Flying Fish

[kathyclownfish]

Hi All!
Just got back. I know everyone loves the Flying Fish, but we just were not happy with our dinner. We didn't realize that the food has a french style to it. My DH wanted a good steak, so he ordered the NY strip. It came with a french type of sauce on it. He is adventeous.....but just didn't like it. I ordered the snapper. It was okay. My kids loved their meals. But ours cost triple the amount!! We also ate at the Palm at the Hard Rock and Tchoup Chop at the Royal Pacific Resort. We Loved the food at both places. At Tchoup Chop, we literally had 7 servers waiting on our table, including the manager. Whenever you stood up, the server rushed to your table to refold your napkin!!

We just felt, for the price, the Flying Fish did not live up to the quality that we received at other upscale restaurants.

But, the atmosphere at the FF was wonderful and walking on the boardwalk is always a treat!! However, we wouldn't go back there again. The CA Grill is sooo much better. Hope this review helped.

Kathy

 

[Kae]

Sorry you did not care for it. I must add we have eaten a 4 of Emerils places both in Orlando & Las Vegas & the service is the best anywhere. If you are ever in Las Vegas try the Fish House at MGM the chef is wonderful-John Paul they have just remodeled it.

Also wasn't TchopChop the most beautiful place!

Kae

 

[kathyclownfish]

Kae,
Tchop Chop is sooo beautiful! I was describing the lilly pads and water to my mother today. The whole room is just so relaxing. Emeril obviously knows how to do it right!

 

[madalex]

Originally posted by kathyclownfish
Just got back. I know everyone loves the Flying Fish, but we just were not happy with our dinner. We didn't realize that the food has a french style to it. My DH wanted a good steak, so he ordered the NY strip. It came with a french type of sauce on it. He is adventeous.....but justed didn't like it.

Sorry you did not enjoy the meal. However, lest any first timers be misled, I would not classify FF as having a "french style" to it. I've never had the strip steak there, so I don't know what the sauce was that was on your husband's steak. However, in my experience, FF is a very solid upscale seafood restaurant. There may be some flourishes to some of the dishes, but I would not describe those as "french style."

 

[Meredisney]

The sauce on the NY Strip is amazing. It is called Foyot Sauce, which is a variation of a berrnaise sauce with the addition of a well reduced meat glaze. It is sooooooooooo good!!!!

 

[CPM]

I love the sauce on the strip staek at FF! I wouldn't classify the restaurant as French at all. Love the caeser and crab cake.
My husband gets the potato wrapped snapper all the time, it's delicious.
I have to say, it's a bit over-priced. I would never pay $38.00 for strp steak at home. But, I have always had great service and food at FF. I love the decor too.

Choup Chop is also an outstanding restaurant. Food incredible, service impecable.The ambiance is beautiful.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

LOL!!! Our family loves FF, but hates Tchoup Chop. We've eaten 2 meals at TC, & I doubt we'll give them a chance at a 3rd strike. We do love Emeril's at CityWalk though. I'm sure it has a lot to do with the style of food one prefers.

I'm really glad you enjoyed Palm Restaurant. We haven't tried it yet. Everyone keeps telling us it's not good, & doesn't live up to the Palm name. (Incidentally, that's how we feel about TC.) We always cancel our reservation at the last minute & go with one of our favs. The last time we stayed at HRH (July), we decided we were going to give it a try next trip regardless of the reviews. It's great to see a good review.

 

[Kay1]

We only tried FF once and didn't really care for it. I think our expectations were too high and I'm pretty sure they didn't serve crab cakes or I would have ordered that. I don't eat fish, only mollusks and crustaceans, so we ordered Frito Misto and the vegetarian entree. The vegetarian entree was so bad. It really tasted like something from Stoffers.

Just the same, if they've changed the menu we might give it another try.

On edit: I just looked at the menu on Deb's site and no crab cakes or shrimp. The menu's changed but there's even less I'd eat. No problem, lots of other places we like.

 

[granmaz]

Oh no!! Why does it happen every time? I spend ages planning where to eat, just added FF and then someone comes along and gives a negative review, which then gets some posts agreeing!

I wanted a Boardwalk restaurant and we are already eating at Yachtsman, so someone recommended FF. We could change to Spoodles(if available) and have a spare credit I suppose!

Decisions, decisions, decisions!!!

 

[2infinityandbeyond]

Oh no!! Why does it happen every time? I spend ages planning where to eat, just added FF and then someone comes along and gives a negative review, which then gets some posts agreeing!

I wanted a Boardwalk restaurant and we are already eating at Yachtsman, so someone recommended FF. We could change to Spoodles(if available) and have a spare credit I suppose!

Decisions, decisions, decisions!!!

Just because someone didn't like the food doesn't mean that there's something wrong with the restaurant, so don't be discouraged. FF is one of the best restaurants in WDW. We've eaten there four times and it's been perfect every time.

 

[madalex]

Hi All!
Just got back. I know everyone loves the Flying Fish, but we just were not happy with our dinner. We didn't realize that the food has a french style to it. My DH wanted a good steak, so he ordered the NY strip. It came with a french type of sauce on it. He is adventeous.....but just didn't like it. I ordered the snapper. It was okay. My kids loved their meals.

The food at FF does not have a "French style" to it. Sorry you did not enjoy your meal.

 

[DVC Grammy]

Oh no!! Why does it happen every time? I spend ages planning where to eat, just added FF and then someone comes along and gives a negative review, which then gets some posts agreeing!

I wanted a Boardwalk restaurant and we are already eating at Yachtsman, so someone recommended FF. We could change to Spoodles(if available) and have a spare credit I suppose!

Decisions, decisions, decisions!!!

Everyone's tastes are different; unless you know the people panning a restaurant and know that their tastes coincide with yours, why not try a restaurant and see how YOU like it? On these boards, you'll find both positive and negative reviews for just about every TS (and CS) place in WDW. Each opinion comes from folks who have their own dining preferences which might be vastly different than yours. So give it a try; you may find a brand new favorite all your own!
Incidentally, there are many reviews that we heartily agree with (both good and bad ones), but without trying the restaurants, we might've overlooked new "must-do's". Seeking out new dining experiences only adds to the WDW adventure!

 

[MJS]

We go to FF every year. We went in March this year and the food was not as good on past trips. Hopefully, it is not a trend...

 

[jwfla422]

Quote:
Originally Posted by granmaz
Oh no!! Why does it happen every time? I spend ages planning where to eat, just added FF and then someone comes along and gives a negative review, which then gets some posts agreeing!

I wanted a Boardwalk restaurant and we are already eating at Yachtsman, so someone recommended FF. We could change to Spoodles(if available) and have a spare credit I suppose!

Decisions, decisions, decisions!!!


You have to try it for yourself to decide. Honestly, about 5 yrs ago the first time we went to FF we didn't care for it and didn't go back until about 1 1/2 yrs ago. Since then this has been on our "must-do" list every trip (we eat there probably 3-4 times a year as often as we take our trips). I think it depends on your personal experience. I love their mussels and order this almost everytime. I have also had the salmon and the ravioli. All were good. Most of the time we sit at the open kitchen which is also kinda fun and we've been able to sample some dishes on many of our visits.

Quite frankly, we keep trying Spoodles' dinner and I keep saying "why do we keep coming back here" as I think it leaves a lot to be desired. But that's my opinion, because we enjoyed Spoodles years ago the first few years after it opened, then they changed the menu and since it's just been ok...to us. And Cape May was very lousy the last time we went. But, we try to go back to these places sometime to see if it's changed for the better (or if it was just a 1x thing).

Don't let bad reviews stir your decision to eat somewhere unless all's you hear is constant bad reviews. Every restaurant isn't for everyone. As far as price is concerned I think FF is VERY comparible in price to other upscale WDW restaurants (AP, JIKO, YSH, etc).

 

[CoolDisneyCat]

On our last trip, we enjoyed our meal at FF so much, we canceled an ADR for somewhere else and went back. We were dreaming of the chocolate sampler dessert.

I love the sauce on the steak, but to anyone who thinks they may not like it, just as for it on the side.

We love Spoodles, too, and have eaten there every single trip since they opened. It is a wonderful meal .. for less money than Flying Fish.

 

[marcyinPA]

Quote:


Quite frankly, we keep trying Spoodles' dinner and I keep saying "why do we keep coming back here" as I think it leaves a lot to be desired. But that's my opinion, because we enjoyed Spoodles years ago the first few years after it opened, then they changed the menu and since it's just been ok...to us. And Cape May was very lousy the last time we went. But, we try to go back to these places sometime to see if it's changed for the better (or if it was just a 1x thing).

Don't let bad reviews stir your decision to eat somewhere unless all's you hear is constant bad reviews. Every restaurant isn't for everyone. As far as price is concerned I think FF is VERY comparible in price to other upscale WDW restaurants (AP, JIKO, YSH, etc).

I always try new restaurants regardless of reviews...everyone has different tastes....

But I have to say, we ate at Spoodle's last year after reading glowing reviews, and we thought it was awful. Food was blah, service stunk. We're not heading back there anytime too soon!!

Marcy

 

[CPM]

I always try new restaurants regardless of reviews...everyone has different tastes....

But I have to say, we ate at Spoodle's last year after reading glowing reviews, and we thought it was awful. Food was blah, service stunk. We're not heading back there anytime too soon!!

Marcy

You may want to try it again. New Chef, great food!! Menu change soon.

 

[CPM]

We only tried FF once and didn't really care for it. I think our expectations were too high and I'm pretty sure they didn't serve crab cakes or I would have ordered that. I don't eat fish, only mollusks and crustaceans, so we ordered Frito Misto and the vegetarian entree. The vegetarian entree was so bad. It really tasted like something from Stoffers.

Just the same, if they've changed the menu we might give it another try.

On edit: I just looked at the menu on Deb's site and no crab cakes or shrimp. The menu's changed but there's even less I'd eat. No problem, lots of other places we like.

Here's what I found on the site. They say it was updated in July. The crab cakes have been on the menu since the first menu came out.
I hope they haven't been taken off.

Appetizers/Starter

"Peeky Toe" Crab Cake - Served with "Flying Fish Slaw," and ancho chili remoulade. - $14.00

Chilled Maine Lobster - Tahitian vanilla creme fraiche, blood orange, and frisee. - $18.00

Chardonnay Steamed Mussels - Fennel, pesto cream sauce, and grilled sourdough. - $13.00

Crispy Fried Calamari - Vietnamese dipping sauce and shredded Romaine lettuce. - $13.00

Ahi Tuna "Tataki" - Wakame, Lotus root chip, sweet-spicy garlic sauce. - $14.00

Assortment of Artisan Cheese - Fig Levain, honey comb, and port wine prunes. - $15.00

 

[Densgirl]

I've eaten the crab cakes here many times. They do indeed have one on the menu. It is the peeky toe crab cake and I've even ordered it from the BWI room service.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Oh no!! Why does it happen every time? I spend ages planning where to eat, just added FF and then someone comes along and gives a negative review, which then gets some posts agreeing!

I wanted a Boardwalk restaurant and we are already eating at Yachtsman, so someone recommended FF. We could change to Spoodles(if available) and have a spare credit I suppose!

Decisions, decisions, decisions!!!

Have you read the Unoffical Guide to WDW, by any chance? I ask, because my family has almost always agreed with their restaurant reviews. We agree with the "Reader Survey Responses" much less often. We also don't agree with other guide book reviews as often. Some people say the UG is too hard on the WDW restaurants. I disagree. We usually think they're right on. Obviously, we prefer the same type of food they enjoy. If you agree with most of their reviews of restaurants you've tried, let that be your guide. If not, go the other route.

Individual's tastes vary widely. For example, we won't return to O'hana, Crystal Palace, or Boma. The majority of people on here rave about them. We think O'hana & CP just aren't any good, & in our opinion, Boma is too Americanized to warrant the rave reviews.

Hopefully, you won't be disappointed with FF. It appears that the dining plan is negatively impacting many of the restaurants lately though. Personally, I'd rather take my chances at a fabulous restaurant that may not be quite as good as before, than one that was just okay prior to the DDP effect.

PS: I haven't bought an Unofficial Guide to WDW in a few years. I'm not sure which restaurants they rate highest now. Maybe, someone with a new book could share that info.