Sunday Brunch: Culinary Cabaret (Part 2)
4 November 2012
'You will [enjoy] this dinner! That's not a
request!' Honest, dinner at the Be Our Guest Restaurant was probably
among one of the best meals I've had on Disney property, even if it
was still in testing mode. In last week's article, we shared some
interesting facts about the outside view of the restaurant as well
as a sampling of appetizers. Today we'll be looking at four entrees
from
the menu, inspired by classic French dishes dating back to the
1400s.
First up, we'll feast on some seafood, likely
inspired by the catch of the day on the shores of Normandy. The
Pan-Seared Salmon on Leek Fondue is a heaping filet of Salmon on a
creamy bed of Saffron-crushed potatoes. Of the seafood family,
salmon is probably my favorite, so my expectations are a little
biased. Even still, everyone at the table agreed, while good ,
compared to the other entrees, this one was a little boring and
bland. I guess the good thing is that it is a very safe entr'e
choice for the pickier eaters in the party. The salmon tasted nice,
maintaining its natural flavors with a seemingly simple seasoning,
though I feel the dish could be improved with some sort of sauce
other than the Leek Fondue. The Leek Fondue was hard to find, but it
was there and the creamy potatoes were great, but just had a tiny
hint of saffron. Saffron is expensive, so I think it would be worth
it to put in a little more so the guest knows it's actually there.
The Disney quality and presentation was alive in this dish, though
the 'wow' factors and flavors we saw with the restaurant and the
other entrees must've died with the fish.

Next we continue our seafood servings with the
Saut'ed Shrimp and Scallops. Being allergic to shrimp, I relied on
my dinner companions to rate this for me. The dish was a very French
and creative presentation; along with mushrooms, carrots, and
spinach , the saut'ed shrimp and scallops lay on a puff pastry shell
on a sea of an excellent tomato based lobster sauce, with the shell
cover on the side. This was my friend's favorite things of
everything we tried and stated he would totally eat this everyday if
he could.

Our dinner adventure in France goes from fish to
fowl as we travel to the countryside for the Rotisserie Cornish Hen.
This plate had a lot to it and truly emulated the farm to fork
theory with roasted fingerling potatoes and fresh seasonal
vegetables. Upon first whiff of the hen, I immediately was
transported to the winter holiday season as it reminded me of the
rotisserie chicken my dad used to cook. The herb rub used seemed to
be thyme and tarragon or one of the other. The chicken was so juicy
and tender, perfectly roasted. The carrots and yellow squash were
cut thin and was almost like pasta, making for an interesting new
way to eat vegetables. The Cornish Hen was overall a delightful
plate we all really enjoyed.

The clear winner of the night, at least in my
opinion was the Layered Ratatouille. No other dish could be more
French and fittingly Disney than Ratatouille. The best part was that
the recipe for this version of the classic French stew was Remy's
recipe from the Disney Pixar film Ratatouille. The chefs at
Be Our Guest are using the actual recipe by Chef Thomas Keller, the
culinary research consultant for the film. Just like in the film,
the vegetables 'zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms, and tomatoes ' are
sliced crosswise on a mandolin and arranged in a circular
presentation on a bed of Spanish onions and roasted. The vegetables
sit on a bed of quinoa, a type of grain that is prepared similar to
rice. The quinoa did not really taste like anything, which was fine
because the Ratatouille was the real star of the show. A bell pepper
salsa accompanied the dish and really helped bring out the savory
flavors of the roasted vegetables. For a completely vegan dish, the
Ratatouille was hearty and filling. Though the quinoa lacked flavor,
it provided body and support to a delightful presentation of a
classic French dish.

Though there is no Beef Ragout, Cheese Souffle, Pie
and Pudding en Flambe, the cast at Be Our Guest did prepare a serve
with flair a culinary cabaret. After some great appetizers and an
impressive main course, next week's article takes a step back from
the meal and steps into the Beast's Castle as we explore some of
Walt Disney Imagineering's finest creative output. With three
incredibly themed and beautifully designed dining rooms, the
restaurant has a lot to explore. Below is a clue to where we dined
for our test meal and also an example of Imagineering at its best.

The final week's article of Sunday Brunch's look at
Be Our Guest finishes the meal portion of this restaurant review
with a look at the sweet endings with dessert. The 'serve with
flair' portion really is exemplified during the dessert course, and
I cannot wait to share it with you. Until then, I hope you've
hungered enough to plan your journey to the Enchanted Forest and
make reservations to Be Our Guest.