Be Our Guest Gluten Free/Dairy Free Review

[snorris49]

Hi everyone! Just got back from a long weekend at WDW and got the chance to dine at BOG for dinner. Here's my review! Pics are on my blog page (you'd think I'd figure how to upload pics after so many years on the boards, but no! )

I originally didn't get any reservations until January 2013! However, special previews have been happening for press, cast members, and select guests during the preview period. As a Tables in Wonderland member (a discount card for dining at Walt Disney World restaurants), I received an email a few weeks ago to get a special preview of the restaurant. I was so excited, but didn't have any high expectations that I would get an ADR due to the difficulty Annual Passholder previews had been for the Fantasyland expansion itself (it was crazy!). However, I was lucky enough to score a reservation at 4pm on November 18 for dinner (I'm still hoping to check out the lunch options soon!)

With that in mind, I began busily planning out my meal (or at least what I thought might be my meal!!). The menu for BOG is decidedly French, as one might expect from the French inspired decor. Lots of gratins and sauces. In looking at the menu ahead of time, I had suspected that the Rotisserie Cornish Hen was likely the safest option. And so I patiently waited for our ADRs!

On the day of our reservation, we headed to the new Fantasyland area. We got there about 30 minutes early, so it was a good time to check out the sights and sounds. We tried to check in early, but were not able to do so. At this time (due to high capacity and requests), they ask that you check in at exactly 15 minutes prior to your ADR. In fact, we were not taken in to the restaurant until exactly 4pm when the restaurant opened. While we waited, we were given a pager and told to wait in front of the bridge and that once our pager went off we would be seated inside. During this time, we took a look around and took some pictures.

I will note there were some total meltdowns from people wanting to have walk in seating at BOG. Oh boy. Not such magical behavior. I understand that folks attend previews and hope to be able to score a dinner there, but it says on your preview sheet that it's not open for dining. I felt bad for the poor CM who was at checkin, but she was very professional and polite despite people literally yelling and almost screaming at her.

Finally, the time came for our pager to go off! We were so excited to head into the restaurant. I had been able to check it out during the Annual Passholder preview but was not prepared for the amazing ambiance in the restaurant. It was truly breathtaking. The dining room is a mammoth ballroom with huge chandeliers (like in Beauty & the Beast) and amazing murals. There is a side room that is dedicated to the Beast (more on that later) as well. The one thing that I will note is that the lighting is not particularly great for taking photographs, so a lot of my pictures came out fairly dark especially the side wing dedicated to the Beast.

We were seated at the very back of the ballroom, next to the large windows with scenes of the French countryside. Wow. This was so amazing. The windows made it feel like we were transported to France. The mountains were in the background with beautiful pine trees and snow. Yes, it was snowing. The way Disney Imagineers designed this was brilliant, and really made the ambiance come to life. It was gorgeous, and we were so excited to be seated there. The table settings were also lovely. The napkins were folded into gorgeous red roses. Beautiful!

Our server greeted us, and she could not have been more in character. Disney has done some wonderful training and character background for these servers. Ours was very polite and conscientious--we had lots of refills on our drinks and excellent service. She took our drink order and said she would get the chef. This was exciting to be in a new restaurant and to see what French inspired foods might be available.

The chef greeted us by asking what I might like. The first thing I asked about was the appetizer. We had been very hungry (having missed lunch due to a very busy day at the Orlando Premium Outlets) and wanted something to nosh on before our entrees. I had been eying the Assorted Cured Meats and Sausages appetizer. The chef told me that this would be gluten free with the change out of bread but that he needed to see if the pates were dairy free. He said he would include the regular baguette for my guests and include gluten free/dairy free bread for me. I forgot to ask him what the bread was (sorry, I was in awe of the restaurant). We then talked about the entrees. He said that we could do the rotisserie Cornish hen without any modifications--so if you're gluten and dairy free, this is the easiest one for you. He also said he could do the thyme scented pork rack chop (which I later wished I had ordered) and sub out the sides with roasted fingerling potatoes and a roasted vegetable. The steak is also a very good option for gluten and dairy diners. The only modification would be the removal of the garlic herb butter. He indicated that the ratatouille would be OK, but since I didn't want that one, he didn't go into major details with this. The salmon and sauteed shrimp and scallops were the two hardest to accommodate for the special diets. I decided to play it safe the first time and go with the rotisserie Cornish hen.

I also asked the chef about the dessert options, knowing that there is a gluten free lemon-raspberry cream puff. This is not safe for dairy allergies (as I expected). The only options they had at this time for gluten and dairy was sorbet and fresh fruit. Since neither really appealed to me, I opted for no dessert.

First up came our appetizer. Wow, this was actually my favorite part of the meal. I loved it. The chef said when he brought it out that the only thing he couldn't include was some type of pate/mousse which contained dairy. Everything else was safe. So, we definitely dug right in!

The board contained a variety of meats and accompaniments. The first is the cornichons. I love all things related to pickles. These had a lovely flavor, good crisp and weren't overly salty. These went fast! Next up was the salami. This was nothing to special--good but your basic salami. Next up was the prosciutto. Love! One of my favs. Then there were two types of sausages. The first had a slight sweet taste to it. I still can't put my finger on the flavor, but it was quite good (some of the folks at my table did not like it as well). The other sausage was more savory. This was excellent. I might have to stake my claim on all those the next time! Next up were the pickled onions. I admit, I skipped this one, but the rest of my table really enjoyed them. Then there was the pate. This was not such a winner for me. I tried it, but not a fan (sorry, liver is an acquired taste that I don't seem to have every acquired!). Luckily, we had one guest at the table who loved it. The stone ground mustard was fabulous. I was scarfing this down with the meats and bread. And the last cured meat was a type of ham that was very smoked and divine. Another one of my favorites.

The rolls I had with this I could not place. They were not Udi's and not GNI brand. I still can't figure it out! I didn't get a chance to query the chef again because it was so busy in there. However, next time I will ask for sure! I'm wondering if it's the frozen dough that I've heard about from other Disney guests who said they are using it for pizza dough and rolls. It really had an interesting combination. I think it must have had a fair amount of tapioca in it because once they cooled down, they got pretty hard. They had a slightly spongy texture and were a cross between an Ener-G roll and Udi's. If anyone knows what brand these are, I'd love to hear about it!

Then it was time for the entrees. I will say that Cornish hens are kind of a pain to eat! Little birds equal difficulty cutting and eating. My poor plate was not holding up well while trying to cut it; it kept sliding on the tablecloth. Taste wise, it was OK. I wouldn't say it was the best rotisserie poultry that I've ever had, but it wasn't the worst. It was pretty basic roast hen. The roasted fingerling potatoes were also nothing to write home about. Just basic, but good. Same with the roasted asparagus. I will say I like the grilled asparagus at Boma much better, but I also love asparagus, so I didn't dislike it. It also came with a pan jus, which was quite good and added some needed moisture to the plate. The portions I think are fairly good. Between the appetizer and entree, I was very full. The other diners at my table had dessert and they were stuffed. I will say that one guest had the thyme scented pork chop and they raved about it. I wish I would have ordered that instead.

Lastly, we came up to the dessert portion. I was slightly bummed they didn't have a more creative dairy free option, but no worries. I was pretty full. I will note that the cream puff was on the same cart as the rest of the desserts. Not sure how I feel about a gluten free dessert in with the rest of the others. Seems like a higher chance of cross contamination in my opinion. Still, it looked delicious.

Overall, I thought BOG had a really good variety of options for gluten and dairy free. I wouldn't say I was overly wowed by my entree, but I thought it was a solid meal. I loved the appetizer. I think this will be a terrific option for anyone wanting table service without eating at a buffet or a very costly 2 credit meal in the Magic Kingdom. I'm looking forward to going back and trying out some of the other items on the menu and seeing how the restaurant evolves in the future.

 

[dawnball]

I will note that the cream puff was on the same cart as the rest of the desserts. Not sure how I feel about a gluten free dessert in with the rest of the others. Seems like a higher chance of cross contamination in my opinion. Still, it looked delicious.

When we've ordered the gluten free cream puff (as part of a GF meal), it's come hand-carried from the kitchen, or on a cart with nothing else in the top section, not off the dessert cart.

It's also the sugar-free dessert (and my gluten-eating family members think it's the best of the cream puffs), so I suspect it's on the cart as an option for anyone who might want it and not be concerned with cross-contamination.

 

[snorris49]

When we've ordered the gluten free cream puff (as part of a GF meal), it's come hand-carried from the kitchen, or on a cart with nothing else in the top section, not off the dessert cart.

It's also the sugar-free dessert (and my gluten-eating family members think it's the best of the cream puffs), so I suspect it's on the cart as an option for anyone who might want it and not be concerned with cross-contamination.

Oh good! I'm so relieved to hear that. I was pretty concerned when I saw them.

 

[soarinfan]

Anyone know what the sugar free puff dessert is sweetened with?

 

[Random Ninja]

Anyone know what the sugar free puff dessert is sweetened with?

I'm allergic to aspartame, sucralose, and sorbitol. The chef said I couldn't have any of the deserts so I would assume one of those.

 

[happytiggerfan]

When we've ordered the gluten free cream puff (as part of a GF meal), it's come hand-carried from the kitchen, or on a cart with nothing else in the top section, not off the dessert cart.

It's also the sugar-free dessert (and my gluten-eating family members think it's the best of the cream puffs), so I suspect it's on the cart as an option for anyone who might want it and not be concerned with cross-contamination.

How great! I have missed cream puffs since I had to go GF 2.5 years ago. Thanks for letting us know!

 

[clanmcculloch]

So, where the lunch review? You know that you wanna go.... Do it for all your followers.... Take one for the team.... LOL

You do make me want to try dinner even though we're practially never in a park at dinner time. That appetizer plate alone sounds wonderful (my kids would devour the salami and prosciutto while I eat the rest; I can't eat pork though I can handle it on the same plate as everything else).

 

[Wrekless]

I apologize but I did not remember to take pictures. However, I did eat lunch there last Friday 12/7/12. The line was out past the bridge into Fantasy land but it did move quickly. They get you to the podium, hand you a rose then put us in line behind one of the menu kiosks.

When we were in line outside we asked how this works with food allergies. They told us that the kiosks were setup to handle them but we could ask for a manager or attendant if we were uncomfortable with that. (we are)

Now when we got to the podium and the kiosk we asked who we could talk to about ingredients and food prep areas and were told rather shortly that everything is handled by the kiosk. So we go to the kiosk. We have 3 people with GF DF and 3 with no allergies. So we ordered them first. It was easy and I liked it.

At the top you can hit a menu for allergies and it drops down and you select what you can't eat (fish, dairy, peanuts, etc) and it removes items from the menu and in some cases adds what they do have that meets your criteria. You can select as many of the restrictions as you have and it will update accordingly.

Here is where the problems started. I think the selecting of allergy part works well but some of the options don't have pictures yet, and do not have detailed descriptions. So if you have some non-standard allergies (ie certain ingredients) there is no way to know what you are getting. Also some of the options look like they have an overlay menu that say +custom order. But when you select custom order it just adds it to your order.

There are attendants roaming the area to help but they knew nothing about dining with allergies or allergy options. They just kept adding people behind us and wanted to know if we were done with the kiosk yet so the next group could use it. They also refused to get us a manager or someone that knew what they were talking about. With the huge lines they are clearly wanting to push people through rather than deal with issues like ours.

We ended up with 2 steak sandwiches on millet bread and a turkey sandwich. We were so frazzled by this point that I just wanted to walk out and my wife was ready to cry. But we went ahead and sat down to see what would happen. The first issue I noticed is that one of our drinks was missing and my son had a Ham instead of Turkey sandwich on the receipt. With the kiosks and huge lines there is no way to get this corrected or order another drink. We asked every CM we could find but there was no way to fix a messed up order. They did give me a free drink for the one not on the receipt. Also the receipt has the allergies clearly marked for each item.

The food is brought out on carts to your table. Even for the counter service lunch. For allergy orders they hand carry out each item by a sr CM and Chef so there is no cross contamination. From here on everything went great. The chef came out with the food and talked to us about ingredients and how they prepare the food in the back. I am a very sensitive Celiac so cross contamination is a huge deal for me. He completely put us at ease and allowed me to enjoy the meal.

I thought the food was delicious but mine was dropped during the hand carry out and a new steak cooked, was hurried, so ended up med instead of well done. To me it was perfect. My wife's was well done ( the only way you can order it) and was a bit tough. My daughter enjoyed the turkey sandwich. They also had GF fries and sweet potatoes wedges.

I am only dairy intolerant not allergic so I cheated and tried one of the GF lemon cream puffs. I thought it was ok but my wife absolutely loved hers.

So the short version is I despise the ordering setup here, but the chef, food, and decor were awesome. Also the bathroom is far too small for the size of the restaurant, there were long lines for both the mens and womens. (tmi I know)

I would eat here again but would probably demand a manager at the order station. Being able to eat out is one of the reasons I go to Disney, it is the only place I've been able to go and not get sick every time I don't prepare my own food. I understand how they deal with allergies is manpower and resource intensive but its why we spend our money there. I don't think automated kiosks is the answer and I hope is not a trend for the future. There are too many variables in what people have problems with.

Anyway sorry for writing a book.

 

[clanmcculloch]

Thanks for the review Wrekless. VERY appreciated.

From what you're saying, basically, if you have an allergy that's not top 8 you're SOL? I can't imagine that they have every single type of allergy in the computer. This is not encouraging. My kids definitely have some not so common allergies so I'm trying to figure out how that gets handled with the system you described. Not encouraging at all.

 

[Wrekless]

For the automated system if you aren't in the top 8 or need more information then yes you are out of luck. Now there were 2 stations with dedicated CMs but we were not allowed to use them.

Also per the outside BOG CMs we should have been able to talk to a manager, the CMs on the inside were just trying to survive the crush and push people through. My hope is that once they get used to it and the initial rush dies down it will operate more like the other restaurants at WDW.

In retrospect what I should have done is insist to speak to a manager or chef at the podium when we got the rose. We were a bit overwhelmed too though. Lots to see and take in with a huge crowd around you.

I'm curious to find out how other people with allergies have done there at lunch.

 

[Random Ninja]

I went to BOG during the passholder preview on the 17th. My allergies are tapioca, dairy, mustard, wheat, seafood, alcohol, and artifical sweeteners. When I got to the podium, I mentioned I have allergies and was sent to one of lines with a CM. I took one look and knew the kiosk wouldn't work. I flagged down a wandering CM and asked how to put in uncommon allergies. I handed over my list and he called the manager who called the chef.

The manager told me to go wait in the Beast's chair for the chef to come out. The chef was very careful with my allergies and seemed to understand, well he tried. I ended up with a steak and some plain greens. It was a bit disappointing but the steak was good and I didn't have a reaction so I count it as a success. There were no options for me for desert. All they have is the cream puff things. There weren't any allergy options aside from the GF/SF puff.

I won't go back for lunch. My options are already limited and I don't like sweet potato. It was also an expensive meal since they charged me full price even though I only got half the meal. It's a hastle working with uncommon allergies and they didn't seem well equiped to handle them. I've heard good things about dinner but I'm going to wait a long time to let them work out some of the kinks before another attempt.

 

[clanmcculloch]

Well, the day in my itinerary where I had planned on trying BOG for lunch now has an ADR at Tony's. I've never tried it and now that I've read that they have what looks to be GFCF meatballs I became intrigued and figure I'll give that a try (meatballs being a favourite food for DD12).