I was invited to Millwick in Downtown Los Angeles for the unveiling of SHARE by Curtis Stone, his first restaurant at sea and partnership with Princess Cruises. SHARE will offer an exclusive dining experience for guests with a menu of signature dishes created by Stone and his team. The tables in the restaurant are communal, helping spark new conversations and hopefully new cherished memories, all-while sharing delicious recipes by Stone.
This partnership should come at no surprise, with that Princess Cruises has their “come back new” brand promise, aiming to elevate guest experiences through new culinary offerings. The “Crafted by Curtis” menu will be offered in the main dining rooms and will first debut aboard the Golden Princess in the fall, followed by a roll out fleet-wide through the end of 2015. Curtis Stone’s Chef’s Table experience will debut in early 2016.
At the unveiling I had the pleasure of experiencing first hand what the SHARE dining experience will feel like. As mentioned previously, the communal design of the tables effortlessly encourages connecting with friends, family and other cruisers, or in our case, media I have never met. Designed by Chef Stone, the menu features dishes such as a Charcuterie starter course; Butter Roasted Lobster with Caramelized Endive and Endive Foam; Twice Cooked Duck Leg with Fennel, Bacon jus and Parmesan Crumb; Tagliatelle with Roasted Alaskan Crab, Chili and Parsley; and Dark Chocolate Cremeux with Toasted Hazelnut Feuilletine and Burnt Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.
Below are some of the dishes we were lucky enough to taste, plated by Chef Stone himself.
To help bring the vision of SHARE to life, Princess Cruises and Chef Stone worked closely with hospitality designer Jeffrey Beers International. Together they were able to create a dining ambiance that reflects the Chefs own childhood mealtime experiences, which were focused around family and community.
“It’s only natural that my first restaurant at sea is named SHARE, as sharing food family-style with family and good friends is the most enjoyable way to eat,” said Chef Stone. “I love the process of passing plates amongst each other and creating meaningful connections through the food and conversation. I’ve worked feverishly to create elegant, tasty dishes that I’m really proud to serve in a beautiful and relaxed environment, and I’m excited that SHARE is set to become a special part of people’s holiday memories and experience at sea.”
SHARE is scheduled to debut aboard Princess Cruises’ Ruby Princess and Emerald Princess this December. Thankfully I was able to try out a few of the recipes last night, seeing as though I board one of their new ships in November, and will miss out on SHARE by one month. Be sure to follow the Joe’s Daily Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (Search: JoesDaily) to see my ship experience in November. I can’t wait.
