999 Meals, But There's Room for 1,000 - An April 2016 Dining Report - Complete/New DR Link - 10/16

[NJlauren]

She looks too cute for kindergarten! I hope she is off to a good start and is loving it!

Happy later birthday, and welcome home from WDW!

Those burnt brisket ends look yummy! Now that bubble tea like concoction does not, I know you said it seemed to taste good but I don't like bubble tea and I'm not sure I would even try anything again with balls in it...I don't have any good twelve year old comments! Boo to me.

I don't feel like I took advantage of flower and garden as much as we should have when we went. Need to step up my game if we go back to that or food and wine!

 

[TeeterTots]

I feel like I'm late to the show! Lol

Happy Belated Anniversary! We celebrated 9 yrs on 8/3! I hope Casey is settling into K. Looking forward to hearing about your most recent trip, but for now I'll drool over the hash. We're heading "home" Halloween, 39 more days!!!

 

[kastoney]

Just got home on Sunday from opening weekend of Food & Wine! I'll start that dining report once I finish the last of my Hawaii updates. We go back on November 3rd though!

Of course you did So jelly you live so close.

She looks too cute for kindergarten! I hope she is off to a good start and is loving it!

Thanks. It's been a bit rockier than I would have thought for my usually well adjusted child but she seems to be hitting her stride.

Those burnt brisket ends look yummy! Now that bubble tea like concoction does not, I know you said it seemed to taste good but I don't like bubble tea and I'm not sure I would even try anything again with balls in it...I don't have any good twelve year old comments! Boo to me.

I don't feel like I took advantage of flower and garden as much as we should have when we went. Need to step up my game if we go back to that or food and wine!

I think saying trying anything with balls in it is twelve year old boy enough

We never feel like we get enough F&W or now F&G time. I'd love to hit it up a few times but as you know with a kid in tow their tolerance for Mommy and Daddy's food and drink indulgences is next to none.

I feel like I'm late to the show! Lol

Happy Belated Anniversary! We celebrated 9 yrs on 8/3! I hope Casey is settling into K. Looking forward to hearing about your most recent trip, but for now I'll drool over the hash. We're heading "home" Halloween, 39 more days!!!

Better late than never Happy belated anniversary to you too. And cheers to getting married in 2007!!!!! Hope you have a great trip

 

[Leshaface]

Today is my birthday and we have a day of wineries and lots of food planned.

Sooo...

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY! I think I may have missed it last year as well At least you know i'm consistent

So I'll finish this bad boy up when we return and of course get another food party started!

What I love is that once one party ends, another one starts right back up!

Whenever we do that our "plan" is to do an appetizer crawl through Disney Springs which I'm really looking forward to. Jason and I did this in New Orleans for the first time at least 10 years ago and we loved it. We've since done this in Vegas, Napa, London, Key West, and even Disneyland to name a few. Basically we hop from restaurant to restaurant, park ourselves at a bar, have a drink and an appetizer, and then carry on to the next place. Think we'll at a minimum hit Morimoto, Jock Lindsey's, and the Boathouse so if anyone has some recommendations there or other places please let me know.

Whoa.
Blew.
My.
Freakin'.
MIND!

Where have you been all my life?! And I need to get down on this crawl immediately!

Then just 2 days later Casey starts KINDERGARDEN!!!!!! I still can't believe it. Time has gone way to fast.

No way?! Crazy!

Although i'm not a fan of the colors, she still looks mighty cute!

How long do they actually take?

To drink I made sure to keep the interesting going and got the "Dragon Pearl" which is Beer, Honey, Cream, and Tapioca Pearls.

You are brave for sure. I would have read that and skipped right on past it.

It was a bit odd to suck up the balls (insert you best 12 year old boy comment here)

Tee hee

After a quick stop to meet Dinald (as he was called in my drunken notes)

I seriously couldn't stop laughing for a bit

 

[kastoney]

Mushroom Madness

After a day of food & wine (and oh yeah apparently if you were looking there were some flowers and gardens too), we had but one thing on our minds: MORE!!!!! What can I say we are a family of excess. Thankfully dinner at Narcoossee's was just a boat ride away so our Flower & Garden induced happiness barely had a chance to fade away.

For those that have followed my reports in the past, there is generally once each trip where my tipsiness takes over and even I can barely make heads or tails of my notes. Ladies and gentleman, that to no ones surprise, was this meal so we're gonna let my drunkin' notes do most of the talking. But never fear, we had adult supervision.....

​

Our server "Denny" (she was female, no clue what her name actually was) was apparently excellent and friendly, likely deemed that because she was generously pouring me tastings of wine. Speaking of which it wasn't long after we were seated that this bad boy found me. I think I went with 3 or 4 tastes before landing on this Gewurtraminer.

And soon after that another, and another, and another. This was "nite crisp no bitter or oak from chads."

Jason decided to go for the hard stuff and went with a rye whiskey.​

No notes, but I'm gonna vote it had a rye flavor to it perhaps with a touch of corned beef.

Soon bread and butter arrived (sorry no pics, but I'm sure you can use your imaginations) and we also went with a Calarmadi appetizer (aka Calamari for those that don't speak drunk Kari)

This is their Rhode Island Calamari with Peppadew-Banana Pepper-Olive Relish and Tomato Coulis. We got all the peppers on the side for fear it may be too spicy for Casey. The Calarmadi was perfectly cooked and the marinara and peppers a nice accompaniment. It apparently reminded me of a muffin olive salad (gonna have to vote muffuletta on that one)

For our entrees Jason went with the Heritage Farms Cheshire Pork Rib Chop which comes with Fregola Sarda Pasta Sofrito, Chicken-Pistachio Sausage, Baby Beets, Roasted Carrots, Cipollini Onion, Gala Apple Butter.

Per my notes Purk was overcooked but good flavor from apply yummy polenta j says tasty polenta awesome good veg. So I'm gonna go with pork was overcooked but had a nice apple flavor. The polenta was awesome and the vegetables good.

To go with this he got a red wine flight.



This is a "pinot floght pinotage best other pretty week" Clearly he is either feeling no or a lot of pain

For Casey and I we shared the Pan Seared George's Bank Day Boat Scallops which comes with Trofie Pasta, Marcona Almonds, Sultana Raisins, Herb Crème, Grilled Elf Mushrooms, Haricot Verts, Lemon-Mustard Jus.

As we all know by now I loath, despite, hate, and just generally detest all things mushrooms so I had ordered this with mushroom on the side. Unfortunately apparently in my wine haze the server took this as me wanting a side of mushrooms. So not only did my scallops come with mushrooms in it, but we also got a $15 side of mushroom. I elected not to ruin my camera with a pic of the mushrooms, but suffices to say I had nothing to do with them. Jason and Casey however devoured them and said they were "very good but nit like $15 gold nuggets." I got nothing on that one.

Now back to our regularly scheduled non-mushroom programming. Mushrooms thoroughly picked out of my meal, this was hands down the best entree of the trip. The scallops were perfectly cooked, the creamy sauce delicious, and the pasta had a spaetzle like consistency that paired really nicely. The almonds and arugla added a nice crutch and the raisins good sweetness. This blew the Artist Point scallops out of the water. Or in other words "SpatZele like pasta star in creamy sauce scallps cooked nice cranky almond sweet raisin crunch arugil best point scllops"

We also got a side of lobster mac and cheese, because a little more carb never hurt anyone.
We'd has this before, though this one wasn't as creamy as I recalled aka "bit as good before."

For dessert we went with the amazing almond cheesecake. Sadly I didn't get a picture, but this one is from our previous visit. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say it looked the same.

I'm sure this was every bit as good as amazing as it was the first time I had it. Unfortunately I can't confirm that from my notes because "j not hige fan not like almond but do crunch it Casey did Cherri's Def most refined desser on prop."

I did however get a picture of my dessert wine (girls gotta have priorities)

This was "Frozin bit suite bit perfect with desert"

This was another good Narcoossee's meal, though after 3 trips now we find their menu pretty limited and their wine list pretty abysmal compared to the other signatures. We did save $42.40 with our Tables in Wonderland card. And for the record I was still standing and looking no worse for the wear at the end.

Not sure I can say the same of Casey

Next up, our last meal....

​

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Love your Narcoossees review! I would have enjoyed those $15 mushrooms, drunk or sober! LOL

One of these days we will get back there!

 

[TeeterTots]

Yum! I'm starving! I hate mushrooms but yum-o. I must get to Narcoossees! Soon.

 

[Leshaface]

What can I say we are a family of excess.

I approve this message.

Ladies and gentleman, that to no ones surprise, was this meal so we're gonna let my drunkin' notes do most of the talking.

I'm like a kid on Christmas-excited!

This was "nite crisp no bitter or oak from chads."

Calarmadi appetizer

It apparently reminded me of a muffin olive salad (gonna have to vote muffuletta on that one)

His face! Like he's not sure if there's too much wine or not enough

"pinot floght pinotage best other pretty week"

very good but nit like $15 gold nuggets." I got nothing on that one.

"SpatZele like pasta star in creamy sauce scallps cooked nice cranky almond sweet raisin crunch arugil best point scllops"

Can we just make a book of all your drunken slurs?!

"j not hige fan not like almond but do crunch it Casey did Cherri's Def most refined desser on prop."

This one's the winner in my book!

For reals, how do you look so amazing after so many drinks?!

 

[NJlauren]

Best update! Love!

I happen to love mushrooms but I was dying at you recounting this! Hysterical! Happy the meal was fab! Assuming your notes and wine made this an accurate recount

Casey is a great eater! I hope Dillon ends up the same way.

 

[anniebean]

Coming out of lurk-dom to say the drunk Kari notes are cracking me up....loudly....at work...

 

[cinderkelly]

Sorry I haven't had much time to stop and comment but I've been reading along and loving it. Love your drunken note taking! I give you credit for keeping up with it, I'm sure if it were me I'd say forgetaboutit and then literally forget everything

I'd still like to get to Narcossees someday, that almond crusted cheesecake looks to die for, maybe I'll stroll over that direction and pick up one of those baby's to go one night

 

[Dis_Yoda]

I love how you enjoy your wine as much as I do!

Looks like a fun and great dinner!

 

[momof3princes]

Love your drunk dining notes I have to say in the last picture Casey's face paint looks like a rainbow black eye! I hope it was easy to get off

 

[suse66]

Yum, yum, yum! You know I LOVE that scallop dish too...every flavour and texture works so well together. I have to agree with you that the wine list at Narcoosees is not the best, CG definitely wins in that regard. The cheesecake looks awesome.....may have to stop in for that alone on my next trip!

 

[ariane37]

LMAO "Mushroom Madness"!! Wait until you read the rest of my report!!
Your notes are hysterical. I want you to text me sometimes when you're drinking. LMK after you've had a few and I'll come up with a topic
I'm looking forward to Narcoossee's again in November; we really enjoyed our first meal there last year. I will most definitely be getting the cheesecake again, because I agree it's " Def most refined desser on prop"
I want to say Narcoossee's is our favorite signature, but with Il Mulino fresh in my mouth and 2 awesome meals at Citricos under our belt, I'll have to wait until after our next visit to see where it falls. Ricky is a huge fan of the lobster mac n cheese so that'll be his dinner again along with the mussels I'm sure.

 

[ArielSRL]

Very nice photo at the end! I may or may not have mentioned that I detest mushrooms, as well. Love the drunken notes!

I want to try Narcoossee's right before Wishes one night. Aren't there windows looking out at MK? And don't they have a deck/porch or something? I think I'm remembering (from a TR I read) right.

 

[margareton27]

Love reading all of your reviews! You have a great way of describing your experiences - drunk or sober

That pub crawl sounds like a great idea. Check out the Christmas decorations - have a drink and appetizer, move to the next.

Question - do you think they would wake me up on the Poly beach should the wine take hold of me during the water parade ?!?

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

Those are some truly epic food notes. I salute your soldiering on, even in the face of much tipsiness! LOL

 

[kastoney]

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY! I think I may have missed it last year as well At least you know i'm consistent

How dare you consistently wish me belated birthday wishes, when I have so clearly never even acknowledged yours On that note happy late or early birthday 2016!

Whoa.
Blew.
My.
Freakin'.
MIND!

Where have you been all my life?! And I need to get down on this crawl immediately!

Yes, I am quite mind blowing And I've been right here in good ole VA. Maybe one of these days our disney worlds can collide and a night of drinking and eating would most definitely be in our futures.

How long do they actually take?

They do it pretty darn quick. Like 10 minutes or less. Calvin would love it. They have some "boy" options too.

Love your Narcoossees review! I would have enjoyed those $15 mushrooms, drunk or sober! LOL

One of these days we will get back there!

You should most definitely get back to Narcoossee's though I'd suggest just skipping the mushrooms I think it was you or Barb who turned me onto Narcoosee's and the almond cheesecake in the first place

Yum! I'm starving! I hate mushrooms but yum-o. I must get to Narcoossees! Soon.

Mushrooms or not, Yum-O is definitely the right adjective.

I'm like a kid on Christmas-excited!

You and be both

His face! Like he's not sure if there's too much wine or not enough

I think it was definitely too much at this point. I think it was 7 or 8 by the time we'd ate and we started flower and garden around 11. So at hour 8 the boy didn't have a lot of life left in him. Sadly the girl can rarely say the same thing

Can we just make a book of all your drunken slurs?!

Love it. We can call it Calamardi & Cranky Almond: A Disney Drinking Memoir

For reals, how do you look so amazing after so many drinks?!

I like to think that the drinks are really more like botox

Best update! Love!

I happen to love mushrooms but I was dying at you recounting this! Hysterical! Happy the meal was fab! Assuming your notes and wine made this an accurate recount

Casey is a great eater! I hope Dillon ends up the same way.

Thanks Lauren! Yes I'm sure the account of our evening (and day for that matter) was nothing shy of accurate Hope Dillon turns out to be a good eater too. With Casey we just always gave her whatever we were eating, which was rarely traditional "kid" food and that seemed to do the trick.

Coming out of lurk-dom to say the drunk Kari notes are cracking me up....loudly....at work...

Sorry I haven't had much time to stop and comment but I've been reading along and loving it. Love your drunken note taking! I give you credit for keeping up with it, I'm sure if it were me I'd say forgetaboutit and then literally forget everything

I'd still like to get to Narcossees someday, that almond crusted cheesecake looks to die for, maybe I'll stroll over that direction and pick up one of those baby's to go one night

You should be sorry, Kelly. It's not like you have a trip to Disney to get ready for or anything

I'm not sure when I did the actual notes. Usually I do them when we have some downtime during the day. Given the grand articulation I had in this one I'm gonna vote I did it on the boat back to WL.

You should definitely get the cheesecake to go. I know I've seen someone has done that before. They have a small bar in the middle of the restaurant that you could get it form. Would be so worth it!

I love how you enjoy your wine as much as I do!

Looks like a fun and great dinner!

Yep, we share a love for all things wine and alcohol. Just that pesky run thing I can't seem to get on board with

Love your drunk dining notes I have to say in the last picture Casey's face paint looks like a rainbow black eye! I hope it was easy to get off

Yeah that face paint never quite hold up and she insists on keeping it on. It does come off easy though, hence the black eye

Yum, yum, yum! You know I LOVE that scallop dish too...every flavour and texture works so well together. I have to agree with you that the wine list at Narcoosees is not the best, CG definitely wins in that regard. The cheesecake looks awesome.....may have to stop in for that alone on my next trip!

Yeah those scallops really are perfection. Spoiler alert we back again last month and Jason got it this time. It was every bit as good again. But sadly the wine list had not improved. They had a better one at the Wave than Narcoosee's.

LMAO "Mushroom Madness"!! Wait until you read the rest of my report!!

I'm on pins and mushroom needles

Your notes are hysterical. I want you to text me sometimes when you're drinking. LMK after you've had a few and I'll come up with a topic

Yeah, tipsy me doesn't happen too often (believe it or not) but when it does look out world. Wish I'd seen your response last night. My best friend and I went to see Amy Schumer and a few gin and tonics (and very little food) may have been consumed

I want to say Narcoossee's is our favorite signature, but with Il Mulino fresh in my mouth and 2 awesome meals at Citricos under our belt, I'll have to wait until after our next visit to see where it falls. Ricky is a huge fan of the lobster mac n cheese so that'll be his dinner again along with the mussels I'm sure.

Yeah, it might be up there as one of my favorites these days. Flying Fish had the spot for a while, but it was a slight disappointment this time. Jiko is usually right up there, but I get annoyed their menu doesn't change too often. Of course Narcoossee's has the same issue. So all that said, Cali Grill may be sitting at my number one for now. Great food, amazing views, best wine list, and a large rotating menu.

Very nice photo at the end! I may or may not have mentioned that I detest mushrooms, as well. Love the drunken notes!

I want to try Narcoossee's right before Wishes one night. Aren't there windows looking out at MK? And don't they have a deck/porch or something? I think I'm remembering (from a TR I read) right.

Thanks, me and drinking make for good photos Yeah, Narcoossee's would be great for Wishes. They do have several tables with MK views and there is a wrap around porch on the whole MK side of the restaurant. We rarely eat that late, so we haven't seen it from there, but I can only imagine how good it would be.

Love reading all of your reviews! You have a great way of describing your experiences - drunk or sober

That pub crawl sounds like a great idea. Check out the Christmas decorations - have a drink and appetizer, move to the next.

Question - do you think they would wake me up on the Poly beach should the wine take hold of me during the water parade ?!?

Thanks. Drunk or sober I'm here to please

Love the Christmas pub crawl idea. Now you're making me want to try and see if we can sneak a Christmas trip in

And nah I think they'd just throw a lei around your neck and let you sleep it off

 

[kastoney]

Those are some truly epic food notes. I salute your soldiering on, even in the face of much tipsiness! LOL

Thanks! I'm a good drinking soldier