We recently took a California Coastal repositioning cruise on the Ruby Princess. Since it was a short five day cruise, there wasn't a Most Traveled Guest Party for those 40 passengers with the most days sailed with Princess. Instead we received a letter in our cabin congratulating us for being one of the most traveled and the option to eat one night at Crown Grill, Share, or Salty Dog for free. We've done Salty Dog a couple times before on this ship during past cruises, Crown Grill a bunch of times on several ships across the Princess fleet, but had never ventured into Share. So guess what we chose?
We had our dinner the last night of the cruise when the ship was docked in Victoria, Canada. Since many people were onshore we arrived to an empty restaurant. Nice!
Share was amazing! So much better than I had expected. The multi-course meal (6 courses!), the service, the atmosphere, the flavors, and the view? Oh, yeah.
I think the best way to give you an idea of the food is through pictures. Everything was delicious and the service was excellent. And don't get me started on the tasty bread. Oh. My. Gosh.
Course One: Starter
Charcuterie: ’Nduja is a spicy, spreadable salami that comes from the southernmost Italian region of Calabria. Cured from prosciutto, with prominent chilies and spices. Choice of beef bresaola, duck prosciutto, or fennel-infused finocchiona. (We chose beef bresaola.)
Taleggio Cheese with accompaniments
Course Two: Salad
Tomatoes and Burrata: A variety of local tomatoes paired with oregano oil and dressed fennel leaves
Asparagus and Radish: Lightly roasted asparagus with arugula pesto, red bell pepper relish and
sourdough croutons
Course Three: Pasta
Ricotta Cavatelli: Roasted sunchokes, pickled beets and a Castelmagno espuma
Pork Ravioli: Green curry filling coated in lemongrass cream, and topped with crunchy chicharrones
Course Four: Sea
Lobster Bisque: Quick-seared cold-water lobster tail pieces with Madeira crème fraîche and fennel confit
Prawns “Baja Style”: Jumbo prawns simmered in spicy tomato water, roasted garlic and a black pepper frisée salad
Course Five: Land
Brown Butter Berkshire Pork Chop (for 2): A hard roasted double-bone pork rack, with confit carrots, broccoli purée and a jus of whole grain mustard
Course Five: Dessert
Almond Marzipan: Warm cake paired with strawberry coulis, candied almonds and crème fraîche ice cream
Toffee Cheesecake: With a red wine reduction, homemade raisins and macerated grapes
Here is the menu in case you'd like to see their other offerings. Currently the cover charge is $29 per person.
We will absolutely try Share again. (OK, I've made myself hungry now.)