Space 220 aka "DISboards have lied to me!"
Space, the final frontier! We'd never been able to score a reservation to Space 220 since it opened up, it seemed impossible to snag. But when we found out one of our neighbors, who isn't even a big WDW enthusiast, had eaten here by casually looking up reservations while already in the park and strolling their way into a last minute ADR, we pledged to get serious about it and buckle down on the app. And sure enough, at around 3PM a dinner slot for 6:40PM popped up that we were able to grab.
We went into this reservation excited for
"the experience" but all the reviews I'd read and vlogs I'd seen put our expectations very, very low in terms of food. The bar was nearly at the floor, they were so low!
We both found the "elevator" ascent into the restaurant charming and fun, and were seated at a table a couple rows in from the windows.
Our server was lovely but quirky and delivered nonstop space puns throughout our meal. I almost wanted to ask if she'd previously worked at Hoop Dee Doo or 50's Prime-Time.
Drinks (no idea why these both came out so blurry!)
Gamma Burst
Grey Goose Strawberry Lemongrass, Midori Melon Liqueur, Strawberry Popping Pearls
I couldn't resist when I saw a drink listed containing midori, my fave - but honestly I was a little disappointed by the drink when it came out. I thought all the drinks at Space 220 involved some sort of spacey razzle-dazzle, like smoke or cotton candy or something! The taste was good though, and the popping pearls were fun but not really unique enough IMO!
Black Hole Fashioned
Knob Creek, Demerara, Whiskey Barrel Aged Bitters
DH always goes for the kinds of drinks that would destroy me in one sip. He liked it! But again, felt like it needed more space-y allure!
For appetizers, I chose -
Curry Carrot Bisque
Coconut Lime Foam, Tempura Shrimp, Spiced Pumpkin Seeds
UGH, I loved this, it was a combination of some of my favorite things. I love carrot soups, but often they tend to be on the sweeter side, but this was purely savory with a nice spice from the curry. The shrimp look terrible and more like truffles or space coal briquets but they tasted great, and I appreciated the crunch from the pepitas. I cleaned my bowl!
DH went with the...
Blue Moon Cauliflower
Tempura Fried Cauliflower, Housemade Hot Sauce, Blue Cheese Dust
He loved the play on the classic buffalo wing flavor profile, and the cauliflower was delivered HOT and perfectly crispy. The only thing he didn't eat up was the celery pieces - his least favorite vegetable
We were off to a surprisingly good start, and time for our entrees!
I paid a slight surcharge to upgrade my entree to the...
Half Lobster Stuffed with Jumbo Crab*
Roasted Corn, Broccolini, Mornay Sauce.
When they set this (SIZZLING HOT) plate down in front of me I thought there'd been a mistake. The menu description read HALF a lobster but this sure looked like...two halves...aka One Whole Our server told me they'd just changed "back" to serving a whole lobster but hadn't updated the menu yet. What a surprise for me!
Now maybe I'm just a simple gal who is easily pleased, but this was delicious. The lobster tail was sizable and easily pulled out of the shell, and the lobster torso bit instead of being filled with less-tasty meat that is impossible to get to, was replaced by the crab filling, with the lobster claw meat on top. The crab stuffing was creamy and delicious but the real star was the lobster meat itself, and the copious amounts of hot butter (not shown) I'd poured over it all.
And that broccolini! It was HUGE, and cooked perfectly, no mush!
DH went with the
Bone-In Pork Chop*
Slow Roasted 16-oz Niman Ranch Pork Chop, Corn Flan, Succotash, Spiced Applesauce
All I can about this is that I simply blinked and then his plate was clean. He was staring down at his plate forlornly and said "I kind of want to just gnaw on the bone...but I won't" so that's how much he enjoyed it (and props to him for his restrained table manners!)
At this point we were feeling kind of hoodwinked with how well things were going, but last up was dessert, sometimes my make-or-break part of a meal!
My selection was
The Astra
Honey Cake, Almond Mascarpone Mousse, Honey Cream, Lingonberry Jam, Honeycomb Cookie
I'd mentioned to my server it had been my birthday the day before but I purposely don't put celebrations for me on my ADRs. When the food runner brought the dessert out and stood next to me lighting the candle, I asked him, slightly horrified, "you're not going to sing, are you?" but he laughed with glee and told me it was for the good of everyone in the restaurant that no, he wasn't.
He simply wished me a happy birthday and set the plate down so I could blow out the candle. My kind of quiet celebration!
I'd also been encouraged to mix the layers of the dessert and not leave the lingonberry jam last on its own, and once I started eating I could see why that was advised. That jam was TART! The texture of this dessert was so interesting, everything wasn't really layered like a parfait or trifle but sort of blended together, softer than a cake, thicker than a mousse. The sweet sweet honey and mascarpone combined with the jam was just so good. It didn't blow me away as much as the prior two courses, but I thoroughly enjoyed it!
DH went with the
Chocolate and Raspberry Cake
Raspberry Chocolate Crémeux, Raspberry Marmalade, Dark Chocolate Ganache, Cocoa Nib Glaze
I did get to try this, and while the cake looks a bit dry in the photo it definitely wasn't. It had the sort of smooth, airy consistency of a mousse cake, with strong raspberry flavor from the filling. I liked the flavor profile of my dessert much more, but DH was happy with this!
With our desserts finished we kind of waited for our bill in a "what just happened?" sort of shocked stupor.
I honestly don't know if the food was truly THAT good or if the bar had truly been set SO low by others that we were overwhelmingly and pleasantly surprised. It was one of those perfect disney dining experiences where you get to enjoy something new and have fun along with some good food.
I don't think we'll be back anytime soon; it's too pricey for a casual park-day meal, and the overall experience is very, VERY long (we sat down at 6:40 and left juuuust before park close at 8:50!!!) so we'll keep the good memory from this one night unspoiled for awhile to come!