Citricos was the last signature on our list that we had yet to try, so we were really looking forward to this one. Not only was it a new and exciting experience for us, but the menu sounded simply divine!
We had the earliest dinner time offered, so we walked into a completely empty dining room. It was very cool! The colors and the decor were really nice...sort of warm, colorful, and modern all at once. We sat right beside the open kitchen and loved it. It was really neat to watch the chefs prepare all of the yummy food and interact with each other.
Our server was Nancy. She was very attentive and very nice; however, she had a lovely accent that was very hard to understand. She gave us everything we needed/wanted during the meal, without hovering.
The chef started us out with a complimentary amuse bouche.
I cannot remember what it was...perhaps a scallop? or perhaps it was cheese?
Either way, it was delicious and it was a real treat. This was our first amuse bouche EVER!!
For his appetizer, DH got the Blue Crab Pave.
He seemed to enjoy this. It was sort of like a cold crab cake salad. The piquillo vinaigrette (the red stuff) had a bit of a kick to it, which I really liked. Although he said it was good, I think he would try something else next time.
We both like my appetizer better... the sauteed shrimp.
Dang, this was so good. The mix of lemon, white wine, and feta cheese is unbeatable anyway. Throw in some shrimp and you've got yourself one GREAT appetizer. I would definitely order this again. In a heartbeat.
For his entree, DH got the veal shank.
First of all, the presentation of this dish just made us say, "Wow!" DH LOVED this dish. He proclaims it one of his favorites of the trip. He ate every bite. Nancy even gave him a little fork to use for the bone marrow. I tried it....it had a strange consistency but a good flavor. DH would probably, no, definitely get this again when (not if) we come back. I don't even think he would try anything else he enjoyed this so much. I love when my man is happy!
For my entree, I got the braised short ribs (again).
I thought the short ribs at Jiko were good...well...these were even better! They were soooooo good. One of my favorite entrees of the trip as well. The ribs were so tender they almost fell apart just looking at them. The polenta and mustard greens were the perfect accompaniments, and the orange demi-glace gave a lovely sweetness to the whole dish. I would definitely go with this next time. It was very, very good.
For DH's dessert, he got the lemon-scented cheesecake (I think).
I am not the biggest cheesecake fan, so I'm not really sure I tried it. He thought it was good, as he loves lemon and cheesecake. I'm pretty sure he ate it all, which is saying something since he probably had his entire entree and part of mine.
My dessert was the warm chocolate banana tart.
Just look at that chocolate sculpture!!! It was love at first sight. And it was sooooo deliciously good. Very rich, very chocolatey, with some soft bananas nestled in the center. Mmmmmm. Definitely get this if you like chocolate and banana. Mmmmm. So so good.
Our Citricos experience was top-notch all the way around. The atmosphere, the service, and the food were more than we ever expected. This just jumped the ranks to one of our top D-World restaurants. Did it make number one? Perhaps. Did somewhere else impress us even more? Perhaps. All I can tell you right now is to definitely try to work Citricos into your ADRs if you are doing the signatures. I cannot believe we left this one out last time. There is no doubt in my mind that this will be on our must-do ADR list next time.
Total cost $153.02 plus tip.