Princess Cruises SHARE by Curtis Stone


JILL WEINLEIN

After graduating from UCLA, JIll traveled the world looking for unique destinations. She’s been writing about her travels for almost 30 years in various publications.

She writes a weekly restaurant review for the Beverly Press and Park LaBrea News. It’s inserted into the Los Angeles Times every Thursday and delivered to subscribers from Hancock Park to Beverly Hills, Hollywood Hills to the Wilshire Corridor.

Princess Cruises SHARE by Curtis Stone

BY JILL WEINLEIN

Walking onboard the towering 19 deck Emerald Princess cruise ship, before it set sail to Hilo, Hawaii and beyond, I marveled at the clear glass balconies of nearly 900 staterooms. Cruise passengers who book one of these cabins can open their door to allow fresh ocean air in. It’s an ideal spot to sit with a beverage and a good book while at sea or in port. What also makes this cruise ship extra special is that it’s one of three Princess Cruise ships to offer Celebrity Chef Curtis Stone’s first restaurant at sea, SHARE.

Many have watched this handsome Australian chef on top rated television and cable programs including Take Home Chef (TLC), Top Chef Masters (Bravo), and Food Network’s All-Star Academy. Others know him for his New York Times bestselling cookbooks, especially his most recent titled Good Food, Good Life. Stone is also a regular contributor to several magazines and television shows in the United States and Australia.

With his popularity and success, he opened his first restaurant Maude in 2014 in Beverly Hills, and later in 2016 opened his second restaurant, Gwen Butcher Shop & Restaurant in Hollywood. Both have received glowing praise from restaurant journalists.

Recently I was invited to enjoy lunch onboard the Emerald Princess and meet Chef Stone to learn about his third restaurant SHARE by Curtis Stone. While standing in the elegant dining room, I first met Gordon Ho the Chief Marketing Director and Head of Sales for Princess Cruises. He shared with me how Princess Cruises collaborated with Stone after Gordon dined one night at Maude. “Enjoying the multi-course experience, I had an idea, said Ho. “Since Stone is in Southern California and Princess Cruises’ headquarters is in Southern California (Santa Clarita), I approached Stone to see if he would be interested in having a similar restaurant concept at sea onboard the Princess fleet.” He told me that Stone embraced the idea, and soon he was working in the kitchen with the Princess Cruises culinary team.

Now cruise passengers onboard the Emerald Princess, Ruby Princess and the Sun Princess are offered an exclusive opportunity to enjoy this elevated dining experience.

It’s an ideal spot for a special celebration, spend time with family or meet new friends. The SHARE concept is to sit in a more intimate setting and reconnect over a six-course dining  experience. Each dish is made with the finest ingredients including ultra premium meats, fresh seafood and farm produce. The creative dishes are artistically presented and served.

The day I dined, guests were served an appetizer plate with Nduja (spicy, spreadable pork salumi from Italy) and thin layers of Duck Speck, along with slices of sliced Eli baguette. Next, the salad course was thinly sliced kanpachi crudo with avocado puree and shredded almonds on top. For the pasta course, Stone and his team made a heavenly ricotta cavatelli with roasted brussels sprouts leaves, sliced beets and crispy sunchokes. Course four was a lobster bisque with pieces of poached lobster and minced shallot confit. The main course double bone Duroc pork chop was served sliced with a smooth broccoli puree and roasted carrots. Dessert was a decadent toffee cheesecake with dried apple chips and grapes soaked in a red wine reduction.

For those with dietary restrictions, Stone and his team make a vegetarian-friendly menu. Cruise passengers can experience SHARE by Curtis Stone for a nominal supplemental fee. Wine and cocktails are extra.

After lunch we were free to explore the ship before it set sail for its 39 day voyage to the South Pacific (Hawaii, Tahiti and Fiji). Passengers were participating in the Discovery at SEA programs and relaxing at The Sanctuary, an exclusive, tranquil haven reserved just for adults.

The Emerald Princess offers two more roundtrip 15 day cruises in December from Los Angeles to Hawaii. The December 4 & 19 cruises start under $1280 per passenger for an interior room. In 2019 they are sailing 11 times to Hawaii from January to April, and then again November and December. To book with Princess Cruises, call your cruise specialist or log onto https://www.princess.com/.

No Comments

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.