Tag Archives: Disney Dining

Dinner at Citricos at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa

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Citricos-Interior“Citricos in the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa is a hidden gem among Walt Disney World’s table service dining options.  The combination of excellent service, relaxing atmosphere, and delectable dishes makes Citricos an excellent choice for a romantic dinner.” – Me, once again channeling my inner restaurant critic.

Last week Raymond and I ate at Citricos for the very first time.  All through our meal and after, we kept asking ourselves WHY!!?!?  Why did we wait so long to eat there?  It was a fantastic experience – one we cannot wait for the opportunity to repeat.

From the moment we walked through the door, we were made to feel like the most special guests in the restaurant.  Escorted to our centrally Citricos-Vincelocated table by Vince (who looked very young yet had oodles of charm to spare) and introduced to our server, Michael, who helpfully explained the menu to us and pointed out a few of the restaurant’s specialties; our evening began.

Raymond chose a bottle of wine for us to enjoy while Michael brought us some fabulous bread with butter.  The butter is unsalted, but sprinkled with sea salt and citrus zest before serving.  I may have eaten a little more bread and butter than was wise, but it was just irresistible.  Perusing the menu, we were pleasantly surprised by the selection – a huge number of items to choose from, sure to please every type of appetite.  Even the children’s menu is amazing.

Citricos-MichaelFor starters we chose the Cheese Course Trio which is “Wijngaard Chèvre Affiné from Holland, Taleggio D.O.P from Italy, and Cashel from Ireland served with seasonal accompaniments” and completely perfect in every way.  It reminded me of the cheese appetizer we had at the Boardwalk’s Flying Fish (and we loved that as well).  Michael paced our courses just right.

The entrée was so hard to select!  Raymond and I both decided on the Pan Seared Icelandic Cod served with “Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes, Nueske’s Applewood-smoked Bacon, New Smyrna Clams, P.E.I. Mussels, Carrots, Fennel, and Creamed Fish Fumet”.  For all that fancy talk, we got some mighty tasty eats!!!  I’m not a huge fan of fennel and was pleased to note that I couldn’t even tell it was in there.  The dish’s flavors blended together perfectly.

Between the bread and butter, the cheeses, and the huge main course, we didn’t have room for Citricos-Seared-Icelandic-Coddessert.  We took our time finishing our wine and enjoying the restaurant’s ambiance and each other’s company.  When we were finished, we leisurely made our way to the monorail and rode back to the Contemporary and our home away from home at Bay Lake Tower.  Except for eating a bit too much, we couldn’t think of a single thing we would have changed about the evening.

Check out Citricos’ full menu here and do not pass up the opportunity to try Citricos for yourself next time you’re looking for an awesome Disney dining experience.

Have you eaten at Citricos?  What was your experience like?

Citricos- Copper-Pot-Mickey

 

Disney World Table Service – 5 Random Tips

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Flying Fish Dinner at the BoardwalkToday’s tips are brought to you by my current state of hunger.  Having an empty belly, thinking about our upcoming trip to Walt Disney World, I just started brainstorming important things about selecting table service restaurants…only, here in Louisiana, the brainstorm is more like a brain hurricane!

For us, the selection of Disney dining options begins exactly 180 days from our vacation – as soon as that window opens up for making ADRs (advance dining reservations), we are booking maniacs.  Planning the actual selections begins even sooner than that!  We love the opportunity to sit down together as a family (usually once each day) and enjoy some of the delicious dining options Walt Disney World offers – at a fairly leisurely pace.  We love the number of table service options there are to choose from.  We love trying new things and revisiting old favorites.

Disney World Table Service – 5 Random Tips

Tip #1 – If you’re thinking, “I don’t know what I’ll feel like eating so far in advance!” get over it!  You don’t have to book ALL your ADRs at 180 days, but if you’re even toying with Epcot's France Pavilion / Monsieur Paul‘Ohana, Le Cellier, Be Our Guest, and/or a few others in the uber-popular category, book a reservation at the earliest possible moment!  I would be so sad if my family was really counting on eating at one or more of the most popular places and we couldn’t get in.  If what you want is not available when you first try – keep checking!  Cancellations happen all the time.  My cautionary tale:  We were once waiting for our ADR at ‘Ohana when a lady with a very long blond (totally artificial) ponytail (I remember the weirdest details) walked up to the podium and asked for a table.  When told there were none available, she said, “We don’t care about the wait, we’ll take whatever you’ve got!” – she was completely (tragically) shocked when the cast member explained that all available tables for the entire evening had been booked.  Don’t let this happen to you!

Chicken at Raglan RoadTip #2:  Are you picky?  If you’re more about a particular food than an experience, do some research.  Menus and reviews are available all over the interwebs!  Looking for a good steak?  There are quite a few choices.  Keep in mind that the way steak (or your other favorite food) is prepared where you live may be a bit different than it is at Walt Disney World.  Different regions seem to have different criteria for rare, medium, and well-done.  Be as descriptive as possible!  Say, “Warm and slightly pink in the center” or “No pink in my steak at all” or “Moo-ing gently as I cut into it” – this will get you a lot closer to what you want than the generic beef terminology.

Tip #3:  Are your kids picky?  We feel your pain!  We have yet to find a table service restaurant that wouldn’t help us figure out how to feed our picky eater.  Ask your server for suggestions.  Tell them if your picky one has special dining needs (like no food must touch!)  It’s been our experience that they’re usually more than happy to work with you to make sure your experience is the best it can be.  When in doubt, we’ve gone with one of the many buffets available.  The kid-friendly sections are really great!

Pizza Delivery at WDWTip #4:  FYI – Walt Disney World typically does not do pizza well.  Don’t count on finding good pizza there.  In fact, I’ll go ahead and just say that the pizza is notoriously awful.  Your best chance is in Epcot’s Italy Pavilion at Via Napoli.  If you can make it a week without a pie, you should try to do that.  Please, oh, please – if you’ve GOT to enter Pizza Planet at Disney’s Hollywood Studios – go for the arcade games!

Tip #5:  Save room!  Nothing makes me madder than when I sit down at a great restaurant (like the Flying Fish Café on the Boardwalk, Raglan Road in Downtown Disney/Disney Springs or ‘Ohana at the Polynesian Village Resort) and I’ve eaten so much earlier in the day that I’m not going to be able to do the meal justice.  That’s the beauty of tip #1 – you’ll know when you need to hold back and make sure you’re good and hungry when you arrive for your ADR!

What is your best table service tip?  What’s your favorite table service restaurant?

Need info?  There’s always helpful information at the Disney Food Blog!

 

 

 

 

WDW Park Counter Service – Family Favorites

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Baked Goods in Starring Rolls CafeChoosing a restaurant is tough!  At Disney World, it can be downright confusing.  When you want a meal in a hurry (no reservations or major time commitment required) the choices are everywhere!  While you’re looking around, you’re probably thinking things like:  What will my picky eater like?  What’s a good value?  Where will we sit?  Is there any chance at all I can get something healthy?  Can I get a beer with that? (Okay, you may not be thinking that last one, but I sure am!)

Here are our family favorite counter service restaurants by park (and why we like them):

Liberty SquareMagic Kingdom (No, you cannot have a beer with any counter-service food there, but you CAN have a great meal.)

Columbia Harbor House – Head on over to this great eatery centrally located in Liberty Square – across the way from Haunted Mansion.  Why we love it:  Options include chicken, fish, and vegetarian.  Healthy or hearty – you’ll find it here.  Me?  I just like the tuna sandwich, but even the pickiest eater among us (Hi, Joseph!) finds something to be happy about.  There’s loads of seating – go upstairs and it’s quieter with the strong possibility of a really great view.

Gaston’s Tavern – if you haven’t been here before to hear me wax poetic about the Roasted Gaston's Tavern Roasted Pork Shank and LeFou's BrewPork Shank, consider this yet another glowing endorsement!  You can pair that with a LeFou’s Brew (a family friendly and completely delicious beverage) and some pretty darned healthy options like hummus and pretzel chips, apple slices and caramel dip, veggies and dip, fruit cup, and WAIT…don’t panic…there’s a chocolate croissant and warm cinnamon roll on the menu as well!

Casey’s Corner – If you’ve just GOT to eat in the very middle of all the action, you’ll find hotdogs, Polish sausage, nachos, corndog nuggets, and fries – basic fare, but decently tasty and reasonably priced.  Stake out a parade seat and send someone to Casey’s for some chow!

Epcot:

Quick service excellence – this park’s got the best offerings on property!Epcot's Sunshine Seasons

Sunshine Seasons – In Future World’s Land Pavilion – this place has a humongous menu with absolutely something for everyone.  If you can’t find something to satisfy at Sunshine Seasons, you’re not hungry (check out the lunch menu here).  I do love the chocolate croissant for breakfast or a snack.  The indoor setting is a bonus during warm or rainy weather.

Yorkshire County Fish Shop – World Showcase / United Kingdom.  There are several awesome quick-service restaurants scattered throughout the World Showcase.  Why do we always eat at Yorkshire County Fish Shop?  It’s simple, reasonably priced, not too much to eat, and very tasty.  Plus – a beer cart nearby for the perfect complimentary beverage.

Honorable Mention:  La Cantina de San Angel in the Mexico Pavilion – Great selection, tastes great.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios:

Starring Rolls Cafe / Disney's Hollywood StudiosWhile this is the least likely place we’d like to find ourselves in need of a quick bite, there are a couple of places we do recommend (Luckily, all serve adult refreshments if one is thirsty):

Starring Rolls Café:  Home of the very delicious Butterfinger and Red Velvet Cupcakes (and the Darth Vader and Yoda cupcakes) – there’s enough on the menu to keep our bellies from protesting.  We like this as a brunch or afternoon snack stop – great if you’re pacing your appetite for a special table service meal.

Catalina Eddie’s, Rosie’s All American Café, or Fairfax Fare – they’re all close together Catalina Eddie's in Disney's Hollywood Studiosand located near Rock’n’ Roller Coaster and the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.  These three counter service options are (to us) the most likely places to find something both quick and edible at lunchtime.  Divide and conquer if you need to – there’s central outdoor (shaded) seating nearby.  Do NOT under any circumstances eat at Pizza Planet (back behind MuppetVision3D)…just trust me on this one.

Honorable mention:  Min & Bill’s Dockside Diner’s a great place for a cold beer on a hot day.

Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom's Flame Tree BarbequeFlame Tree Barbeque – When in doubt, stick with something simple.  Chicken, ribs, pulled pork, turkey and the expected sides (slaw, beans, onion rings, fries) – it’s easy to find something satisfying and the seating is among the best on property for quick service dining.

Well, there you go.  There are lots of great counter service choices at Disney World – I’ve just narrowed the list down to a few that our family recommends.  These are the places we’ve tended to return to for their taste, reliability, and value.

Which Disney World counter service restaurants would you recommend?

 

 

Epcot Food & Wine 2014 – Pick TEN?

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World Showcase Lagoon ViewI can’t even begin to imagine the calories, the cash, and the intestinal fortitude it would take to sample all the special dishes at all the food booths at this year’s Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.  Think about it – there are more than 60 foods to choose from!  For our week at Walt Disney World in October, we’re committed to trying a decent number of different samples, but we had to have some semblance of a plan (it’s me, I’m the obsessive planner).

Because I will eat anything (Honest! With the exception of tuna casserole and black licorice) – I’m not at all a picky eater.  Raymond?  He’s much more selective about food.  Much better now than he used to be, when we got married 25 years ago I only needed to learn how to cook five World Showcase / Epcotthings and he was completely happy.  We’ve both come a long way since then – my cooking and his palate have both seen vast improvements!  Still, I thought it best for Raymond to peruse the food choices (all 60+ of them) and pick a top ten – a goal, if you will, for us to start with as we make our way around the World Showcase during the festival.

I’m pretty optimistic we’ll get to all ten, so I’ve thrown in a couple of my own to round out the selection to an even dozen.  Note:  We are highly gluten tolerant omnivores.  Here are our picks!

1.  Australia – Garlic Shrimp with roasted tomatoes, lemon myrtle and rapine (a.k.a. broccoli rabe).  For a first choice, I have to applaud Raymond’s bravery – I had to google lemon myrtle!  This World Showcase / Lagoonsounds completely delicious to me.

2. Brazil – Crispy Pork Belly – seriously…say it out loud now, “Crispy Pork Belly” – just saying it tastes delicious.  Can’t find fault with that choice!  (Good job, Honey!)

3. France: Boeuf Bourguignon: Braised short ribs in cabernet with mashed potatoes.  Sounds like another winner.  In fact, this recipe was on my 2014 Disney New Year’s Resolution list and I haven’t gotten around to cooking it yet – this will let me find out how it’s supposed to taste!

4. Greece – Griddled Greek Cheese with pistachios and honey.  This sounds amazingly delicious to me.  We are cheese people!  And, living in the South, we love our vittles griddled.

5. Hops & Barley – Baked Lobster Alfredo.  Let us pause for a moment and consider the potential for happiness this dish could provide.  Boy, oh, boy!  It better deliver!!!  The calorie count…no, don’t think about it.Italy Pavilion / Epcot's World Showcase

6. Italy – Ravioli alla Caprese:  Cheese ravioli, tomato sauce, mozzarella, parmesan, and basil.  All things we love to eat, but this is one dish I’m iffy on.  It’s simple – so it’s got to be authentic and really fresh.  We’ll see, won’t we?

7. Morocco – Spicy Shrimp Roll with cilantro and mint sauce.  Well this certainly sounds tasty!  That’s two shrimp dishes – we can do a whole compare-and-contrast thing.

8. New Zealand – Venison Sausage with pickled mushrooms, baby arugula and black currant reduction.  Honestly, we all know that a mushroom, pickled or otherwise, will never pass beneath Raymond’s mustache.  I’ll be polishing those off.  Venison is very popular here in the Italy Pavilion RestaurantsSportsman’s Paradise, so it’ll be interesting to see how it’s prepared by non-Louisianan chefs.

9.  Puerto Rico – Friturias: Sorullitos (sweet polenta fries) and bolitas de queso (cheese fritter with mayo ketchup).  Polenta’s a LOT like grits (which we eat every week at our house) and we’ve already confessed our love of cheese.  This ought to be amazing!

10. Scotland – Seared Sea Scallop with spinach-cheddar gratin and crispy bacon.  If Raymond hadn’t picked this one, I would have waited in line all by my lonesome for this dish.  This is one I’m not going to want to share.

The next two are all mine, baby!

11. Hawaii -Kālua pork slider with sweet and sour Dole® Pineapple chutney and spicy mayonnaise.  Boom!  How can you go wrong with that?

12. Italy – Filetto di pollo, con funghi al marsala: Chicken tenderloin, cremini mushrooms, marsala sauce and ciabatta bread.  Ah, Italy – the source of all my most beloved foods!

What do you think?  Enough?  Too much?  Have you tried any of these and hated them?  Save us from ourselves – if you have intel, speak up and leave a comment!

Yikes – we haven’t even thought about beverages!  There’s a certain beer flight at the Farm Fresh booth I’ve gotta try!

The Disney Food Blog’s excellent Festival coverage is here.