Sabatini's on Island Princess
Oct 23, 2018 - We showed up at Sabatini's early for our dinner reservation, but they were gracious enough to get us right in and seated at a nice table with a view of the ocean. Sabatini's is Princess' Italian Restaurant with a menu that is the same each night. There is a $29/pp charge to dine in Sabatini's. Princess recommends that you make reseervations in advance, which we did through the Cruise Personalizer website.
As soon as we were seated, our waiter, Noel, introduced himself and presented the menus. We learned that Noel has been with Princess nearly 20 years!
Noel
When we were presented with the wine list, we chose the Rex-Goliath Moscato ($30). We like sweet wine with Italian food and this one was perfect.
The menu is filled with a variety of creative Italian dishes. From the list of Starters, I chose the Artichoke Souffle. The souffle was swimming in Castelrosso Cheese Sauce (whatever that is) and topped with a slice of black truffle. It was delicious.
Equally as tempting was Rickee's Burrata alla Panna con Carpaccio di Pomodori. a fist-size chunk of Burrata cheese (similar to Mozzarella) sitting atop thin slices of tomato, drizzled with olive oil and surrounded by jewels of Balsamic syrup.
Burrata alla Panna con Carpaccio di Pomodori
For my pasta course, I chose the Penne con Brasato di Manzo, which is basically braised beef short rib over penne pasta. Try to imagine shreds of the most tender pot roast sitting on perfectly cooked penne pasta. The dish was delicious, and could easily be a main course. However, it is very rich.
Rickee opted for the Manicotti alla Sorrentina, pasta shells filled with spinach, Ricotta & Fontina cheese roulade on a tomato coulis. Rickee and I agreed that we preferred the Manicotti, but both dishes were excellent.
My Main Course was the Lombata di Vitello al Forno, a thick veal chop with mushroom ragout. The veal was very tender and flavorful, and quite large. I could not quite finish the entire chop.
Rickee has been on a shrimp kick this cruise, so she decided to try the Gamberi alla Caprese con Verdurine di Stagiono. That translates into six large garlic-infused shrimp with cherry tomatoes and vegetables. Noel suggested that the tomato sauce be served on the side, and that was a good choice. The shrimp were delicious without the sauce, and we found the sauce to be somewhat bitter. If you like shrimp, this is an excellent choice.
For dessert, Rickee enjoyed a small glass of Limoncello (lemon-flavored liqueur) and I thought it only fitting to try the Tiramisu. Sabatini's take on Tiramisu is very creative in their use of chocolate. The dish was as beautiful to look at as it was delicious to eat!
This was our third time to dine at Sabatini's on as many Princess ships. Hands down, this was the best Sabatini's meal we have enjoyed so far. If you are planning a cruise on Island Princess, make sure to reserve at least one dinner at Sabatini's. It is a bargain at only $29.
