NoOrdinaryPrincess's Inaugural Dining Report: And we're back! (Updated 10/18)

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Following the route in the book, the next letter instructed me to go to France and catch the 12:30 viewing of Serveur Amusant.


[Isn't J a fantastic artist?]

However, as anyone who has planned a Disney vacation can attest, you should always have a plan, but allow yourself to be flexible as inevitably things will not go exactly as expected.

Unlike Ginny's journey from Italy to France, ours had a detour through northern Africa where we ran into our old friends Aladdin and Jasmine. It would have been *ahem* impolite not to stop and say hello, right?

So anyway, the visit with Aladdin took longer than anticipated, and we missed the Serveur Amusant show. (I did, however, look it up on YouTube once we got home. It's quite good; you check it out.)

It was at this point that J and my's path diverged from the story we were imitating, as we had to scurry back to North America for lunchtime reservations at Le Cellier!

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Serveur Amusant! Or, as I've always called it, "that show in France with the chairs." That picture is really cool!

Sorry you missed the show, but I agree that part of the fun of WDW is when things don't go according to plan. After all, the main reason I plan things is so I can deviate from the plans.

Looking forward to your LC review!

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

I'm getting quite tired tonight, but I'd like to get through my Le Cellier review tonight, so I can get some PDR entries in before we leave next Monday.

Once we reached Le Cellier we waited approximately half an hour for a table. The Castmemebers kept us entertained with both Canadian and Disney trivia. While my knowledge of Canadian history left something to be desired, I correctly answered every Snow White question that was asked, collecting a king's ransom in Mickey stickers.


I ordered the house's signature dish, the mushroom filet. If you have spent any time on these boards, I don't need to tell you about this wonderful dish. I ordered it medium rare, and the center was perfectly pink; The meat was tender and flavorful. The risotto was quite nice as well. It was salty, but not prohibitively so as some have complained about.


J ordered the New York strip, also medium rare. If it hadn't been held up to the filet by comparison, this would have been a superb dish, and it was good! The steak was well-seasoned, though drier than the smaller cut. The potatoes may, arguably have been a superior accompaniment than the risotto, but at the end of the day the filet is just a far superior dish to the strip.



I will say, I am inherently suspicious of any restaurant with one dish that is so blatantly superior to the rest of the menu. The filet would definitely be worthy of its future signature dining status, but I can't, in good faith, say the same for the strip. I hope the chefs are tweaking the restaurant's offerings to raise the quality with the increased price tag. I do worry that the quality will be hit or miss with an inflated price tag.

This meal was our anniversary celebration, so our waitress brought us complementary maple creme brulee (with both Anniversary and Birthday recognition!).



I love creme brulee, and this dish did not disappoint. The texture was creamy and smooth with a noticeable, but not overpowering flavor of maple. Overall, an excellent dish, and excellent anniversary meal.

Due to extreme fatigue, I lack the cleverness to craft a witty cliffhanger. You'll just have to see where the next adventures find us.

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Originally Posted by DonaldDoleWhip

Serveur Amusant! Or, as I've always called it, "that show in France with the chairs." That picture is really cool!

Sorry you missed the show, but I agree that part of the fun of WDW is when things don't go according to plan. After all, the main reason I plan things is so I can deviate from the plans.

Looking forward to your LC review!

Sorry I missed this yesterday! I think we all plan so heavily so we can deviate from it, but I also think that planning a Disney Vacation [for many of us] is almost as fun as going on a Disney Vacation, and helps us handle the pre-vacation anticipation. (I will say, I hope this DR helps to mitigate the post-vacation blues...)

[partyof2]

Originally Posted by NoOrdinaryPrincess

What is your favorite YA? J titled this adventure "13 Little Who Envelopes" and the narrative in the letters discusses how we are traveling through time as well as space to get to these destinations. It's really quite creative!

I really enjoyed Cape May and wouldn't hesitate to return, even without the inclusion of the oreo bon bons, but perhaps you can find some compromise. Narcossees has some good seafood options (the lobster is even included on the DDP!), but also some excellent terrestrial options. Coral Reef is known for it's steaks. Maybe one of those would be a good alternative?

I love a UK author called Sarra Manning.

I know she's had a few things published in the US but I feel her books are very British. Her Diary of a Crush series is a favourite of mine, I can read it over and over again - although this likely has more to do with nostalgia than anything else, it was originally serialized in Just Seventeen when I was in my teens.

That mushroom fillet is my most anticipated meal! I absolutely cannot wait to try it, did the juices run cooked medium rare? Generally that's how I have my steaks cooked, but when they are served with sauces I prefer them to be pink but not runny.

[Tracerr00]

Ok, I'm all caught up on your PDR! This is one of the most entertaining PDRs that I've ever read! I love the letters and the adventures. J sounds like a gem! As for the food, I'm in love with the filet at Le Cellier but now that it's moving to 2 credits for both lunch and dinner I'm not sure how often I'll get there when I visit.

I'm excited to read more!

[butiflfeet]

This is a great PDR! I can't wait for your trip!

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Originally Posted by partyof2

I love a UK author called Sarra Manning.

I know she's had a few things published in the US but I feel her books are very British. Her Diary of a Crush series is a favourite of mine, I can read it over and over again - although this likely has more to do with nostalgia than anything else, it was originally serialized in Just Seventeen when I was in my teens.

That mushroom fillet is my most anticipated meal! I absolutely cannot wait to try it, did the juices run cooked medium rare? Generally that's how I have my steaks cooked, but when they are served with sauces I prefer them to be pink but not runny.

Sara Manning's book sound a lot like Stephanie Perkins's. Have you read "Anna and the French Kiss"? Really a sweet book.

Regarding the filet, the juices ran a little bit, but I'd bet if you asked them to make sure they didn't, they could accommodate you.

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Originally Posted by Tracerr00

Ok, I'm all caught up on your PDR! This is one of the most entertaining PDRs that I've ever read! I love the letters and the adventures. J sounds like a gem! As for the food, I'm in love with the filet at Le Cellier but now that it's moving to 2 credits for both lunch and dinner I'm not sure how often I'll get there when I visit.

I'm excited to read more!

Thank you very much for your kind words. J is an absolutely generous soul, inside and out.

Originally Posted by butiflfeet

This is a great PDR! I can't wait for your trip!

Thank you very much. I do worry that I'm building up a little bit too much anticipation, I think people are so entertained because my Mr. is so sweet, but alas. What can you do?

[nanhol]

I am so enjoying your thread--I had to figure out how to subscribe to a thread so I can keep following your adventures! Thank you for sharing!

[jecskc]

MMmmmmmm .... Le Cellier. I am so sad it is going to two credits for lunch. I just don't know if it will be worth it ..... It will be very interesting to see how that goes for them ....

More !!!

[vettegirl]

Le Cellier is wonderful, thanks for sharing.

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Originally Posted by nanhol

I am so enjoying your thread--I had to figure out how to subscribe to a thread so I can keep following your adventures! Thank you for sharing!

That is incredibly flattering, my smile is so big right now. Thank you so much for taking your time to read my report. It means a lot to me. I do worry, though, that I'm going to let people down with my upcoming vacation because I won't have J's loving creativity to fall back on.

Originally Posted by jecskc

MMmmmmmm .... Le Cellier. I am so sad it is going to two credits for lunch. I just don't know if it will be worth it ..... It will be very interesting to see how that goes for them ....

More !!!

I have those same worries. I really appreciate you following along. I'm working on more! I'm working on it!

Originally Posted by vettegirl

Le Cellier is wonderful, thanks for sharing.

Thank you, kind reader, for taking the time to follow along.

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

After an afternoon of rides and shopping in World Showcase, we stopped for a snack in the Japan Pavilion. What were we after? Kaki Goris, of course!



Now, this was quite a refreshing break from the unrelenting Florida sun, and the portion was generous, but I must say, I was somewhat disappointed. We chose the melon flavor. As far as the flavor itself it didn't seem overly artificial, but it was quite sweet. What I was most disappointed by, though, was the ice. It was chunked, not blended; causing the ice to separate from the flavoring. Mouthfuls of flavored syrup followed by flavorless ice.

Though, ice is still refreshing on a day as sweltering as that one. So it wasn't a loss, merely a disappointment.

[MLinDisney]

I see that we ordered the same entrees and dessert at Lecellier! They were very good cuts of meat! I wondered how the risotto tasted. DD loves Mac and cheese with her steaks and substituted that for risotto twice during our vacation.

I was glad to hear about the Kaki Gori. I never tried it. I'm wondering how the other flavors would taste. Not a fan of melon flavor.

Looking forward to your next review!