Holland America Line ms Nieuw Amsterdam

Overview

Repurposing one corner of the Lido Restaurant, this dinner-only venue offers casual, a la carte Italian cuisine—salads and soups, pasta, meat, fish and poultry. White tablecloths, tableside service, and an Italian-heavy wine list distinguish Canaletto from the usual Lido ambience. There’s no surcharge for dining here, and it’s popular enough that reservations are recommended.

Food

Olive bread and focaccia arrived first, followed by antipasti prepared for us at the table, with zucchini, olives, tomatoes, prosciutto and mozzarella. For soup there was minestrone and zuppa die pesce (seafood with vegetables)—the latter was hearty, with lots of vegetables, mussels and fish. Pastas included penne a la vodka, linguini frutti di mare and meat lasagna. For an entrée we enjoyed the marsala scaloppini, made with thinly sliced veal—the sauce was amazing.

The dessert choices properly reflected Italy’s sweet tooth, and included limoncello cream, a millefeuille of Madagascar chocolate, and various gelati. We chose the trio of tiramisu—the traditional espresso was properly delicious, and the amaretto interpretation was good, but the lemon disappointed.

Drinks

The wine list at Canaletto focuses more on Italian bottles, but wines from the regular wine list are also available.