An Anniversary Dinner to Remember - Chops Grille aboard Anthem of the Seas

Marsha Williams10.2.18My husband, Corey, and I recently celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary on Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas. It was the first time, since our honeymoon, that just he and I went on a weeklong cruise without our son or other family members; and, it was fantastic! Since it was just the two of us, we decided to celebrate our anniversary by having a nice, romantic dinner. Instead of eating in one of the main dining rooms on Anthem of the Seas, we chose to dine at Chops Grille. Chops Grille is one of Royal Caribbean's hallmark restaurants. It is a specialty steakhouse restaurant that can be found on several of Royal Caribbean ships and has options to please everyone's palate. Since Chops Grille is a specialty restaurant, there is a cover charge that covers the cost of your meal and gratuities. The menu has a host of tasty options from which to choose and Corey and I sampled quite a bit.Since I knew that I wanted to dine at Chops Grille on our actual anniversary date, I made sure to make my dining reservations prior to boarding. Making reservations for Chops Grille was relatively easy using Royal Caribbean's portal for past and present Royal Caribbean guests. I was able to select the date and time for our dinner and pay for our dinner in advance.On our anniversary, we had some pictures taken by the ship's photographer and then went to dinner. Upon arrival at Chops Grille, we were seated promptly at a table for two by a window. Our servers were prompt, attentive, and entertaining. They really played off one another quite well. We later learned that they had been working together for a number of years. Our servers provided us with an overview of the menu, made recommendations, and took note that we were celebrating our anniversary. The menu was divided into sections, where you can choose from Soups & Salads, Signature Appetizers, Meats & Poultry, Seafood, Something Special (for an additional charge), and Sides which come in shareable portions. There were also gluten-free, lactose-free, and vegetarian options available. Corey and I wanted to taste a little bit of everything, but, decided on just a few mouth-watering options.Corey selected the Crispy Goat Cheese Salad and Grilled Black Pepper Bacon. He is not a big seafood eater, but, I am, so, I selected the Colossal Shrimp Cocktail, Pan-Roasted Jumbo Scallops, and Dungeness Crab and Shrimp Cake. If the salad and appetizers were a sign of things to come, we knew the main course would not disappoint.

For our main course, we each chose the "Petite" Filet Mignon with Gruyere Cheese Tater Tots, Salted Baked Potato, and Truffled Corn and we were certainly not disappointed. The steak was presented on a plate by itself. The plate had a "reservoir" encircling it for the sauce(s) that you can request accompany the steak. We heeded our servers suggestion and tried all three sauces, the homemade Chops steak sauce, Béarnaise, au Poivre, and Bordelaise sauce. Everything was scrumptious. The steak was tender and cooked just the way we ordered it. Each sauce we tried complemented the steak very well. The sides, especially the Gruyere Cheese Tater Tots, were a great accompaniment to the meal.To top off our fantastic meal, we had to order dessert. We selected the Red Velvet Cake, Chocolate Mud Pie, and Liquid Center Chocolate Cake. The desserts did not let us down. To our surprise, along with dessert, our server brought out a plate that was decorated and had "Happy Anniversary" written on it. In addition to this lovely surprise, our server serenaded us with a beautiful song. He had a wonderful voice. What a perfect way to end our dining experience!Our meal at Chops Grille was one of the best meals that we have ever had at sea or on land. The ambience was perfect for our anniversary dinner, the food was heavenly, and our servers went above and beyond the call of duty to make sure we had an amazing anniversary dinner. Whether you are celebrating a special occasion or you want to have a fantastic meal while at sea, I highly recommend Chops Grille on Royal Caribbean cruise ships.Dining at Chops Grille is one of the many options you can choose from while cruising on Anthem of the Seas. I would love to help you plan your cruise vacation. You can contact me by email. You can also follow me on my Wishes Family Travel Facebook page to interact with me, learn about special offers, and to view photos from my vacations. You can also follow me on Twitter and/or Instagram.