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Small Barrels Magazine

Reviews of Fine Wines, Luxury Hotels and the Best Restaurants on Earth

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Shula’s Steak House – Walt Disney World

December 13, 2019 By karin Leave a Comment

Shula's 22 oz. "Cowboy" Ribeye
Shula’s 22 oz. “Cowboy” Ribeye

Looking for an upscale steak house experience at Walt Disney World? Just like those ’72 Dolphins, we think that Shula’s at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort can’t be beat. Founded by legendary Miami Dolphins football coach Don Shula (with fantastic black and white photos of his team’s unparalleled 1972 season gracing the walls), this steak house offers excellent cuts of meat, great service, an awesome wine list, and an overall enjoyable experience. Like most Disney property restaurants, it’s family friendly, but also great for couples (we recommend booking a later dinner to enjoy a more laid back, romantic dinner).

Shula's Steak House - Still Celebrating the Perfect Season
Shula’s Steak House – Still Celebrating the Perfect Season

We began our meal with cocktails; a spot-on perfect martini with blue-cheese stuffed olives for him, and a spicy Bloody Mary for me (it wasn’t brunch, but I was in that kind of a mood!)

Cocktails at Shula's
Cocktails at Shula’s

We went with some classics, but Shula’s offers a nice selection of cocktails with their own signature twist (see above).

Shrimp Cocktail
Shrimp Cocktail

We then tucked into some rich, tasty treats. Shula’s menu is wonderfully ‘traditional steak house’, with appetizers like chilled jumbo shrimp cocktail, wedge and caesar salads, sides served family style.

Shula's Appetizers and Sides
Shula’s Appetizers and Sides

And as if we needed more to fill us up, the freshest, hottest, most tempting sourdough bread was served to get things going…

Wedge Salad - steakhouse classic
Wedge Salad – steakhouse classic
Caesar Salad - another classic
Caesar Salad – another classic
The one and only Shafer 2012
The one and only Shafer 2012
Shafer 2012 Hillside Select
Shafer 2012 Hillside Select

The award-winning wine list offers excellent choices. We went big with the Shafer 2012 Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon. As soon as it was uncorked and decanted, the air was quite literally filled with a rich, heady scent of dark fruit, promising opulent flavors – and it just kept opening and opening throughout our meal. The deep, dark color looked inviting in our glasses, and it was a treat to drink with our delicious steak entrees and rich sides.

Shula's Entrees
Shula’s Entrees
Filet Mignon at Shula's
Filet Mignon at Shula’s

Pictured just above is my 10 oz. filet mignon with bearnaise, along with asparagus and hollandaise. And you should see some lovely panko-crusted potatoes gratin – there’s a tiny scoop at the top of the plate (it was hard to restrain myself). For him – a 22oz “Cowboy” ribeye pictured at the top of the article.

Apple Crisp and Hagen Daas Ice Cream
Apple Crisp and Hagen Daas Ice Cream

Certain dessert selections had to be ordered in advance, like the scrumptious apple crisp we chose, served with Hagen Daas vanilla ice cream. A glass of Buffalo Trace bourbon sealed the evening.

Scotch, Whiskey, Bourbon Menu
Scotch, Whiskey, Bourbon Menu

Shula’s is a wonderful upscale steak house destination at Disney World. It allows you step out of the Disney flow for just a bit to enjoy a different ambience, while still having the top-notch service you expect from this magical place. We highly recommend it, and plan to be back!

For more information or to make reservations, visit www.shulassteakhouse.com

Filed Under: Restaurant Reviews Tagged With: Cabernet Sauvignon, fine dining Disney, shafer hillside select 2012, Steak, steak Disney world, traditional steak house, Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort

Review of Citricos at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa

August 21, 2019 By karin Leave a Comment

Citricos dining room
Citricos dining room

Citricos at Walt Disney World’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa is a fine dining/signature restaurant, and it won’t disappoint. Airy and comfortably elegant with large windows, it’s a welcoming environment whether it’s a date night or a family affair. We found the service to be exceptionally attentive and friendly, and the American/Mediterranean influenced menu with entrees in the $35-$50 USD range is definitely diverse enough to please a range of palettes.

In fact, after dining here on the first evening of our trip, we made a second reservation here to replace an evening at EPCOT a few days later we decided to skip. Not only was it a convenient choice for us as we were staying at the Grand Floridian, there were other dishes and wines that we knew we’d like to sample.

So…we dove right in with a martini with blue chesse-stuffed olives to toast and kick off our Disney vacation! Then we were ready to order some appetizers…

Martini at Citricos
Martini at Citricos

Lots of intriguing, tasty options to start a meal. At our first meal, we began by sharing two appetizers: Florida Shrimp with pasta and a bright and briny puttanesca sauce, and a delectable Tuna Tartare. Both were very tasty and generous enough to share – two appetizers between us proved to be quite filling.

Florida Shrimp with Pasta and Puttanesca Sauce Appetizer
Florida Shrimp with Pasta and Puttanesca Sauce Appetizer
Tuna Tartare and Shrimp with Pasta and Puttanesca (Appetizers)
Tuna Tartare and Shrimp with Pasta and Puttanesca (Appetizers)

(Allergy sufferers – take note of the little wooden ‘flags’ in the dishes marking an allergy-awareness request in the prep; an elegant way to indicate that the kitchen prepared an item with a stated allergy in mind, in this case tree nuts and peanuts. We noticed this particular protocol at most of our table service meals at Disney.)

We went in another direction with appetizers on our second visit: for him – a rich, smokey arancini dish with smoked tomatoes, mozzarella and an herb aioli. I chose a simple Salade Verte; it was generous and very fresh, a lovely salad.

Arancini appetizer
Arancini appetizer

Salade Verte
Salade Verte

As mentioned, there’s a nice variety of dishes on the Citricos menu, so hard to go wrong no matter your mood or desired wine pairing. If you’re like us, quite often the wine you’re craving dictates your choice of meal. On our first visit, we were in the mood for a Chardonnay, and the Chateau Montelena 2015 caught our eye.

Citricos' Wine List
Citricos’ Wine List

To pair with our fantastic wine: for him – the Oak-grilled tuna with a cannellini bean ragout, ham hock and vegetable pistou. I had the ‘Chicken Mediterranean’ served with yummy, creamy polenta, and bright, flavorful tomato fondue. The chicken itself was very tender – an excellent dish. And of the two, I’d say the chicken was the winner – we would have preferred the tuna to be paired with simpler ingredients to let it’s own fresh taste shine through (we found that the beans and ham hock overwhelmed it just a tad.)

Oak Grilled Tuna
Oak Grilled Tuna
Mediterranean Chicken on Polenta
Mediterranean Chicken on Polenta

On our second evening, once again wine choice preceded choice of entrees. This time, we went bold and red, delighted to find the hard to get and very well-reviewed Justin Isosceles Reserve (2014).

Citricos' wine list
Citricos’ wine list
Justin Isosceles Reserve 2014
Justin Isosceles Reserve 2014

The huge wine lived up to the big expectations, with a deep, rich color, dark/black fruit flavors, with some warm spicy notes. Really enjoyed this bottle!

Justin label
Justin label
Enjoying fine wine at Citricos
Enjoying fine wine at Citricos

We needed some bold food flavours to go with such a powerhouse of a wine. For him – the oak-grilled beef filet with a rich potato purĂ©e, bordelaise sauce and asparagus.

Oak-grilled beef filet
Oak-grilled beef filet

I chose the beef short ribs with Pappardelle. The meat absolutely fell off the bone. I don’t believe I used a knife at all – great dish!

Short ribs and Pappardelle
Short ribs and Pappardelle

To this already very complete and hearty meal we added a treat to share: Truffle Fries with shaved black truffle and parmesan. You could smell that earthy, buttery warm truffle scent from yards away as our server carried it toward us. Under his breath he announced: “Your plate of awesomeness” which it really was. It didn’t matter how much else we had consumed – this plate was going to be conquered! 🙂

Truffle fries - spectacular!
Truffle fries – spectacular!

Citricos does a fine job of beginnings, main courses and sides – and also has some very pleasing dessert options.

On our first visit, we finished the evening with a cheese course. A lovely cheese menu was brought out describing the evening’s selection: a blue cheese, a soft-ripened cheese, and a goat’s cheese with a memorable lavendar/fennel flavour.

Cheese Course Menu
Cheese Course Menu
Cheese course
Cheese course

Having been seated near the open kitchen, on our first visit we spotted waiter after waiter delivering a chocolate concoction that we knew we’d have to try if we returned (the exquisitely handcrafted chocolate tiara sells it, whether you’re a princess or not!). We were back a few days later and eagerly ordered the Warm Chocolate-Banana Torte to share. Yes, it’s as good and chocolatey as it looks.!

Warm chocolate banana torte - a Citricos signature dessert!
Warm chocolate banana torte – a Citricos signature dessert
Gorgeous dessert with handcrafted Belgian chocolate crown
Gorgeous dessert with handcrafted Belgian chocolate crown

A final surprise capped the evening – a window view right from our table of Magic Kingdom’s stunning Happily Ever After fireworks show. This photo gives you a mere hint — believe me when I say it really looked terrific in person. An unexpected perk of being at Citricos at the right time (fireworks began at 9pm) and in the right ‘wing’ of the restaurant – near the back by the large windows facing in the direction of Lake Buena Vista.

Magic Kingdom Fireworks from Windows at Citricos
Magic Kingdom Fireworks from Windows at Citricos

To view the Citricos menu, check availability and make reservations visit www.disneyworld.disney.go.com

Filed Under: Restaurant Reviews Tagged With: American cuisine, cheese course, chocolate dessert, chocolate tiara dessert, Citricos, fine dining Disney, fine wine Disney, florida shrimp, Justin Isoceles Reserve 2014, Mediterranean Cuisine, truffle fries

Victoria and Albert (Orlando, Florida)

December 20, 2003 By karin Leave a Comment

Victoria and Albert’s is located in Walt Disney World’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, (Orlando, Florida). For priority seating arrangements or for more information, call (407) WDW-DINE (939-3463).

Victoria and Albert is a fine dining establishment at Walt Disney World’s premiere luxury resort, The Grand Floridian. The dĂ©cor is classic and elegant, graced with columns and lush draperies. An ornate floral arrangement decorates the entrance to the intimate, rounded room and the lighting is soft and romantic. This is the ideal setting for a proposal, and anniversary, or any other very special occasion. Note for families: While children are not prevented from dining here, unlike almost any other restaurant on the Disney property, Victoria and Albert’s is not at all family oriented in terms menu, setting, or tone.

Food: Victoria and Albert’s offers a prix fixe menu ($95.00) prepared daily by Chef Scott Hunnel. For each course, you have a (challenging) choice from a list of between two and five items, each of which promise to be delectable. Certain items, such as caviar, are offered in addition to the prix fixe menu. Of course, wine is not included in the $95.00 price. You may peruse the very thick, world-class wine list or choose the wine pairings option, available for $50.00/person (we have enjoyed the latter in the past, a chance to enjoy a variety of exceptional wines). Piping hot, freshly baked rolls are continuously brought to your table and are difficult to resist. Rest assured that what is coming next is worth saving room for.

For our first course, we had the Iranian Beluga Caviar with Traditional Garnish ($70.00/ ½ oz. or $140.00/ 1 oz.) and the Cape Canaveral Shrimp with Rutabaga and Petit French Lentils. The presentation of the caviar was fantastic, and the caviar was of course accompanied by a delicate mother-of-pearl spoon.



For our second course, we tried the Nantucket Scallops with Fennel and Satsuma Tangerines and Salsify. The scallops were wonderfully tender, and the Satsuma tangerines provided a gorgeous deep orange-red color and zesty taste.

We chose the Gamebird Consomme with Pheasant Sausage for the soup course. The flavorful broth was elegantly served at our table from a teapot and poured over the pheasant sausage.

My husband enjoyed the Colorado Lamb Loin prepared medium rare with Gnocchi and Heirloom Tomatoes, and Elephant Garlic Jus. I had the Grilled Prime Filet, also prepared medium rare and served with Celeriac Root-Potato Puree and Burgundy Reduction. My knife went through the beef like butter, no exaggeration, and the sauce perfectly balanced its rich taste with that of the beef. We were surprised at the entrée portion size, which seemed quite generous for a mulit-course meal such as this.

The cheese course consisted of creamy textured Colston Bassett Stilton with an inspired Black Mission Fig Chutney. And dessert, after all of the delicacies above, was another heavenly treat. While, my husband had the Hawaiian Kona Chocolate Soufflé, I melted over the Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee. The Caramelized surface was absolutely divine, the stuff of dreams!

Victoria and Albert’s provides outstanding food with beautiful presentation. Any occasion spent here will certainly be special and memorable.

Exceptional Features: Impressive wine list. Each guest is given a personalized copy of the evening’s menu. We were pleased with this elegant souvenir presented on Victoria and Albert’s custom paper in a heavy, leather-like outer cover. Also, a gorgeous long-stemmed rose is offered to each lady as she leaves.

Service: Your servers will likely be very formal, attentive and efficient befitting the Victorian theme of the restaurant and the award-winning, elegant menu. However, not to stray completely from Disney fantasy, all of the female servers go by the name “Victoria” while all of the male servers go by the name “Albert”. You will be waited on by at least one of each.

Dress Code: Formal. Jackets are required for men (tie optional), and dress or pantsuit for ladies.

Price: High. A prix fixe menu is prepared daily at approximately $95.00 a person. The wine pairings offering is $50.00, and the wine list carries a range of high-end wines.

Reservations: Priority seating arrangements and credit card number is required; a cancellation fee applies. Guests are requested to arrive a few minutes before their seating time. Note that you should plan to spend about two and a half hours at dinner, allowing time for the many elaborate courses and also to simply enjoy the intimate ambience.

Overall Dining Experience: Excellent.

Filed Under: Restaurant Reviews Tagged With: fine dining Disney, Grand Floridian dining, romantic dinner Disney, tasting menu, Victoria and Albert

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