Napa Rose

After the excellent light lunch at the Crab Cooker at Newport Beach we were really looking forward to this meal in the Grand Californian Hotel. Our waiter, Saucy was from Memphis Tennessee and was extremely knowledgeable regarding the menu and the wine list; giving us plenty of time to select. He then provided us immediately with a fine selection of breads and sparkling water and an amuse bouche. In the end I chose my first piece of beef of the holidays in the form of New York Steak served with a Cabernet and Portabello Mushroom sauce and Butternut Squash. The meat was perfectly tender cooked just how I had asked and the sauce rich and deep in flavour. The sweetness of the squash a perfect compliment, it enhanced the whole dish rather than overpowered the other flavours, which can sometimes be a problem when dealing with this rich sweet vegetable.

Jackie chose a dish of Monkfish wrapped in Pancetta served with Lobster Gnocchi. This again was beautifully cooked and delightful to eat. I was intrigued by the gnocchi as my experience of these small dumplings tends to be of little flavour other than the sauce it sits in. These had a delicate touch and the lobster had been incorporated into them beautifully. The sauce was light and just sharp enough to counter the smoky pancetta. The monkfish itself beautifully trimmed and cut from only the thick end of the tail.

For drinks Jackie had a lovely bone dry Chateau Graville 2003 Graves whilst I went for a bold Sonoma Zinfandel to compliment the beef. One thing I often talk about when reviewing Disney restaurants is ambiance and noise levels, the latter of which can be atrocious even in some of the best signature places due to poor cavernous design and lack of sound absorbing materials. I'm very happy to report that the Napa Rose suffers from none of these problems. Thick carpets and curtains here help reduce those noise levels nicely despite the usual open feature kitchen, huge ceilings and boisterous guests.

Dessert was a shared affair, a platter of desserts and a platter of world cheeses with lovely coffee and more wine. I even finished the night with a lovely glass of 12 year old malt to savour the moment that much longer before we had to depart back to our room.

All in all a fantastic meal and in our opinion one of the best a Disney restaurant has served to us in the U.S.A. Partly due to the great setting and feel of the restaurant which is so relaxing and well thought out, but also the quality of the food is fantastic and well worth the money. We will return, make no doubt about it.

Bistro de Paris (2)

Once again the heels were put on (jeez they are killing me already) and we set off back to EPCOT on the bus. Tonight’s dinner reservation is at the Bistro de Paris, a repeat visit on this trip, we last ate here in Oct 05.



Its very, very busy in EPCOT tonight. It’s the last night of the Food and Drink festival, it’s a mosh pit trying to work our way towards France, surprisingly there are lots of young Americans out of their faces in groups everywhere, must be taking advantage of the cheap samples and the fact its relatively easy to get a drink in the dark if your underage; in fact its like a night in Manchester.

Finally arrive at Bistro de Paris for a little of a more refined experience. I do have to question one thing about the way this signature restaurant deals with arriving diners though. Why on earth do they leave everyone standing around the bottom of a staircase, would it be too much to ask to have some extra chairs and a proper waiting area, there are at least 7 couples standing around when we are finally taking upstairs.

Our memories of this restaurant are excellent which is one of the reasons we are coming back to it.

We are seated at a window seat overlooking the lagoon and wine is quickly ordered, a lovely sharp Macon Villages.

Jackie is not having a starter, my suggestion that she order one anyway and I eat two falls on deaf ears so I order the Pan seared sweetbreads and Louisiana shrimp.

Everything is cooked just to perfection, seared on the outside and caramelised yet not overdone and the sauce is reduced to a richness that is heavenly.

For her main course Jackie chooses the slowly cooked wild Halibut, this was served with a fennel fondue, a thinly diced ratatouille, baby arugula, escabeche and black olive oil sauce. Excellent fish, cooked well and a dish served with a nice balance of vegetables.

I go for the Dover Sole. This is served with fresh egg pasta and pan seared golden chantrelles and fava beans. Absolutely lovely, once again the fish was fantastically seared on the outside yet juicy and moist inside, it must have seen an extremely hot pan for all of 20secs.

Puddings consisted of Pear Belle Helene for Jackie, once we had cleared up with Henry from Dunkirk the English pronunciation for pear. My guess is he wondered why we were scared!

I chose the Chocolat Moelleux.. yummy.

Service was excellent and unfussy as usual and our window seat allowed us to watch Illuminations during the meal.

Total was $165.00 inc the tip and it still remains our favourite EPCOT restaurant.

Danny and Jackie

Shula's at the Dolphin WDW

There's something about Shula's that simply makes my mouth water at the very thought of eating there. How many times will you visit forums and see that inevitable old question , where can I get the best steak? I hardly ever see Shula's on the list and I can only put this down to the fact its probably considered a trifle expensive. But boy if you want the best, you pay for the best. The restaurant has a fantastic atmosphere starting with the dark wood panelling and the mysterious little side rooms. It reminds me of an old gentleman's club in London.

It's actually hidden down a rather bland corridor off the main harbour entrance to the Dolphin and sits in the centre of the building which explains the lack of windows. Inside you are greeted by ladies in the inevitable short black cocktail dress and serving staff in white jackets. One of the chefs (say hi) is a local guy, meaning he's from Lancashire so he should know his beef. If this is your first visit to Shula's your waiter will give you an introduction to why Shula's is so special with the aid ofa few props from the beef trolley. This is serious beef, it would be a sin to order anything else. Basically you can order several different cuts at several different weights. This is all purebred Aberdeen Angus but its not just any Aberdeen Angus, the breed is their own and is raised in Albany, Georgia. All cuts are centre cuts only and put basically, it's the top 1% of beef cooked to your specification. more info click here. .











The explanation and introduction to this, given by your waiter, is almost a dinner show in itself. Jacqueline opted for the classic Fillet in a green peppercorn sauce ,whilst I went for the robust cowboy steak still on the bone with its beautiful marbling. Whilst I would class this as fine dining one thing is for sure, the steak is the star of the show, side dishes and presentation are secondary issues, though the spinach and twice baked jacket potato is heavenly. Your steaks are brought to you and you will be asked to cut into them where upon the waiter will produce a maglite ( it's quite dark in there) and ask if it has been cooked to your liking. Words fail me to be honest, how do you describe beef on this level except to say for an hour or so you will be in heaven. We chose a fantastic Zinfandel which was a bargain in the Bin Ends and have now re visited to find that it's still as good as we first thought.

Cinderellas Royal Table

This was a lunch that in retrospect should have been planned a little better. We seemed to time arriving at MK from AK in the middle of a parade and boy was the MK busy.. Anyway we arrived some 20mins late from our PS time though this caused no problems with the CM who took us straight into the Throne Room Lobby.. The Lobby is actually very busy and I have visions that we will be left here a while as we turned up late. However Lord Danny and Lady Jackie are gonged, announced and seated in a nice window seat overlooking Fantasy Land within 5 mins.

Jackie chooses the Prime Rib Royal Pie with Cabernet Gravy which comes with a beautiful selection of fresh vegetables and I order the Prime Rib Steak Rare which comes with Mashed Potatoes. The menu is quite limited being mainly Prime Rib, or variations on Club Sandwiches but the food is adequate, The Beef in Jackies pie is well braised and very tender whilst my Prime Steak is nice and tender despite being beautifully rare, its also nicely seasoned.

For Puddings Jackie orders an Apple Bread custard, kind of a cross between Bread and butter pudding and apple turnover and I have the Creme Brulee which is rather strange with a thickly textured custard under the caramel, still its quite tasty.

The Magic Kingdom is completely dry. If theres ever a day where a relaxing glass of wine would come in handy it's today; as I look out of the window at the shoulder to shoulder crowds in Fantasy Land

Jackie has an Orange Juice with her meal and I opt for one of Cinderellas Egg Nog smoothies which is so thick it may as well be a dessert , still you get a souvenier glass.

The Ambience is rather loud but then its lunch time and this is the Magic Kingdom so there are lots of children dining.

The entertainment is provided by a party of Americans to our Left who are being taken out for a meal by a friend. This friend sends his bill back at least 6 times to query things much to the embarrasment of his party who in the end get up and leave him on his own. When its finally sorted by a different Cast Member, (the original girl having given up trying to explain the bill to him) the guy then seems to have difficulty understanding how to pay, perhaps he thought food was included in the admission price to the park, who knows?

Anyway good basic hearty food in a nice unique setting, with points removed for not having decent beverage choices. If your gonna be dry fine, but who on earth wants to drink sugary pop with a meal. The bill came to $75 inc tip and two extra cappucini. 7 out of 10.

Bice at Portofino Universal

We took the water taxi from RPR to BICE, the resort is so beautifully lit at night, changing boats at City walk, we saw the Portofino boat pulling out- d’oh! and were slightly late for our 8pm reservation. No problem, we were immediately seated in the back half of the room, which was half full but became busier (and noisier) as the night progressed. Bice has been open since January 2005 and is obviously frequented by many Italian-American families, so if it’s good enough for them….



Our gorgeous waiter, Francesco was from Naples (and here's a pic of me with him) he was very helpful and told us about the menu. They don’t have a specials board as that week’s fresh produce dictates the menu.

I started with the Tri colour Rocket salad, nice and light, just right, followed by the halibut with capers, this was perfectly prepared with a crispy top but still very moist, I would have liked more capers as it was quite a large portion of fish!



Dan had the Carpaccio of beef starter and the biggest buffalo fillet for main course. This was served with creamed potatoes and a cab.-sauv. gravy. He declared it to be the best steak ever, perfectly cooked rare and well seasoned with good texture to the meat.



I had to have a pud as usual and had saved a small corner for Panna cotta with berries, ooh-la-la! Or should that be bella! This was speckled with vanilla seeds and the berries were a perfect accompaniment.



Dan had the semi fredo (like Jamie Oliver makes) it was beautifully light and fresh tasting with a lemon creme anglaise.



We shared a bottle of Californian Pinot Noir and finished with two coffees. The bill totalled $220 inc tax+tip, this was the only place to add a service charge of 15% (when we usually tip 20% )The air con was a little too icy for me but we had the most perfect meal and service was faultless.
We definitely recommend!

Jackie & Dan xx

Bistro De Paris Epcot (1)

We had booked a table for 6pm but had to behave very well as we cruised the Food & Wine festival huts during the afternoon, no mean feat I can tell you! I may have had a few glasses though Hic! Okay I had a few nibbles too.
The Bistro is situated upstairs, we arrived on time and only had a tiny wait. This is quite a posh place and we turned up in our park clothes, I felt slightly out of place (everywhere else we went we had changed for dinner) but can’t be helped, it takes so long to get back and change and on inspection most people for such an early sitting were not particularly dressed up, I had asked earlier about dress code and was told no tank tops. We had a nice table centrally located so I could be very nosey and see all the crepe suzettes being flambéed! It’s not too big a place so noise levels were minimal too.
Our impressive waiter was Rodolphe from Versailles, who took time out to tell us about his 12 month placement at Epcot. We were brought an amuse bouche compliments of the chef, pork, parsnip and paprika parcel- very good.
We shared the quail starter, which was excellent, very tender and lightly grilled this was served with puy lentils, an endive and parmesan salad with a parmesan crisp.

For me: Bouillabaisse with sea bass and mussels and baby veg., the broth/stock had perfect flavour, this was topped by the lightest onion ring I ever tasted.

Dan’s veal was very full in taste but light in texture, served with parsnips, carrots and mushrooms.

Dessert ‘pour moi bien sur’ was apple tart with apple cider and green apple sorbet, what can I say? Heaven.

Two cappuccinos and a bottle of Givry Pinot Noir completed our meal. The total was $180 inc tax and tip. Service, ambience, food and wine were fantastic. We will return!
Jackie & Dan

Chefs du France EPCOT

Again this was booked 90days ago as a PsS and as I mentioned earlier I'm so relieved to find they know who we are and have us seated within 5mins.. In fact on this entire holiday we had no probs with any PS bookings and I was never asked for a PS number once despite faithfully carrying them around with me..
I had made one mistake here though, apparantly I should have gone to the Americans gardens theatre kiosk earlier in the day to pick up our Candlelight Procession Package Badges; but it was no problem as the CM Sebastian rang up just to confirm it was still there.
The Package basically allowed us to pick anything from the menu apart from the Lobster for which a Surcharge would be added.
The Ambiance in here is quite brightly lit, and its a huge restaurant, far bigger than it looks from the outside. It was also full and the noise level was quite high. We did notice that a lot of the restaurants seem to have little or nothing in the way of curtains and as Americans seem to talk rather loudly anyway the noise has no way of being difused or absorbed. We got a nice window seat although that did actually make Jackie feel a little colder as the evening wore on.
For Starters Danny had the L Escargot which came traditionally in parsley and hot butter. Bsically I would describe the texture as very similar to the larger green lipped NZ mussels. It made for a nice warming starter.

Jackie had a beautiful Salad of Roqufort Cheese on Endive lettuce. The cheese was absolutely delicious just the perfect amount off sharpness mingled in with its creamy texture.It was dressed in a mild basamic dressing with lambs leaf and walnut garnish.

For the main course I chose a hearty stew to make sure I could survive the cold outdoor theatre for the Candlelight Procession. I love these provencale style stews and this one of Haricot Beans, Diced Lamb, Spicy Sausage and slow braised Pork Belly was delicious and nicely seasoned if a little filling.

Jackie had a fillet of red snapper, Pan fried and served on a ravioli of crab meat with a parsley tomato and olive oil dressing. This was nice and light and delicious.

We washed this down with a nice bottle of d'oc merlot and finished the meal with a delicious creme brulee for jack, nice and wet under the caramel with plenty of real vanilla in the custard and some profiteroles for me which though nice, were a little to large a portion for me to finish.
I'll have to re check on the price as this was pre paid as part of the package and all that was left to do was tip Sebastian.
All in all 8/10

Coral Reef at Epcot

This Restaurant is very similar in style and ambience to the Sharks Underwater Grill at Sea World. What does make a huge difference to the atmosphere here was the extra attention and information we recieved from the CM who explained a lot about the tank, the fish and the most recent additions to the tank.

The Restaurant is once again rather dark to give a good view into the tanks and is decorated in a sort of Gaudi, Barcelona Mosaic style.


As well as a menu you are also given an information sheet to help you identify the fish in the tank.

Jackie ordered Blue Crabcakes for a starter which was served on a bed of spiced crushed Parsnips, the amount of spice was ideal not overpowering the delicate crab.


Danny had the Clam Chowder which was again nicely spiced and most importantly full of easily identifiable pieces of seafood and not just a grey soup.

Jackie for the main course chose the Cornish Baby Hen which was perfectly cooked and moist, this came on a bed of mashed potatoes with a quite strong redcurrent jus, there was just slightly too much of this quite strong sauce on the dish.


Danny chose the CMs recommendation of the blackened Catfish, this was out of this world and the blackening process is something I will be looking into applying to my own cooking. It gives a light crunch to the outside of the fillet of fish with just a little bite of Southern spices. It was Served on a bed of Grits which were a perfect match to this dish along with spicy tomatoes and a balsamic dressing that went great with both the toms and the grits.

We did not have a desert here as our Candlelight Package was at 6.00pm.
We washed it all down with a lovely bottle of Californian 2003 Zinfandel though from the Sonoma area rather than Napa. This was perfect for both dishes as the wine itself has a peppery finish and was nicely warming for what was a cold day.

Total Cost was $108.00 inc tip
Overall 8.5 out of 10

Mythos Universal IoA

We arrived at the Mythos restaurant at 1.00pm for our PS and were given a pager and seated within 15mins.. This a nicely styled and themed restaurant though its not as OTT on the inside as it is on the outside, It would be lovely on a nice warm day to sit on the terrace. We had a seat in the front section on a table for two which gave a view into the kitchen area and the pass. The whole restaurant's interior design had been inspired by HR Gigers Alien work, with a very organic rounded style.

We did not order starters again as we have a table booked at 9.00pm for the California Grill in the Contemporary Hotel, however we ordered a side of Asian spiced Chicken Wings(dan did)
Danny Ordered the Mahi Mahi with deep fried plantain on a bed of cheese flavoured grits and a sweet balsamic dressing. It was beautiful with lovely moist thick pieces of fish,

In fact the pieces of fish were thicker than expected and it was probably overkill to order a side of chicken wings, these were very nice and not too hot and spicy. Though I seem to remember the red chili sauce on the side of the plate was quite deadly
Jackie ordered a more traditional coq au vin which was excellent, nice and moist and a deep flavoured sauce full of tiny onions and mushrooms, this was served perfectly with some double mashed potatoes to soak up the sauce. Accompanied by a Sonoma Zinfandel, nice and spicy.

Jack had cheesecake with cherries, deep fried affair I think but not too heavy, Very nice.See pic.

Dan had Kalua flavoured creme brulee, nice. Two coffees rounded it off.Totalling $115 inc tip. 8/10

This reveiew was from the Christmas 04 trip and since then the menu in Mythos has undergone significant changes. The menu choices are now rather pathetic compared to what used to be available.

Flying Fish on the Boardwalk WDW

Once again this was a 90day PS.. We arrived on a really cold evening, I think because the sun had come out for the first time today and the clouds had cleared it actually made this evening the coldest ever.
Arrived at 8.35 and was given a pager so we went and huddled in one of the Boardwalk Shops for warmth, There isnt much room in the actual flying fish lobby to wait seated.
We waited probably about 10-15mins and were then seated. The Flying Fish is quite a strange building, Its quite a long corridor style with an open kitchen on the left as you go in where you have the option to sit at the chefs table, the ceiling is very high and this coupled with the fact it is one open area makes it rather noisy and echoey.

The menu is nice and tight with some fresh market specials.
Jackie ordered the Oak flamed fillet of Salmon and I ordered a Beautiful piece of very rare Blue Tuna served on a bed of fine Vermicelli Noodles, nicely spiced. Both dishes were beautifully presented and were washed down with a bottle of nicely chilled Kenwood Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc 2003. Though on reflection this did little to raise our body temperatures.LOL
One Criticism though. The place was freezing. It couldn't have been much above 4c outside but rather than have any heat in the Restaurant the place still had the AC on as if it was a hot summers day outside. It was probably not helped by the size of the space as I have mentioned.
The food however was all V.Good and I followed the main course by ordering a selection of Artisan Cheeses which included nice soft Brie, Camembert, Stilton, English V.Mature Cheddar, and a glass of deep Cabernet Sauvignon, for warmth you understand.
Unfortunately despite fixing the battery problem I forgot to take all the pictures, must have been the cold numbing my senses.
7.0 out of ten though I deducted .5 simply because of the cold. The bill came to $130.00 inc tip.

California Grill WDW

This again was a 90 day PS and once again everything ran smoothly. I think I will describe the ambience of this Restaurant in two parts, pre Wishes and post Wishes. Before Wishes starts the restaurant is quite loud and full of a mixed variety of diners, some appear to have dressed smartly (I wore a Jacket and dressed smart casual), whilst some look like they may have just walked in from the park. I think given how this venue describes itself, the Disney CM`s need to get a firmer grip on the dresscode.

Fortunately we had made a PS for 9.00pm and as there was no chance of any tables being freed up before Wishes had finished, we did not get seated until around 9.30pm, so we took a cocktail in the lounge area and then watched Wishes along with everyone else.The whole restaurant duly erupted into applause at the end of the display. Then there seemed to be quite a mass exodus of families who had obviously lingered just that bit longer over coffees to make sure they caught the display.

My recommendation therefore if you want to have a nice romantic meal is not to bother making a PS until after 9.00pm.

Post Wishes, the volume level drops considerably and the whole place turns back into a sophisticated modern restaurant.

We were seated on the left hand area as you enter near to the open kitchen and the sushi area.

Our server Dale went carefully through the menu with us and tempted us both to have a starter made up of the sushi chefs selection from the sushi bar.

Absolutely gourgeous and so fresh you could almost taste the ozone from the sea, needless to say it was also beautifully presented but one word of warning: be very careful with that wasabi mustard :eek:

Jackie ordered a nice cut of pork tenderloin which Dale explained the chef would be cooking slightly pink if that was ok (At last a chef who understands this cut should not be cooked as dry as cardboard, Anthony Worrel Thomson would be in heaven). This was served on a bed of wet polenta with a sage infused jus, It was also garnished with some lovely crispy leaves of deep fried sage.



I had the pan fried scallops served on a hand made ravioli of seasoned white crab meat with a saurce vierge and a tiny julienne of vegetable.

We had yet another great Sonoma zinfandel, these Sonama zinfandels have a fantastic balance of spice and fruit when compared to some of the over oaked beasts from Napa.



For dessert Jackie had a mandarin sorbet with a real vanilla ice crean served in a citrus syrup.



We had coffee and as it was another cold night ended on a 12year old glass of mcallen for warmth, and I didn't even have to say no ice. View from the California Grill


Check came out at $155 inc tip a resounding 9/10

Thanks though to ClareH for prewarning me through the Dibb boards that this was going to be a noisy environment to start with as I might have felt slightly annoyed on arrival. In the end though once we sat down and began the meal it was truly fantastic.

The Blue Zoo at the Swan and Dolphin

Dining is one thing that always forms an integral part of our holiday planning. For both of us, Disney works as such a wonderful holiday destination: not only because of the vast amount of uniquely magical entertainment but also because of its ability to allow you to have pure adult indulgence in the evenings at some of the best restaurants.

We arrived at the BlueZoo directly by boat from the International Gateway, the restaurant is easy to find from the dock. You first see the fantastic cocktail bar with its multi level booths, the bar takes up the entire length of one wall before it turns into the open kitchen area. Upfront at the side of the pass is a huge circular enclosed coal grill with various rotisserie skewer attachments, which are used to skewer whole fish at an angle and slowly roast them over the coals, these are the so called “flying fish” the signature dish of the restaurant. After this is the more formal dining area, with booths along one wall, windows on the other wall looking out over the dock if it was daytime.

We are sat in a table for two which has a wall couch seat and chair, Jackie notes later on to remind her not to sit on the couches as she finds they leave her a little low at the table and unable to sit back. She has to order the flying fish, which the waiter tells her will be whole sea bass. Perfect.

It’s actually served whole and in Jackie’s words is the most heavenly Sea Bass she has ever eaten, moist and flavoursome. It’s served with perfect accompaniments which are a white bean puree and grilled hearts of romaine. An emulsion of lemon and capers has been set into the puree which gives a real lift and bite to the dish.

I would have chosen the same thing, it looked special the moment I saw it when we walked in but I decide to order the Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass (a larger meatier fish). This is a fusion cooked affair, something I usually regard with suspicion, but our server describes it well, assures me of it and I take the plunge and order. This is served with warm sesame spinach and pea and mustard tendril salad. ]

The fish is moist and transluscent with just a hint of the miso ( orange being the flavour), the sesame spinach contains more flavours of the east and would be edging over to the sweet side if it was not for the pea tendril salad whose dressing and the heat of those hot little shoots balances it nicely. It’s a dish that when put together works very well, however get the balance wrong, and it could go too sweet. I suppose that’s why fusion cooking can go so chop suey sometimes.

The bar as I mentioned here is vast and the wine list is no exception, with the restaurant winning awards for its wine lists as well as its food..

Taking advantage of the fact (almost) every bottle can be taken by the glass, we decide to try out some local Sauvignons, well as local as California is. To be honest this is a risk as there are perfectly great New Zealand Sauvignons to be had which would be perfect with this meal, but when in Rome. I try a mid priced from the Napa area whilst Jackie tries something from Sonoma. To be honest the Napa is to light and flowery (too much sun in Napa) with not enough acidity to tackle this dish so more Sonoma is ordered. The Sonoma is excellent just the right balance, pure gooseberry delight.

A platter of desserts is offered here which is made up of, sorbet, fig cobbler, vanilla crème,brulee, chocolate raspberry molten cake, lemon cream sponge, strawberry confit and biscottis

2 Lattes finish the meal.

A fantastic meal in all and one I will remember. Over the last few trips we seem to be exhausting all of the dining in WDW whilst trying never to revisit places. Our next trip in April will require us to start re visiting favourites, I would put this down as a definite.

Total cost inc tip $150.00