We had a 5:45 PM ADR at Narcoossee's at the Grand Floridian.
We had that pause that refreshes at the resort after touring MK for most of the day. We took the boat from WL to MK. Heaven above was smiling down on us. The boat to the Grand Floridian (the yellow flag line) was unloading at the dock when our boat arrived.
As we sat in a completely full boat, I entertained visions of an announcement you'd hear on an airplane. "Would those passengers NOT making a connection please allow our travelers making connections to disembark first."
Before the boat had come to a complete and total stop, I hopped up toward the door. People made way for my family to follow. We hightailed it over to the other boat and made it!! No wait transfer! That's what I'm talking about!
I really enjoyed taking the boats around WDW. It's fun to see your destination slowly come into view across the water.
You have probably deduced by now that the dining atmosphere is important to me.
I like a view. I like lots of natural lighting. You may already know this.
You don't know that I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. I LOVE the water.
There was a restaurant in the Berkeley Marina supported by piers and entirely over the water. Very HIGH over the water to accomodate the changing tide and storm activity. A champagne Sunday brunch was our favorite meal there. The cost of a glass of champagne was equal to the day of the month. I didn't partake of the bubbly in junior high, but my parents enjoyed it; there was a season when we went there towards the begining of the month EVERY month.
The way that Narcoossee's is situated, supported by piers over the water, was reminiscent of home and childhood for me. I was excited. I thought the restaurant on the water was beautiful.
DS wanted me to capture his amazement over the fact that we were eating in restaurant that was over the water.
DH wanted to capture happy momma.
Since I have made such a big deal about how we are dressed for our signature dinners, I feel obligated to point out that the shirt I am wearing may look like a typical cotton tank top, but it isn't. It's a halter top made out of a fabric that looks almost like eyelet lace. Tonight, DH and I totally matched in color. DS took a fun picture of us together, but that was after dinner.
The walkway from the boat dock to the restaurant entrance was lovely. The manicured landscaping. The crisp white buildings contrasting to the red roofs. I was enchanted. The Grand Floridian shot to the top of my wanted resorts list. How charming it was!
As we approached the entrance, I seriously wondered if the restaurant was even OPEN. It looked deserted. And the windows looked dark.
Not to worry. It WAS pretty deserted, but it was definitely open.
And so was a part of the kitchen.
You could see right into at least a part of the kitchen from the foyer. When we checked in, we were immediately lead to our table.
As we walked around the perimeter of the restaurant it was easy to see that there wasn't a bad table in the place. The interior was as lovely as the exterior. The restaurant has two levels, with the lower level at the windows and the upper level toward the center. Tables on the upper level could easily admire the view out the windows.
Granted, I understand why people prefer to actually sit AT the windows. I was pleased to be lead to a window table. We were very close to the boat dock side. But the castle was still in the distance.
This was by far the most CASUAL feeling signature. Blue table cloths, not white. Wood floors creating more noise. Shutters over head. It was like being seaside. If only the windows were actually open. And I were brushing SAND off my feet before entering. And I had a filmy cover up on over my swim suit.
The tables here were also more closely situated than any other signature. There was a minimum of clearance between the chairs between the tables. If you were the windowside chair, you would have to ask the aisleside chairs of your table and your neighbor's to move to accommodate your trip to the facilities. Or if the diner behind you didn't mind their space, you just might touch chairs all throughout your meal.
This didn't have a negative effect on our meal. Just an observation.
Diane was our server. She was nice enough. Truth be told, I remember her the least out of all our servers. After verifying that we were participating in a dining plan, she asked to see a KTTW to verify which plan so she could offer the most accurate advise on our entitlements. The only menu commentary she offered was to say that the lobster was totally shelled. All you had to do was pick out the meat.
Again, we were dehydrated and chose to stick with water. DH and I were each debating between two items. Did I want the lobster or the halibut? Did he want the lobster or the swordfish? We agreed that I would order the lobster, and he would order the swordfish. DS ordered the filet.
DS was thrilled to see chicken soup on the menu again. He ordered that for his appie.
DH ordered the fried calamari served with a pepperoncini relish, tomato coulis, and Tuscan olive oil.
I've tried calamari. ONCE. Chewy, thick rubber bands covered in breading. I was SHOCKED that DH ordered the calamari. Have you had calamari before? Where have I been the past 17.5 years? It looked so good. I had to try it. No matter my memory. OH MY!! This was a taste sensation! The pepperoncinis were just the thing. And the capers? YUM. The breading was light, crispy, NOT greasy. The rings weren't chewy either. Very tender. The squiggly parts? They were still a bit chewy. But not nearly as bad as my previous experience. I would order this again in a heart beat. I was so glad DH and I were sharing. My appie choice was perfect for sharing too, crab cakes served with southern slaw and Cajun remoulade sauce:
I had seen these reviewed. They did not disappoint. Here were two all meat crab cakes with yummy sauce plated atop crunchy coleslaw. Very good. A Cajun sauce may sound spicy hot, but it wasn't.
The bread arrived with our appetizers. Which is why I don't remember a THING about the bread. I thought the bread basket, in the shape of a fish, was so clever. Check it out. The butter is sitting on the fish's tail fins.
Our entrees arrived quickly.
My meat lover was again disappointed in the size of his steak.
The restaurant didn't skimp on the quality of the meat though. It was cooked to order. And we had plenty of other food to go around. DH's swordfish, which isn't shown on the menus online (of course) looked devine.
He wondered if you actually EAT the lemon rinds on top? I said he COULD. Lemon zest was often added to dishes for flavor. The surprising star of the dish was the POTATOES. I thought they had goat cheese added. No. Diane smiled and with a tone of voice that felt like a wink, said CREAM CHEESE. Oh my! No wonder the texture was SO good!
I was a little shocked at the presentation of the lobster.
I didn't care to have my plate look back at me. For a hot minute, flashes of New Orleans and a crawfish t-shirt slogan flashed through my mind...suck the brains and eat the tails. But the head was empty and very clean. I was much happier when I set it aside and turned it over on my empty bread plate.
I've eaten lobster tails before. They are similar in consistency to shrimp. I've never actually eaten the meat from the claw before. This was interesting. A TOTALLY different texture. More like extra firm tofu. Not stringy, just kind of spongy. It sounds disgusting, even as I type this, but really, it tasted good.
We had kept from the bread tonight, so again, we had room for dessert.
DS ordered the brownie sundae.
And DS and I each ordered the almond crusted cheesecake, the celebration dessert, served with Lambert cherry sauce. It is a very decorative plate:
DS said, "That doesn't look like cheesecake." The almond flavor, as you might well expect, was very strong, even if you scrapped off the almonds. It was good, for what it was, but I must have had my mindset wrong. I was left wishing that it was more of a regular cheesecake.
DH, on the other hand, thought this dessert was OUTSTANDING. He loved the fruit with the cheesecake. And the fruit was really good. I'm not a fan of prepared, canned cherry pie filling. The bright red kind? This wasn't ANYthing like that. As you would expect in a restaurant of this calibre, these cherries were EXCELLENT.
DH and I each enjoyed coffee with our dessert. Not just ANY coffee. DH had a pressed pot, which was included in the
DDP.
I had a cappaccino, which was also included on the DDP.
Another tasty meal. And another opportunity to enjoy a deck view from a restaurant. We walked around the deck to get back to the boat dock.
The ROMANTIC picture DS wanted to take. Because it was such a ROMANTIC setting.
Isn't he sweet?
The bill, closed out at 6:57 PM:
Cappuccino 3.69
Lobster 59.00
Crab Cakes 13.00
MC Almond CHcake 8.00
KM Soup 3.00
KM Steak 13.00
KM Brownie Sundae 6.00
Calamari App 12.00
Swordfish 34.00
MC Almond CHcake 8.00
Coffee 5.95
Total: $176.41 after tax
I loved dining at Narcoossee's. I just love the way the restaurant is situated on the water. The interior is one that confirms that you are on VACATION. The food was excellent. I admit that I ended the meal with a vague feeling of disappointment. I think the rarity of eating lobster lured me into ordering it, but I think I would have enjoyed the meal more had I ordered the halibut. It's just that I can actually cook halibut myself and I wanted to order something that I wouldn't be able to do myself.
That said, I'm glad that I DID order the lobster all at the same time. Sometimes you have to do things just to get them out of your system. To satisfy your curiousity. I'm glad that DS got to try some lobster. And that it was good lobster.
I would definitely return to Narcoossee's. Situated as it is, a stone's throw from the boat dock, it is remarkably easy to get to for a resort restaurant. I would likely try to fit this one into our plans again, if only so I could eat on the water.
to the DIS!!
I only scheduled two meals a day though. And we did SO MUCH walking. And I think that we ate pretty light. We ate a LOT of fish and seafood. And we shared our meals with DS, too.
