Trattoria Sabatini—A 17-Course Meal

Yep.  You read correctly.  Seventeen courses.

Cruise ships nowadays have specialty restaurants which attempt to separate cruise ship clients from their money by offering an enhanced dining experience over and above that which is available in the main dining rooms or the buffet.  On the Star Princess there are two such restaurants—The Crown Grill for upscale dining including high-end cuts of meat, and Sabatini’s for an Italian experience.  Ursula and I are scheduled to try The Crown Grill later in the voyage, but tonight it was Sabatini’s turn.

For $20 per person, Sabatini’s offers the aforementioned seventeen courses with the patron basically being called upon to make only one selection—the main course, or the Secondi Piatti (second plate) as it is called.  The courses come in six basic waves, and you really need to pace yourself if you’re going to escape the dining room relatively unscathed.

The first wave was the Antipasti, and it included prosciutto with cantaloupe; shrimp and marinated artichoke with white truffle oil; porcini mushrooms with tarragon; black mussels steamed with fennel, garlic, and saffron; Sevruga caviar served on potato latkes; deviled crab cakes with salmon roe; air-dried beef with grilled zucchini, eggplant, red peppers, mushrooms, and sundried tomato; and a small wedge of fried brie cheese.

The second bombardment came in the form of pizza, four slices each with a different topping.  The toppings included wild salmon; prosciutto with pineapple (an interesting twist on the old Hawaiian-style ham); Parma ham with tomato, buffalo mozzarella, and fresh, sweet basil; and a vegetarian offering with lots of peppers, mushrooms, and grilled zucchini.

The third assault was the Zuppe e Insalata (Soup & Salad) course. Ursula opted for the Seafood Cioppino.  I had the Minestrone alla Milanese.  Neither of us wanted to tempt fate with the fresh Mesclun Greens with Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Next up was pasta on parade. Mussels and claims accompanied spaghetti tossed in a creamy tomato sauce.  Gnocchi (a type of potato dumpling) were served in a smoked Fontina fondue.  And bringing up the rear were the cannelloni filled with ground veal.

Finally the main course arrived. Available selections were sea bass in a Pinot Gris/lemon sauce with squid inked risotto and broccoli; langoustines in lime and cilantro; cold-water lobster tail with pilaf and broccoli; rosemary-infused chicken with a truffle demi-glace; jumbo sea scallops; tiger prawns with a garlic peri-peri glaze; and a veal chop in a shallot crust cooked in marsala.  Ursula went for the sea bass while I attacked the lobster.

And then there was dessert—that ever-present Italian mainstay, tiramisu; a cappuccino crème brulée; white chocolate mousse; and at least three other offerings whose descriptions escape me now but which are photographed below.

Overall the meal was well worth the cost of admission.  I would definitely recommend trying this at least once on your cruise.  My biggest quibble was, why so seafood-intensive, especially on the main course selections?  There was only one four-legged creature in the bunch.  That made a bit of a mockery of the red wine selections offered in the wine list.  Nevertheless, we settled for a Pinot Noir that was touted as being on someone’s (didn’t specify who’s) 100 top wines list.  Alas, it was all right but certainly wouldn’t make my personal 100 best list.  It was a bit sweet for a Pinot Noir, which is probably why it found itself recommended as a possible selection for all that seafood.  But although it had the classic Pinot Noir nose, it certainly fell a bit short in the taste department.  If I had it to do all over again, I’d have stuck with a medium-bodied white or, more likely, skipped the wine altogether.

Here are a few photographs of Sabatini’s as well as a couple of other pictures I took after dinner while walking off those seventeen courses: