ConnieB
My girls with Anthony Daniels, SW Convention 2012
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2007
Arg! We made our reservations for a late lunch for our FIRST TRIP (2 days in Feb). We are surprising DD with the castle meal. And now, with this lousy new menu, there is NOTHING for dh and I to eat. I am not kidding. I am so sad and mad. Below are the adult choices. Brussels sprouts, really?? And I don't do beef and he doesn't do fish or any alcohol.
He didn't really want to go to CRT anyway, and I insisted b/c dd is a princess fanatic. I don't think I am even going to tell him.
Any sympathy? Please?? Am I the only one who thinks this menu is insane???
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Gnocchi with Roasted Vegtables
Eggplant, Mushrooms, Onions, and Squash tossed with Gnocchi, Arugula, Pesto, shaved Romano, and splash of Aged Balsamic
Oven-roasted Chicken Breast
Farro Wheat Risotto, Wild Mushroom and Leek Ragoût served with a Stone-ground Mustard Jus
Pan-seared Grouper
Butternut Squash Purée, Sautéed Brussels Sprouts, and Winter Citrus with Bacon Vinaigrette
Braised Pork Shank
Butternut Squash Purée, Sautéed Brussels Sprouts, and Winter Citrus with Bacon Vinaigrette
Major Domos Short Rib
Slow-cooked in a Pinot Noir Demi-glace on Potato and Parsnip Purée with Carrots
A word on Brussel Sprouts....I'm (cough) 50 years old and spent the first 49 years of my life finding Brussel Sprouts disgusting....well, actually it's more like the first 18 years of my life because once I moved out of my Brussel Sprout loving father's home I NEVER was going to eat them again. They were not welcome in my home! Like most of us that are this old, when we think of Brussel Sprouts we think of these disgusting balls of whatever it is, boiled until it's dead and then soaking in so much butter or cheese or whatever that if the smell didn't knock you out before it made it to your mouth....well, let's just say it was a chore to keep them down after eating.
Fast forward to about a year ago.....big important dinner party, the need to make a good impression, and sitting right next to the hostess. And what do they announce (yep, that fancy they announced each course, lol)....roasted brussel sprouts. I looked at my husband directly across from me with what he later described as "flight or fight pure panic". I knew I had no choice, I had to eat them......though I also was trying to figure out how to get them into my lap for tossing on the floor...far enough down the table that no one could blame me. I bit down on the first one (still hadn't figured out how to get it to the floor, but the conversation was background noise as I thought harder).....and was pleasantly surprised! I mean really surprised. I mean, rolled the ones on the plate around to be sure they really WERE Brussel Sprouts. Yep. They were.
It seems that all these gourmet chefs the last few years have been working hard on ways to take the soggy, bitter nasty taste out of Brussel Sprouts. And roasting them takes away all that, and the old sock smell too....and the garlic and other spices added actually make them taste good. I mean good enough that a few months after this dinner party I decided to try making them at home......I got a LOT of ribbing about Brussel Sprouts being in MY house, but that's a long funny story for another day.
And...as some other poster said....you don't have to eat the side dishes anyway. Because you won't be sitting next to the hostess at an important dinner, lol. And seriously....with the tiny portions that CRT serves, you'll have probably 4 of them to worry about.
Or...if one of the other sides sounds good, when you order, ask if they can substitute something for the wicked Sprouts.
Me....I'm trying to decide if I can justify the cost now. I thought CRT was a once-in-a-lifetime meal, but now I life several of the new entrees.
Oh...and for your no-alcohol beef eating husband.....the wine in the short ribs cooks off and leaves a sweet taste behind....not an alcohol taste. Nor is any of the alcohol left for anyone concerned about allergies or staying sober.
The price IS ridiculously high for these foods....but what you're really paying for, just like at the $40 buffets, is the atmosphere, the characters and the charm of eating INSIDE Cinderella's Castle. If you have a choice of times....try to be there during the fireworks. The lights and bangs of the fireworks while you eat inside the castle are spectacular, and although our one and only trip to CRT was 7 years ago, I can hear and feel the excitement just remembering this as I type. THAT is what you're paying for, not the $10 meal.