Catal Restaurant at Downtown Disney

Thursday. April 3, 2014

Attended a Brewer-Clifton/Palmina wine dinner this evening. at the Catal restaurant. www.Patinagroup.com. Had never been to Downtown Disney even though I can drive to it in 20 minutes. Unless I would be doing a dinner at one of the restaurants I would not go there again.

Had a difficult time finding where to park. Now that I know it would be a lot easier the second time. After Valet parking you need to walk approximately 7 minutes to reach the Catal restaurant. No accommodations for handicap that we could find.  We managed to get to Catal by 7:00 but even the hosts Steve & Crystal Clifton were late. My advice , give yourself twice as much time as you think you need.

Reception was held outside on the balcony overlooking the Uva bar .Huge round bar on the outside in front of Catal. It was a busy place. We were poured a glass of 2012 Palmina Tocai Friulano, Honea Vineyard. This wine does go very well with artichokes and asparagus.. After about 30 minutes we were seated inside. The area we were at was between the inside bar, kitchen area and another dining area that was open to the public. Downside was that the waitstaff had to walk right by us the get to the other dining area. we were also on and end which made it noisier than it should have been.

An "Amuse Bouche" was served - Chicken Pate Terrine, Apricot Mostardo and Toasted Pistachios. This was served with a 2011 Palmina "Subida" Tocia Friulano. The wine was slightly effervescent, had an orange tinge to it and was very grapefuity in taste. Subida is a a method in winemaking. Whole clusters with skins on for a period of time.  I had both Tocai's with my pate and I personally preferred the 2012. The pate was very good and I really enjoyed the Mostardo. Actually would have liked a bit more of it on the plate.

First Course: Black Cod, Arroz Negro, Sugar Snap Peas, Mango and Coconut-Lemongrass Foam. Cod was cooked perfectly and the rice was a very good addition to the dish. Paired with a 2010 Brewer-Clifton 3-D, Chardonnay. Very good Chardonnay but I did not like the pairing. Others did.

Second Course: Duck Breast, Duck Confit Cigar, Hon-Shimeji Mushrooms, Kale, Dark Cherries and Anise Jus. Again cooked perfectly. Good flavors. Excellent dish  Wine was a 2011 Brewer-Clifton, Sta. Rita Hills, Pinot Noir. A very good pairing.

Third Course: Spiced Pork Belly and Scallop, Parsnip Cream, Beet Beurre Rouge, Root Vegetable Potpourri. . Dishes keep getting better. Both the pork belly and scallop are cooked perfectly and the parsnip cream really added another dimension. You would not think that these two proteins would go well together but they did. Paired with a 2011 Palmina, Santa Barbara County, Barbera. Excellent wine and again it went perfectly with the food.

Fourth Course: Grilled New York Strip, Smoked Short Rib and Onion Marmalade Ravioli, Violet Mustard, Romanesco and Thyme Jus. Steak was tender and had good flavor. The Ravioli was outstanding. They poured a 2008 Palmina, Santa Barbara County, Nebbiolo. This wine and the Barbera were my two favorites of the night.

Dessert was a Ginger-Buttermilk Panna Cotta, Strawberries, Candied Pistachios and Shortbread Cookie Crumble. This was a really fantastic dessert. No flaws at all. Perfect end to a excellent meal

They did ask at the beginning of the meal about any food allergies. Nice touch, most places don't bother. Service was very good. Very attentive staff. The Executive chef, Steven Mary came to the table after every round and asked what we thought. He gave me his his card with his number on it in case I ever had any questions. New clean flatware at every course. Clean glasses with every wine. At the beginning Marc said he though the dish lacked a little salt so a cellar of fleur de sel was given to him. They seemed to really care about your opinions. The manager came and talked with us. We addressed to noise problem with the dining area next to us. He indicated that they may move the wine dinners to another area. They plan on having many more in the future. The presentations were excellent. All the plates took on an artistic look to them. In spite of the parking and walk, I would do dinner here again.  The food and plating was similar to Delius which we all know is my favorite place. All of us were happy last night