Napa Rose Chef's Counter- a little disappointment

[Geemo]

The first part of October I have a time for the Chef's Table . I'll be there with my DGD-20 and her DBFF-20.
Napa Rose is one specific To-Do item on there trip list. My DGS-24 went with his fiance last year and the loved the whole experience.

I'll let you know how it goes...

I do have to say this thread has me a little nervous.....
I have decided not to tell the kids about these reviews. So we'll see what they have to say too

Later ....

Geemo

 

[Niltiac]

Just to confuse the issue a little—you can order the Vintner’s Menu at the counter—-

I thought I read sometime in the past year or so that they stopped allowing people to order from the normal menu from the counter, so as to open up more reservation spots for people who want the chef's menu. I'm not sure if the vintner's menu counts though. And I might be mistaken. We definitely had the choice, but I thought it had changed sometime since our trip.

 

[Geemo]

I thought I read sometime in the past year or so that they stopped allowing people to order from the normal menu from the counter, so as to open up more reservation spots for people who want the chef's menu. I'm not sure if the vintner's menu counts though. And I might be mistaken. We definitely had the choice, but I thought it had changed sometime since our trip.

In my nervous state, I figured I look around and see if I found anything else about the Napa Rose.

Here's what I found on the Disney website tonight. I've highlighted the quote below on the uploaded file.
"Guests to interact with him and his talented kitchen staff at the Chef's Counter, where you can order from the house menu or "The Vintner's Table" prix-fixe menu. Chef Sutton can even create a tasting menu tailored to your preferences."

 

[whoever]

I think several of our courses were off the menu as well. This was back in 2014. Still an astounding meal with as many courses as we had.

 

[Eclectic Goddess]

I've eaten at the Chef's Counter a few times, and always had a spectacular and original meal...because I'm vegetarian. They've always gone out of their way to make me something special.

I'd say if you're concerned about getting a meal that doesn't have regular menu dishes, don't be afraid to make some special request. Go ahead and tell them you're familiar with the menu and looking for something different.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

I wanted to come back to this thread since several people mentioned concerns for upcoming visits.

I checked our records, and we first ate at the chef counter 9 years ago in 2008. At that time, our courses were all variations of the main menu (I have both the regular menu and the list of what we ate). Some of them were components of several dishes put together or something, or something like a side dish from a menu entree might be presented on its own an appetizer, but you could "find" everything we ate on the menu if you looked hard enough. We sat next to another couple who never saw the regular menu and appeared to be under the impression that the kitchen was "cooking for them." Based on that, I suspect that at least some of the reports online from people may simply be from people who were a bit misinformed about the experience they had. I'm not saying that's true for everyone, but I can guarantee you that the couple next to us would have told you they had special food that wasn't on the menu, and they'd have been wrong. We have never expected anyone to "schmooze" with us because we are at the counter; we just like watching the kitchen work. We've actually had much more interaction at the dessert counter than the chef counter.

We have eaten at the restaurant quite a few times overall, both at the chef/dessert counter and in the regular restaurant, and we've never had a "bad" experience (although some have been more memorable than others). Our best server was at the regular restaurant, and like a PP described, he brought us multiple wines to taste with some course so we could do side-by-side comparisons.

If someone told me I was going to Napa Rose tonight and offered me a regular table or the chef's counter, I'd take the chef's counter easily. Even if no one chats me up or makes me distinctively off-menu food, I will still enjoy a lovely meal with a nice view of the kitchen. And if I take the regular menu and total up the cost of those items I'm served, I'm guaranteed to come out ahead.

Just some additional perspective for those of you who have upcoming visits and are debating. I don't think you can go wrong, but it's certainly useful to be informed and have appropriate expectations. Enjoy your meals!

 

[julesann]

Thank you Skyegirl--your response is very very helpful! So you are going with what they offer at the Chef's counter when you sit there rather than the fixed Vintner's Menu is that right?

 

[Malcon10t]

When we went several years ago (2013?), the items we got were variations on the menu. For example, I got a smaller version of the Smiling Tiger salad, and the chef altered the Diver Scallop dish to use a prawn instead since I didn't like scallops.

I'm curious if the website is incorrect, as I have have been told the Chef's Counter is now just "Chef's Tasting"....

 

[Skyegirl1999]

Thank you Skyegirl--your response is very very helpful! So you are going with what they offer at the Chef's counter when you sit there rather than the fixed Vintner's Menu is that right?

Yup - we do the Vintner's menu when we're in the regular restaurant, and the chef tasting at the counters.