'Uniquely Unordinary' Dining Venue Debuts On Celebrity Eclipse
February 24 2010 - 12:26PM
PR Newswire (US)
MIAMI, Feb. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- The world's top-rated restaurants
are often showplaces for art and design, and beginning April 26,
in-the-know food followers can experience a new venue whose cuisine
is an engaging combination of both. But they won't find it through
MapQuest, and their GPS will find it tough to track, too...since
it's moving. That's because the new restaurant, "Qsine," can be
found only on Celebrity Eclipse, the third of five ships in
Celebrity Cruises' stylish, $3.7-billion Solstice Class fleet. The
brainchild of Celebrity's Vice President of Culinary Operations,
Chef Jacques Van Staden, Qsine presents guests with an unexpected,
modern approach to familiar dishes from around the world. "Our
guests love new and different dining experiences, and we've
designed Qsine to deliver that in a big way," said Van Staden.
"Qsine is designed to offer a globally-influenced blend of
nostalgic and contemporary favorites, artfully presented with
elements of surprise." Van Staden says Qsine also will further
validate Celebrity's leadership position in offering world-class
dining experiences, as evidenced in the brand's stunningly
designed, guest-inspired Solstice Class specialty restaurants
including Tuscan Grille, Blu, Murano and Silk Harvest, not to
mention the series of intimate venues on Celebrity's Millennium
Class foursome. Qsine's menu design alone - a large, backlit square
filled with words and phrases designed to engage guests in the
experience - implies that Qsine is an unusual place. And the
cuisine makes it abundantly clear, with most of the selections so
unique that nearly all of the dishes and plating have been designed
exclusively for Celebrity. Among the selections are spring rolls
nestled in vertical springs, "Sushi Lollipops" (Nigiri sushi with
soy center, wasabi mayonnaise and pickled ginger-radish salad),
"Meatball Trilogy" (Kobe beef with cheddar and marinara sauce; veal
with mushrooms and marsala sauce; and turkey with cranberry and
sage gravy), "Chitinis" (Chinese selections served in martini
glasses), "Tresviche" (tiger shrimp and bay scallops with lemon
juice, tequila, cilantro, tomatoes and jalapeno oil), "Popcorn Fish
& Chips" (Boddington's-battered codfish and chips served with
malt vinegar or aioli), "Slider Party" (mini-grilled Kobe beef
patties with aged Wisconsin cheddar served on brioche buns with
"Qsine's original slider sauce" and garnishes), "Taco Royale"
(Black Angus sirloin steak, homemade taco shells, caramelized
onion-poblano, and do-it-yourself fresh guacamole, with a stone
mortar and pestle), and "Lava Crab" (Alaskan King crab, sweet
yellow corn and scallions with Hataifi and Old Bay sauce, served in
glasses over heated red stones). Libations to accompany the cuisine
range from approximately 100 varieties of primarily organic,
contemporary wines, to a vast array of creative cocktails. And, for
the first time on a Celebrity ship - just one week after announcing
the hip, new "Celebrity iLounge" - Celebrity has designed a means
for guests to capitalize on technology to easily review and order
wines via the latest touch-screen devices. Even the uniforms of the
wait staff illustrate the venue's unique nature. Designed by Van
Staden and custom-made exclusively for Celebrity, the jackets are
decidedly asymmetrical and sport square buttons, and are intended
to illustrate that the wait staff also are considered chefs,
offering guests a highly interactive and personalized dining
experience. Capping the Qsine experience is a series of desserts
whose menu is as sweet and surprising as its selections: A hinged,
twistable cube presents options ranging from candied apples to
popcorn to individual cookie jars. "Qsine is designed to surprise
our guests with uniquely unordinary dishes, innovative
presentations and engaging experiences," said Van Staden. "It's
designed to allow them to share with each other, sample several
different selections, and simply experience both new and favorite
foods in an entirely fun and unexpected way." Qsine will be open
nightly on Celebrity Eclipse from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., for a cover
charge of $30 per person. There are no age restrictions for dining
in Qsine, and the dress code is smart casual and above. Guests
booked to sail on Celebrity Eclipse can plan their unique evening
in Qsine right now, by making dining reservations on the Celebrity
web site, at http://www.celebritycruises.com/. Designed for
cruisers who appreciate online options, the Celebrity site offers
Celebrity Select Dining, the industry's first pre-cruise,
day-by-day flexible dining reservation system. The site also
presents guests with the option to book pre-cruise AquaSpa
reservations, specialty dining reservations, shore excursion
bookings, and online documentation, or "e-docs." Celebrity Cruises
is designed for discerning cruisers, with modern, sophisticated
environments, impeccable service, enriching and inspiring onboard
programs, and world-class cuisine. The ultimate in premium
cruising, Celebrity sails in Alaska, California, Canada/New
England, Europe, the Pacific Coast, Panama Canal, South America,
and year-round in the Caribbean and the Galapagos Islands.
Celebrity also offers immersive cruisetour experiences in Alaska,
Canada, Europe and South America. Celebrity's mega-series of honors
include being named the top mega-ship line in Conde Nast Traveler's
annual Readers' Choice Awards (November 2009). Celebrity's fleet
currently consists of nine ships. Its $3.75-billion investment in
building five stylish Solstice Class ships between 2008-2012
represents the largest five-year investment in premium cruising.
For more information, call your travel agent, dial 1-800-437-3111
or visit http://www.celebritycruises.com/. DATASOURCE: Celebrity
Cruises CONTACT: Elizabeth Jakeway, +1-305-539-6127, , or Tavia
Robb, +1-305-539-6721, Web Site: http://www.celebritycruises.com/
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