A Walk Around The World With Ridge--Fulton's Crab House Review

My wonderful friend Shelley Caran, from www.onthegoinmco.com and several other well-known sites in the Disney community, joined me for dinner at Fulton’s Crab House on Sunday, May 20, 2012. I had not been there in many years and this was the first time for Shelley. I hate to say it but Fulton’s is one of those places I have just avoided for a long time because it always seemed like an overpriced version of a large chain restaurant that happens to serve “lobster”.  I have to say I am pleasantly surprised with the results of my dinner and I’ll share why. 

OBP

When Shelley and I met up Sunday we talked about what our expectations were.  We definitely wanted it to be good, that was a given, but honestly didn’t know what to truly expect. I’ll say that the experience started off with a bang.  My reservation was made by the PR representative for Fulton’s and it contained the fact I was a writer for Growing Up Disney. The Host, Reggie, quickly brought over manager Geoff who welcomed us to the restaurant and quickly disappeared to prepare the table. We were a few minutes early so we told them “no rush” and had a seat at the bar. They have OBP (Orange Blossom Pilsner) on tap so I really wasn’t in a hurry. The bartender greeted us and gave us a little something to snack on while we waited. Forgive me for not remembering the name, but Fulton’s makes a cream cheese and crab spread and serves that with whole-wheat crackers.  It’s pretty darn tasty.  (Editor's note: Here's a link to the recipe for Fulton's Crab Boursin.)

crab spread

crab spread

Once seated, we had a beautiful view of the sunset and less than a half an hour to wait for it.  Our wonderful waiter, Alex from Ontario Canada, made us feel immediately at home and began explaining the menu and making his recommendations. Once Alex had finished, we were honored to have the head chef, Marc Boor, come out to talk with us a little. Chef Boor is no stranger to Disney having worked at several of the resorts before moving north for other opportunities. That is until his wife saw Fulton’s was looking for a new executive chef and told him to apply. We talked for a few minutes about the menu and made a few decisions. Now for the good part. 

We made the choice to try a couple of appetizers: the calamari and the tuna tartare. I’ll start with the calamari. I’ve had lots of calamari in my time; I love some seafood. The calamari was fresh as I have ever tasted and was cut into thick strips, lightly breaded and fried.  The preparation and freshness were so good that it was still tender and moist even when cold.  For dipping, a fresh tomato basil sauce was served. The quantity on the plate was well worth the money but the tuna tartare was what Shelley and I would have fought over.

Tuna & Calamari

Ahi Tuna tartare is sushi grade tuna, finely chopped and serve raw. For me this is heaven because I’d eat sushi everyday if I had my choice and the money. Formed into a cylinder with fresh avocado-cucumber relish, sweet chili aioli, and a plantain chip on top for garnish, the ahi tuna tartare was on the money for freshness, texture and overall taste. 

Crab Cake

Grouper

For our main course Shelley ordered the fresh caught grouper, which was served with a variety of roasted vegetables, artichoke hearts, tomato and guacamole.  I went with the chef’s recommendation of the crab cake.  It was composed of jumbo lump crab meat with very little filler, plated on a roasted corn maque choux, and topped with a fried green tomato and a remoulade sauce. Just a little bit spicy as the chef had described it as a “Southern” style. No matter what you would like to call it; I called it delicious. I also ordered the cioppino, which is a fish stew that contains all types of seafood. Fish, crab, mussels, clams, shrimp and scallops in a slow roasted tomato sauce and served over a pasta, in this case linguine. 

Cioppino

For dessert, Shelley had the cheesecake which is just like the style I make, very creamy and dense, and you can really taste the cream cheese still because they haven't over-burdened it with sugar. I had Alex's suggestion of the sweet and sour cherry crumble with vanilla ice cream. Both were so simple and so perfect.

   

Everything was prepared with care and our waiter, Alex, made sure that we were well taken care of. I was impressed by the staff as well as the food. Shelley made the comment that the experience felt like “old” Disney… nothing was a problem, they would figure out a way to make you happy. For my money this is an experience I will have again. Fulton’s is not outrageous at lunch, and while dinner is expensive, keep in mind what you are getting for your money.  Only the premium Disney Dining Plan is accepted, so don’t expect to use the normal plan there.  It truly is a wonderful dining experience and if you sit in the bow of the crab house at dinner you may just get a wonderful sunset to boot.  Once again big thanks to Shelley for joining me on such a fun adventure. 

Enjoy the rest of the photos from the day!

Inside the lobby

stairway to dining room

Sunset 1

Sunset 2

Sunset 3

view to the bow