Sunday, August 17th
Coral Reef Lunch
After our usual breakfast in the Concierge lounge, we headed over to Downtown Disney to use three snack credits buying three sets of chocolate dipped pretzels at Goofys candy kitchen. (We bought other souvenirs as well while at DD but we really made the trip there specifically for Goofys at our daughters request).
Our ADR at Coral Reef was at 1:20 P.M. so after bringing the snacks back to our hotel we made our way over to Epcot. Coral Reef was really busy and we had about a 20 minute wait but when we were seated, we were seated right next to the tank.
Our waitress was Holly and she presented us with Happy 25th Anniversary Menus. So cute with a picture of Cinderella and Prince Charming kissing at their wedding. We ordered our beverages and we both started with the same appetizer the
Sea and Land grilled shrimp with cucumber salad and barbecued beef tenderloin skewer with creamy polenta. These were really tasty, but also rather small. The polenta was delicious and the beef and shrimp were good.
DH ordered the
Pan Seared Tilapia served with a roasted white and green bean salad in a tomato vinaigrette.
He really liked it the tilapia tasted sweet and fresh and the bean salad was delicious. It was exactly the meal he was looking for.
I ordered the
Grilled Mahi Mahi topped with spiced pineapple chutney over cashew-jasmine rice finished with coconut rum beurre blanc.
This was so delicious, especially the rice. The coconut rum beurre blanc really made the dish. I ate every last bite.
So, after we finished and were presented with dessert menus, Holly explained that she knew DH had requested a sugar free dessert and that they had cheesecake. DH thought this was great a few years ago when we were there, all the restaurants always had a sugar free cheesecake on hand.
This is the sugar free cheesecake DH got.
It was
strawberry cheesecake. Not just with strawberries on top. It was pink cheesecake, flavored throughout with strawberries. And guess what? My strawberry hating husband ate it the entire thing. He really liked it, but he did say that the strawberries provided the sweetness but the cheesecake didnt have an overwhelming flavor of strawberries.
I order the
Baileys and Jack Daniel Mousse topped with ganache and a chocolate cigar. .
This was yummy of course.
Overall, we enjoyed the food but we spent most of our time watching the fish and the divers.
Afternoon snacks
This was our last full day and so far we had only used three of our twenty snack credits. We werent really hungry, but of course, we had to get something. DH came down with a bad case of hiccups and needed something to drink so he got a diet coke in the American Adventure CS area and then went over to Germany for a huge pretzel which he really enjoyed.
Walking around the WS of Epcot I decided to go over to Morocco and check out their alcoholic beverages. Many years ago, when my kids were little, we ate dinner in Restaurant Marrakesh and I had the most delicious drink. They gave me the recipe at the time but I never made it at home because I never bothered to locate one of the essential ingredients, orange blossom water. So we went over to a kiosk in Morocco where they featured three different drinks (none of them were the drink I remembered) and I ordered a
strawberry daiquiri which featured orange blossom water as one of the ingredients.
This was a pretty large drink, especially for $5.95. The first sip was delicious, but I began to tire of the orange blossom flavor pretty fast and I dont think I would order this drink again.
Of course, I had to go over to France to the Boulangerie Patisserie for my favorite a ham and cheese croissant. They heated this up and oh wow, I enjoyed every bit of the cheesy goodness.
By now I was so full and we had dinner coming up soon.
Flying Fish Dinner
Dinner at Flying Fish was at 8:00 P.M., so we went out the International Gateway and took the boat over to the Boardwalk. We were seated immediately, in a section off to the left near the back of the restaurant. Our waiter was Rogerio and he couldnt say enough about our anniversary. He went on and on about how special this was and how he would make sure it was a special meal for us. Very nice!! He described many of the items on the menu, pointing out the signature items. But before we were served out appetizers, he brought us each a small cup of
gazpacho.
Very tasty a really nice way to start the meal.
For my appetizer, I ordered the
Fresh Mozzarella di Bufalo, Heirloom Beefsteak and Marinated Tiny Tomatoes, radicchio, 8 year balsamico, fresh basil, Sicilian extra virgin olio verde.
This was huge and delicious. I love tomatoes and this dish had lots and lots of them plus big chunks of fresh mozzarella.
DH ordered the
Chilled Wild Gulf Shrimp Cocktail, frisee, shaved radishes, spiced hearts of palm, creamy verde sauce, chive infused oil.
This contained six enormous shrimp and the dish was big enough to be a main course. DH was so happy he ordered this. The combination of flavors made this a perfected dish that transcends shrimp cocktail.
For my main dish, I went with the
Signature Flying Fish Café Potato-wrapped Red Snapper with creamy leek fondue, veal glace, red wine, cassis butter sauce.
This was unbelievable. The portion, of course, was huge and the fish was fresh and tender and delicious. But the creamy leek fondue and the red wine sauce really made this dish.
Now DH was also considering the Red Snapper but I encouraged him to order something else so we could try two different dishes. He ended up ordering the
Oak-grilled Maine Diver Scallops, artichoke, opal basil and mascarpone-laced risotto di carnarolli, clamshell mushrooms, crispy capers, artichokes and pancetta.
This dish was great too. DH said that as much as he loves scallops, he has become accustomed to them being a little rubbery. Not These! They were totally delectable and made to perfection. Additionally, anytime there is a risotto, DH will always love the dish, but he said this was one of the tastiest risottos in recent memory.
When it came time for dessert, Rogerio didnt bring dessert menus. He said he knew that DH wanted a sugar free dessert and boy did they have a special dessert for him because of course, he went on and on, it was a special occasion. DH said fine, but I wanted to see a dessert menu. Rogerio told me hed bring me one.
Well after some time, Rogerio and someone else ( a hostess perhaps) brought out this beautifully decorated plate.
It contained
Sugar Free Citrus Cheesecake with cherries. They told us everything on the plate except the happy anniversary was sugar free. He loved this. It was his second cheesecake that day, but he loved this way more than the one at Coral Reef. He said it was very light yet satisfying.
I still hadnt seen the dessert menu, and honestly, I was stuffed. But this was our last night and we were on the deluxe plan and I had to have something
..So when Rogerio brought my coffee I reminded him about the dessert menu. He looked at me and said he was sorry but he can assure me that the dessert he brought DH was the only sugar free option they had. After explaining that I dont have a problem with sugar, he brought over the dessert menu and after much thought I ordered the Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread Pudding with chocolate gelato.
Now how many of my favorite flavors can they combine in one dish? Too bad I was too full to really enjoy this. The bread pudding had chunks of peanut butter in it and there were pieces of banana on top. The gelato was delicious and the plate was decorated with two flavors of sauce.
Would I go back to Flying Fish? You bet. The service was good (although a little over the top at times) and the portions were enormous. But the quality of the food was amazing. Each dish was really a creation with a very thoughtful blending of flavors. It really was a Fine Dining Experience.
Monday, August 18th
Today was our last day and our only meal today would be breakfast. We had made an early ADR at my favorite breakfast restaurant Kona Café and I had been thinking about the pineapple macadamia pancakes for weeks. But honestly, the whole WDW transportation system had gotten to us and trying to get to the Poly by 7:30 A.M. overwhelmed us, with the packing and all, so we decided to just stay in our hotel and go to Whispering Canyon Café again. I ordered a breakfast skillet for one and DH had steak and eggs and all was good (no pics). Disappointed about Kona Café in hindsight, we should have done Kona earlier in the trip and planned WCC for the last day.
We also still had 14 snack credits left. So we used them in the gift shop, buying chocolate bars, sugar free chocolate bars, cotton candy, granola pack, etc. and brought it all home.
We loved doing the Deluxe Plan, but we dont think we would do it without the excuse of a special occasion. It was great ordering anything we wanted without thinking about price. I never would have ordered the Surf and Turf in Narcossees for $58 without the plan. But there were times when I would have liked a quick bite at a counter service restaurant, and didnt want to waste the credits. Also, I was full all the time. But cant wait to go back!!
