(Editor’s note: WAG senior luxury travel and beauty writer Debbi K. Kickham and her husband and sometime writing partner, William D. Kickham, just returned from a Regent Seven Seas Cruise – lucky stiffs. We’ll have a fuller report of their adventures in WAG’s April issue on business and the environment. But in the meantime, we thought you’d enjoy a “taste” of what they experienced: )
One of the best things about sailing on Regent Seven Seas Cruises is that there is always a wonderful meal awaiting you. We just sailed on a 33-day Caribbean cruise, and we were infinitely impressed by the cuisine. Unlike mass-market ships (where you’ll find pizza stations and too many downscale buffets), Regent is an award-winning small-ship line that exudes luxury in everything it does. And nowhere is this more apparent than in the elegant cuisine at all of the restaurant outlets on board. It really is an unrivaled experience.
Warning: There is a cookie around every corner. And they’re delicious. There is also a wealth of yummy, elegant cuisine to enjoy at every meal, every day. No matter where you prefer to dine.
Here is how we do it. We always skip breakfast so that we can eat normally at lunch and dinner, and not gain the proverbial “one-pound-per-day” weight that is an old anecdote about cruising. (More on how you can “eat petite” later on in this article.)
Lunch for us was at La Verandah, where there was always an array of salads, fish, breads, meat, hot entrées, cheeses, desserts, ice creams and fresh-made gourmet pizza that was all there for the taking. Take our advice and sit on the outdoor deck where you will enjoy up-close-and-personal-views of the ocean. We enjoyed so many delicious foods here – everything from delectable Berber Moroccan salad with hummus, to the exquisite Eastern European Salmon Coulibiac in puff pastry to a simple, terrific tuna-fish sandwich. We loved La Verandah because it was fast – you could mostly serve yourself – and easy and accommodating. If you prefer, you could also dine at the adjacent Pool Grill. It featured a vast selection of salads, fish entrées, hamburgers and even the plant-based Impossible Burger that everyone raved about. We held back on our calories, so that on the last couple of days of our trip, we could splurge with minimal guilt on the delicious sweet-potato fries that so perfectly complemented the veggie burgers. The Pool Grill was also a great dinner venue – we frequently dined on delectable grilled salmon, marinated vegetables and a simple baked potato – oh yes, and maybe some rice pudding for dessert. This was a great nighttime option, especially if you wanted to bask in the warm salt air and dine al fresco.
The Compass Rose, the main dining room, was a more elegant dining venue where we had many a memorable dinner. For menu selections, there were oceans of options. The extensive menu included the executive chef Ronald Marczak’s daily specials, such as black bean and quinoa salad with a radicchio risotto. Entrées might’ve included seared monkfish and Madras lamb curry.
The excellent Serene Spa and Wellness selections featured one of our absolute favorites, a wild-mushroom soup that we ordered again and again, it was so divine and low-calorie. The “Menu de Degustation” offerings might spotlight snow crab summer rolls and a Tahitian vanilla mousse. That’s not all. There was an entire menu page of “Always Available” and we made much good use of it. For example, there was fancy Norwegian-style salmon, pan-seared foie gras and San Marzano tomato soup. Guests could order any number of fish dishes, such as shrimp, lobster tail or whole Dover sole, with six different sauces, including garlic-herb butter and creamy herb. For meat, there were New Zealand lamb chops, veal medallions and filet mignon, with seven suggested sauces, such as Madeira truffle and hickory-barbecue. Even the most finicky eater would find an excellent entrée here as well as side orders of Lyonnaise potatoes, cauliflower rice (talk about being on-trend) and string beans.
And if you still desired something else? The posh pampering continued. Before you board Regent, you are encouraged to speak to your travel agent to let the executive chef and his team know of any food allergies and special diet preferences. That means that you can ask for all kinds of things – gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, low-fat, kosher, you name it – and the culinary team will deliver. “We have 28 menus that rotate,” Marczak said.
To celebrate our anniversary, we requested certain foods for a dinner while aboard, and the culinary team delivered. Memorable were the wild-mushroom pasta, salad with special vinaigrette, chicken cacciatore and Nutella crepes for dessert. We also ordered low-fat, guilt-free carrot cake, made with puréed pumpkin instead of oil – and it was even better than the full-freight version. The staff was excellent in noting and fulfilling all of our pre-boarding culinary and dietary orders. (Indeed, about the only thing the staff didn’t get quite right, was our daily order for a diet lemonade made with fresh-squeezed lemon juice with no seeds, no ice, still water and Splenda. Several times, the delivery was inconsistent, but on those occasions – quickly corrected.)
You can also dine anytime in two specialty restaurants requiring no upcharge – Prime 7 steakhouse, and Charteuse, a French bistro. Reservations were needed, but that was no problem. We especially loved Prime 7. Just the pre-dinner pretzel bread was enough to win us over. It typically started with a smoky tomato soup amuse bouche; a delicious Harvest salad with pumpkin cubes, beets and dried cranberries; and a roasted salmon with a special Jack Daniels sauce.
Because Regent is all-inclusive, all wine and spirits (top-shelf) are also included – a considerable benefit. The complimentary list features wines from the United States, Argentina, Chile, Australia, South Africa, France and Italy. You can also always upgrade to an even higher top-shelf selection. “You can have any wine you want, on any bar on the ship,” the head sommelier, Emiliano Chumacera, told us.
We loved the sweet Château des Ormes dessert wine from France. And if you just have to have that “liquid gold” selection, Chateau d’Yquem, it’s $342 and only sold by the bottle.
What did we like best about it all? Ordering not just one, but two delectable desserts at dinnertime.
For more, visit rssc.com. And follow Debbi on Instagram at @DebbiKickham.
