Dessert before Dinner: a trifecta of dining reports? Update 9/22 LTT COMPLETE!

[ariane37]

Maria and Enzos looked good! I still need to try it!

Seriously you're the queen of Disney Springs, get over there

We should talk with Su-Lynn and Jackie in May to see if we want to meet up at all for a meal! Or just lounge it up!

Definitely! We'll have to all compare plans once we have them done. Well I'm probably the only one who doesn't have a plan at this point

Like the garland on the tree was made out of boarding passes strung together!

That sounds adorable! I'll have to try harder to fit it in for Dec. so I can see

I really liked my brunch and M&E is on my short list of places to repeat!

I was super disappointed when they changed the brunch menu after you ate there and then super thrilled we loved our lunch. Always happy to be able to add another restaurant to the list of our favorites!

 

[missjackiemcg]

We should talk with Su-Lynn and Jackie in May to see if we want to meet up at all for a meal! Or just lounge it up!

Definitely! We'll have to all compare plans once we have them done. Well I'm probably the only one who doesn't have a plan at this point

I am still in the beginning planning stages mostly LOL I'd love to meet up for a meal if it works out or just meet up for whatever!! The only thing I know for sure we are doing is meeting friends of ours for dinner on the 27th (I think Storybook Dining) as it's the last night of their trip and the first night of ours, and hopefully doing the Family NYE party at the Contemporary.

 

[Tracy161]

he's coming but at this point we're thinking (and hoping) Ricky won't be.

Oh I hope he won't be able to come!!!

I do need to show a picture of this every time I mention it and I do need to point out that what remained was Steve's bar, not mine. Mine was LONG gone.

Thank goodness. I've never understood people who can "save" part of their dessert! Heck, oftentimes I get two and still have no problem packing it down

I had absolutely no idea what the theme was here so I was pleasantly surprised when we walked in; it's so cool!

It's super cool!

These are probably way too sugary for many of you but for me they're just fine

Nope, I've yet to find anything "too sugary" for my palate...

 

[ariane37]

I am still in the beginning planning stages mostly LOL I'd love to meet up for a meal if it works out or just meet up for whatever!!

Really so am I! in my head I've gone over roughly what I think we'll do most days and I'm pretty positive I know what we'll do on NYE and at night on the 30th - but that's it. I'll know by ADR time lol and then I'm sure I'll change things!

Oh I hope he won't be able to come!!!

You and me both!!!!

Nope, I've yet to find anything "too sugary" for my palate...

I'm right there with ya!

 

[ariane37]

​

Exciting news (for me anyway!). Booked MK DAH for my May trip! Steve won't be down yet but I'll be doing it with @Jenny Sanders and her DH, @Elevationist and a few other DIS friends who are going on our EPIC Girls trip I'll get to our/my whole schedule before the trip because there's some really cool stuff going on!

Trifecta Trip #1 (but really #2)
Day 4= good eats before we go home
​

We walked out of the MK finishing up our nuts because we needed to stop back at the Beach Club to change for dinner. It was getting pretty chilly and I also wanted to look pretty hot for our last night. Spoiler alert that didn't happen but hey, one can try. Where was our dinner?

​

The picture was taken in September but yes, our last night dinner was at Narcoossee's. I'd booked this when I booked Maria & Enzo's to make sure we didn't end up hungry and unsatisfied on our last night. We went with something new for lunch, something old and familiar that's never let us down for lunch. If you remember I said in my last update that this is one place Chris has requested for our NYE trip because it's seriously a favorite of us all.

First came their bread:



Not as good as Citricos but never a letdown since it comes with the sea salt butter! I had to stop myself from eating too much because not only was I getting an app this is one place I do NOT skip dessert!

Next were our drinks, I skipped my Moscato for a sweet Riesling instead and Steve went simple with Grey Goose on the rocks with olives:



Here's the Riesling I had:
Chateau Ste. Michelle Eroica Riesling, Columbia Valley
If you like sweet wines like Moscato then you'd probably like this but if you hate sweet wines you won't. And that pretty much describes it! I loved it and have since bought it more than once locally.
We had a really great server too and I wish I could remember his name; he was no Rony but he's been at Narcoossee's for almost 30 years and knows his stuff.
For our entrees Steve did not veer far from his norm by ordering a shrimp dish:

Slow-poached and Chilled Shrimp
Citrus Rémoulade, Frisée Salad, Pickled Shallots



I don't really know what to say about this because I didn't ask but I know he loved it pretty much as well as he loved every other shrimp dish he had on the trip! Not a bit was left.
I decided to eat healthy (WHAT) knowing I was getting dessert so I tried something I'd never had here, a salad:

Caesar Salad
Leaves of Crisp Romaine dressed with Traditional Caesar Dressing and topped with crisp Pancetta, Grated House-cured Yolks, and Fried Capers



Doesn't look like a traditional Caesar salad at all nor did the description really sound like it, and I'm glad! This was delicious and the best salad I've ever ordered. The pancetta MADE the salad and I enjoyed the capers more than I thought I would. The dressing was also seasoned very well and I actually at the whole thing.

I want to add that the restaurant was packed. It was later as our reservation was at 7:15 and normally when we're there after like 6:30 it is busy, but since Narcoossee's is another signature that isn't talked about much - although more than Citricos - I thought I'd throw that in.

I was eagerly awaiting our entrees as I'd been dreaming of mine since making the reservation. I saw this a couple years ago on one of @kastoney's reports and while she had it with shrimp I get it either with just pasta or as I did this time, with chicken:

Wild Caught Shrimp and Campanelle Pasta
Wild Gulf Shrimp, Savoy Spinach, Oven-roasted Tomatoes, Basil Pistou, Comté Cheese, Chardonnay-Garlic Cream. Also available with Sautéed Chicken




The sauce here is phenomenal. Creamy but not heavy; the pasta always cooked perfectly. I don't normally eat grilled chicken because I almost always find it to be rubbery but here I'll always get it; tender, every piece. I put a huge dent in this bowl and was extremely sad to not be able to finish it!
Steve continued with his seafood theme switching to scallops:

Pan-seared Georges Bank Day Boat Scallops
House-made Parisian Gnocchi, Shiitake Mushrooms, Fall Pumpkin, Brown Butter-Truffle Cream Sauce, Shaved Black Truffles, and Fried Sage



Again and I'm sorry but I didn't really ask much about these other than did he like them which of course he did. Suffice it to say we were both highly satisfied with our meals!

We knew we were going to have dessert but wanted a little break and it came by way of Happily Ever After. I was just one little tad reluctant to book Narcoossee's on our last night because the thought of not ending in a park kind of bothered me, but then I realized we could still end with fireworks. We've watched from the deck before but this time the deck was "undergoing enhancements" so instead of walking right out the door to the deck we had to walk out the front door and around the side of the building to a side deck entrance. No big deal really other than it being a little bit chillier. Normally the gate we walked through is locked so since they had to open it they made sure only guests of the restaurant were on the deck and it was manned by staff until HEA was over. We ordered dessert before we went out and were only out there about 3 minutes before it started. Not the best pictures but I find it so peaceful out there:



I also love the view you have; as some of you may know I'm fine with not seeing the projections so being out of the park works well. They pipe the music in too:






Afterwards we went back in and our dessert was ready and waiting on the table which you'll see in the next post since I'm at my limit!

 

[ariane37]

NARCOOSSEE'S CON'T

So we came in and dessert was ready for us:

Almond-crusted Cheesecake
with Lambert Cherry Sauce



This can't be the first time you guys have seen this right? Because I think it's like, the most famous dessert in the World! One taste is like biting in to heaven Have you ever had a Good Humor Toasted Almond Bar? That's exactly what this tastes like! I don't know if they make those any more but I used to get those from the ice cream man lol. My family didn't realize or understand my obsession with this dessert right away but now both Chris and Steve are hooked.

It was about 10 when we finished and were on our way back to the Beach Club. This was another wonderful meal at Narcoossee's, nothing there has ever disappointed minus one salad Ricky got once It wasn't a bad salad by any means it just wasn't to his liking so we'll continue to frequent this establishment
We had a rather early morning flight out, that's not our norm but this was a kind of last minute booked trip and we were short on time as far as my moms availability but on the other end we had that extra night! Sorry for the 1 picture post but that pretty much finishes up Trifecta Trip #1 (but really #2), January! It was cold and one meal was a downer, we were not impressed with the FOTA food offerings but thought the festival itself was fun and something we'd like to do again. Plus we found 2 great new restaurants we'll return to in Morimoto and Maria & Enzo's. I'll be back to begin Trifecta trip #2 (but really #3) FEBRUARY next!

 

[Jenny Sanders]

Steve won't be down yet but I'll be doing it with @Jenny Sanders and her DH, @Elevationist and a few other DIS friends who are going on our EPIC Girls trip

Woo! Hoo! Soooooooo excited!

I also wanted to look pretty hot for our last night

SIZZLE!!!!

I LOVE Narcoossees. It is definitely one of my fav restaurants on property. The food has always been excellent, the service is hit or miss (last Oct it pretty much sucked) and I LOVE watching HEA form here and Wishes before that...

 

[ariane37]

I LOVE Narcoossees. It is definitely one of my fav restaurants on property. The food has always been excellent, the service is hit or miss (last Oct it pretty much sucked) and I LOVE watching HEA form here and Wishes before that...

I think Narcoossee's is our 2nd favorite signature. For awhile Tiffins was in the toppish spot with Citricos but now we haven't been there for awhile and they've changed the menu so much.....I really want to go back but I don't know that I'll love it as much so I feel Narcoossee's will stay in 2nd place.

 

[tweetylori]

Awesome report and pics, much appreciated and enjoyed...thank you!

 

[suse66]

I am woefully behind so this is going to be a huge catch up post.................

We had pretty much decided we were going to do a bunch of apps because there were so many we wanted to try, so order apps we did! But first, soup for me:

Now I am inspired to go check out Morimotos for drinks and apps! So many yummy looking choices!

Morimoto Spare Ribs
half-rack of pork ribs, cilantro, hoisin sweet chili glaze

These look fantastic!

Kanikama Rangoon - 3 pcs
krab meat and cream cheese spring roll, apricot sweet chili sauce

I would love this!

We did end up in the food court once more before leaving as I needed to be sure I got Mickey waffles at least once, and we weren't in a huge rush to get anywhere that morning.

Mickey waffles are essential to every Disney vacation.

Steve wanted to get a grey goose slush and I decided to console myself with a drink also. We turned around and while Steve opted for a beer rather than the slush, I got my tried and true pear cider in the U.K.:

Mmmmm, pear cider!

Hello my Norge friend Anyway I bought my perfume with the special bag and lotion and left a happy girl.

Love the expression on your face when you are getting your hands massaged!

walked to Beach Club where our room was ready:

Grogeous room and so spacious! Was it a corner room?

Great picture of him, horrific but typical picture of me #bangsrebelling. We love this man!!!

I love this picture and you look great!

The only other place we've had these on property is territory lounge and while they were delicious there, these were less greasy which made them better. The downside? Between these, our main dish and my potato puree neither of us had room for dessert this go 'round.

Our night was not over yet! An awesome DIS friend of mine had graciously waited over at the aforementioned Territory Lounge at the Wilderness Lodge for us while we ate dinner so we could hang out a bit; we grabbed a Lyft and in no time at all were having a drink with Mr & Mrs @pepperandchips ! No picture of the menfolk but after we sat in the lounge for awhile we took a pretty picture in the lobby to prove it happened:

Such a great picture of you two!

At dinner last night I asked Chris what restaurants he wanted to eat at for our NYE trip; he's coming but at this point we're thinking (and hoping) Ricky won't be. Those of you who know about his 18 month ACL injury will understand that he's hoping to be playing basketball for the school again - finally - in his senior year so he'll have a tournament over Xmas break. Speaking of his injury we're at 18 months with roughly another 4 to go before clearance so almost there!!!
Back to eating in Dec: not surprisingly Chris wants to eat at Narcoossee's Garden Grill for breakfast and Cape May Cafe for Dinner I like all these, we love Narcoossee's, and if any of you have read my previous dining reports you may remember Chris's love for CMC's after dinner warm towels:

So hoping that Ricky will be able to play ball next year.

OMG I need to fit these in to my May trip. If you've had these you understand why I was drooling on the monorail ride over. If you've never had them then you have no idea what you're missing! The chips are like Uber Disney chips with extra crunch and the perfect amount of salt; the cheese sauce is better than any cheese sauce I've ever had and the pulled pork, which I normally don't eat, is a great combination of sweet and smoky. The onions aren't overpowering and neither is my favorite part, the pineapple salsa! So if you don't really like pineapple that much it shouldn't deter you from trying these.

They are so good and I am seriously impressed by your ability to eat the whole plate full!

Oh and this is from Ample Hills (ample hills will never get old). Steve asked if I wanted to stand inside and eat since it was like 35 degrees outside but nope, we walked back over to Beach Club with it!

Ice cream makes everything better!

We do that sometimes, we've done good at Trader Sam's and Tambu and actually at Victoria Falls lol as well as Territory Lounge more than once. And Jock Lindsey's , we love it there. The lounges are great options!

Love the lounges.....I've had great luck with Victoria Falls, Crew's Cup, Tambu and Nomad's. Can't wait to try Jock Lindsey's and Territory Lounge this summer!

Wild Caught Shrimp and Campanelle Pasta
Wild Gulf Shrimp, Savoy Spinach, Oven-roasted Tomatoes, Basil Pistou, Comté Cheese, Chardonnay-Garlic Cream. Also available with Sautéed Chicken

This looks awesome!

Pan-seared Georges Bank Day Boat Scallops
House-made Parisian Gnocchi, Shiitake Mushrooms, Fall Pumpkin, Brown Butter-Truffle Cream Sauce, Shaved Black Truffles, and Fried Sage

I would have to order this though....can never resist scallops!

This can't be the first time you guys have seen this right? Because I think it's like, the most famous dessert in the World! One taste is like biting in to heaven Have you ever had a Good Humor Toasted Almond Bar? That's exactly what this tastes like! I don't know if they make those any more but I used to get those from the ice cream man lol. My family didn't realize or understand my obsession with this dessert right away but now both Chris and Steve are hooked.

This is a phenomenal dessert but I think I like the house made candy bar even better.

 

[Jenny Sanders]

I think Narcoossee's is our 2nd favorite signature. For awhile Tiffins was in the toppish spot with Citricos but now we haven't been there for awhile and they've changed the menu so much.....I really want to go back but I don't know that I'll love it as much so I feel Narcoossee's will stay in 2nd place.

I am going to go with Narcoossees as our number 1 (just because we have been there so many times) and Citricos as my #2. But, that may change come September...

 

[wdwnut61]

I went with my normal:
Oak-grilled Beef Filet
Potato Purée, Dragon Carrots, Cipollini Jam, Bordelaise

Love Citrico's and love their Oak-grilled Beef Filet YUM!

Our night was not over yet! An awesome DIS friend of mine had graciously waited over at the aforementioned Territory Lounge at the Wilderness Lodge for us while we ate dinner so we could hang out a bit; we grabbed a Lyft and in no time at all were having a drink with Mr & Mrs @pepperandchips ! No picture of the menfolk but after we sat in the lounge for awhile we took a pretty picture in the lobby to prove it happened:

Glad you got to meet up with @pepperandchips

Pulled Pork Nachos
topped with Onions, Cheese, Spicy Mayo, Tomatoes and Pineapple Salsa

I remember when you got these before so good

we walked to France to say hello to our old friends, the Grey Goose slushies:

Is there any other reason to visit France than the slushies

I also saw Jordan Peele's new movie, "Us". I loved "Get Out". "Us" wasn't bad, it also wasn't what I was expecting. I.....guess I liked it?

Kathy and I saw it in Disney and we liked it but not as much as Get OUT

What I'm really looking forward to is the remake of "Pet Semetary" because Stephen King is my all time favorite author. My parents even brought me to his house when I was 17 I most likely won't like it because I normally don't like remakes and from the trailer I saw last night they've changed it too much, but I'll still watch any SK remake.

Kathy really wants to see this we saw scenes before US

Maria & Enzo's for our 12:30 reservation:

Love the inside very cool

Chicken Parmigiana

This is huge!

Ravioli alla Panna

Yum

we grabbed DEEZ NUTZ:

Exciting news (for me anyway!). Booked MK DAH for my May trip! Steve won't be down yet but I'll be doing it with @Jenny Sanders and her DH, @Elevationist and a few other DIS friends who are going on our EPIC Girls trip I'll get to our/my whole schedule before the trip because there's some really cool stuff going on!

Glad you got MK DAH wish I could be there
I'll be moving Kathy home then

Wild Caught Shrimp and Campanelle Pasta

Delicious

Almond-crusted Cheesecake

Yum this looks so good!

 

[FSU Girl]

This is an interesting look salad, definitely not traditional but it looks tasty.

Yum! This is what I ordered when I went, except with shrimp, and loved it! It looks so creamy and delicious.

This looks really good too! I love scallops, these look like they were cooked perfectly. Also love that they shaved real truffles on top.

It looks like a great place to watch fireworks! When I ate there we left before the fireworks started. I like that they also have the music pipped in, I feel like that makes the fireworks so much better.

This looks delicious! We didn't try any desserts, I think I'll need to go back to try this.

Seems like a great trip all around!

 

[missjackiemcg]

Really so am I! in my head I've gone over roughly what I think we'll do most days and I'm pretty positive I know what we'll do on NYE and at night on the 30th - but that's it. I'll know by ADR time lol and then I'm sure I'll change things!

On the 30th we will likely do the preview of the NYE fireworks at MK. What are you guys thinking of doing for the 30th and NYE?

 

[Stacybaeasm]

I never go to signature restaurants because I always feel like "These are not for you dear." But after seeing a few reviews of Narcosees, I really want to try it.

 

[disneyAndi14]

I really want to try that dessert some day it sounds so delicious!

 

[ariane37]

Awesome report and pics, much appreciated and enjoyed...thank you!

You're welcome, I'm glad you're enjoying it!

Now I am inspired to go check out Morimotos for drinks and apps! So many yummy looking choices!

You should! It's a great atmosphere and I know we'll be back

Mickey waffles are essential to every Disney vacation.

Grogeous room and so spacious! Was it a corner room?

It was! I wish I could remember the # but it was a corner

Love the lounges.....I've had great luck with Victoria Falls, Crew's Cup, Tambu and Nomad's.

I forgot about Nomad's, how could I do that! We love Nomad's too and actually so do the boys

This is a phenomenal dessert but I think I like the house made candy bar even better.

Ricky had the candy bar the first time we went! He liked it and I stole a bite It was delcious; but that cheesecake.....I can't bring myself NOT to order it!

Love Citrico's and love their Oak-grilled Beef Filet YUM!

I know it's always cooked perfectly

Is there any other reason to visit France than the slushies

LOL maybe an ice cream macaroon if it's hot out?

Kathy really wants to see this we saw scenes before US

So did we and now I keep seeing the previews on TV! I pretty much know I'm not going to like it but of course I'll still see it

 

[ariane37]

This is an interesting look salad, definitely not traditional but it looks tasty.

It was like no Caesar I'd seen before but SO good. I normally leave a little bit when I order salad because I want room for the good stuff lol but it was really hard not to finish this.

Yum! This is what I ordered when I went, except with shrimp, and loved it! It looks so creamy and delicious.

Wasn't it?? The first time I got it I ordered it with shrimp and gave then to Chris but now only concern myself with what I want so do the chicken. I love their filet also but there aren't many places that have such a great pasta dish so that's become my go to here.

Seems like a great trip all around!

Yes it was, despite the freezing weather and one "miss" for dinner. Our Feb. trip was just as good and much warmer; that's coming up next

On the 30th we will likely do the preview of the NYE fireworks at MK. What are you guys thinking of doing for the 30th and NYE?

Same for us at this point on NYE, the MK preview is my plan. I really really want to do Epcot on NYE if the 30th crowds don't scare us! I'm going to book either Narcoossee's or CG late dinner on the 30th in case the day crowds scare us enough that we decide we don't want to do parks both the 30th and 31st.

I never go to signature restaurants because I always feel like "These are not for you dear." But after seeing a few reviews of Narcosees, I really want to try it.

What, why?? I know some menus have "different" food but really I'm a rather picky eater since I only do chicken, filet and pasta and I haven't disliked one signature. Try it, you'll like it The price is always worth the difference you get in food and service.

I really want to try that dessert some day it sounds so delicious!

I suggest you do! There's lot's of seafood there, would Andi try it?

 

[followthatmouse]

Oh, Ariane I always love your reports and by venturing to one of our favourite spots in Narcoossee's, you made my afternoon. Those scallops looked luscious and, while I'm not a usually a devotee of cheesecake, that particular dessert looked just gorgeous. You know how to make a girl impatient for her May Narcoossee's ADR... and her MK AH, too! Well done!

 

[missjackiemcg]

Same for us at this point on NYE, the MK preview is my plan. I really really want to do Epcot on NYE if the 30th crowds don't scare us! I'm going to book either Narcoossee's or CG late dinner on the 30th in case the day crowds scare us enough that we decide we don't want to do parks both the 30th and 31st.

That's a good plan. The crowds on the 30th for the fireworks are NOTHING compared to the masses of humanity on NYE; however, there is simply nothing more magical than those fireworks and when they're going off you almost forget you're surrounded by that many people! We have found that the best plan is to NOT try to get a spot on/near Main Street or the hub for the fireworks. Since they are 360 fireworks, you don't need to be straight on from the castle to enjoy. We usually stake out a spot near the bridge to tomorrowland, which they have CMs keeping semi-clear because it has to remain a walkway throughout.