We are WDW regulars who took our first DL trip this week.
Food and good meals are also very important for our vacations.
Napa Rose: I think this depends on your experiences. We are lucky enough to eat fine dining meals in many places. Napa Rose pales in comparison. It isn't even close to WDW's Victoria and Alberts. We did the chef's counter, which I think was a mistake. The reason I say it depends on your experiences is because the couple sitting next to us were absolutely gushing about the food. (We were not served the same things so maybe it was just super bad luck on our part, but I don't think that is the case. The couple next to us were younger, and I think less experienced with fine dining). The fish was overcooked. I was served a second course that came off as "cheap" (potato and artichoke fritter with roasted vegetables), which would have been forgivable if it had flavor. My husband thinks they forgot to season it. Service-wise we were surprised my uneaten fritters were whisked way without comment or concern. I was served "medium rare" filet mignon that had to be sent back as it was so over done that it lacked any pink whatsoever. They were gracious about redoing the dish, but it made for an awkward eating experience as my husband had his dish served to him normally and then we had to wait for mine.
Since you say you are foodies I think you should be warned. If going to Napa Rose, I would advise you to go with the regular menu. The chef counter does offer a good view of the kitchen which was entertaining since we like that sort of thing. So I would say chef counter might be acceptable if you like watching kitchens. My husband was also amused and dismayed at watching the pass and all the food going out unchecked by the chef de cuisine. He was not surprised that my steak was overcooked; the chef never looked at it. She DID check the second one which was tasty but nothing special.
I think the large size of Napa Rose hurts the quality and consistency of the food.
In essence, for what it is versus what it is supposed to be, Napa Rose falls short.
As a side note, on two separate occasions after our meal we spoke with locals about
Disneyland and both said Napa Rose isn't very good.
On the other hand, Blue Bayou, for what it is, meets expectations and is good. I'm not saying the food is better at Blue Bayou than Napa Rose, but in terms of in-park dining Blue Bayou does a good job, while Napa Rose fails as a out-of-park fine dining experience.
