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Hornblower Cruises & Events - Classic Dining and Beautiful Views

The 210-foot yacht Hornblower Infinity is a floating restaurant, a destination for dancing and most of all a four-deck platform to view the magnificence of Manhattan. This California-based operation from San Diego, in its second New York season offering brunch, tea time, and dinner options, offers white-tablecloth cruising, waiter service, food choices, and a leisurely, peaceful pace as it sails past the Empire State Building, the Intrepid aircraft carrier, and the Statue of Liberty. Yes, the city is the show as the spacious Infinity sails along the Hudson and East Rivers for its three-hour sojourns. The luxurious experience it provides is one of class, not mass.

Hornblower Cruises NYC

That’s true of the meals served aboard as well. They begin with crisp rolls as well as soft butter, a welcoming glass of Champagne or wine that is followed by an hors d’œuvre buffet, a waiter-served entrée, and a dessert buffet. All of which is accompanied by music straight out the American songbook.

While few diners will hail the very respectable meal here as the greatest dinner they’ve ever eaten, even fewer will dislike it. Indeed, it ranks high when compared with the fare served on similar around the city cruises. That opening buffet delivers a choice of cheeses, Chinese dumplings, warm vegetables like eggplant and mushrooms, and thin slices of meat to perch on crackers or bread.

After getting an appetizer choice of goat cheese-dotted fresh greens or spicy, jalapeño-infused crab cakes packed with shards of crab—not filler—on a bed of corn and black beans, there are four rather basic entrée possibilities: steak, chicken, fish, or pasta. The steak is a petite filet mignon in a Merlot sauce, the salmon sports a honey sauce, and both the chicken and vegetarian pasta primavera are powered by plenty of welcome garlic.

The diner who ordered the high-quality, tender filet wanted it rare or medium rare but wasn’t given an opportunity to specify that, so received it well-done instead. The salmon was all it should be: fresh and not overwhelmed by its honey sauce. By far the best dish sampled was the moist, juicy, flavor-packed chicken. But the pasta primavera, given a boost by its pervasive, aromatic garlic was a close second.


Pier 40, 353 West St., 212-206-7522; hornblower.com

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