When I cruise, I normally eat in the main dining room (MDR). I have written extensively about the MDR menu on my cruise on the Liberty of the Seas last year. When I cruised on the Norwegian Sky earlier this month, however, the dinner offerings didn’t stand out to me. I booked a specialty dining package, and on the first night I went to Le Bistro. On the sea day of my cruise, I went to Cagney’s Steakhouse. The service was a little bit rushed, and nothing really stood out to me. It was a solid meal, but I think Chops Grille on Royal Caribbean does a little bit better work. Let me show you my meal so you can decide for yourself.
I did eat in the main dining room for breakfast and lunch. I will write about that over the next couple of week. Both of those meals were fine. However, there wasn’t a lot of choice. The dining experience is a key part of my cruise, so I decided to book the specialty dining package. I arrived promptly for my reservation at 7:30 on a sea day. The place was packed, and I was quickly shown to my table. The friendly waiter explained that I could have a starter, a soup or salad, an entree, and two side orders with my meal. I would also be able to order dessert later if I wanted. He did want me to place an order for everything at once.
I placed an order for everything but dessert. The lump crab salad was classed as a started rather than a salad. It was good, and the presentation was lovely. It would have been better with a bit more of the red pepper sauce, and the crab tasted canned. Still, it was a nice start to the meal.
After the crab came the split pea soup. According to the menu, it came with smoked pork rib meat. The flavor of this soup was actually quite good. However, it was fairly thin with no discernable amount of pork in it. It also came out almost immediately after I had finished the first course. Happily, there was also bread and butter on the table. That went very well with the soup.
To continue the theme, my main course came out almost immediately after my soup. I certainly enjoy expeditious service, of course. However, it was beginning to feel almost rushed. I had a ribeye with garlic butter, and it was actually quite good. Norwegian clearly invested some effort into selecting an excellent cut of beef. The garlic butter was excellent, and they were happy to bring me more. The sides, however, were disappointing. The orzo pilaf (pictured above) was fairly bland, and the roasted mushrooms would have benefited from the same garlic butter as the steak.
I was offered dessert, but I declined. The meal had been huge. I quickly received my check, signed it, and left. That is when it hit me- only 45 minutes had passed between arrival and departure. That involved multiple courses, a martini, bread, and signing a check. It looked to me as if other parties were taking a similar amount of time. The meal was fine, but I personally would have enjoyed it with better pacing. Then again, it is hard to be upset with a good steak during the middle of a lovely cruise. Happy travels!
One Reply to “Cagney’s Steakhouse on the Norwegian Sky”