Has anyWine seen my Poutine? A friendly January 2020 dining report * The Plaza Part 2 4/24**

[ariane37]

As I sit and watch "Dr Pimple Popper" food is on my mind so why not another update

We finished up at Geyser Point and boated over to MK to try using a FP or two before having to get ready for our dinner. We only had time to use one because the BTMRR FP line was all the way to the entrance but that's ok because on our way out of the park I got to meet one of my favorite characters!



Usually we only see the bears out here so I was excited to see Br'er Rabbit. We met him YEARS ago at AK.
We had to stop back at our room to get all fancied up for dinner but first, one of many trips to Roaring Fork for the stars of the WDW snacklife:



You can never post too many Magic Bar pics and this will not be the last! But these were for later because now we were traveling via car to one of our favorite signature restaurants with one of our most favorite couples:



That's Jenny @Jenny Sanders and her DH Joe whom we spent a large part of our trip with They'd already been down for a few days and we were staying a bit longer than they were but for now it was all 4 of us all the time, starting with dinner at Citricos!

Our table wasn't quite ready so we sat at the bar and got drinks:



Just a generic description here but mine is a sweet Riesling and Steve had a bourbon which is his latest drink of choice. All I know is it was an expensive bourbon lol and Joe may have had the same? Lots of you know Steve loves his mules but due to watching his sugar for his diabetes and the sugar in ginger beer he's going light on those now. And he likes it! And apparently so do my mom and oldest stepson because instead of them walking in the house and asking for a mule they now just pour themselves a glass of Steve's bourbon
Pretty much right when we got our drinks our table was ready! Unfortunately our wonderful Rony was off tonight - last time we discussed his days off with him they were Sun/Mon and today was Friday so he apparently forgot to send me the day change memo. We were disappointed as we really wanted to introduce him to Jenny and Joe but our server Javier was near perfection after having worked here for over 20 years.

He brought us their delicious kalamata olive bread and sea salt butter:




The bread in back is sourdough and I'm sure it's delicious too but I stick solely to the kalamata bread! For an app I went totally rogue and ordered a SALAD. Yes Kelly @buzzrelly I ordered like you and got

Salade Verte
Bibb Lettuce, Haricot Verts, Heirloom Tomato, Fennel, Niçoise Olives, Fingerling Potatoes, Sherry-Mustard Vinaigrette



Jenny got this also and we both enjoyed it; her a bit more because she eats grass lettuce whereas I just eat the previously mentioned iceberg. I knew this wouldn't be iceberg because fancy salads aren't and we was fancy tonight! But while I left a bit of the lettuce I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the fresh salad and also the sherry-mustard vinaigrette which was very light.

Steve dug right in to his shrimp fetish and got his staple Citricos app:

Florida Shrimp
House-made Gnocchetti Sardi Pasta, Spicy Puttanesca Sauce, Baby Spinach, Parmesan




I don't do seafood but the fact that he keeps getting this means the shrimp must be great. Possibly not F&G shrimp on a stick great, but great nonetheless.
We both ordered the same entree, it's what I always get but Steve kind of surprised me! He usually goes for seafood or pork but instead he copied me

Oak-grilled Beef Filet
Potato Purée, Broccolini, Cipollini Jam, Bordelaise. Substitute 20-oz Rib-Eye...72.00




You can kind of see the potato puree peeking out from under the filet, the filet I had called the best on property including this baby here. The title ended up going to another filet this trip but for this night I was completely happy with my #1. The bordelaise is SO rich and flavorful and the oak grilled flavor combined with it I cannot comment on the broccolini but Steve ate both of ours so I guess it was good! Joe got the filet, they'd been here before but pretty sure it was his first Citricos filet and he enjoyed it also.

We were so full from dinner and the additional amounts of wine and bourbon we consumed that we did not get dessert, but instead sat for a long time catching up and enjoying a few HEA fireworks simply by turning around in our seats. I did get a cappuccino:



Yup, cappuccino! We left around 10:30ish and debated getting a drink at the Enchanted Rose but being tired we opted instead to just walk through. We said our good-bye's when our Uber driver/friend Joe dropped us at WL and agreed on our morning Uber pick up time.

I did a bit of unpacking back in the room but basically just crashed! Wait, not before biting into one of these:



Because did you really think I wouldn't have dessert?????

Just a little sidenote about Citricos if anyone cares. When we went in Sept. 2019 (with our good friend @pepperandchips and we were lucky enough to introduce her to Rony then) rumors had been circulating about the restaurant closing. We asked Rony and he had heard them too but only knew it was a possibility with no timeframe and that it was supposedly going to reopen as a V&A Bistro of sorts. He didn't know if he'd be staying or going and then when we didn't see him this time I was nervous we'd never find him again because more rumors were out at the beginning of the year about it closing . We did ask Javier and he said none of the workers there knew anything and they were having a staff meeting that Tuesday - sure enough Wed. morning it was all over the internet that while Citricos was getting an overhaul of sorts they were NOT closing They will do a refurb in stages with parts of the restaurant being closed but not the whole thing at once.

I am now confident we won't lose Rony! I really think Citricos is what's referred to as a "hidden gem". The food is always great, the restaurant is quaint and I think on the romantic side and often quiet even when busy. You can't beat being at the GF and while you don't have the fireworks views of CG or Narcoossee's the views out the window are still gorgeous! If you're going for great food and an upscale feel then Citricos is your place and I don't doubt it will be elevated after the refurb.

UP NEXT: F.ARTS FOOD AND FUN!

 

[ariane37]

Nice upgrade on the room! Seems like so much space!

So much space! We didn't need it for the 2 of us just like we didn't need the Roy suite for 2 of us lol but I'll take any upgrade they want to give us! Just wish the lounge had been open since the deluxe rooms normally come with club access

 

[Wood Nymph]

Usually we only see the bears out here so I was excited to see Br'er Rabbit. We met him YEARS ago at AK.

I've never seen Br'er Rabbit. We did see a new (for us) bear, though, on our January trip. He was a little, short guy.

I am now confident we won't lose Rony! I really think Citricos is what's referred to as a "hidden gem". The food is always great, the restaurant is quaint and I think on the romantic side and often quiet even when busy. You can't beat being at the GF and while you don't have the fireworks views of CG or Narcoossee's the views out the window are still gorgeous! If you're going for great food and an upscale feel then Citricos is your place and I don't doubt it will be elevated after the refurb.

I agree about Citrico's. We have dined here there or four times and the food has always been good. It is also my idea of a signature restaurant - a classy place to dine.

 

[Wood Nymph]

So much space! We didn't need it for the 2 of us just like we didn't need the Roy suite for 2 of us lol but I'll take any upgrade they want to give us! Just wish the lounge had been open since the deluxe rooms normally come with club access

It would have been a really nice upgrade if it included the club lounge.

 

[kastoney]

As I sit and watch "Dr Pimple Popper" food is on my mind so why not another update

Because what else could really be on your mind when watching that show

We had to stop back at our room to get all fancied up for dinner but first, one of many trips to Roaring Fork for the stars of the WDW snacklife:

I'm pretty sure you don't actually like WL and just stay here for the magic bar

Just a generic description here but mine is a sweet Riesling and Steve had a bourbon which is his latest drink of choice.

I had no idea Steve's tastes had evolved so much. Beware because its an expensive habit (says the woman whose hubby has no less than 6 bottles looking at me right now)

Salade Verte
Bibb Lettuce, Haricot Verts, Heirloom Tomato, Fennel, Niçoise Olives, Fingerling Potatoes, Sherry-Mustard Vinaigrette

That's one big weed right there

You can kind of see the potato puree peeking out from under the filet, the filet I had called the best on property including this baby here. The title ended up going to another filet this trip but for this night I was completely happy with my #1.

Hmmm. Curious to know what your #1 was. Mine changed recently but will be revealed shortly

We said our good-bye's when our Uber driver/friend Joe

I had no idea he had a side gig going in Orlando

sure enough Wed. morning it was all over the internet that while Citricos was getting an overhaul of sorts they were NOT closing They will do a refurb in stages with parts of the restaurant being closed but not the whole thing at once.

I hadn't heard this. Glad to hear it won't be shut down though I'm curious to know how they'll block it off while they refurb

 

[Jenny Sanders]

That's Jenny @Jenny Sanders and her DH Joe whom we spent a large part of our trip with They'd already been down for a few days and we were staying a bit longer than they were but for now it was all 4 of us all the time, starting with dinner at Citricos!

We were joined at the hip kids!!!

our server Javier was near perfection after having worked here for over 20 years

He was awesome!!!

Jenny got this also and we both enjoyed it; her a bit more because she eats grass lettuce whereas I just eat the previously mentioned iceberg.

The entire meal was delicious.

Joe got the filet, they'd been here before but pretty sure it was his first Citricos filet and he enjoyed it also.

It was because he normally gets whatever fish is on the menu.

We were so full from dinner and the additional amounts of wine and bourbon we consumed that we did not get dessert, but instead sat for a long time catching up and enjoying a few HEA fireworks simply by turning around in our seats
We really did have an awesome table.

We said our good-bye's when our Uber driver/friend Joe dropped us at WL and agreed on our morning Uber pick up time.

That Joe did have a 5 star Uber rating...He was very punctual and was a very safe driver. LMBO!

sure enough Wed. morning it was all over the internet that while Citricos was getting an overhaul of sorts they were NOT closing They will do a refurb in stages with parts of the restaurant being closed but not the whole thing at once.

This made me sooooo happy!!!!!!!

I really think Citricos is what's referred to as a "hidden gem"

I agree with you 100%. This restaurant doesn't get nearly the love it deserves and I'm so glad we were able to have a great meal here with great friends...

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Everything about your meal sounds wonderful and delicious!

Glad to hear that it's not closing since I'd like for us to get to try it eventually.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

I'm looking forward to following along! I do feel like I need to confess that I've never had a magic bar and have never been to Geyser Point. The latter is on my list - duck poop notwithstanding. I'm interested to see what they do with Citricos.

 

[tweetylori]

So glad you had such a nice meal at Citricos. That steak looked amazing. Hopefully there were enough taters under it!

 

[ariane37]

I agree about Citrico's. We have dined here there or four times and the food has always been good. It is also my idea of a signature restaurant - a classy place to dine.

Classy is the perfect word for it and I hope it just gets better after the refurb.

Because what else could really be on your mind when watching that show

Have you seen "My Feet Are Killing Me"? That's even better

I had no idea Steve's tastes had evolved so much. Beware because its an expensive habit (says the woman whose hubby has no less than 6 bottles looking at me right now)

Well I knew he was serious when he cam home with a bottle of bourbon the price of which could have paid for a couple After Hours tickets But he never buys anything for himself so he deserves it, although it stings a little every time he pours a glass for someone else and the bottle empties out more!

Hmmm. Curious to know what your #1 was. Mine changed recently but will be revealed shortly

Now I'm curious to hear what yours is too; it would be funny if they were the same but I think you've already had the one that is now my fave

I had no idea he had a side gig going in Orlando

Yup! I'm going to give out his # to anyone I know going to Disney when they're down there now @Jenny Sanders lmao

We were joined at the hip kids!!!

That Joe did have a 5 star Uber rating...He was very punctual and was a very safe driver. LMBO!

Yes very good at avoiding deer

Everything about your meal sounds wonderful and delicious!

Glad to hear that it's not closing since I'd like for us to get to try it eventually.

Definitely try it and ask to sit in Rony's section if he's there, you will not be disappointed!

I'm looking forward to following along!

Hi Christine and I'm glad you're here!

I do feel like I need to confess that I've never had a magic bar and have never been to Geyser Point. The latter is on my list - duck poop notwithstanding.

I cannot believe that! But I forgive you With or without duck poop Geyser Point is so relaxing; great food and always great service and such a calm, pretty location.

So glad you had such a nice meal at Citricos. That steak looked amazing. Hopefully there were enough taters under it!

Ha ha there were plenty of taters and I ate them all!!!!

 

[Raeven]

Hey there! You can bet I'd find any trip report that had poutine and wine in the title

You are seeing correctly people, I just showed you duck poop! Actually this happened before our food came and I was not thrilled to be eating with this right by my foot but it was definitely a new Disney experience and we all need those when we go often right?

At Universal I once saw a guy step on a duck and almost get bitten

As I sit and watch "Dr Pimple Popper" food is on my mind so why not another update

My dad loves that show and I think it's so gross

 

[missjackiemcg]

YAY! What a great meet I've never been lucky enough to meet any of the B'rer characters!

My brother is a huge Bourbon fan over the last year or so. I'll always take a sip when he's trying a different kind, just to see if I ever find one I like LOL To be honest, my favorite thing about Bourbon drinks is really those awesome ice balls! He actually has molds in his freezer that make frozen death stars, too!

 

[elaine amj]

I obviously need magic bars in my life. I thought for sure I would get some in December since I was staying at neighboring Fort Wilderness for 12 nights. But we never made it over They look sooo good!

 

[ariane37]

Hey there! You can bet I'd find any trip report that had poutine and wine in the title

Hi Raeven, it's nice to see you here I have to say, your reports are what got me into trying poutine lol and I'm glad I did!

My dad loves that show and I think it's so gross

Have you or he ever watched the newer one that's on after it, "My Feet Are Killing Me"? Now THAT's gross but I still watch every week It totally grosses out some of my friends so I take pictures of the feet on the TV and send to them

YAY! What a great meet I've never been lucky enough to meet any of the B'rer characters!

Of the 3 Br'ers he's my favorite. Years ago when the kids were small, like probably 8-10 years ago, they met in Animal Kingdom! Even back then though we just met Bre'er Bear and Fox. Then during MNSSHP last year they were roaming around before the parade but wouldn't stand still for pictures or meets so I was thrilled to see him in front of Country Bears.

To be honest, my favorite thing about Bourbon drinks is really those awesome ice balls!

We have those molds!! It's upside down here but that's what it is!

I obviously need magic bars in my life. I thought for sure I would get some in December since I was staying at neighboring Fort Wilderness for 12 nights. But we never made it over They look sooo good!

Everyone needs magic bars in their life lol. Aren't you going back soon? Make it a point to stop over at WL and get one! If it's a nice day you can sit by the water down at Geyser Point and enjoy

 

[Hettie]

Following along! Great room upgrade and yay for a couples trip! I also love Citricos and am excited to see what they do in the refurb.

 

[ariane37]

So, who is familiar with Disney's F.ARTS?


​

You can thank @Jenny Sanders for that little acronym alluding to Epcot's Festival of the Arts, which was our morning mission on our first full Disney day. Of course I noshed on what was left of magic bars 1 and 2 before we left, and by left I mean me our friends Jenny and Joe out front of WL to ride over to the park!

We were there for opening and since the booths weren't open yet, we visited space Jesus and then went in to the Odyssey building to do the Epcot Experience. If you haven't done this yet it's an exhibit showing all that's coming to the park and it's pretty neat!



Mary Poppins will be there eventually!



We took advantage of some photo ops set up in there like this one for Ratatouille:




Said a quick hello to @ArielSRL and her family by the festival booth in Mexico and then hit the booths ourselves!
We all were in the mood for a late morning Bloody Mary so we turned right and went toward the Refreshment Port where we ALWAYS find one. For every festival and even when there's no festival there's a different incarnation of a Bloody Mary there! So imagine our surprise when we got there and so NO BM on the F.ARTS menu Instead the guys went back to the to get a BM we saw while Jenny and I got in line at the Refreshment Port for these:

Beef Brisket Poutine
French Fries with Beef Brisket, Beer-Cheese Sauce and Poutine Gravy topped with Crispy Onions

Lobster Chips: House-made Chips, Lobster, Lobster Bisque Cheese Sauce, Pickled Jalapeños and Citrus Cream




The poutine wasn't just for the festival and I've had it before since developing a newfound love for beef brisket over the last year or so. It was delish with ALL the flavors going great with each other, the onion straws, cheese sauce, brisket and gravy. MM-mm! Sometimes it's the simple things.
The lobster chips were for the festival and those were strictly for Steve (Jenny and Joe got one of each also) because I don't do seafood but the chips and sauce looked so good. I believe they all gave these a thumbs up and Steve said the pieces of lobster were nice and chunky.

To wash these snacks down the guys brought these for us gals from the Pop Eats booth and this was new this year:

Tomato Soup Can Bloody Mary



It was an adorable presentation! Here's a look inside:



Now the taste was good; spicy but not as good as the regular Refreshment Port BM. The problem here was those pieces of cracker floating around in there like you'd put in a bowl of soup - hence the name of the drink. First they kept getting in the way every time I took a sip which was just annoying but after about 10 minutes or so Jenny and I both agree the sogginess was off-putting. I only drank about half of this and trashed the rest which is not normal for me.

Moving on we walked through the UK and noticed this new to us sign outside Rose and Crown:



Huh! Looks good and another breakfast option in Epcot is always welcome.

Our next stop was France where I made up for the BM with another festival offering from L'Art de la Cuisine Francaise:

Veuve du Vernay, Brut N°1, Limited Edition: French Sparkling Wine



I love sparkles! And the wine really got my creative juices flowing as you see in my masterpiece behind me.

OK maybe that wasn't mine but if I had enough wine I could probably draw something pretty interesting!

We took a break to participate in some festival activities like a visual art paint performance, coloring our own little spots on the Figment mural, and watching the awesome living statues for a bit:




REALLY Jenny, we can't take him anywhere!

More Festival food continued!

 

[ariane37]

Back to the food!
We ended up in Germany and I wanted to stop and listen to the band for a bit. Apparently they've been there in the past? But were new to me and they were rockin'




I loved the music even though they were singing in German and I couldn't understand a word. My mom is German and my great-grandmother was right off the boat and whatever you picture when you think of an old, immigrant German full bodied woman, that was her! And these guys sounded like my GG when she got angry and started yelling in German lol. I say that in a good way with love ❤

As we got to Japan Joe wanted to try the sushi donut:

Sushi Donut: Donut-shaped Sushi featuring Salmon, Tuna, Shrimp, Cucumber and Sesame Seed over a decorated plate of Wasabi Aïoli, Sriracha and Eel Sauce



The only 2 things in that definition I like are donut and aoli but Joe said it was good. Steve and I opted to try the gyoza:

Vegetable Gyoza: Vegetable and Edamame filled Gyoza atop Truffle-mashed Potatoes, Shiitake Mushrooms, Pepper Strings and Tonkatsu Teriyaki Sauce



I don't know that I'd ever had vegetable gyoza, the taste was different but still good. The only issue was they needed more of the teriyaki sauce which as you see is a bit scarce.

We continued on and stopped just past Morocco to wait for some friends of J&J's. While we waited Steve and I went to the booth in Morocco, he for some food and me to grab some wine Jenny and I had heard about from another guest earlier:

Kabash Prestige White Wine



Mediterranean Flatbread with Zaatar, Olive Oil Artichoke, Olives, Mozzarella and Feta Cheese




The wine was good; not as sweet as what I usually drink which would be either Reisling or Moscato but good enough that I wished the cup was bigger! As for the flatbread I'd had it before and didn't think much of it but Steve thought it was good. He's a sucker for artichokes though and that was his favorite part.

It was right around now that another DIS friend caught up with us! Molly @Mollydolly334 had come down and we were planning to meet up at some point and that some point was now! I guided her to us through text lol and we chatted a bit before she went back to her resort to rest and we moved on. No pic of us yet but it's coming!
Our time in Epcot completed for now we were moving on to another park for more food and friends. Before I sign off I'll share a couple more pics of the festival activities we enjoyed:







This is artist Trevor Carlton. We saw him last year and thought his performance was fantastic so we suggested to Jen and Joe that we watch and they agreed it was awesome!He starts with a blank canvas and while dancing to cool tunes (the boys would cringe if I said that out loud) he paints:




When we saw him last year he drew Goofy!



The paintings are for sale at the end but um, they're a bit out of our budget especially if we wanted to continue eating and drinking! Out of all 4 festivals I think the food options are weakest at the Arts but so far they were better than the previous year and I do really enjoy all the other activities and entertainment the festival brings.

 

[ariane37]

Following along! Great room upgrade and yay for a couples trip! I also love Citricos and am excited to see what they do in the refurb.

Hi Heather and always nice to see you! I love when our boys come but I won't give up our adults only trips!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

So, who is familiar with Disney's F.ARTS?

This is really a fantastic name!

So imagine our surprise when we got there and so NO BM on the F.ARTS menu

The nurse in me read this as no bowel movements on the F.ARTS menu and I'm dying

Beef Brisket Poutine
French Fries with Beef Brisket, Beer-Cheese Sauce and Poutine Gravy topped with Crispy Onions

Oo i've had this! It was so delicious- and good for soaking up some alcohol!

That is cute!

This is artist Trevor Carlton. We saw him last year and thought his performance was fantastic so we suggested to Jen and Joe that we watch and they agreed it was awesome!He starts with a blank canvas and while dancing to cool tunes (the boys would cringe if I said that out loud) he paints:

Wow that's awesome!

 

[Raeven]

Hi Raeven, it's nice to see you here I have to say, your reports are what got me into trying poutine lol and I'm glad I did!

lol it's delicious!

Have you or he ever watched the newer one that's on after it, "My Feet Are Killing Me"? Now THAT's gross but I still watch every week It totally grosses out some of my friends so I take pictures of the feet on the TV and send to them

Yes he watches that too!

And these guys sounded like my GG when she got angry and started yelling in German lol