No background information this time because this was the first time that we had eaten at Citricos. It, along with three other Signature restaurants (Flying Fish, Artist Point, and Yachtsmans Steakhouse), was new to us on this trip. This was the final meal of our 6 days on the Deluxe Dining Plan. Based on the many glowing reviews I had read here on the DIS, I had saved Citricos for last. So would we finish our Dining Plan experience with a bang or a whimper??? Had I saved the BEST for last?
To find out the answers to these questions, you must read our review of
Dinner at CITRICOS
Highlights Personalized Anniversary menus, Shrimp Appetizer, Magicale Brachetto, Olive Bread
Disappointments Service, Dessert
Would we Return? Probably
Unfortunately our dinner here did not get off to a good start. When we entered the waiting area to check in at the desk for our 9:15 reservation, there was a large group of people taking up more than 1/4 of the room. And these people, all adults and almost all men I might add, were EXTREMELY LOUD!!!
They seemed to all know each other and were talking non-stop in a language we did not understand. These guys definitely disproved the age-old myth that women talk more than men. Since our table was not ready yet, we sat in the waiting area
as far away as we could get from the Gabby Guy Group, whose loud voices seemed to permeate the entire room. This group gave a whole new meaning to 3G coverage, and not a good one.
Anyway, as each minute passed by, I became more nervous that DH would decide he didnt want to stay due to the noise. We had already had an extremely noisy meal earlier that day at Coral Reef and I was afraid my DH had reached his limit. Finally the group was seated, leaving only one other couple and us in the waiting area. Whew, crisis averted
finally a little quiet. Now my only fear was that we would be seated in the same area as the 3G. But when we were finally seated, thank goodness they were nowhere to be seen (or I should say heard) and DH thanked the hostess for this.
Anyway, after showing us to our table, she presented us with personalized Anniversary menus. After looking these over, DH chose for his appetizer the Soup du Jour
Spanish Pisto Soup. This was a Spanish style Vegetable Soup with Sundried Tomatoes, Chicken Sausage, Cannellini Beans, Swiss Chard, and Basil Pesto. The funny thing about this is that they first brought him a bowl of diced vegetables and ground meat. DH and I looked at each other, both probably thinking the same thing
Spanish style soup must mean very chunky. But before we could say anything out loud, the ladle full of broth arrived and was added to DHs bowl. Im sorry to say that this must have thrown me off my game because I completely forgot to take a picture of it. I just asked him now if he remembers anything else about this soup other than how it was served. His comment
Well, since Ive never met a soup I didnt like, it must have been okay.
Also, DH ordered a glass of wine based on our servers recommendation. I cant find the receipt for our wine and Im sorry to say that neither of us recalls what it was. I, however, remember quite well the wine which I tried for the first time here
Magicale Brachetto. In case you are not already familiar with this delicious wine, it is an Italian sparkling rose which is very similar to one of my favorite sweet wines, Rosa Regale. Without tasting them side by side I cant really say if I prefer one over the other, so Ill just say that I love them both.
Okay, back to the food now
.I ordered the Sautéed Shrimp for my appetizer. The shrimp were served in a White Wine and Lemon sauce with Tomatoes and Feta Cheese. This was delicious! Though I was already getting full, I couldnt stop eating this until I had finished all the shrimp and most of the cheese and tomatoes.
Sauteed Shrimp with Tomatoes Feta Cheese
For his entrée, DH of course ordered the pork dish which was Berkshire Pork Two Ways
Rotisserie Pork Tenderloin and Roasted Berkshire Pork Belly served with Heirloom Apple-Polenta Cakes and an Orange Blossom Mustard Drizzle. He didnt care for the Pork Belly but liked the Pork Tenderloin, however not as much as the one from the culinary demo or the California Grill Pork Tenderloin dish. So in the battle of the pork tenderloin dishes, this one came in last.
Berkshire Pork Two Ways
I had originally intended to have the Filet of Beef, as Ive seen pictures of this here on the DIS and it looks delicious. However, the thought of eating another steak on this trip was not at all appealing to me at this point. So I instead chose the Roast Chicken Breast served with Pappardelle Pasta, Kalamata Olives, and Sundried Tomatoes in a White Wine Sauce. Hmm
kind of sounds like my appetizer. Sadly the picture of my entrée did not turn out well but it was quite good. The chicken was tender and juicy, the pasta was good, and I really liked the olives. Oh and speaking of olives, I almost forgot about the Kalamata olive bread that is served here. I enjoyed this very much; it was a welcomed change of pace from the usual sourdough bread that is served at many restaurants. I believe there was a second kind of bread served (I dont think it was plain/sourdough, but perhaps a multi-grain?) but I only had the olive one.
Okay, that just leaves dessert. One of the main reasons why I wanted to eat at Citricos is because I saw a picture of one of their desserts here on the DIS and fell in love. About the time that our entrees arrived, the couple seated at the table next to us each ordered this dessert and it looked even more delicious in real life than it had in the pictures. So when the server came to our table to get our dessert orders, there was no doubt in my mind as to what I would have
the Warm Chocolate Banana Tart. And now comes the part where my heart was broken by these words, We are all out of the Tarts, can I bring you something else? Sadly, I then had to actually look at the menu and choose another dessert. So my dessert choice, by default, was the Tiramisu. But, although this was a perfectly good version of the popular Italian dessert, I just couldnt stop thinking about the dessert I missed out on. So the lesson to be learned from this is, if you have your heart set on the Tart, dont wait until after 9:00 to have dinner.
Tiramisu
I bet you can guess what DH had for his dessert
yes, the Trio of Gelatos of course! I think the three flavors were almond, raspberry, and chocolate, but I cant say for sure as I didnt taste them. We also each had a cup of coffee along with our desserts.
Trio of Gelatos
One more note I would like to add here. Our server at Citricos was probably my least favorite of the servers at our six Signature meals. Although he performed his job adequately, there were times during our meal that he made me feel slightly uncomfortable. His attempts at humor seemed to me to be more sarcastic than funny. As an example, when he broke the news to me that they were all out of tarts, he seemed almost pleased with my obvious disappointment. In fact, he had a big old grin on his face when he delivered the news, so it took me a minute to realize that he was serious.
So, sadly I must say that our experience with the Deluxe Dining Plan ended more as a whimper than a bang. Although the food was pretty good, nothing really wowed us
with the possible exception of my shrimp appetizer. The server, although quite efficient in delivering our meal (at only 1 hr. 15 min. this meal was served at a faster pace than all of the other Signature meals), did not display the same level of friendliness and consideration as the others. Had we had a different server, I believe that our experience at Citricos would have been much better. Therefore, I will probably give it another try sometime. Hopefully they will still be serving the Warm Chocolate Banana Tart.
And now for the numbers...
Total cost of meal (not including wine or tip) - $122.03 (or $30.51 per Dining Plan credit) LOWEST VALUE
And so I can do a
DDP vs. TIW Cost Comparison at the end...
Total cost of meal (not including tip) if we had used my Tables in Wonderland discount of 20% instead of the DDP - $97.62
4 DeLuxe Dining Plan Credits used, 0 Remaining
NEXT UP: Final Results of the DDP vs. TIW Cost Comparison
How was your trip? Are you going to do a dining report? 
