Fulton's Crab House -- Dinner -- Table Service -- Disney Springs
*This dining experience took place in February 2016.
Fulton’s Crab House, located at Disney Springs, has been a restaurant I’ve been wanting to dine at for many years. With an extensive seafood menu and set on a replica of the riverboat that Walt Disney purchased for his wife Lillian, Fulton’s is the place to dine if you're looking for delicious food and a great view of Disney Springs.
Having never dined at Fulton's Crab House before, I wasn't sure what kind of offerings would be available to guests with special dietary needs, or how the restaurant addressed food allergies and cross-contamination. However, any concerns I had were quickly alleviated thanks to talking to Executive Chef of Levy Restaurants, Steven Richard.The Levy Restaurants at Disney Springs include Wolfgang Puck Cafe, Portobello, and Fulton's Crab House -- and all take special dietary needs very seriously. Chef Steven advised me that when dining at a Levy Restaurant chefs come out to the table to speak to guests, just like they do at Disney owned & operated restaurants. With this in mind, I was very much looking forward to dining at Fulton's Crab House and seeing what options were available as a gluten free and dairy free diner.Fulton's Crab House serves both lunch and dinner (and most recently added brunch), but we ended up choosing to dine in the evening for dinner.
As we walked over the gangplank and entered the restaurant, Brandon and I knew we were in for a treat.The restaurant itself is expansive, with multiple decks, bars, and outdoor eating areas. Throughout Fulton’s, you’ll notice a decidedly (and appropriate) nautical theme, including lots of sea-faring history. Ever the history buffs, we could have easily wandered the restaurant areas for hours exploring, which we did a bit after our dinner.
After being seated in the Constellation Room, our server Dani asked us if we had any special dietary needs. She let us know that Executive Chef Mark Boor would come out to discuss food options with us, which was great. It was so nice to know that Fulton's Crab House takes special dietary needs very seriously and has a lot of protocols in place when handling food allergy meals.
While waiting for Chef Mark, we ordered drinks – gin and tonics, which fit well for the classic theming of the restaurant.
When Chef Mark arrived, he went over the various options that would be available both gluten and dairy free. Thankfully, there were plenty of options for me – from seafood to steak, and even gluten free pasta.Because Fulton’s Crab House is known for their seafood, I had to order some of their seafood dishes. Chef Mark recommended I order the crab ceviche for my appetizer, and what a great recommendation this was. Of course, I couldn’t go to Fulton’s Crab House without ordering crab!
Made with blue crab, avocado, peppers, sweet onion, lime, and topped on a salsa verde, this was a perfect light, yet flavorful appetizer. The sweet blue crab paired really well with the accompaniments, and I really enjoyed the salsa verde on the bottom of the ceviche. It brought a nice twist to ceviche.
Brandon is sadly allergic to fish and shellfish, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t have dishes to enjoy while at Fulton’s. For his appetizer, he ordered the beef tenderloin skewers – made from filet mignon (how can you go wrong with that?) and a romesco sauce. The Romesco sauce is not gluten free (as it contains bread), but the beef skewers be ordered gluten free and dairy free without the sauce.Brandon said this was a delicious appetizer option, and he really enjoyed the pickled onions on top of the skewers.
I was unable to have bread as a starter, but Chef Mark offered to bring me a house salad. Made with mixed greens, tomato, cucumber, hearts of palm, and sherry vinaigrette, this was the perfect light starter course.
For my entree, Chef Mark recommended that I try the Florida Grouper with house made guacamole, artichoke, spinach, and cherry tomato sautee.Unfortunately, the grouper was not up to Chef Mark's standards and was replaced by a red fish (which was quite delicious), and I appreciated that the restaurant chose to replace any sub-par seafood with a more quality product. That's a huge testament to a good seafood restaurant.I enjoyed this dish a lot; the seasonings (just simple salt and pepper) were just right, and the fish was cooked perfectly. Even better, they made sure to prepare my fish in a saute pan to avoid any potential cross contamination on the grill.
Brandon ordered the filet mignon, which also came with mashed potatoes. This dish was gluten free and was also fish and shellfish free. If you do have a fish and/or shellfish allergy, the restaurant will also prepare your food in a saute pan and not on the grill to avoid cross contamination issues, as they do prepare some seafood on the grill.Brandon said this was hands down the best steak he's hand on Disney property. That's a pretty big statement from someone who's enjoyed great steaks at Le Cellier, Jiko, and Artist Point.
For dessert, Chef Mark had a few options for gluten free diners. The first was a mango sorbet, which was also dairy free. The second was a flourless chocolate cake topped with mascarpone cheese.The sorbet was very tasty and a great palate cleanser after a big heavy meal.
The flourless chocolate cake on the other hand was a decadent and rich end to what we both considered an already excellent meal. Because I've been introducing a bit of dairy into my diet, I did try a few bites of the cake.Wow. If you like chocolate, this is a dessert for you.The cake itself was beyond rich and the raspberry coulis that accompanied it was equally delicious. This may well be the best flourless chocolate cake I've had in years and was the perfect ending to this meal.Overall, we were both blown away by the food and service at Fulton's Crab House. The level of care in which the restaurant took to ensure safe and delicious food for both of us was also pretty amazing. Both Brandon & I wouldn't hesitate to go back again, and we thank the Fulton's Crab House team for taking such great care of us during our dinner.Fulton's Crab House is slated for a lengthy refurbishment starting in April 2015, so if you're hoping to visit the restaurant, I would recommend dining there before they close temporarily.I was hosted at this dinner as a guest of Fulton's Crab House. I was not required to write this post and all opinions are my own.