Napa Rose dinner

[cyl-e]

Ok - this is for Cloudnut
Last night DH and I ate at Napa Rose in the Grand Californian. It was our first time here and we were very excited.
We arrived a few minutes early and they had us wait in their lounge area. The lounge area is very inviting and relaxing. The cocktail menu is unique and DH ordered a Scarlett Rose - gin, Campari, Cointreau?, bitters - he says it was nice with a tartness or sharpness to it. I decided to wait to have wine with dinner and then also some dessert.
They seated us promptly and had our drinks brought to us. We had a lovely table by the window with a nice view of the restaurant. The atmosphere is lovely - relaxing, refined without being stuffy in any way - just a great setting for a nice relaxing meal.
Our server Heather was wonderful - helpful in choosing wines and she paced our meal perfectly - even though we didn't order appetizers, we didn't feel like the meal was rushed in any way. She brought a Meritage for DH that was from Lasseter Vineyards - yes, that Lasseter. It was a nice, complex, layered wine and neat for its connection to Disney. She also mentioned that on the way out are 5 or so special bottles that have Pixar characters on the labels.
The breads were delicious, especially the onion rolls and the lavosh. I ordered the Ono with a lobster foam and truffles, DH ordered the lamb, and we shared a side of roasted cauliflower. The meals were tasty and portions very manageable. I have to say though, I expected to be more wow-ed by the food than I was, especially for the price. The food was good but did not knock my socks off and it was a very pricey meal. For dessert, we ordered the chocolate pate - if you are a chocolate fan, then you would really enjoy this. The presentation isn't impressive, but it is rich and chocolatey. Even though it doesn't look big, it would have been too much for me to eat alone because of how rich it was.

All in all - a wonderful atmosphere, great service, good wines, with a nice meal. The food wasn't quite worthy of the prices for me, but we had a lovely evening.

[cloudnut220]

That's sort of disappointing on the food for the price observation. I keep hearing NR compared to the best Disney restaurants (V&A, Remy, Jiko) and it doesn't sound like it measures up. What was the price range per entree? Need to decide if we should go for it in Sept, or save all our funds for one blow out at V&A!

Thanks for your report!

[cyl-e]

I know - we were a little disappointed too. We had heard such good things about Napa Rose and were really expecting to be wow-ed (perhaps the expectations made it harder?). I think entrees were like 30-45 (I think mine was like $32 and was one of the least expensive options). Our total bill came out to like $170 - two entrees, dessert, a cocktail, and two glasses of wine, tax, and tip. They did give us the dessert for free b/c I had a birthday button on (my birthday is very soon). For me - for that much money, I want to walk away raving.

We did really enjoy the experience - it's a wonderful place to eat. Maybe we just didn't get the best options?

[idratherbeinwdw]

I ate at Napa Rose in November 2009, my experience was the same as yours. Great service, beautiful restaurant, but the food didn't wow me. Did you try Blue Bayou? I preferred the food there and loved the ambience and service as well.

[cyl-e]

Mar - thanks for sharing that - I was wondering if maybe I was being too picky.

We did try Blue Bayou the next night. I loved the atmosphere - although totally different than Napa Rose. We got a waterside table and got to enjoy the boats slipping past us. The menu felt a little limited, but some good choices. The gumbo was delicious - really glad I ordered that (was thinking of the salad, but so glad I decided to go with the gumbo). I ordered the jambalaya - which was also good, but not that different than the gumbo (slightly different flavor, but very similar composition/texture). And it was soo much food...could barely make a dent in the jambalaya.

One thing I noticed while at DL this weekend - all of the cast costumes/ uniforms are really nice. Much nicer than what I've seen at WDW. I talked with a cast member about it and he says that they had been relatively recently refreshed. And that WDW has the uniforms that they had a couple of years ago. So hopefully the new uniforms are coming soon to WDW. They are very nice. Blue Bayou in particular - the servers had these beautiful vests on, I don't know materials well, so I can't describe it. Our busboy said that it was his favorite uniform to wear.

[cloudnut220]

I ate at Napa Rose in November 2009, my experience was the same as yours. Great service, beautiful restaurant, but the food didn't wow me. Did you try Blue Bayou? I preferred the food there and loved the ambience and service as well.

We were also looking at Blue Bayou. To be honest Blue Bayou was a definite, Napa Rose was a maybe (since we're already planning on eating at V and A this year). There is a restaurant similar to Blue Bayou at Disneyland Paris--similar in that it looks out on the pirates ride. Noel was really upset that it was closed when we were there since Pirates is his favorite, so I told him we could do Blue Bayou at DL. So it's a non-negotiable.

I know Steakhouse 55 at the Disneyland Hotel also comes highly recommended, and the new restaurant at DCA might be really good. Maybe I'll be able to look at one of those.

[cyl-e]

Ralph Brennan's in Downtown Disney also seemed pretty good. We ate there with friends the night before the race. So I couldn't be that adventurous in my eating - pretty much just had pasta and nothing that I thought might be challenging to digest (e.g., had them take the andouille sausage out of my dish). They had a chocolate souffle for dessert that sounded amazing and had it been any other night - I would definitely have ordered it. But sadly, I didn't get to taste it.

[worldfanatic]

I know Steakhouse 55 at the Disneyland Hotel also comes highly recommended

We enjoy Napa Rose, but Tracy and I both agree Steakhouse 55 has the best food throughout DLR.

Ralph Brennan's in Downtown Disney also seemed pretty good.

As DLR regulars, we probably eat at Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen more than any other restaurant.
It got great food and a great atmosphere that's different depending on where you sit.
The downstairs piano room has a fun bar and live entertainment.
Upstairs you've got the quieter, more elegant dining rooms or the balcony with great views overlooking Downtown Disney.
This is the place we like to go with first time DLR visitors. It always impresses!

[Ron_Robin]

Have not done the Napa Rose yet, was looking at it on this trip for a nice dinner for Robin and I. Maybe we will try the SteakHouse.

We have done the Jazz Kitchen, wasn't that thrilled, maybe because the jambalaya we had was about the same as what we make at home....and we know what we pay to make ours. The kids enjoyed it. I wouldn't pick the Jazz Kitchen for a nice couple's dinner, however it could be where they sat us.


We did have a very good dinner for the two of us at Catal. The food and service was great and they did treat us very well for our anniversary dinner. I would not hesitate choosing Catal for a nice quiet dinner with the Mrs.

My personal favorite place to eat is the ESPN Zone, love the food, and it is about the only place to watch hockey. The girls (Mrs and daughter), not so much. They love the food, but the noise is too much for them. So after dinner they head back to the villas, and us boys goof off up in the arcade for an hour or so.