NARCOOSSEES AT THE GRAND FLORIDIAN AT DISNEY WORLD, Orlando, Florida
Narcoossees is the extremely popular seafood restaurant at the Grand Floridian. The setting is very charming as it overlooks the lagoon and is a great spot to watch the fireworks at Magic Kingdom from. One can also catch the night-lights show on the lagoon.
Narcoossees is one of the fine dinning restaurants that the Grand Floridian offers. The price points are high and in my opinion the food does not live up to the hype. The scallops was the best dish of the night and their desserts were pretty good but other than that nothing impressed me. Next time, I’d save my Disney dollars and spend them elsewhere
Here is some of what we ate:
Crab Cakes
Crab Salad
Steamed Whole Maine Lobster
Scallops
Crab-Crusted Mahi Mahi
Grilled Filet Mignon
Warm Chocolate-Almond Gateau
Strawberry Shortcake
|
|
* Restaurant Name |
|---|---|
| Narcoossee’s | |
| * Overall | |
| ★★★☆☆ | |
| * Neighborhood / Cuisine | |
| American New / American Traditional | |
| * Street Address | |
| 4401 Grand Floridian , Orlando, FL 32830 | |
| * Phone | |
| (407) 939-3463 |
THE GRAND FLORIDIAN CAFE AT THE GRAND FLORIDIAN AT DISNEY WORLD, Orlando, Florida
The Grand Floridian Café is a casual café, which offers a nice relaxed setting for those who would like to have more leisurely, sit down meals.
The food is reasonably good – a shade better than Gasparilla Grill. I would recommend trying the Lobster Eggs Benedict for breakfast.
The service is a little slow but the servers are very charming and friendly. They spend a good amount of time chatting you up which is a quintessential part of the phenomenal Disney service. So if you are in a hurry to hit the theme parks and don’t want to dwell on your meals, the Grand Floridian Café may not be an ideal choice.
Here is some of what we ate:
PANCAKES
STEAK AND EGGS
LOBSTER EGGS BENEDICT
TWO EGGS WITH BACON AND HOME FRIES
|
|
* Restaurant Name |
|---|---|
| Grand Floridian Café | |
| * Overall | |
| ★★★☆☆ | |
| * Neighborhood / Cuisine | |
| American Traditional | |
| * Street Address | |
| 4401 Grand Floridian Way , Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830 | |
| * Phone | |
| (407) 824-3000 |
GASPARILLA GRILL & GAMES AT THE GRAND FLORIDIAN AT DISNEY WORLD, Orlando, Florida
Gasparilla Grill is the essential, informal, hang out spot for any family with young kids. It’s a casual cafeteria style; self serve café, which offers a reasonable range of quick foods
The offerings at Gasparilla Grill are superior to the regular hot dog and chicken nugget menu that you get at most kid friendly restaurants. They have a nice selection of hot foods served at each meal and a fresh sandwich bar. They also have a host of cold foods that include sushi, wraps and salads.
Gasparilla Grill is a great option for those who want to eat quickly and get to the theme parks on time.
Here is some of what we ate:
BREAKFAST PLATTER
PANCAKES
HAMBURGER
FLORIDIAN TURKEY CLUB
LASAGNA
|
|
* Restaurant Name |
|---|---|
| Gasparilla Grill and Games | |
| * Overall | |
| ★★☆☆☆ | |
| * Neighborhood / Cuisine | |
| American Traditional | |
| * Street Address | |
| 4401 Floridian Way , Orlando, FL 32830 | |
| * Phone | |
| (407) 824-3000 |
THE GRAND FLORIDIAN AT DISNEY WORLD, Orlando, Florida
The Grand Floridian is the grandest of resorts within Disney World. The old world, elegant charm it exudes is unmatched.
The lobby is my favorite spot to hang out in where you can sit and soak in the enchanting ambiance. It’s not unusual to find Cinderella and Prince Charming taking a whimsical stroll through the hotel lobby whispering sweet nothing to each other.
In my opinion, the Grand Floridian offers some of the better food choices within the theme parks and neighboring hotels. They have plenty of restaurants to choose from which cover a good range of price points and sophistication.
Here are a few that we tried:
GASPRILLA GRILL & GAMES
THE GRAND FLORIDIAN CAFE
NARCOOSSEES
1900 PARK FARE
MAGIC KINGDOM – CINDERELLA’S ROYAL TABLE BREAKFAST AT DISNEY WORLD, Orlando, Florida
Food: ☆
Service: ☆☆
Ambiance: ☆☆☆
Cost: $$$
Getting a seat at Cinderella’s Royal Table is one of the toughest ticket in town!
You really do have to book a few months in advance to get a seat at this table.
I guess in Disney terms – it is the ultimate destination – dinning at the Cinderella’s castle. The room has a lot of old world charm – you really do feel like you are dinning at the castle (which in fact you are!). After all it is all about location, location, location!
The food is possibly the worst breakfast I have had at any of these dinning experiences but no one (other than me) goes there for the food. With Cinderella and her barrage of princess friends who keep showing up to entertain their tiny guests, one stays distracted enough from what is going in the mouth.
Do call a few weeks ahead and make reservation at 1-407-WDW-DINE or book online, as last minute reservations can be difficult.
Here is some of what we ate:
Bacon, eggs and french toast
Magic Kingdom – Food, Orlando, Florida
Do not go to Magic Kingdom expecting cuisine. There is none!
Most of the restaurants at Magic offer the standard theme park fare.Here are a few of the restaurants that we visited whilst on our trip.
I liked Pecos Bill’s Tall Tale Inn in Frontier land – mostly because they have an amazing fixing’s bar. You could create an entire meal for yourself just off of their fixings bar. I really enjoyed making myself many rounds of yummy salads.
Columbia harbor house was another place that served pretty decent food. Their sandwiches were pretty good and they served a good fried shrimp basket.
Tony’s Town Square is very popular but in my opinion might be some of the worst Italian I have eaten recently but I guess its important to remember that with all the fun things to do, who really has time to care too much about the food? (other than me!!)
Here is some of what we ate:
ELEVEN MADISON PARK, GRAMERCY/ FLATIRON, NYC
Food: ☆☆☆☆ 1/2
Service: ☆☆☆☆☆
Ambiance: ☆☆☆☆
Cost: $$$$
Fit for: Special Occasion Dining, Fine Dining, Brunch, Private Rooms,People Watching
Special notes: For lunch, Eleven Madison Park offers 3 courses for $56. For dinner, they offer 4 courses for $125, or an 8 course Tasting Menu for $195.
BARK HOT DOG, PARK SLOPE, NYC
Food: ☆☆☆☆
Service: ☆☆☆ ½
Ambiance: ☆☆☆
Cost: $
Fit for: Foodies,Family-Friendly Dining, Cheap Gourmet Eats
Dishes not to miss: Weisswurst, Disco Fries, Chocolate Salted Carmel Milkshake
Special Features: Breakfast/ Brunch – Weekend, Kid-Friendly, Late-Night Dining
Pranna : MAD Brunch, Gramercy/ Flatiron, NYC
Food: ☆
Service: ☆ 1/2
Ambiance: ☆☆☆
Cost: $$$
Fit for: Late night partygoers, boozy brunch scene.
Dishes not to miss: Prawn Cake Benedict
Special notes: $28 gets you 3 drinks and an entree at their MAD Brunch on weekends.
Sushi Seki, Upper East Side, NYC
Ayada Thai, Woodside, NYC
Food: ☆☆☆☆
Service: ☆☆☆☆
Ambiance: ☆☆☆
Cost: $$
Fit for: Spice hounds, cheap eats, foodies
Dishes not to miss: Northern Thai Sausage Appetizer, Fried Fish topped with Green Mango Sauce, Raw Shrimp Salad
Zum Alten Markt, Munich, Germany
Zum Alten Markt
3 Dreifaltigkeitsplatz
Munich, Germany
TEL: 49-89-299-995
http://www.zumaltenmarkt.de/
Zum Alten Markt is a small family run, cozy restaurant, that serves really good traditional fare.
Located right behind the vibrant Viktualien Markt, Zum Alten Markt offers a welcoming break from all the hustle and bustle. The food is great and the menu offers more variety and interest than the standard fare offered at other places. The interiors are done with , with its elaborate coffered wooden ceiling that came from a 400-year-old Tyrolean castle.
When we visited, they had an entire “Spargel” ( asparagus) menu, which is only in season in spring. Here one could choose from a variety of interesting offering such as ragouts, bakes and pies.
The service is solid, the tabs are affordable. Please note that reservations are a MUST, and they do NOT take credit cards. All in all Zum Alten Markt offers a really nice experience which is a cut above its neighboring rest.
DALLMAYR RESTAURANT, Munich, Germany
DALLMAYR RESTAURANT
Dienerstr. 14-15 80331 München Germany http://www.dallmayr.de/en/index_flash2.html
Dienerstr. 14-15 80331 München Germany http://www.dallmayr.de/en/index_flash2.html
Dallmayr, is an essential stop off for any foodie.
Located in the heart of Munich’s busy Marienplatz area, this gourmet food market sells everything from superb coffee, chocolates and confections, breads to incredible pastries, meats and everything in between. About 2.5 million people visit the main store every year.
Dallmayr was established over three centuries ago when it began as a simple grocers shop. It is now a most famous for its “Prodomo” coffee brand and for top quality good that it sells.
Walking through this store is a true delight as it has special nooks dedicated to all special the foods it holds. Your senses peruse through cutely decorated display cases of candies, bread, seafood and much more. There is a small section of tables located near the bread section where one can eat foods that are purchased from the store.
On the top floor there is a restaurant Dallmyer where you can opt for some light bites, coffee, desserts and of course beer. After all the feasting that one does with ones eyes at Dallmayr …it’s only a mater of time where you need a spot like this to satisfy your cravings.
Here is some of what we ate:
ASPARAGUS CREAM SOUP WITH ROASTED MUSHROOMS
ASPARAGUS WITH HOLLANDAISE, POTATOES AND PARMA HAM
RAVIOLI
ALMOND CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE FILLING
DALLMAYR DARK CHOCOLATE PASTRY
Telepan, Upper West Side, NYC
Food: ☆☆☆ 1/2
Service: ☆☆☆ ½
Ambiance: ☆☆ ½
Cost: $$$
Fit for: Foodies, Quiet conversation, Brunch
Dishes not to miss: House smoked brook trout, Kabocha squash peirogis
Special notes: Lunch offers a great prefix for $28. Dinner offers a pre-fix 4 course tasting menu for $55 and 5 course tasting menu for $65
EN Japanese Brasserie, West Village, NYC
Food: ☆☆☆
Service: ☆☆☆ ½
Ambiance: ☆☆☆☆
Cost: $$$$
Fit for: special occasions, romantic evening,
Dishes not to miss: handmade tofu, grilled black cod, fig ice cream
Kittichai, Soho, NYC
Food: ☆☆☆ ½
Service: ☆☆☆
Ambiance: ☆☆☆☆
Cost: $$$$
I recommend: stir fried mussels with chili jam and crispy shallots, seared duck breast in a soy broth, flourless valrhona chocolate cake
Maya, Upper East Side, NYC
Food: ☆☆☆
Service: ☆☆☆ ½
Ambiance: ☆☆☆
Cost: $$$
Fit for: Groups, Vibrant bar scene, Spicy food.
Dishes not to miss: Tostadas de Atun, Mole Poblano, Calamar Maya
Special notes: Happy Hour at the Tequila Lounge is Monday to Sunday 5 – 8 PM with special bar bites priced at $3 each.
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David Burke Townhouse, Upper East Side, NYC
Food: ☆☆☆☆
Service: ☆☆☆ ½
Ambiance: ☆☆☆☆
Cost: $$$
Dishes not to miss: Pretzel Crusted Crab cakes, Parfait of Big Eye Tuna and Salmon Tartare, Tuna Burger, Butterscotch Pannacotta, Cheesecake Lollipop Tree
Special notes: They have great lunch and weekend brunch specials. Their crab cakes and Tuna burger are the best I’ve ever had.
Lan Zhou: Hand Pulled Noodles, Flushing, NYC
Food: ☆☆☆ ½
Service: ☆☆
Ambiance: ½
Cost: $
Fit for: foodies, cheap eats, authentic ethnic eats
Dishes not to miss: Dumpling hand pulled noodles, hand pulled noodles with meat sauce
Special notes: You can buy bags of frozen dumplings ( 50 for $10)
Choice Eats 2011: The Village Voice’s 4th Annual Tasting Event
It’s that most wonderful time of the year – well for foodies at least.
The Village Voice held its 4th Annual Tasting Event – The Choice Eats at the 69th Armory today and of course I was there.
The Eloise Tea at the Plaza Hotel, Midtown East, NYC
Food: ½
Service: ☆ ½
Ambiance: ☆☆
Cost: $$$$
Fit for: Tourists
Dishes not to miss: It’s all really bad
Special notes: Afternoon Tea is served daily in The Palm Court from 2:00pm – 5:00pm.
Tea at the Plaza Hotel sounds like the quintessential New York thing to do. Throw Eloise into the mix and you’ve got a giddy group of excited little girls.
So off we went to the Plaza hotel for the special Eloise Tea at The Palm Court and a visit to the Eloise boutique.
We couldn’t have been more disappointed!
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The Meatball Shop, Lower East Side, NYC
Food: ☆☆☆ ½
Service: ☆☆☆
Ambiance: ☆☆☆
Cost: $$
Good for: kids, foodies, small plates, hip cheap eats
Dishes not to miss: Spicy pork slider with pesto sauce, ice-cream sandwich
Special notes: Cramped quarters/ not good for large groups, long waits unless you go right at opening time, open until 4:00 AM Thursday through Saturday, and until 2:00 AM every other day of the week.
The Meatball Shop on Stanton Street is a shrine dedicated to one of America’s favorite Italian imports – the meatball!
The concept is so simple and the execution so clever – it blows my mind.
Japonais
Food: ☆☆
Service: ☆☆☆ ½
Ambiance: ☆☆☆
Cost: $$$
Good for: Hipsters
Dishes not to miss: Crabcake, Burger
Special notes: Eat at the bar during their tasting hour for well priced drinks and bites.
(I recently heard that the New York Japonais may be closing down)
Japonais is just one more of those prodigious, Japanese inflected restaurants that you find all over New York City these days.
You enter and know that you’ve “been there, done that”.
Aureole, Midtown West, NYC
Food: ☆☆☆
Service: ☆☆☆☆ ½
Cost: $$$$
Ambiance: ☆☆☆
Fit for: Romantic meal, Special occasion, Pre/Post Theater
Dishes not to miss: Fluke, Broiled Mayan Prawns, and Triple Chocolate Napoleon.
Special notes: Eat at the bar room for a more casual atmosphere and cheaper tabs.
Charlie Palmer’s newly re launched, flagship restaurant, Aureole is housed near bustling Times Square, between the Bank of America and Condé Nast buildings.
Aureole’s most recent avatar is quite a ways away from the cozy townhouse setting of its yesteryear’s. This high ceiling, glass encased, modern setting; dedicates more of its space to the informal Bar Room, than the much smaller dinning room at the back. Continue reading
