Pinnacle Grill

[Vineyard View]

Why would the lunchtime service be so much better than the dinner at PG?  Not challenging, sincerely curious. 

[CruiserBruce]

22 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

Why would the lunchtime service be so much better than the dinner at PG?  Not challenging, sincerely curious. 

Less complicated menu and food presentations.

[Vineyard View]

Thank you. I appreciate this. Years past we enjoyed B,L,D there when we were on the ship. All were really enjoyable. Times change with everything. 

[Toofarfromthesea]

7 hours ago, nannygoatjunction said:

I understand it is a steakhouse. I didnt say i didn't enjoy the food. 😬 and, yes, it was part of the hia package.  It is promoted as fine dining, which I guess I think of as something that takes skill to prepare, not something my kids can cook up and we eat every week.  I will eat mash taties till the cows come home.  If its offered, I can't help myself!  Hence, why I chose it.  I know many are happy, I had hoped for a little bit of exceptional. 😆 

 

To get exceptional you have to order something exceptional, not your same old same old.  There are exceptional things on the menu, you just chose . . . differently.

[kelliebiz]

On 4/27/2024 at 9:28 PM, nannygoatjunction said:

We had our meal last night on our embarkation day.

Seriously. Fried onion rings and mashed spud with steak? Not my idea of fine dining thats for sure.  😂

 

 

I’m scratching my head why you ordered this, received what you ordered, then seem to complain about your choice not being fine dining? So many other sides you could have requested! 

[cbr663]

10 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

Why would the lunchtime service be so much better than the dinner at PG?  Not challenging, sincerely curious. 

 

Sometimes lunch time is better, some times it isn't.  We had 2 reservations for the PG lunch on our Koningsdam cruise this past November and the first experience was so poor we cancelled the second reservation.  YMMV.

[RedneckBob]

12 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

Why would the lunchtime service be so much better than the dinner at PG?  Not challenging, sincerely curious. 

We ate lunch twice on our recent N. Statendam cruise. It was excellent! Plus there were only 16 passengers booked for the lunches vs +180 passengers for dinner. The PG lunches are so filling that we have a light snack at dinner!

[Blackduck59]

I think that for those including us who opt for the HIA fare one Pinnacle grill dinner is included, so it isn't "extra cost". We enjoy that dinner on that basis. The pinnacle lunch is a cut above the regular MDR lunch and well worth the reasonable upcharge. We have a 6 week voyage coming next year and I suspect we will enjoy lunch in Pinnacle several times over that time. I'm not sure we would go for dinner there more than those times included in our HIA fare. I do hope we will have an opportunity to enjoy a Tamarind pop up (Westerdam doesn't have Tamarind) on that cruise.

[Vineyard View]

13 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

I think that for those including us who opt for the HIA fare one Pinnacle grill dinner is included, so it isn't "extra cost". We enjoy that dinner on that basis. The pinnacle lunch is a cut above the regular MDR lunch and well worth the reasonable upcharge. We have a 6 week voyage coming next year and I suspect we will enjoy lunch in Pinnacle several times over that time. I'm not sure we would go for dinner there more than those times included in our HIA fare. I do hope we will have an opportunity to enjoy a Tamarind pop up (Westerdam doesn't have Tamarind) on that cruise.

Have you noticed that having one included in the HIA fare is making it difficult to make additional reservations if you wanted to?  
When  you say that you wouldn’t go more than included, is that because of food/dining experiences you have had there in the past?

[Petronillus]

21 hours ago, POA1 said:

Some advice on the bacon - you want it to be candied & crispy. I'm not even sure how to order it. (Hard caramelized?) We had some come out a little like syrup-dipped bacon. It was not great. The coating needs a bit of a crunch.

I tried it once. My impression (no doubt representing a small minority): the presentation was weird, and the taste was disgusting. Perhaps it just wasn't optimally "candied & crispy." 

[Haljo1935]

1 hour ago, RedneckBob said:

We ate lunch twice on our recent N. Statendam cruise. It was excellent! Plus there were only 16 passengers booked for the lunches vs +180 passengers for dinner. The PG lunches are so filling that we have a light snack at dinner!

@Vineyard View I agree w/ @RedneckBob that one contributing factor to PG lunch service being above dinner service is the low attendance- we have never seen PG lunch full for regular lunch, but have for brunch.

Also agree there's no shortage of food served at lunch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Petronillus]

11 hours ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

To get exceptional you have to order something exceptional, not your same old same old.  There are exceptional things on the menu, you just chose . . . differently.

 

9 hours ago, kelliebiz said:

I’m scratching my head why you ordered this, received what you ordered, then seem to complain about your choice not being fine dining? So many other sides you could have requested! 

I think OP was hoping that in a joint billed as "fine dining," his/her comfort food would be raised to a new level. Getting the same old same old was a letdown. I get it.

[Petronillus]

38 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

I think that for those including us who opt for the HIA fare one Pinnacle grill dinner is included, so it isn't "extra cost". We enjoy that dinner on that basis. The pinnacle lunch is a cut above the regular MDR lunch and well worth the reasonable upcharge. We have a 6 week voyage coming next year and I suspect we will enjoy lunch in Pinnacle several times over that time. I'm not sure we would go for dinner there more than those times included in our HIA fare. I do hope we will have an opportunity to enjoy a Tamarind pop up (Westerdam doesn't have Tamarind) on that cruise.

Best wishes for your 2025 6-week cruise. I am green with envy.

We recently experienced a Tamarind pop-up on the Westerdam. It was in the Canaletto space and was not equipped with the full range of Tamarind offerings (no sushi) or level of service (no saki vessels). It was more like Tamarind Lite.

[Blackduck59]

1 hour ago, Vineyard View said:

Have you noticed that having one included in the HIA fare is making it difficult to make additional reservations if you wanted to?  
When  you say that you wouldn’t go more than included, is that because of food/dining experiences you have had there in the past?

We are very much HAL rookies with one 11 day cruise with them. We enjoyed our PG (included with HIA fare) dinner. It was embarkation day which by coincidence was my birthday. The food was nicely prepared and the service attentive. We just didn't think it was $100.00+ better than the MDR. I think lunch is a better value and it is worth the extra (to us) above the included in our fare lunch in the MDR. I think one of the advantages of being relatively new to HAL is that I don't lament what "used to be" or how things have "gone down hill". We ask "did it meet our expectations?" As an "Included in our fare" special dinner Pinnacle met our expectations. As an extra charge of about $100.00 destination dinner, perhaps not.

[Blackduck59]

1 hour ago, Petronillus said:

Best wishes for your 2025 6-week cruise. I am green with envy.

We recently experienced a Tamarind pop-up on the Westerdam. It was in the Canaletto space and was not equipped with the full range of Tamarind offerings (no sushi) or level of service (no saki vessels). It was more like Tamarind Lite.

 

I understand that, but having never had the full Tamarind "experience" then I can't be disappointed that it really isn't Tamarind. We may sail on a pinnacle ship some day but don't have anything booked yet. Maybe HAL will realize Tamarind is very popular and they will add it to the older ships (one can live in hope).

[albingirl]

I consider lunch in the Pinnacle to be a very special occasion.  The filet with creamed spinach and mashed potatoes are really something I'm not having on a regular basis where I live.  Bring it on.  I will happily leave my coveted lounge chair and book to enjoy a very fun lunch complete with a great glass of wine. 

[RedneckBob]

2 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

@Vineyard View I agree w/ @RedneckBob that one contributing factor to PG lunch service being above dinner service is the low attendance- we have never seen PG lunch full for regular lunch, but have for brunch.

Also agree there's no shortage of food served at lunch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I did not remember a photographer at the PG taking photos of what I ate for lunch last month! 😳

[Toofarfromthesea]

2 hours ago, Petronillus said:

 

I think OP was hoping that in a joint billed as "fine dining," his/her comfort food would be raised to a new level. Getting the same old same old was a letdown. I get it.

 

Lots of fine dining restaurants serve mashed potatoes.  They may call it something fancier but it is what it is.  IAC he didn't say anything about the quality of the things he ordered.

[Toofarfromthesea]

33 minutes ago, albingirl said:

I consider lunch in the Pinnacle to be a very special occasion.  The filet with creamed spinach and mashed potatoes are really something I'm not having on a regular basis where I live.  Bring it on.  I will happily leave my coveted lounge chair and book to enjoy a very fun lunch complete with a great glass of wine. 

 

I was a big fan of the carpaccio.  One of my best bites all cruise.

Edited April 29 by Toofarfromthesea

[Haljo1935]

1 hour ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

I was a big fan of the carpaccio.  One of my best bites all cruise.

DH also enjoys the carpaccio. 

[Petronillus]

2 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

Maybe HAL will realize Tamarind is very popular and they will add it to the older ships (one can live in hope).

From your lips to God's ear.

[Vineyard View]

2 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

We are very much HAL rookies with one 11 day cruise with them. We enjoyed our PG (included with HIA fare) dinner. It was embarkation day which by coincidence was my birthday. The food was nicely prepared and the service attentive. We just didn't think it was $100.00+ better than the MDR. I think lunch is a better value and it is worth the extra (to us) above the included in our fare lunch in the MDR. I think one of the advantages of being relatively new to HAL is that I don't lament what "used to be" or how things have "gone down hill". We ask "did it meet our expectations?" As an "Included in our fare" special dinner Pinnacle met our expectations. As an extra charge of about $100.00 destination dinner, perhaps not.

thank your for clarifying. I appreciate this. We haven’t been on HAL for years, and it seems to me that PG lunch was only open on sea days?  I may have that wrong. Regardless, most every port day we DIY, eat in port, and don’t worry about lunch on ship. I really do appreciate your perspective! 

[Blackduck59]

15 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

thank your for clarifying. I appreciate this. We haven’t been on HAL for years, and it seems to me that PG lunch was only open on sea days?  I may have that wrong. Regardless, most every port day we DIY, eat in port, and don’t worry about lunch on ship. I really do appreciate your perspective! 

Pinnacle Grill is only open for lunch on sea days. On most port days we would definitely dine ashore. Why visit far off distant lands if you aren't going to check out the cuisine?

[POA1]

7 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

We are very much HAL rookies with one 11 day cruise with them.

Wow. I would not have guessed that. You post well beyond your days. (This is a compliment.)

[POA1]

9 hours ago, Petronillus said:

I tried it once. My impression (no doubt representing a small minority): the presentation was weird, and the taste was disgusting. Perhaps it just wasn't optimally "candied & crispy." 

I don't have an issue with the presentation. It's pretty "clothesline y." We had it at David Burke Tavern in NYC, long before it was cruise-ship-famous.

 

At its best, it's got some candied snap and a layer of crunch. You'll want double pickles.

 

The best David Burke innovation is the cheesecake lollipops. I'd love to see the cheesecake lollipop tree on a ship. (Or anywhere for that matter.)