- Joined
- Jul 22, 2006
- Messages
- 5,539
It's been almost a week since our wonderful French Regional Lunch at Bistro de Paris. I'm nearly sober, again... nearly.
My goodness, what a wonderful event. I'm so glad I was able to get the reservation. I thought the price ($99 per person plus tax, gratuity included) was a little steep when I booked the reservation, but in retrospect, now feel it was a bargain for what we received. I suppose part of my hesitation on the price up front was the fact that very little information on the event was available in the Food and Wine Festival documentation. I think Disney needs to do a better job of describing this event in the future. The only description on the official web site was, Savor cuisine and wine from different regions in France. Lunch is prepared by the restaurant's chefs, with wines presented by a visiting winery principal. Wow, what an understatement.
We've eaten in Chefs de France in the past, but have never had an opportunity to enjoy the 2nd floor Bistro de Paris. We will certainly go back, if for no other reason than to see if a meal off the menu is as wonderful as the Food and Wine Festival special event. I will say that I enjoyed the food and wine almost as much as Ive enjoyed previous visits to Victoria and Alberts. (I dont mean to compare the atmosphere of the two venues, and certainly the level of personalized service at V&A cant compare to a banquet-type event on any level, but none the less, V&A is the closest Disney dining experience to which I can draw a comparison for this event.)
We were kept waiting in a queue on the street outside the restaurant until exactly at Noon when the event started. The check-in process was quick and painless. Everyone with a reservation already had a table assignment, and the staff quickly got us to our table. We were a party of two, so we were seated at a table with two other couples. We got to know them quite well as the meal progressed (and the wine flowed). I was disappointed at first not to have a private table, but I must admit after the fact that sharing the experience with others really made the meal more enjoyable. One couple with us were both chefs. It was very interesting to hear their opinions of the various dishes that were served, and it enhanced the experience for us. They were also DVC members, as are we, so we talked extensively about DVC resorts too. The other couple with us were from the local area, and were at the event on a date. At the end of the meal, we felt wed formed enough of a bond that we all exchanged emails.
Our meal was based on the Burgundy region of France. The speaker was Grégory Patriat from the J.C. Boisset winery. He had some very interesting things to say, and for the most part, I enjoyed his presentation. He had a very thick French accent and was difficult at times to understand unless I paid very close attention, though. Unfortunately, he tended to ramble on at times. For one wine, he went on so long that most of the room began to drift off into other conversations. The room grew so loud that someone had to "ping" several times on a wine glass to quiet the room and bring our attention back to the speaker. Aside from that one occurrence, he was witty and poignant. His explanation of the benefits of screw-top caps on wine was very enlightening. I'd always just assumed that only cheap wines had screw-tops, and that nice wines had corks. If he's to be believed, that isn't the case. Several of the wines we were served -- from screw-top bottles -- were very nice.
The meal consisted of an amuse bouche followed by four courses. The first course was a escargot ravioli. The second was a veal dish with one of the most wonderful sauces Ive ever eaten. This was followed by a cheese course, and then finally a dessert. (Ill scan and post a copy of the menu later.) Each course, including the amuse bouche, had an accompanying wine pairing. The wait staff were not shy about refilling these wine glasses throughout each course. I'm afraid I lost count, but wouldn't doubt that I had 10-12 glasses of wine during the 3 1/2 hour meal. (LOL, please don't think me a lush. That's more wine than I'd had total in the preceding six months combined.)
I don't pretend to be a wine connoisseur on any level. However, I will say that even with my uneducated pallet, I was able to taste how well the pairings went with the food. The food itself was absolutely wonderful. I found the amuse bouche, a type of cheese soup, to be slightly in need of salt, but could find absolutely no fault with anything else served to me.
I will note one disappointment. I really wish the chef had also been asked to speak with each course. I would dearly have loved to hear about the food as well as the wine. Id have enjoyed hearing what made each dish relevant to the Burgundy region, and would have liked to have had a better understanding of what we were eating. (When I post the menu, youll see that there is not much explanation of the dishes.) The ravioli dish had a green puree served with it. It was absolutely delicious. Between us, we were trying to guess what it was. (Here was a benefit of having two chefs in their own right sitting with us.) In the end, we decided it was probably a parsley puree.
If youre looking for a purely delightful way to spend an afternoon at the Food and Wine Festival, this is it. Make sure to take Disney transportation to Epcot that day, though. You wont want to drive home anytime soon. (Also, please dont make the same mistake we did, and schedule a Mixology Seminar for later the same afternoon! We found ourselves drinking multiple Bacardi Rum drinks during that.)
My goodness, what a wonderful event. I'm so glad I was able to get the reservation. I thought the price ($99 per person plus tax, gratuity included) was a little steep when I booked the reservation, but in retrospect, now feel it was a bargain for what we received. I suppose part of my hesitation on the price up front was the fact that very little information on the event was available in the Food and Wine Festival documentation. I think Disney needs to do a better job of describing this event in the future. The only description on the official web site was, Savor cuisine and wine from different regions in France. Lunch is prepared by the restaurant's chefs, with wines presented by a visiting winery principal. Wow, what an understatement.
We've eaten in Chefs de France in the past, but have never had an opportunity to enjoy the 2nd floor Bistro de Paris. We will certainly go back, if for no other reason than to see if a meal off the menu is as wonderful as the Food and Wine Festival special event. I will say that I enjoyed the food and wine almost as much as Ive enjoyed previous visits to Victoria and Alberts. (I dont mean to compare the atmosphere of the two venues, and certainly the level of personalized service at V&A cant compare to a banquet-type event on any level, but none the less, V&A is the closest Disney dining experience to which I can draw a comparison for this event.)
We were kept waiting in a queue on the street outside the restaurant until exactly at Noon when the event started. The check-in process was quick and painless. Everyone with a reservation already had a table assignment, and the staff quickly got us to our table. We were a party of two, so we were seated at a table with two other couples. We got to know them quite well as the meal progressed (and the wine flowed). I was disappointed at first not to have a private table, but I must admit after the fact that sharing the experience with others really made the meal more enjoyable. One couple with us were both chefs. It was very interesting to hear their opinions of the various dishes that were served, and it enhanced the experience for us. They were also DVC members, as are we, so we talked extensively about DVC resorts too. The other couple with us were from the local area, and were at the event on a date. At the end of the meal, we felt wed formed enough of a bond that we all exchanged emails.
Our meal was based on the Burgundy region of France. The speaker was Grégory Patriat from the J.C. Boisset winery. He had some very interesting things to say, and for the most part, I enjoyed his presentation. He had a very thick French accent and was difficult at times to understand unless I paid very close attention, though. Unfortunately, he tended to ramble on at times. For one wine, he went on so long that most of the room began to drift off into other conversations. The room grew so loud that someone had to "ping" several times on a wine glass to quiet the room and bring our attention back to the speaker. Aside from that one occurrence, he was witty and poignant. His explanation of the benefits of screw-top caps on wine was very enlightening. I'd always just assumed that only cheap wines had screw-tops, and that nice wines had corks. If he's to be believed, that isn't the case. Several of the wines we were served -- from screw-top bottles -- were very nice.
The meal consisted of an amuse bouche followed by four courses. The first course was a escargot ravioli. The second was a veal dish with one of the most wonderful sauces Ive ever eaten. This was followed by a cheese course, and then finally a dessert. (Ill scan and post a copy of the menu later.) Each course, including the amuse bouche, had an accompanying wine pairing. The wait staff were not shy about refilling these wine glasses throughout each course. I'm afraid I lost count, but wouldn't doubt that I had 10-12 glasses of wine during the 3 1/2 hour meal. (LOL, please don't think me a lush. That's more wine than I'd had total in the preceding six months combined.)
I don't pretend to be a wine connoisseur on any level. However, I will say that even with my uneducated pallet, I was able to taste how well the pairings went with the food. The food itself was absolutely wonderful. I found the amuse bouche, a type of cheese soup, to be slightly in need of salt, but could find absolutely no fault with anything else served to me.
I will note one disappointment. I really wish the chef had also been asked to speak with each course. I would dearly have loved to hear about the food as well as the wine. Id have enjoyed hearing what made each dish relevant to the Burgundy region, and would have liked to have had a better understanding of what we were eating. (When I post the menu, youll see that there is not much explanation of the dishes.) The ravioli dish had a green puree served with it. It was absolutely delicious. Between us, we were trying to guess what it was. (Here was a benefit of having two chefs in their own right sitting with us.) In the end, we decided it was probably a parsley puree.
If youre looking for a purely delightful way to spend an afternoon at the Food and Wine Festival, this is it. Make sure to take Disney transportation to Epcot that day, though. You wont want to drive home anytime soon. (Also, please dont make the same mistake we did, and schedule a Mixology Seminar for later the same afternoon! We found ourselves drinking multiple Bacardi Rum drinks during that.)
