Best Dining Experiences at Disney World

I qualify this entry by stating that I'm by no means a restaurant reviewer, nor do I play one in the blogosphere. I just know what I like, and sometimes I know why I like it. (Much like my commentaries on books, movies and music.)

So here's what I really liked. I was totally impressed with the meal at Le Cellier in the Canada pavilion of Epcot. The steak was done as well as the best places I've been in Chicago, including David Burke's, Wildfire, and Capital Grill. It was tender, juicy, and tasty. And the mushroom risotto is excellent as well. Of course their Canadian Cheddar and Ale soup (I don't remember the exact name) is a tasty treat. And their iced tea is nice and light; I could probably drink it without a sweetener.

I was also quite impressed with the California Grill. It's the first time we've eateh there, and I was a little disappointed that they couldn't accomodate us as far as a seat with a view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks, especially since we got there early and we had requested such a table when we made the reservation, then earlier in the day. (It was my birthday that day, and they were aware of that also.) We were a party of six, which makes it harder... But the food and service made up for it. Their soup was excellent. I could have made a meal out of just that. And the duck was sensational. It was pricy, no doubt, but it was also the best meal we had while there.

Our lunch at the Yak and Yeti was pretty darned good, as well. I had a dish which featured skewered shrimp, and I didn't leave a single one. I love the Asian flare there, and our service was almost as good as at the California Grill.

Other meal stops were the SciFi Drive In, Tony's, Chefs De France, and Portobello's in Downtown Disney. And we went offsite one night for a meal at a local Persian restaurant called Shiraz (on Westwood Blvd, just off of I-4 and north of DTD). The meal at Shiraz was excellent also.

I have to say, though, that we've had better service in all of those restaurants in the past. The service was excellent at California Grill, and at Yak and Yeti, and it was very good at the Sci Fi Drive In. I can't say that the service was BAD at any of the other Disney restaurants. It just was - well, maybe uninspired is a good word. In the past, even when the food was pedestrian, the service has been outstanding.

I regret not sampling either of the dining establishments at our home resort, Jiko or Boma. Next time.