Silversea's Hot Rock Grill—Dine Under the Stars on Silver Spirit

Somewhere on route from Trieste, Italy to Hvar, Croatia...

Hello from the Adriatic! We're happily ensconced in our suite aboard Silversea Silver Spirit after a wonderful formal night. On our first evening aboard, we tried the Hot Rock Grill Dinner on the Pool Deck. It was a fun experience, the service was exceptional (thanks Andrew!), and the food was great... so we decided to eat here on the first formal night as well.

So what exactly is a hot rock dinner? If you love to cook or even just play with your food, this place will interest you. The menu is basic: three types of salads are served along with a few different cuts of beef; veal, lamb, and pork chops; as well as fish and shrimp. (The Grill uses Sterling Silver premium meats.)

Your entree is delivered to you on a bamboo platter with a scorching hot rock set within it. Your main dish has been seared and delivered rare. Now it's up to you to cook it to your liking via the rock. The platter will be sizzling and the rock stays incredibly hot during your entire meal.

Some cuts of meat do sizzle and splatter, so bibs are given to guests who order things like rib eye. Main courses are accented with a vegetable skewer and baked potato with sour cream.

There are only three desserts on the menu, but both I tried were very good. In fact, the black and white chocolate mousse cup was the best dessert I've had aboard Silver Spirit all week. (The other two desserts are apple pie a la mode and a fruit cup.)

You'll be dining outdoors on Deck 10, directly above the Pool Grill. Time your meal with sunset and bring your camera... you'll get some fantastic shots! And, don't worry about being cold; there are heaters built into the ceiling for those chilly evenings.

We were told that the hot rock concept came from South Africa. I'm going to do some searching and see if we can replicate this at home. It's fun whether you go to dinner as a couple or with a group.

According to Silversea, this dining concept has proven so popular that it will roll out to the other ships in the fleet soon. You may dine under the stars, weather permitting, between 7 and 9 pm each evening. Seating is limited to 60 guests so be sure to make your reservation as soon as you board the ship.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com

Photos © Leonard Hospidor