Time to raise the roof at the Rooftop Garden Grill

The Rooftop Garden Grill is an open air dining venue that requires a walk along the open deck to reach. While it can be an enjoyable ambience, it is only open weather permitting. High winds can making keeping one's napkin in place a real challenge. I'd also suggest choosing one's attire carefully so there's only one possible full moon visible on deck each night. It also butts up against where the big screen shows movies and in our case, NFL playoff games, which drew a large and rowdy crowd of those who wished to watch the game out under the stars. This restaurant has an upcharge of $45 per person plus gratuity. View the dinner menu here. This restaurant also serves lunch on sea days. Lunch is a reduced menu featuring an extra couple lighter casual options but also a reduced price of $25 per person.

The open air concept also involves an open kitchen which can be entertaining to watch. I watched one sous chef crank out tons of baked skillet cookies over and over. A little less so when you can see that your ordered dish is sitting out in the open for a long time waiting to be picked up.

We dined two different evenings here. Neither time seemed to be crowded so it was easy for anyone to switch to or pick a table that let you view the game through the bushes over your dinner. Since it was also garden themed inside the restaurant, Dad's seat on the first night was right up against a tree growing from inside the back of the booth bench. I may have been a little too giddy because this image made me go from "Hey there's a tree growing out of your head" to "You're a real life lemonhead!"

The first night started out fairly well in terms of service but then dropped off. I witnessed our assistant waiter routinely coming out of the kitchen and disappearing around the corner. I think it threw off our timing of the meal quite a bit because without him to help clear, our next courses were then delayed in delivery. Sometimes the food wasn't as hot or fresh as it could have been. Our Mason Jar water glasses started to become as parched as we were. Once we spoke up about it, the maitre'd and head waiter stepped in to get service back up to speed. We've had moments when a waiter gets called away and no one realizes their tables are no longer being covered (i.e. Cadillac Diner on NCL's Pride of America). I've since heard from fellow diners that first evening that they also lacked in service until management stepped in. The second night had moderately better service but some dishes seemed slightly less quality in taste and presentation that we repeated both nights.

From the Appetizer menu:

Pulled Pork Slider Trio - House Pickle, Tangy Carolina Style BBQ, and Crispy Onions. I'm not sure when Crispy Onions started being code for red cabbage coleslaw but the taste was good. The BBQ sauce was not spicy at all and easily passed the "I hate spice" picky eater test. I couldn't help but chuckle at the pickle spear intentionally cut into quartered slivers reminding me of green carrot stick garnish. Guess I missed reading about the great pickle spear shortage of 2023. 

Smoked Chicken Wings - Dry Rub or Spicy Buffalo. This was Dad's choice for appetizer so you know he picked the dry rub version. We each sampled the other's pick for appetizer. Dad was pleased with the flavor but we both agreed that there wasn't much meat to the wings.

From the Salads menu:

Caprese Salad - Tomatoes, Buffalo Mozzarella, Basil, and Balsamic Reduction. I've since seen pictures of this dish that showed it as full size tomato slices and just as large slices of mozzarella. Our chef apparently chose to go the artisan pretty presentation route by offering halved cherry tomatoes and what looked like diced up chunks of a couple slices of mozzarella. The classic flavors of a caprese salad were there but it took a little more effort to get all the flavors in one bite than if it was big pieces I could cut across. This style also meant that several pieces got too much of the balsamic reduction and some never saw any.

Caesar Salad - Romaine, Toasted Croutons, Aged Parmesan. Better than The Retreat Pool and Bar but not as good as Fine Cut Steakhouse.

From the Smoked menu:

Mesquite Baby Back Ribs - 1/2 Rack or Full, Dry or Wet. Served with cast iron jalapeno corn bread. Dad ordered the 1/2 Rack and dry. He enjoyed the tender meat and good flavor. When I asked about the jalapeno corn bread, he said he'd never have known there was jalapeno in it if I hadn't mentioned it. Looking back at this picture I can see how it would have easily been missed. The red cabbage cole slaw makes a return appearance as a side for this entree.

BBQ Grilled Half Chicken - Slow roasted with house BBQ sauce, Bacon Mac 'n Cheese. This was one of the few entrees to intentionally come with its own side. There is a regular mac 'n cheese on the sides menu. The chicken was cooked well with a lot of meat and BBQ flavor.

From the Grilled Favorites menu:

Rooftop Beef Burger - 8oz Grilled Beef Patty, Beer Battered Onion, Porter BBQ Sauce, Bacon, Cheddar, and Brioche. I asked our server which he recommended between the Rooftop Beef Burger and the WTF Burger. He emphatically told me to get the Rooftop Beef Burger. This burger was a lot to eat and I couldn't finish it all. I wasn't too concerned about trying to finish it though because it looked slightly undercooked inside. The flavors were good together otherwise and I was glad to see that the rest of my pickle spear joined us for dinner on this dish. The french fries pictured below in the basket was a request from the Sides menu. Otherwise you would not get fries and the few onion rings with this entree. 

From the Premium Cuts Menu:

Lamb Chops - Dad approves of this message and this dish. Though he ignored the dipping sauce cup. Was it some version of mint jelly? Was it some sort of aus jus? Did Jason Momoa really sing in that Superbowl commercial? Life's greatest mysteries.

From the Sides menu:

Creamed Corn on the first night we dined here. Dad ordered this to go with his ribs and said it was one of the best dishes of the night.

From the Dessert menu:

The two desserts right up our alley that we'd heard everyone rave about are the Mason Jar S'mores and the Warm Chocolate Chip Cookie with Vanilla Gelato. We each ordered one and sampled from both. Dad enjoyed both options but I found that the Mason Jar S'mores was too sweet for my taste. You really need to be ruled by your sweet tooth for that option.

Mason Jar S'Mores - chocolate mousse in between graham cracker crumbs and a thick layer of marshmallow on top. I was impressed that the graham cracker was ground fine enough that it didn't throw off the soft texture of everything else. However, the marshmallow layer was so thick that all I could taste was gritty sugar crystals after a few bites.

Warm Chocolate Chip Cookie with Vanilla Gelato

Don't think you'll like dining in Eden? You may find yourself loving it!

When we heard the descriptions of Eden being about healthy dishes and food inspired by the Earth's elements pre-cruise, I could feel Mr. Picky Eater recoiling at the thought before we ever stepped foot on the ship. We both agreed to give it a one visit try with the promise of grabbing food elsewhere if we didn't like it.

My version of the "My name starts with D so I'm going to pose inside the D in the Eden sign photo" doesn't turn out as well when you're only 5'7" tall! Note my trying to stand still on a rocking ship while Dad snaps the photo while I'm in the middle of asking if he's taken it yet pose.

Eden has a couple different options onboard. There is the Eden Cafe which is a small included venue where you can get some pastries and hot egg sandwiches at breakfast along with some panini style sandwiches at lunch. We checked it out shortly before it closed for the morning and found the place nearly empty. You place your order at the counter and get the lovely parting gift of a pager to let you know when your order is ready.

We ordered cinnamon buns and a couple egg based breakfast sandwiches. Dad picked out the bagel sandwich and I went with a panini style sandwich with bacon and cheese. A bite away from finishing his sandwich, Dad asks "Oh did you want to take a picture first?" The juice, coffee, and water is self serve across from the counter. Everything looked premade and sitting on display so the fact that we got a pager seemed silly. 

When our pager went off, I walked back to the counter to retrieve my order. We were missing one of the cinnamon buns. It turns out that someone had placed the cinnamon bun plate next to the panini press when they were making my sandwich but then forgot to add it to the plates they handed me. 

The cinnamon bun - basically a croissant squished into a circular hive shape and then shellacked with icing. Mostly hard as a rock and lacking in any recognizable cinnamon flavor.

The egg, cheese, and bacon breakfast sandwich - The bread was reheated in the panini press but I'm not sure how making it even more stale was going to help. I ended up taking off the thicker top piece of bread and eating the rest of the sandwich open faced.

Unfortunately, both the sandwiches and pastries tasted like they'd been sitting out all morning. My sandwich had the bread warmed but everything else was cold. We never made it a priority to see what was offered at lunchtime.

On to our dinner experiences for a much more enjoyable report. The cover charge for ordering off Eden's regular menu is $60 per person and $100 per person if you chose to try the Tasting Menu that includes a wine pairing. I believe our first (ooo foreshadowing) waitress, Edna (who with the biggest smile told us her name was easy to remember because it was like Eden only with an A) explained at the start of the meal that the Tasting Menu option was not included for us. However, I'm unclear whether she meant not included in the $60 cover charge or not included as part of our suite cabin level. We had no interest in the wine pairing so we didn't question her further. The Tasting Menu also limits you to choosing between only two dishes for each course and even this girl needs her options.

Our amuse bouche for this meal was some sort of beef tartare. I've never been a fan of anything followed by the word tartare. I don't think it's the raw food idea so much as a texture issue. I've tried some other meat tartare dishes on cruises but something about when it's beef with a slimy texture seems even worse. Maybe that's why I'm also not a fan of ceviche. I did though give it a proper try before vetoing the dish.

First up from the Appetizers section of the menu is Tandoori Style Beef - shredded vegetables, creamy polenta, hot tomato spice marinade. Dad's choice after Edna assured him it wasn't really spicy. He really enjoyed this dish as it was a great balance between the flavor of the beef and the creamy polenta.

I went with two appetizers - Sheep's Milk Gnocchi because I love trying gnocchi whenever I see it on the menu, and Truffled Huitlacoche Risotto. The latter was recommended as the dish to get by Dee from ParoDeeJay. Not normally a risotto fan but I was compelled to try it.

First up - Sheep's Milk Gnocchi - guanciale, sage butter, and smoked pecorino cheese. Bacon, flavored butter, and smoked cheese, what a wonderful combination. The portion was plentiful with large pieces of gnocchi. The gnocchi was easy to cut through but still had a substantial substance and texture allowing one to savor the flavor combination.

Next the Truffled Huitlacoche Risotto - hen of the wood mushrooms, pea tendrils, and mascarpone. I believe Dee described this dish as a hug in a bowl. I don't think I'll try hugging this dish anytime soon as I end up wearing enough food on my clothing as it is but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this risotto. It is a wonderful blend of earthy flavors mellowed out by the warm melty cheese. It reminded me of a portabella mushroom being used in place of burger meat only without the smoky grilled flavor. If you're looking for a vegetarian offering that doesn't make you feel like something's missing, this is the appetizer for you.

Y'all - if you've read any of my previous writings then you know my constant quest for soft bread rolls on cruises. I love that after asking on Princess they always brought me the soft "cafeteria rolls" of my youth. I love that on Viking I asked and was brought the soft popover style rolls from the Italian restaurant. Pasta and bread are two of their own food groups for me so when I find someone who brings me soft bread rolls, you're my new best friend! We ate in a lot of specialty restaurants on this cruise because we could but let me tell you, if you're a soft roll lover like myself, sail on the Celebrity Beyond. It seemed like the soft rolls were either the only option or at least always an option. It's a good thing my phone caddy wasn't any bigger or some rolls might have rolled right back to the cabin with me.

Edna recommended the Oven Roasted Chicken from the Entrees list offering to put it in the middle for us to share. You wouldn't think a chicken dish would be the star of this restaurant but this is one you definitely need to try if you're a meat eater. Tender, flavorful sliced chicken breast with duck fat potatoes, mushrooms, daikon leaves, fennel salad, pickled mustard, and chicken apricot roasting juice. This chicken was so good it made Dad forget that half the things listed with it on the menu were things he wouldn't choose to eat!

We also both tried the Filet Mignon and Mini Short Rib Wellington - mashed potatoes, vegetables, mushrooms, and bordelaise. Pictured below is the filet mignon cooked medium. I liked the combination of similar meats prepared two different ways. Both were tender and flavorful. Only critique I'd add is that the sea salt on top of the filet was a little too much of it and made random bites taste like a salt lick.

For dessert we chose different options. My choice was the Strawberry Dessert - vanilla chiffon sponge, strawberry, vanilla ice cream, and a souffle blanket. I was pleasantly surprised at how soft and light the sponge cake was and the strawberries tasted fresh. I'm not personally a fan of lemon flavor in dishes so the smell and taste of lemongrass sprinkled all over this dish became too overpowering to eat the rest of the cake part. I did finish the strawberries inside and most of the ice cream.

Dad went with the Azteca Chocolate Pie - mole ganache, praline croustillant, chocolate cremeux, and cardamom ice cream. Dad was hesitant about the cardamom ice cream because it was a flavor he'd never tried so Edna offered to switch the ice cream on the plate for vanilla. She encouraged Dad to at least let her bring the cardamom ice cream in a bowl on the side so he can try it. He did take the smallest bite of the cardamom ice cream - one that if it were any smaller we'd need to break out the microscope, before declaring that he didn't like it. He happily finished off the cake and vanilla ice cream however.

Each meal ends with a tower of small treat bites but we barely had any room left to try these.

When we were deciding where to eat when pre-cruise, we intentionally left a night unscheduled about halfway through the cruise. This gave us a night to play it by ear based on how specialty dining-ed out we felt. Or to avoid the situation where we ate so often in specialty restaurants that we didn't get enough experience in our regular dining room. When this day rolled around, we checked out the Luminae menu and decided that Eden was worth another try after all. Normally, making a reservation that day would be a challenge but when we asked our butler to make the reservation, he was able to get us in close to the same time we'd booked all of our dining pre-cruise. This was definitely an improvement over our experiences trying to get specialty dining reservations when sailing in the Aqua Sky Suite on Equinox. 

We were seated in a different section and thus had a different server tonight. Both visits had wonderful service and we made a point of commending them both to Eden's maitre'd before we left. I'd also like to send a friendly wave and hello to the kind couple seated next to us this evening. We shared our past Aruba excursion experiences with each other. They had plans to do the same submarine excursion we did in May and were concerned about how they'd fare. I had hoped to run into them again to ask how it went but never got the chance. 

Tonight's amuse bouche was like a pumpkin cream soup with a dollop of whipped goat cheese in the middle. If you like drinking your pumpkins, then this would be perfect for you.

My appetizer choice was the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake - chipotle mayonaise, piquillo, cucumber, and dill salad. Yes, I'm biased when it comes to my crab cakes but this one gets a thumbs up! I liked how it wasn't breaded all the way around but instead just enough at the top and bottom to create a seared crust. There was a little bit of spiciness to the sauce that surprised me but not enough to turn me off of finishing the dish.

We had to get another round of the Roasted Chicken again - though this time it seemed a little more underdressed. Still just as tender and flavorful.

Dad ordered the Free Range Lamb Loin - dijon herb crust, apple, turnips, salsify, croissant, and lamb roasting juices. We were a little surprised by the dish's presentation as we expected more of the classic lamb on the bone appearance. Dad said this dish was just okay.

Realizing I'd made it this far in the cruise without ordering some version of lobster, I chose the Nova Scotia Lobster Casserole for my entree on this second visit. This dish features glazed leeks, neuski bacon, sweet corn, and marble potatoes. While I'd classify this entree with the 1-2 ravioli where's the rest of it club, this dish was very tasty. The lobster consisted of claw and tail meat, tasted fresh, and was cooked well. I loved how the sweet corn was presented as sheared off the cob remnants making it easier to eat with your dish and saving your loved ones from getting showered while you try to eat it straight off the cob. 

Dad went back to his first love of the Azteca Chocolate Pie with vanilla ice cream for dessert tonight while I stepped out of my comfort zone to try the Butterscotch Creme Brulee. Doesn't every great dessert description read "Carrot gel and brandy snap?" Regular creme brulee is one of those okay every once in a while dessert options in my book but I've never been a fan of butterscotch flavored anything. And now we've added in the flavor of carrot into dessert (and no I'm not choosing that carrot cake either). Trust me, our server says, it's better than it sounds! If you love creme brulee and/or carrot cake, then maybe you'll love this combination. For me, some things just don't go together well. I gave this one such an old college try that I even went to graduate school in my efforts to give this dish a true tasting. Unfortunately, the flavor combination just Piled Higher and Deeper reinforcing my taste buds desire to drop (the spoon) out.

We had arrived in Aruba during dinner for our overnight stop so I hopped off the ship to grab some photos of the ship. To end this post, please enjoy one of my favorite pictures from the trip:

Is the steakhouse on Celebrity Beyond a cut above the rest?

Now if you've ever met my Dad or read any of my other trip reports, it should come as no surprise that visiting the steakhouse was on top of Dad's list for specialty restaurants to visit on this cruise. I don't affectionately call him Mr. Meat and Potatoes for nothing after all. On Celebrity Beyond, the steakhouse is known as Fine Cut and normally costs a cover charge of  $55 + 20% additional service charge per person. The menu can be viewed as a PDF from Celebrity's website here. Note the fine print at the bottom of the menu that advises a $20 extra charge if you order more than one entree. Also, items under the "Premium Cuts" section of the menu carry an upcharge beyond the cover charge. Our cover charge and the order of Premium Cut items was included for being in a Royal Suite cabin or higher.

We ended up dining in Fine Cut three times during the cruise including the first evening. All three times our service was great and we enjoyed the majority of the food we tried. The first evening we were approached by the maitre'd and I thought it was simply because we were one of the first tables dining at that time. Turns out he wanted to say hello because he recognized us from another sailing. I'm sorry I didn't catch your name sir! I love when we run into crew from past sailings!

Here's a photo rundown by menu course what we tried over the three visits. This restaurant is often barely lit so forgive some of the darker photos. Side note: Celebrity Beyond got the memo when it comes to soft rolls in restaurants! I may have eaten more bread on this sailing that I ever have on a cruise because every venue offered soft rolls.

From the Starters section:

Ricotta Gnocchi - Artichoke puree, Iberico ham, herbed crispy crumbs, and truffle oil. This dish was not listed on the above PDF file of the menu but was in the app and the menu handed to us in the restaurant. First of all, I love the description of herbed crispy crumbs versus croutons. I didn't eat much of the ham/bacon strip arranged on top but the texture and flavors were good in the rest of the dish.

The Steakhouse "Wedge" - Iceberg Lettuce, Smoked Nueske Bacon, Blue Cheese, Pickled Shallots, and Cherry Tomatoes. Right up Dad's alley as the version of salad he'll willingly eat is lettuce, tomatoes, and a ranch or blue cheese dressing. Basically the veggies that top a hamburger. 

Signature Crab Cake - Lemon Pepper Aioli, Pickled Radish, Baby Lettuce. The grapefruit wedge and one skinny asparagus stick garnish seemed odd to me. The crabcake itself was good and was around 90% crabmeat versus filler. This hometown Maryland girl approves of this message.

Black Pepper Bacon - Steakhouse Sauce Glaze. I've tried a version of this at Royal Caribbean's Chops steakhouse so I wanted to compare them. Unfortunately, I found RCL's sauce too sharp tasting. While Celebrity's sauce tasted better, the bacon strip seemed overcooked despite being way more fat than meat.

The King Caesar Salad - Hearts of Romaine, Herb Baguette Croutons, Aged Parmesan, and Caviar. This salad could teach that Caesar salad from the Retreat Sun Deck some lessons. 

From the Entrees section:

"Premium Cuts" Certified Black Angus Tomahawk 30oz (for two). I believe we went with my preference of medium doneness since we shared this entree on the first night. Honestly, in other creator's vlogs, it looks bigger than it did in person to me. The meat was tasteful and tender. Dad insists he could have easily ate the whole thing himself. Personally, I probably could have as well if I didn't eat anything else in the meal. Dad of course would have gladly sacrificed eating the vegetable sides in order to eat the rest of this steak.

Bone-In Filet Mignon - 9oz. Listed on the menu linked above under From the Grill. Listed on our app as a Premium Cuts option. And no, we don't understand how you can have a bone-in filet mignon either. Dad says the tomahawk is better.

USDA Prime Boneless Rib Eye -14oz. Nowhere near as tender as I would have expected. Tough to cut and tough to chew. Gave up after a few bites.

Lemon Poached Lobster Tail - Melted Leeks, Shiitake Mushrooms, Lobster Ravioli, and Beurre Blanc Sauce. Don't sleep on this dish if you can eat/like lobster! The lobster tail was of a good size and tasted fresh but what looks like a mountain of mashed potato underneath is actually a huge snowball sized pile of lobster meat that the chef threw a ravioli blanket over and called it a night! No dinky bite sized where's the rest of my entree ravioli in this dish!

Roast Prime Rib of Beef - Herb Pepper Crust and Aus Jus. Are you a so red it better still be mooing prime rib person or a better not see any pink kind of prime rib eater? Dad's still insistent on ordering his beef dishes well done. He seemed to like the dish but to me it looked and tasted like tough shoe leather. I'd suggest backing off a little on the doneness level if you want to try the prime rib because it gets really dry the longer it cooks.

From the Sides section:

Gruyere Tater Tots (smaller rounded brown things), Parmesan Truffle Fries (longer brown things next to the tater tots), and the Grilled Asparagus because I needed to throw some other color besides brown in the mix. I never get to enjoy fresh asparagus at home so I order it when I can as a restaurant side. I was a little disappointed that a small sampling of each on a plate to share was how they presented it to us. Looked skimpy on a larger plate. Taste and texture wise - both tater tots and asparagus were good. Truffle fries were not as good as I'd hoped as they seemed a little undercooked.

Smoked Bacon Mac & Cheese. I liked the use of the little shells versus elbow macaroni. Gave a lighter, creamier taste to the dish.

On our second visit, our server announced "Oh and we have mashed potatoes and baked potatoes now too!" I had just been commenting to Dad that I was surprised there was no mashed or baked potato listed as sides on the menu. Guess they had been in some potato witness protection program and now that the Murderous Masher had been stopped from preventing kitchen drawers from fully opening nationwide, the coast was clear for them to come out of hiding.

Mashed Potatoes:

From the Desserts menu:

Double Chocolate Brownie - Toasted Almonds, Vanilla Ice Cream, Chocolate Sauce & Whipped Cream. I think you can tell by Dad's reaction how much he loved this dessert!

NY Strawberry Cheesecake - Graham Cracker Crust. A little smaller of a slice than I would've expected from a steakhouse but it was plenty for the amount of room I had left after dinner.

Ultimate Chocolate Sundae - Neapolitan Ice Cream, Hot Fudge, Sliced Almonds, Whipped Cream, and Caramel Sauce. Dad asked to have just chocolate and vanilla ice cream instead of the Neapolitan. He loved this sundae so much he had it on the last visit as well.

I ended my last Fine Cut visit by requesting a scoop of vanilla ice cream to accompany my NY Strawberry Cheesecake. They brought me the same huge glass as Dad's Ultimate Sundae except that mine had just the vanilla ice cream and no toppings. A great alternative if you don't want or can't have the toppings like the almonds and caramel sauce that normally come in the sundae.