Royal Caribbean recently enhanced its steakhouse menu with a selection of premium cuts that include a 32oz super steak.
The tomahawk steak is one of six new cuts you can find at Chops Grille on Royal Caribbean's newer cruise ships.
I was sailing on Icon of the Seas, the world's biggest cruise ship, and a number of readers recommended I give the Tomahawk a try.
"Large and tender bone-in ribeye," is how it's described on the Iconic Cuts menu and comes with a cost of $39.99 on top of the restaurant cover charge, which is $70 if purchased onboard.
Could a steak really be worth paying that much, especially with the surcharge?
As big as it gets
When you walk into Chops Grille on Icon of the Seas, there's a large display of various cuts of steak ready to be cooked.
The tomahawk is prominently displayed at the top, and it's indeed a very large cut of meat. This doubles as both enticement and a challenge, because steaks of this size are going to either attract or repulse someone from ordering it.
The Chops menu has a variety of steaks included in your cover charge, including the all-time favorite filet mignon.
I don't consider myself a "steak guy", meaning my palate is not developed enough to the point that I can truly appreciate the differences in cuts of steak.
If I'm ordering a steak, I almost always go with filet mignon. Not only is it soft and tender with little to no fat, but it costs the most in many cases when I'm ordering steak on land. So why not go for it?
I believe the allure of ribeye (and other big cuts of steak) is the added flavor you get with it.
In fact, the tomahawk is cooked bone-in, which means it costs more and should come with more flavor.
For those keeping score at home, I ordered the tomahawk steak and had it prepared to "medium" temperature. The waiter said this was the chef's recommendation, so I went with it.
Royal Caribbean executive loves this steak too
When I was on Icon of the Seas for the launch of the ship, a few different executives talked up the Iconic Cuts options as being must-try.
Sean Treacy is Royal Caribbean International's Senior Vice President, Hotel Operations, and he specifically told me his favorite dish on Icon of the Seas is the tomahawk steak.
In fact, Chef Travis Kamiyama (creator of Izumi restaurants) also chose an Iconic Cut, opting for the Waygu Beef as a favorite of his.
Cooked and served ready to eat
After ordering the food, our waiter informed me it would take about 20-30 minutes extra to cook the tomahawk steak. Not a problem, but a steak that large needs extra cooking time.
As I waited for it to be served, I was worried about how much effort would be needed to cut it up and remove the fat. It's part of why I almost always order filet mignon usually.
Luckily, that's not a problem because the chef carves it up for you prior to being served.
Our waiter brought over my steak along with the filet mignon that my wife ordered. The size comparison is difficult to ignore.
The steak was cut up into strips, making quite easy to quickly start eating.
There's a good cross-section of the steak to try, from ends, to the middle, and you could find "juicier" areas.
One thing I noticed off the bat was the seasoning that came on top of it, adding a bit of flavor.
I skipped the steak sauce, as I'm of the opinion a steak should stand out on its own flavor rather than a sauce. But I might be alone on that island.
I sampled different parts of it, because I knew there was no way I was going to finish the whole thing.
Eating this steak reminded me of the Toby Keith song, "As Good as I Once Was" because if I was 20 years younger, I'd have devoured this steak without any issue. Today, I'm in it for the enjoyment of the flavors.
A very good upcharge
In sampling the steak, I definitely preferred the sides of the steak because it added more flavor to it.
In fact, I ate more of the steak than I thought I would. However, it's still a huge serving, and that doesn't take into account the wonderful side dishes Chops is known for, along with the appetizers that come out earlier.
I'm not sure I changed my mind on the tomahawk being this amazing, must-order every time choice. It tasted very good, but it was a lot of food and more importantly, I don't know how much I appreciated this cut over the filet.
If you're a connoisseur of steaks, eat at a lot of steakhouses on land, I think this is the cut for you.
With apologies to the "steak bros" out there, but I'll probably stick with the filet mignon that comes on the regular Chops menu. It serves my needs quite nicely, and I can save some money too.
