Recently we were fortunate enough to be one of the lucky few to successfully register for the Disney Parks Blog meet at the Be Our Guest Restaurant in the Magic Kingdom. Those of us in attendance were treated to a grand evening in Disney’s newest counter/table service restaurant. Shalon and I had a great time at this exclusive opportunity. If you look closely, you can spot Shalon and me in the pictures and video on the Disney Parks Blog post about the night here.
We were greeted outside the Magic Kingdom at the registration table by Cast Members welcoming us to the event who gave us each complimentary tickets to the park good for that day or the next. They also told us that we were randomly selected to get autographed posters signed by the artist at the party. In addition to these we received Fast Passes to be able to experience the new attraction Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid.
As we entered the New Fantasyland area of the park, we were guided to queue up before the bridge to the Be Our Guest Restaurant. We met up with our friend Vickie, wife and social media director of Steve Barrett, the Hidden Mickey Guy, and invited her to join us. We were ushered in and were promptly seated at a table right in front of the stage.
Before the speakers started, we were greeted with excellent service from our server Melissa. I was thoroughly impressed with the presentation and quality of the food. During the meal we heard Thomas Smith from the Disney Parks Blog, Imagineer Chris Beatty and Executive Chef Mike. After dinner they we were all available for meet and greets along with other Imagineers in the West Wing.
The highlight of the evening for me was the amazing meal to which we were treated. It started with the beautiful light up goblets serving L’amour Vrai: all natural fruit juice punch with wild berry extract and lemon lime foam. Fresh warm rolls and butter started the meal off right. For an appetizer I had the potato leek soup and Shalon had the french onion soup. Both were fantastic! I love this soup just as much as at Rose and Crown where it is my favorite appetizer there. My entree was the incredible pan-seared salmon on leek fondue with creamy saffron crushed potatoes and Shalon ordered the thyme-scented pork rack chop with au gratin macaroni, seasonal vegetables and red wine jus. I don’t even like pork chops and I tried some of Shalon’s and loved it. The meat was so juicy and tender and my salmon was cooked to perfection.
Dessert was a thing of sheer brilliance, especially on Shalon’s part. Having just come off of a Disney Cruise, she was accustomed to being able to order multiple desserts and figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask here. Melissa was very nice and accommodated our request, so we each had two desserts. I started with the strawberry cream cheese cupcake with vanilla sponge cake, strawberry mousse filling and cream cheese icing, then tried the gluten-free, no sugar added lemon-raspberry cream puff filled with lemon custard. I actually preferred the latter to my surprise! Shalon had the chocolate cream puff filled with chocolate mousse topped with whipped cream and then her favorite the triple chocolate cupcake with chocolate sponge cake, chocolate mousse filling and chocolate ganache. We even got to try the grey stuff.
Once the meal concluded, we were free to roam about the restaurant and take pictures and meet with the Imagineers and chef to ask any questions. Also, to our surprise, we were also given the opportunity to have our pictures taken with the Beast in the library. Shalon and I won signed copies of the poster all guests received at the Disney Parks Blog meetup and were able to meet the artist, Jeff Maurer, to get them personalized. On the way out we were given our choice of cupcakes to go so I got the triple chocolate cupcake which was the best dessert I had.
The evening was absolutely amazing from the atmosphere to the food to the service. From previous experience at the restaurant in dress rehearsal mode, I was very impressed with the level of the presentation of service we received. I cannot wait to go back and try some of the other items on the menu like the sauteed shrimp and scallops and mussels provencal. This was yet another magnificent production put on by the crew at the Disney Parks Blog and I look forward to future events they host. I hope you all get a chance to experience this great addition to New Fantasyland!
