Is the Oceania menu as limited as their website says?

[clo]

3 hours ago, njhorseman said:

Someone with a superiority complex who in reality knows little or nothing about fine cuisine, cooking, food or the restaurant business .

I used to belong to an online food group called Chowhound. It got bought and sold and eventually closed up. And I understand has now reopened in a totally different way. But the original Chowhounds loathed the word "foodies." They were everything that "WE" weren't. We were into all manner of ethnic foods in countries around the world. Street food. Etc. So every time I see the word "foodie" I still cringe. So I'll mostly go along with you.

For the OP I went to a sample menu of Toscana from O's website. I would suggest that they and others go to that site.

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/Documents/Menus/81604521647/Toscana-Dinner-Menu.pdf

 

Here's a simple example:

Costate di Vitello a Modo Tuo

Bone-In Milk-Fed Veal Chop prepared in your choice of style:

Ignore the Italian and realize that every time they say "veal" it's actually beef. 

 

Maybe ignore octopus and even calamari

 

Every part of the menu has dishes that are really nothing odd or fancy. And one can always ask for a sauce to be left off or a vegetable to be replaced.

I happen to love food. I love to cook it and I love to eat it. And I love Oceania's food. Mostly.

[Thought2go]

8 hours ago, njhorseman said:

Someone with a superiority complex who in reality knows little or nothing about fine cuisine, cooking, food or the restaurant business .

Wow-Stupid me. I always thought a “foodie” was someone who went to foreign and exotic ports tasting the people’s cultural food while trying out new offerings and recipes in one’s home country.🙃🙃😎

Time for a Katz’ pastrami on Rye…Trip to the big Apple-maybe. Or that fantastic yogurt, as in can’t get enough, at the cafe on the far side of the Souk in Marakesh. The beans and rice at the 4 table cafe outside Ponce. Maybe those crab cakes from what’s left of Angelina’s who use to be in Baltimore. Carne Asada for a late lunch at the upstairs in Porta la Cruise, VE -had to wait till some of the business folks cleared out, was always packed. Paella in Grenada,Sp. or the grilled fresh fish at the fisherman’s beach in Cozumel. Corn soup for Carnival in Trinidad, Cow heel soup on Saturdays.- or Two Brothers in Venice, It. That was bite after bite exceptional all 5 courses. And the company at the next table- A lovely Italian couple who had just become engaged. We all stayed way past our expressos and sambucas -toasting everyones milestone memories, and lovingly closed the restaurant down. Hmm, The tapas in Casares, Sp. While waiting to eat at midnight.

Oh- I see what’s missing- the word “fine”. Yeah I got kinda tired of that after decades of 5** and $350 bottles of wine for business. Not that I don’t enjoy the  “finer” nuances being created. And I guess -that’s why there is a Waves and Terrace to give the taste buds a break!!🤣😂😎

[golfinlynn]

Just returned from a 10 day cruise on the Sirena, and I was a first time cruiser on Oceania.  Re: food, this is what we did after understanding the options after a couple of days:

 

We enjoy omelets, so we always ate breakfast in the Terrace Cafe and special ordered our omelets which the chef prepared in front of you from one of the eggs/omelet stations.  You do not serve yourself, you wait to be served by one of the many chefs working various stations in the Terrace Cafe.  If we got back in time for lunch at Terrace Cafe after touring, great.  If not, we ordered a cheese platter with sliced french bread and crackers from room service (other items are available from room service) and enjoyed in our room or on the balcony with a glass of wine from one of the bottles we were allowed to bring on board.  Our room steward also made sure we had fresh ice daily , and our favorite soft drink (coke zero) in our mini-frig.  When we wanted to open white wine, the room steward brought a separate bucket of ice on day 1, but the mini-frig was large enough for me to keep a bottle of white wine chilled and ready to go starting Day 2.

 

We did not eat dinner in the main dining room at all, but took advantage of the specialty restaurant reservations, one extra one we were able to snag (day of embarkation), and the Terrace Cafe.  I found the selection in the Terrace Cafe more than sufficient, and really enjoyed starting off with sashimi and/or sushi, followed by small tidbits of various items served that evening, or ask the chef to prepare a lobster tail for me at the grill, which I enjoyed with a small baked potato with toppings.  Loved the ice cream station.  

 

Mid cruise, I expressed disappointment that the omelet station did not have spinach or avocado available.  I got a follow up call right away from the head chef,  that appreciated I brought that to his attention, as those are ingredients available on board, so the very next morning and for every morning after that for the rest of the cruise, I had my veggie omelets the way I liked them.  They do read those mid-cruise evaluations/suggestions, and I encourage everyone to fill it out if they think their Oceania experience can be enhanced during the cruise.

 

I've already booked my next cruise with Oceania.  My husband and I feel for the money, we've found a good fit for us.  I hope you find the perfect cruise that fits your needs.

[clo]

14 hours ago, Thought2go said:

Wow-Stupid me. I always thought a “foodie” was someone who went to foreign and exotic ports tasting the people’s cultural food while trying out new offerings and recipes in one’s home country.🙃🙃😎

Time for a Katz’ pastrami on Rye…Trip to the big Apple-maybe. Or that fantastic yogurt, as in can’t get enough, at the cafe on the far side of the Souk in Marakesh. The beans and rice at the 4 table cafe outside Ponce. Maybe those crab cakes from what’s left of Angelina’s who use to be in Baltimore. Carne Asada for a late lunch at the upstairs in Porta la Cruise, VE -had to wait till some of the business folks cleared out, was always packed. Paella in Grenada,Sp. or the grilled fresh fish at the fisherman’s beach in Cozumel. Corn soup for Carnival in Trinidad, Cow heel soup on Saturdays.- or Two Brothers in Venice, It. That was bite after bite exceptional all 5 courses. And the company at the next table- A lovely Italian couple who had just become engaged. We all stayed way past our expressos and sambucas -toasting everyones milestone memories, and lovingly closed the restaurant down. Hmm, The tapas in Casares, Sp. While waiting to eat at midnight.

Oh- I see what’s missing- the word “fine”. Yeah I got kinda tired of that after decades of 5** and $350 bottles of wine for business. Not that I don’t enjoy the  “finer” nuances being created. And I guess -that’s why there is a Waves and Terrace to give the taste buds a break!!🤣😂😎

Reading what you wrote made me very happy 🙂 And now I'm going to read it again. Simpatico!