Tuesday, October 23rd - Dinner for the First Time in Five Days ... Who'd A Thunk It???
After canceling reservations at Flying Fish and California Grill, Jay and I were determined to make it to Narcoossee's, especially since it would be a brand new dining experience for us. And luckily Jay's tummy was still behaving - definitely good news!
The obligatory pre-dinner self portrait:
Brenda models granny's bedroom curtains...
I actually like this dress a lot, but it does look like fabric that could be used for window dressings, doesn't it?
Rather than walk though Epcot and hitch a ride on the monorail we opted to take a cab over to the Grand Floridian - we arrived about 20 minutes before our ADR time, but that worked out nicely because it gave us some time to wander around the property. The restaurant is in a gazebo shaped building located on the shores of the Seven Seas Lagoon; it's a very pretty spot, especially at night.
Front entrance
Boat launch to MK at the rear of the restaurant
There is a wooden pier that circles the rear of the restaurant and there are benches scattered about that make for peaceful hideaways where you can sit and listen to the water lapping at the shore and watch the lake traffic. But a note of caution for those of you, like us, who hoped to watch the fireworks from the restaurant. Shortly before the pyrotechnics are scheduled to begin those benches fill up with people who also want to view the show. It's entirely possible to have a window seat at Narcoosee's and still not see much because your lovely view has been blocked by a mass of humanity seated and standing on the pier in order to watch the fireworks. It worked out well for us, but I can see where it could be a problem during a busier time of year.
We did request a window seat when we checked in and were told that it would take a bit longer for us to be seated because of it; that was fine since we weren't in a hurry to be anywhere else. We waited in the bar, which seemed a bit small and cramped, but which had a great, non-standardized drink menu and a friendly, knowledgeable staff. Jay and I each ordered a martini to start the evening out right - I had a Pomegranate Martini ... a drink that I've become quite fond of, and Jay ordered a Pumpkin Spice Martini.
This drink matches my dress!
A dessert martini before dinner!
The Pomegranate Martini was light and refreshing and served ice cold in a frosted glass. I've been hooked on PAMA ever since I tried it at the 2006 F&W Festival - thank you France! I was a bit surprised at Jay's choice, only because it seemed like more of a dessert drink, but to paraphrase a famous DISer ... "life's uncertain; have dessert first!"
We both thought that the Pumpkin Spice Martini was very tasty and not at all overpowering or too sweet. This is just my opinion, of course, but I think too many dessert martinis are far too sweet; this drink was subtle and really well balanced.
I'd say we were seated around 7:30 that evening, and we were given a table next to a window that looked directly out over the lagoon towards the Contemporary Resort. The view was lovely, especially with all the lights winking in the dark, and we had a prime spot for the Electric Water Pagent. I know there are some who find the water pagent kind of lame, but I remember it from way back when Hector was a pup (what does
that mean???) and it's one of those things at Disney that's never lost its charm for me.
Our service this evening was good, but not great. I don't know if Narcoosee's was understaffed or if our waiter was just slow, but we went for long stretches without seeing him and without having our water refilled or plates removed. That's the only unsatisfactory aspect of the night - the atmosphere was romantic and the food was quite good.
We each ordered an appetizer to start ... I chose the Crab Cakes with Lemon Frisee Slaw and Remoulade Sauce, while Jay opted for the Seafood Chowder with Sherry, Chives, and Sourdough Crostini.
You're all mine, you sweet crabby patties!
Chow-dah... it's pronounced Chow-Daaaaaah!!
I'm no expert on crab cakes...that's an impossibility when you are landlocked and seafood has to be airlifted in, but I thought these were really good. Lots of sweet, tender crabmeat with a mild remoulade sauce made this a winner in my book.
As for the chow-dah, Jay said that it was quite tasty; there were chunks of lobster, crabmeat, and other myriad pieces of seafood which he no longer remembers mixed in with potatoes and sherried cream. Jay would order this again in a heartbeat if we were to dine at Narcoossee's sometime in the future ...
as opposed to the past because our time machine still isn't working properly. 
Normally I don't take pictures of the bread provided by a restaurant to tide us over until the "real" food shows up, but I thought Narcoossee's was worth mentioning for two reasons:
It was a hot, fresh loaf of sliced wheat bread, and that big square of butter was liberally sprinkled with sea salt. The combination was delightful and we had to police ourselves to make sure that we didn't eat so much of it that we wouldn't have room for our entrees.
Yum-diddley-um!
For dinner, I ordered the Crab-Crusted Halibut and Jay ordered the Grilled Scallops with Butternut Squash Risotto, Aged Balsamic, and Pancetta.
Mmmm, more crab...
According to the menu this is served with lemon-butter sauce, crushed fingerling potatoes, and yellow pea shoots. I thought this dish was very good, but the serving size was quite large and I wasn't able to finish it all. I really liked the lemon-butter sauce, which is surprising because I'm not typically a fan of many sauces. This sauce was creamy with just a hint of lemon, and it tasted great with the halibut.
This looks like a mistake ...
Once I saw this I was secretly glad that I didn't order it - it looks like a jumbled mess, no matter how good it tasted. The thing that really puzzles me is the "liquid" oozing up from beneath the risotto ... I guess that's the balsamic but it looks highly unappealing. Jay said the whole dish was good, but I didn't try it ... just couldn't get past the visual on this one.
Prepare yourselves ... we didn't order dessert. I know it must seem strange, the two of us not ordering dessert, but Jay didn't want to push his stomach too far and I wasn't overly impressed with Narcoosee's dessert menu. I almost ordered their cheese plate, but I knew I wouldn't be able to eat all of it and since Jay wasn't interested in cheese I decided against it.
We did order a couple of capuccinos, however, which were very good. And of course I forgot to take a picture of them.
We sipped on our cappies and watched the MK fireworks from our table. Once the show was over, Jay and I both agreed that after watching the fireworks from both Narcoossee's and California Grill, we actually preferred viewing them from this vantage point. At CA Grill, while you get that cool view from the 14th floor, you can also see where the fireworks are being launched from so it sort of ruins the overall effect of the show which at ground level makes it appear as if the fireworks are being launched from and exploding directly around Cinderellas' Castle. From Narcoosee's it still appears that way because the vantage point is eye-level, so for us it's more effective.
So, what did we think? We liked Narcoosee's and would consider going back on a future trip, but it's not on the list of "must dos" primarily because we think that Flying Fish is a better choice for seafood - their menu is more varied and creative. We would definitely recommend this restaurant because it was very good, but do think that there are other signature restaurants on property that are much better than Narcoosee's.
BTW ... because I mis-pronounced it when making ADRs, I thought I'd share with you how I was told to say it: Nar-cooooooo-sees.
Thanks for reading! Next up - the last day of the trip with a whole lotta snacking at the F&W Festival.
The Chuckster and I always wanted to try the Segway tour too. I'm afraid that I'd be picking up unwanted passengers on my way around the World. 
feel better, Brenda
