Uncleromulus
Plain grey will be fine
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2001
- Messages
- 15,529
First night dinner choice this trip was Citricos-and we were looking forward to the return. Had been a few years since we were last there, and our last attempt to get ADR's had been foiled by a scheduled Australian Wine tasting affair that closed down the entire restaurant.
Our ADR's were for 8:00 and when we arrived fashionably early at about 7:50--the place was swamped!! More crowded than I had ever seen it, and a 20 minute wait to be seated!! This was actually good to see--our previous meals there were at a restaurant that was embarassingly empty. And even more suprising were the # of kids!! More than at any other place we dined at all week. I may now have to revise my usual recommendation as Citricos being a "quiet" place to eat!! But everyone was well behaved and as with the crowd in general, it was kind of good to see them have all the business.
We were led to our table at about 8:15 or so and wound up sitting with a "kitchen view'". I always forget that Citricos has a open kitchen, and our table was right along the railing that separates the dining room from the area where the servers pick up the food. We could see and hear everything and actually spoke with a couple of the chefs who had come out of the kitchen to expedite things. Was almost a "poor mans" Chefs table!! And I am amazed at how they handled all the business. We kept hearing things like "6 veal shank" and "4 filets-2 well, one medium, one rare" and "one swordfish, no coulis" being shouted out. It was a constant flow and nobody was writing anything down. Somehow or other it all got to the chefs and all the food came out just fine. I was confused just listening!!
Now to the meal. Our server was Jamie and he was excellent. He had wry, almost cynical sense of humor, but he paid good attention to us all evening and I wouldn't hesitate to ask for him again. He also helped Mrs U with her wine selections, giving her several "alternates" apart from the printed wine pairing list. She had decided on the wine pairings for dinner, while I (of course) ordered beer. The beer list has changed a bit since our last visit--they now have Stella, Peroni, Sam Adams, and Newcastle, among others. Since Newcastle is a favorite of mine, Newcastle it was. For appetizers, I had Wood Smoked Muhroom ravioli, with Maderia broth and Serrano Ham. Kathy (er, I mean, mrs Uncleromulus) went wth Gateau of Crab. Both were very good--Mrs U noted hers as "rich and cheesy".
I decided to order an Intermezzo and got the smoked beef Carpaccio. Now of course you're probably wondering why Carpaccio should be smoked. So was I, and when I asked Jamie, the Chef came over to tell me that WDW wouldn't let him serve it raw. So they smoke it lightly, which retains the raw appearance, and gives the meat a bit of a salty taste. It was actually quite good.
Entrees were next and that proved to be a tough call for me. I'm fond of that wonderful veal shank they serve--it's probably their signature dish and has been on the menu ever since we started going to Citricos (which was when it first opened). But the Filet Sicilian also sounded good--and that's when sitting right next to the kitchen came in handy. I got a good look at each one as they were being cooked and served. The shank looked a bit on the small side to me, so I decided on the steak. It was served with Roasted Spanish Onions and Quattro Foromaggi Crushed (i.e. mashed) potatoes. And it had an interesting "shape" as well--not flat, not exactly round--something almost like a Rubics Cube. Mrs U decided on the Crispy Baked breast of Chicken, served with a Sun dried Tomato pasta. I had a bite (of course) and it remided me just a bit of a high quality Chicken Parmigiana. Both entrees were excellent--my steak was cooked perfectly (medium) and was almost fork tender. I have to say tho that at $36.00, it could have been a slightly larger portion---.
Desserts were last and since we were both quite full, we decided on something light--for me, Tropical fruit Creme brulee, and for Mrs. U, the Trio of Sorbet. I'm embarassed to note that I FORGOT to write down which sorbet flavors they had that nite
. Anyway, the deserts were just right after a somewhat heavy meal and ,once we had our coffee,we were ready to go. The meal lasted nearly a little over an hour and a half, but that was great for us since leisurely is how we prefer to eat.
So all in all--a wonderful meal. It would be nice to know that the crowd there that night was NOT ususual, and maybe at some point they'll be able to open again 7 nights a week. Would be nice to see.
Next up: The Blue Zoo
Our ADR's were for 8:00 and when we arrived fashionably early at about 7:50--the place was swamped!! More crowded than I had ever seen it, and a 20 minute wait to be seated!! This was actually good to see--our previous meals there were at a restaurant that was embarassingly empty. And even more suprising were the # of kids!! More than at any other place we dined at all week. I may now have to revise my usual recommendation as Citricos being a "quiet" place to eat!! But everyone was well behaved and as with the crowd in general, it was kind of good to see them have all the business.
We were led to our table at about 8:15 or so and wound up sitting with a "kitchen view'". I always forget that Citricos has a open kitchen, and our table was right along the railing that separates the dining room from the area where the servers pick up the food. We could see and hear everything and actually spoke with a couple of the chefs who had come out of the kitchen to expedite things. Was almost a "poor mans" Chefs table!! And I am amazed at how they handled all the business. We kept hearing things like "6 veal shank" and "4 filets-2 well, one medium, one rare" and "one swordfish, no coulis" being shouted out. It was a constant flow and nobody was writing anything down. Somehow or other it all got to the chefs and all the food came out just fine. I was confused just listening!!
Now to the meal. Our server was Jamie and he was excellent. He had wry, almost cynical sense of humor, but he paid good attention to us all evening and I wouldn't hesitate to ask for him again. He also helped Mrs U with her wine selections, giving her several "alternates" apart from the printed wine pairing list. She had decided on the wine pairings for dinner, while I (of course) ordered beer. The beer list has changed a bit since our last visit--they now have Stella, Peroni, Sam Adams, and Newcastle, among others. Since Newcastle is a favorite of mine, Newcastle it was. For appetizers, I had Wood Smoked Muhroom ravioli, with Maderia broth and Serrano Ham. Kathy (er, I mean, mrs Uncleromulus) went wth Gateau of Crab. Both were very good--Mrs U noted hers as "rich and cheesy".
I decided to order an Intermezzo and got the smoked beef Carpaccio. Now of course you're probably wondering why Carpaccio should be smoked. So was I, and when I asked Jamie, the Chef came over to tell me that WDW wouldn't let him serve it raw. So they smoke it lightly, which retains the raw appearance, and gives the meat a bit of a salty taste. It was actually quite good.
Entrees were next and that proved to be a tough call for me. I'm fond of that wonderful veal shank they serve--it's probably their signature dish and has been on the menu ever since we started going to Citricos (which was when it first opened). But the Filet Sicilian also sounded good--and that's when sitting right next to the kitchen came in handy. I got a good look at each one as they were being cooked and served. The shank looked a bit on the small side to me, so I decided on the steak. It was served with Roasted Spanish Onions and Quattro Foromaggi Crushed (i.e. mashed) potatoes. And it had an interesting "shape" as well--not flat, not exactly round--something almost like a Rubics Cube. Mrs U decided on the Crispy Baked breast of Chicken, served with a Sun dried Tomato pasta. I had a bite (of course) and it remided me just a bit of a high quality Chicken Parmigiana. Both entrees were excellent--my steak was cooked perfectly (medium) and was almost fork tender. I have to say tho that at $36.00, it could have been a slightly larger portion---.
Desserts were last and since we were both quite full, we decided on something light--for me, Tropical fruit Creme brulee, and for Mrs. U, the Trio of Sorbet. I'm embarassed to note that I FORGOT to write down which sorbet flavors they had that nite
. Anyway, the deserts were just right after a somewhat heavy meal and ,once we had our coffee,we were ready to go. The meal lasted nearly a little over an hour and a half, but that was great for us since leisurely is how we prefer to eat.So all in all--a wonderful meal. It would be nice to know that the crowd there that night was NOT ususual, and maybe at some point they'll be able to open again 7 nights a week. Would be nice to see.
Next up: The Blue Zoo
I just chose Citricos because I love the Grand Floridian and that is where I am staying for my bday trip, so I wanted something on the nicer side instead of the old 1900 PF standby. 
