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It’s not CK


mworkman

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  • 2 weeks later...
11 hours ago, Baked Alaska said:

My DS (15yrs) will be all over that tuna! I hate to ask this, but! Can multiple entrees be ordered in CK?

Absolutely! Either for yourself or to share with your tablemates.

I had one night where I ordered two appetizers, two entrees, two glasses of wine, and two desserts. No decision making skills required! ?

Of course, I was in a bit of a food coma after all that, and I was giving penguins lessons in proper waddling technique...

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54 minutes ago, JG1209 said:

Ok, so I have to ask... What is so special about the CK filet?  Everyone is raving about it on day 1.  I am going on a cruise in March and just might have to check it out.

 

Thanks

Simply put...it’s perfection. You have to try it to really understand it. Lol #teamCK

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13 hours ago, JG1209 said:

Ok, so I have to ask... What is so special about the CK filet?  Everyone is raving about it on day 1.  I am going on a cruise in March and just might have to check it out.

 

Thanks

I'll try and guess at a little more detail than @Lovetocruise2002 gave. ?

The tl;dr summary is that, for me, the Chops filet is what I get when I go to Outback or maybe a place like Longhorn Steakhouse; pretty good, but rarely stellar. CK filet is what I get when my mom goes to the butcher and has him hand-pick a filet for her, and she has my brother cook it up medium-rare on the grill that same day with no / minimal seasoning; truly melt-in-your-mouth good, not a tough bit to be found, and rich flavor that can't be beat.

 

 

 

Now the longer version. ?

CK is a suites-only restaurant and has its own galley, and I'm betting that part of the difference is that their chefs are getting first choice of every single filet that gets delivered on embarkation day. They can do this, not only because they're a suites-only restaurant and have to offer the best to those guests, but because they only offer the filet on one night. True, they'll serve it two nights if it's a sailing longer than 11 days, but note how @twangster said that second filet was perceptibly not as good in his recent 11-night Anthem blog.

The other difference to my palate is the seasoning they use. I happened to have both CK filet and Chops filet on the same sailing, and Chops' was very noticeably saltier than CK's. That's going to affect the cook (draws out more moisture from the meat while its cooking), as well as the final flavor.

Final factor I can think of is that the CK galley is cooking for relatively few passengers at any given time, and every meal is made to order and paid close attention, so it's a lot harder to mess it up. Chops' galley is serving far more passengers at any one time, and the chefs just can't pay as close attention to every individual meal. Mistakes, even tiny ones like cooking it a bit closer to medium than medium-rare, are going to happen.

 

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1 minute ago, JLMoran said:

I'll try and guess at a little more detail than @Lovetocruise2002 gave. ?

The tl;dr summary is that, for me, the Chops filet is what I get when I go to Outback or maybe a place like Longhorn Steakhouse; pretty good, but rarely stellar. CK filet is what I get when my mom goes to the butcher and has him hand-pick a filet for her, and she has my brother cook it up medium-rare on the grill that same day with no / minimal seasoning; truly melt-in-your-mouth good, not a tough bit to be found, and rich flavor that can't be beat.

What?!  This was the short version?  ?

All jokes aside, I agree with @JLMoran on each of his points.  The CK filet is better in terms of cut, flavour, and overall texture.  I tested this last year on Harmony.  I had the Filet in CK on Night 1 and then Chops Filet Night 2.  Huge difference.  The Chops filet was not as flavourful, more dry, and harder to chew.

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6 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

I'll try and guess at a little more detail than @Lovetocruise2002 gave. ?

The tl;dr summary is that, for me, the Chops filet is what I get when I go to Outback or maybe a place like Longhorn Steakhouse; pretty good, but rarely stellar. CK filet is what I get when my mom goes to the butcher and has him hand-pick a filet for her, and she has my brother cook it up medium-rare on the grill that same day with no / minimal seasoning; truly melt-in-your-mouth good, not a tough bit to be found, and rich flavor that can't be beat.

 

 

 

Now the longer version. ?

CK is a suites-only restaurant and has its own galley, and I'm betting that part of the difference is that their chefs are getting first choice of every single filet that gets delivered on embarkation day. They can do this, not only because they're a suites-only restaurant and have to offer the best to those guests, but because they only offer the filet on one night. True, they'll serve it two nights if it's a sailing longer than 11 days, but note how @twangster said that second filet was perceptibly not as good in his recent 11-night Anthem blog.

The other difference to my palate is the seasoning they use. I happened to have both CK filet and Chops filet on the same sailing, and Chops' was very noticeably saltier than CK's. That's going to affect the cook (draws out more moisture from the meat while its cooking), as well as the final flavor.

Final factor I can think of is that the CK galley is cooking for relatively few passengers at any given time, and every meal is made to order and paid close attention, so it's a lot harder to mess it up. Chops' galley is serving far more passengers at any one time, and the chefs just can't pay as close attention to every individual meal. Mistakes, even tiny ones like cooking it a bit closer to medium than medium-rare, are going to happen.

 

Well it is a good thing that I am in a suite and can experience CK. Now I just have to tell my mom this is where we are eating the first night LOL Celebrating my 40th bday so I will use that as my leverage... ! Honestly, my plan was to eat in CK a lot- try things new.. instead of the same routine of the MDR. I am super excited.. I now know where I am eating on my first dinner-- and my last dinner (we are going to try Sabor).

Thanks for the short and long version ! 

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1 minute ago, JG1209 said:

Honestly, my plan was to eat in CK a lot- try things new.. instead of the same routine of the MDR.

If  you have access to CK, you effectively have your own specialty restaurant with a rotating menu each night. I personally feel that once you have that, there's no reason to eat in the MDR or the WJ.

And if you're in a Sky Class suite or better, you get access for breakfast and lunch, too. I haven't gotten to experience that yet, but @Lovetocruise2002 and others seem to all agree that breakfast is great as long as you're not in a rush, but lunch is nothing to write home about.

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2 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

If  you have access to CK, you effectively have your own specialty restaurant with a rotating menu each night. I personally feel that once you have that, there's no reason to eat in the MDR or the WJ.

And if you're in a Sky Class suite or better, you get access for breakfast and lunch, too. I haven't gotten to experience that yet, but @Lovetocruise2002 and others seem to all agree that breakfast is great as long as you're not in a rush, but lunch is nothing to write home about.

Yup, in Sky Class... so that is good to know.. I am looking forward to this cruise. I have always gone on the smaller ships- but this time we will be on the Harmony. Thats a big change ? I have the My Time Dining for the Mai Dining Room, but I have a feeling that we will not be there- unless there is something on the menu that we want. This trip is about going out of my comfort zone, trying things new, and taking advantage of all the suite perks!  ?

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