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After our solid specialty restaurant experience at Le Bistro (not surprising as we've done it twice before on previous NCL cruises), we were looking forward to our dinner at Cagney’s. For those who aren’t familiar with NCL’s specialty restaurants, Cagney’s is another one of their longstanding offerings. This is their classic steakhouse featuring all of the usual options including appetizers and sides. We’ve had it once before aboard the Pride of America and came away pleased. With that in mind, we had the same expectations this time around.
Packed and super busy, Cagney’s was much more popular than Le Bistro possibly because who doesn’t love a good ol’ American steakhouse? We ended up trying almost all of their appetizer options including the Iceberg Wedge Salad. Interestingly, the lettuce did not resemble a wedge, rather it was a half-dome. Regardless, it was fresh and crisp. I liked that they didn’t overdress the salad and there was plenty of blue cheese. We found the Ahi Tuna Tartare was a bit on the bland side even though there was the promise of wasabi, pickled ginger and green onions. The tuna was buttery and meaty but could’ve used more seasoning. The lattice chips on top were crispy and went well with the soft tuna.
One of their signature dishes is the Lumb Crab Cake with lemon mustard cream and radish salad. After several orders, we could see why. The large freshly made disc was full of crab and no filler. Fluffy and full of appealing crab texture, this was only lightly seared for color. The natural briny sweetness of the crab was highlighted even though the creamy sauce did add some acidity. This was better than many of the "on land" restaurants I've been too. We also enjoyed their Lobster Bisque as it was purposefully salty (without being overly so) and featured the classic aroma of lobster. This was amped even further with chunks of lobster. It wasn't too thick either, so it wasn't too heavy or cumbersome to eat.
One of the more surprising appies was the Slow-roasted Pork Belly with apple cider marinade and honey soy sauce. It not only looked appealing with a caramelized glazed exterior, it was also texturally on point. With just enough fat and plenty of tender meat, the buttery pork belly practically melted-in-our-mouths. Furthermore, it was perfectly balanced between sweet and savory. Something rather classic was the Prawn Cocktail. It featured 3 giant prawns that were prepared properly. Meaty, de-veined and naturally sweet, there really wasn't the need for the cocktail sauce. However, we did use it because it added the usual sweet tanginess as well as a bite from the horseradish.
For our steaks, I went big with the 20oz Porterhouse prepared medium-rare. It was mostly that except for some of the edges of the striploin portion. I found the meat to be tender with the filet side to be more buttery (as expected). Since this was not a very big porterhouse as it was more of a T-bone, the filet was pretty small. The striploin was also tender but much meatier where it was not as soft as I would’ve liked. My daughter had the second biggest steak in the 16oz Roasted Prime Rib. She also requested medium-rare and it was perfectly so. This was one of the better dishes as the meat was melt-in-her-mouth tender. It was also well-seasoned where the rub had penetrated the meat. As you can see in the picture, the meat was pretty uniformly medium-rare throughout indicating proper preparation.
My son decided on his favorite cut being the 10oz Striploin cooked to medium-rare. This was prepared properly and more evenly than my steak. Of course being only one cut and uniformly thick, this was an easier task. However, it was similar to mine as it was meaty and decently tender but not as much as he would’ve liked. There was a nice sear and his Maitre’d butter was a good compliment. Viv had something smaller in the 5oz Tenderloin. It was textbook medium-rare where it was buttery soft. Being a tenderloin steak, it wasn’t as flavourful as the other cuts, but the Bearnaise helped provided some fattiness. I kept making fun of her 5oz compared to my 20oz which made her give me the death stare...
My mom had the Surf and Turf consisting of the same 5oz tenderloin as well as a skewer of prawns. The steak was exactly like Viv’s in terms of execution and texture. She also had the Bearnaise, which was necessary in my opinion due to the leanness of tenderloin. The prawns were appealingly grilled where there was a nutty caramelization on the outside. Texturally, they were meaty with a sweet snap. Moving away from steaks, my dad had the Fisherman’s Platter. This consisted of shrimp, scallops, calamari, branzino and crab cake with mustard remoulade and sweet chili dip. He asked for it to be grilled and all of the seafood was pretty much on point. Of course, the crab cake was exactly as good as the appie portion.
We decided to get all of the Sides including truffle mashed potatoes, parmesan truffle fries, onion rings, cheesy soft polenta, broccoli, creamed corn, mushrooms and mac n’ cheese. The highlights included the creamy soft polenta and the plump corn. It was not overcooked where the sweet pops were welcomed. I thought the fries were pretty mediocre as they weren’t that crunchy and the mashed potatoes could’ve been more flavorful. Broccoli and mushrooms were cooked right while the onion rings were crunchy.
Onto dessert, Viv and I shared the 7-Layer Chocolate Cake served with vanilla ice cream. This looked impressive at the table beside us which lead us to ordering it. Good decision as it was really good. Each layer was soft and fluffy with enough moisture while not being wet. The cake was chocolaty without being overly sweet. I’m not sure where they get their ice cream from, but it was not that smooth. My daughter went for the Chocolate Brownie which was beautifully plated. Yet, that was the only positive thing about it as it was rather dry and too dense (even for a brownie). It was predictably sweet, but it was full of chocolate flavor.
My mom decided on the Butterscotch Cheesecake with caramel sauce. It was also nicely plated and the cheesecake itself was textbook. Appealingly dense and creamy, it was full of cheese essence and flavor. It was very sweet though due to the butterscotch. That in itself wasn’t very appetizing to me, yet at the same time, I can see how some people with a higher sweetness tolerance enjoying this. My dad shared the Raspberry Creme Brulee with my mom (she has a sweet tooth) and it was also pretty textbook. The custard had the ideal viscosity and exhibited plenty of raspberry within it. The sweetness was purposeful and the sugar topping was perfectly torched. So other than a few small issues here and there, Cagney's delivered as a steakhouse. The meats were prepared right and the appies were tasty. Definitely recommended as a choice if you have a dining package.
The Good:
- On point preparation of steaks
- Solid appies
- That crab cake...
The Bad:
- Some sides were meh
Traveling to different places in the world not only allows us to learn about history and various cultures, it affords us the opportunity to eat! Yes, that is probably more important than the other stuff... LOL... However, when we find something really tasty, it can often be a blessing and a curse at the same time. You see, the chances of returning for a second taste are pretty remote, especially when the destination isn't exactly close and/or easy to get to. So imagine the anticipation when I knew I would be going back to Juneau and yes, Tracy's King Crab Shack! Well, it isn't really a shack anymore as it has moved into a B&M location close to where it was before.
Yes, the highlight of our visit to Juneau was heading over to Tracy's... Well, since Viv wasn't overly enthused about another cruise to Alaska (#firstworldproblems), she was game for the Crab Shack Combo featuring a little of everything including their Famous King Crab Bisque served with Garlic Rolls. I've had the bisque before and for me, this has to be one of the better ones I've had anywhere. Usually, a bisque can be rather heavy where finishing the whole thing is a chore. Although this version was still rich, it was thin enough to be eaten easily. It was purposefully salty with plenty of sweet bininess. The side of garlic rolls was great for dipping into the bisque as well as into the clarified butter. They were soft and aromatic.
Also included was their excellent Crab Cakes that look more like chicken nuggets. That was a good thing as they were little bite-sized crispy bundles of fluffy joy. I swear I could've eaten a dozen of these by myself. I didn't because we had more food aboard the ship later! Alright, onto the main event with the King Crab Leg. I noticed that the ones served with the combos were slightly smaller than the ones ordered a la carte. No matter, it was still plenty big while being fluffy with an appealing rebound. There was the natural sweetness accented by the salt water it was cooked in. Yes, we dipped it into the clarified butter. Yummy. I can't wait to come back again. Well, that is probably when I'm much older and retired. Viv swore to never go on another Alaskan cruise. We'll see about that.
The Good:
- Solid eats
- Love the location and vibe
- Reasonably-priced IMO
The Bad:
- Unfortunately, no more AYCE crab legs
Typically, we rarely eat dinner at the buffet on cruises (except for breakfast). Even though some of the same items at the main dining room are available at the buffet, the experience isn't quite the same. Something about plated food served in a fairly elegant setting seems more appetizing than spooning this and that onto your own plate. Hey, don't get me wrong, there are times when I want to eat a variety of food and pile up my plate with random stuff. So that was our mentality when we decided to hit up the Garden Cafe on Seafood Night. This was the second night of our cruise after a day at sea.
As much as the Garden Buffet was the hub of activity, such as embarkation and the breakfast prior to debarkation, there was always enough seats since there were tables outside near the pool area. Often, the buffet was not too busy. Back to the seafood buffet, if you were expecting things like lobster and crab, you would've been bitterly disappointed. Rather, it was merely like any other night except with a seafood theme consisting mostly of fish and shrimp. So for my first plate of food, I loaded up on Mussels, Cocktail Shrimp and Grilled Shrimp. Everything was actually quite good with the mussels being the highlight. As you can clearly see, they were large and plump. The cocktail shrimp were textbook with a buttery cold-water crunch. Grilled shrimp were meaty and well-seasoned.
Consisting much of the same ingredients, we found the Seafood Paella and the Cioppino prominently displayed at multiple food stations. I wasn't expecting authentic paella and I'm glad that I didn't. This was more like rice with some seafood. It didn't taste like a paella nor did it look like one. With that being said, I didn't mind it for what it was with lots of sausage, mussels and shrimp. Rice was not overdone, but wasn't all that flavourful. As for the cioppino, it sported mussels, calamari, baby scallops and fish. It was somewhat briny with plenty of tomatoey flavor. Seafood was prepared properly. One of the more surprising items was the Spaghetti Vongole. In addition to the bevy of fresh clams, the pasta was al dente and tasted pretty good with enough seasoning and brininess. On the side, the Clam Chowder was more starchy than rich. It was rather salty as well.
For my last dish, I moved somewhat away from seafood and went for a Sirloin Steak with veggies and polenta cake. However, I did try the Seafood Pie and Salmon with Bearnaise as well. Although it didn't look the part, the steak was actually tender and cooked to medium. A total shock was the salmon as it was moist and flaky (very hard to achieve for a buffet). I didn't care for the seafood pie as it was a mushy mess. The veggies were good being vibrant and not salted much at all. For Dessert, there was a selection of cakes, soft-serve and hard ice cream. The picture of the station was from embarkation, but you get the idea of the selection. I found them to be really hit and miss, but since it is a buffet, you can find something you like by trial and error. So although some of the items were better than expected, this was not a comprehensive seafood buffet. Good for those who don't like crab and lobster, otherwise, stick with the other choices if you were expecting more from "Seafood Buffet Night".
The Good:
- Better than expected (in terms of execution)
- Not overly busy (for the seafood buffet night)
The Bad:
- Not comprehensive in terms of seafood (but I get it, crab and lobster is expensive)
- Desserts are hit and miss
Beyond the 3 main dining rooms that include Savor, Taste and the Manhattan Room as well as the Garden Cafe and Observatory, there is only one other complimentary restaurant aboard the NCL Bliss. That would be The Local which is located in the middle of the ship overlooking the atrium. At first glance, the place looks like a gastropub, although the menu is more traditional pub food. Since I wanted to try as many venues as possible, we decided to try it for lunch on the first sea day.
For our appies, we ended up sharing a few things including the Buffalo Chicken Wings and Pretzel Bites. Served as a half-dozen, the wings were pretty large and plump. Even though the skin was fried crispy, the meat itself stayed moist. I would’ve liked to see the skin more rendered though, but that might’ve dried out the meat as well. As for the buffalo sauce, it was much sweeter than we would’ve expected. There wasn't the usual vinegary heat we normally associate with buffalo wings. To be blunt, we really didn’t enjoy the pretzel bites as they were super dense and cold. After one bite, we gave up on these. On the side, there was a beer cheese fondue that was a bit thin and salty.
The Spinach & Artichoke Dip was barely any better. There was plenty of spinach, but not a whole lot of artichoke. As for that spinach, it needed to be cut into smaller pieces because we could’ve even pick it up with a chip. The dip was far too watery and starchy rather than cheesy. It was as if they used thickened milk rather than cheese. At the very least, the tortilla chips were crispy. For my main, I decided on the Blue Burger featuring blue cheese, spicy sweet tomato chutney, lettuce and tomato. This was not bad compared to the previous 2 dishes. The large beef patty was moist and juicy while the blue cheese really came through with sharpness. Not sure if the chutney was actually spicy though. Bun was toasted up nicely.
My daughter ended up with the Coney Island Hot Dog sporting melted cheese, chili and onions. Nothing particularly complex here with a fairly large hot dog within a toasted bun. The chili wasn't spicy, yet well-seasoned. Tender morsels of meat made the hot dog rather robust and filling. Side of fries were hot and crunchy. Viv ordered the Turkey Pot Pie which was average at best. It was not very thick which was good, but the viscosity was a bit off. Rather than being creamy, the pot pie was starchy and sweet. It was also short on ingredients. The flaky pastry was pretty good though as it was super crispy and light.
My son went for the Baked Ziti with meatballs, tomato ricotta sauce and mozzarella cheese. This was also just okay as the dish seemed slapped together rather than being cohesive. The sauce wasn't very rich and the pasta seemed lonely with a lack of flavor and enough sauce adhering to it. It could've stood to be baked a bit longer too for some charring of the cheese and drying out of the dish as a whole (there was water at the bottom). As you can tell, we weren't that excited with the food we had at The Local. Yes, it was complimentary, but then again, it further proved that the paid restaurants are a better choice.
The Good:
- No extra charge
- Good location near the Atrium
- Food comes out quick (not sure if that is a good thing though)
The Bad:
- Suspect fast food masquerading at pub food
- Servers were indifferent
Ever since our first NCL cruise, we’ve enjoyed good meals at Le Bistro. This has been one of their longest standing specialty restaurants and in my opinion, one of their best. As the name suggests, Le Bistro is NCL’s fine dining French option amongst their many Freestyle dining choices. So on our first night aboard the Norwegian Bliss, we chose to skip the main dining rooms and start off with Le Bistro. It certainly didn’t hurt that it was included with our 3-restaurant dining package that was part of our mini-suite. We did, however, had to purchase the dining package for our kids though.
As per usual, we had a limit of 2 appetizers each and like we always do, we maxed it out. I decided on the Salade Frisee with warm goat cheese and sautéed pancetta and the Escargots Bourguignonne. Fresh and crisp, the salad was dressed in a vinaigrette that had enough acidity for brightness and to provide balance with the crispy salty pancetta. The goat cheese was creamy and gamy where the flavor was impactful. I found the escargots to be pretty textbook bathed in a garlicky herbed butter. The mushrooms added some earthiness. I found the escargots to be soft and tender. I ended up soaking up the butter with the bread at the table.
Viv decided on the Salade de Crabe made with lump crab, horseradish and citrus sauce. Wrapped in cabbage, the salad was essentially all crab with no filler. As such, it ate hearty and fluffy. The natural crab essence really came through while the horseradish was kept to a minimum where it didn’t overwhelm. With the addition of citrus, there was brightness and freshness to the salad. For her second appie, she was presented with a large portion of Moules Marinieres with mussels, shallots, white wine and parsley. This was also pretty classic, albeit a bit short on broth (it was flavorful and aromatic though). The mussels were not particularly meaty, but they were buttery and briny.
My son had the Coquilles Saint Jacques Provencal featuring seared scallops, eggplant, tomato, pine nuts and olive oil. Although the scallops were rather small in size, they were prepared properly being buttery with an appealing rebound. They were sweet on their own with some caramelization on the exterior. The accompaniments added some more sweetness, tang and nuttiness. He also had the Soup aux Quatre Champignons (as well as my daughter) which was plenty mushroomy. It was earthy and full of umaminess. I thought it was a bit too thick, but then again, it is a whole lot better than runny. We enjoyed how it wasn’t overly salty.
The same couldn’t be said about my dad’s Soupe a L’oignon Gratinee (French Onion Soup) as it was really salty. We realize that this soup can pack quite the punch in terms of saltiness and sweetness, but this was a little much. On the other hand, it was full of deep onion flavor as well as the nuttiness from the Gruyere Cheese. I tried a few spoonfuls and ended up eating a lot more as it was tasty to me. In addition to her mushroom soup, my daughter had the Salade D’asperges Tiedes with oranges and smoked duck. Originally, she was supposed to share some with me, but she ended up eating most of it. The duck was tender and smoky while the asparagus was still crunchy.
For our entrees, my dad had the Sole Grenobloise featuring sautéed dover sole with lemon caper butter, croutons and potatoes. Beautifully prepared, the generous portion of sole was buttery soft while still flaky. The delicate fish was graced with a creamy butter sauce that had equal amounts of acidity from the lemon and saltiness from the capers. My mom went for the Carre d’agneau roti or roasted rack of lamb with artichokes, blistered tomatoes, zucchini and green olive sauce. Although it looked plenty rare from the outside, it was actually perfectly medium-rare being tender. Although not plentiful, the olive sauce was impactful with a tangy saltiness.
For myself, I had the Medaillons de Veau with morel sauce, twice-baked potato cake and seasonal vegetables. This ended up to be more a veal steak than medallions, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t good. In fact, it was perfectly medium-rare and yes, tender. Loved the morel sauce as you can imagine, it was super woodsy and full of umaminess. It was also seasoned enough too where it flavored all of the veal. Viv decided on the Parmentier de Canard with orange-braised carrots and microcress salad. The “pulled duck” was soft with classic duck meatiness. The sweet carrots provided the duck with another layer of flavor. Portion size was a little lacking thought, but will of the appies, she was good.
My daughter ended up Filet de Loup de Mer with ratatouille sauce, fried chickpea semolina and tomato confit. Featuring a beautifully prepared crispy well-seasoned skin, the branzino was delicate and flaky. I thought the ratatouille sauce could’ve been more impactful and seasoned more aggressively though. For my son, he stayed with his standby being beef. The Filet de Boeuf featured a 5-peppercorn 8 oz beef tenderloin with light brandy sauce and Anna potatoes. Prepared a proper medium-rare, the tenderloin was buttery soft. Since tenderloin steaks can be rather mild-tasting, the combination of peppercorns and brandy sauce made up for it.
Onto dessert, I had the Fondue au Chocolat with fresh fruit and choux pastry. I found the fondue to be fairly sweet and thick yet lacking in silkiness. That wasn’t a big deal as the big chunks of fresh fruit were really good on their own. This was especially true with the sweet pineapple and kiwi. Not sure about the choux pastry as the pieces were too small and too firm. Viv went for the Napoleon a la Noisette with praline crunch and gianduja cream. This featured a layers of wafer like chocolate with dollops of hazelnut cream. Texturally, this was fine, but it was far too sweet overwhelming the chocolate flavor. It looked pretty though.
My daughter had the Profiteroles filled with vanilla ice cream and topped with chocolate sauce. The sauce was actually served on the side, but was poured on top by our server. We really should’ve asked for it to be left on the side as it became rather messy and too sweet. On its own, the profiteroles were soft and airy with a somewhat icy ice cream in the middle. They would’ve been better just like that without the sauce. My dad decided on the Tarte Tatin with vanilla ice cream. Sporting layers of tender caramelized apples, this was also sweet, but purposefully so. The pastry was crispy and flaky while also plenty buttery.
Lastly, my mom opted for her favorite – Vanilla Creme Brulee with sable cookie and berry basket. This featured a fairly sweet custard that was the right consistency neither too thick nor too runny. The torched sugar topping was medium-thick and hard (which was a good thing). Once again, Le Bistro didn't disappoint. I know that NCL sometimes takes abuse over their average food. That is a fair comment when referring to the main dining rooms. However, I've always found their specialty dining to be good. That sparks the debate that only the paid restaurants serve better food. Well, that is across the board in the mainstream cruise industry (maybe except for Holland America). If you do cruise NCL, make sure you try Le Bistro.
The Good:
- On point proteins
- Smaller venue, more carefully prepared food
- Excellent service
The Bad:
- Some desserts were too sweet
- Well, you have to pay for it
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After our solid specialty restaurant experience at Le Bistro (not surprising as we've done it twice before on previous NCL cruises), we were looking forward to our dinner at Cagney’s. For those who aren’t familiar with NCL’s specialty restaurants, Cagney’s is another one of their longstanding offerings. This is their classic steakhouse featuring all of the usual options including appetizers and sides. We’ve had it once before aboard the Pride of America and came away pleased. With that in mind, we had the same expectations this time around.
Packed and super busy, Cagney’s was much more popular than Le Bistro possibly because who doesn’t love a good ol’ American steakhouse? We ended up trying almost all of their appetizer options including the Iceberg Wedge Salad. Interestingly, the lettuce did not resemble a wedge, rather it was a half-dome. Regardless, it was fresh and crisp. I liked that they didn’t overdress the salad and there was plenty of blue cheese. We found the Ahi Tuna Tartare was a bit on the bland side even though there was the promise of wasabi, pickled ginger and green onions. The tuna was buttery and meaty but could’ve used more seasoning. The lattice chips on top were crispy and went well with the soft tuna.
One of their signature dishes is the Lumb Crab Cake with lemon mustard cream and radish salad. After several orders, we could see why. The large freshly made disc was full of crab and no filler. Fluffy and full of appealing crab texture, this was only lightly seared for color. The natural briny sweetness of the crab was highlighted even though the creamy sauce did add some acidity. This was better than many of the "on land" restaurants I've been too. We also enjoyed their Lobster Bisque as it was purposefully salty (without being overly so) and featured the classic aroma of lobster. This was amped even further with chunks of lobster. It wasn't too thick either, so it wasn't too heavy or cumbersome to eat.
One of the more surprising appies was the Slow-roasted Pork Belly with apple cider marinade and honey soy sauce. It not only looked appealing with a caramelized glazed exterior, it was also texturally on point. With just enough fat and plenty of tender meat, the buttery pork belly practically melted-in-our-mouths. Furthermore, it was perfectly balanced between sweet and savory. Something rather classic was the Prawn Cocktail. It featured 3 giant prawns that were prepared properly. Meaty, de-veined and naturally sweet, there really wasn't the need for the cocktail sauce. However, we did use it because it added the usual sweet tanginess as well as a bite from the horseradish.
For our steaks, I went big with the 20oz Porterhouse prepared medium-rare. It was mostly that except for some of the edges of the striploin portion. I found the meat to be tender with the filet side to be more buttery (as expected). Since this was not a very big porterhouse as it was more of a T-bone, the filet was pretty small. The striploin was also tender but much meatier where it was not as soft as I would’ve liked. My daughter had the second biggest steak in the 16oz Roasted Prime Rib. She also requested medium-rare and it was perfectly so. This was one of the better dishes as the meat was melt-in-her-mouth tender. It was also well-seasoned where the rub had penetrated the meat. As you can see in the picture, the meat was pretty uniformly medium-rare throughout indicating proper preparation.
My son decided on his favorite cut being the 10oz Striploin cooked to medium-rare. This was prepared properly and more evenly than my steak. Of course being only one cut and uniformly thick, this was an easier task. However, it was similar to mine as it was meaty and decently tender but not as much as he would’ve liked. There was a nice sear and his Maitre’d butter was a good compliment. Viv had something smaller in the 5oz Tenderloin. It was textbook medium-rare where it was buttery soft. Being a tenderloin steak, it wasn’t as flavourful as the other cuts, but the Bearnaise helped provided some fattiness. I kept making fun of her 5oz compared to my 20oz which made her give me the death stare...
My mom had the Surf and Turf consisting of the same 5oz tenderloin as well as a skewer of prawns. The steak was exactly like Viv’s in terms of execution and texture. She also had the Bearnaise, which was necessary in my opinion due to the leanness of tenderloin. The prawns were appealingly grilled where there was a nutty caramelization on the outside. Texturally, they were meaty with a sweet snap. Moving away from steaks, my dad had the Fisherman’s Platter. This consisted of shrimp, scallops, calamari, branzino and crab cake with mustard remoulade and sweet chili dip. He asked for it to be grilled and all of the seafood was pretty much on point. Of course, the crab cake was exactly as good as the appie portion.
We decided to get all of the Sides including truffle mashed potatoes, parmesan truffle fries, onion rings, cheesy soft polenta, broccoli, creamed corn, mushrooms and mac n’ cheese. The highlights included the creamy soft polenta and the plump corn. It was not overcooked where the sweet pops were welcomed. I thought the fries were pretty mediocre as they weren’t that crunchy and the mashed potatoes could’ve been more flavorful. Broccoli and mushrooms were cooked right while the onion rings were crunchy.
Onto dessert, Viv and I shared the 7-Layer Chocolate Cake served with vanilla ice cream. This looked impressive at the table beside us which lead us to ordering it. Good decision as it was really good. Each layer was soft and fluffy with enough moisture while not being wet. The cake was chocolaty without being overly sweet. I’m not sure where they get their ice cream from, but it was not that smooth. My daughter went for the Chocolate Brownie which was beautifully plated. Yet, that was the only positive thing about it as it was rather dry and too dense (even for a brownie). It was predictably sweet, but it was full of chocolate flavor.
My mom decided on the Butterscotch Cheesecake with caramel sauce. It was also nicely plated and the cheesecake itself was textbook. Appealingly dense and creamy, it was full of cheese essence and flavor. It was very sweet though due to the butterscotch. That in itself wasn’t very appetizing to me, yet at the same time, I can see how some people with a higher sweetness tolerance enjoying this. My dad shared the Raspberry Creme Brulee with my mom (she has a sweet tooth) and it was also pretty textbook. The custard had the ideal viscosity and exhibited plenty of raspberry within it. The sweetness was purposeful and the sugar topping was perfectly torched. So other than a few small issues here and there, Cagney's delivered as a steakhouse. The meats were prepared right and the appies were tasty. Definitely recommended as a choice if you have a dining package.
