Dinner #10 brought us back to the Grand Floridian, our home base for this gastronomically epic adventure. It is the very essence of Victorian luxury situated right on the beach of Seven Seas Lagoon.
The resort claims the honor of having an unprecedented three of Walt Disney World’s Signature Dining establishments. Our first night in, my wife and I dined at Narcoosee’s. I knew right then we were bound for a good time. The third night was our anniversary, an unforgettable evening at the incomparable Victoria & Albert’s.
To round out our exploration of the Floridian’s grand eateries, we returned this tenth day to the second floor of the main cottage. Appropriate to the aquatic locale, Citrico’s is about seafood.
At night, the normally bright dining room became cozy while remaining elegant. An open kitchen ran nearly its entire length, connecting diners to the sythesis of their meals.
The sizzle of butter in a pan and the smell of charred meat on a grill is an adequate way to get me ready for dinner. Hell, it’d probably still work on me right after I’d eaten.
I chose to start with the Mediterranean Tastes assortment. I’m an avid devotee of cured pork. If it’s got prosciutto in it, I’ll probably order it. This plate was Prosciutto di Parma plus. It also came with a cube of creamy, soft Buffalo Mozarella, Picholene Olive Tapenade, White Bean Puree, and Grilled Crostinis.
The menu recommended a red wine pairing, a 2003 Chateau de Cruzeau Pessac-Leognan. Pessac-Leognan is a lesser known and under-rated region of Bordeaux. It’s fast become an up-and-comer of late. Look for this appellation in your local wine shop. Bargains are to be had.
This particular vintage was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (55%), Merlot (43%) and Cabernet Franc (2%). It sat for 12 months in French oak barrels and three more years in the bottle after that before landing on my table that evening. Like most Bordeaux, there was an air of earthiness about it, but 2003 was the year of the French heatwaves. There was definitely plenty of ripe fruit.
My wife’s entree was the Rotisserie Pork Tenderloin with just the right touch of pink in the center. It came on a bed of Creamy Goat Cheese Polenta and was topped by a Warm Mushroom Salad with Truffle Vinaigrette. I got a taste and it was as good as it sounds.
Holding truer to the seafood nature of the place, I went for the Grilled Swordfish Provencal. Like two dishes in one, it came sided by a bowl of Orzo Pasta, Grape Tomatoes, Saffron-Tomato Broth, and Clams. Flavor extraordinaire! The menu stayed French with the pairing, as well.
Another warm weather wine came to the table, a 2003 Jean-Luc Colombo Viognier La Violette. Viognier (vee-oh-nyay) is a southern white varietal sometimes creamy with oak and often tropical in fruit nature. Think yellow pears, pineapple or mango. It’s something to delight the ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) crowd. A lot of central Californian vintners have been experimenting with Viognier. It’s becoming available, and is still much cheaper than Chard.
This trip marked my first few experiments with dessert wine, so after dinner I tried a new thing. Behold, the caramel peach-colored Royal Tokai Aszu 5 Puttonyos. It’s sweet Hungarian Muscat blended with two other grapes you’ve never heard of. It drips down your throat in small sips like honeyed apricot and orange peel nectar.
It wasn’t the menu pairing for the desserts we got (they were out of the Meeker FRO-ZIN zinfadel) so I drank it first. Heavy, but good. Sweet, but not cloying.
If any of you have been with me that long, you may recall the Warm Chocolate-Banana Torte from the dessert we had after sushi, which was dinner number I-don’t-remember. That level of decadence might be something you shouldn’t ever experience twice…..nyah. Give us two more.
Chocolate drizzels, a chocolate free-standing trellis, caramelized bananas and some vanilla ice cream around a warm pattycake of chocolatey banana goodness. Let’s see, there’s misdeed, indulgence…what comes after sin?
One day left at the festival and one dinner left to go.
-inspector vino
