Vegetarians at the Pinnacle Grill?

[Olive]

I am a vegetarian who loves tasty food. I eat cheese and eggs, but no seafood. On Celebrity the specialty restaurant chefs have been kind enough to prepare special dishes when I visit. I was wondering whether other vegetarians have eaten at the Pinnacle Grill, and what kind of experience you had. Do you think they would let me create a dinner out of a few side dishes? Any other ideas?

[sail7seas]

I would suggest you speak with the Pinnacle Manager at some time prior to when you plan to dine in Pinnacle. Perhaps arrangements could be made in advance for you. I am sure you are not the first vegetarian to dine in Pinnacle and there must be some provision possible.

 

[thomasale]

I was not that impressed with the Pinnacle and without the Filet it would not have been worth the stop for me. The service was not much different than the regular Dining Room. The place settings were beautiful and the Chocolate dessert made my hairs stand on end...oh and the Chowder was very good.

[jtl513]

I was not that impressed with the Pinnacle ... The service was not much different than the regular Dining Room.

 

Ditto. We thought the service was "stiff" and unfriendly and enjoyed our d.r. wait staff much more. Maybe that's just from the difference in culture between the Eastern Europeans in the Pinnacle and the Indonesians in the d.r.

[fann1sh]

If you and your dinner companion(s) are both/all vegetarians, I'd suggest sticking with the main dining room. Of course, check the new Pinnacle menu when you get on board before making this decision, because there have been recent changes, including nightly "specials" that may now include vegetarian choices, and some yummy sounding new salads.

 

I agree with Sail7seas about advance arrangements. Foolishly, last year on the Maasdam I didn't make them, so found my choices limited. The uninspired side dishes - creamed spinach and scalloped potatoes - didn't suit my palate. (Unlike you, I will knuckle under and eat fish if I have to - I did.)

 

I suspect as a happy X pax, you'll find the more formal service familiar, deferential, and delightful.

 

I enjoyed the Pinnacle service, the ambiance, the wine, the company, and the amazing creme caramel - but not the rest of the food. For half price the first night = $10, it was a happy experience. At $30...I'd join a meat eater for the fun of their company only if one of the main dining room vegetarian entrees could be confirmed and substituted.

[CCCM]

Just ate at Pinnacle twice last week on Westerdam. Had filet one night and a mushroom ravioli the next. The ravioli was very, very good. One night they also had a pumpkin or butternut squash bisque. So there are items available. We loved everything we had. The salads were much better than dining room.

 

I agree you should go speak with them.

[Sea King]

sort of agree with the previous posters

 

problem for me is I can't agree with the premise

 

IMHO the menu at Pinnacle or at any "regular restaurant" is there for a purpose; to inform you what is available on the menu

 

if you want something different or special, you should, IMO, either order something special in advance or go someplace else

 

not being critical of vegetarians or for that matter anyone with special dietary needs

 

just don't understand why someone would consider opting for a specialty restaurant that charges $30 pp knowing in advance that without a special request, there will most likely be nothing on the menu that will "work"

 

my suggestion is speak with the Pinnacle Manager right away (maybe first night) or with the concierge if you're in a suite .. I'd also recommend you call ship services in advance of the cruise to see what is available in the dining room and then speak with your waiter or dining room supervisor on the 1st night

 

the faster you act IMO, the greater the likelihood of success

[peaches from georgia]

The mushroom ravioli is the vegetarian dish on the menu (or was if it has been replaced with something else). There is always a vegetarian option on every HAL menu plus the sides.

[Desdemona01]

Speaking as a vegetarian, the Pinnace is not worth it IMHO. The only entree offered on the menu that is non-meat or non-fish is the mushroom ravioli. Can't comment on it because they were out of it the night of our reservation. We were going to leave but the chef offered to make a pasta dish for me. It worked fine but the dining room is a much better option. Along with the meat and fish-free entree offered each night you can also order from the vegetarian menu. You need to ask for it the night before and you can compare both the vegetarian and the main dining room menus and pre order your dinner. The HAL vegetarian menu has some wonderful dishes on it and some of my non-veg friends were ordering from it.

[sail7seas]

It should never happen in Pinnacle (especially at $30 pp) that they are 'out of' the only Vegetarian Choice.

 

It is encumbant upon the Chef IMO to provide for Vegetarians every evening. IMO It is not an unreasonable request for Vegetarian meal to always be available.

 

Chef did the right thing by 'whipping' up a pasta dish for you. He would have been inappropriate to not take care of you.

 

 

 

[JABTPS]

Save your money and avoid the Pinnacle grill. The Dining Room always has a Vegetarian dish and many soups and starters to choose.

 

It is not a Five Star restaurant and though they may have some nice dishes, the service is below par.

[fann1sh]

They were also "out of" mushroom ravioli the night I referred to in my post above, and I was not offered an alternative, except ordering side dishes, or trying the fish. Desdemona handled it right, I handled it wrong - should have gone over the waiter's head.

 

It should never happen in Pinnacle (especially at $30 pp) that they are 'out of' the only Vegetarian Choice.

 

It is encumbant upon the Chef IMO to provide for Vegetarians every evening. IMO It is not an unreasonable request for Vegetarian meal to always be available.

 

Chef did the right thing by 'whipping' up a pasta dish for you. He would have been inappropriate to not take care of you.

 

 

 

[O2cruise]

Our vegetarian experience at the Pinnacle was less than stellar to say the least. We spoke with the dinning room manager, who "haughtilly" pointed out the mushroom ravoli and that almost ALL of the sides were vegetarian. His suggestion was a potato and vegetable dinner (actually his suggestion was that perhaps we'd prefer the dining room). Had a gift certificate from TA so we toughed it out - but never again.

[Desdemona01]

They were also "out of" mushroom ravioli the night I referred to in my post above, and I was not offered an alternative, except ordering side dishes, or trying the fish. Desdemona handled it right, I handled it wrong - should have gone over the waiter's head.

 

You know, I'd forgotten that they did try to steer me to the fish before the pasta was offered. This is the problem with many restaurants (and chefs, for that matter) that I encounter. They assume that being a vegetarian just means that you don't eat red meat. A true vegetarian doesn't eat "anything with a face" :) . Thankfully, more and more restaurants are finally realizing that the number of vegetarians is growing and have begun offering healthy alternatives to meat/fish/poultry. 18 years ago, when I became a vegetarian, the ONLY alternative in most dining establishments was a side salad. I am completely impressed with HAL's vegetarian menu, which contributed to my surprise and disappointment in their offerings in the Pinnacle.

[Olive]

We will have to decide what to do when we get on board. My SO is something of a vegetarian by association - if he decides to eat meat on board, then perhaps it will be worth it to stop by the PG just to check it out. I didn't try it on my last HAL cruise. I do love the specialty restaurant on the X ships, and they have been very accommodating when we dine there. I don't remember what the vegetarian options were on the standard dining room menu (I'll try searching the board), but I remember that I was pleased with the food there on Zaandam. If we end up with something whipped up specially by the chef, I will let people know what we had and how it was. Can't wait for my first sailing on Westerdam!

[Olive]

Just found out yesterday that our TA arranged for a dinner in the PG for us during our cruise. Since it's free, I guess we will be giving it a shot! If we enjoy it, and there is still room, we can always book for a second time. Thanks for all the advice!