Portofino Restaurant: which night?

[decocamp]

We are booked on the Navigator 18 December holiday cruise, and am wondering which night(s) to try to reserve for the Portofino.

 

Is it a good idea to dine at the Portofino on formal evenings? Or should we do the opposite? We will have two formal evenings: one on a sea day and the other on Christmas day.

 

I understand that the menu changes and is not known when reservations are made. Where can some sample menus be found?

 

Any thoughts are welcomed.

[jhp]

Just one person's opinion, but I like dinner in CR on formal nights, because the menus are a bit more special!

[Iamboatman]

I prefer enjoying the formal nights as formal nights. I book on casual nights as it makes those "ordinary" nights something special to look forward to. On the last cruise we did it the first night and the last night and it worked out great.

[JoAnne B]

I always try to book Portofino's on formal nights. In spite of the "casual" dress code, most people wear their formal or at least dressier-than-usual attire so it doesn't lose the special feeling of a formal night. For folks who don't want to drag along tux's it's a definite option. Although frankly, I've never seen an incident where attire was a problem. Most Regent travellers are sophisticated to dress nicely and not care what other people are wearing.

 

But the real reasons for Portofino's on formal night is the innovative approach to serving lobster. I've always found the lobster in gummy sauce in the dining room less than satisfactory. I love the Diavolo, but we also had lobster in orange butter sauce that was divine. The chef even came around with an extra tray to see if anybody wanted seconds...right, with lobster following the appetizers and multiple pasta's we were lucky to finish what we had. Plus, it is a way to guarantee that I won't be stuck with a meat main course that I can't eat. One night I took a pass on the lamb, and out came Alex with a specially prepared pasta in marinara sauce (I had passed on the pasta in meat sauce during the pasta course).

 

Plus, it is usually easy to get reservations on formal nights and the room is seldom full. I think it's a matter of personal preference and you won't go wrong either way.

[decocamp]

Wow! Thanks for all the input. Nothing like a variety of opinions to think about.

 

Yes, we had our share of overcooked frozen lobsters on formal evenings. Does formal evening mean 'lobster night' at the Portofino? In the dining room as well?

 

Love to hear more comparisons about the menus: Portofino vs. Compass Rose.

[Iamboatman]

The menus really could not be more different.

 

At Portofinos you start with wine tastings (about 10 different wines) and various Italian appetizers (cheese, brucetta, various hams, etc.) served in a gathering area. Then you are seated and are served a starter, salad, pasta, main and dessert. (I am intentionally not mentioning any specific dishes!). There are two menus over the cruise so that if you go back a second time you are not repeating; not that that is a bad thing. Of course there is Gerry singing and some fun as well.

 

Compass Rose is a standard dining room. The menu is quite varied and the food was very good to excellent. As I stated, on my cruise, if you sat late the service suffered markedly. Apparently if you sat earlier there was no such problem.

[decocamp]

I am intentionally not mentioning any specific dishes!

Great! I expect to be pleasantly surprised.

We usually have late dining (8 - 8:30) on other lines but will try to dine earlier in light of your comments.