Feasting in the Fall - Flying Fish

[Guest]

It’s been a few years since we’ve dined at the Flying Fish - 2003 if memory serves correct.
It’s quite pricey and I’ve been a bit wary of booking as I’d read a few mixed reviews. People seem to either really love it or hate it.
I’ve been hankering after a return visit for a while though and since we were benefiting from the fruits of the Free Dining Plan I figured now was the ideal time to experiment!



After a very warm welcome from the girls at the podium we had a short wait and we got chatting to one of the young lasses who was on a college program.
She asked if we knew whereabouts the Hidden Mickey was.
She gave us a couple of clues but before she could tell us exactly where it was, we were shown to our table by the window in the mid-section of the dining room.

Our server Theresa soon introduced herself and we spent some time discussing the menu and the wine list.
Theresa is also a sommelier and her genuine love of food and wine was very evident.
It makes my day when we have an enthusiastic and knowledgeable server, and I quickly knew we were in for a good evening

As has become his custom Paul began with a cocktail. Tonight it was the Cranberry Infused Cosmo.
I settled on a glass of Frank Family Vineyards Chardonnay which didn’t disappoint. It was rich and heavy with vanilla tones, but not too much oak.



Paul chose the Timbale of Fresh Hearts of Palm, Oven-Cured Tomatoes, Avocado, Frisee and Balsamic Reduction.
It was a well balanced, composed salad of some of his most favourite ingredients and he was a very happy bunny!



I went with the Lobster appetiser, described on the menu as…
Chilled Maine Lobster, Avocado Foam, Watermelon Gelee, Frisee, Watermelon Water

I must admit I was a little hesitant about the fanciful description of the dish.
I was definitely in the mood for a lobster salad – but these accompaniments sounded more like something I’d bathe in, not eat!

As I said though, now was the opportunity to experiment a little.
And am I pleased that I did? I sure am! I loved every single mouth-watering morsel.

The lobster was sweet and succulent – the tender tail meat was nestled between the lightly whipped creamy avocado and the fruity disc of watermelon jelly, whilst the delicate claw garnished a mound of frisee and snipped chives.
I wasn’t too sure about the appearance of the watermelon water and I cautiously drizzled some over just part of the dish.
However as soon as I tasted the light dressing, fragrant with a hint of fresh vanilla I could tell it was a winner.
I do wish I’d asked for the recipe.
It complemented the lobster so very well. Delicious!



Paul’s veggie option for main course was a pasta dish.
Fire Roasted Eggplant and Goats Cheese Ravioli with Pine Nuts, Basil and Rustic Tomato Ragout.
It was a simple dish, very well executed and he enjoyed it a lot, but with the obvious culinary talent in this location he wished that there had been something a little more adventurous on offer.



I had an incredibly juicy Roasted Pork Chop which was served with delicious mashed Boniato Potatoes, Swiss Chard and a sweet Roasted Fig. The accompanying honey and thyme flavoured jus complemented the pork just perfectly.
This was my favourite entrée of the whole trip!



Theresa recommended that Paul have a glass of Tempranillo, Mano a Mano, La Mancha ’04 to accompany his pasta dish and he agreed that it was an ideal pairing.

I decided to take advantage of the Cabernet Sauvignon wine flight.
I quite like this concept - I think it’s a good opportunity to try a varied selection of wines, and there is just enough wine to get into the taste of each one, without getting too squiffy.

Three, 3oz pours were served for $14, which I thought pretty reasonable as they were all good quality wines.

The wines I sampled were these;
Penfolds Thomas Hyland, South Australia ‘02
Simi, Alexander Valley ‘03
Chapellet Mountain Cuvee, Napa ‘03

I really did enjoy them all, but the Simi Alexander Valley ’03 had the edge as far as I was concerned and complemented my pork dish the best.



We are both confirmed fromage fans, and as neither of us was in the mood for dessert tonight we both chose to have the Assortment of Artisan Cheese.
Another good decision, as this turned out to be the best selection of cheeses we’ve ever had at WDW.

Working from left to right in the photo, there was Fourme d’Ambert, Garrotxa, Zamorano, Cantal and Langres.
They were accompanied by Raisins on the Vine, Medjool Date Compote and Honeycomb.
All of the cheeses were in excellent condition and the honeycomb/ Fourme d’Ambert combo was particularly pleasurable.



It was getting quite late and the restaurant was just starting to wind down, so we finished our meal with some coffee and chatted some more with Theresa.

On the way out the cheery girls at the podium checked to see whether we’d found the restaurant’s Hidden Mickey.
Paul of course, had detected it just before the main course - he couldn’t let it rest until he’d located it.
Paul being Paul wouldn’t show me where it was, and we had to play a game of clue till I finally spotted it. Boys!

They wished us a friendly farewell as we headed out to the still lively Boardwalk, hopeful of walking off a calorie or two zillion.

The general atmosphere of the restaurant is bright, bustling and contemporary. Not necessarily the place to come for a romantic evening, but we knew that was the case from our previous visits.

Everything we had to eat and drink tonight was exceptionally good, and the service was excellent throughout.
It is quite expensive, but the quality of the food was well worth the two dining credits we each used.

I’m so very pleased we decided to return to the fabulous Flying Fish – we obviously stayed away far too long and it’s once again been restored to our list of favourites.

We had a most memorable evening, for all the best of reasons and I’m more than happy to report that our experiment was a resounding success!

[Bob_and_Dawn]

Mmm Sue even I would have enjoyed that cheese selection,

Dawn

[Guest]

Thanks Sue, we also enjoyed our meal in November. Fantastic food thanks for the photies.

Ian

[highlander447]

Excellent report Sue, really sounds lovely

[Sue]

Thanks Sue - thanks to Ian and Lynn's prompting -we are eating here now on our DDP, mouthwatering dishes there.
Why do you always go for what I am sure will be my selections!

[Guest]

Excellent ~ Thanx for posting.

[DIBBadmin]

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