OK, so this posting is about two months late, but we figured better late than never. This is a recap of another fantastic tasting menu experience at the Napa Rose in the Grand Californian Hotel at Disneyland, Anaheim, California. Day two of a two and one half day visit to the Magic Kingdom meant that we got to enjoy a second dinner at Napa Rose with a menu created for our meal by our favorite server/sommelier, Saucy. As usual, The Two Guys let Saucy do the wine pairing as well, since he has an excellent nose for it.
Joining us were the kids and John’s sister, Auntie Julie.
To start, Saucy brought out pappardelle pasta with sauteed fall mushrooms, favas, figs and basil pesto.
Green Pappardelle Pasta
And the “baked Cinderella” pumpkin goat cheese tart with quince puree, roasted duck confit and cranberry port vinaigrette:
Cinderella Tart only at Disneyland
They were absolutely scrumptious (and though we have notes about the wines, we forgot to write down which courses most were paired with).
The kids got chicken breast with lemon whipped potatoes and petite green beans:
Roasted Chicken Breast
And buttered noodles with Parmesan cheese and grilled chicken:
Penne Pasta
Auntie Julie ordered the warm salad of harvest apples, red endive and autumn greens with smoked bacon, spicy pecans and “Fiscalini Farms Reserve” white cheddar:
Julie's Salad
We have no clue which wines these were:
Lots of Wine
But they all disappeared:
All Gone
How can one forget one of the top dishes of the evening – the tempura fried lobster and spicy Asian beef salad with daikon radish and coconut-lime vinaigrette:
Fried Salad
This was paired with a 2006 Failla Chardonnay (Russian River Valley). The winemaker says that we should have tasted “wet stones,” but we did not. (Really now – what on Earth do wet stones taste like anyway?) We found the apple and hazelnut notes paired perfectly with the delicate and light lobster and Asian notes in the salad.
Saucy also brought us the warm salad of grilled Mediterranean octopus with English cucumbers, potatoes, sun-dried tomatoes in a Cabernet vinaigrette:
Nick's First Taste of Octopus
Though both of The Two Guys loved the flavor of the octopus, Nick didn’t care for the texture, as it was a bit gummy. John loves octopus grilled, fried, smoked, however.
Next up was an amuse bouche:
Amuse Bouche
An orange sorbet with a dehydrated and sugared orange rind. What’s not to love about sugar? This was Nick’s favorite dish of the evening! Six weeks later, and he’s still gushing about it.
Next up was the peppered and grilled “red deer” venison double chop over roasted autumn roots in a pear-huckleberry sauce:
Red Deer
We shared it, and both of The Two Guys found it absolutely scrumptious. It was paired with a 2006 Rudd “Crossroads” Cabernet Sauvignon, which both of The Two Guys thought was a mismatch at first. After it opened up, it was a much better mate to the venison.
We also shared the walnut crusted mountain meadows lamb rack over roasted parsnips and Sonoma mushrooms:
Lamb Rack
This was paired with a 2005 Stanton Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, which was yummy, with lots of earthy and musty undertones that paired well with the lamb.
Auntie Julie ordered the grilled petit filet of Angus beef with crisp Yukon gold potato gnocchi, smoked bacon, grilled onions, all in a Merlot jus:
Meadows Lamb Rack
Auntie is not much of an enophile, and she ordered iced tea to pair with her beef. She reported that it was a perfect match.
For dessert, Saucy brought out an apple tart:
Apple Tart
Think deconstructed.
And creme brulee:
Creme Brulee
Also prepared in the deconstructed style.
Both disappeared promptly. Nick is not much of a fan of dessert wines, so we passed on the wines with dessert.
For The Two Guys, Napa Rose is truly a destination restaurant, and whenever we find an excuse to stay at or near Disneyland, we make a point to visit Saucy for a culinary tour de force.
Until next time . . .
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