Found them and bought one. They did not have recipes. Buddha Fruit.jpg
Found them and bought one. They did not have recipes. Buddha Fruit.jpg
Siggy aka Jill
Hi all-- there seem to be a lot of passionate fans of Napa Rose in this thread. I'm a DL veteran, yet have never eaten at Napa and am determined to try it before our annual passes expire in June (it was a birthday gift and we won't be renewing), so this is/has been my year of Disney fun! My husband and I live in LA and consider ourselves foodies and definitely enjoy wine-- we got married at a vineyard up in Santa Barbara County. This post seems to talk a lot of about particular dishes and providing menu updates, which is great... but I'm wondering if someone could chime in and help a newbie out with the basics of how to have a fantastic experience at Napa. A suggested reservation time? What to request for that reservation (chef's table? counter? what's the best?)? Also, I see discussion of "not ordering" and just "letting chef set the menu"-- is this the same thing as the prix fixe or does the chef end up totally customizing something?? Also, how much does this method of ordering cost? What about wine pairings? Thanks for the help, all!
Just as an fyi, Napa Rose is in the Grand Californian Hotel, so there's no theme park admission required to dine there, so you can go to Napa Rose even after your APs expire. They don't offer an AP discount anymore (they used to, years ago), so that doesn't matter either.
Please don't ask me how I feel, I feel fine.
Oh I cry a bit, I don't sleep too good, but I'm fine
Pancake, pancake, pancake, pancake, pancake, pancake, pancake, pancake, pancake...
Yeah, I know the restaurant's in the hotel--didn't realize they didn't do an AP discount. Bummer. In any case, still want to try it while I have my AP cause then we'll probably be taking a break from DL from awhile and I wouldn't much like to just go to Napa Rose and NOT be able to go to the park. Maybe that's just me, but I'm not a big fan of the Downtown Disney area, so don't really make it down the Disney way unless I'm going to the park. Any tips per my original post?
I've only been once, but got a lot of advice here which made my meal special so I will pass on what I have learned here from the Napa Rose Ninja Masters. Chefs counter is considered best, I couldn't get a seat there, but got the Dessert counter which I enjoyed. Having the chef order for you costs the same as the Vintner's menu which is $95. It is worth it. The chef or the server will ask you about allergies and food preferences and then they make a menu for you to order. Some of it will probably be a sample of items on the menu and some will be something special not on the menu. If you see something on the menu you really want to try, mention it. You can pick your own dessert if you want or let the chef do that too. Wine pairings are extra. I don't drink wine so I paired it all with water so again, someone else can chime in with this info or you can look up the thread for pictures of menus. There are two seatings for the counter seats 5:30 and .... ? (one of the NR experts here will know, or again, the answer is probably found earlier in this thread)
"Hesitating to act because the whole vision might not be achieved, or because others do not yet share it, is an attitude that only hinders progress." -Gandhi
The other seating is at 8. I prefer the early seating. If there are lolly-gaggers in your seats it might delay your seating.
Wine pairings would be an additional $40/pp I believe. I find it a good value as I'm usually served at least one wine that goes for $20+\- a glass. You'll get a pour with every course. It's not quite a full glass, but more than half, IMO.
If you can dream it, you can do it. ~Walt Disney
Parenting in the Parks[/url]
Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% what you do with what happens to you.[/b]
"You should do totally do this thing, but just remember, it's going to suck eggs" #ThingsMyFriendsSayToMe
I don't drink much wine so they will usually (so far always) let my husband and I share the wine pairing. I get my own glass with a splash of wine and he gets a slightly smaller than normal pour in his glass. Often there will be one wine that I do like and I will get a larger pour of that. Sometimes they give my husband less to make the total poured equal to a single serving, sometimes they don't. Occasionally they will choose different wine pairings to go with our different entrees, which I always think is above and beyond since we have only paid for one pairing.
When did the price for the Vintner's Menu go up? We were in the lounge tonight and saw the Vintner's Menu is now $100.
Nope, it was still $45. And $45 well spent!!!
So we discovered tonight that they offer absinthe service, with a choice of two different brands, one from Sweden and one from France. But, it's not on the menu, so it's kind of like the In N Out secret menu - you have to know about it to ask for it.
It's now on our list of things to try.
Please don't ask me how I feel, I feel fine.
Oh I cry a bit, I don't sleep too good, but I'm fine
Pancake, pancake, pancake, pancake, pancake, pancake, pancake, pancake, pancake...
DW and I visit the parks several times a year and have enjoyed a dozen fine meals at Napa Rose. Our recent meal was so poor we are unlikely to return.
The meal started out well. DW and I each had a Smiling Tiger Salad and our guests split the Diver Scallops, which were all excellent.
DW had the duck breast, which was very rare. The skin was like a gellatious rubber band and the meat was so raw, she described it as "well exercised road kill". Yuck.
I had the pork tenderloin, which is a huge pork T-bone steak. While looking very appetizing when it arrived, the meat was full of tendons and very tough. Not over cooked (in fact undercooked near the bone), but just a poor cut of meat.
One of our guest has a salad as a main, and the couple shared the salmon. They enjoyed the meal, but the guest who had the salad became ill and was vomiting that night. Double Yuck.
The service was excellent as always, but the food was way below standard.
Agree with New2DL. Did you let your server know that there were problems with your meal? I'm sure the kitchen would have been more than happy to work with you to remedy things. Especially since a member of your party became ill after the meal, it would have been helpful to alert NR. That way they could have kept tabs on the situation.
Oh, and there is now a podium for seating in lounge. It is opposite the main desk. You give your name and the number in your party. The hostess calls you when your table is ready. The atmosphere in the lounge was noticeably more relaxed with the new system.
Last edited by tea4two; 03-10-2013 at 09:43 PM.
Well, just for your future reference, we've found that anytime there is a problem with our meal (small or large) at any TS restaurant at DLR (and that includes NR), we let someone know. The problems have always been fixed without argument. Even at CS places, we don't have trouble asking for something to be fixed. Most CMs and leads are more than happy to help. So don't be nervous or embarrassed to speak up.
I am neither nervous or embarrassed, but rather not upset the dining experience for our guests.
While I have no doubt our issues would have been resolved, there should not be a need to send back an entree (or in this case 2). It is also not my responsibility to help correct problems at a restaurant of this type.
Just curious: do you know if Chef Sutton was there the night you dined Clyde?
"Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
It may not be your personal responsibilty, but it might have been considerate and helpful to let the kitchen know so that whatever caused the problem (vendor for the greens, new intern or new cook in the kitchen, supplier for the meat, etc.) could be addressed. This could help your fellow diners, too, so that they don't experience the same problems. Chef Sutton and Chef Alex are not mind readers. They do their best, but cannot be perfect. Constructive feedback to them at the time or soon after would have probably have been more helpful than complaints here. (They might read MP, but I have no reason to believe that they do.)
Bookmarks