Meeting friends and going up-scale...but where??

[mouselovenfamily]

We are meeting friends in Oct at WDW. It will be their first trip in years! They are leaving it up to me to plan. Just calling in the credit card #.

They are very healthy eaters. VERY HEALTHY! No buffets with them, we're going upscale. We are doing the DP and will have and extra TS due to arriving late our first evening. So the question becomes, where do I "WOW" them? It will only be 4 nights for them.

My first thoughts are Kona, Ohana, Le Cellier, and maybe some where DTD for our shopping night or eat and then head to DTD. We have never done signature dining for two except HDD but we want fancy. There are teens and tweens but they should be good with anything. We have found leaving the parks and going to resorts has worked best for nicer dining so it's no biggie for us.

Any advice? Atmosphere+healthy options+great food=a great tie for all!!

Thanks!!

 

[JDUCKY]

Don't think you'd wow them at Kona...it's good food but the atmosphere doesn't say "upscale"

The places I'm thinking of, in addition to Le Cellier, are all 2 TS places:

California Grill
Citrico's
Narcoosee's


Could do The Wave...it's a single TS and it's pretty nice there. Food was on-par, imo, with Rose and Crown.

 

[TillyMarigold]

Fancy? Jiko, Flying Fish, Cítricos, or maybe Narcoossee's. If they don't mind noise/crowds, then California Grill, too.

I'm not that much of a food snob, but I am not the slightest bit "wowed" by any of the places you mentioned--not that I don't like them, but they don't make me go "wow." Kona in particular was only pretty good, with pretty bad service, and the decor is really cheesy--fun, I mean I liked eating there, but not upscale or fancy. 'Ohana and Le Cellier both require being pretty into the spirit of Disney (especially 'Ohana).

And I know you said no buffets, but to me a buffet can be a great option because there's such a variety. Boma dinner springs to mind as something that could be really interesting and unique to them (but again, noisy and crowded).

 

[TravelinGal]

your key word "Healthy" makes me think of The Wave @ the Contemporary. California cuisine - not much there we liked... LOL (we are so NOT healthy eaters on vacation!)


Of course my first thought was Victoria and Alberts but that's not on the dining plan ($125 per person!) That's as upscale as you can get! AAA 5 diamond. ohh la la - C'est manifique!

Not impressed with Kona - don't like the open atmosphere - nothing fancy about it. We actually did not end up eating there. We checked in 20 minutes early for our ADR. We talked with a friend who we saw leaving - people came and were seated all around us -at least 5 tables of varying sizes (both bigger and smaller than ours). The final straw was when a couple walked up with no ADR and were seated immediately. We stood there for 30 minutes and still had no table. The restaurant was not full. There was no reason for it and we left.

We enjoyed Wolfgang Puck this trip (also Cali cuisine - but more to choose from) and the main dining room (main floor) is on the DDP @ 1 TS per person.

 

[Ciciwoowoo]

I think the Wave at the Contemporary might be a good choice! We thought it was a bit more quiet than the standard Disney place and the food is definitely more on the healthy side! My parents did not enjoy it but they are not really into whole grains and things that would be termed "California style" around here. I, on the other hand, truly enjoyed my meal and would love to go back!

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) We prefer
. . . fine food
. . . excellent service
. . . innovative dishes with flair
. . . overall great value
. . . relaxed and soothing dining atmosphere
. . . behaved patrons
2) The only sit-down restaurants we patronize at WDW are
. . . Bistro de Paris (Epcot, France, upstairs) *
. . . Citrico's (Grand Floridian Resort)
. . . Shula's Steakhouse (Dolphin Resort) *
. . . Il Mulino (Swan Resort) *
. . . Victria & Albert's (Grand Floridian Resort)

* Not Disney-Owned

 

[TravelinGal]

I think one thing people are overlooking here is that they are on the DDP. I don't think they want 2 TS restaurants (I could be wrong here - but it's my take on it).

mouselovenfamily - do you want 1 TS credit restaurant suggestions or are you open to signature (2TS) restaurants as well? What about paying out of pocket? That would help clarify your request.

Another point is that it is technically against Disney policy for you to use your extra TS credits for other people. (you mentioned you had extras you wouldn't use because of your arrival time so I'm guessing that you want to use them for your friends meals.) That said, I've never had a problem with it. We were on the Dlx DDP on our last trip and before we ordered we asked our server if our friend could use one of our credits. ALL the meals we did this with were able to accommodate this request. But it is NOT guaranteed.

 

[Mouse's Shadow]

If you want the "wow" factor, splurge and go to Victoria & Alberts. It's quiet, the ingedients are fresh, and everything is prepared to your specifications. If you don't like onion, they'll prepare your dishes without onion. It's a great choice if your friends are picky about how their food is prepared.The wine pairings are excellent, but it is a lot of wine, especially if you have to travel the next day.

It's expensive, but worth every penny. It's worth taking an extra job to pay for the experience.

 

[mouselovenfamily]

If you want the "wow" factor, splurge and go to Victoria & Alberts. It's quiet, the ingedients are fresh, and everything is prepared to your specifications. If you don't like onion, they'll prepare your dishes without onion. It's a great choice if your friends are picky about how their food is prepared.The wine pairings are excellent, but it is a lot of wine, especially if you have to travel the next day.

It's expensive, but worth every penny. It's worth taking an extra job to pay for the experience.

This may be an option, we've never tried it yet!!

Don't think you'd wow them at Kona...it's good food but the atmosphere doesn't say "upscale"

The places I'm thinking of, in addition to Le Cellier, are all 2 TS places:

California Grill
Citrico's
Narcoosee's


Could do The Wave...it's a single TS and it's pretty nice there. Food was on-par, imo, with Rose and Crown.

Haven't been to Rose and Crown, but this sounds like it could be a good choice.

your key word "Healthy" makes me think of The Wave @ the Contemporary. California cuisine - not much there we liked... LOL (we are so NOT healthy eaters on vacation!)


Of course my first thought was Victoria and Alberts but that's not on the dining plan ($125 per person!) That's as upscale as you can get! AAA 5 diamond. ohh la la - C'est manifique!

Not impressed with Kona - don't like the open atmosphere - nothing fancy about it. We actually did not end up eating there. We checked in 20 minutes early for our ADR. We talked with a friend who we saw leaving - people came and were seated all around us -at least 5 tables of varying sizes (both bigger and smaller than ours). The final straw was when a couple walked up with no ADR and were seated immediately. We stood there for 30 minutes and still had no table. The restaurant was not full. There was no reason for it and we left.

We enjoyed Wolfgang Puck this trip (also Cali cuisine - but more to choose from) and the main dining room (main floor) is on the DDP @ 1 TS per person.

I'm shocked how many of you didn't like Kona, we ate there in 2008 and thought it was pretty good. Much better than several park restaurants.

We will research Wolfgang Puck too, that may work well!

Fancy? Jiko, Flying Fish, Cítricos, or maybe Narcoossee's. If they don't mind noise/crowds, then California Grill, too.

I'm not that much of a food snob, but I am not the slightest bit "wowed" by any of the places you mentioned--not that I don't like them, but they don't make me go "wow." Kona in particular was only pretty good, with pretty bad service, and the decor is really cheesy--fun, I mean I liked eating there, but not upscale or fancy. 'Ohana and Le Cellier both require being pretty into the spirit of Disney (especially 'Ohana).

And I know you said no buffets, but to me a buffet can be a great option because there's such a variety. Boma dinner springs to mind as something that could be really interesting and unique to them (but again, noisy and crowded).

We aren't really into snob food, just better and healthier choices than what is offered in the parks. We had great service when we were at Kona and the food was pretty good, not 5 star but much better than something like 50s Prime Time.

We were not impressed with Boma and we felt like we were crammed in seating and very noisy. Not a relaxing dinner at all. I will look at the suggestions like Flying Fish and the others for better choices.

I think the Wave at the Contemporary might be a good choice! We thought it was a bit more quiet than the standard Disney place and the food is definitely more on the healthy side! My parents did not enjoy it but they are not really into whole grains and things that would be termed "California style" around here. I, on the other hand, truly enjoyed my meal and would love to go back!

Sounds like a good place to check out.

I think one thing people are overlooking here is that they are on the DDP. I don't think they want 2 TS restaurants (I could be wrong here - but it's my take on it).

mouselovenfamily - do you want 1 TS credit restaurant suggestions or are you open to signature (2TS) restaurants as well? What about paying out of pocket? That would help clarify your request.

Another point is that it is technically against Disney policy for you to use your extra TS credits for other people. (you mentioned you had extras you wouldn't use because of your arrival time so I'm guessing that you want to use them for your friends meals.) That said, I've never had a problem with it. We were on the Dlx DDP on our last trip and before we ordered we asked our server if our friend could use one of our credits. ALL the meals we did this with were able to accommodate this request. But it is NOT guaranteed.

We and our friends will be arriving on a Friday night, not using our table service that night. We will be able to combine that with another table service on another day and use it for a signature dining. All 8 of us are on DDP and not paying for others.

We are wanting to do 3 TS restaurant choices and 1 signature dinner choice. Looks like we have several new places we've not tried to look at

 

[TravelinGal]

Rose and Crown = NO It is not upscale. Not bad mind you but it's a pub style and I found the food bland and unappealing. I don't think much there would fit in the healthy category either.

For health conscious I'd still stick with The Wave or Victoria & Albert's. Just remember that V&A does not take DDP - it is cash OOP at 125 per person.

ETA - hubby just mentioned The Yachtsman. It's a bit more reserved than some places (not as noisy/crowded). I think it's a 2TS/signature dining location. We enjoyed that meal a lot too.

I love Le Cellier but I think it's still noisy and crowded - not something I'd describe as having wow factor. But we go there every single trip!!