How does Portofino's compare to Sabatini's?

[hstrybuf]

We are debating about whether to try Chops or Portofino's on the Navigator, or both. Being used to getting great steaks in KC, I'm wondering if we'd be better off going to Portofino's. Sabatini's on the Grand was one of the best dining experiences we've ever had aboard ship. Can anyone compare Portofino's and Sabatini's?

[critterchick]

Portofino's is a more traditional dining style, i.e., you have a menu and you order everything off of it -appetizer, soup, salad, pasta, entree, all of the above if you wish. Sabatini's serves you a taste of everything on the menu, except that you choose your entree.

 

The result for us was that we left Portofino's comfortably full (tip: you can get the pasta in appetizer size instead of full & still have room for an entree), while we left Sabatini's in a wheelbarrow (neither DH nor I has any self-control). I thought the food in Sabatini's was cooked better than Portofino's. The service (we had lunch there) in Portofino's was a little inattentive, but we weren't in a rush to go anywhere, so we just relaxed & enjoyed ourselves.

 

Chops is very good. I had a filet mignon that was as good as any I've had on land (including KC, where I agree the steaks are faboo). DH had their signature steak, which was positively tough by comparison, so you have to pick carefully. The crab cake appetizer was wonderful and the chocolate dessert was worth the surcharge all by itself.

 

If I could only do one of them, I would do Chops (there was a poll earlier you might search out). If do you them for lunch on a sea day, the surcharge is $10 instead of $20. But I would do both.:p

[Lyncruiser]

We just ate at Chops on the Navigator last week. I wouldn't bother to spend the money again. My filet mignon was good, but my Dad's steak was really tough. The shrimps were gritty. The crabcakes were good, but small crabcakes do not a meal make. Unlike the previous poster, we thought the mud pie (I assume that's the chocolate dessert the previous poster was referring to) was a sticky, gummy mess. It seemed like an attempt at a flourless chocolate cake. I don't know why some restaurants can make a good flourless chocolate cake and some can't but, IMO, Chops can't.

 

There was a 45 minute lag between our appetizers and our steaks. They couldn't seem to get the timing right. The restaurant was half empty the night we ate there.

 

We ate a while ago at Portofino's on the Explorer and weren't overly impressed with it either.

 

We live and eat in New York City so perhaps we are restaurant snobs. In any event, I won't spend $25 per person again at either RCI specialty restaurant.

[hstrybuf]

Thanks for the info! I saw the poll and noticed that the majority ran toward Chops. I'll run this by DH and see what he thinks. He's a steak snob! :D

[gcsmith]

I would definately eat in Portofino, I think they are comparable to Sabitini. In general I didn't find the food on RCL to my taste, but Portofino was wonderful.

 

Greg