This has been the hardest day so far in terms of miles walked. It’s easily in the 10 to 15 miles range and possible even higher (part of this is purposeful: Just like running the beach earlier, I am trying to take the longest ways possible to burn off the huge portions at the nicer restaurants since we are doing a foodie tour of the resort). But tonight, we dine at Citricos in The Grand Floridian Resort, across the lake from The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. I’ve read wonderful things so I’m excited!
Reviewing the Citricos Menu
Aunt Donna requested more pictures of people so I’m going to take it even though we are all tired and wearing casual clothes. Here we are reviewing the menu …
Ashly and Ian reviewing the menu at Citricos ...
Aaron reviewing the menu at Citricos ...
Citricos Drinks and Appetizers
Aaron ordered a virgin strawberry daiquiri ...
I ordered a mango smoothie ...
Ashly had the sauteed shrimp with lemon, white wine, tomatoes, and feta cheese as her appetizer.
I had the artisanal greens and nectarine salad with balsamic-orange blossom honey emulsion, pickled red pearl onions, smoked-spiced almonds, and valdeon blue cheese. I loved it.
Aaron had the cheese course trio as his appetizer. It featured Murcia al Vino from south-east Spain, which is commonly known as "Drunken Goat" because it bathes in red wine and ages for a minimum of 45 days. It has a semi-soft mild aroma and is a little salty. The next cheese was P'tit Basque from France, whcih is handmade in the French Pyrenees where vast pastures provide fertile grazing for milk-producing sheep. It is a semi-soft cheese with a slightly oily texture and an earthy, nutty flavor. The third cheese is Fourme d'Ambert from Auvergne, France. It is one of France's oldest cheeses, dating back to the Roman Era. It is made from pasteurized cow's milk and is one of the mildest blue cheeses. It is creamy with a delicate fruit flavor and mushroom overtones. The cheeses were paired with complimentary flavors.
The Chefs Tapas Plate, which was Ian's appetizer, featured spiced panadas, piquillo hummus, and cioppino littleneck clams with micro basil.
Main Dishes / Entrees at Citricos Restaurant
My main course was pan-seared Florida black grouper with fregula "paella", sea scallops, rock shrimp, palacio chorizo, and sherry-infused sofritto. They had run out of scallops so they asked if I was okay with more shrimp or would like to select another dish; I opted for more shrimp because I was curious about the dish. It was good. I wouldn't order it again if we returned but that is because I tried a bite of Aaron's veal shank and it was out-of-this-world.
Aaron and Ian both ordered the braised veal shank with carrot-potato mash, roasted vegetables, and toasted citrus gremolata. I tried a bite of Aaron's and it was phenomenal. Our waiter, who was perfect, told him before ordering that the veal was so good that if Aaron didn't finish it, he (the waiter) would pull up a chair to the table and finish it for us. He was correct. It was probably the best thing on the menu. This being the second time Aaron had tried veal (the first time being at The California Grill), Ian told him now he was very sorry because Aaron's only experience with the meat had been two of the best veal dishes Ian had ever tasted so now everything would pale in comparison.
Ashly had the wild king salmon with grilled langoustine, warm baby artichoke, marble potato salad with bacon-sherry vinaigrette, and macerated petite tomatoes as her main dish.
Dessert at Citricos
Ashly's dessert was a warm chocolate-banana torte with vanilla ice cream and handcrafted Belgium couverture chocolate crown.
Ian ordered the tropical fruit creme trûlée for his dessert, which had mango, pineapple, and passion fruit in it.
Both Aaron and I ordered the lemon-scented cheesecake with a blanket of white chocolate ganache as our dessert. It was wonderful.
After Dinner Fireworks
As we finished dessert, the fireworks over The Magic Kingdom began and we could see them from the dining room windows.
Value for the Money and Review of Citricos Restaurant
Dinner for the four of us came to around $365.00 (of which $305.00 or so was food and $60.00 or so was tip). So far, Citricos has been our best Walt Disney World dining experience when you include not only the food, but the ambiance of the restaurant, the wait service, and the value for the money. For me, it is up there with The California Grill and Narcoossee’s as my favorite restaurants on the grounds. There is no question that I will return in the future whenever I’m back in the area.
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