer and ordering a double portion of the stroganoff!

[Caribbean Chris]

Funny, I was just thinking about this last night. Most memorable was Alaskan King Crab legs on a two-week Maasdam sailing out of Seattle. I have rarely ordered them in restaurants before or since but they were absolutely wonderful. 

[Mary229]

HAL makes one of the best Creme Brûlées I have had.  DH and I share one quite often.

Their tenderloin was excellent but I have heard they have changed beef providers.

 

[albingirl]

I'll never forget the wonderful Maasdam.  One evening, the night of the Captain's Ball, on a transatlantic, we had endless lobsters and king crab legs.  It was magical from start to finish.

[trixiee]

Escargot!

[DaveOKC]

12 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

One cruise had the best lamb chops ever. Not sure where they were sourced, but never had them as good on later cruises. I hear good things about the lamb chops in the Canaletto and one Christmas cruise I can concur they were just as good as that one cruise MDM items.

 

I also like the pasta main dishes on gala nights. Otherwise, the food is usually good, choices are decent but nothing memorable. Nothing unpleasant either. And yes they do a very decent job with liver and onions. So many other items through out the day are good, so often dinner has little appetite left - will miss the dinner entree salads which were always welcome if one indulged too much before dinner on the fun stuff.

Funny thing, I also like the liver and onions on HAL!  People at our table think I am crazy when I order it.  My DW hates it, so we never get it at home and its hard to order in a resteraunt IMO since you really have to know how to cook it correctly (of course I have NO idea how to do it).

[Hlitner]

3 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:

Funny, I was just thinking about this last night. Most memorable was Alaskan King Crab legs on a two-week Maasdam sailing out of Seattle. I have rarely ordered them in restaurants before or since but they were absolutely wonderful. 

I doubt you will be seeing King Crab Legs anytime soon.  We were in Wegman's the other day and two King Crab Legs were going for $75!  They looked temping but not that tempting :).   Cruise lines must all cope with the awful inflation in food products and unfortunately we are all going to find some MDR disappointments on any mass market line.

 

Hank

[Boatdrill]

Lamb chops on the Westerdam. 

[rucrazy]

Moo (any beef) and cold soups!

[stephensfamily5]

15 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

They are crepes with a Lingonberry Sauce.  Usually, they are dusted with some powdered sugar.  The crepes are rolled into two tubes with a cream cheese filling within.  They are very close to what I was served when I sailed on Royal Viking Sky many years ago.  Delicious!  

Sounds yummy!

 

[dot73]

Beef Wellington, if they still make that.  My last cruise was in December 2019 and the beef was terrible. For the first time EVER on HAL, I had to send something back. It was supposed to be Prime Rib but instead was just a piece of gristle. The replacement , which I ordered medium rare, was so well done to the point where I couldn't cut it. I gave up and ordered pasta. The waiter must have shown it to someone in the kitchen and at the end of the meal we received a visit from the Assistant Chef to apologize. Oh, well, I guess I will now go to Pinnacle if I want a decent piece of beef.

[FlaMariner]

Great topic....food in the MDR!

(We don't frequent speciality restaurants...not comfortable paying for dinner and then paying for dinner again)

 

From our last cruise last month....some of our favorites in the MDR:

• Full English Breakfast (learned to love baked beans at breakfast)
• Prime Rib
• Beef Filet (showed up on the menu several times on 2 week cruise)
• Fish dishes...whatever they were each night (got the "fish/seafood of the day" probably 70% of the time)
• Escargot (appetizer on gala nights)
• Creme Brule
• Baked Alaska 
• Wiener Snitzel (showed up one time and was not my usual choice but it was delicious)
• The hot soups (very tasty & hot)..especially French Onion...but a wide variety over the cruise

And of course, the service is attentive and fun with a great wait team.....

 

As the assistant waiter would say every evening "Bon Appetit"

[Crew News]

Definitely the hazelnut cak.

 

[Lido deck main]

Mushroom truffle risotto on Gala night.  

[cruzn single]

Liver & onions, cold soups, and bread pudding!

[OCruisers]

HAL does a wonderful job with liver & onions.