Master Chef Rudi Sodamin Tops in Cruise Industry!

"Susette" wrote in message
...
On Jan 13, 11:37?pm, "Jean O'Boyle" wrote:
"Tom K" wrote in message

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Rudi Sodamin was named Best Cruise Line Master Chef by Porthole Cruise
Magazine in its January issue. The Editor-in-Chief Award recognizes
Sodamin's vision and unique contribution to the culinary arts on the
high seas.

"Rudi has made an indelible impact on cruise ship cuisine over the
years, especially with his recent innovations at Holland America
Line," said Bill Panoff, publisher and editor-in-chief of the
magazine. "He has elevated the standards for fine dining aboard the
line's premium ships and continues to push the industry to follow his
lead."

Tell Rudi.... WAY TOO MUCH SALMON.

Some nights that's the only fish you could get.

We had 3 good fish meals out of the 7 nights. ?That's not indelible in
my
book.

--Tom

But Tom, not everyone wants to eat fish every night for 7 days! Go back
and
look at some of the photos on Susie's website and see the wonderful photos
of food that she took on the Westerdam!

--Jean- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

For tom having 3 good nights is 300% over RCCL cause he did not like
any...
QM has no desire in my sailing at this time... Boring and too formal,
and they do not hife old people they are out in the open! LOL

Susie

Hmmmm. Charles never mentioned the old people on the QM2 voyage that he
took! ;-)
And Tom had nothing to complain about batting 300%! I too, do not care for
the 24-7 formality that seems to be on Cunard.

--Jean

In article , Jean O'Boyle
wrote:

Hmmmm. Charles never mentioned the old people on the QM2 voyage that he
took! ;-)
And Tom had nothing to complain about batting 300%! I too, do not care for
the 24-7 formality that seems to be on Cunard.

The day wear is not formal on Cunard. Just the evenings.

On QM2 the old people were hidden in the higher class so I did not
notice them.....

--
Charles

"Jean O'Boyle" wrote in message
...

Hmmmm. Charles never mentioned the old people on the QM2 voyage that he
took! ;-)

We didn't have the old people in Cunard that we had on HAL. We had some,
but it wasn't the huge majority it was on HAL.


And Tom had nothing to complain about batting 300%!

3 good meals out of 7.... that's a little better than RCI & Princess. I
need to do a current Celebrity to see where they stack up today. I was
psyched after the 3 days... only to be let down big time.


I too, do not care for the 24-7 formality that seems to be on Cunard.

That's the big pain.... except for on a crossing, when getting dressed up at
the end of a lesiurly day is kind of the "event o the day"...

--Tom

In article , Tom K
wrote:

3 good meals out of 7.... that's a little better than RCI & Princess. I
need to do a current Celebrity to see where they stack up today. I was
psyched after the 3 days... only to be let down big time.

From what I observed you were the only one in the group that had only 3
good meals out of 7. You were the only one with complaints. Everyone
else thought the meals were very good. Maybe that tells more about your
subjectivity than the food quality on HAL?

--
Charles

"Charles" wrote in message
d...
In article , Tom K
wrote:

3 good meals out of 7.... that's a little better than RCI & Princess. I
need to do a current Celebrity to see where they stack up today. I was
psyched after the 3 days... only to be let down big time.

From what I observed you were the only one in the group that had only 3
good meals out of 7. You were the only one with complaints. Everyone
else thought the meals were very good. Maybe that tells more about your
subjectivity than the food quality on HAL?

--
Charles

Probably more a match to what we're hoping for.

Example. I really enjoyed the "Chef's Galley" demonstration and dinner on
the QM2, but since you don't like chicken, it was not a good experience for
you. I understand that and never criticized you for it. Further I was
personally sorry that we didn't pick another night that you'd have liked
more. But I like chicken. You like steak and lobster. I don't care that
much for lobster, and while I do enjoy fillet mignon, I can hit the A&P,
Stop & Shop, or Wegman's and get a little fillet mignon any time I want and
pop it on the grill and have it while it's still sizzling. So surf and turf
night doesn't impress me. Neither does a huge slab of prime rib. I would
never order prime rib in a restaurant. I would only order it on a cruise as
a "nothing else looks good" option. Not to mention the cholesterol and
saturated fat with steak and lobster.

But a nice small piece of mild white fish... to me that's a nice, healthy
alternative. Plus, since we usually have late dining, it's not a big meal
sitting in your stomach when you go to bed.

HAL had the nice mild white fish the first 3 nights. Then the fish the 4th
night was way too dry and overcooked IIRC. And after that they had no fish
options like they had the first 3 nights. There was salmon or salmon. Or
Tuna steak which isn't light and mild. Was there anything wrong with it?
Was the quality good? Probably. But the quality of the chicken in Chef's
Galley was also good. But you didn't like it because you don't like
chicken.

I was disappointed that I didn't have the option of really nice white mild
fish like they had the first 3 nights during the remainder of the cruise. I
had the surf and turf. Had the steak been larger than a couple of Oreo
Cookies, I'd have given you the lobster, but no way that steak was going to
make a meal. And instead of coming around after with another piece of steak
(or giving you a bigger steak in the first place) they came around with more
lobster tails - which I didn't want, since I never wanted even the first
lobster tail. And I didn't want to order a whole additional meal to get
another small piece of fillet mignon.

For me it was a level of nightly disappointment after the wonderful meals
the first 3 nights.

For you the food got better later in the week... with things like surf and
turf and prime rib. But for me, they never replicated what they had earlier
in the week.

--Tom

In article , Tom K
wrote:

But the quality of the chicken in Chef's Galley was also good. But
you didn't like it because you don't like chicken.

I do like chicken. I did not like that chicken. I do find that cruise
lines often don't do chicken that well so I shy away from ordering it
on a cruise. They tend to do better with meat like beef, veal, lamb,
pork, and with shellfish than they do with chicken and fish. I liked
the Chef's demo and how he did that but really the whole meal itself,
each course was a disappointment. Not just the chicken which almost
made me gag.


make a meal. And instead of coming around after with another piece of steak
(or giving you a bigger steak in the first place) they came around with more
lobster tails - which I didn't want, since I never wanted even the first
lobster tail. And I didn't want to order a whole additional meal to get
another small piece of fillet mignon.

They would have brought you another Filet Mignon if you had requested
it. You could have asked for two filets and no lobster when you
ordered. Particularly since you are not a Lobster fan. Come on Tom, you
have had no problem ordering two or three entrees before. That meal you
say was not good, the Lobster and Beef on it were great and there were
other entrees choices too. And one thing I noticed is that HAL has not
cut down on the number of choices like other cruise lines have done.

--
Charles

"Charles" wrote in message
d...
They would have brought you another Filet Mignon if you had requested
it.

Yes... but I didn't know how small it was going to be until after they
brought it, and by then they'd have had to run down and get another one,
slowing other things down. And a lot of times they bring you a whole second
plate which would have been wasteful.

You could have asked for two filets and no lobster when you
ordered. Particularly since you are not a Lobster fan. Come on Tom, you
have had no problem ordering two or three entrees before.

Desserts yes. Even appetizers. But I will very rarely order 2 entres.
Particularly after seeing how some people will order a second one just to
try it... and then you see how disruptive it is to overall serive when the
waiter has to go and get it. The one time I do recall getting a second
entre was on Crown Princess when I ordered the crabs legs as a second entre
(after everyone raved about them from the previous time) but at least I
ordered it up front, not after the first entre came... and then I ended up
giving them all to everyone else at the table after I tried one small piece.
But that's rare for me.

That meal you
say was not good, the Lobster and Beef on it were great and there were
other entrees choices too.

I don't recall saying the lobster and fillet weren't good, other than the
fillet was tiny. I was just disappointed they didn't have other fish
options that evening.

And one thing I noticed is that HAL has not
cut down on the number of choices like other cruise lines have done.

--
Charles

In article , Tom K
wrote:

I don't recall saying the lobster and fillet weren't good, other than the
fillet was tiny. I was just disappointed they didn't have other fish
options that evening.

You said you had 3 good meals out of 7 and those were the first 3 days.

As far as the fillet being small, yes by itself it would not be enough
but as part of the surf and turf with the lobster it was plenty. I
still don't see the problem of asking for another fillet if one did not
satisfy my hunger. One of the features of cruise dining is that they
serve you to satisfy you. If it is not enough they bring more. If you
don't like an entree they will bring another.

--
Charles

"Charles" wrote in message
d...
In article , Tom K
wrote:

I don't recall saying the lobster and fillet weren't good, other than the
fillet was tiny. I was just disappointed they didn't have other fish
options that evening.

You said you had 3 good meals out of 7 and those were the first 3 days.

As far as the fillet being small, yes by itself it would not be enough
but as part of the surf and turf with the lobster it was plenty. I
still don't see the problem of asking for another fillet if one did not
satisfy my hunger. One of the features of cruise dining is that they
serve you to satisfy you. If it is not enough they bring more. If you
don't like an entree they will bring another.

--
Charles

Yes Tom,

I recall the second entree being touted as a special benefit of cruising,
not as a disruption of service or a hardship on the server.

Harry Cooper