Ariel's Grotto

[ceezers]

I booked an early dinner at Ariel's Grotto and now I have looked at the menu. There is only one appy and 4 entrees (and I didn't even know what some were) Is this all that is on their menu?

 

[mrswh]

That sounds about right. The apps (same for everyone) are several plates of different items - mixed greens, cheese, salami, pickles, veggies, jello. There are a very small number of entrees. (But kids have an additional 2 or 3 choices.) Dessert is a platter of various items (mostly chocolate) and is actually pretty tasty.

 

[cruise cruise cruise]

As the PP stated the appatizers are a shared plate of what is listed above.
The entree menu has 6 items on it

Mafalde Pasta with Italian Sausage
Curly ribbons of pasta tossed in a Piemonte-style ragu with spicy Italian sausage, sauteed bell peppers and sweet onions.

Herb-Crusted Chicken Breast
Served with Cheddar-herb mashed potatoes and medley of seasonal vegetables.

Santa Maria Style Tri-tip
Slow roasted over rock salt and smoked with red oakwood. Served with Cheddar-herb mashed potatoes and a medley of seasonal vegetables.

Filet of Grilled Redfish
served over wild rice pilaf, delicately topped with a sweet & spicy pineapple chutney. Served with a medley of seasonal vegetables.

Spinach and Ricotta Agnolotti
Topped with fresh spinach, sun dried tomatoes, julienne onions, and asparagus served in a light mushroom broth.

Cioppino
A fragrant bowl of the ocean's finest, including lobster claw, pink scallops, redfish, green-lip mussels and shrimp, plus Bilbao chorizo bathed in a robust fire-roasted tomato broth.

And then dessert is again a shared plate of chocolates and pastries and a few berries

I have to admit I do not know what Agnolotti is. I think Cioppino is a stew type dish?

 

[cruise cruise cruise]

FWIW, here is the kids menu. They also share the appatizer and dessert
Glazed Chicken on Sugar-Cane-Skewer
Cuts of tender chicken, grilled and glazed atop a bed of rice.
Served with fresh fruit

Kid-Cut Tri-Tip
Tri-tip strips, cooked hot and tender,
with white-Cheddar mashed potatoes.
Served with seasonal vegetables

Seashell Pasta
Pasta shells lightly tossed in a velvety cheese sauce,
then sprinkled with Cheddar-fish crackers.
Served with fresh fruit

Meatball Lollipops
Hearty ground turkey nestled atop spaghetti and house Marinara sauce.
Served with fresh fruit

 

[ceezers]

What is Tri-tip?

 

[GrandBob]

Cioppino (pronounced chop pino) is indeed a fish stew. Depending on how thick the broth is, it can appear to be almost a fish soup - but it almost always has lots of great seafood in it.

Tri-tip is a cut of roast beef. But saying that really doesn't do it justice. It originated with the cattle ranchers of the central coast of California, who butchered their cattle in a slightly different way to expose this succulent cut of roast beef loin, which has just the right marbling to make it juicy and great!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tri_tip

HTH,
Bob

 

[disneydreamer74]

OH the Tri-tip..yummy!!!! We did Ariel's Grotto on our trip last summer and the food was really good! The appetizer tray has something for everyone and we all ordered the tri-tip and were very happy with it. I will suggest that if u have children, avoid the meatball lolli's..my niece ordered them and was disgusted. I tried one ..and..not good! So,she ate some of our tri-tip!! Great food, great atmosphere, and attentive character interactions. Well worth the money!!

 

[tdashgirl]

I totally recommend the tri-tip also. It's really good! My DH likes the cioppino. The appetizer plate and dessert plates are really good too. The jello pieces in the appetizer plate sounds weird, but my family loves them - they have fresh fruit in them and aren't too sweet. The bread rolls are delicious. The dessert plate is really decadent. Can you tell I really like the food at Ariel's?

 

[ceezers]

Wow, thanks for all the wonderful tips. We have 4 kids, 3,6,8,10. I am not sure how much the 3 year old will eat as he doesn't usually eat much at dinner. Oh well!

Thanks for the tip about the spaghetti. My son loves meatballs so I will try to discourage him from getting that.

 

[specialks]

Here is a picture of the menu from our Sept trip:

 

[ceezers]

Wow, thanks for posting the menu. Do they alter the appy's/desserts based on how many people are at the table. We are a family of six, do we get the same amout as a party of 2?

 

[Kayla's Mom]

Wow, thanks for posting the menu. Do they alter the appy's/desserts based on how many people are at the table. We are a family of six, do we get the same amout as a party of 2?

I am assuming they base it on number of guests, but don't know for sure. I do know that you can ask for more of something if you want it. We got more salad without any problem.

 

[cruise cruise cruise]

I also assume teh appatizer/dessert is based on the number in your party.

I agree the tri trip is yummy yummy. My kids had the chicken skewers and really liked them

Any left overs can be packed up to go.

What is Agnolotti?

 

[GrandBob]

What is Agnolotti?

Finally had to look it up:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnolotti

Apparently it's ravioli!

-Bob

 

[mrswh]

Wow, thanks for posting the menu. Do they alter the appy's/desserts based on how many people are at the table. We are a family of six, do we get the same amout as a party of 2?

I believe the apps and desserts are unlimited. They brought my family of 4 a very large dessert platter, and when the server came back around, he asked if we wanted another! I think they will get you whatever you like.

One other top about AG . . . they will try to rush you like crazy. I know they request that you stay only 90 minutes (or is it 60? they tell you when you make the reservation), but if you go with their pace, you'd be out of there in 30 minutes. Relax and enjoy (up to the 60/90 minutes you agreed to), and ignore them if they rush you.

 

[pixiewings71]

They bring your your appetizers and desserts based on the size of your party. If you have 2 you get less than you do if you have 6. And you can always ask for more appetizers if you would like, probably more desserts too but we've never done that. We have asked for more salad and more bread and it was no problem at all.

They do try to limit you to 90 minutes but we have never felt rushed, 90 min. is more then enough time for us.

As for the main dishes, the ciopino is DBF's favorite, he has it every time, the Tri Tip is delish!!!!!! The chicken is very good and the Agnolotti was heavenly. I did not think I would like the Agnolotti or chicken but both was soooooooooooo good and now when we eat there I have a hard time choosing what to have. We all try to get something different because that way we can share. LOL