Dinner is a show on the Celebrity Edge

The Celebrity Edge’s June 26 departure from Fort Lauderdale was a cruise industry milestone: the first ship to sail from the U.S. in 16 months. 

For me, it was a chance to break the almost nonstop pandemic cycle of cooking and kitchen cleanup.

I was thrilled at the idea of sampling as much as I could of the 15 eateries on the Edge, a ship that has heavily promoted the variety and quality of its culinary offerings since its 2019 launch.

Since there are enough places to eat in a different venue every night, I did exactly that. I was most excited to try dinner at Eden, the restaurant in the ship’s aft with terraces spilling over three decks and massive, shipwide, floor-to-ceiling windows. 

The $65 tasting menu offers five courses from a menu that allows diners to select one of two items for each course.

The first thing to love at Eden are the tables, which have ingenious drawers that store flatware at each setting so that table space is not taken up by the various forks and spoons needed for that many dishes. 

The course names won’t necessarily guide your palate: Life After Death was the tenderloin and fondant potato selection, while Descending Frost was an oyster and sea urchin course. Namaste was shrimp served with cauliflower and garam masala. 

The dishes were creative in both ingredients and presentation: Cove was a scallop served with egg yolk, celery root and chicken skin. The Looking Glass pistachio cake dessert came in what appeared to be a terrarium. 

Eden’s cocktail selection is by now famous, for being both tasty and very Instagrammable. The Veldt blends mezcal and verdita (a pineapple, cilantro and jalapeno mix) and is served in a small treasure chest that, when opened, appears surrounded by smoke from a bed of dry ice therein. And several people did double takes at the abundant herbs coming out of my Woodford Reserve-based cocktail that was fittingly called the Garden. 

The Eden was the most memorable of my dining experiences on the Edge but far from the only one that was noteworthy. Raw on 5 was another favorite, with seafood towers of fresh oysters, clams, crab and lobster as well as lobster rolls and a sushi selection. 

As far as location, the Rooftop Garden Grill can’t be beat. The Deck 15 eatery offered stunning sunsets, and everyone left their table to snap pics.

The menu is focused on barbecue favorites (seafood kabobs, steak, bratwurst), but for our group, the standout was the Train Wreck Fries topped with bacon, scallions, four cheeses, hot peppers and ranch dressing. The wine and drink selection are curated to go well with grilled selections, and the very friendly and helpful waiter had great ideas about pairing. 

And if you haven’t had enough of the stunning views, the Sunset Bar is located conveniently around the corner from the Rooftop Garden.