ROYAL CARRIBBEAN - Izumi

It’s a full day at sea today and we’ve decided to spend it eating at IZUMI. They have a sushi bar that we want to eat for lunch and hibachi which we’ll do for dinner so we can wrap up our dining experience at all the restaurants on board. We made our reservation for closer to 1pm before lunch service ended which was good in the sense that it wasn’t too crazy and loud from the hibachi tables, but bad in the sense that you could tell the wait staff was ready to wrap things up and the service was just fine.

We started off with MISO SOUP and shared SHRIMP & VEGETABLE TEMPURA both of which were pretty standard. I decided I wanted to mix things up and try something special so I ordered their CHAMPAGNE LOBSTER ROLL which is blanched lobster, avocado, daikon sprouts, soy wrap, champagne sauce, and chili thread. It honestly tasted like sushi rice which was pretty boring and disappointing. I was full though just from all the eating so I didn’t order anything for dessert especially since it was just lunch and we had leftover key lime pie and cheesecake in our room hanging out in the cooler to snack on later. Not to mention all the dining areas on board the ship that were free if we wanted something to eat before we came back for Hibachi dinner.

HIBACHI: I was a little disappointed in Izumi for lunch but was hoping dinner would be more fun/better. It was not great. I forget that in terms of food, hibachi isn’t that good. It’s about the fun of the show but we didn’t have an amazing group of people at our station, our chef was a little awkward (though very nice and he tried very hard) and the food ended up being just salty and oily which is the norm for hibachi.

Overall, Izumi was the worst on board restaurant and while it wasn’t bad it wasn’t good either. Also, even with our dining package, Izumi is and extra $10ish to go to so we would’ve been better off going back to any of the other restaurants or getting food that was open to the whole ship at the buffet or at El Loco Fresh on the pool deck. At least we tried it though and it would’ve been a question mark for us if we didn’t go everywhere so it was good to go to in that respect. Would not go again or recommend that one to other people though.

ROYAL CARRIBBEAN - Chops Grille

It’s night two and we’ve had a nice day at Coco Cay but we ate lunch late so we’re not super hungry 4 hours later. This is the danger of having to make reservations before knowing what our day would be like. I wish I was more hungry because tonight is dinner at CHOPS GRILLE and I’ve been dreaming of steak for the past week so it’s so sad that I’m not more hungry to really savor it.

STILL! We started off our dinner splitting the COLOSSAL SHRIMP COCKTAIL and a CAESAR SALAD. Nothing out of the ordinary but they were both pretty good and it was a nice start. The shrimp was a little sad to share seeing as there were so few pieces but it didn’t taste so amazing that I wanted more.

For my entree I, of course, had to order a steak and went with the 6oz PETITE FILET the perfect amount for how full I already was from the late lunch. It looked a little sad on the plate but it tasted great and our server offered various sauces that sat in the nice little ridge of the plate to dip with our meat. I did have a bite or two left at the end but if I had been properly hungry at the start of dinner it would’ve been a great amount. Karie ordered a larger regular filet and it was way too much food. Super sad to see quality meat like this go to waste. Sorry steak.

At Chops, apparently the sides come in little dishes for the table to share so we ended up getting GRILLED JUMBO ASPARAGUS, YUKON GOLD MASHED POTATOES, and SAUTEÉD MUSHROOMS. Everything was good so it was really sad we were so full we couldn’t finish everything.

Our waiter was nice too, and he kept trying to get us to order more so we would get our money’s worth so when we ordered the NEW YORK CHEESECAKE to share he offered to pack up two more desserts to take back to our room so we got another slice of cheesecake and some KEY LIME PIE. Both good choices but so rich when we ate it later.

So! Chops was pretty good. A classic steakhouse, again nothing too fantastical or amazing but it was a quality meal and worth it to me to get seated in a nice dining room instead of hustling through a buffet looking for free tables.

ROYAL CARRIBBEAN - Giovanni's Italian Kitchen

Andddddddd we’re cruising!!

It’s my first cruise and I’m here with my friend from college, Karie. Since it’s my first cruise, we’ve decided to splurge a little and we’ve gone in for the UNLIMITED DINING PACKAGE which comes as multiple entrees and multiple specialty restaurant visits every night of sailing, lunch at specialty restaurants on sea days plus discounts on wine at dinner. I’m not really a drinker but food is the reason for vacation so I’m all in. There are 3 specialty restaurants on the FREEDOM OF THE SEAS ship that we’re sailing on for our 4 night cruise so we can hit them all plus a CHEF’S TABLE dinner (for an extra $50 but more on that to come).

I’m so excited. We made our trip’s worth of dinner reservations as soon as we got settled onto the ship. We can still check out the buffet at breakfast tomorrow but let’s see what these specialty restaurants have in store.

Tonight is night 1 and we’ve decided on going to GIOVANNI’S ITALIAN KITCHEN and get filled with carbs to fuel our day at Coco Cay tomorrow. We got seated right away in the second room closer to the pizza oven and we were the only one in that dining area so it felt like a fun private dinner for most of the night. Our server, Clinton, was super sweet and was very chatty since he didn’t have too many tables. He told us that night 1 is usually quieter because people are still getting settled so it’s a fun night to eat because we get more attention from the staff and I’m so happy about it because Clinton was amazing. I want to go back there just to see him again. In terms of food, it was pretty basic Italian, nothing to write home about, but you really can’t go wrong.

Every meal is started off with their signature AMORE DELLA CUCINA which was the garlic cheese knots topped with parm. It came with pesto, tomato basil ragout and herb marinated olives. You can’t go wrong with garlic knots and they were so warm and soft. A great start to the meal.

Karie wanted to split the ASSORTED MEAT & CHEESE PLATTER which I was fine with but it honestly felt more like basic deli meat and felt kinda meh. It was supposed to be mortadella, porchetta, prosciutto, salame, ham, gorgonzola, mozzarella, olives, breadsticks, and focaccia. The focaccia was a letdown because it was just a toasted piece of whatever bread but the mozzarella helped it out at least. Overall, not a great option.

For our main, we both got the LINGUINE CON LE VONGLE which was just linguine, fresh clams, olive oil, parsley, and white wine. The portion looked small on the plate but it was actually filling (as an overall meal) and I finished all of the pasta and felt comfortably full. There was just enough clams to balance well with the amount of pasta and I was pretty happy with the choice.

I wanted to share one dessert but Karie ordered TIRAMISU CLASSICO AND PANNA COTTA ALLA ROMANA which was a pistachio panna cotta topped with blueberries and basil. Both were good, the panna cotta tasted odd but we figured it tasted like it was made with coconut milk. It was still a good balance to the coffee in the tiramisu though.

So, overall, this was a pretty good meal. Nothing amazing, but it didn’t disappoint (aside from the deli-meat-like board) and was perfectly filling. Clinton pushed it over the top with his great service and fun conversation the whole night and if I had to pick, I would go back just for him.

CORT - Dasher's Corner Pub

It’s my birthday and my parents have come to town to visit me for the day. We’ve just been driving around and spending time together but decided to go out for a birthday dinner. There aren’t a ton of choices in town and decided to go to Dasher’s Corner Pub since it’s right by our apartment.

LOCATION: 2 N Main Street, Homer, NY 13077

I’ve been to Dasher’s with Caleb before but we’ve only gone for lunch so their dinner menu is new to me. We got there a little before 6pm so my parents could go home after dinner and not have to drive back to Rochester too late and we were seated upstairs in an empty dining room. Caleb and I have only ever been seated downstairs in the back room which can be a little cramped and loud especially when there’s a big party at their long table. It was really nice to be in a quieter space upstairs that was more spacious. The building is pretty old though and you can feel the slanted floors more so upstairs which is kind of funny to eat in.

My parents treated me and I decided to order the Scallops Pépin which is seared scallops on fresh croutons and potato slices with lemons, capers, and a brown butter sauce. Clearly it came with a side of asparagus as well. I don’t typically get to order seared scallops in the area so I was so excited to get this and it came out looking really fun and unique. The scallops were perfectly cooked and the dish was so well portioned. The ‘croutons’ on the bottom were so rich and buttery though so I ended up leaving a few slices of that in the end but ate all of the scallops and potatoes as well as the asparagus. I was perfectly full at the end and it was really nice to have a ‘fancy’ meal like this which made the day feel special. While the food at Dasher’s isn’t mind-blowing, it’s still a nice place to go for dinner and the quality is worth the price (which isn’t unreasonable at all) and it feels fancy enough to be special and out of our ordinary. It was really great to spend the day with my parents too so it was a really good finish to a nice birthday.

CORT - Wild Ginger Asian Fusion

I’ve decided to mix things up today and order something a little different from Wild Ginger for lunch!

LOCATION: 47 MAIN ST., CORTLAND, NY, 13045

I’ve been craving Takoyaki but unsurprisingly, it’s quite difficult to find in the area. For those unfamiliar, takoyaki is a is a ball-shaped Japanese snack made of a batter, cooked in a special pan. It’s typically filled with minced or diced octopus. I did a little bit of research and today is the day, of course Wild Ginger would offer it as an appetizer! I decided to order some with a side of Tomago (egg) sushi and my classic Ika (squid) sushi. I usually get Ebi (shrimp) sushi but was really craving the eggy flavor and texture today instead too. A real wild card of a lunch compared to my usual.

This lunch turned out to be EXACTLY what I was hoping for. The sushi was standard and, while not my usual, it’s nothing new to me from this restaurant either; just a little out of the ordinary but always a classic choice. The takoyaki was so good! It was warm and gooey on the inside but crisp on the outside. The flavors were totally balanced and the texture was what it should be. Very happy with this choice and it might be my new regular order!

UPDATE: It’s about a week or so later and I’ve gone back because I love takoyaki and this is a great order. Unfortunately, things did not go well today when I went to pick up my food and I’m hoping it was just a fluke but now I’m hesitant to keep getting this order. Typically, I place my order online and walk over to the restaurant (a quick walk down the street from the office) and I time it well enough to grab and go. Today, I had to wait an extra 30mins after my estimated pick up time for my takoyaki to come out while my sushi just sat on the counter waiting for me. I FINALLY got my food after a couple of people checked in on it and when I got back to the office with it, my takoyaki was cold and deflated. I have a feeling it was cooked and just sat in the kitchen slowly dying while the front of the house neglected it. It seems there’s a risk in me ordering sushi + hot food. I’ve never had this issue with I get my usual sushi rolls since it’s all coming from the sushi counter. I have to rethink the logistics of this now which is making me very sad since my first experience with the takoyaki was so good.