Looks like Freestyle is coming to the new Celebrity Solstice!!!

[angeljt]

I read this in USA Today on line.... Sorry if it's old news to some. Just skip over it if it is...

The article said it was 2 days old, but didn't have a date. It was news to me. I guess I should look at some of the other boards once in a while.

 

Celebrity Cruises: Get ready for a new era in dining

 

Better-than-average meals have long been the norm on Celebrity ships. Indeed, the line has made dining a focus since its early days, when it hired renowned chef Michel Roux to design its menus.

So perhaps it should come as no surprise that Celebrity is announcing plans today to take the big ship dining experience to a new level with the launch of the Celebrity Solstice in December.

Celebrity says it has hired some of the best design minds in the hospitality business to create a diverse array of 10 eateries that will wow customers not just with their food but their design and ambiance.

For several of the restaurants, Celebrity has turned to preeminent restaurant and hotel designer Adam Tihany, who created such landmarks as Per Se, Jean Georges and Le Cirque in New York.

Celebrity also has signed on Blau & Associates, the foodie firm that helped transform Las Vegas into a gourmet mecca over the past decade (Blau was responsible for the creation of the award-winning restaurants of Bellagio and, more recently, Wynn Las Vegas, among other Sin City icons).

The crown jewel of Solstice's dining venues will be a stylish, two-level restaurant called Grand Epernay, designed by Tihany. Celebrity describes the decor as Old Hollywood glamour meets contemporary design, and says the entrees will include such things as peppered bison filet with red onion preserve; smoked filet and foie gras with lentil stew, sultana caper and beef jus; and taro-crusted salmon filet with glazed Brussels sprouts, turnip hash and apple cider sauce.

Among the other eateries in the works for the 2,850-passenger ship:

-- Tuscan Grille. Also designed by Tihany, this Old World Italy-inspired outlet will offer Caesar salads prepared tableside, fresh seafood platters, Kobe beef, and a variety of steaks.

-- Silk Harvest. A casual Asian eatery that offers family-style dining in a contemporary setting. The cuisine will be a mix of Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese and Indian selections (all available for dining in or taking out).

-- Blu. Designed exclusively for guests booked in Celebrity Solstice’s new AquaClass category of cabins, but available to others on a space-available basis, the eatery will offer health-focused items such as a Mediterranean chopped salad with pita chips and pomegranate vinaigrette; and blackened ahi tuna, pan-seared filet mignon, and herb-crusted rack of lamb.

-- Murano. A blend of classic and modern Continental cuisine awaits guests in this eatery, which Celebrity says will be warm and elegant. Designed by BG Studios of New York, it'll boast floor-to-ceiling windows and romantic ocean views, fine Riedel stemware, bone china and silverware. Appetizers will include warm goat cheese pancakes with sweet bell pepper nage; salads include a combination of Maine lobster, white asparagus and black truffle lobster aioli; and entrees run the gamut from spice-roasted duck with raisin-apple compote to pan-seared turbot with Alaskan King crab ragout.

-- Bistro on Five. A specialty creperie that will serve sandwiches, soups, salads and desserts nearly around-the-clock.

The plans unveiled today also call for an upscale coffeehouse; a cafe for lighter fare; a poolside grill serving comfort food; and another Tihany-designed restaurant offering outdoor seating.

The eateries are just the latest innovations announced for the ship, the first of a new class of vessels at Celebrity. Just two weeks ago the line announced the ship would become the first with a lawn area on its top deck, an area of live grass that would include a putting green and bocce courts.

[nicknack]

The article makes it clear that you can eat where you want. It doesn't answer any questions about eating when you want and with whom you want, like guranteed tables for two.

[greywillow]

The article makes it clear that you can eat where you want. It doesn't answer any questions about eating when you want and with whom you want, like guranteed tables for two.

And nothing about dropping the ridiculous dress code.

[angeljt]

More info from CC....

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=2387