Chops Grille Steaks ..... is it just me?

[ChrisK2793]

I’ve eaten in 4 different Chops now ....... August on Mariner, September on Symphony, October on Navigator, and last night on Oasis.

All 4 times my steaks have tasted like they didn’t put any kind of seasoning on them, like they took a steak out of the fridge and threw it on the stove and nothing else...... not even salt and/or pepper.  Is this their normal way of cooking steaks at Chops?  To me a steak that was cooked totally unseasoned is horrible.  Yes, they offer you steak sauces when they bring the steak, but a properly seasoned steak shouldn’t need to be drowned in steak sauce to eat it.  I haven’t complained and lied and said the steaks were delicious, but I don’t think I ever want to eat in Chops again at this point.  I’ve had delicious well seasoned steaks in both the MDR and the Coastal Kitchen.  I don’t understand why they aren’t seasoned before cooking in Chops.

i don’t get it, does everyone who loves Chops Grille like their steaks cooked unseasoned and then covered in steak sauce to make them taste palatable?  

(I didn’t try the filet any of the 4 times ..... it was the other steaks)

 

[ChessE4]

6 minutes ago, ChrisK2793 said:

I’ve eaten in 4 different Chops now ....... August on Mariner, September on Symphony, October on Navigator, and last night on Oasis.

All 4 times my steaks have tasted like they didn’t put any kind of seasoning on them, like they took a steak out of the fridge and threw it on the stove and nothing else...... not even salt and/or pepper.  Is this their normal way of cooking steaks at Chops?  To me a steak that was cooked totally unseasoned is horrible.  Yes, they offer you steak sauces when they bring the steak, but a properly seasoned steak shouldn’t need to be drowned in steak sauce to eat it.  I haven’t complained and lied and said the steaks were delicious, but I don’t think I ever want to eat in Chops again at this point.  I’ve had delicious well seasoned steaks in both the MDR and the Coastal Kitchen.  I don’t understand why they aren’t seasoned before cooking in Chops.

i don’t get it, does everyone who loves Chops Grille like their steaks cooked unseasoned and then covered in steak sauce to make them taste palatable?  

(I didn’t try the filet any of the 4 times ..... it was the other steaks)

 

My wife claims her filet mignon at Chops was OK but nothing spectacular.  On another cruise, we were told by wait staff that the best steak was prepared by the Italian restaurant, which was Giovanni's at the time.

[CruiseGus]

To be honest, the only decent steak I have ever had in Chops was the Filet Mignon,  I have ordered all the steaks on the menu and both the Bone in Rib Eye and the New York Strip both have left something to desire.  I have Even had the New Zealand Rack of Lamb and much like the MDR it is not Rack of Lamb but individual chops.  I usually get better steaks in a mass market steak house at home for a little over half the up-charge for chops.  At this point I won't book specialty dining again unless it is one heck of a discount, just not that good of quality. JMHO

[SpeedNoodles]

We were underwhelmed with our steaks at Chops on Ovation.  It wasn't what we remembered it being.  We will probably skip it on our upcoming sailings, with the exception of when we are on Empress (as I've read that they have the best Chops in the fleet).

[twangster]

If you've read any of my Empress live blogs that is the only Chops where I get good food and good service. 

On some ships I often get good service but poor food.  On other ships it's good food but poor service.   When I sail Empress Chops is must do.  On other ships I've grown to the point where I do it if I get it free for some reason.  

I'm not thrilled with Chops on most ships because I've been fortunate to eat in some really nice steak houses on land.  Chops isn't that.  

Even on Empress it isn't like a high end steak house on land but it also doesn't cost $200-$300 for a couple that some really good steak houses have cost me.  

I've been on a few business dinners where the bill at a steak house was the price of car.  Those were fantastic but I'm not going there on my wallet.   

[JohnK6404]

We all had the 6 oz. Angus Filet Mignon back in May on Allure (Key embarkation lunch when it was still served in the actual restaurant) and all four of us loved our Filets. Very tender and flavorful.

Would I say it was the best Filet we ever had in our lives? No... but we all enjoyed it and had no complaints.

From the Key lunch perspective, I'm a little worried the quality will suffer now that it's being served in the MDR... we'll see!

 

[WAAAYTOOO]

I definitely feel that the service IN Chops is suffering due to The Key embarkation lunch. I have a feeling that is why Oasis has decided to no longer offer lunch on embarkation day, other than in the MDR to the Key people.  Just a hunch.

[PG Cruiser]

3 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I definitely feel that the service IN Chops is suffering due to The Key embarkation lunch. I have a feeling that is why Oasis has decided to no longer offer lunch on embarkation day, other than in the MDR to the Key people.  Just a hunch.

I ordered the Filet Mignon from the Chops menu in the MDR as a Key guest on the Empress.  It was the most unsightly piece of steak I’ve had in my life, not to mention the shriveled (supposedly grilled) asparagus.

 

[WAAAYTOOO]

6 hours ago, PG Cruiser said:

I ordered the Filet Mignon from the Chops menu in the MDR as a Key guest on the Empress.  It was the most unsightly piece of steak I’ve had in my life, not to mention the shriveled (supposedly grilled) asparagus.

 

Wow !  I’ve never seen anything as pathetic as that asparagus !  Besides being grossly unappetizing, I’ve never seen Chops serve it any way except “family style”.

[JLMoran]

@ChrisK2793, I had the Chops filet on Anthem last year, and unlike you I found it to be over-salted. I had just had the filet in CK a couple nights before, and that was seasoned perfectly. The contrast really struck me; I had heard that CK filet was uniformly better than Chops, but I was expecting something a little more nuanced than that!

[Mrs. RoyalMoyal]

I think I might just order the burger for lunch instead. Or Salmon

[bhageerah]

On 11/27/2019 at 9:40 AM, ChessE4 said:

My wife claims her filet mignon at Chops was OK but nothing spectacular.  On another cruise, we were told by wait staff that the best steak was prepared by the Italian restaurant, which was Giovanni's at the time.

I can back you up on this one, I have had better steaks either in CK or in Giovanni's, I have had several steaks from there but they were nothing to write home about.  The several steaks that I have had at the aforementioned places blew my socks off from the first bite. 

[twangster]

I often hear people rave about the filet in Giovanni's yet it hasn't done all that for me.  It's not bad, just not OMG or anything noteworthy.  I've tried it in a number of Giovanni's thinking I must be missing something with the same outcome which is not unlike my Chops experience on many ships - okay, not bad, but not something to savor or have dreams about.  

I tend to avoid steak in the MDR on any ship or any cruise line.  I've had some pretty bad attempts at steak in different MDRs but a few times I was actually pleasantly surprised.  Radiance MDR I think was the last such occurrence.  For the cut of meat and where it comes from it was a nice meal.

[DLXLDY]

Re-thinking the three night dining package...lol. There aren't that many options on Adventure. 

[AshleyDillo]

15 hours ago, DLXLDY said:

Re-thinking the three night dining package...lol. There aren't that many options on Adventure. 

Three nights is just right for Adventure.  Gives you a chance to try them all once.

[DLXLDY]

8 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

Three nights is just right for Adventure.  Gives you a chance to try them all once.

Thanks Ashley! We also received one free dining from our TA, so will definitely have enough. Can you use the package at Johnny Rockets? I'm not sure it makes sense, but if we have the free one left, might be an option.

[AshleyDillo]

55 minutes ago, DLXLDY said:

Thanks Ashley! We also received one free dining from our TA, so will definitely have enough. Can you use the package at Johnny Rockets? I'm not sure it makes sense, but if we have the free one left, might be an option.

I actually have no idea..I would assume so, but most people wouldn't waste a credit on JR.  You may be better off doing the Chops +1 package if you have a meal from your TA too..and then just doing Johnny Rockets out of pocket if you really, really want it.

[Rod]

I've had Chops twice on Oasis and once on Harmony.

Each time wife and I both had the ribeye. It was excellent each time, and we are all about seasoned food.

We had the filet in Giovanni's on Oasis and much preferred the ribeyes from Chops.

[FionaMG]

On 11/27/2019 at 2:40 PM, ChessE4 said:

My wife claims her filet mignon at Chops was OK but nothing spectacular.  On another cruise, we were told by wait staff that the best steak was prepared by the Italian restaurant, which was Giovanni's at the time.

 

On 11/29/2019 at 2:33 AM, bhageerah said:

I can back you up on this one, I have had better steaks either in CK or in Giovanni's, I have had several steaks from there but they were nothing to write home about.  The several steaks that I have had at the aforementioned places blew my socks off from the first bite. 

Me too. Fabulous steaks in Giovanni's on both Navigator and Adventure. Chops was definitely underwhelming. 

[FionaMG]

On 12/1/2019 at 9:54 PM, DLXLDY said:

Re-thinking the three night dining package...lol. There aren't that many options on Adventure. 

Just off Adventure and we had the three night package. It was ideal. We were able to book for the three nights when the MDR menu least appealed and it was the perfect balance for our eight night cruise. We did Giovanni's twice (loved it) and Chops once (not very impressed and didn't care for the waiter who seemed to us to be doing some serious tip-fishing). We did not do Izumi because we don't like sushi and on Adventure they do not have the hot rocks option.

Watch out for the Mystery Dinner in Giovanni's because on that night it's closed to all other guests.

Also, the app was very accurate as regards the daily MDR menu, so if you check on boarding morning you should get a pretty good idea of what nights would suit you best.

[DLXLDY]

@FionaMG, Thank you, thank you, thank you! What is the hot rocks option?  (And we do like sushi, so I am sure we will use up our nights, we always do on NCL - not sure how I'm going to break the Chop's reputation to DH - he's a steak fanatic).

[FionaMG]

35 minutes ago, DLXLDY said:

@FionaMG, Thank you, thank you, thank you! What is the hot rocks option?  (And we do like sushi, so I am sure we will use up our nights, we always do on NCL - not sure how I'm going to break the Chop's reputation to DH - he's a steak fanatic).

It's when you have a hot stone plate at your table to cook your meat and seafood on. Only some Izumis have it (I believe Navigator is one if them) and it's apparently something to do with the physical location of the restaurant on the ship. On Adventure, it's on the Royal Promenade.

@DLXLDY Edited to add: just realized I missed out a critical "not" from my earlier post, which I have now corrected. Adventure does not have the hot rocks. Sorry for the mistake.

[DLXLDY]

@FionaMG, thanks for all the great info. PM me if there are any other Adventure specifics you think would help. Much appreciated.

[FionaMG]

15 hours ago, DLXLDY said:

@FionaMG, thanks for all the great info. PM me if there are any other Adventure specifics you think would help. Much appreciated.

You are very welcome and I will, if I think of anything. 

In the meantime, I don't know if you've seen my thread on the Live Blog forum? I had intended doing a proper live review but due to an internet issue on board I wasn't able to follow through on it. However, I will be doing a recap over the next few days, so if you'd like to have a look the link is below.

 

[marti314]

On 11/27/2019 at 8:32 AM, ChrisK2793 said:

All 4 times my steaks have tasted like they didn’t put any kind of seasoning on them, like they took a steak out of the fridge and threw it on the stove and nothing else

You are absolutely right and I have had the same experience.  In addition i found their sides to be lacking flavor and the sauces all taste similar yet different colors.  Salt and Pepper go a long way on a steak.

[MotleyCruiser]

I was disappointed with CHOPS Grill. I was expecting more variety. Maybe Bison, Elk, or something more eclectic?! 

[twangster]

2 minutes ago, MotleyCruiser said:

I was disappointed with CHOPS Grill. I was expecting more variety. Maybe Bison, Elk, or something more eclectic?! 

It's a restaurant on the ocean.  Not ocean side like in a coastal state, literally on the sea a thousand miles from land.  

For Bison and Elk come to Colorado.  Don't expect a cruise ship restaurant on any cruise line to be the best within that specialty.  Giovanni's is not going to be the best food an Italian person has ever had.  Chops won't have the best food a meat lover has ever had.  Hooked doesn't cast a net from the ship while it's underway, it's not going to be the best seafood a seafood lover has ever had. 

Colorado isn't known for seafood, no ocean nearby, everything is shipped in.  Similar effect on a ship.  They cater to the masses and can't carry boutique entrees that might be ordered once or twice per cruise.   

[MotleyCruiser]

6 minutes ago, twangster said:

Giovanni's is not going to be the best food an Italian person has ever had. 

LOL...I didn't see the word NOT at first and was going to say HOW DARE YOU!!  I guess I'm just a doe doe thinking I could get something different. I'll stick with Fleming's

[FManke]

We have enjoyed both the food and service in Chops in the past. Funny thing is, we've  never had a steak there.  Although it's a steak house, we have chosen other things on the menu. I'll maybe have to give it a try next Oct on Rhapsody. 

[kadmgs]

Enjoyed our steaks on Rhapsody, but not so much on Liberty. Ordered the chicken and the shrimp dishes on Liberty and liked them much better than the steak. The key burger option was meh on Liberty last summer btw. Overcooked and almost room temp. Don't know what I will pick as my option for lunch in March on Liberty, but it won't be the burger nor will I order a steak in Chops. We definitely prefer Giovanni's to Chops at least on Liberty. It was the opposite on Rhapsody in December 2018. 

[DLXLDY]

On 12/3/2019 at 9:10 AM, FionaMG said:

You are very welcome and I will, if I think of anything. 

In the meantime, I don't know if you've seen my thread on the Live Blog forum? I had intended doing a proper live review but due to an internet issue on board I wasn't able to follow through on it. However, I will be doing a recap over the next few days, so if you'd like to have a look the link is below.

 

@FionaMG yes, I did! Thank you. We are at 184 days, but who is counting? LOL...ice storm here today...come on June!!!

[Biggjoe4u]

Last year on Allure of the Seas we ate at Chops instead of the MDR one night. Earlier that same day my wife was leaving the spa and overheard a women talking to a friend about her dinner the night before at Chops. She said that it was the worse meal she had ever had. She told her friend that the meal was so bad that she demanded her money back. I guess we should have taken the hint.

That night at Chops my wife and I both got the rib eye. We weren't expecting Ruth Chris or Morton's but we were expecting a steak better than the Outback. My steak was cooked properly but the meat was tough and without flavor. Which to me shows that they don't use a very good grade of steak. My wife had to send her steak back and they still didn't get it right so she passed on having them prepare another so I wouldn't have to wait on her. We didn't finish our sides nor our apps because nothing tasted good! It was just a bad meal that would have been better and half the price at Outback or Texas Roadhouse.

 

[melmar02]

We were gifted dinner at Chops on Enchantment, and we thought the petite filets were pretty tasty - tender and well seasoned. The mushroom soup and crab cake were great, too. Did the fact that the meal was free make a difference? Maybe. But we all agreed the sides were just... eh. 

[ellcee]

Loved my filet on Anthem.

[WAAAYTOOO]

I agree that the sides are pretty pathetic but the main courses have usually been reliably good - not great.

[AGSLC5]

3 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I agree that the sides are pretty pathetic but the main courses have usually been reliably good - not great.

Here is what bothers me about Chops.. I recently went on Celebrity Edge.. Their new steakhouse has basically an identical menu to chops.. The price is about the same.. $55 a person if you don't have a package.. The food from Celebrity's steakhouse tastes so much better.. The sides were delicious the meat was so flavorful. What I don't get is its the same company and your paying the same uncharge so why does Chops have to have inferior food? If its a price issue I am willing to pay a little bit more for better food. I am already paying what's another $10-$15.. If the unlimited package went from $179 to $199 but the food quality dramatically improved sign me up I would pay the extra cost.. I just think if Celebrity can do it why cant Royal lol.. Ok rant over.

[twangster]

1 hour ago, AGSLC5 said:

What I don't get is its the same company and your paying the same uncharge so why does Chops have to have inferior food?

They make money with Chops.  With an endless supply of guests booking it they've cut corners and reduced costs yet guests keep booking it.   

Plus it's not the same company.  It's not the same ship painted dark blue.  That's like saying Princess, HAL, Carnival - all the same.  

[AGSLC5]

2 hours ago, twangster said:

They make money with Chops.  With an endless supply of guests booking it they've cut corners and reduced costs yet guests keep booking it.   

Plus it's not the same company.  It's not the same ship painted dark blue.  That's like saying Princess, HAL, Carnival - all the same.  

Ok I know its not the exact same company but let me tell you all of their new specialty restaurants on Edge all basically have the same menu as restaurants on Royal.. Except the food on Edge in my opinion tasted better.. I don't know if it was the chefs or the food quality but it was just better.. Also when I say same company I mean the parent company is the same I do realize they are run as separate businesses. 

[JimnKathy]

We're spoiled by my steak-cooking skills at home...going to Chops isn't on our list of specialty dining options on the ship...luv us some Jamie's Italian, though.

[DaiC01]

On 11/28/2019 at 6:02 AM, PG Cruiser said:

I ordered the Filet Mignon from the Chops menu in the MDR as a Key guest on the Empress.  It was the most unsightly piece of steak I’ve had in my life, not to mention the shriveled (supposedly grilled) asparagus.

 

Not very impressed with the cracking in the plate either.