After a happy afternoon at the pool, and a bit of rest in the room (we had left the house @ 4:30 that morning, after all), it was time to freshen up for our dinner at Narccossees!
We had been really looking forward to this meal ever since it was booked, since we had such a great experience there the year before. And let me tell you, we were two very happy, very stuffed people when we left. As I mentioned in my previous post, this was the meal that inspired the title of this report, because its what DH groaned by the time it was all said and done and we needed to get out of our chairs and actually move.
Prior to the meal, though, we spent time walking around the resort. I just love the Grand Floridian, its so beautiful in a different way than the Polynesian. One strange thing I noticed (and this would be a running theme throughout the week) was the massive number of crows (?) hanging out on top of the buildings. A CM walked past us as I was looking up at them and said Its like The Birds!. I was just thinking the same thing, and in fact had just said to DH that I expected to see Tippi Hedren running by.
But anyway, on to the food.
We showed up a bit early for our 5:45 reservation, and were completely ready to wait as long as necessary, but were seated almost immediately. Our server (who was a total doll throughout the entire meal) greeted us and asked if we would like a complimentary glass of champagne. Why, of course we would!
Then, DH ordered a Godiva chocolate martini. Hes become a big fan of the chocolate martini as of late. He loved it - I tried a taste and as usual, it was dangerous and deceptive!
And of course, while we waited, we enjoyed the yummy sourdough bread and salted butter. Its such a treat. But before we knew it, it was time for our appetizers!
For my appetizer, I ordered the mussels.
I had already eaten these the year before but really couldnt find anything on the menu that night that I would rather have enjoyed, since as much as I would have loved a bowl of the bisque, creamy soups make me feel kinda sick. Still, I was not unhappy in the least with my choice. They were super fresh and swimming in a delicious, garlicky broth. And speaking of garlic, do you see the bits of it all over that crostini? It was to die for, seriously. Im afraid I made a bit of a fool of myself while enjoying this dish.
DH, meanwhile, ordered the crab and lobster bisque.
Now let me tell you something. As much as I enjoyed the mussels, I was having serious envy over DHs soup. In fact, a gentleman at another table saw what we had ordered and called over that he was trying to decide between the two. I took a spoonful of the bisque and said, Get the soup!. That is some serious velvety goodness, right there, and chock full of crab and lobster meat there is no skimpage here. Plus DH raved over the little crackers.
On to our entrees, and to my only complaint about the entire meal.
On the menu, it clearly stated that this dish was a lobster and seafood paella, and described it as featuring scallops, shrimp, chicken sausage and chorizo.
This, however, is what was presented to me:
My, those scallops bear a strong resemblance to mussels, dont they?
Argh! I cant tell you how disappointed I was I mean, how many mussels can a girl eat in one sitting? I was really looking forward to the scallops. Plus
notice all the rice inside the shells? Who wants to pick rice out of a shell (believe me, I tried it and it took waaaay too much effort and was very messy)? I felt like half of the rice was wasted. Sigh. Im not sure what was going on when this was prepared and no, I didn't say anything because as much as I was really enjoying the slow, relaxed pace of the meal...I didn't want to have to wait for anything else. Still, it was very delicious and after I got over my slight disappointment I enjoyed it very much. I added the wine pairing as well and it was a total hit.
DH ordered the crab-crusted halibut and potato gratin. Im not entirely sure of this, but I think he may have substituted the gratin for the original side dish. I do love how flexible the restaurants are with substitutions.
Okay. Again with the envy, except only more so. OH MY GOD this dish was killer!
For one thing, DH is not nearly the fan of all things lemony as I am, so he gladly pushed his meyer lemon sauce off on me. So that right there elevated my meal, since that sauce was absolutely incredible and did glorious things for my lobster tail and shrimp. But upon tasting his fish and feeling his eyeballs roll back in his head, he insisted that I try a bite.
WOWZA. The halibut alone knocked my socks off, but along with the lemon sauce it was a downright revelation. Absolutely amazing. Perfectly cooked and seasoned. And the potatoes were delicious, too (of course I had to try some of them as well!) just right, not too mushy and not too crunchy, but also not too rich. All in all a total knockout. Once he was so stuffed he couldnt eat any more, I just had to keep picking at that fish. So. Good. I cannot overstate its deliciousness.
Then, as if to add insult to injury and our slowly tightening pants, we ordered dessert.
DH had the almond crusted cheesecake.
I didnt even bother trying to get a taste of this because I was afraid of losing part of my hand (DH has, in the past, accidentally stabbed me with a plastic fork). I asked him how it was and he pretty much gave me the Are you seriously asking me this question? look.
Of course it was totally fabulous!
I decided to mix it up a bit, though, and ordered the cheese plate instead of the cheesecake. I was not disappointed!
Now, I know the one in the middle was a goat cheese, and the one on the right was a blue, but I dont remember the one on the left. Regardless, they were all wonderful and I had a great time lingering over them and their accompaniments.
After two hours of bliss, we were forced to say goodbye to this restaurant. In all, this was such a terrific start to our trip! And we got out just in time to enjoy an absolutely stunning sunset and the incredible breeze (and nonexistant humidity! When does that happen?? It was almost chilly!) as we took a boat ride back to the Polynesian.
Up Next: Another Kona breakfast, and our big Anniversary dinner!
to all of you! So glad you're reading!
