Newbie does DxDDP for 11 days! Lots of pictures, loads of signatures (COMPLETED!)

[rubysparkles]

I went straight to Toy Story Mania for a fast pass. I don't want to wait in a line for an hour and a half! So afterwards I thought I'd try my luck and see if the sandwiches were in at Starring Rolls. Guess what? At about 9:30, there they were waiting for me! How brilliant. I'd had my heart set on trying a cupcake, but then I saw they had chocolate eclairs. I NEVER say no to a chocolate eclair. I also got a turkey focaccia, which was really good. Very nice bread, I kind of wished I'd have tried the ham sandwich just because it was more breakfast-y.

 

[rubysparkles]

This was the last reservation I made, mainly because I wanted to try the food here but felt I would be embarrassed by the nature of the restaurant. I was right and I think I would've been happier eating somewhere else on my own. And in my opinion, the food wasn't worth it. I got the crab cake to start. I love crab cake and there had been loads that I wanted to try but in every other restaurant another app always swayed me a bit more. Shame this was pretty rubbish. In fact I think this was the worst thing I ate all trip.

For my main, I definitely knew what to choose. I got the fried chicken. They give you a lot of chicken! I had three bits but they were HUGE pieces, someone had the same at a nearby table and I thought their portion was big but mine was even bigger. Even thought the fried chicken was good, it wasn't good enough that I'd go out my way to get it again. I think I'd try something different if I went back. I liked the greens, but from what I heard of other orders people were subbing for green beans (which I don't like). The mash was pretty standard, not creamy enough for my taste, but alright.

I got the smores dessert (sorry no picture) which I only had a couple of bites of. I like smores, so I don't know what was in the dessert to put me off but there was a taste that I really didn't like.

Best part of the meal (obviously) was that you could put vanilla syrup into your diet coke. I miss the days when you could get diet coke with vanilla in cans in the UK, so I was very happy. Having it again after such a long time though has made me realise it is The Greatest Soft Drink Of All Time. Unfortunately the only way I can make something similar is to make it alcoholic with that expensive (but lovely) vanilla vodka. But that's not really the same. Ohhhhh Vanilla Diet Coke, I love you.

 

[rubysparkles]

I started my night with a Sangria in the bar at POR while I read my book.

It didn't taste anything like any Sangria I've ever tasted. I didn't like it much.

At Narcoosee's I waited at the bar for about 15-20 minutes. I didn't mind the wait at all and really liked the atmosphere of the restaurant on the water with lovely dim lights. Disclaimer: All my food pictures are really dark! Sorry.

I'm a big lover of seafood, so I had looked forward to this. I have read some bad reviews, but still it didn't really put me off. I'm glad because I liked the food a lot! I don't usually order mussels very much but I ordered my second set of mussels here. I enjoyed them, but they weren't particularly memorable.

For my main I got the surf and turf. I was pleasantly surprised, the steaks were gorgeous and the lobster was heavenly. I would recommend this to anyone on the dining plan, but I do think $60 is a lot for any main course. However good it is.

For dessert I had the bittersweet chocolate mousse dome. As a lover of dark chocolate this was very yummy and the texture was surprisingly light.

I got a great view of Wishes between main course and dessert. I had to go outside because people on the deck had stood right in front of my view, I just tried to stay out of other peoples way. I have to say I nobody else in the restaurant seemed to be watching the fireworks while I was there. Overall, a very nice night.

 

[Jing]

Thanks for the review - planning on Narco for our first dinner when we go in Feb!

 

[cbg1027]

I has the same Beef Carpaccio at Citricos! It was amazing!

 

[rubysparkles]

I chose to go to Sanaa because I enjoyed it when I went with my family in 2010. Then it was a new restaurant and we were very pleasantly surprised. You get great views of the animals and the food is good. I started with the salad sampler.

The beetroot was my favourite, the watermelon was good but I wasn't as keen on the middle one. I can't remember the name of it, sorry. My main was the Tandoori Chicken open faced sandwich. The naan bread was a really nice different choice for a sandwich bread. The tandoori chicken had a great depth of flavour but wasn't too spicy. It had cucumber raita on there too, which I loved. Overall a great lunch!

I got the dessert sampler; chocolate cake, passion fruit kulfi and chai cream. All three were really enjoyable, but I think the chai cream was my favourite. I really think this place is such a gem of a restaurant, and reasonably priced. Definitely worth OOP or using a table service credit.

 

[Lisa29]

Just wanted to say I am really enjoying your reviews.

Thanks for taking the time to write them and put them up.

 

[rubysparkles]

I actually had a ressie for earlier in the week but I'd been to F&W and had over-indulged a bit and there was no way I could eat anymore! I wanted to enjoy it so I made another reservation when I'd feel more up to it.

I didn't wait long for my table. I was sat at a pretty rubbish table even though it was early and no-one was there yet. I think one of the hostesses was being trained because almost as soon as I sat down somebody brought her back and got her to ask me if I would prefer to sit by the window. So I got a good table and I loved that they noticed that someone alone might want to sit somewhere they can see more around them. It was a little thing, but it was the start of very good service.

I'd wanted to try wine flights at a lot of the restaurants but I didn't get round to it. I got the spanish wine flight, if anyone's interested they come with little cards and here's mine detailing the wines including.

I liked them all. I'm not that fussy when it comes to wine though.

My app was the Tuna Tartare Sushi Roll. Oh this was amazing! The tuna just melted in my mouth and went perfectly with the sour cream on top. If that wasn't enough there's some lovely sushi underneath each little nest of tartare. And little bits of seaweed too. I absolutely loved this. If you're a sushi lover this is highly recommended!

I went with the signature main course that everyone goes on about. The potato wrapped snapper. The best thing about this dish is the sauce, you wouldn't expect it to go with fish but it is great. I wish I had a recipe for the sauce. The whole dish wasn't as spectacular for me compared to the reviews, but it was still very good. Part of me wishes I had tried something different, because the menu just has so much that looks amazing.

I got the sorbets for dessert, which were okay but I was just getting dessert for the sake of it so I didn't eat very much. There wasn't anything on the dessert menu that I would eat other than sorbet anyway. Most had nuts in unfortunately. I'm too fussy about that, won't go anywhere near anything with nuts in.

Overall a very good meal. I can still taste that app, so delicious! Main course was good, just the dessert wasn't great (but I'd imagine others are on the menu).

 

[Tink rules]

Potato Wrapped Snapper with Creamy Leek Fondue and Red Wine Reduction

The Flying Fish Cafe, BoardWalk

Yield: 4 servings
4 each 6 oz. skinless Red Snapper filet
2 each Idaho Russet potatoes, large
2 oz. potato starch
2 bunches leeks, whites only
½ bunch fresh thyme
2 Tbls. butter
4 oz. heavy cream
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup canola oil
4 oz. Red Wine Reduction (recipe following)

1. Cut the potatoes into a rectangle, cutting off all the skin.
2. With a slicer, slice the potatoes thin enough so that you can see through them. Soak in cold water then drain.
3. On a table, lay 4, 12” x 12” pieces of plastic wrap.
4. Place the potato slices in a single formation so you have 4 pieces across and 2 pieces up and down on each sheet of plastic.
5. Evenly sprinkle some of the potato starch on the potatoes.
6. Season the fish with salt and pepper and place fish in center of potatoes.
7. Bring one end of the plastic wrap over the fish to wrap the potato around it. Repeat with the other end. Keep wrapped in the plastic to keep it from changing color.
8. In a large oven safe, non-stick sauté pan, pour in canola oil and heat to 300°. Unwrap fish and place into pan. The oil should come halfway up the fish.
9. Once fish is golden brown on one side, turn over and place pan in oven at 350°. Cook about 10 minutes or until fish is done.
10. Drain fish on a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
11. Cut the leeks in half lengthwise and cut the halves in diagonal about 1 inch thick. Wash leeks thoroughly and drain.
12. In a saucepan, place the butter and thyme and melt.
13. Add leeks and cook slowly until they soften. Add cream, salt, and pepper. Reduce until thick.
Presentation or Assembly
1. To serve, place leek fondue in the center of a plate, place the fish on top. Ladle the sauce on the plate.

Red Wine Reduction
2 onions, peeled and large diced
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1 head of garlic, halved
½ leek, halved and sliced
1 oz. olive oil
1 bottle Cabernet Sauvignon
1 oz. chicken bones
1 gallon brown chicken stock
½ gallon veal stock
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 500°.
2. In a large pot, over low heat, cook the onions, carrots, garlic, and leeks in 1-1/2 oz. olive oil.
3. Season with salt.
4. Heat a pan – add the remaining oil and chicken bones.
5. When the bones start to color, place the pan in the oven, roast until golden brown; drain off the fat.
6. Add the wine to the vegetables and reduce by half.
7. Add the stocks and roasted bones to the vegetables.
8. Bring to a simmer and reduce, skimming often.
9. Simmer for 1 hour and 20 minutes and pass through a china cap.
10. Return to the heat and reduce to correct consistency and flavor.
11. Finish to taste with salt, pepper, and a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon.
12. Pass through a strainer.
__________________

 

[Linda67]

Great review of FF and what a lovely touch to move you to another table

 

[starousse]

This was the last reservation I made, mainly because I wanted to try the food here but felt I would be embarrassed by the nature of the restaurant. I was right and I think I would've been happier eating somewhere else on my own. And in my opinion, the food wasn't worth it. I got the crab cake to start. I love crab cake and there had been loads that I wanted to try but in every other restaurant another app always swayed me a bit more. Shame this was pretty rubbish. In fact I think this was the worst thing I ate all trip.

For my main, I definitely knew what to choose. I got the fried chicken. They give you a lot of chicken! I had three bits but they were HUGE pieces, someone had the same at a nearby table and I thought their portion was big but mine was even bigger. Even thought the fried chicken was good, it wasn't good enough that I'd go out my way to get it again. I think I'd try something different if I went back. I liked the greens, but from what I heard of other orders people were subbing for green beans (which I don't like). The mash was pretty standard, not creamy enough for my taste, but alright.

I got the smores dessert (sorry no picture) which I only had a couple of bites of. I like smores, so I don't know what was in the dessert to put me off but there was a taste that I really didn't like.

Best part of the meal (obviously) was that you could put vanilla syrup into your diet coke. I miss the days when you could get diet coke with vanilla in cans in the UK, so I was very happy. Having it again after such a long time though has made me realise it is The Greatest Soft Drink Of All Time. Unfortunately the only way I can make something similar is to make it alcoholic with that expensive (but lovely) vanilla vodka. But that's not really the same. Ohhhhh Vanilla Diet Coke, I love you.

That's funny, I just got back on Friday and have been thinking of those vanilla diet cokes too. It was the best.

 

[orcasandowls]

Just wanted to jump in and say I'm really enjoying your reviews. You may have convinced me to try Saana on my upcoming trip!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Enjoying your reviews. So sorry you didn't have a great experience at Brown Derby... that is typically one of my faves. Look forward to more!

 

[HomeSweetDisney]

Enjoying your reviews! We will be dining at Flying Fish our second night in WDW and I know I know what app to get. Looks delicious and I LOVE tuna!

 

[toyman70]

This was the green tea plum wine cooler from China's stand at food and wine. I thought I'd love this, but it was a little sweet for my taste. Really good, just a little sweet for MY taste. I think most people would love this though.

Now onto Tutto Italia.

I didn't think I could eat anything heavier than a salad to start! This was okay, the Caesar dressing was great, but the parmesan was disappointing. It did not taste like the lovely strong parmesan I'm used to. Very wishy-washy. It was okay, but I would be annoyed at the price if I was paying OOP.

Then I got the short ribs. Now, I really liked this dish. But it didn't seem Italian at all, in fact the reason I liked it so much is because it tasted very much like my mum's home made stew. Very English. It was very yummy, maybe I'm being completely stupid, I just thought it was really weird eating something that tasted like my mum's stew in an Italian restaurant.

I didn't take a picture but I then had my second favourite dessert of the trip. Some lovely lemon sorbet. God it was good. I love lemon sorbet and this is the nicest I've had. It almost tasted creamy! I don't know how. But it was gorgeous, especially after the heavy braised short ribs.

It was a good meal. I'd say try it, I wish I'd have gotten to go to Via Napoli as well to compare. (Also pizza, my favourite!)

Maybe Mum is secretly Italian..MMMMM?????

 

[starousse]

I actually had a ressie for earlier in the week but I'd been to F&W and had over-indulged a bit and there was no way I could eat anymore! I wanted to enjoy it so I made another reservation when I'd feel more up to it.

I didn't wait long for my table. I was sat at a pretty rubbish table even though it was early and no-one was there yet. I think one of the hostesses was being trained because almost as soon as I sat down somebody brought her back and got her to ask me if I would prefer to sit by the window. So I got a good table and I loved that they noticed that someone alone might want to sit somewhere they can see more around them. It was a little thing, but it was the start of very good service.

I'd wanted to try wine flights at a lot of the restaurants but I didn't get round to it. I got the spanish wine flight, if anyone's interested they come with little cards and here's mine detailing the wines including.

I liked them all. I'm not that fussy when it comes to wine though.

My app was the Tuna Tartare Sushi Roll. Oh this was amazing! The tuna just melted in my mouth and went perfectly with the sour cream on top. If that wasn't enough there's some lovely sushi underneath each little nest of tartare. And little bits of seaweed too. I absolutely loved this. If you're a sushi lover this is highly recommended!

I went with the signature main course that everyone goes on about. The potato wrapped snapper. The best thing about this dish is the sauce, you wouldn't expect it to go with fish but it is great. I wish I had a recipe for the sauce. The whole dish wasn't as spectacular for me compared to the reviews, but it was still very good. Part of me wishes I had tried something different, because the menu just has so much that looks amazing.

I got the sorbets for dessert, which were okay but I was just getting dessert for the sake of it so I didn't eat very much. There wasn't anything on the dessert menu that I would eat other than sorbet anyway. Most had nuts in unfortunately. I'm too fussy about that, won't go anywhere near anything with nuts in.

Overall a very good meal. I can still taste that app, so delicious! Main course was good, just the dessert wasn't great (but I'd imagine others are on the menu).

I just had your same meal last Sunday. That sushi roll was the best appetizer I had all week.

 

[rubysparkles]

Potato Wrapped Snapper with Creamy Leek Fondue and Red Wine Reduction

Thanks!!!

 

[rubysparkles]

I love sushi so this was somewhere I was keen to try. I got the hamachi citrus roll to start, which was very good. I enjoyed it. It wasn't anything special particularly (like the sushi at California Grill), but I enjoyed it anyway. I'd like to try other rolls here.

I pretty much already knew I was going to get the much hyped Tuna Oscar. Unfortunately, I really didn't enjoy it. I think it's just a bad dish, or maybe the chef having a bad day? I've heard so many people talk highly of this, but I was very disappointed.

I took my dessert to go. A white chocolate cheesecake, which I thought was nice. Kona Cafe was good but unless you have a craving for sushi I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to dine here. That said I wouldn't avoid this place or be adverse to going back. But I didn't really like the bread either (probably because I don't each nuts, so I didn't have any of the butter which probably complimented it better) so that probably didn't help either.

 

[l_mccafferty]

I loved reading your reviews
I don't eat fish at all but some of your choices made my mouth water!

btw, about the Vanilla coke. If you have a Makro or can find the Monin Vanilla syrup anywhere, it tastes just like vanilla coke!

 

[creativeamanda]

Too bad Kona was not your favorite. We love it there--the Ginger Rib-Eye is wonderful. But I will also say, it's the only thing I've eaten there.

As far as the sushi goes, you can get the sushi at the bar there without making a reservation, which is what I fully intend to do on the day I get to Disney in June, unless I like the looks of the sushi in Epcot's new CS location better.