SBETigg
09-15-2007, 05:38 PM
8 pm, Saturday August 25
We arrive in ponchos to dodge the pounding rain, but it’s a short walk from our Grand Floridian Boca Chica room and the ponchos, Wal*Mart specials, were so cheap as to render themselves disposable at the door. I feel like Bond, Jane Bond, peeling off my plastic to reveal a perfectly-presentable resort guest reporting for duty, er, dinner at the desk.
Our table will be a few minutes, so we wait at the bar with our new good friend, Sergio the bartender. Sergio makes us feel very welcome from the start and when he invites us to visit him any time during our stay, we feel that he means it.
At our table, an inside table across from the windows but still with a decent view of the lagoon, our server Debby greets us with a “happy anniversary!” But how did she know? I didn’t mention it on tonight’s reservation, but we’re delighted with the attention, and the complimentary champagne toast in our honor. Everything on the menu looks so good that we ask Debby for recommendations.
I love oysters and when she recommends the buttermilk fried oyster special, I can’t resist. The DH and DS go for the crab cakes with remoulade and frisee slaw, my back up choice. The DD gets the Artisan Cheeses, a trio of Humboldt Fog, Maytag Blue and Pleasant Ridge Reserve served with walnut toast.
She’s not thrilled with all the cheeses, so DH gets some extra appetizer action. For someone with more mature tastes, the cheeses are excellent. The crab cakes are among the best I’ve ever tasted, all crab with just a few crumbs on top and so fresh and delicious. The chef has let the crab speak for itself and it says “ooh baby.” The oysters are also fantastic, lightly fried and flavorful.
For dinner, the DH goes with the Chef's Recommendation, a pan-seared Mangrove Snapper with haricot vert, crispy fingerling potatoes, sweet cipollini onions, apple wood smoked bacon vinaigrette. The bacon vinaigrette is rich and delicious, a perfect accompaniment for the snapper, and everything is cooked to perfection. The DS, a fan of the crab cakes, stays in theme to get the Crab-Crusted Halibut with Meyer lemon butter sauce, crushed fingerling potatoes and asparagus, and he’s thrilled with the dish.
The DD, unsure if she will like anything on the menu, gets the Tanglewood Chicken Breast, and we’re all impressed with the execution and expert melding of flavors involved in the ragout of sweet corn, leeks, and wild mushrooms, with white truffled mashed potatoes. It’s a triumph, and she can barely stop eating once she’s full. Portions are surprisingly large at Narcoossee’s. I opt for the Grilled Filet Mignon and Butter-Poached Lobster Tail with potato gratin and green peppercorn brandy sauce. The filet is fork-tender and delicious and though the lobster tail is a warm-water tail and not quite as succulent as the Maine lobster I prefer, it is still tender and lovely. We’re all quite pleased with our selections, and with Narcoossee’s.
The DH and I ordered a bottle of wine to accompany our meals, Woodward Canyon’s Artist Series 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon, which turns out to be an excellent choice.
For dessert, I trust Debby’s recommendation once again and choose the Inspired by The Year of a Million Dreams Almond-crusted Cheesecake with Lambert Cherry Sauce. It’s surprisingly light and so good, accompanied by a fondant banner pained like stained glass with a scene from Cinderella, very memorable! The DS, continuing with his theme of eschewing dessert, opts for the cheese plate, which is offered as both an appetizer and a dessert. The DD goes for the Warm Chocolate Almond Gateau with vanilla bean whipped cream, which is truly heavenly and puts her Kilauea Torte of last night’s Kona (http://www.intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=115632) visit to shame. DH goes for the boring but luscious Trio of Sorbet with berries and raspberry sauce.
Dessert comes before the lights are lowered for the presentation of Wishes. We choose not to go outside for the show but we have the soundtrack and a pretty good though not the best view.
At the end of our meal, Debby presents us with a Happy Anniversary certificate from Narcoossee’s bearing our names and the label from our wine affixed to the back. Our Narcoossee’s experience is second only to our California Grill dinner (http://www.intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=114779) and remains a highlight of our trip as well as one of our top WDW dining experiences.
On a scale of:
-Highly Recommended: Must try
-Recommended: A good one to try.
-Not bad: You might give it a try.
-Unsatisfactory: I can’t recommend it.
It’s obviously way up there, a Highly Recommended: Must Try dining experience.
We arrive in ponchos to dodge the pounding rain, but it’s a short walk from our Grand Floridian Boca Chica room and the ponchos, Wal*Mart specials, were so cheap as to render themselves disposable at the door. I feel like Bond, Jane Bond, peeling off my plastic to reveal a perfectly-presentable resort guest reporting for duty, er, dinner at the desk.
Our table will be a few minutes, so we wait at the bar with our new good friend, Sergio the bartender. Sergio makes us feel very welcome from the start and when he invites us to visit him any time during our stay, we feel that he means it.
At our table, an inside table across from the windows but still with a decent view of the lagoon, our server Debby greets us with a “happy anniversary!” But how did she know? I didn’t mention it on tonight’s reservation, but we’re delighted with the attention, and the complimentary champagne toast in our honor. Everything on the menu looks so good that we ask Debby for recommendations.
I love oysters and when she recommends the buttermilk fried oyster special, I can’t resist. The DH and DS go for the crab cakes with remoulade and frisee slaw, my back up choice. The DD gets the Artisan Cheeses, a trio of Humboldt Fog, Maytag Blue and Pleasant Ridge Reserve served with walnut toast.
She’s not thrilled with all the cheeses, so DH gets some extra appetizer action. For someone with more mature tastes, the cheeses are excellent. The crab cakes are among the best I’ve ever tasted, all crab with just a few crumbs on top and so fresh and delicious. The chef has let the crab speak for itself and it says “ooh baby.” The oysters are also fantastic, lightly fried and flavorful.
For dinner, the DH goes with the Chef's Recommendation, a pan-seared Mangrove Snapper with haricot vert, crispy fingerling potatoes, sweet cipollini onions, apple wood smoked bacon vinaigrette. The bacon vinaigrette is rich and delicious, a perfect accompaniment for the snapper, and everything is cooked to perfection. The DS, a fan of the crab cakes, stays in theme to get the Crab-Crusted Halibut with Meyer lemon butter sauce, crushed fingerling potatoes and asparagus, and he’s thrilled with the dish.
The DD, unsure if she will like anything on the menu, gets the Tanglewood Chicken Breast, and we’re all impressed with the execution and expert melding of flavors involved in the ragout of sweet corn, leeks, and wild mushrooms, with white truffled mashed potatoes. It’s a triumph, and she can barely stop eating once she’s full. Portions are surprisingly large at Narcoossee’s. I opt for the Grilled Filet Mignon and Butter-Poached Lobster Tail with potato gratin and green peppercorn brandy sauce. The filet is fork-tender and delicious and though the lobster tail is a warm-water tail and not quite as succulent as the Maine lobster I prefer, it is still tender and lovely. We’re all quite pleased with our selections, and with Narcoossee’s.
The DH and I ordered a bottle of wine to accompany our meals, Woodward Canyon’s Artist Series 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon, which turns out to be an excellent choice.
For dessert, I trust Debby’s recommendation once again and choose the Inspired by The Year of a Million Dreams Almond-crusted Cheesecake with Lambert Cherry Sauce. It’s surprisingly light and so good, accompanied by a fondant banner pained like stained glass with a scene from Cinderella, very memorable! The DS, continuing with his theme of eschewing dessert, opts for the cheese plate, which is offered as both an appetizer and a dessert. The DD goes for the Warm Chocolate Almond Gateau with vanilla bean whipped cream, which is truly heavenly and puts her Kilauea Torte of last night’s Kona (http://www.intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=115632) visit to shame. DH goes for the boring but luscious Trio of Sorbet with berries and raspberry sauce.
Dessert comes before the lights are lowered for the presentation of Wishes. We choose not to go outside for the show but we have the soundtrack and a pretty good though not the best view.
At the end of our meal, Debby presents us with a Happy Anniversary certificate from Narcoossee’s bearing our names and the label from our wine affixed to the back. Our Narcoossee’s experience is second only to our California Grill dinner (http://www.intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=114779) and remains a highlight of our trip as well as one of our top WDW dining experiences.
On a scale of:
-Highly Recommended: Must try
-Recommended: A good one to try.
-Not bad: You might give it a try.
-Unsatisfactory: I can’t recommend it.
It’s obviously way up there, a Highly Recommended: Must Try dining experience.