"Be Our Guest" was the show-stopper in Disney's 1991 classic, "Beauty and the Beast," which inspired the new restaurant (even though it lost the Academy Award for Best Original Song to the title track, "Beauty and the Beast.") While no one reasonably expected singing and dancing animated tableware (though some animatronics in the room would be nice - Disney's suggested we'll get a push-around Lumiere character, much like Remy at Les Chefs de France), Howard Ashman's lyrics do reference several specific dishes:
Among them:
Soup du jour
Hot hors d'oeuvres
Try the grey stuff (It's delicious)
Beef ragout
Cheese souffle
Pie and pudding "en flambe"
We'll leave it to diners to decide what, if anything on the menu, the "grey stuff" might turn out to be. But otherwise, it appears that Disney's Chef Michael Deardorff pretty much steered clear of letting the late Mr. Ashman set his menu.
Sure, we'll get soups - a potato/leek and a French onion - and steamed mussels as an appetizer might count as a "hot hors d'oeuvre." There will be a braised pork dish available at lunch, when the restaurant operates as a counter service eatery, but that's the closest thing to a beef ragout (stew) on the announced menu. No sign of any souffles, or of desserts "en flambe." Just cupcakes and cream puffs, served with no flames in sight.
Expect French bistro fare. At lunch, diners may select from a Salad Nicoise, Croque Monsieur, or carved turkey or steak sandwich served with fries. A vegetable quiche and a quinoa salad also will be available, in addition to the aforementioned braised pork.
At dinner, when the restaurant converts to table service, Disney's announced "thyme-scented pork rack chop with au gratin pasta, rotisserie rock hen with roasted fingerling potatoes, pan-seared salmon in leek fondue, grilled strip steak with pommes frites, sautéed shrimp and scallops with veggies in puff pastry with creamy lobster sauce, and an oven-baked ratatouille." Appetizers include a charcuterie plate, the mussels, soups and a green salad with Champagne vinaigrette dressing. Kids get a choice of steak, fish, grilled chicken, or macaroni.
No prices yet. Nor is there a definite opening date, or specific day when Disney will begin accepting reservations. ("August" for accepting reservations is all Disney will say about that at this point.)
Thoughts?
Tweet
To feed such a large crowd, I suspect the food quality will be hotel or cruise ship standard.
This article has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.
