Fulton's Crab House - Downtown Disney

Fulton's Crab House has been in business at Downtown Disney since the early 1970's and has been one of their landmark eating establishments.  Always heralded as a casual but fine dining room I always wanted to go there but couldn't afford it.  So today I went there for Father's Day and assumed it would be awesome.

The place is built into the sandbar of the lagoon like an old Mississippi paddle wheeler.  It has several bars and you can stand outside on all decks to enjoy the view.  This place is one photo shoot after another and really cozy to be inside.  The employees were casual and friendly.  We were seated on time and had a great view of the shopping area from the stern dining room.  Our waiter was cordial and energetic taking our order in quick time.

Since we were dining at a place where the menu ranges from $22 to $89 I'm looking for everything to be perfect but it wasn't.  My dinner, which was a seafood platter came out cold and soggy due to water settling on the bottom of the plate.  Our waiter came by just as we were served to ask how it was but naturally everything looked fine since we hadn't taken a bite yet.

My wife sent her entire order back to be heated and by the time he returned to do that I had already eaten about half my dinner and didn't think it was appropriate to complain.  The window we were seated next to had numerous tiny flies buzzing around.  I stood in the window for about five minutes killing flies so my daughter could eat in peace and not one employee or manager came over to solve the problem.

To be fair, my kids had Fillet Mignon and baby shrimp pasta and said it was very good. My wife and I had the same dinner and both were unsatisfying.  There were no supervisors or managers in sight to say anything to.  I could have asked for one but chose not to.  At the end of dinner our waiter brought the check with some story about the credit card swipe not working properly so if I could tip him in cash he would prefer that.  If you're an experienced diner you know that speaking to customers about tipping is taboo in nice restaurants.  This is also a bit of a scam since anybody working for tips prefers cash on the table instead of money in the paycheck next week but it should never be brought up by employees.

I have to see what is good here.  The atmosphere and aesthetics were lovely.  The employees were polite and reasonably efficient.  I could tell the fish, scallops, and shrimp were of  high quality but either ill-prepared or left out too long before being served.  I know this seems like a negative report but when you read my other posts you'll see I rarely say bad things about places I write about.  I want my readers to get my honest opinion about everything.  Your experience may be better but for me this place fell far short of my expectation for what seems like such a classy place.  I give it a "C-" for the day.  Hopefully, if you decide to dine there you are luckier than I was.

Raglan Road Irish Restaurant - Downtown Disney

Raglan Road Irish restaurant and bar is one I've written about before but it bears repeating.  The place is about as authentic as one can get with 130 year old bar wood brought directly from Ireland.  The dining room is spacious and inviting but still has the the dark corners of a true Irish pub.

If you go there on a Friday or Saturday night you can see Irish step dancers as in the photo.  The picture isn't out of focus - that is the speed they dance at.  It's really amazing.  Entertainment is dancing, singing, and they also have a band that plays on weekends. All rebel songs of course.

Dinner isn't a disappointment either.  At our table we everything from lamb shank, burgers, and chicken, all prepared by the menu and direction of Master Chef  Kevin Dundon.  We sat for hours and listened to the music.  I also met one of the managers, Steven Dulaney, originally from Dundalk.  He was a fine guy and it was nice to have him take the time. The photo below is a shot of our appetizer - bangers.  It's one of my family's favorites and we almost always have it when we go.

It's a lovely experience and if you want to go but not do the traditional dinner thing there's always Cooke's of Dublin next door, a traditional fish and chips stop.  Also enjoy the two outdoor bars with umbrellas and music till all hours.