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Hot Rock - Silversea Silver Spirit
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Saturday, August 21, 2010
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[March 11, 2010] I did not want to proclaim victory or defeat until after spending at least a week aboard the new Silver Spirit. With that said, it is beginning to look like Silversea has another winner on its hands with this shiny new ship. Launching a new class of ship is pretty risky for a small ship cruise line with a loyal following of clientele. The Silversea faithful have become spoiled over the years with the pampering they have received aboard the line’s four smaller vessels. They should be relieved to learn that the company appears to be delivering the same personal service aboard Silver Spirit.
With three days in a row “at sea”, we have had a lot of time to explore this new vessel. There will be a lot to report in our upcoming feature story, but we will give you bits and pieces each day in the blog. And, if you are wondering why we had three days “at sea” in a row, we had to skip our scheduled stop in Antofagasta, Chile due to sea conditions.
Hot Rock
One of the most popular spots to dine on Silver Spirit is Hot Rock located on Deck 10 just above the Pool Deck. We joined our friends, and fellow travel journalist, Linda Garrison* and her mother, Marvel, at The Bar for cocktails before heading to our 7:30pm reservation at Hot Rock.
At its core, Hot Rock is an outdoor steak house. What makes this venue so innovative is the way your meal is presented. After ordering from the menu of beef, lamb, veal and fish offerings, the meal begins with a salad. I ordered my old stand-by, Caesar Salad. If memory serves me well, I recall Silversea’s Caesar Salad dressing in the past to resemble a bland, almost mayonnaise flavor. Not anymore! There appears to be a new dressing that is much more flavorful with the tanginess (is that a word?) that you expect from a Caesar Salad.
With the rabbit food portion of the meal out of the way, it is time for the real food to arrive. The meat dishes arrive at the table with a bit of fanfare. Each piece of pre-seared meat is delivered on top of a sizzling slab of stone, hence the term “Hot Rock”. The stone has been heated to 450 degrees and is used to “cook” your meat dish to your preferred level of doneness. To prevent grease splatter from invading your outerwear, each diner is adorned with a large bib.
The first delivery to the table was Marvel’s lamb chops, four lamb lollipops sizzling away on the 8” square stone. Next was Linda’s Fillet Mignon, then my 10oz Veal Chop. Rickee only had a baked potato so she served as an observer. Each of the dishes arrives “pre-seared” from the kitchen, so even if you dig in as soon as it arrives, it is probably cooked to rare status. It only took my veal about 4 minutes to reach a perfect medium. Once the meat is the way you like it, you can remove it from the stone to a small plate. If you undercooked a piece, you can always put it back on the stone and cook it a little more. The stone retains the heat throughout the meal.
Everyone at the table agreed that their meat dish was excellent. My veal chop was tender, juicy and delicious; no doubt a credit to the cook (he he). Linda’s fillet looked thick and equally delicious. One of Marvel’s lamb chops mysteriously made its way to my plate before the end of the meal and I can attest to its’ deliciousness.
Everyone agreed that Hot Rock is a big winner. The place was packed by 8:00pm and apparently this is the case every evening. Everyone loves casual, simple fare served in a relaxed atmosphere. Silversea has created a unique, interactive dining experience that seems to have found a following. Eight thumbs up from our table!
*Linda Garrison is the Guide to Cruises of the cruises.about.com website
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| 5 Comments | | | STRAPON | | | Old Silver, your thinking is shared by plenty of others (mostly Brits). It's a small venue and your absence does not mean an empty table.
We go every third night and it is a winner for us. | | | Saturday, March 13, 2010 8:37 AM | | | | WAYNE | | | What a great place to dine. The food must be wonderful. Hot Rocks--that is a very unusal way to serve | | | Saturday, March 13, 2010 8:02 AM | | | | KMG | | | Tanginess is a word. | | | Friday, March 12, 2010 6:22 PM | | | | MUSECRUISER | | | Its too bad, Old Silver, you've not been on the ship to actually try it. I do not know the blog writer, but I, too, am on the ship and LOVE the Hot Rocks restaurant. It is one of our favourite venues on the ship and I agree SilverSea has a winner on its hands.
I'm sorry, but it is neither a Disney cruise experience nor is it rubbish.
Consider my post from someone who's onboard and who's tried it. | | | Friday, March 12, 2010 12:17 PM | | | | OLD SILVER | | | If i wanted to wear a bib for dinner,I would have gone to Biguns Ribs
As for casual,simple fare served in a relaxed atmosphere,why spend all of that money with Silversea when they are giving you a Disney cruise experience.Silversea is known for stlye and elegance not this rubbish. | | | Friday, March 12, 2010 11:21 AM | |
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