Thursday, October 16th - Dinner, Dinner, Bo-Binner, Citricos Was a Winner!
Egad. You're channeling Guy Fieri.
Slowly but surely over the last few years Jay and I have made it our mission to try as many of Disney's signature restaurants as possible.
I have a mission to have a "new to me" restaurant to try on every trip, so I'm glad Disney started opening new places I haven't tried yet in recent years.
By the time this trip rolled around there weren't too many signature establishments remaining that we were interested in ... Yachtsman (we're from the Midwest - Bovine is our second language);
I speak cow as a second language, too.
The Hollywood Brown Derby (mmmm, overpriced banality ... have your agent call ours when something original hits the menu); Citricos ... uh, how did we miss this one? No doubt it was a combination of my short-sightedness and Citricos' previously limited operating schedule because they used to be closed on Monday and Tuesday evenings.
Well, after reading some DIS-reviews from folks whose opinion I trust, I went ahead and booked an ADR for the last night of our trip. And since this dinner would take place the night before my birthday I went ahead and ordered a little sumpin' sumpin' from the Grand Floridian Bakery to help make it bit more festive. Past experiences with the bakery staff have given me a high level of confidence that when I place an order there is absolutely nothing to worry about ... note that I used the word past.
Uh oh...this doesn't bode well. I think your funky karma is acting up again.
There is a little round kiosk outside of the restaurant where guests check in for their ADRs. It's actually located directly across from the front entrance to Victoria & Albert's, so while we were waiting for our table we had the chance to gawk at a handful of very elegantly dressed couples arriving for their five-star dining experience. They all looked so nice and flowery!
My favorite part is to gawk at the flowery people and get V&A envy.
While we were checking in I was sure to mention that wed ordered something from the GF Bakery a few weeks earlier Ive always wanted the white chocolate Mickey with the tuxedo strawberries and thought that would be a nice end to the meal as well as a special birthday treat. Since that's an item that's only listed on the resort amenities menu I wasn't sure when I requested it if they would actually allow me to order it for delivery to Citricos. The CM I spoke with in the bakery was super helpful on the phone, even going so far as to tell me that she'd have it delivered with a special box so that Mickey could safely travel home with us. Since the order I'd placed with her for our afternoon tea had arrived with no trouble, I had no reason to suspect that this order would be bunged up.
But bunged it was.
So bunged in fact, that there was no record of it anywhere, even when I produced the normally fail-safe confirmation number provided me three weeks earlier.
You know it's bad when even your confirmation number doesn't help them find the order. I don't know why they have such a hard time with these things.
Kudos to boo-dos ... Consuela you ruiner; you nearly ruined everything, you ruiner you! No one could find anything about a special order but the manager stepped in as the evening progressed and she really delivered, providing us with a sweet ending to a terrific meal and guaranteeing that we ended our time at WDW on a high note. More on that later ... I'm guessing by now you guys want to see some FOOD!
Oh good, the cloud has the silver lining! Otherwise I'd picture you as the kid with the black cloud following him around.
First, though, the requisite self portrait while we waited for our table
Feed us!!!
Wow, very nice, hair down and everything. The highlights in your hair look terrific.
I think our ADR was scheduled for around 6:30PM - a little earlier than we would usually eat dinner on vacation but our flight was leaving early the next morning and we were going to have to roll out of bed at the butt crack of stupid to arrive at the airport on time. We were surprised not only by the number of people who were already there but by the number of small children. I guess that's just the way it's going to be from here on out now that the dining plan has taken hold - there will be no such thing as a truly quiet meal at WDW unless you dine at V&A or a restaurant that doesnt accept the plan. Thankfully the families we were seated near all had very well behaved children which we truly appreciated.
You're lucky you didn't get the Barb (aka inkkognito) dining experience at Citrico's. It was a 3-ring circus when she went. Truly scary and hilarious. She posted about it in her blog. Kids literally going wild, rolling around on the floor, absentee parents who insisted on dining in a separate area.
Our first goal of the evening once we were seated was to place an order for a tasty alcoholic beverage. Jay opted for a Pinot Noir while I chose Sangria. The serving team was quite good, although not as attentive as I thought they might be. It wasn't that they were neglectful, but they did vanish for lengthy stretches while our glasses remained empty, and if there's one thing we don't like it's our water glasses sitting empty.
Jays wine and my sangria
I'd have gone for the Pinot Noir, but I might have gotten sangria if I noticed it on the menu.
And then it was time for the food parade to begin. For my appetizer I ordered Saute'ed Shrimp: strascinati pasta, lemon, white wine, tomatoes, and feta cheese.
Look at the colors!
I knew a moment of concern when this was first placed before me because I wasn't expecting multi-colored pasta and I was worried that bizarre mushrooms or crazy legumes might have worked their way into my food. However, after a tentative bite I realized that I had nothing to fear and was able to relax and savor the rest. The serving size was very generous - I think it could easily be shared between two people - and there were a fair number of shrimpies and fat chunks of feta cheese hiding among the pasta. I really liked this dish, especially the combination of tangy, salty feta with the sharp, citrusy lemon.
Wow, that's one beautiful plate of colorful stuff! That looks like something I'd expect from Cat Cora's restaurant that is taking over Spoodles, since it has that Greek vibe to it. It was the lemon and feta that made me think that.
Jay ordered the Gateau of Crab - lump crab, orange fennel cream, and tomato fennel slaw.
Crab lump!
This was outstanding but the one thing that surprised us both was that it was served chilled. It was very rich thanks to that combination of cream and crab and I personally was pleased that the kitchen used the fennel sparingly. If I could only order one of these items for my appetizer I think I'd stick with the shrimp - I love shrimp and feta served together over pasta and it was a lighter selection for all that the serving portion was so generous. But really, if you like seafood I don't think you could go wrong with either option.
I did not order this when I went to Citrico's, but it's cool to see it here. I would have not pictured it as such, chilled. I would have thought "crab cake". Looks good enough that I'd keep it in mind for another trip.
And if that wasn't enough, Jay also ordered a dish of Cioppino Soup - Prince Edward mussels, orzo pasta, and savory saffron-tomato broth.
Shell-soup
I don't eat mussels so let me get a statement from the hubba; please stand by ...
And now, a message from our sponsors:
Crunchie-munchies are the best,
Look delicious on your vest;
Serve them to unwanted guests,
Stuff the mattress with the rest!
Thank you for standing by; we now return you to your irregularly scheduled review, already in progress.
LOL! Nice commercial interruption. I was picturing the Adventurers Club Radio Broadcast version, "Jump up for Jinkies! We love 'em!"
Jay had this to say about the soup: It was good but nowhere near as good as the soup we we were served at the French Regional lunch at Bistro Paris. Fair enough, I suppose. I would only point out that we were served a bisque at Bistro while cioppino is more along the lines of fish stew (I think) so we're not really comparing apples to apples here.
I wouldn't have put cioppino as an appetizer. I've ordered it (and it's French cousin, bouillabaisse) as full meals. As an appetizer it looks sad and lonely.
For my entree I wanted to try something different and so ordered the Braised Boneless Black Angus Short Ribs - served with creamy polenta and blood orange demi-glace.
Where have you been all my life?
I'd read reviews of this dish but had no idea just how good it was going to be until I dived into it. The rib meat was juicy and flavorful and so tender that I barely needed to chew. And the polenta ... oh, it took me back to the first time I tried goat cheese polenta at CA Grill and subsequently fell in love with cornmeal. This polenta was a dream - thick and creamy and not a hint of grittiness - it provided a wonderful textural contrast with the meat and did a great job of soaking up that blood-orange glace. I don't know if Citricos has a "signature" dish, but if it doesn't then this should be given the place of honor on their menu because it was a revelation.
Wow. Just wow. That's food porn at its finest. I am drooling it looks that good. I had the best polenta at Citrico's a few years ago, back when Food and Wine actually had these things called Signature Dinners.
It was so rich and creamy, I still remember how good it was. This dish brought it all back for me, along with regrets about the Dining Borg.
Jay took our server's advice and chose the Braised Veal Shank - served with carrot-potato pure'e, roasted vegetables, and toasted citrus gremolata.
Shank, rattle, and roll
Jay said that this was exceptional - moist and tender and alive with flavor. He also really liked the special little spoon that was provided for marrow scooping. People say the marrow is the best part of a dish like this but I can't quite bring myself to eat it. Jason, on the other hand, is very much a member of the "crack open their bones and feast on the warm goo inside" club.
Oh man. I would want the veal shank, too. However, if I could get the veal shank with your polenta, that would be the best of both worlds.
Earlier in our meal Citricos' manager visited our table to discuss that special order bakery snafu. She was absolutely lovely, and while letting us know that the order couldn't be located promised to have the kitchen work up a surprise. And did they ever ... I actually liked this better than what I'd first requested when I called the bakery.
Birthday surprise!
Aint I cute?
Wow, that does make up for the snafu! It's good to see that chocolate mold is still being put to good use. Here's a photo I took of being the 125th guest at Chef's Mickey's during the WDW 25th anniversary celebration. This photo was taken in November of 1996. And we had milk chocolate and mini M&Ms:
See? Same pose.
I really thought your cookie assortment was truly adorable with the white chocolate Mickey.
I still received the Mickey statue (and he is solid white chocolate ... we still have him in the kitchen) and rather than a handful of chocolate covered strawberries we received a nice variety of tasty cookies which proved to be the perfect not-too-heavy dessert to end our meal. Jay told me that the kids in the restaurant were mesmerized by this dessert as it was carried through the dining room to our table, most likely because of the Mickey statue. Who wants cake when they can have six solid inches of white chocolate Mickey Mouse?
I have a mind then went straight to the gutter after reading the last sentence.
I was truly delighted with the end result and took the opportunity to thank the manager for her assitance the next time we saw her - she was very hands on that evening, taking time to speak with as many guests as possible. Two thumbs up for Citricos' management staff because it would have been very easy for them to just tell us there was nothing they could do about our missing bakery order.
That would not be Disney. They do try (at least the places owned by Disney do) to make things right. I do have to give props to them for that.
To finish off the night and to facilitate cookie dunking, Jay and I both ordered a cappuccino. But not any old cappuccino ... a Grand Cappuccino ... coffee with mystery boozes. And I say mystery boozes because neither one of us remember which two alcoholic beverages were mixed in with the coffee. But whatever they were, the combination made for a delicious caffeinated drink and cookie bathtub.
Grand indeed!
Wow.
Just wow.
Cookie bathtub? Complete with suds!
Citricos proved to be yet another dining highlight on this trip; so much so, in fact, that once again we must give it our highest rating: Monstrous Fine! For those of you who may be on the fence about giving this restaurant a try, I'd strongly encourage you to get off the fence and make an ADR. It's definitely one of the best signature restaurants on property and is on the short list of signatures we feel are worth repeating when we return to WDW this fall.
I hope this was helpful and thanks for reading!
I'm glad you had a great time there, and it's a good thing you didn't do the Jiko dinner. We got out of there at 11pm, so you'd have been very tired getting up at the "butt crack of stupid".
Everything looked delicious! What time was your ADR? We like to go right at 5:30 when it opens and it's always very quiet. Then again, we do that for most of our dinners, especially California Grill, where it can get very loud. Sorry about the B-day snafu, but it looks like Cindy came through for you!
Isn't there maybe something you missed??? Do we have to wait until October for more???
This is it for Disney reviews until we get home from the October trip. But I will be posting Stinktown food porn reviews on our blog now and then ... actually I have one from last week that I need to get moving on but I wanted to finish here first.
