Fine dining lovers or "food snobs" please read!

[PamNC]

and proud of it.

I LOVE Artist Pointe. Atmosphere and food. The food is indeed up to food snob standards. And they have my favorite dessert, Artist Pointe Berry Cobbler.

I HATE Citricos. I think the food is over-rated big time! Nothing to write home about and both times we've been the service was less than stellar. I'll never grace the doors of this establishment again. EVER.

My favorite favorite favorite place is Blue Zoo at the Dolphin. There are a lot of dishes to choose from other than shellfish.

My other faves are Flying Fish, Yachtsman Steakhouse, Narcoosee's (again, there's more than fish to choose from), Kimonos (if you like sushi), CA Grille, Raglan Road (certainly not fine dining but great food indeed), Kona Cafe (again, not fine dining), Wolfgang Puck and House of Blues. I've heard great things about Shulas but we haven't tried it yet. We plan on doing so on our next trip.

Eat up!

PamNC

 

[Densgirl]

Artist Point definitley. I had the mussles and they were some of the best I've ever eaten and I order them everywhere. DH had the venison spring rolls. I had the plank roasted salmon and DH had the buffalo. Everything was fantastic. It was our engagement dinner and the guy who checked us in at AKL asked where we were celebrating our engagement and we told him AP. They had Menus with our names on them, the date and congratulations. The server took care of the wine pairings and they were exquisite and they brought out the famed cobbler for dessert with Congratulations spelled out in a gold dust on the edge of the plate. Awesome service, nice people and great food.

I too like Yachtsman and Flying Fish. Shula's comes VERY highly recommended from our neighbors. Good luck choosing.

 

[disneykid4ever]

My husband and I ate there for the first time this past February. The food was so tasty and the service was super! The atmosphere is very nice as well! All in all, our favorite meal of the whole trip with Le Cellier a close second.

 

[DisneyDuke02]

I agree with the other posters re: Artist Point. The key for ambience in my opinion is going later in the evening- less kids, more sophisticated atmosphere with the dark evening sky and very "earthy" lodge architecture...not to mention exceptionally good food!

Other good picks for Disney restaurants have already been mentioned: Bistro de Paris, Le Cellier, Coral Reef. Citrico's was fine when I went, but personally not one of my favorites on property. The same can be said of Yachtsman Steakhouse (which I know a lot of people love) - I've been there several times and each time the food was "eh" and the price was very high. I would strongly urge you to consider Shula's Steakhouse at the Dolphin before making an ADR at Yachtsman- equal prices but far superior steaks and atmosphere. I'm also a fan of Brown Derby, but I would only go there late in the evening since it's quieter and less crowded. Flying Fish was mentioned, and it is a good restaurant but I feel it's gone a bit downhill over the past few years in terms of food quality- just a personal opinion, others may have had a great time.

If you want a very unique experience and have the cash to do it, I would suggest trying to book the chef's table at V&As or at Citricos- be aware that Citrico's table requires a minimum of 600 dollars spent no matter how many people are at the table, whereas V&As is something in the area of 150-180 person. Both book quickly; having done V&A's table I can tell you it is OUTSTANDING and probably the single best dining experience on property...10 courses, 10 wine pairings, a custom designed meal and personal time with the chef....really a world-class experience.

Another one of my favorites is also at the Dolphin and has also been mentioned several times- Todd English's bluezoo. I was there last night for the umpteenth time and it was just as wonderful as always with a great array of creatively presented seafood dishes...the flavor combinations are great, and the restaurant itself is very nice. Helpful hint- although this rarely happens, if Disney Dining says that they don't have tables available, call the restaurant directly- bluezoo doesn't release all their tables to Disney Dining as they aren't an "owned and operated" Disney restaurant. Also when you book you can save yourself time by calling it by it's actual name - Todd English's bluezoo, as that how its labeled in the dining system- otherwise you'll sometimes get a "we don't have that" or "there's no restaurant by that name" from newer or less "helpful" CMs.

Off property nearby choices that are great: Tuscany (Italian- Marriott Orlando World Center), Hawks Nest (Steakhouse - Marriott Orlando World Center), Seasons 52 (American - Sand Lake Road Restaurant Row), Roy's (Hawaiian Fusion - Sand Lake Road Restaurant Row), Christini's (Italian - one of the best in the area , Sand Lake Road Restaurant Row), Emeril's and Emeril's Tchoup Chop (Creole and Asian inspired. Universal Orlando CityWalk and Loew's Royal Pacific Resort), Palms (Steakhouse - Loew's Hard Rock Hotel). You also have the typical Morton's and Ruth Chris options as well which are great but can be found in most major markets.

Hope this helps and that you have a great time no matter where you go!

 

[mdhkitten]

I just wanted to say THANKS so much to everyone who has posted! These responses are really helping and quite interesting to read, too! Keep em' coming!

 

[marcyinPA]

Not a total food snob here, but I do enjoy great food. We love Artist Point. The food is very, very good. The ambience isn't lacking in my opinion. It's understated and simple, but lovely at the same time.

We'd do AP every trip, if we could afford it ...(love that portabello mushroom soup!!)

 

[Andrew Bichard]

First off, BlueZoo sounds fantastic from the reviews that i've read, but i've yet to try it.

I've dined there twice. I'ts equal to Flying Fish but very modern both in decor and presentation of the food.

We live on a small Island within sight of France

I alternate my vacations between WDW and that island!

Andrew

 

[Sarnia]

I alternate my vacations between WDW and that island!

Andrew

And originate from here too i'd say, with that good old Guernsey surname

 

[Leota]

I know Leota said that she thinks that the French Pavillion in Epcot is 'Americanized', and her cooking credentials are very impressive. However I do completely disagree. We live on a small Island within sight of France, and visit regularly. We go to Paris, basically to eat, for at least a week every couple of years. On top of that my Wife lived in Paris for almost 6 years. We think that the French Pavillion is very authentic.

What is taught as classical French cuisine in an American cooking school isn't the definition of French food. You can have the same dish in 5 French restaurants in Paris and they will all be completely different. Each Chef interprets things his own way. French cooking has also evolved a lot, and while the methods and recipes taught as Classic French are still the basis for fine French cooking, they are far from the be all and end all.

I will have to take your word on how the food is in France, since I have never been there. I only know how I was trained. We used Escoffier for our base methodology for savory & Lenotre for sweet.
I do find that the food at Chefs is extremely bland - not subtle, bland. Well-prepared but no tantalization for the tastebuds. I hate to think it's that bland in France, I would be so sad to finally get to France for an culinary tour & find that experience. Please tell me that it's not. My dream is to go to France to eat someday. (This year, it's a culinary tour of Southern Italy) If it is, I'll just stay home with Escoffier.

 

[Sarnia]

I will have to take your word on how the food is in France, since I have never been there. I only know how I was trained. We used Escoffier for our base methodology for savory & Lenotre for sweet.
I do find that the food at Chefs is extremely bland - not subtle, bland. Well-prepared but no tantalization for the tastebuds. I hate to think it's that bland in France, I would be so sad to finally get to France for an culinary tour & find that experience. Please tell me that it's not. My dream is to go to France to eat someday. (This year, it's a culinary tour of Southern Italy) If it is, I'll just stay home with Escoffier.

I'm having lunch at Chefs at the end of April, so i'll let you know what I think this time.

What I will say is that the food at Chefs is cafe style food, which is very plain and simple, so not really comparable to refined cooking in the style of Escoffier. The style of cooking that Escoffier pioneered is very much haute cuisine, whereas the type of food that you get in Chefs is the old regional country recipes that have been around for centuries.

The cooking that you get in Bistro de Paris is a good example of modern french cooking, which is lighter than classical French, and is influenced by other countries cuisines.

Don't hesitate to go to France, it's amazing, particullarly if you can tour the country and try the different regional cuisine. If you can't do that then a visit to Paris will cover pretty much every type of cuisine, and the city itself is a beautiful place. What you will be amazed by is the variety of the food on offer, which I think will really show you how much more to French cooking there is than the classic French style.

 

[madalex]

We did AP and Citrico's on our trip last month. Both were wonderful (for food, service, presentation), but I would give the nod to Citrico's (nothing wrong with AP, but I do like the decor and ambience at Citrico's better). You really can't go wrong at either place.

 

[Leota]

I'm having lunch at Chefs at the end of April, so i'll let you know what I think this time.

What I will say is that the food at Chefs is cafe style food, which is very plain and simple, so not really comparable to refined cooking in the style of Escoffier. The style of cooking that Escoffier pioneered is very much haute cuisine, whereas the type of food that you get in Chefs is the old regional country recipes that have been around for centuries.

The cooking that you get in Bistro de Paris is a good example of modern french cooking, which is lighter than classical French, and is influenced by other countries cuisines.

Don't hesitate to go to France, it's amazing, particullarly if you can tour the country and try the different regional cuisine. If you can't do that then a visit to Paris will cover pretty much every type of cuisine, and the city itself is a beautiful place. What you will be amazed by is the variety of the food on offer, which I think will really show you how much more to French cooking there is than the classic French style.

Thanks Sarnia - I look forward to hearing your opinions from your upcoming trip. Perhaps I hit Chefs on a bad day. I have had both the dishes we ordered before, so I was familiar with them & still found them lacking. Like you said tho, everyone has a different interpretation. That's what makes Cooking an Art.