Cat Cora and Kouzzina

[Scarletyoshi]

Hi all. It's getting closer and closer to the time to make our ADRs and I'm still all over the place. One restaurant that I'd really like to try is Kouzzina because I'm a huge fan of Cat Cora. I'm interested in anyone's general opinions but there's one thing I'm specifically curious about: How often is Cat actually there? I'd love it if there was even a snowball's chance in Maleficent's Steam Room that we could meet her, but with all the things she has going on I can't imagine she spends much time cooking for tourists. Is she a regular presence or is it more of a special occasion kind of thing?

Thanks all.

[Tropical Wilds]

Absolutely less than zero.

She is the operator of the restaurant, not the chef. It means that she may or may not have had varying levels of input into everything from design to the menu, nothing more. In some celebrity operated establishments, their name simply graces the door and the menu is inspired by their general cooking style, and that's the whole of their involvement. At Kouzzina, she is not the chef-in-residence, nor has she ever been the chef-in-residence.

Considering for at last the least 2 years, Kat Kora hasn't even been able to maintain her scheduled engagements for the Food and Wine Festival at EPCOT, the chance of seeing her at Disney on her own in her restaurant is virtually nothing. The only time I ever saw mention of her being there was at the grand opening and she was spotted dining there in 2009 with her family after her speech at the Food and Wine Fest, shortly after it opened. Even then, she was not a chef, she was the diner, and she was in a private section.

[papertraveller]

Hi,
I can't speak to the presence of the celebrity chef herself, but we so love this restaurant. I just finished making ADRs for our new year visit and Kouzzina was on the top of the list for the family. DD and I are drooling at the thought of the cinnamon chicken. As I recall, we had the sampler and everything was sensational.
But what DD still talks about is the olive oil in the appetizer -- three different kinds that we dipped our bread in. Oh, and DD was 11!
Book it! You won't' regret it.

[mommommom]

Our waitress told me that Cat Cora comes by every few months, but isn't there much. That said, go there! It was my family's favorite restaurant (that includes my son, 11 at the time). The food was amazing. My son and I both ordered a pork tenderloin dish that I would highly recommend, and my husband got a fish stew at the recommendation of our waitress. I was skeptical, but it really was delicious. We ordered a dessert too. Everything was great. I would love to go back.

[Scarletyoshi]

Originally Posted by Tropical Wilds

Absolutely less than zero.

I figured that might be the case.

Originally Posted by papertraveller

DD and I are drooling at the thought of the cinnamon chicken.

I usually avoid chicken when I eat out, but it does seem delicious! I'm oscillating between the Fisherman's Stew and the Kouzzina Trio. I think you might have pushed me over to the chicken side,

Originally Posted by mommommom

My son and I both ordered a pork tenderloin dish that I would highly recommend, and my husband got a fish stew at the recommendation of our waitress. I was skeptical, but it really was delicious. We ordered a dessert too. Everything was great. I would love to go back.

Ahhh, now I want the stew again! Maybe I'll just have to get both,

It looks like I'm definitely headed to Kouzzina, even if Cat wont be there! Maybe there's some bad blood between her and a certain mouse.

[TheRustyScupper]

1) Cat Cora does nto visit often.
2) And, probably doesn't care about the place that much.
3) This based upon the food, service and ambience.
4) Good palce for breakfast, but pas it by for other meals.

*************************************************

Our Ratings of Kouzzina (dinner): (rev 4/5/2012)
. . . food price value: C
. . . food quality: D
. . . food quantity per serving: B
. . . food prep speed: C
. . . food selection: C
. . . seating quantity: B
. . . seating comfort: C
. . . eatery atmosphere: D
. . . eatery convenience: C
. . . staff friendliness: B
. . . staff attentiveness: D
. . . character interaction: n/a

NOTE: The food, although named "Greek" resembled Greek in
name only. Very, very Americanized. My $32-steak was dry and her
$27-lamb was overcooked. Both had to be sent back to the kitchen.
The daughter had the sampler. Pretty small, 6-7 bites for the three
items. Poor room design makes for terrible acoustics, making it
one of the noisiest eateries in WDW - worse than Chef Mickey’s on
a bad day. As many people have offered, the service is VERY
spotty. We waited 19-minutes to see the waiter AFTER being
seated (5:54pm-6:13pm).

(I guess when you get to be a famous chef, you don't care about your
restaurant, as long as the bucks flow in - or it seems that way.)

[kathie859]

Not much of a chance to see her-BUT I bought a signed copy of one of her cookbooks there

The fisherman's stew is simply marvelous! We enjoy Kouzzina very much and agree that the breakfast is one of the best on property.

[disneynutz]

Kouzzina is owned and operated by Disney with Cat consulting on the menu.

Bill

[owl0306]

best meals we had in disney were at Kouzzina's! loved breakfast and dinner! We stayed at yacht for 5 nights and ate at Kouzzina's 3 times

[Mcert01]

Originally Posted by Scarletyoshi

I figured that might be the case.


I usually avoid chicken when I eat out, but it does seem delicious! I'm oscillating between the Fisherman's Stew and the Kouzzina Trio. I think you might have pushed me over to the chicken side,



Ahhh, now I want the stew again! Maybe I'll just have to get both,

It looks like I'm definitely headed to Kouzzina, even if Cat wont be there! Maybe there's some bad blood between her and a certain mouse.

The whole family loves it!

I had the trio last year and loved it! The cinnamon stewed chicken is crazy good, as is the Greek Lasagna. The lamb burger was excellent as well. The reason I got the trio is that I couldn't make up my mind, so I figured 3 is better than 1!

Regardless if Cat Kora is there, they are her recipes, and the chef is preparing them does so extremely well.

This one gets a two thumbs up.

[Scarletyoshi]

Wow, that breakfast menu does look pretty tasty. I think I'm gonna have to fin a way to get out there for breakfast too.

[resablue]

Originally Posted by TheRustyScupper

1) Cat Cora does nto visit often.
2) And, probably doesn't care about the place that much.
3) This based upon the food, service and ambience.
4) Good palce for breakfast, but pas it by for other meals.

*************************************************

Our Ratings of Kouzzina (dinner): (rev 4/5/2012)
. . . food price value: C
. . . food quality: D
. . . food quantity per serving: B
. . . food prep speed: C
. . . food selection: C
. . . seating quantity: B
. . . seating comfort: C
. . . eatery atmosphere: D
. . . eatery convenience: C
. . . staff friendliness: B
. . . staff attentiveness: D
. . . character interaction: n/a

NOTE: The food, although named "Greek" resembled Greek in
name only. Very, very Americanized. My $32-steak was dry and her
$27-lamb was overcooked. Both had to be sent back to the kitchen.
The daughter had the sampler. Pretty small, 6-7 bites for the three
items. Poor room design makes for terrible acoustics, making it
one of the noisiest eateries in WDW - worse than Chef Mickey’s on
a bad day. As many people have offered, the service is VERY
spotty. We waited 19-minutes to see the waiter AFTER being
seated (5:54pm-6:13pm).

(I guess when you get to be a famous chef, you don't care about your
restaurant, as long as the bucks flow in - or it seems that way.)

I agree...I hated this restaurant. We ordered the calamari it was not good. the ribeye was fatty and bland. I know I could make a tastier meal with a cut of meat bought at stop and shop. The cheese cake was not good it was lumpy. I can't believe some of these raving reviews. The prices are out of control. This was so disappointing. Also, the coffee frappe had about 10 ounces of actual drink, the rest was ice and air with of course no refill...

[amyy]

You may want to treat your self and try the chef's menu at night. Just looked at our menu and that is what it says on it. One thing I really liked about Chef Dee is that she made me a separate menu since I didn't like the choices offered. I am a picky eater. It is very reasonably priced and we were very pleased with everything. Also love breakfast here.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/di...a-nation-room/

Here are a few pictures. I see a few of us agree about the breakfast so I added a few photos. It is for everyone and luckily Disney has tons of restaurants to pick from. And yes, I am one of those who takes pictures of everything including a bowl of oatmeal

[TheRustyScupper]

Originally Posted by amyy

. . . try the chef's table at night. It is very reasonably priced and we were very pleased with everything . . .

1) Actually, Kouzzina DOES NOT have a Chef's Table.
2) They have a catering room
. . . near the exit
. . . far away from the kitchen
3) It is a prepared meal, not at all like a chef's meal, that is why it is cheap.
. . . age 10 and above
. . . up to 24 people
. . . preselected 5-course meal
. . . Friday and Saturday Evening at 6:30pm, only
4) The pre-fixe dinner
. . . same price adult or child
. . . Adult: $73.49, Child: $73.49 (after tax, before tip)


Appetizers - Mezze Tasting Plate:
. . . House-made Ricotta with Lemon-Mint Chutney
. . . Rabbit Sausage with Mavrodaphne-Onion Relish
. . . Duck Confit with Gigantes Purée and Quince Jam
Entrées
. . . Prosciutto-wrapped Gooseberry Cove Cod with Spiced Squash Purée, and Florida Cape Shrimp Saganaki
. . . Lavender Mustard Lamb Loin with Cipollini Stifado, Toasted Orzo, and Chanterelles
Sides
. . . Salates (Appetizers) : Baby Greens, Endive, Heirloom Cherry Tomato, Aged Feta, and Glazed Beets with Aged Sherry Vinaigrette
. . . Soupa (Soup): Crimson Lentil Apple and Greek Loukanika with Hummus-Yogurt Garnish
Desserts:
. . . House-made Loukoumades,
. . . Vanilla-Rose Gelato,
. . . Mini Budino,
. . . Goat’s Milk Yogurt,
. . . Sour Cherry Spoon Sweets, and
. . . Halva

[Ro Z]

We stay at BWV a lot but Kouzzina didn't interest us. BUT our favorite server from POR River Roost, Hollie, has moved over to Kouzzina and I made a breakfast ressie as soon as I found out!