Monsieur Paul; thoughts?

rentayenta

DIS Veteran
Joined
Feb 28, 2007
DH and I will be celebrating an anniversary and wondering what the reviews are like for Monsieur Paul? We are looking for something nice but not V&A nice. We have eaten at California Grill.

If not Monsieur Paul then where for an anniversary dinner?
 
I had a weird experience with M. Paul's and wound up not eating there. Planned to dine there for NYEve but they had 2 different prix fixe menus for the night and I could never get a copy of them until we actually arrived for our vac. This annoyed me no end since neither menu was inexpensive (one was approx $80.00 p/p and the other at least $250.00 p/p). Had a minor fight with Disney's reservation department since I was cancelling one of the ressies after the stated time. I won since I could prove that I'd consistently asked for the menu (for months?!) and Disney acknowledged they also dinna have the bill of fare.

Wound up eating room service @ GF on NYE which is where the man's family was staying. Also realised that it would have been a total waste to eat at M. Paul's with them since all they ever wanted to eat was hamburgers.

Do I want to attempt to eat at this signature restaurant another time? Yes but I'll wait until after our current planned trip which includes too many children and opt for an adults only trip. The food still interests me.
 
^^^ That is a bummer! I am sorry that happened but glad you didn't have to pay. I am not interested in a $250 pp menu but $80 would work. I wonder if the menu changes often? Napa Rose at the GCV at Disneyland has a pre-fix but it changes seasonally.
 
We had a fantastic meal at Jiko at Animal Kingdom Lodge this past trip. A later meal would probably have less kids present. Pricy, but everything was very good.
 


We have eaten at MP multiple times and it's always been wonderful. If you look on the WDW website, you will see the regular menu which is mostly a la carte (I believe they have a regular prix fixed but it's not the $250 NYE menu).

Cali Grille is ok. The view is amazing, but the food is so-so IMHO.

Artist Point at WL is also fantastic!
 
We completely enjoyed our meal at MP and will do it again.
If not there, Jiko is also amazing.
California Grill remains one of our favorites.
Artist Point is also very good, I just don't think its at the level of the other 3.
 
We had a fantastic meal at Jiko at Animal Kingdom Lodge this past trip. A later meal would probably have less kids present. Pricy, but everything was very good.


Jill had made the must do list!

We have eaten at MP multiple times and it's always been wonderful. If you look on the WDW website, you will see the regular menu which is mostly a la carte (I believe they have a regular prix fixed but it's not the $250 NYE menu).

Cali Grille is ok. The view is amazing, but the food is so-so IMHO.

Artist Point at WL is also fantastic!


Thank you. I found it! MP looks good. I’m torn between that and Il Mulino......

We did Cal Grille almost 10years ago and it was wonderful!

We completely enjoyed our meal at MP and will do it again.
If not there, Jiko is also amazing.
California Grill remains one of our favorites.
Artist Point is also very good, I just don't think its at the level of the other 3.


I need to look at Artist Point. It gets consistently good reviews! Thank you.
 


Just a note to say Il Mulino delivers a better experience than MP and for a better price, as well. Il Mulino is a place we hit most visits to the World. MP, while beloved by many, was the site of our worst Disney meal of the last several years. Despite there supposedly being a dress code, the fact that it's in a theme park negates that to a large extent. Our latest experience--we had chosen MP since it was a Signature and convenient to BCV where we were staying--was underwhelming. Mediocre food, poor service, and frankly lousy ambiance. Yes, all restaurants have off nights, but we found nothing of note that night, so no reason to return. I won't talk you out of Il Mulino, but if you get a chance to head over to the Dark Side, try BiCE at the Portofino Resort. It's a step up from even Il Mulino's generally excellent food and service.
 
Just a note to say Il Mulino delivers a better experience than MP and for a better price, as well. Il Mulino is a place we hit most visits to the World. MP, while beloved by many, was the site of our worst Disney meal of the last several years. Despite there supposedly being a dress code, the fact that it's in a theme park negates that to a large extent. Our latest experience--we had chosen MP since it was a Signature and convenient to BCV where we were staying--was underwhelming. Mediocre food, poor service, and frankly lousy ambiance. Yes, all restaurants have off nights, but we found nothing of note that night, so no reason to return. I won't talk you out of Il Mulino, but if you get a chance to head over to the Dark Side, try BiCE at the Portofino Resort. It's a step up from even Il Mulino's generally excellent food and service.

My preference is Bice over Il Mulino as well. Both fine restaurants but I prefer the regional cuisine Bice offers and just maybe I'm at a loss since the NYC eatery closed.
 
Just a note to say Il Mulino delivers a better experience than MP and for a better price, as well. Il Mulino is a place we hit most visits to the World. MP, while beloved by many, was the site of our worst Disney meal of the last several years. Despite there supposedly being a dress code, the fact that it's in a theme park negates that to a large extent. Our latest experience--we had chosen MP since it was a Signature and convenient to BCV where we were staying--was underwhelming. Mediocre food, poor service, and frankly lousy ambiance. Yes, all restaurants have off nights, but we found nothing of note that night, so no reason to return. I won't talk you out of Il Mulino, but if you get a chance to head over to the Dark Side, try BiCE at the Portofino Resort. It's a step up from even Il Mulino's generally excellent food and service.


Thank you for the review of MP. It’s off the list. Ha! It was before and after seeing Il Mulino’s menu....looks incredible.

No dark side for us this trip. ;)

BiCE is one of the top 5 meals we have had in Orlando. We love it whenever we go to Universal.

DH wants to go to Universal but now that we’re back in CA, we’ll most likely go locally.
 
My preference is Bice over Il Mulino as well. Both fine restaurants but I prefer the regional cuisine Bice offers and just maybe I'm at a loss since the NYC eatery closed.
I didn't realize the one there had closed. Hope the Orlando does not. Of course, there is less competition in Orlando than in NYC for quality Italian.
 
I didn't realize the one there had closed. Hope the Orlando does not. Of course, there is less competition in Orlando than in NYC for quality Italian.
If I recall properly...it was a long convoluted business transaction and not all the Bices are owned by the same people/companies anymore but are required to follow the same recipes since the remaining family members are still in charge. The NYC eatery closed in the mid teens but as you can see many of the others still remain including the original in Milan.

The original Il Mulino is still around in the city so in this place of every changing venues I count that as serendipity, LOL.
 
It is the most elegant experience you can have in all of Disney World, outside of Victoria and Albert's. A truly great dining experience, for those who have the TIME, to sit back and relax and savor the true French dining experience. They take their time here, so it is not a reservation to make to squeeze between other activities. Expect to spend a minim of an hour and half here, easily, and most likely it will be a 2 hour+ experience.

This is the type of dinner to end your evening on, and then retire back to your resort. I have seen some irate guests frustrated with their evening's pace as they wanted to make Illuminations. Alas, if only they had known! This is as far removed from "Disney" and "Themepark" stuff as you can get, for adults who want a quiet evening with class and sophistication but don't want to shell out hundreds of bucks at V&As.

And of course, one has to have some appreciation for French cuisine, I would think, as there are items like frog's legs, and escargot along with some other interesting concoctions, on the menu. This is a small restaurant, meant for an intimate sort of experience. The wait-staff attends to you very closely and respectfully.

As for the food, it is divine. I have been here when it was called Bistro de Paris, and while there have been some changes in the transition, both establishments essentially have strived for the same sort of dining experience. Perhaps one is superior to the other, but I found both to deliver top noth experiences that stand out from the rest.

My most recent dining experience was last May, where I had dishes such as the frog's legs and I had the bass fish with the potatoes scales put on it, and then the chocolate sphere for dessert which they make special for you and it stunning. All dishes were superb. I always get wine as well and that I enjoyed very much as well.

ETA: I should add that when I was considering all the Disney restaurants, I was only counting the obvious ones such as are on the dining plan. Of those, it is the most elegant, and certainly the most elegant experience in the theme parks, by far. I forgot about the other eateries not on the dining plan which can offer a similar dining experience. I'm always on the dining plan, so I never patronize those other establishments like the aforementioned Ill Mulino.
 
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It is the most elegant experience you can have in all of Disney World, outside of Victoria and Albert's. A truly great dining experience, for those who have the TIME, to sit back and relax and savor the true French dining experience. They take their time here, so it is not a reservation to make to squeeze between other activities. Expect to spend a minim of an hour and half here, easily, and most likely it will be a 2 hour+ experience.

This is the type of dinner to end your evening on, and then retire back to your resort. I have seen some irate guests frustrated with their evening's pace as they wanted to make Illuminations. Alas, if only they had known! This is as far removed from "Disney" and "Themepark" stuff as you can get, for adults who want a quiet evening with class and sophistication but don't want to shell out hundreds of bucks at V&As.

And of course, one has to have some appreciation for French cuisine, I would think, as there are items like frog's legs, and escargot along with some other interesting concoctions, on the menu. This is a small restaurant, meant for an intimate sort of experience. The wait-staff attends to you very closely and respectfully.

As for the food, it is divine. I have been here when it was called Bistro de Paris, and while there have been some changes in the transition, both establishments essentially have strived for the same sort of dining experience. Perhaps one is superior to the other, but I found both to deliver top noth experiences that stand out from the rest.

My most recent dining experience was last May, where I had dishes such as the frog's legs and I had the bass fish with the potatoes scales put on it, and then the chocolate sphere for dessert which they make special for you and it stunning. All dishes were superb. I always get wine as well and that I enjoyed very much as well.

ETA: I should add that when I was considering all the Disney restaurants, I was only counting the obvious ones such as are on the dining plan. Of those, it is the most elegant, and certainly the most elegant experience in the theme parks, by far. I forgot about the other eateries not on the dining plan which can offer a similar dining experience. I'm always on the dining plan, so I never patronize those other establishments like the aforementioned Ill Mulino.

I plan to eat at M. Paul's someday; it's on my bucket list. Still, I might not eat the frog's legs but it's only because the oxtail soup, carrot puree, and escargots have my complete attention and it'll be hard enough to pick from those apps.
 
It is the most elegant experience you can have in all of Disney World, outside of Victoria and Albert's. A truly great dining experience, for those who have the TIME, to sit back and relax and savor the true French dining experience. They take their time here, so it is not a reservation to make to squeeze between other activities. Expect to spend a minim of an hour and half here, easily, and most likely it will be a 2 hour+ experience.

This is the type of dinner to end your evening on, and then retire back to your resort. I have seen some irate guests frustrated with their evening's pace as they wanted to make Illuminations. Alas, if only they had known! This is as far removed from "Disney" and "Themepark" stuff as you can get, for adults who want a quiet evening with class and sophistication but don't want to shell out hundreds of bucks at V&As.

And of course, one has to have some appreciation for French cuisine, I would think, as there are items like frog's legs, and escargot along with some other interesting concoctions, on the menu. This is a small restaurant, meant for an intimate sort of experience. The wait-staff attends to you very closely and respectfully.

As for the food, it is divine. I have been here when it was called Bistro de Paris, and while there have been some changes in the transition, both establishments essentially have strived for the same sort of dining experience. Perhaps one is superior to the other, but I found both to deliver top noth experiences that stand out from the rest.

My most recent dining experience was last May, where I had dishes such as the frog's legs and I had the bass fish with the potatoes scales put on it, and then the chocolate sphere for dessert which they make special for you and it stunning. All dishes were superb. I always get wine as well and that I enjoyed very much as well.

ETA: I should add that when I was considering all the Disney restaurants, I was only counting the obvious ones such as are on the dining plan. Of those, it is the most elegant, and certainly the most elegant experience in the theme parks, by far. I forgot about the other eateries not on the dining plan which can offer a similar dining experience. I'm always on the dining plan, so I never patronize those other establishments like the aforementioned Ill Mulino.


Thank you for the detailed review. DH and I do enjoy a slowly paced meal; we hate to feel rushed even when casually dining out.

I have not had true French cuisine. My father used to make frog legs but I have a feeling his were not as fancy- LOL! Lots of butter and lots of frying.

Your meal and the experience sound wonderful!
 

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