We were on Westerdam about a month ago and did Pinacale 3 times, including Le Cirque night. I thought it was a rip-off food was not as good as regular menu on Pinnacle and they were charging double the price 40 a person and another 20 if you wanted wine ( you got a glass of champane, white wine and a cabernet all were just ok). Just wondering if anyone else tried it and had similar or differnt experience.
HAVE YOU TRIED Le Cirque Restaurant
- Thread starter George C
- Start date
Krazy Kruizers
Holland America Specialist
We did the Le Cirque on the Nieuw Amsterdam.
I wrote a review of our cruise and this is what I said about our Le Cirque experience:
Tonight was the first time this ship had the new Le Cirque dinner. We signed up for it.
And it was excellent!! One comment -- when we got our reservation it indicated that jacket was required. But it was not enforced (again) -- some men wore only a sport shirt and nothing was said to them.
The special place settings and decorations had not arrived but the food and service by the Pinnacle staff was great.
The meal was $39 per person and you could buy for $20 per person a special wine offering which was 3 glasses selected for the special dinner.
Each person was first served an Amuse (just like the regular Pinnacle offers). It was Pate Foi Gras -- goose liver mousse with rhubarb chutney -- very good.
The appetizer was Lobster Salad "Le Cirque" -- poached lobster with haricot and citrus (I will post at a later time the recipe foe this)
Soup - Sweet Corn Soup -- prepared table side. On the bottom of the soup bowl were ground corn fritters, wood ear mushrooms and some whole kernals of corn. The corn soup -- nice and thick and very tasty with a hint of basil -- was served from a tureen.
There were 3 choices for the main menu:
Wild Halibut with leek fondue, Rocca Di Fransinello sauce -- DH had this - very flaky and tasty.
Rack of Lamb - goat cheese panisse, artichokes and arugula -- I had this -- excellent -- very tasty and meaty lamb chops -- got 2 big double ones.
Cote de Boeuf - (aged prime rib steak) - horseradish flan, sweet and sour baby beets for two. Can't comment on this.
Side Dishes:
Seasonal vegetables -- DH had them -- a mixture broccoli, summer squash, cauliflower, bamboo shoots, zuccini in a truffle oil -- excellent.
Pommes Dauphine -- I had them -- mashed potatoes made into tiny puffs and quickly fried -- good -- hot and crunchy.
Desserts:
Chocolate Souffle -- we passed on this as we had already had a couple of chocolate souffles in the Pinnacle.
Creme Brulee Le Cirque -- we both had it and loved it -- recipe will be posted at a later time.
Assortment of Sorbets - again we did not try them - so - no comment.
As I mentioned we chose to try the $20 per person selected wine paring.
When we sat down we were each served a glass of sparkling wine.
For the appetizer and soup we were each served a glass of Ruffino Pinot Grigio, Italy - juicy white peaches and citrus with a flinty-minerality (glass $8; bottle $39)
For the entree we were served Villa Florita Barbera D'Asti Superiore, Italy - persistent and intense, yet warm and harmonic (glass $10; bottle $54)
If you didn't want to go with that offering you could order anything from the list below -- all prices are for the bottle.
White Wine
Michel Redde Pouilly Fime, France - highly expressive nose and a mouth-smaking finish - $59
Cloudy Bat Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand - herbaceous flavors with hints of citrus fruits - $78
Marques de Caceres, Spain - delicious flavors of pears and apples - $29
Laboure-Roi Pouilly Fuisse, France - collage of white fruits flavors, lively floral undertones - $54
Franciscan Chardonnay, California - lively and lengthy on the palate with a great body - $47
Conundrum, California - peach, apricot, green melon and pear - $39
Red Wine
Meridian Pinot Noir, Italy - bing cherry with hints of strawberry, roses and violets - $37
Chateau Ste Michelle, Canon Ridge Merlot, Washington - a medium to full bodied rich, berry flavored long finish wine - $69
Perrin Reserve Cotes Du Rhone, France - full bodied, rich fruit with peppery finish - $39
Beringer Founders Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, California - bursts with cassis, black fruit and sweet brown spice - $39
Arboleda Carmenerem Chile - dark berries with plum, dark cherries and violets - 449
Castello Banfi Brunello Di Montalcino, Italy - soft and velvety with licorice, spices and cherry notes - $108
I wrote a review of our cruise and this is what I said about our Le Cirque experience:
Tonight was the first time this ship had the new Le Cirque dinner. We signed up for it.
And it was excellent!! One comment -- when we got our reservation it indicated that jacket was required. But it was not enforced (again) -- some men wore only a sport shirt and nothing was said to them.
The special place settings and decorations had not arrived but the food and service by the Pinnacle staff was great.
The meal was $39 per person and you could buy for $20 per person a special wine offering which was 3 glasses selected for the special dinner.
Each person was first served an Amuse (just like the regular Pinnacle offers). It was Pate Foi Gras -- goose liver mousse with rhubarb chutney -- very good.
The appetizer was Lobster Salad "Le Cirque" -- poached lobster with haricot and citrus (I will post at a later time the recipe foe this)
Soup - Sweet Corn Soup -- prepared table side. On the bottom of the soup bowl were ground corn fritters, wood ear mushrooms and some whole kernals of corn. The corn soup -- nice and thick and very tasty with a hint of basil -- was served from a tureen.
There were 3 choices for the main menu:
Wild Halibut with leek fondue, Rocca Di Fransinello sauce -- DH had this - very flaky and tasty.
Rack of Lamb - goat cheese panisse, artichokes and arugula -- I had this -- excellent -- very tasty and meaty lamb chops -- got 2 big double ones.
Cote de Boeuf - (aged prime rib steak) - horseradish flan, sweet and sour baby beets for two. Can't comment on this.
Side Dishes:
Seasonal vegetables -- DH had them -- a mixture broccoli, summer squash, cauliflower, bamboo shoots, zuccini in a truffle oil -- excellent.
Pommes Dauphine -- I had them -- mashed potatoes made into tiny puffs and quickly fried -- good -- hot and crunchy.
Desserts:
Chocolate Souffle -- we passed on this as we had already had a couple of chocolate souffles in the Pinnacle.
Creme Brulee Le Cirque -- we both had it and loved it -- recipe will be posted at a later time.
Assortment of Sorbets - again we did not try them - so - no comment.
As I mentioned we chose to try the $20 per person selected wine paring.
When we sat down we were each served a glass of sparkling wine.
For the appetizer and soup we were each served a glass of Ruffino Pinot Grigio, Italy - juicy white peaches and citrus with a flinty-minerality (glass $8; bottle $39)
For the entree we were served Villa Florita Barbera D'Asti Superiore, Italy - persistent and intense, yet warm and harmonic (glass $10; bottle $54)
If you didn't want to go with that offering you could order anything from the list below -- all prices are for the bottle.
White Wine
Michel Redde Pouilly Fime, France - highly expressive nose and a mouth-smaking finish - $59
Cloudy Bat Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand - herbaceous flavors with hints of citrus fruits - $78
Marques de Caceres, Spain - delicious flavors of pears and apples - $29
Laboure-Roi Pouilly Fuisse, France - collage of white fruits flavors, lively floral undertones - $54
Franciscan Chardonnay, California - lively and lengthy on the palate with a great body - $47
Conundrum, California - peach, apricot, green melon and pear - $39
Red Wine
Meridian Pinot Noir, Italy - bing cherry with hints of strawberry, roses and violets - $37
Chateau Ste Michelle, Canon Ridge Merlot, Washington - a medium to full bodied rich, berry flavored long finish wine - $69
Perrin Reserve Cotes Du Rhone, France - full bodied, rich fruit with peppery finish - $39
Beringer Founders Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, California - bursts with cassis, black fruit and sweet brown spice - $39
Arboleda Carmenerem Chile - dark berries with plum, dark cherries and violets - 449
Castello Banfi Brunello Di Montalcino, Italy - soft and velvety with licorice, spices and cherry notes - $108
I did enjoy my cruise but another rip-off is the wine prices
Chateau Ste Michelle, Canon Ridge Merlot, Washington - a medium to full bodied rich, berry flavored long finish wine - $69
- this sell for about 12 dollars in local wine store
Beringer Founders Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, California - bursts with cassis, black fruit and sweet brown spice - $39- this sells for 8 dollars
but HAL does allow you to bring your own on
Chateau Ste Michelle, Canon Ridge Merlot, Washington - a medium to full bodied rich, berry flavored long finish wine - $69
- this sell for about 12 dollars in local wine store
Beringer Founders Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, California - bursts with cassis, black fruit and sweet brown spice - $39- this sells for 8 dollars
but HAL does allow you to bring your own on
Krazy Kruizers
Holland America Specialist
Krazy Kruizers
Holland America Specialist
I truely believe that HAL charges so much for a bottle of wine is because their sales are way down the last few years when they started to allow people to bring their own wine/champagne onto the ship. I have seen people bring cases of the stuff onto a ship -- ridiculous.
HAL should either not allow anything to be brought onto the ship or limit it to 1 bottle per person. And then lower the prices. They certainly would sell more.
