Fahrenheit 555° Steakhouse on Carnival Vista
July 25, 2017 - Carnival may not be the first name that pops into your head when you think of upscale, fine dining on a cruise ship. But, you need to "get your head right" as they say in Texas. Fahrenheit 555 steakhouse is right up there with the best dining venues at sea. Our most recent experience at Fahrenheit 555 was on Carnival Vista (July 2017). We remembered having a great experience at the steakhouse on Carnival Breeze back in 2014, so wasted no time in making advance reservations through the Carnival website weeks before our cruise.
The restaurant is located on Deck 5 midship, across from Alchemy Bar and Bonsai Sushi restaurant. The dark wood decor and lower levels of lighting make for a romantic atmosphere and gives the space a very upscale feel. We are greeted by the restaurant manager when we arrive and she accommodates us by seating us at the table for two we had requested when we spoke with her on embarkation day.
After ordering two glasses of Cabernet, we began looking over the menus, which were already resting on the charger plates. The menu offers an enticing variety of starters, salads, entrees, side dishes and desserts.
After we placed our order, our server, Mirela, brought us an amuse bouche, compliments of the chef. The cold tomato foam was topped with a small Parmesan crisp dotted with crème fraîche. What a great beginning!
Soon, our appetizers arrived. I ordered the New England Crab Cake, a crusty, crab-filled cake resting on a delicious roasted pepper remoulade.
Rickee ordered the Baked Onion Soup which resembled a traditional French onion soup. The rich beef broth was filled with onions and topped with a crouton and melted Gruyere cheese.
I ordered the Caesar Salad, which I had on my previous F 555 visit. This Caesar will stand up to any you will find on a cruise ship, or even on land for that matter. The fresh, crisp Romaine lettuce spears are coated in a tangy Caesar dressing and topped with shredded Parmesan cheese and croutons.
Rickee's Beefsteak Tomato Salad consisted of four large tomato slices topped with arugula, purple onion and big chunks of bleu cheese.
The wait time between courses was surprisingly short. The galley did an admirable job of getting each course out in a timely manner, and Mirela, our server, was impressively efficient. Soon after our salad plates were cleared, our steaks arrived. I had the 14oz New York Strip topped with a roasted garlic. The steak was perfectly cooked medium, just as I had ordered. It had the characteristic chew that you expect in a NY Strip, not as tender as a Ribeye or Filet, but very flavorful.
Rickee's 9oz Filet Mignon was certainly more than 9 ounces. It was at least two inches thick and cooked medium rare. The filet is the most tender cut available and you could cut the buttery smooth meat with a fork.
Both steaks were delicious and way more than either of us could finish. We ordered Creamed Spinach with Garlic and an order of Wasabi Mashed Potatoes as side items. Both were perfect complements to the meal. For dessert, we decided to share the Carmelized Washington Apples. The warm, carmelized apple slices were served in a flaky pastry and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It was the perfect ending to a delicious meal.
Our meal at Fahrenheit 555 was the highlight of our dining experience on Carnival Vista. In our opinion, it is a bargain at $35 per person. A meal rivaling this on land would easily set you back $55 to $85 per person. You get great food, great service and a great value to boot. No Carnival cruise is complete without at least one visit to Fahrenheit 555.
