The Chef’s Table: Allure of the Seas

I tend to be a bit frugal. I don’t buy clothes, shoes, or just stuff. However, if I’m going to spurge, it will usually be food related. The Chef’s Table on Allure of the Seas is a special event. In my case, there were only 8 guests. We had our own chef and waiter. And each course was paired with a wine chosen to enhance the dish.

At the time of this sailing, the cost was $99 USD. If I am going to pay that much for a meal, honey I want it to be slow and savored. This special treat met my expectations – 3 hours. Two of those were probably meal related, then we sat around the table talking for at least another.

The first course was a scallop carpaccio. Carpaccio just means sliced thin and served raw and can be done with a variety of proteins, but is usually beef. It was made famous in the 1950s by Giuseppe Cipriani from Harry’s Bar in Venice, Italy (which I would definite recommend – just for the appetizers!). It was good, but I’m a huge scallop lover, so would prefer a big girl scallop. The presentation was stunning however.

The second course was a beautiful smoky flavored tomato soup and easily one of the best tomato soups I have ever had. The wine pairing was gorgeous. I am usually a red wine drinker, but this white blend from the Napa Valley was really nice and runs about $15. Will definitely add it to my list.

A lobster salad was served as the third course, and was a lovely mix of sweet and savory. It reminded me of a salad I had at Cedar Key in Florida that uses a green peanut butter ice cream on their hearts of palm (we Floridians call it swamp cabbage, but that admittedly does detract from The air of elegance). Here’s a link to that dish if you are interested. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/cedar-key-heart-of-palm-salad-island-hotel-ice-cream

I’m not sure why we went from course three to course five, but we did. For the main, we could choose between grilled branzino or filet mignon. Because we were a week into the cruise when I had this dinner, I was pretty sure the branzino had been frozen since I didn’t see any fishing rods hanging off the stern of the ship. So I went with the filet. However, those who had the branzino said it was delicious and I didn’t see any left on plates. So…maybe next cruise 🙂 The filet was delicious and I am pretty much guaranteed to order anything that has truffles.

This beautifully presented dessert was also accompanied by a salted caramel martini. To serve, they poured some magic liquid over the top, melting the chocolate shell and expose the creamy filling. It was stunning.

As you can see, this meal was quite an “event” and one I would gladly budget to do again. I always judge things by value for money, and when I can have artfully prepared delicious food, wine with each course, and amiable company, I’m fully satisfied. In this case, quite literally. So if you find yourself on a ship that offers this experience, AND food is one of your entertainment hobbies, then I can highly recommend the Chef’s Table. If you go, settle in and enjoy the experience.