I also have gotten to eat there and I have to say living vicariously through the online videos and photos is a much better experience than the restaurant offers. As beautiful and lovely as the restaurant is, the food is mediocre at best and the service is subpar. To be fair I understand the restaurant is still in soft openings but after speaking with the managers the opening crew of Be Our Guest is composed of experienced restaurant staff all over Walt Disney World so there really should not be any excuse.
They talk up their specialties: French Onion Soup, Shrimp and Scallops, and Grilled Pork Chop. This is not really exotic cuisine. French Onion Soup is very easy, the shrimp is served the same way the Chicken Pot Pie is over at 50's Prime Time Cafe, and the pork is just a grilled pork chop. Tasty, but nothing really that special about it. Playing it safe seems to be the way the menu is constructed to cater to families with young children that will probably be the target demographic for this restaurant.
The restaurant is also loud. The West Wing, where we sat, and were hoping we were, is a lot more intimate than the ballroom but the Rainforest Cafe-like thunder was interruptive. The theming elements that they talk up, the wilting rose and the snow out of the ballroom are disappointing as they are mere projections. The chandeliers in the ballroom are beautiful though.
There is a lot of hype about this restaurant, both Disney and fan generated, and the concept is something to be excited about but when the whole package fails to deliver it is obvious that it is the immersive environment you are paying for here. If you placed the same food items in a Disney Resort, no one would care.
From someone who has done a lot of Disney dining, my expectations sat somewhere around Bistro de Paris at Epcot, The Hollywood Brown Derby at Disney's Hollywood Studios or Carthay Circle at Disney California Adventure. When I saw the prices of the menu, they somewhat sank as I thought the price point was too low to be compared to the previous restaurants, but the beer and wine list made me think that the food was going to be special if they felt it needed wine to pair with it. Because the food is not that inventive or flavorful, this makes me think that the alcohol was just a ploy to make booze more available in the park and maybe we will soon see it at Tony's Town Square, Liberty Tree Tavern, or Cinderella's Royal Table.
Before trying the restaurant I was lucky enough to get into the Disney Parks Blog event scheduled for 11/17, the Tables in Wonderland event scheduled for 11/18, plus had an opening day reservation for 11/19. I have cancelled all three as I feel I do not need to return to this restaurant unless changes are made.
It was very tasty!
Do you think you get a choice of which room you're in, or not?
