We're back & better than ever - Complete!

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Really enjoying your reviews! Thanks for posting them.

Thanks for reading! More reviews are on the way.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

After a few more hours in Epcot (including a ride on Soarin'), we made our way to Les Chefs de France for dinner. This restaurant used to be one of our favorites, but we haven't been here in almost 6 years so we didn't know what to expect in terms of quality.

Our server, Mathieu, was very friendly and helpful. After we ordered, he brought us a baguette and some butter. The bread was warm, crusty on the outside, and soft on the inside.

My mom's appetizer was the crab meat salad with shrimp cocktail over a bed of cucumber and tomato. She liked it and thought the crab was fresh. I tried some, and the crab tasted very fishy - the flavor was much stronger than I expect from crab. I didn't love it, but my mom enjoyed it.

I decided to be adventurous once again (after the squid, octopus, and lamb). My choice this time was the burgundian escargot baked in parsley and garlic butter. I've had snails one time in NYC and didn't like them, but after trying the octopus and lamb, I felt like I could handle anything.

As you can see, this dish had a lot of sauce. The garlic flavor was very strong and pungent, which I enjoyed. The sauce was a bit oily to me, so I actually ended up patting the snails dry before eating them. Honestly, snails don't taste as bad as I remember - they reminded me of scallops but were firmer in texture. I liked this dish, and I'm happy I tried it - no snail was left uneaten.

Next up, entrees! The salmon was calling my name, but I didn't feel like the mashed potatoes that they come with. I asked Mathieu if I could swap the side for a veggie, and he said yes. He then listed every single veggie that comes with the other entrees! After my experience at Le Cellier earlier in the day, I was so impressed and thankful. I ended up choosing the pattypan squash. This was a lovely dish. The salmon was extremely moist and buttery on the inside, the squash was plump and sweet, and the red pepper sauce on the side had a very mild flavor and smooth texture.

My mom ordered the roasted chicken, and she also asked for pattypan squash on the side. I liked the rich, hearty sauce that the chicken came with.

Finally, we ended up ordering dessert. My mom picked the chocolate mousse - she liked it and said it tasted less artificial than the mousse at Boulangerie Pâtisserie.

My pick was the fraisier sur coulis de framboise et sorbet fraise - fresh strawberry and cream cake, raspberry sauce, and strawberry sorbet.

I didn't love this. The flavor combinations were classic - strawberries, cream, raspberry, and white chocolate. However, the cake was quite heavy, and the raspberry sauce reminded me more of raspberry preserve than fresh raspberry. However, the sorbet was heavenly - so light and fruity! I ended up picking at the strawberries inside the cake, but I easily finished the sorbet.

We also had warm drinks to top off the meal - my mom enjoyed a cappuccino, while I had some green tea.

Overall, this was a great meal. We were so happy to be back at Les Chefs again - this place has a charming, bustling atmosphere and the decor does a great job of transporting you to France. Plus, the service was great - it actually elevated the meal, and is probably the reason why Les Chefs was a better experience overall than Le Cellier (Le Cellier probably gets the win based solely on food - I loved the duck confit crêpe and unique take on a Nanaimo bar). Overall, we can't wait to return here again - we'll probably do lunch to enjoy the lighter offerings (and maybe see Remy for the first time), and for dessert we're already planning on splitting the sorbets.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Enjoying your reviews, DDW!

We've been to Chefs twice. The first time, it was awesome; the next time, not so great. I would give it another try though. The atmosphere is lovely and I really like their creme brulee. I don't see a lot of love for Chef's creme brulee on the boards, but I think it's delicious, and it's not an item offered in many local restaurants.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Enjoying your reviews, DDW!

We've been to Chefs twice. The first time, it was awesome; the next time, not so great. I would give it another try though. The atmosphere is lovely and I really like their creme brulee. I don't see a lot of love for Chef's creme brulee on the boards, but I think it's delicious, and it's not an item offered in many local restaurants.

Thanks for reading! Les Chefs seems to get inconsistent reviews, so I'm happy that this experience was a mostly positive one.

And I remember the crème brûlée from a few years ago! It was included in the prix fixe menu (way back when the prix fixe menu didn't have any choices - it only included the french onion soup, chicken entree, and crème brûlée). I remember it being really good. I think it isn't discussed too often because WDW has become saturated with crème brûlée over the past few years, and people are growing bored of it (and when they do feel like crème brûlée, they'll choose one of the uniquely flavored ones, like maple, banana, or pistachio). The one at Les Chefs, even though it has a traditional custard flavor, is definitely good though. I probably would've preferred it over my strawberry dessert (and I love strawberry desserts ).

 

[JerseyJanice]

One of the things I love best about going to WDW is creme brulee! I just don't see it in my neck of woods too often.

I'm very partial to a good vanilla flavor. (I make a mean vanilla cake frosting, if I do say so myself.) And that's why I like Chefs version of creme brulee. I'm certain they use real vanilla bean in the custard--I can taste it.

The vanilla sauce on the apple strudel in Biergarten and Sommerfest is another treat for vanilla-loving WDW diners. There is a difference in the taste of something flavored with only vanilla extract as opposed to vanilla bean or a bean/extract combination.

Thanks for posting those beautiful pictures too, DDW. I wish I had such photographic talent.

 

[franandaj]

Wow! I'm finally all caught up! You are so lucky to get there so often! I hope that we get to take our planned trips, and I will definitely take your reviews onto account for our upcoming trips!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

One of the things I love best about going to WDW is creme brulee! I just don't see it in my neck of woods too often.

I'm very partial to a good vanilla flavor. (I make a mean vanilla cake frosting, if I do say so myself.) And that's why I like Chefs version of creme brulee. I'm certain they use real vanilla bean in the custard--I can taste it.

The vanilla sauce on the apple strudel in Biergarten and Sommerfest is another treat for vanilla-loving WDW diners. There is a difference in the taste of something flavored with only vanilla extract as opposed to vanilla bean or a bean/extract combination.

Thanks for posting those beautiful pictures too, DDW. I wish I had such photographic talent.

Wow - it's interesting to hear about the Germany offerings. I haven't been to Biergarten in years (I try to avoid it - the food tasted good but was very heavy), but I've often enjoyed a bratwurst at Sommerfest. The apple strudel sounds great! You're definitely right that real, bold vanilla bean is a step above more standard, vanilla-flavored items. And thanks for the photo compliment! The camera definitely does most of the work.

Wow! I'm finally all caught up! You are so lucky to get there so often! I hope that we get to take our planned trips, and I will definitely take your reviews onto account for our upcoming trips!

Thanks! We definitely feel lucky to go - we try to take shorter, more frequent trips so we can get a dose of Disney every few months. Good luck with the dining plans for your upcoming trips!

 

[vettegirl]

Great choice on the Salmon at Chefs!

 

[scanne]

After a few more hours in Epcot (including a ride on Soarin'), we made our way to Les Chefs de France for dinner. This restaurant used to be one of our favorites, but we haven't been here in almost 6 years so we didn't know what to expect in terms of quality.

Our server, Mathieu, was very friendly and helpful. After we ordered, he brought us a baguette and some butter. The bread was warm, crusty on the outside, and soft on the inside.

My mom's appetizer was the crab meat salad with shrimp cocktail over a bed of cucumber and tomato. She liked it and thought the crab was fresh. I tried some, and the crab tasted very fishy - the flavor was much stronger than I expect from crab. I didn't love it, but my mom enjoyed it.

I decided to be adventurous once again (after the squid, octopus, and lamb). My choice this time was the burgundian escargot baked in parsley and garlic butter. I've had snails one time in NYC and didn't like them, but after trying the octopus and lamb, I felt like I could handle anything.

As you can see, this dish had a lot of sauce. The garlic flavor was very strong and pungent, which I enjoyed. The sauce was a bit oily to me, so I actually ended up patting the snails dry before eating them. Honestly, snails don't taste as bad as I remember - they reminded me of scallops but were firmer in texture. I liked this dish, and I'm happy I tried it - no snail was left uneaten.

Next up, entrees! The salmon was calling my name, but I didn't feel like the mashed potatoes that they come with. I asked Mathieu if I could swap the side for a veggie, and he said yes. He then listed every single veggie that comes with the other entrees! After my experience at Le Cellier earlier in the day, I was so impressed and thankful. I ended up choosing the pattypan squash. This was a lovely dish. The salmon was extremely moist and buttery on the inside, the squash was plump and sweet, and the red pepper sauce on the side had a very mild flavor and smooth texture.

My mom ordered the roasted chicken, and she also asked for pattypan squash on the side. I liked the rich, hearty sauce that the chicken came with.

Finally, we ended up ordering dessert. My mom picked the chocolate mousse - she liked it and said it tasted less artificial than the mousse at Boulangerie Pâtisserie.

My pick was the fraisier sur coulis de framboise et sorbet fraise - fresh strawberry and cream cake, raspberry sauce, and strawberry sorbet.

I didn't love this. The flavor combinations were classic - strawberries, cream, raspberry, and white chocolate. However, the cake was quite heavy, and the raspberry sauce reminded me more of raspberry preserve than fresh raspberry. However, the sorbet was heavenly - so light and fruity! I ended up picking at the strawberries inside the cake, but I easily finished the sorbet.

We also had warm drinks to top off the meal - my mom enjoyed a cappuccino, while I had some green tea.

Overall, this was a great meal. We were so happy to be back at Les Chefs again - this place has a charming, bustling atmosphere and the decor does a great job of transporting you to France. Plus, the service was great - it actually elevated the meal, and is probably the reason why Les Chefs was a better experience overall than Le Cellier (Le Cellier probably gets the win based solely on food - I loved the duck confit crêpe and unique take on a Nanaimo bar). Overall, we can't wait to return here again - we'll probably do lunch to enjoy the lighter offerings (and maybe see Remy for the first time), and for dessert we're already planning on splitting the sorbets.

This review has solidified my choice to keep Chefs de France on our itinerary. I think the strawberry cake looks divine! And I love those little squash-lings. Thank you for sharing!

 

[emmysmommy]

I get a kick out of anyone that orders the escargot since it fascinates me that anyone would eat snailsl! But seriously, I'm glad you had a great dining experience at Chefs de France. That salmon looks amazing.

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

You are so brave to order the escargot. If it looked a little more like a scallop I might be inclined to try it as well.

Looking forward to reading more!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Great choice on the Salmon at Chefs!

The salmon was definitely a great entree!

This review has solidified my choice to keep Chefs de France on our itinerary. I think the strawberry cake looks divine! And I love those little squash-lings. Thank you for sharing!

I hope you have a good meal at Les Chefs! The strawberry cake wasn't my thing, but I've seen positive reviews of it.

I get a kick out of anyone that orders the escargot since it fascinates me that anyone would eat snailsl! But seriously, I'm glad you had a great dining experience at Chefs de France. That salmon looks amazing.

When I don't think about what I'm eating, it helps a lot. Plus, I looked up snail nutrition facts and they're a good source of protein, so I felt happy about that. IMO, snail is on the same 'weirdness' level as calamari (and I actually thought snail had a milder flavor than octopus).

You are so brave to order the escargot. If it looked a little more like a scallop I might be inclined to try it as well.

Looking forward to reading more!

It's not easy to try something that seems 'weird', but I've been forcing myself recently. In fact, at the start of 2011, I wouldn't eat salmon, and now it's one of my favorite proteins. After overcoming some more basic food fears (salmon, eel, oyster, calamari, etc) nothing seems too bizarre anymore.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

The next day, I ended up skipping breakfast. I decided to check out the snack offerings in the concierge lounge.

Salt water taffy is available outside of the lounge. It looked good!

Inside, there was a variety of snacks: chips and dip, cookies, yogurt-covered pretzels, swedish fish, and trail mix.

The chips looked really good.

The offerings in the lounge looked good, but we had to get to Hollywood Studios for lunch. I had a few yogurt-covered pretzels and a glass of water, then we were on our way.

 

[emmysmommy]

Does the BC lounge still have the refrigerated case with can/bottle beverages to the right of the counter? I recall when we stayed CL there that their yogurt pretzel jar always lost about a pound of its content when I walked through there! Love those things!

 

[happy2012]

Hope you get to try Yacht Club soon! It's a lovely hotel - the atmosphere is quiet and peaceful, but you're a stone's throw away from the 'fun' at Boardwalk, Beach Club, and Stormalong Bay.


I'm sure the gelato at Citricos was amazing (we had the gelato trio there, but the flavors were different: raspberry, mocha, and almond). It's nice to see gelato at more and more places in WDW - even Art of Animation will be serving up a few flavors!


Thanks for reading! More are on the way.

I could vacation @ Stormalong Bay alone.
We'll be doing a split stay: AOA & SSR [don't think I mentioned that] So it's Fantastic that you just so happened to mention they'll have gelato there!! Hope it's GF good.

Your review of Chefs was great. Your dish looked so yummy & healthy!! It's a shame that dessert was just ok b/c my stomach rumbled when I saw the pic!!

Club Level looks really fun. Since I've never stayed CL I wouldn't know how to act.You'd be likely to find my face in that jar of sweedish fish!!! My fave!!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Does the BC lounge still have the refrigerated case with can/bottle beverages to the right of the counter? I recall when we stayed CL there that their yogurt pretzel jar always lost about a pound of its content when I walked through there! Love those things!

Yep - there were still plenty of beverages available - lots of sodas in the refrigerator during the day, and in the evening the fridge was also stocked with alcoholic beverages (which you could request during the day even before they were brought out). None of this mattered to us, since the only beverages we got in the lounge were water and tea. We're boring like that.

I could vacation @ Stormalong Bay alone.
We'll be doing a split stay: AOA & SSR [don't think I mentioned that] So it's Fantastic that you just so happened to mention they'll have gelato there!! Hope it's GF good.

Your review of Chefs was great. Your dish looked so yummy & healthy!! It's a shame that dessert was just ok b/c my stomach rumbled when I saw the pic!!

Club Level looks really fun. Since I've never stayed CL I wouldn't know how to act.You'd be likely to find my face in that jar of sweedish fish!!! My fave!!

So cool that you're trying Art of Animation! Honestly, we'd consider staying there for the food court alone (this website has several pics). I hope you enjoy AOA (and SSR - the walk to DTD sounds lovely)!

You'd be fine in club level. The atmosphere is casual since it's full of families and children, and most people are there to have some snacks and relax (surprisingly, I've seen people become super drunk and belligerent in the lounge, and then start swearing off the CM's and other guests! Just avoid being that person ).

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

We had lunch at one of our favorite restaurants in WDW (and our favorite theme park restaurant), Hollywood Brown Derby. I love this place not only for the Old Hollywood atmosphere, but also the food that I feel is quite upscale and creative for theme park cuisine.

Here was the menu during our meal:

Before our food came out, we received some bread. The rolls were warm and served with a delicious salted butter.

My mom chose to have two appetizers instead of an entree. Here's the feuilles de brick napoleon of bleu affinée, wild mushroom duxelles, grilled portobello, golden chanterelles, and a fig reduction. I didn't try it, because she said the blue cheese flavor was strong.

She also got the cobb salad with finely chopped greens, turkey breast, bacon, egg, tomatoes, avocado, crumbled blue cheese, chives, and dressing (on the side). She didn't love her meal overall - ordering two dishes with a strong blue cheese flavor was a bad idea, as she was overwhelmed by the flavor (and she usually loves blue cheese). The cobb salad went unfinished.

I picked an entree, the duck two ways: duck pastrami over a pear and melon salad with white balsamic, honey, and vanilla reduction, in addition to duck confit with farro risotto and a spicy onion citrus jam.

This dish was outstanding. The duck pastrami had a peppery, pastrami-like spice blend rubbed all over the outside, and it tasted great with cool, fruity pear and melon salad (the salad had some mint mixed in, which added a lovely refreshing flavor). As for the other component, hidden underneath the sweet and spicy jam was a generous portion of tender, salty duck confit, which I loved with the warm, earthy farro risotto. This is probably the best dish I've had at Brown Derby in years.

For dessert, my mom chose the signature grapefruit cake, which she normally likes. This time, she felt it was too sweet. I tried some and it tasted the same as always to me. I guess she just wasn't in the mood (and neither was I, as I ended up far preferring my dessert).

There's only one other dessert at Brown Derby (besides the grapefruit cake) that I've really enjoyed, and I decided to order it again: the warm seasonal fruit cobbler with crème fraîche and orange blossom honey. This cobbler seemed to include strawberry and blueberry.

The fruit component was delightfully gooey, but I could still detect individual pieces of strawberry. The fruit component also wasn't too sweet, with the orange blossom honey adding a unique sweetness, and the crème frâiche slowly melting as it added a rich, creamy flavor. The amount of crumble on top was perfect, IMO. My mom tried some of this, and she strongly preferred my choice. Once again, it was amazing!

Overall, my mom wasn't so happy with the choices she made. But for me, this was the best meal I've had at Brown Derby in a long time, and it renewed my confidence that this place is still capable of serving up creative food that's at the same level as the resort signature restaurants.

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

I have had HBD on and off our list several times for our August trip. It is currently off, but that duck dish is making me rethink! That looks delicious! There are just too many places I want to eat & just not enough days!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

I have had HBD on and off our list several times for our August trip. It is currently off, but that duck dish is making me rethink! That looks delicious! There are just too many places I want to eat & just not enough days!

If only there weren't so many options, then we wouldn't have the issue of trying to fit everywhere in. Regardless of where you pick, I'm sure you'll have some great meals.

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

If only there weren't so many options, then we wouldn't have the issue of trying to fit everywhere in. Regardless of where you pick, I'm sure you'll have some great meals.

I just changed Raglan Road for HBD. Both DH and DS agreed so I did it. It's an addicition I tell ya! What am I going to do when there is nothing else that I can change!