Old World grains, contemporary flair re-envision Princess Cruises' Sabatini's

The transformed Sabatini’s Trattoria debuts aboard Caribbean Princess following a multimillion-dollar drydock. The new menu will be available on Caribbean Princess and Grand Princess in April, and is scheduled to go fleetwide in the coming months.

Executive chef and partner at the Italian restaurants The Factory Kitchen and Officine BRERA in Los Angeles, Auriana is inspired by fresh northern Italian flavors and the flavors of his childhood home, Bergamo.

'Sabatini’s has always been a Princess guest favorite and this new collaboration with chef Auriana elevates our Italian heritage, continuing our fresh approach to authentic Italian dining,' said Mario Siebaldi, svp guest operations, Princess.

Auriana relies on Old World grains like buckwheat and durum that gives semolina the signature pale yellow color and high-protein strength necessary to hold the shape of house-made pasta. Non-traditional ingredients like mint and marjoram are also infused for a contemporary flair.

New menu offerings include picagge, a dish of marjoram-infused long pasta, white prawns, clams, artichoke pesto and Ligurian olive oil, and tortelloni, mint-speckled pasta, roasted lamb, pecorino crosta nera, cacio e pepe sauce and broccoli rabe. Risotto is made with vialone nano rice, beets dolce latte, gorgonzola and pistachios, while torchietti consists of whole wheat pasta, foraged mushrooms and rosemary oil.

More Princess chefs hail from Italy than any other country and their family-favorite recipes are featured on the new menu. Among them: Roman seafood al Cartoccio with grouper, shrimp, black mussels, scallops, potato and artichoke, and porchetta, rolled pork belly Toscana, fennel seeds, potatoes, spinach and roasted tomato.

The re-envisioned Sabatini’s features a contemporary look with rustic touches.

An all-Italian wine menu, iconic Italian cocktails and limoncello liqueur are available to complement the menu. A $25 per person cover charge includes a four-course dinner plus dessert.

Sabatini’s will soon feature pasta-making classes, with details to come.