Murano is a formal restaurant, so men are expected to wear a suit or sport jacket (several members of the staff wear tails).
Murano’s palette of white, silver, and crystal add to its cool elegance. Other rich appointments are white-on-white checkerboard linens and Riedel crystal wine glasses.
Murano has a small number of menu choices, but each dish is served with fanfare. Entrees arrive under silver domes, and waiters lift them with a flourish.
Our lobster bisque was followed by Caesar salad and Steak Diane, the signature entrée. A palate-cleansing passionfruit granita followed, then a cheese course.
Dessert was the star of the meal. Both a chocolate souffle and coconut crème brûlée were sweet treats.
Elsewhere on the ship when it was time for dinner we often felt like Goldilocks, finding the fare in the buffet and main dining room too salty or too bland. Note: The main dining room has assigned seating; by the third night, we were ready to toss our reactionary table mates overboard.
Toward the end of the cruise we discovered the sushi bar at the far end of the buffet; its offerings were fresh and tasty. And the ice cream – complete with sugar-free chocolate so good that we doubted its billing – compensated for pastry disappointments.
Note: Despite our inability to locate truly palatable fare at the buffet, we saw many passengers eating with gusto. In food as in love, it’s a matter of taste.
We were happiest eating in the self-serve Spa Café. This intimate room offers breakfast and lunch. While the choices aren’t vast, the food was consistently healthy and properly seasoned.
