On my first day in Disney I started my trip at Hollywood Studios. It closed early that evening so I headed over to Epcot afterwards for Illuminations and dinner at Bistro de Paris.
I had never been to Bistro de Paris before, and was very excited to try it. The fact that I was starving as the only things Id eaten that day had been a granola bar and a 100-calorie snack pack that morning at the airport had me even more anxious then I usually would be for dinner.
After checking in, while I was sitting in the waiting area a group of Spanish speaking tourists came in. They didnt speak English very well, and they spoke no French at all, and were getting mad at the hostess for not speaking Spanish. They didnt have a reservation, plus it was a large group with kids running around the waiting area, and they wanted to bring strollers upstairs with them. It was just a communication problem, but they were being very rude. Luckily I was seated around then, and I didnt see that group again.
I was seated one table over from the window, next to a middle-aged couple who had the window table. (This is important later into my meal.) My server introduced himself then, and explained that it was his first night working there. The service was good, very professional, making sure to do everything by the book.
I have to say, Ive eaten at just about every restaurant on property, and this is the only restaurant where Ive felt sort of out of place with what I was wearing. I had on a nice pair of white capris, and a nice black and pink top, which I know Ive worn to signature restaurants before, and I felt underdressed there. I also felt like I was disturbing the atmosphere whenever I took a picture.
I was served a roll, (which I didnt take a picture of, I actually dont think I took a picture of any bread I was served this trip,) with was very nice. Nice crispy outside, and soft chewy inside, still warm from the oven, and the butter was also yummy. Granted I hadnt had butter for the last few months before this, so any butter at that point wouldve probably tasted really good, but this butter just seemed super yummy.
I was also served an amuse bouche.
I forget exactly what it was called but it was a cold pasta and shrimp salad with mushrooms. I usually dont like cold mayonnaise-based salads, and I usually like mushrooms even less, but I thought this was good.
It gets a
For my meal I decided to order from the prixe fixe menu, which included an appetizer, entrée, and dessert, though the selections were limited and no substitutions were allowed.
For my appetizer I had the sautéed shrimp.
There were a few shrimp, very plain with very little flavor, though they were cooked well, two small crab croquettes, which I also thought were kind of bland, and not very crabby, and a spoonful of what I can only describe as seafood mousse. This was possibly the best single bite of food my entire trip. It was absolutely delicious.
It gets an
For my entrée I had the sea bass.
It was a nice piece of fish, served over gnocchi and artichokes, covered with champagne buerre blanc. This was possibly the best entrée of the entire trip, and set the bar pretty high for everything else I ate the next three weeks. The bass was cooked perfectly, and melted in my mouth, the gnocchi and artichokes were wonderful with it, and the champagne sauce was rich, creamy, and absolutely wonderful.
It easily scores a
One thing that did disturb my dinner, the middle aged couple that I mentioned were sitting next to me. Illuminations started as I was eating my entrée, and being as I was turned towards their table, and they were speaking quite loudly, it wasnt difficult to over hear them. The woman was sitting on the same side at the table as I was, and had a slightly better view of the lagoon then her husband. This guy had to be at least 40 years old or so, and was complaining quite loudly that he couldnt see well. He had what I can only describe as a temper tantrum, though instead of kicking and screaming he got up and left the restaurant, and never came back. It was very odd.
For dessert I had the crème brulee, which was actually a tasting of four different crème brulee inspired desserts.
Starting at the bottom and going clockwise are; caramel cream, traditional crème brulee, caramelized rice pudding, and crème brulee ice cream.
The caramel cream was by far my favorite, it was rich, creamy, and smooth. The actual crème brulee was well prepared, but I just didnt enjoy it as much as the caramel cream. The caramelized rice pudding was fine too, but nothing special, and the crème brulee ice cream was a little freezer burned, and I just didnt find it very enjoyable. They could easily leave off one of these and make it a trio instead of four desserts.
It gets a
Overall it was a pretty good meal, though I won't be in a hurry to eat here again, and when I do, I'll probably order a la carte.
Can't wait to read your reviews
Can't Wait to follow along!
Just kidding babe...take your time making us all drool!
