As I introduced in my previous post Eating on Celebrity Solstice, Celebrity has a mix of inclusive dining (no extra fee) and “specialty dining” which requires as extra fee.  In this post we visit one of the specialty restaurants.

Murano on Celebrity Solstice

Celebrity describes Murano as a nouveau take on classic French cuisine.  To me, it just seemed like classic French cuisine (which I like very much).  The cost was I believe a $50 a person surcharge and apparently this restaurant was booked for the cruise by the first day.  I thought the additional cost was worth it.  The Murano menu is published on the Celebrity website.

Part of the fun is that much of the food is prepared tableside:

Murano Table Side cooking
Flambeing the lobster
Filleting dover sole
Filleting the sole

Murano – The Room

We sat in the “Wine Room” which is off the main entrance and reserved for larger parties.  It is a beautiful room.

Muranos Wine Room
The wine room.  Bottles kept in the cabinets on the walls.

Murano – The Food

I’ll give you a photo tour of some of the selections we had.

Murano Amuse Bouche
Amuse Bouche
Murano Salad
Heirloom tomato and Buffalo mozzarella salad with granny smith apples, cantaloupe, micro basil and white balsamic emulsion

 

Murano Lobster Bisque
Creamy Maine lobster bisque with leek and shallot flan, cognac cream, crispy sweet yellow corn beignets
Murano Dover Sole Veronique
Dover Sole Veronique with green grapes and Beurre Noisette.  This is not the dish i ordered but after tasting it, I think it was the best of the night.
Murano Lamb Rack
Herb crusted lamb rack pea puree, tomato confit, baby carrots, spice meatball, garlic jus
Murano Lobster Cognac
Lobster cognac flambeed warm water lobster tail, fresh basil, applewood smoked bacon, dijon cream
Grand Marnier Souffle
Grand Marnier Souffle

Other Specialty Restaurants on Celebrity Solstice

Other specialty restaurants on the Celebrity Solstice (none of which I ate at) are:

  • Sushi on Five – Sushi, Sashimi, and other Japanese fare
  • Silk Harvest – Pan Asian Fusion
  • Tuscan Grille – Italian Steakhouse

 

Celebrity’s Specialty Restaurants – Additional Thoughts

Another writer, Ann Cavitt Fisher, recently reviewed her Caribbean cruise on the Celebrity Reflection, and she points out how immersed Celebrity has become in specialty dining – for an extra fee – to the detriment of the main dining room.

On my first cruise on the Celebrity Millennium 12 years ago there was only one specialty dining room.  It was exceptional and you had to plan in advance to even get seated in it.  Therefore the main dining room was the centerpiece of food.  In my previous post, I wrote that the food varied between very good and outstanding on Celebrity Solstice.  Although its only one data point, on Millennium 12 years ago the food was consistently outstanding in the main dining room.

For a final thought, I’ll encourage you to check out my posts:

Eating on Celebrity Solstice

Drinking on Celebrity Solstice

Taking an Alaskan Cruise

And I’ll give you a picture of the star of the drinking post actually sober.

Sober on Celebrity Solstice
Yes that is water he is drinking