Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse Review on Carnival Vista

One of the very first questions people have asked about the Carnival Vista is "how was the food". The Vista offers a wide variety of dining options and a six night cruise was not enough time to explore them all. Specialty dining on Cruises has become my favorite way to dine at sea.

We kicked off our girls cruise by dining at Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse on night one of the cruise. It was our favorite night and we tried to make a second reservation on the last night but it was booked.

First, let's check out the dining room of Carnival Vista Fahrenheit 555.

The dining room is modern, very large and has an open floor plan. There is also outdoor dining, which we didn't experience due to the weather. The Vista's Fahrenheit 555 also had a sit down bar, which was great for those looking for a glass of wine while their friends were drinking martini's at the Alchemy Bar next door.

Before we received our menu's, we got a chefs taste of the cutest little burger slider ever. And it was DELICIOUS.

Menu options: Below are the Menu options and an example of your four course menu that will run you $35 a diner (kids 11 and under $10)

Starters: We were able to choose from the following: Escargots Bourguignonne baked in Garlic Herb Butter; Grilled Portobello Mushroom marinated with virgin olive oil and aged Balsamic vinegar; Beef Carpaccio sliced raw beef tenderloin with shaved parmesan cheese; Ahi Tuna Tartare dices of Sashimi grade yellow fin tuna belly; Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail black tiger shrimp with American cocktail sauce; New England Crab Cake fresh lump crab cake on roasted pepper remoulade; Lobster Bisque with Vintage Cognac; Baked French Onion Soup

We ordered the Beef Carpaccio and the Grilled Portobello Mushroom. Both were excellent and I would strongly suggest either while dining at one of Carnival's Steakhouses. The Portobello Mushroom was like a piece of art!

Beef Carpaccio

Grilled Portobello Mushroom

Salads
You can choose from a variety of salad options or a second Appetizer. The Salads offered are: Classic Caesar Salad; Baby Leaf Spinach and Fresh Mushrooms Salad; Heart of Iceberg Salad; Sun-Ripened Beef Steak Tomato Salad.

Keri went with the Beef Steak Tomato Salad which she dug into before I could take a photo and I opted for the Lobster Bisque from the Appetizer Menu. The Lobster Bisque was full of chunk lobster and was absolutely delicious. I may have licked the bowl clean.

Entrees: For your entree's, you have a wide variety of options. Broiled Prime NY Strip, 14oz; Grilled Prime Cowboy Steak, 18oz; Spice Rubbed Prime Ribeye Steak, 18oz, Broiled Filet Mignon, 9oz; Surf & Turf, Maine Lobster Tail and Grilled Filet Mignon; Broiled Maine Lobster Tail; Broiled Rosemary Infused Chicken; Grilled Lamb Chops; Maine Lobster Ravioli; Grilled Filet of Fish from the Market.

It came to no surprise that we both ordered Filet. I got the 9oz broiled Filet Mignon which was cooked to a perfect Medium Rare. Keri ordered the Surf and Turf, a smaller cut of Filet Mignon cooked to her Medium preference and a Maine Lobster tail. Two weeks later and she is still saying this was her best meal she has ever ate in her entire life.

Broiled 9oz Filet Mignon

Surf and Turf

Sides
You get to choose side dishes at Carnival's Steakhouse: Baked Potatoes with Trimmings; Sautéed Medley of Fresh Mushrooms; Yukon Gold Mash with Wasabe Horseradish; Creamed Spinach with Garlic; Steamed Broccoli

We both got a Baked Potato with trimmings. I don't know about you but I cannot eat a steak without a baked potato.

Desserts: 
Cheesecake with Hazelnut Biscuit; Carmelized Washington Apples; Chocolate Sampler, Bittersweet Chocolate Cake, Banana Pannacotta, Tiramisu and Chocolate Marquise; Fresh Fruit; Selection of Homemade Sherbet and Ice Creams; Selection of International Cheeses

There are no photos of our dessert and there are reasons for that below under tips.

A few tips for dining at Fahrenheit 555:

Free or Discounted wine - dine at the Steakhouse on night one: Try to get a reservation to the Steakhouse on night one. The last 3 times I have sailed on Carnival, we have gotten reservations at the steakhouse on the first night. Every sailing has had a wine special on night one, offering either a free bottle of house wine or you could purchase any wine by the bottle at half off. We went for the later and got an incredible bottle of Caymus for $40!!!!!!! That's cheaper than you can buy it for in the stores. Now we're talking! You can even have them cork up the wine if you don't finish the bottle (or second bottle) to take back to your room.

Book well in advance. A few cruises offer early dining reservations, all you need is your booking number and the date of cruising. Once logged into your Carnival account, go to manage and select dining, which will give you email addresses to the Maitre d' for various restaurants. We got on the ship at 11:30 on the sailing date and the first place we went to was Fahrenheit 555 to book our dining and we only had a few options left. If we boarded the ship later that day or hesitated on booking our reservation, we may not have gotten in.

Desserts: As you can see above, the meal is huge. So when it comes to dessert, you are likely going to be too full to enjoy it. You can get your dessert to go! Since we had a fridge in our room, we got our two desserts to go and enjoyed them for a late night snack. Keri got the Chocolate Trio and I got the cheesecake. Both were delicious, and way better than pizza at midnight (not that anything is wrong with pizza at midnight)

Dessert for Starter: Before you dine, ask your server if you can get the cheese plate from the dessert menu to start your meal off. This is my favorite starter to any meal!

Don't be afraid to ask: If you want three appetizers instead of a main entree or if you want nothing but veggies, chances are Carnival will accommodate you.  This stands in any of the dining facilities on board. Just don't get greedy with your requests.