Everyone always asks, "What is the one specialty restaurant you'd choose if you could only do one?" When it comes to Celebrity Equinox, the answer is hands down, Murano! And I'm basing this answer on how our experience was great both pre and post pandemic sailings.
Celebrity Cruises describes Murano as classic French dishes with a contemporary twist. But don't worry, you won't have to dine on snails and frog legs unless you want to. As a result of having to make up two more meals to satisfy our dining package, we ended up trying both the dinner and lunch service. Lunch can be a great alternative if your schedule doesn't fit a lengthy dinner. Be forewarned, when we tried to call and change to lunch the first time a day before we had already reserved dinner there, we were told they didn't know yet if they'd be open for lunch the following day yet. We kept our dinner reservation until we called the next morning and confirmed that they did decide to open for lunch. We're glad it's a lot easier to get a lunch reservation at the last minute.
First up - dinner. Started off with an amuse-bouche of mango soup with goat cheese. I only discovered a love of goat cheese on a cruise but I don't think I'll ever be a fan of mango. Still, as the saying goes, I tried it for the blog!
My appetizer was the Warm Goat Cheese Souffle described as Smoked Tomato Coulis, Parmesan Cream, and Basil Pesto. Can't beat a bowl of cheese surrounded by hot melty cheese. I tried this appetizer on the previous cruise and it was a winner then as well!
Back when we dined in Bistro Sur La Mer on Princess, Dad said he'd considered getting the lobster bisque (this coming from Mr. Seafood shall never touch my plate) but wanted to see what it looked like first. I pointed out the multiple people at nearby tables who were enjoying it. "No, that can't be the lobster bisque! It looks like pot pie!" he insists. Bistro Sur La Mer chose to serve it in a pastry shell and include a tableside presentation of cutting off the top layer for each person. So to Dad, seeing that pastry shell bowl equated to the classic French dish - chicken pot pie.
But this time as he perused the menu in Murano, a little nudging got him to try their Creamy Maine Lobster Bisque appetizer! In Murano, while not in a pastry shell that needs cutting open, there is a tableside presentation. The waiter brings over a bowl with the Leek and Shallot Flan, Crispy Sweet Yellow Corn Beignets, and small pieces of lobster meat before pouring the Cognac Cream Bisque overtop.
A little dish of sour cream and a small crusty roll are served alongside for you to add as you desire. Dad declared the soup a winner but claims he couldn't tell there was any lobster in it. Something tells me we've got more work to do before I can get him to order the surf and turf.
Dad's favorite entree from Murano to the point that it was demanded that we try it on our first visit, is the Chateaubriand for Two. This entree also includes a tableside presentation but more so for the visual of watching the large beef tenderloin be sliced up into two portions and then plated for each person with Fricassee of Baby Vegetables, Bernaise, and Cabernet Sauce. The size of the tenderloin on our first visit was large enough to resemble a wrapped around neck pillow. This one was definitely smaller but was still plenty to eat. Another visit to Murano during that last cruise enabled us to order our own entree choices of Murano Lobster (the tail is cooked tableside and tossed in the pan with the sauce) and the Five-Spice Crusted Cervena Venison Loin. Bet you can guess whose entree was whose among those choices! If you try the venison, take our waiter's advice of ordering it cooked medium so it doesn't get too dried out.
For dessert, Dad relished in a bowl of gelato while I enjoyed another previous favorite - the Grand Marnier Souffle. They come over and poke a hole in the top to pour the creamy sauce down inside the cup. The taste reminds me of a bitter n blanc bread pudding.
While our dinner service in Tuscan Grille (and unfortunately food quality as well) was superbly bad compared to the past visits, the service in Murano has always been top notch! And I'm not just saying that because the waiter made me feel bougie putting my Sprite can in the champagne bucket. I appreciated that even the host and managers stepped in to help so there was no wait time. We welcomed the chance to share our Tuscan Grille letdown with one of the restaurant managers during this dinner. He was appreciative of our praise for Murano and thanked us for telling him about Tuscan Grille which he promised to pass along with the manager there. Hopefully it doesn't take the entire wait staff there to screw in some new light bulbs.
Lunch at Murano is perhaps a loosely kept secret because there was only a couple other tables in use by the time we finished our lunch. The lunch menu is scaled down to just one page but I believe you still had the option of doing the Five Senses upcharge experience at lunch as well.
For my first course, I went with the Seared Scallops with Fennel Puree and Nicoise Vinaigrette. Scallops were cooked well and were a good size. I would have preferred a little more to the dish however.
Dad continued to branch out into the land (or should I say sea) of seafood and ordered the Crab Salad with Avocado, Cilantro, and Citrus Emulsion. The fact that the crab was cold threw him off and it took some convincing that the green layer on top was the same food he likes in guacamole. I tried a bite as well and didn't care for it either but kudos to him for trying something new.
Dad's entree restored his faith in the meat and potatoes lifestyle as he loved the Roasted Filet Mignon. And yes, it does seem like the good fingerling potatoes were being saved for use in Murano.
And here was my chance to have that Butter Poached Lobster Tail though no tableside presentation at lunch it seems. It looks like in my picture that I was served the great contortionist lobster tail but no, it really was about as big as 1 1/2 of those scallops from the first course. Whether that was a supply issue, a portion size shrinkage affecting so many post pandemic, or the simple fact that we were having this lunch on the last full day of the cruise, I can't say.
Dad asked to have a repeat of his gelato combination but this waitress seemed unsure about getting ice cream at all. Dad assured her that he'd take all chocolate if she couldn't get pistachio. She came through in the end with both flavors. I branched out and tried the Tulipe Croustillante described as frozen yogurt and fresh berries. I had hoped that the frozen yogurt wouldn't be as icy as the ice cream I'd tried in the various restaurants onboard but it was all the same. I regret not having the chance to grab some proper gelato from the upcharge counter before the cruise was over. The berries were okay though a little tough being next to the cold frozen yogurt. The crust thing on the bottom for lack of a better description was hard as a rock. I didn't feel like giving the dentist a new sports car for the sake of trying to chew it.
Despite the lack of tables in use, service was a little slower than our dinner experience. The food, while some menu items were available on both menus, was less satisfying at least for me. Dad enjoyed everything but his appetizer. Truth be told, if I'd chosen something like his filet mignon, I'd have had a much more filling entree than I did. Moral of the story of lunch at Murano - if you're not really hungry, order the lobster.
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