[LLaffinPlace]

Day 2, Part 2: Flying Fish Cafe at Disney's Boardwalk
Bob and I had a wonderful meal at FF in January 2001, so we were looking forward to our return. We were seated in a few minutes, although while we were waiting I was somewhat taken aback by the reactions of some walk-in people that it would be as much as an hour to 1 1/2 hours for them to be accommodated; I guess they did not know the appeal of this restaurant--or about Prioity Seating (PS). Jon was our CM/server, and he was among the best we have had in any Disney food establishment, IMHO. The food was exceptional--the food and wine pairings made it one of the best seafood meals I have ever had--bar none. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

1st Course
[B,L] Oak Grilled Dayboat Scallops with Rock Shrimp-Fennel Risotto, Citrus Glaze, Chile Oil, and Citrus Segments (Hill of Content "Benjamin's Blend", Australia 2000--a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Semillion)
2nd Course
[B,L] Potato Wrapped Red Snapper with Creamy Leak Fondue and Red Wine Reduction [signature dish] (Rancho Zabaco Zinfandel, "Stefani Vineyard", Dry Creek 1999)
3rd Course
[B,L] "The Original" Vahlrone Chocolate Lava Cake with Warm Chocolate Center and Blood Orange Ice Cream [signature dish] (Royal Tokaji, Tokaji Aszu' 4 Puttonyos Hungary 1995)

Jon suggested the white wine with the appetizer, which was an entree that they did as an appetizer for us. The chile sauce was not overt, but lent a bit of a background kick to the citrus overtones of the scallops. Bob picked the Zinfandel to go with the Red Snapper (note that it's a red, not a blush), and the Snapper was as good as Bob had described from the previous visit. The Dry Creek Zin was the epitome of "ready to drink", literally at the height of its powers as a wine. Any chocolate lover would go out of his or her way for a dessert like the Lava Cake; certainly a matter of 675 miles was but a trifle [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] , particularly when paired with the sweet Hungarian wine. BTW, the "puttonyos" are a measure of the wine's sweetness (the higher the number the sweeter the wine) and we had had an unbelievable SIX puttonyos Tokaji at the California Grill on our last trip. [img]graemlins/yuma.gif[/img] Jon continued to impress me with his knowledge of both the FF offerings and wine, and told us a little about the indocrination and training required to become part of the wait staff there. FF is certainly on my "must eat there every trip" list. [img]graemlins/love.gif[/img]

We staggered out of FF [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] and walked the Boardwalk a bit. We watched people trying to flip rubber lobsters into pots for cupie dolls, which was more interesting than it sounds--at least for a few minutes! We then strolled over to the Boardwalk Bus Stop, caught the Downtown Disney (DD) bus and transferred there to the WL bus to get "home". After strolling the WL lobby on our return, we came upstairs.
All in all, an exceptional day--time to hit the sack, but not before updating the journal!