You don't sell the steak, you sell the sizzle. - Cosmo Kramer

[drwbrt]

We had plenty of good food on the ship, but a little more of spice or that perfect sauce would have made it great and maybe even memorable. @New2cruise2022 makes a more specific criticism in this same area in his post on wings. So much of the food lacked flavor; not entirely and normally not in the wrong direction, but almost always in magnitude. 

 

Right or wrong, we decided that this was seasoning timidity. NCL didn’t want to season any dish to the point that it was subject to an opinion by anyone. Generally acceptable seemed to be the bar to clear. Memorable wasn't even a remote target. I wanted more spice, more sauce, more garnish I can add to. I’d love to see a sauce bar in the buffet, a sauce platter or menu in the MDR and specialty. There is good food all over the ship. Really good food in a few instances: the bread at Cagney’s/La Cucina and the creamed spinach at Cagney’s come to mind. If they want to deliver great food, it may be as simple as offering some sauces, garnishes, or flavor upgrades.

 

Example

It's a simple thing, but I was able to take the action I wanted to take at breakfast. I'm a sucker for a good sausage gravy in the mornings. Maybe it's that I wasn't introduced to it until very late in life and I felt like I missed out. Maybe it's because I met my wife in a ranching town where a country breakfast was common. I don't know why it started but I love biscuits and gravy or the gravy over some breakfast potatoes. To my surprise and delight, NCL had gravy both in the buffet and the MDR.

 

The first morning I was hesitant, what if it isn't good? I resisted the urge to dip my finger directly into the gravy (there was little chance it was too hot for that) and instead picked up a coffee mug at the beverage station. I added a few spoonfuls to my mug and headed to the front of the ship, where there was always a table. The gravy was good, but not great. I dumped a healthy amount of black pepper and a dash or two of hot sauce I spotted two tables over and gave it a stir. I made one more small adjustment and I was done. Temperature aside, it was the perfect sausage gravy for my breakfast potatoes. 

 

I did that every morning. I didn't even mind that I had to do that and it didn't come that way. I recognize my palette is different. It doesn't take much time, and most mornings the only thing on my schedule was a thoughtful walk through the art gallery to prepare myself for the day's auction. People are willing to plus up their food; especially when they get to pat themselves on the back for being unique, hacking the menu, or being culinarily superior to the chef. 

 

Give the passengers some seasoning and sauce options, and maybe a salt shaker that works (everyone else have this problem? I had a couple good bi-directional mills from MDR...missed opportunity for a memorable souvenir).

[New2cruise2022]

So many food items, the victim of lowest common denominator cooking. Not everyone loves pepper. And buffet/cafeteria food is often the target of “too salty” commentary. There are salt and pepper shakers on the tables to add seasoning, but there is nothing to take it away. So, I can see where NCL may be coming from. 
 

But … I agree, give us more to make it our own. Give me a garnish bar or … to borrow from Kramer/Seinfeld … a fixing’ bar. (It’s at Lorenzo’s in the Van Buren Boys episode, for those playing along at home.) A place were there is some garlic, oregano, basil, some parmesan or Ramano cheese. And some sauces. I know, I saw some there. Some A1, some Tapatio, etc. But add some other things. Something signature that keeps people coming back. Invest in buying or making your own ranch. I know that is very American and pedestrian if you are striving for gourmet and upscale … but delicious ranch will put a smile on 80% of your passengers. (I made that statistic up, but I am willing to bet it would track.) 

[BirdTravels]

35 minutes ago, drwbrt said:

We had plenty of good food on the ship, but a little more of spice or that perfect sauce would have made it great and maybe even memorable. @New2cruise2022 makes a more specific criticism in this same area in his post on wings. So much of the food lacked flavor; not entirely and normally not in the wrong direction, but almost always in magnitude. 

 

Right or wrong, we decided that this was seasoning timidity. NCL didn’t want to season any dish to the point that it was subject to an opinion by anyone. 

 

100% correct. Seasoning timidity is exactly what the contemporary cruiser is looking for. Less salt. No MSG. Not spicy. Less fake flavors.

 

If you eat the Indian foods, they are very mildly spiced,,, orders of magnitude less than if you went to an Indian restaurant,,, but that is what cruisers want. If you put a "normal" amount of spice in the dishes, people would be complaining. 

 

Me personally, I like salt and spice.... but my cardiologist and gastroenterologist do not. So I, reluctantly, applaud the low salt and lower spice recipies. And I "have to" pick the jalapenos and other peppers out of foods. 

[New2cruise2022]

I will say, one of the surprisingly well seasoned dishes was the Pad Thai in Food Republic. One of my favorite things from the entire cruise. The noodles were cooked well and weren’t overly starchy. The spice was just right. Could have used a squeeze of lime … which I added. (Also, we swapped shrimp for chicken. Personal preference)

[jbcallender]

Well, you half to realize they must prepare food for a wide range of tastes and probably avoid the extremes.  That being said - we had a nice slab of prime rib on Spirit in November, with horseradish the menu said.  I was expecting creamy horseradish as is served by 99% of the restaurants with their prime rib.  What did we get?  A cup of minced horseradish.  40 years in the hotel business and I've never seen that presentation.

     

[debenson0723]

1 hour ago, New2cruise2022 said:

(Also, we swapped shrimp for chicken. Personal preference)

We always do this in Food Republic too.

[drwbrt]

28 minutes ago, jbcallender said:

Well, you half to realize they must prepare food for a wide range of tastes and probably avoid the extremes.

I am 100% accepting of this. I think it’s smart. I just want them to have a sauce/topping/garnish bar so those that want to bump it up, or play chef, can. 
 

 

2 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

100% correct. Seasoning timidity is exactly what the contemporary cruiser is looking for. Less salt. No MSG. Not spicy. Less fake flavors.

Thanks for the confirmation. I’m sad for your jalapeño-picking heart. 

[jbcallender]

1 minute ago, drwbrt said:

I am 100% accepting of this. I think it’s smart. I just want them to have a sauce/topping/garnish bar so those that want to bump it up, or play chef, can. 
 

 

Thanks for the confirmation. I’m sad for your jalapeño-picking heart. 

Careful, jalapenos are required here in San Antonio .....a friend of mine stashes a jar in his wifes purse when we go out to dinner.

[drwbrt]

4 minutes ago, jbcallender said:

Careful, jalapenos are required here in San Antonio .....a friend of mine stashes a jar in his wifes purse when we go out to dinner.

I'd like a table in Taste next to @jbcallenderand friends please.

[New2cruise2022]

There was a discussion at my house about throwing out some jalapeños from the fridge. I was overly protective of them: “I never know when I will need those. Keep them.”

[Two Wheels Only]

Older people tend to react negatively to spicy foods. The cruise lines are forced to go "soft".

 

The Gamberi Fra Diavolo (sautéed shrimp, spicy tomato sauce, linguini) isn't spicy at all.

[New2cruise2022]

7 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

Older people tend to react negatively to spicy foods. The cruise lines are forced to go "soft".

 

The Gamberi Fra Diavolo (sautéed shrimp, spicy tomato sauce, linguini) isn't spicy at all.

I think we all agree about this. It isn’t hard to have something to offer people that want more. Sauces, spices, to add after the fact. 

[3OfDiamonds]

Do I need to bring my own Tabasco/Tapatio? (The fact that I might have to do this for a *Mexican Riviera* cruise is… Oy 🙃😂)  Regardless, I’m making a mental note that I should bring some Spike (a lower-sodium seasoning blend, very good on practically anything savory) and a good black pepper shaker with me 😎

[New2cruise2022]

5 minutes ago, 3OfDiamonds said:

Do I need to bring my own Tabasco/Tapatio? (The fact that I might have to do this for a *Mexican Riviera* cruise is… Oy 🙃😂)  Regardless, I’m making a mental note that I should bring some Spike (a lower-sodium seasoning blend, very good on practically anything savory) and a good black pepper shaker with me 😎

I know I saw both Tapatio and Tabasco on our Mexican Riviera cruise, so you might just have to ask if you don’t see it. 

[willsears94]

8 hours ago, New2cruise2022 said:

I will say, one of the surprisingly well seasoned dishes was the Pad Thai in Food Republic. One of my favorite things from the entire cruise. The noodles were cooked well and weren’t overly starchy. The spice was just right. Could have used a squeeze of lime … which I added. (Also, we swapped shrimp for chicken. Personal preference)

That pad thai was good though, I agree.

[PATRLR]

8 hours ago, jbcallender said:

A cup of minced horseradish.  40 years in the hotel business and I've never seen that presentation.

Really?  I wonder if that's a regional thing.  I know that when I order prime rib at a good quality restaurant my expectation is they bring horseradish and not horseradish sauce.  Some will ask which I prefer.  I know of a few good restaurants here in the northeast that don't offer the sauce.  Part of my judging of the quality of the restaurant includes the quality of their horseradish.

 

[zzdoug]

12 hours ago, drwbrt said:

.

The first morning I was hesitant, what if it isn't good? I resisted the urge to dip my finger directly into the gravy

 

On behalf of everyone else on planet earth, thank you for resisting the temptation to stick your finger in the gravy.

 

10 hours ago, jbcallender said:

Well, you half to realize they must prepare food for a wide range of tastes and probably avoid the extremes.  That being said - we had a nice slab of prime rib on Spirit in November, with horseradish the menu said.  I was expecting creamy horseradish as is served by 99% of the restaurants with their prime rib.  What did we get?  A cup of minced horseradish.  40 years in the hotel business and I've never seen that presentation.

     

This has happened to me before. My hack in such a situation is to ask for some sour cream, or borrow some from my baked potato if I already have one, and mix it with the horseradish. 

 

The reality of cruise ship dining, particularly in main dining rooms, is that food is mass-produced to serve hundreds or thousands of people within a reasonable amount of time and a budget, and at the proper temperature, which is a real feat of engineering if you think about it. In my experience, the food has been pretty good as long as my expectations have been realistic.  In particular, customization is not usually realistic, or it is not what I had in mind, so I am happy to ask for whatever I need on the side to make my food taste the way I like it, and I have found that the wait staff is usually very accommodating in that regard. 

 

One other suggestion to combat the anti-flavor epidemic is that a squeeze of lemon often helps many kinds of foods. And get the chimichurri with the steak.

 

And while we're on the subject of steak, particularly in the steakhouse where you steak should be cooked to order, in order to combat the overcooking epidemic, why not order your steak by center temperature; e.g. 125 F / 52 C before resting, which is more objective than "rare to medium rare".

Edited February 1, 2023 by zzdoug

[drwbrt]

6 hours ago, 3OfDiamonds said:

Do I need to bring my own Tabasco/Tapatio? (The fact that I might have to do this for a *Mexican Riviera* cruise is… Oy 🙃😂)  Regardless, I’m making a mental note that I should bring some Spike (a lower-sodium seasoning blend, very good on practically anything savory) and a good black pepper shaker with me 😎

Spike sounds like a winner. Like @New2cruise2022said, there was Tabasco at some tables at the buffet. I'm sure it is available by request at MDR. It might be on the table at The Local too. We never had too much of an issue with the pepper side, mostly on the salt side if we needed it.

[drwbrt]

27 minutes ago, zzdoug said:

 

On behalf of everyone else on planet earth, thank you for resisting the temptation to stick your finger in the gravy.

 

 

And while we're on the subject of steak, particularly in the steakhouse where you steak should be cooked to order, in order to combat the overcooking epidemic, why not order your steak by center temperature; e.g. 125 F / 52 C before resting, which is more objective than "rare to medium rare".

I was absolutely joking about sticking my finger in the gravy. I normally just take one lap around the edge.  In all serious though, there is a story to tell about liking fingers and cleanliness on the Bliss some time that either @New2cruise2022or I will post.

 

We got our steaks to temp at Cagney's no problem there. I think you have a good suggestion to ask for a center temp, but we didn't have any wait staff with enough experience or language capability to get through that instruction. We've posted about this on a couple other threads, but so many of the crew were first contract or first sailing after vacation. Lots of new, inexperience, or just getting back to it crew.

[zzdoug]

9 minutes ago, drwbrt said:

I was absolutely joking about sticking my finger in the gravy.

Well that's a relief. Hard to tell sometimes. I've seen all kinds.

Edited February 1, 2023 by zzdoug
And pretty funny btw.

[nadeki]

We were on this sailing. I would have LOVED for a decent ranch dressing. 

 

NCL used to have the best buffalo wings in the Local.Now, they are fair and definitely need dressing to dip into. The amount of allocated dressing that is coming in the little silver container is about 1/4 full.It is not near enough and the staff was not around to ask for more.

 

We did not go hungry but were disappointed this time in the food and beverage service.

 

On a side note, we discussed the salt and pepper shaker as a memorable souvenir also! It was good looking.

[RocketMan275]

11 hours ago, jbcallender said:

Well, you half to realize they must prepare food for a wide range of tastes and probably avoid the extremes.  That being said - we had a nice slab of prime rib on Spirit in November, with horseradish the menu said.  I was expecting creamy horseradish as is served by 99% of the restaurants with their prime rib.  What did we get?  A cup of minced horseradish.  40 years in the hotel business and I've never seen that presentation.

     

One of the things I remember about the old Officers Club at Redstone Arsenal was the horseradish.  From fifty feet away you could smell the horseradish when the waiter carried the dish through the doors from the kitchen.  Awesome.

[DCGuy64]

2 hours ago, zzdoug said:

The reality of cruise ship dining, particularly in main dining rooms, is that food is mass-produced to serve hundreds or thousands of people within a reasonable amount of time and a budget, and at the proper temperature, which is a real feat of engineering if you think about it.

I'm glad @zzdoug (and others) get it about this. It's not like cruise lines go out of their way to make things bland just to annoy us. You can't please everybody all of the time. That said, I love it when they can customize things. At Orchid Garden and Shanghai, they will adjust the spice level to your taste. I like spicy foods, so I watched in delight as they put plenty of hot stuff in my stirfry. All you have to do is ask.

[sailorusvi]

You can always add spice, you can not take it away.  With 3000-5000 taste buds and various health issues,  I get making foods on the less spicy, low salt side.  But agree some sort of condiment bar/menu for those who might want more spice would be a good compromise. 

 

I personally am a wimp when it comes to spice, so I appreciate the menu not being full of spicy items (I'm finding an increase number of restaurants having a large amount of "spicy" foods).   Boy do I love salt though (blood pressure levels are in the lower side).  Husband likes spice, but he needs to watch salt levels because of high blood pressure.  So he appreciates lower salt levels, but would appreciate being able spice to his foods.

 

In general, people just want options.

[zzdoug]

2 hours ago, drwbrt said:

I was absolutely joking about sticking my finger in the gravy. I normally just take one lap around the edge. 

Waitaminute. Rereading this. What exactly is "one lap around the edge"? I am  not accusing anyone of anything, but if this term of art happens to refer to your finger taking a lap around the edge of the gravy container at the buffet, or lapping the gravy like a cat, I withdraw my earlier thanks.

Edited February 1, 2023 by zzdoug