Princess Cruises Star Princess

Overview

Located just off the atrium lobby area on Deck 7, the Crown Grill is the second of two surcharge restaurants aboard Star Princess. The add-on was reasonable for a hearty meal of Sterling Silver beef, served in wood-paneled rooms that faced an open kitchen. Our only complaint was the harsh florescent lighting that poured in from the Promenade Deck (we’d recommend a table away from the windows). Our waiter initially seemed gruff, but we admired his very direct reply when we asked if there was something from the seafood selection he recommended. “It’s a steakhouse,” he stated bluntly.

Food

Beef choices ranged from an 8-ounce filet mignon to 16-ounce Kansas City strip to a 22-ounce porterhouse steak, with sideshows of New Zealand rack of lamb, Madeira-glazed Wisconsin veal chop, and a pork chop served with caramelized apples. These were handsomely displayed on a table at the entrance to the restaurant. Seafood choices included a mussel pot, Chilean sea bass and king prawns, and a barramundi papillote. Do you think we dared ask further?

We chose the 12-ounce New York strip, which we found to be good if unexceptional. The chop was ordered medium rare and was delivered just so, with a pleasing layer of char on the surface. The marbling was about right, and gristle was at a minimum. Scalloped potato on the side was appropriately decadent.

For a starter we tried the seared Pacific scallops served on a truffled potato confit, trimmed with crispy bacon and shiitake mushrooms—it was delicious. We also enjoyed the Grill Salad (or at least we think we did; what we received was a bit different than the menu’s description, but just fine nonetheless). Our dessert was a kind of deconstructed caramel cheesecake parfait, an elegantly presented dish with candied pineapple and a coconut madeleine for good measure. It was a fitting end to a satisfying meal.

Nice touch, but: A series of gourmet sea salts was on the table from the start—Hawaiian black, Himalayan pink and Yakima Valley smoked applewood—but we found all our dishes to be adequately seasoned, so we didn’t imbibe.

Drinks

The standard bar menu is available at the Crown Grill, along with an expanded wine list.

Additional Details

Crown Grill was open from 5:30 to 11 p.m. nightly, and the venue was large enough that getting a reservation didn’t seem to be a problem during our cruise.