CZARINA'S ROYAL TABLE

(EXPLANATION OF SORTS: The Czarina is a Real Person who eats -- a lot ­ at Disney World. She takes sole responsibility for all opinions stated below, de gustibus non disputandum and chacun a son gout. Do let us know what you think about this column at eureka@eurekajim.org.)

 

CORAL REEF UPDATE - January 2002
On a return lunchtime visit to the Coral Reef, my excellent server Alex recommended the salmon with cilantro mashed potatoes and candied carrots ­- very delicious! The salmon was perfectly done, moist, with its crispy skin on the top -­ also, absolutely boneless. It went well with a glass of Ostertag Riesling on a cold day. Alex also recommended the Iron Horse champagne mousse with strawberries for dessert. It sounded like a splendid idea, but I was too full to try it. Coral Reef remains a favorite spot!

*****

Ahoy. Dear Beloved Public!

Today, your Czarina reviews one of the best seafood restaurants in Disney World ­ the Coral Reef, located at the Living Seas pavilion deep in the heart of Epcot. We dined there in September 2000.

The Czar and I have eaten occasionally at the Coral Reef for the past 7 years or so, and we are pleased to say it has evolved from "Gee, this is expensive for fish sticks" into "Wow, do you mind if I lick the plate?" It is now, in our opinion, one of the finest restaurants at WDW, both for food and ambience.

Just to walk into the place is a mood-altering experience. You find yourself behind a pair of etched glass doors in a lobby of cool green and blue panels, where even the furniture seems to undulate. The undersea theming is subtle ­ I mean, they don't hang dried seahorses or fishnets from the ceiling or anything ­ but unmistakable. You check in at the desk and wait for your Priority Seating (very advisable) to be called.

When it's your turn, you are led into the dining room, which is amazing. It is arranged as a tiered amphitheater with tables/booths for two or four, and the "stage" is the enormous Living Seas aquarium, towering over you from floor to ceiling and filled with all manner of sea life, including coral, tropical fish, giant turtles and sharks. It is difficult not to trip on the stairs as you are brought to your table, mesmerized by the aquatic miracle before you.

Do not fret, by the way, if you don't get a table right next to the aquarium. They are nice (especially if you have children with you), but you will have an excellent view from any table in the place.

The lamps on the tables are fashioned like conch shells. The low walls subdividing the tiers are covered with gorgeous broken-tile mosaics in wave designs. Even the salt and pepper shakers are sea-like.

But on to the food. The Czar and I were seated, waved hello to a nearby manta ray ("Hello, I'm Manta, I'll be your ray tonight") who was chomping lettuce on the floor of the tank, and studied the menu.

It is not a huge menu, unlike the one at the Flying Fish or the California Grill, and it doesn't change much. Rather, it is a careful selection of well-honed dishes which they can do superbly and consistently. There are four appetizers (such as Seared Jumbo Scallops with bacon hash and caviar, or Heirloom Tomatoes with caramelized onions, Gorgonzola cheese and balsamic vinegar) in the $8-10 range.

Also offered are one soup (Cream of Lobster with chervil, brandy and sherry) and a couple of salads (the "Caesar" includes sun dried anchovies, a favorite of the Czar's) priced from $4-6. Main courses are nine in number, mostly fish or shellfish, but with a thoughtful nod to meat, veggie and chicken eaters also. In general, the seafood is seared or roasted ­ in other words, great ingredients and simply handled, with perhaps a little sauce for extra pizzaz.

Possibly to make up for the small menu, the Coral Reef boasts a very large wine list of at least 80 vintages ­ and even better, nearly every wine is available by the glass (the only exceptions being a few super-expensive reds and champagnes). Your Czarina chose a glass of Erath Vineyards Pinot Noir Willamette Valley ($6.50), a delicious soft and silky red that I would drink with pleasure any day. Always ignore that nonsense about only white wine with fish, I say.

The Czar decided on the Caesar salad ($6) and the Seared Atlantic Salmon ($25) while the Czarina went all the way with the Roasted Maine Lobster ("market price" which was about $38 that day). The Czar seemed to enjoy his salad, pointing out that Manta was also eating romaine lettuce, though without the anchovies.

Divers swam through the tank feeding the fish and waving to children, as the Czarina attacked her lobster. It was about a 2-pounder, with a thin shell I am grateful to say, so it was not necessary to spray nearby diners as I cracked it open. The tender lobster came with fingerling potatoes, mushrooms, corn and carrots in a bacon vinaigrette ­ the bacon, not an ingredient I would have thought of with lobster, was in fact a delicious combination. The Czar was crazy about his fine large hunk of salmon, accompanied by a warm potato and French bean salad and a Kalamata olive tapenade. Service is prompt and intelligent.

There are only four desserts here, and we shared one, so I can't report on the others ­ except for the Millennium dessert which appears on menus all over the World this year, consisting of a fiendishly accurate chocolate reproduction of Spaceship Earth, its hollow shell filled with, in this case, raspberry champagne sorbet ($6.75). Other restaurants vary the filling, but the shell remains the same. It's a fun dessert for kids and Spaceship Earth enthusiasts, BUT ­ the grownup finisher of choice here is definitely the Chocolate Wave!

The Chocolate Wave is so wonderful that I was rather sorry I had to share it with the Czar ­ although I would also have liked to offer a spoonful to Manta, who had been our buddy all evening. It's a warm, dense chocolate cake, with a gorgeous white chocolate and Grand Marnier cream oozing out of the center, and sitting in a wildly delicious pool of cherry compote (with lots of luscious cherries) and a scoop of white chocolate ice cream. It so happened that we had the Chocolate Lava cake at the Flying Fish later in the week, and we both agree that the Chocolate Wave was the victor by a modest landslide. This is a dessert to dream about.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Beloved Public, the Czarina believes the Coral Reef is the clear winner in the Let's Have A Nice Dinner in Future World And Then Watch Illuminations sweepstakes. There are plenty of other choices on the other side of the lagoon, but none more fabulous than this. Afterwards, stroll past the fountain and watch the show from World Showcase Plaza ­ which, by the way, is by far the optimum viewing place, light years different from any other around the water.

CZARINA'S TOP TIP: If you have children with you, the Coral Reef is also a great choice for lunch. They will provide your kids with crayons and pictures of all the fish in the tank to color, but the little ones will be so mesmerized by the aquarium that they will be as quiet as mice anyhow. This has been personally tested on the Czarina's nephew Daniel (3) and a gaggle of other youngsters.

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