Just got back from WDW yesterday and am gathering my thoughts about our trip. I did want to share our impressions of Kouzzina.

I'll start by saying that we ended up going three times (and if I had my druthers and the time, it would have been four). I was very impressed by the menu and the service. Without further ado...

We ditched Wolfgang Puck Café to visit Kouzzina for the first time Tuesday evening. We started with the goat cheese-stuffed grape leaf. This was very different from what I expected but very good nonetheless. It was definitely an appetizer that represented "truth in advertising" and was indeed a grilled grape leaf stuffed with a nice portion of delicious herbed goat cheese. The plate was accompanied two slices of olive toast and a lightly-dressed green salad. It took an inordinately long time to come to the table, which I attributed to the newness of the restaurant. (BTW, many of the CMs are legacy Spoodles CMs.)

For our entrees, I chose the Fisherman's Stew and my DS-13 predicatably ordered the Lamb Burger. The entrees arrived much quicker than our appetizer but instead of the lamb burger, a plate of lamb shank arrived. We were chatting with Chef Dee when the entrees arrived at our table. I explained to the CM that this was not what my DS had ordered and Chef Dee warned us that the lamb burger was very spicy and that he would probably be happier with something else. He took a taste of my Fisherman's Stew and immediately ordered that instead. I've made both boullabaisse and cioppino. I now hang my head in shame. Kouzzina's Fisherman's Stew put them to shame. The shrimp and scallops were perfectly cooked, the stew part of the dish had a beautiful consistency and flavor. The serving was generous. Also worth noting was the bread. It was a whole grain bread served with a nice slab of not-rockhard butter (why do so many WDW restaurants serve better straight from the fridge?) sprinkled with black sea salt. Honestly, it was great bread. I asked Chef Dee for the recipe and she explained that it was made in the Boardwalk Bakery, giving her a nice way to say "no dice."

By the time we were done, we were way too full to consider dessert so we asked for it to go. I got the Loukoumades, which are light and airy donuts drizzled in honey. They were served with two dishes of sauce: one raspberry and one a vanilla custard. My DS said he wasn't interested in dessert at all, so I ordered the baklava (sans the pistachio gelato) in order to give it to a friend (I felt badly that I hadn't brought her baklava from here in NYC). The loukoumades didn't make it out of the restaurant as we both succumbed to temptation. They provided a nice, light sweet treat to cap what was a wonderful meal.

There were some service and kitchen snafus, but nothing that couldn't be easily overcome and certainly nothing that would stop us from visiting again (and again).