THE EATBEAT: Cruise passengers can enjoy several venues

• Marilyn Hagerty

Marilyn Hagerty

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This is part two a two-part series about the dining experiences of Marilyn Hagerty’s daughter, Gail, aboard the Celebrity Silhouette during a 12-day cruise.

The ship sets sail with 60,000 to 85,000 eggs. It carries 9,000 pounds of beef and 3,600 pounds of lamb racks along with 2,600 pounds of lobster.

Thomas Stellbrink, executive chef on the Celebrity Silhouette, has a crew of 166 chefs. And he needed every one of them for the October Adriatic Cruise as they prepared about 13,000 meals a day for the 2,850 passengers on the ship as well as the crew of 1,200.

There are several food venues where passengers can choose to be seated. There’s the dining room, where diners are seated at 6 and 8:30 p.m. Passengers also can choose open seating and be served when they are ready to dine.

The fixed seating is ideal for people traveling alone. There is an opportunity to eat with the same group and become friends over the course of the cruise. A newcomer can learn a lot about cruising from those who are more experienced.

Chef Stellbrink, who started out in Germany, finds lamb rack is becoming a favorite of passengers. And lobster is also a first choice. Beef Wellington is a favorite of many. Guests on the Celebrity Silhouette are fond of the chocolate souffle prepared by the pastry chef.

In the main dining room, there’s Oceanview Cafe, a buffet that is open from early morning until late at night. The ice cream bar is ever popular. There are food tables with Asian, Mexican and Indian food. A meat carving station awaits passengers. There’s a pasta bar. And there always is pizza.

In addition, the ship has a Lawn Club Grill called Murana. It is the ultimate in fine dining (at an extra charge).

One of the favorite spots is where passengers can get gelato — the rich Italian version of ice cream with not as much air.

Q’sine is a trendy place where small plates are ordered from an iPad — also at an extra charge. The Bistro on 5 is a place where crepes are made to order.

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