My husband and I had lunch at Paddlefish in Disney Springs on Friday, March 2nd. I went in with mixed expectations as I had read several negative reviews. I am happy to report that this will not be one of those! It wasn’t terribly busy on this particular Friday at 12:15, but we were immediately seated at a window-side table over Bay Lake with views of Disney Springs and Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort. I might as well get my only negative out of the way and here it is – when you have tables next to huge windows, you need to make sure that the windows are clean. I’m sure it’s not easy to keep the outsides clean, but bird doo-doo is not very appetizing. One other thing is that my husband was a little bothered by the motion of the water below him, so if you have any issues with motion sickness, ask for a table away from the windows.
Built on a “paddleboat”, the restaurant is divided into several rooms and we were seated in the center section which has a very clean, contemporary feel. Some complain that it lacks nautical themeing, but I found it to be pleasant and upscale. The room at the front of the boat looks a little more nautical with it’s brass railings and there is also outdoor seating.
I started the meal with a Lilly Spritz cocktail. A take on a kir royale, it contains Mas Fi, a brut cava sparkling wine, Cocchi Rosa, a vermouth-like aperativo, and seltzer. It wasn’t very carbonated (maybe the cava had been opened for a while?), but the flavors were great, especially with the aroma of the expressed orange peel floating on top. I would definitely order it again.
Next, we were treated to a tableside preparation of lobster guacamole. The sou chef brought out the cart with the avocados and all the add-in ingredients – cilantro, diced tomato, red onion, mild jalapenos, lime juice – and asked us if we would like to omit anything. I asked to leave out the jalapenos and go easy on the cilantro and onion. She expertly mashed and mixed all the ingredients in the large stone bowl, ending with a generous helping of lobster meat. It was served with house made tortilla chips and I can definitely say that it was one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. The flavors were just to my liking and I appreciate that customers can have as much or as little heat as they like.
I started the meal with a Lilly Spritz cocktail. A take on a kir royale, it contains Mas Fi, a brut cava sparkling wine, Cocchi Rosa, a vermouth-like aperativo, and seltzer. It wasn’t very carbonated (maybe the cava had been opened for a while?), but the flavors were great, especially with the aroma of the expressed orange peel floating on top. I would definitely order it again.
Next, we were treated to a tableside preparation of lobster guacamole. The sou chef brought out the cart with the avocados and all the add-in ingredients – cilantro, diced tomato, red onion, mild jalapenos, lime juice – and asked us if we would like to omit anything. I asked to leave out the jalapenos and go easy on the cilantro and onion. She expertly mashed and mixed all the ingredients in the large stone bowl, ending with a generous helping of lobster meat. It was served with house made tortilla chips and I can definitely say that it was one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. The flavors were just to my liking and I appreciate that customers can have as much or as little heat as they like.
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For our entrees, I chose the lobster roll and Bill chose the crispy fish sandwich. Yes, the lobster roll is pricey at $31, but it is 1-1/4 pounds of perfectly cooked lobster that you don’t have to extract yourself! In this case, the lobster was truly the star, dressed lightly with mayo and a nice crunch from a little celery. Just a bit of shredded lettuce sat at the bottom of the perfectly tender traditional split roll. I’ll admit reaching for the salt shaker, but otherwise it was just perfect and I was happy to take half of it home.
Bill’s sandwich contained two large pieces of flounder – definitely a knife and fork dish! He was very happy with the light, crispy batter on the fish. He chose to accompany his sandwich with a side of sweet potato fries. I have to say that the portions were quite generous.
Bill’s sandwich contained two large pieces of flounder – definitely a knife and fork dish! He was very happy with the light, crispy batter on the fish. He chose to accompany his sandwich with a side of sweet potato fries. I have to say that the portions were quite generous.
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Our server, Cory, was very attentive and made sure we were completely satisfied. All in all, I am happy to recommend Paddlefish. We’ll be back and at some point we’ll want to enjoy a drink on the top deck at sunset! Thanks, Paddlefish for a lovely lunch.
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