mrte62
10-20-2014, 09:02 PM
Our thoughts and observations span the globe on the various Disney sit-down restaurants we tried during our trip to WDW from 10/3-10/13. The following restaurants are ranked in descending order by my DW, our 26-year old DS, 24-year old DD, 21-year old DS and me. We live in Jersey, and I work in Manhattan, and even by these standards we found prices to be consistently high.
#1: California Grill – the standard by which all others are judged. Appetizers included a new pastrami flat-bread, multiple, mega-sushi rolls, and our youngest son eating bison for the first time. Various desserts ended a perfect meal. The location, the service and of course, the food, makes this a special place. It was nice to have an opportunity to meet the chef who created the pastrami flat-bread.
#2A: Citricos – We agree with the comment in the Unofficial Guide that this is one of the best kept dining secrets in WDW. Warm rolls and appetizers to start, outstanding veal chops and melt-in-your-mouth short ribs followed. A liqueur coffee drink and a lovely chocolate creation made for a wonderful evening. Excellent service and a relaxing walk around the Grand Floridian grounds completed the experience. Our first visit, and certainly not our last.
#2B: The Flying Fish Cafe – We had a great view of the kitchen and started off with a delicious sushi roll, topped with tuna tartar and we tasted our beer find of the trip, Einstok, an Icelandic white ale. DW had sea scallops, and I had surf and surf---bay scallops and whitefish with a side of asparagus smothered with a unique and tasty cream sauce. Service was upbeat and friendly, We decided to walk to Beaches and Cream for an ice cream cone. Again, our first visit, and certainly not our last.
#3: Monsieur Paul’s – We took a chance with this one because our experience with French food has either been a hit or a complete miss. Fortunately, this was a hit. We ordered the price fixe meal and enjoyed our escargot, mushroom soup, lamb chops, cake and ice cream. Service was attentive, We were the last seating, so by the end of our meal, our waiter mentioned how much he enjoyed working at WDW, being in Florida and was not looking forward to going home to Paris.
#4A: Raglan Road—The five of us on busy Saturday night—started off with an appetizer sampler and various beers. We covered most of the menu for our main courses with salmon, beef, chicken and fish and chips. A variety of desserts and coffee finished our meal. The music, dancing, and general atmosphere make this one of our favorite spots. We all found our meal excellent and the service to be top notch, even though it was a very busy night.
#4B: Biergarten—Liters of beer, a nice variety of food and a floor show combine to make this a long-time family favorite. We found the quality of the buffet food to be very good and could not detect any signs of a decline in quality. Our waitress was a delight. She told us she had been working at the Biergarten for ten years and her enthusiasm and friendliness were still apparent. I had a nice chat with the carving station chef about the food and its preparation.
#5: La Hacienda de San Angel—chips and salsa and Mexican beers to start, seafood, tacos and chicken, were chosen from a limited menu. All enjoyed the meal--ice cream, dessert and coffee was shared with an excellent view of Illuminations. Our waitress was a hoot! She should have her own show somewhere.
#6: Le Cellier Steakhouse – started with a flight of Canadian beer and poutine fries (with gravy and cheese), and a seafood salad. DW had an excellent fillet Mignon over mushroom risotto. Unfortunately, I had a very poor quality and overly salted rib eye. Probably as disappointing a steak as I have ever had. We didn’t find anything appealing for dessert. Service was friendly and efficient. Our first visit, and it will be some time before we come back.
#1: California Grill – the standard by which all others are judged. Appetizers included a new pastrami flat-bread, multiple, mega-sushi rolls, and our youngest son eating bison for the first time. Various desserts ended a perfect meal. The location, the service and of course, the food, makes this a special place. It was nice to have an opportunity to meet the chef who created the pastrami flat-bread.
#2A: Citricos – We agree with the comment in the Unofficial Guide that this is one of the best kept dining secrets in WDW. Warm rolls and appetizers to start, outstanding veal chops and melt-in-your-mouth short ribs followed. A liqueur coffee drink and a lovely chocolate creation made for a wonderful evening. Excellent service and a relaxing walk around the Grand Floridian grounds completed the experience. Our first visit, and certainly not our last.
#2B: The Flying Fish Cafe – We had a great view of the kitchen and started off with a delicious sushi roll, topped with tuna tartar and we tasted our beer find of the trip, Einstok, an Icelandic white ale. DW had sea scallops, and I had surf and surf---bay scallops and whitefish with a side of asparagus smothered with a unique and tasty cream sauce. Service was upbeat and friendly, We decided to walk to Beaches and Cream for an ice cream cone. Again, our first visit, and certainly not our last.
#3: Monsieur Paul’s – We took a chance with this one because our experience with French food has either been a hit or a complete miss. Fortunately, this was a hit. We ordered the price fixe meal and enjoyed our escargot, mushroom soup, lamb chops, cake and ice cream. Service was attentive, We were the last seating, so by the end of our meal, our waiter mentioned how much he enjoyed working at WDW, being in Florida and was not looking forward to going home to Paris.
#4A: Raglan Road—The five of us on busy Saturday night—started off with an appetizer sampler and various beers. We covered most of the menu for our main courses with salmon, beef, chicken and fish and chips. A variety of desserts and coffee finished our meal. The music, dancing, and general atmosphere make this one of our favorite spots. We all found our meal excellent and the service to be top notch, even though it was a very busy night.
#4B: Biergarten—Liters of beer, a nice variety of food and a floor show combine to make this a long-time family favorite. We found the quality of the buffet food to be very good and could not detect any signs of a decline in quality. Our waitress was a delight. She told us she had been working at the Biergarten for ten years and her enthusiasm and friendliness were still apparent. I had a nice chat with the carving station chef about the food and its preparation.
#5: La Hacienda de San Angel—chips and salsa and Mexican beers to start, seafood, tacos and chicken, were chosen from a limited menu. All enjoyed the meal--ice cream, dessert and coffee was shared with an excellent view of Illuminations. Our waitress was a hoot! She should have her own show somewhere.
#6: Le Cellier Steakhouse – started with a flight of Canadian beer and poutine fries (with gravy and cheese), and a seafood salad. DW had an excellent fillet Mignon over mushroom risotto. Unfortunately, I had a very poor quality and overly salted rib eye. Probably as disappointing a steak as I have ever had. We didn’t find anything appealing for dessert. Service was friendly and efficient. Our first visit, and it will be some time before we come back.