Thomas Keller bar on the Quest

[jsiegel]

I would often have a special TK drink at the bar within the Thomas Keller Grill on the Encore.  Does the Quest have a TK bar area or can you only get a TK drink (such as the Old Cuban) when dining in TK?

 

Thanks, Jackie

[Mauzac]

I've been on the smaller ship many times and always have a Gibson (and my husband an Old Cuban) as we sit at our table, despite no bar 🙂

[jsiegel]

28 minutes ago, Mauzac said:

I've been on the smaller ship many times and always have a Gibson (and my husband an Old Cuban) as we sit at our table, despite no bar 🙂

 

You were dining at TK Grill at the time?  I'd like one of their drinks on an evening when I plan to dine at The Restaurant or the Colonnade.  Do you know if that is possible?

[Mauzac]

Yes, at the TK Grill on the smaller ships.

 

No idea about the Restaurant or the Colonnade, sorry!  

Quite possible I'm sure 🙂

[cruiseej]

You can't get the Old Cuban at other venues. A friend we were traveling with earlier this month tried and was shot down. 😉 One of the few no's I've ever heard on a Seabourn ship!

 

And there is no TK bar on the smaller ships. 

[markham]

May I suggest you get your pre-TK Grill drinks at The Club on Quest (and on sister ships Odyssey and Sojourn). It is far more atmospheric and popular than The Club on Encore and Ovation, and a quick nearby elevator lift up 3 decks to the TK Grill.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[tv24]

Old Cuban!  Old Cuban!  Old Cuban!  But the legend is that it is available only at the TK Grill.  Hope that is not true.

[cruiseej]

9 hours ago, tv24 said:

Old Cuban!  Old Cuban!  Old Cuban!  But the legend is that it is available only at the TK Grill.  Hope that is not true.

It's not "legend"; it's simple reality. As has been shared above, if you ask for the drink at another bar or restaurant, in most cases the answer will be that it is only available at the TK Grill; in some instances, a waiter may offer to go to the TK Grill and fetch the drink for you if you're willing to wait 10-15 minutes. (Keep in mind you're taking that waiter out of service for this special request, so if it's a busy time, you may wish to think twice about asking someone to leave their station to go this far out of the way for you.)

 

Of course, on the two larger ships, there is a TK bar, so getting an Old Cuban is as easy as visiting that venue.

[Mahogany]

What makes the Old Cuban so difficult to make at one of the bars? When I saw one being made at the TK bar on Encore, I didn't realize it was exclusive to that venue.

[janecambridge]

On encore recently we were surprised at certain cocktails in certain bars.Pisco sour and old Cuban in TK Grill only.Pina colada in deck bar only.Not  much choice off anything in the club.I was sure on many occasions that I did  not have Schweppes slimline tonic despite being told it was.When I waited and watched at bars, they could never find any.
Having being told you can have what you want when you want, we were surprised.Tried  room service for cocktails in glass and not plastic, but waited too long...

We understood that the deck bar is the only  bar with an electric blender. TK is the only bar with egg white.

[Mauzac]

I have a white lady in Obs Bar and that has egg white?  

[janecambridge]

Didn’t try observation bar for piscina sour but we were told it’s only in TK bar they have egg white. 

[markham]

A piscina sour? I am absolutely confident that you can get it on all 5 Seabourn ships at the Pool Bar. In a plastic cup, obviously.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[cruiseej]

And you can certainly get blender drinks in the Observation Bar and the Club. At least, we always have in the past.

[janecambridge]

Should read pisco sour. That can make a pisco and lime drink anywhere if you ask, but it’s not a pisco sour. Not by a long way. 
The pina  colada at the pool bar is frozen ready made stuff. 

[cruiseej]

3 hours ago, janecambridge said:

The pina  colada at the pool bar is frozen ready made stuff.

 

Not in my experience; I've had them made from scratch many times, including multiple times last month. (At least on the Odyssey-class ships.) I imagine that during busy, warm pool days, they may mix up a large batch of the non-alcoholic ingredients so they can just add rum and go, but that's not how they're always made. 

[frantic36]

5 hours ago, janecambridge said:

The pina  colada at the pool bar is frozen ready made stuff. 

I agree with @cruiseej as I have had Pina Coladas made while I wait. Maybe they had just made a large batch to take around to offer guests sitting by the pool and that was why yours appeared from a pre-made batch?

[janecambridge]

I wasn’t going to continue to comment on this- as it gets boring. 
But we sat and watched them construct the pina coladas on Encore, at the pool bar,   using a slush-type machine. The ingredients for that machine came out of a box and the machine then mixed and frosted the stuff. It was added to a plastic glass with white rum and a slice of pineapple. Whilst it was ok, not as good as an original pina  colada. 

[scamper]

On 3/28/2022 at 9:47 PM, cruiseej said:

You can't get the Old Cuban at other venues. A friend we were traveling with earlier this month tried and was shot down. 😉 One of the few no's I've ever heard on a Seabourn ship!

 

And there is no TK bar on the smaller ships. 

I would truly like to know the logic behind that.  There is nothing in an Old Cuban that can't be found in any well-stocked bar.  Perhaps mint leaves, but c'mon!

[jsiegel]

8 hours ago, scamper said:

I would truly like to know the logic behind that.  There is nothing in an Old Cuban that can't be found in any well-stocked bar.  Perhaps mint leaves, but c'mon!

From what I understand, Thomas Keller is very proprietary about his recipes and how everything is made.  Only TK trained staff can make TK items.  

[scamper]

On 4/2/2022 at 5:56 PM, jsiegel said:

From what I understand, Thomas Keller is very proprietary about his recipes and how everything is made.  Only TK trained staff can make TK items.  

Ah!  I was unaware that it was a Thomas Keller created drink.

[Kauaijim]

The only people we saw at the TK bar on  our quest Antarctica trip were peeps having a drink before sitting down to dinner tho it was probably open to all 

[Mahogany]

Didn't think there was a TK bar on the smaller ships.

[frantic36]

8 hours ago, Mahogany said:

Didn't think there was a TK bar on the smaller ships.

 

It is very small and just as you enter to the right. It is more used if people arrive for a later dining time slot and their table isn't ready yet because the early eating diners haven't left yet.

[CabinBoy2020]

On 3/28/2022 at 1:57 PM, Mauzac said:

I've been on the smaller ship many times and always have a Gibson (and my husband an Old Cuban) as we sit at our table, despite no bar 🙂

 

Mauzac, Where you able to get a Gibson elsewhere on the ship?  I'll be on the Odyssey and the Gibson is my favorite cocktail.  Many thanks.

 

Bill