100 Acre Wood, the easiest way is to take a boat from the Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge, or Magic Kingdom. It's right by the marina, so the boat is the way to go. We actually ended up walking back to the Wilderness Lodge, it was only a mile or so, and a nice walk to burn off breakfast.
Here's my first batch of reviews -
California Grill - We checked in at the desk by the elevators, and were escorted up briefly and were whisked to our table. We had a great view of the Magic Kingdom and the lights around the resort. The fireworks werent until 10:00 that night, so we knew that we wouldnt make it to see them, but it would have been a great view for them. Our server, Dale, brought out our menus and pointed out some of his favorite dishes. We ordered some water to start and then perused the menu. I ordered the pumpkin soup and then the beef filet, medium rare. I also ordered the wine that was paired with the filet. DSis ordered the hearts of romaine salad and the pork tenderloin. We were very hungry at that point so we gobbled up our appetizers. Im going to go out on a limb and say we loved them! DSiss salad was very large and an interesting presentation. She said it was very good. My soup was great and if you love Autumny soups you must order it.
The entrees were brought out next, but not too quickly. My filet was very good and cooked just right. The sauce was good too, I dont remember what the side with it was, but I remember thinking it was a little heavy. I did not finish my entrée. DSiss pork tenderloin was good too, and she enjoyed it but said the risotto was quite rich. She did not finish either. But of course that didnt stop us from ordering dessert! We shared the Bananas and Butterscotch Buzz dessert and I ordered a decaf cappuccino. The dessert was good and since we shared it we almost finished it. My cappuccino was passable, but not great. I dont think they use real espresso. Overall the dinner was great and one of my favorites of the trip. I will definitely be back.
Crystal Palace - We had a 10:25 ADR at CP, so we enjoyed the park for a bit before eating. It worked out great, the food was very fresh. We checked in at Crystal Palace and were led to our table shortly. I thought the food here was excellent! The quality of everything was very fresh and yummy! I loved the puffed French toast. Even the Nescafe tasted yummy, but I think thats because it was cold out. Service was adequate and what you should expect from a buffet. I was a little disappointed by the décor, I thought it would be a bit more opulent, but the building is lovely. The characters were out in force, but we were there more for the food. I will definitely go to Crystal Palace again for breakfast.
Chefs De France - We checked in and had a bit of a wait. All the restaurants in World Showcase were super busy all trip from the Candlelight Processional and the Dining Plan. Eventually we were sat and were able to peruse the menu.
I ordered a Kir Royal, which was very nice. We split the Escargot to start, which werent bad. They were very similar to mussels or other sea food. Im glad we split them though, as they were very buttery and rich. The server brought out some rolls, which were very good. DSis was sad that she didnt leave the basket, since shes a carb-a-holic. I ended up giving her half of mine so she was rolling in the bread. I ordered the Duck entrée for my appetizer and I enjoyed it. It was very good. DSis had the vegetarian lasagna; I had a bite and really enjoyed it also. I was surprised there was no meat in it! We both paired our entrees with the recommended wine and enjoyed them. We split some sort of chocolate cake, which was very good. Overall I enjoyed the meal and would go back, but feel like I should try other World Showcase restaurants first.
More to come!