As I mentioned earlier, we didn’t order dessert at Grand Floridian Cafe. In fact, we never even looked at dessert menus after finishing our entrees.
That’s because the same manager who helped us out at Narcoossee’s (who we encountered again at the GFC podium) was planning a surprise for my mom.
While walking to our table at the beginning of the meal, she asked me if my mom had enjoyed the baked chocolate mousse at Narcoossee’s - the answer was definitely yes! I was amazed by her sweet gesture, and I kept quiet about it so my mom could be fully surprised.
Soon after the burger and chicken plates were cleared away, Melissa came by to tell us there’s a reason that we hadn’t received dessert menus yet, and that the manager had arranged something special for us. My mom had no idea what was coming; I was giddy with excitement, since I was in on the surprise.
Pretty soon, this awesome Narcoossee’s dessert turned up: baked chocolate mousse, served warm and chocolaty with bourbon-caramel sauce.
However, my mom wasn’t the only one caught off guard. I was completely stunned as well, as soon as I saw this...
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My jaw literally dropped. I didn’t even know how to react to this plate. Was this real life? Should we attempt to eat everything? After spending a few minutes in shock, I realized I had to start taking pictures of it.
Here’s the almond-crusted cheesecake with Lambert cherry sauce:
Here’s the pecan tart with caramel sauce and chocolate cream:
Here’s the spring cherry clafoutis with white chocolate gelato:
And finally, the strawberry shortcake with Chantilly cream and strawberry sauce:
Our table was covered with dessert!
Since we couldn’t make it to Narcoossee’s, the manager said she wanted to bring a taste of Narcoossee’s to us. I think it’s obvious that she succeeded in her goal.
This was a very surreal moment for us. After offering desserts to the table next to us and to Melissa (everyone declined), we finally realized what he had to do: start eating.
We decided to eat the clafoutis (since it’s served with gelato on top) and baked chocolate mousse (since it should be enjoyed warm) in the restaurant. Both were as good as they were when we enjoyed them at Narcoossee’s. The other three desserts ended up coming back to our room with us, where we picked at them throughout the night. Honestly, I think they’re all great dishes, and which one you prefer is mostly a matter of personal taste. A fan of simple, fruity desserts might enjoy the beautiful strawberry shortcake; the pecan tart is sweet, crunchy, and gooey, with a fun touch from the fresh chocolate cream; and the almond-crusted cheesecake is a uniquely delicious combination of flavors and textures (almonds and cherries are a perfect match – raw almonds even taste like cherries to me!).
This moment was a total surprise for both of us, and it was completely magical. But like I said earlier, even ignoring dessert completely, we were still extremely happy with the food and service at Grand Floridian Cafe. You could pretend that this update never happened, and I still would be raving about GFC. However, this moment pushed the experience over the top, and we'll never forget it. That manager certainly didn’t have to do this, but we’re both so thankful for her kindness.
For a while now, I’ve been dropping hints about something truly surprising, and hopefully this update delivered. I was very careful with my wording in the previous GFC review (pointing out that we didn’t “order” dessert
). Even if you picked up on this (
jabead ), I hope the surprise was still fun to read. After all, I knew a surprise was coming during our meal, and I was still blown away by what happened.