Location: Somewhere between Saint Martin and Curaçao, on Voyager of the Seas
Date Tasted: 2/13/2023 (Monday) (dinner)
Price: N/A – Included in Specialty Restaurant Package
Beverage: Sequoia Grove Cabernet, 2019
On a cruise ship, there is no consequence to ordering a lot of food and then ultimately not eating it. For that reason many of the dishes, even in the specialty dining areas, are understandably small. In this case, it’s really too bad because it was a very well-executed dish all around.
The pictures makes the dish look larger than it was, I should have included a fork for reference. It was small. Like a gerbil. That aside, it ticked most of the boxes.
The server came by with fresh cracked pepper, and salt was on the table so I added a little. Shaved Parmesan, perfect. Arugula, could have used a little bit more but did not detract from the dish and included just the slightest amount of EVOO drips.
Even though the menu says the meat is “rare charred beef”, thankfully they really barely touched the heat and it must have been well before plating because the temperature was perfect. Cool to the touch but not frozen – and perfectly sliced.
Another note about the composition that I really appreciate is that the plate had a little “moat” around the edge to hold the EVOO and truffle-mustard dressing. With so little meat, it would have been very easy to over-dress and overpower this one with a truffle drizzle. Notably missing balsamic, which should be represented in my opinion. There was plenty of room in the moat, I think a better execution would have been a small amount of balsamic on one side and the truffle on the other side. I’ll be sure to let the captain know.
Outstanding visual appeal of the plating shows great care, especially considering the volume of dishes that any cruise ship kitchen puts out.
Upon digging in, I was greeted with very thinly-sliced asparagus and red onions that appeared to be pickled, though they didn’t have any overpowering vinegar taste nor pungent red onion addition. Perhaps that’s where they intended to give that balsamic-y taste without the actual ingredient. At any rate, it was surprising but did not add or detract from the flavor. The asparagus was not crunchy enough to be annoying and I actually ate it even though I don’t care much for asparagus.
No capers. You know my feeling on capers. That being said, we’re on a cruise ship in the middle of the Caribbean and it would be sad to have them wasted on people just dabbling with the dish. No points detracted. Better dish overall than the other offering on the same ship.
Overall Score: 9/10 – would get again, but would order two or three next time! Maybe even ask for balsamic if I was being snotty. Nah.
