The Food Won't Taste as Good Unless You Take a Picture of it First! - Chefs de France

[Linda67]

Oh boy; how good do those waffles look

I want one right now !!!

Really looking forward to the rest of your reviews

 

[Disney_Mama]

Great start. Can't wait for the rest.

 

[hurleysweety]

Oh boy; how good do those waffles look

I want one right now !!!

Really looking forward to the rest of your reviews

Yum! Its not like I've been looking for a deal on a waffle maker or looking up recipes...or anything...

And thanks for reading!

Great start. Can't wait for the rest.

Thank you!

 

[hurleysweety]

So after touring MK a bit, we were chomping at the bit to try out F&W. So we took the monorail over to Epcot and let the feasting begin! We didn't plan on doing F&W on this day, and only had a bit of time before we needed to check into the hotel and meet DH's parents, and also be hungry for dinner because they would be starving!

We started out with one of DH's fav food in Canada. SALMON!

Maple and Moosehead-Beer Glazed Salmon with Barley Salad–$4.50

DH really liked this dish. However, the portion size is pretty small. We both liked the barley salad too. It was very acidic and a perfect compliment to the fish. The salmon was tender and flavorful, but you could still taste the salmon as well. I just can't stand when you eat fish and just taste garlic, or lemon, or salt. Or in this case, sweet maple and beer flavors.

Next up was France for me. I just wanted that Coq Au Vin so badly!

Coq au Vin sur gratin de macaroni (Red Wine braised Chicken, Mushrooms, Pearl Onions, and Macaroni Gratin)–$4.95

I don't think I've had coq au vin before, but this sounded like all my favorite things in one dish. Granted, this entree photographs horribly, but under the mushroom red wine reduction/chicken combo is a penne pasta in what I believe was a Gruyère cheese sauce. The dish was hot, the chicken was melt in your mouth tender, the mushrooms and onions were perfectly seasoned and cooked to perfection. The pasta was a perfect al dente and I wish I could have had more of just that macaroni gratin! This is not your average chicken and mac & cheese folks. This would pair so well with a glass of Merlot!

Then off to Japan for sushi, something we both love equally.

While in like I debated back and forth about what to get. We finally agreed upon trying each of the sushi rolls as well as me getting a Tokyo Sunset - surprisingly, my first cocktail in WS ever...in four trips...

Spicy Tuna Roll–$3.75

California Sushi Roll–$3.50

Tokyo Sunset - $8.00

Spicy Tuna Roll = Awesome! Another winner on our tour of F&W. Tuna wasn't overly seasoned, which seems to be a common occurrence to me with the spicy tuna roll in other sushi places. "Um yes, I would in fact like to taste some tuna in my tuna roll." Had a perfect amount of "kick" to it and awakened my taste buds for sure!

California Roll - I think DH could eat one whole california roll every day for the rest of his life and never grow tired of it. He loves the flavor of rice and cucumber; and crab is like the cherry on top! It was right on par with a local place that has California rolls that we love.

For both rolls - Portion size isn't big, considering a local chain here offers an 8 piece spicy tuna roll for around $6, with the rolls being a bit larger too. I did love that they came with ginger, wasabi, and soy sauce. The rice was fresh and the rolls were made very well. If I hadn't seen them take it off a tray and hand it to me, I might have believed there was a sushi chef that had just prepared it for me minute ago.

Tokyo Sunset - Do you like pineapple and peach? Then you will love this! Oh this was so refreshing and sweet. Its probably a 16 oz size too. So for $8, its a steal compared to other places where you get half the size. The drink has coconut rum, creme de banana, peach schnapps and pineapple juice. It was wonderful to sip around the rest of WS as we headed back to check into the WL!

So next up, find DH a smoothie. He doesn't drink, so our mission was to find a fruit smoothie for him to sip on while we walked the rest of the world. Earlier in MK, we saw a place in Tomorrowland that had four different types of yogurt blend smoothies. And we were hoping to find something similar. Strangely, we walked about 50 ft and found Kabuki Cafe to have smoothies. Upon receiving, we realized they were more like icees than smoothies. But DH was happy.

Smoothie: Strawberry or Daily Special $5.25

Mmm...strawberries! But DH couldn't finish the entire drink because it was just too sweet. We believe that there were actually fresh strawberries in the smoothie because of the amount of tart combined with sweet flavors. This wasn't just strawberry syrup and ice, so I was glad when I discovered that! Also, the CM saw my drink and asked if it was a Tokyo Sunset, and I said yes. And she got all excited and asked if I liked it. I said it was delicious and she was all smiles. I felt like I made her day!

It was a great and wonderful start to our F&W touring. We were already talking about what else we were going to get on the way out!

This goes without saying, but F&W is a 10/10 in my book for snacks!

 

[JDUB]

It's freezing cold in NE Ohio today so these pics are a nice break and brings back the memories of WDW. Can't wait to see more!!

 

[st4rrab0vemybed]

The Coq au Vin sounds amazing! I must try it one day.

Also, the Toyko Sunset looks yummy and definitely something I would enjoy. I will try to remember that drink the next time I visit.

Great reviews so far, and looking forward to more!

 

[Albytaps]

Very cool! Thanks for sharing! I must try that Tokyo Sunset!

 

[Hootiss]

Great pictures, I am really enjoying your reviews. The Tokyo Sunset looked fantastic. My favorite drink is a Malibu Sunrise(coconut rum, fresh o.j. with a splash of grenadine).

 

[TanzUnited99]

Joining in! What a great line up of reviews - looking forward to hearing all about them

What did you think of All Star Sports as a resort?

Mmm the waffles at Sleepy Hollow look yummy - another breakfast/snack option to add for MK!

 

[librarygeek]

Wow, so those waffles from Sleepy Hollow look delicious! I'm usually a light breakfast eater too, but the waffles with strawberries look wonderful. I love seeing the F&W options as well. It will probably be awhile before I get to go during that time of year, but I still can dream about it! the salmon looks excellent (I love salmon), and I would love a Tokyo Sunset!

 

[JLCJMC]

Great reviews, love the pictures - Thank-you!

 

[hurleysweety]

It's freezing cold in NE Ohio today so these pics are a nice break and brings back the memories of WDW. Can't wait to see more!!

Oh yay, glad I can "warm" you up!

The Coq au Vin sounds amazing! I must try it one day.

Also, the Toyko Sunset looks yummy and definitely something I would enjoy. I will try to remember that drink the next time I visit.

Great reviews so far, and looking forward to more!

Thanks! Oh, and the tokyo sunset is only available during Food and Wine, so make sure you visit in October!! Mmmm....yum!

Very cool! Thanks for sharing! I must try that Tokyo Sunset!

Your welcome! Ok...now I want another one...

Great pictures, I am really enjoying your reviews. The Tokyo Sunset looked fantastic. My favorite drink is a Malibu Sunrise(coconut rum, fresh o.j. with a splash of grenadine).

Ok, now maybe Hootiss can make me a Malibu Sunrise to hold me over!

Joining in! What a great line up of reviews - looking forward to hearing all about them

What did you think of All Star Sports as a resort?

Mmm the waffles at Sleepy Hollow look yummy - another breakfast/snack option to add for MK!

Thanks! All Star Sports was our first stay at a value resort. Because of DH's parents, we've had the luxury of staying at only DVC in the past. You definitley can tell a difference in amenities, room size, and the overall atmosphere. That said, the deal we got on the room was amazing, and being on property definitley has its perks. I'm glad Disney offers so many different rates for families of all shapes, sizes, and situations. For us, its not our favorite. But, I did see that we could stay at the resort for a week for under $600, so I understand the deal that it can be! IMO, for us, the double beds and small room size would get old after a couple nights for us. I would find it hard to be in that room with four adults! I think even two pre-teens, especially girls, would be a bit rough. Especially if they ended up were anything like me, oy-vey.

Oh and all that said, I don't want to step on anyone's toes! This is just our opinion from a 10 hour stay! And someday when we have kids, this might be the most budget friendly option, ya never know! Some people find the value resorts to really work for them because all they are doing is sleeping there. My DH and I enjoy the amenities of the deluxe hotels, the restaurants, the workout facilities, etc, and we've become accustomed to the DVC resorts. Also, its definitley the only time we ever get to stay in places that nice. If we were paying OOP, or on any other vacation, I'm a bottom-line budget deal couponista!

And thanks for reading my reviews!

Wow, so those waffles from Sleepy Hollow look delicious! I'm usually a light breakfast eater too, but the waffles with strawberries look wonderful. I love seeing the F&W options as well. It will probably be awhile before I get to go during that time of year, but I still can dream about it! the salmon looks excellent (I love salmon), and I would love a Tokyo Sunset!

YAY, Climb on board the Tokyo Sunset express!

Ya know, I'm not much of a breakfast eater either. But these are an exception! Plus, it'd be a great mid-morning snack to share. Salmon was good, not spectacular (SPOILER! nothing like the salmon I later had a brown derby!)

Great reviews, love the pictures - Thank-you!

Thanks for reading!

 

[hurleysweety]

Oh man were my in-laws hungry when the arrived. They got to the hotel around 5:30 Orlando time, 3:30 on their time, but hadn't eaten since breakfast!!

So after seeing our room, and after DH and I discussing all kinds of options, we somehow decided on Sassagaloua for our 20% TiW discount. We'd been back in May for the same reason. It was food, we were hungry. Seemed like a great match to me!

First I kinda screwed up and we walked into Riverside. Then I got us to French Quarter. We arrived to the food court and did the whole stand around and read each menu board until something sounds yummy. Not sure why we did the food court thing so much...not my favorite when you're with a group of more than...uh...two.

DMIL got her food almost instantly. DH, DFIL, and I, all ordered from the grill - the most popular station. They were running slow. They had one person taking orders, only one cooking, and two prepping the cooked food on plates, etc. Why it took forever...no idea...

Lighting in this restaurant is not very good. So sorry for the not-so-great pics. Also, the atmosphere is supposed to be like mardi-gras, french quarter type decor. So its bold, loud, and a little creepy if you ask me! However, you can get beignets here, and some people go gaga over those. So disregard the decor, and dig in to the food!

DMIL went to go get a table and start eating. No problem - she got an almost identical entree that I go the other night at the End Zone. It was chicken alfredo with broccoli, breadstick and side salad. She said it was better alfredo than some she had recently had at a wedding. She was very satisfied!

I decided on the nuggets because I felt five years old, or something.. I'm a usually healthy eater. So this was rare for me to order and eat with such delight. They were delicious. My pasta salad that I chose as my side...not so much. Order the fries, you fool!

Chicken Breast Nuggets $8.19

DH ordered a grilled chicken sandwich and was pretty happy with his choice. The actual chicken breast wasn't very large, but the toppings bar, complete with his fav, bbq sauce, and the salty fresh fries sure made up for it.

Grilled Chicken Sandwich $8.99

DFIL ordered the bacon cheeseburger. He loved the toppings bar and loaded up all pickles, tomatoes, and condiments. He said the meat was delicious, the bacon crispy, and the bun was good too.

Angus Bacon Cheeseburger $8.79

Was a great first night meal for them - low key, pretty quiet given the food court atmosphere, and surprisingly good quick service food.

I gave this meal an 8/10 for quick service.

 

[hurleysweety]

We woke up my in-laws early and made our way to Epcot. I believe the only reason why they were up and ready was the promise of F&W. I was so hopeful that they would like it as much as DH and I did.

After parading our way through future world, riding everything we wanted with time to spare, we made our way to Canada. My DMIL had made a list of all the things she wanted to try. I made it my mission to make sure she got to eat as many things off that list as possible.

We started off slow. I think its because everyone was kinda in that grumpy hungry stage and it was still Day 1 with them. We were still getting used to doing WDW with each other; them keeping up with our pace, us considering their needs and wants, patience..etc. We went to Canada first since they had the cheddar soup. They had said they wanted to try the salmon too, but decided to wait on it at the moment. They each got a helping of the cheddar soup.

Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup–$3.75

This soup makes the whole area smell like cheddar. I think its glorious. DH, who doesn't like cheese , doesn't agree. The portion of this soup is small. But it is rich, so I'm not sure you would want a snack size much bigger than this. They enjoyed it, but didn't seem overly ecstatic about it.

We then decided that most of the places we wanted to go were in the opposite direction. This is my one complaint about the festival - the booth set up. If you go counter-clockwise, starting with Canada, you pass Greece, Ireland, and then France. That's it, the whole way to France (a long way if you ask me!) Going the other way, clockwise, there are plenty of booths right away. Maybe five or six before you even get to Mexico.

So we decided to head towards Mexico on this day. We decided on the tacos. DMIL and DFIL usually order what DH orders...not sure why, it just happens that way. So the three of them ordered the rib eye tacos. I got the shrimp taco.

Rib Eye Tacos–$5.50

Shrimp Tacos–$3.75

Out of the two, the shrimp taco is so much better. Once again, we were disappointed in portion size. Considering the rib eye tacos are $5.50 each, you don't get much. They are easily consumed in three bites. They were probably one of the messiest things we ate too. My crispy shrimp one was pretty good. But it was nothing spectacular. I don't think we'd return to get these items.

Next up, lettuce wraps in South Korea.

Lettuce Wraps with Roast Pork and Kimchi Slaw–$3.00

DMIL and DFIL both got one. They seemed to really enjoy them. They were messy as well, but a much better portion. They said they were pretty spicy, the meat was hot and tender, and the lettuce was crisp and fresh. They seemed pretty happy with these. Neither DH nor I took a bite as we're not big on pork. But the booth smelled wonderful!

Next up, find DFIL an Octoberfest beer. I saw they had one in Germany, which was also where I saw the pretzel roll I wanted. And then DH got excited for the apple strudel. By now, we were all having a great time at the festival. We loved snacking and eating. The weather was warming up and the wind wasn't as strong. The best part? The crowds were so thin!

Nürnberger Sausage in a Pretzel Roll–$4.50

Altenmünster, Octoberfest–$11.25 (in souvenir [plastic] glass)

Apfel Strudel featuring Werther’s Original Karamell Sauce and Vanilla Sauce–$3.25

This was the favorite booth out of the four of us. I think we had four pretzel rolls and three strudels while we sat there for awhile. Germany also has this fantastic area to hang out in. Also, DFIL has German in his blood.

Beer - DFIL liked this and did drink it all. However, it wasn't exactly what he wanted. He isn't a big beer drinker by any means. He just knew he liked Octoberfest beer, and didn't realize the differences he might experience with other brands than ones he was familiar with. It was a pretty light beer.

Strudel - Fresh peeled, sliced apples, fluffy pastry and delicious icing, how can you not love this? Crispy and flaky on the outside, warm and melt in your mouth yummy-ness on the inside It was one of our favorites.

Pretzel Roll - By far, the best bang for your buck here! The sausage was hot and flavorful. The bread was obviously baked fresh, salty and crispy on the outside, soft and warm on the inside. Mmmm...I love pretzel bread.

Now at this time, it was approaching 1pm, and we could tell the in-laws wouldn't make it around the rest of the world. We were already filling full. But since we were near, we decided to get DMIL her smoothie too. So Italy was our last F&W stop of the day. *Smoothie story* Back in May 2010, on our first trip with them, we ate at Le Cellier, when it was only a 1 credit place. We were on the DDP this trip, so smoothies were included as a drink. DMIL was almost done with her smoothie when the server tried to take it away. DMIL snapped back so fast. It was so funny because its so unlike her to be assertive or speak up about something. But there were two sips left, and she liked it so much, she didn't want those two sips to go to waste!*

Primavera Smoothie–$3.50

Now the name threw me off. I always thing of veggies when I think of primavera. But actually, this is a blend of different fruits. Raspberry, Strawberry, and Mango, maybe? Can't remember exactly. She was more than delighted with it. And it helped cool her off too as that cement was slowly baking us around the back of WS. Alas, they were too tired to carry on and took the boat back to FW, and then the bus back to the hotel. Now, before you make any judgments, lol, we offered to drive them back to the hotel. But they don't mind the whole bus deal - leaving when they want and such. It actually worked out for the best, for all of us! : I'm a good daughter in law, I promise!

After some fun touring WS and general browsing, DH and I grabbed a dessert at the Desserts and Champagne booth.

Dessert Trio–$3.75

Oh man was this amazing. Before we even got to a table to eat this, we were stopped by two different people asking us what it was and where to get it! (This is also where a lovely lady recommended the orange slush in France to me. Surprisingly, I've been reading about it for YEARS, and she was the one to actually push me into wanting to try it! ) I find people to be so friendly when they're snacking and drinking...

This trio includes three different mini desserts -Lemon Chiffon, White Chocolate Macadamia Mousse with Dark Chocolate Pearls, and Tres Leches Verrine. DH liked the tres leche cake so much he went back and got another individual one. I love the White Chocolate Macadamia mousse since those are my favorite flavors. Mmmm... This is a definite must try, must indulge, and must do again. Its also the most wonderful size! I love when you eat some gourmet and sweet without it being this obnoxious, food coma i-need-a-four-day-nap size.

And that wraps up our F&W day two! Except for the tacos, it was a 10/10!

 

[librarygeek]

All of the F&W stuff looks so amazing! I especially want to try that pretzel roll with the sausage. The smoothie looks great too. I wish they made them like that everywhere they sell smoothies in WDW. I ordered one in the MK and one at HS when I was there and they were both really watered down, with chunks of ice in them, not smooth and thick like that one looks. I guess the F&W is a slightly smaller size but it's also cheaper than the icky ice ones I got!

 

[*sarah*]

Great reviews! Looking forward to reading more!!

 

[Albytaps]

This is great. We are heading to WDW this weekend and Im so looking forward to F&W, but we are on the DDP so the snack tickets will be buying most of the F&W snacks. I see most of what you have reviewed so far is $5 or less, is that because you are trying to get the most bang for your buck with cash? In my case I'll be trying to get the most bang for my buck with snack tickets so the more expensive the better. I do however want to try all the good stuff and some of that is the less expensive things. Should I just go ahead and spend cash on the $3 items? Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Linda67]

Loving your reviews

The Shrimp Tacos were my fave dish at F&W and DH loved the Lettuce Wraps - looking forward to reading more

 

[annichan]

Great reviews, and that white chocolate macadamia mousse looks and sounds absolutely divine!

 

[gardengirl628]

Great reviews...those desserts look amazing!