Tuesday - February 26, 2008
Dining in the Queens Grille
The Queens Grille is a restaurant for those passengers with Queen category staterooms it seats about 220 people. As you can imagine, not all tables are equal because some tables
are better located than others. When we got on board in New York, we were invited to come to the dining room to see where our table for 2 would be. We were delighted to see that we had a prime spot in the center of the room, which is a few steps down from the rest of the dining room and has only about a dozen tables and just four of those for two people (ours is the table just beyond the rail by the plant). I have no idea how we copped a table like this but it proved to be even more of a bonus than we thought because the passengers seated at the tables closest to us proved to be very nice people whom we enjoyed spending time with.
The Queens Grille also has its own lounge with floor to ceiling windows where Grille passengers could sit and read during the day, chat with friends, have afternoon tea, enjoy a drink and hors d'oeuvres before going into dinner, or have a nightcap after dinner. We didn't have tea all that often because we were never really that hungry between dinner and lunch, but we did go a couple of times because it all seemed so civilized. One time, I was seated next to a lady who had a very posh English accent. My, doesn't she sound cultured, I thought. I couldn't see her without turning my head completely to the side, so I resisted the urge. It was a few hours later, when I saw her again at dinner and had a better view, that I realized the lady was Hilary Kay, one of the presenters on the BBC Antiques Roadshow for many years, who was a guest speaker on board. 
We have had a large number of excellent meals in the Queens Grille during our 42 days on board the QE2. The menus for the day are delivered to our room every morning and if we don't like what we see on the menu for the evening, we can order off the a la carte menu or we can request something else we would like. Such wonderful choices as Beef Wellington, Mushroom Risotto, Lobster, Duck with Cherry Sauce, Lemon Sole, and Chicken Cordon Bleu appear as main courses. For dessert, we often see Crepes Suzette, Cherries Jubilee, Peach Melba, Chocolate Souffle, Baked Alaska, and various kinds of cheesecake. Each menu offers 4 appetizers, 3 soups, 2 salads, 6 or 7 main courses, and about 6 desserts! We limit ourselves to three courses and sometimes two, and it sure is difficult.
Some of the dishes that you can order to be prepared at your table are Caesar Salad, Duck al Orange, Chateaubriand, and Tequila Shrimp. All the flamed desserts are also done at your table by the Maitre d'. We have had all of these.
We have two excellent waiters - Lawrence from Calcutta (right) and Philip from Bangalore (left). They are always cheerful with us and quickly came to know what we like best. They are like Italian mothers, worrying that we aren't eating enough. One evening I told Philip that I didn't think I had room for dessert, to which he replied, "Make room!" I ate my dessert.
I learned that if Lawrence says something is "okay" when asked, I should order something else. He is never wrong. He also has the most wonderful smile. Philip is more subdued than Lawrence, but he never fails to ask how I'm feeling on the rougher sea days and came out to escort me to our table when we were really rocking and rolling one night. He is a sweetie.
Our first Maitre d' broke his leg the day before we docked at Valparaiso, so his assistant Dennis took over until the Maitre d' from the Princess Grille, who was on leave, could rejoin the ship in Tahiti. We knew Andrew from our time in the Princess Grille on the World Cruise in 2005, so it was fun to see him again. Andrew runs a tight ship, no pun intended, but he also likes to share a joke with his staff so things stay relaxed. I have included a photo of Andrew cooking Crepes Suzette for us one evening. 
But the guy who really keeps us in fine form is Harry, our wine steward. Harry, who is also from Bangalore, is extremely knowledgeable about wine and can always be relied upon to make a good suggestion when asked. He also is the fastest "gunslinger in the West" in that he can open a bottle of wine in about 30 seconds. I have never seen anyone remove the foil and get a cork out faster - except for the night I told him how impressed I was at his ability and he promptly broke the cork! Harry also always has a restaurant to recommend in every port and I can't count the number of times we have run into him at our various stops. 
The last aspect of the the Queens Grille that I have to mention, is a certain table that receives a lot of attention, for good reason. The table is always set with about 15 to 20 different Mickey Mouse dolls each evening. There is a sign on the table that says "I may be getting older, but I refuse to grow up!" The couple who sit at this table book the two biggest suites on the ship every year for the World cruise. They make the largest donations to every charity event on board the ship and I'm told that they buy a gift for every staff member each cruise. Many of the dolls are gifts from crew members. The table definitely adds a certain touch to the atmosphere of the dining room! This couple must like routine, because they always sit at their reserved table in the Grille Lounge for drinks before dinner, they always enter the dining room at 9:05 pm (even though the restaurant closes at 9), and they are always the last ones to leave.
All in all, the dining experience has been top notch. I think we like the intimacy of the Princess Grille better, but the Queens Grille has been great.