Recently I attended a special media preview to learn more about the new Be Our Guest Restaurant located in the Fantasyland Expansion at the Magic Kingdom.
The room was set up with large artwork, most of which had already been published on the Disney Parks Blog.
However, we were able to see the dining room set ups for the Ballroom and the West Wing.
The restaurant has three distinct dining rooms:
The mysterious West Wing, featuring an enchanted rose,
The Rose Gallery with twirling, larger-than-life figures of Belle and Beast (this dining room available at lunch only); and
The Ballroom, elegantly styled with a domed ceiling, twinkling chandeliers and views of softly falling snow.
All three dining rooms will be open for lunch, but only the West Wing and Ballroom will be open during the dinner hours.
Chris Beatty, Senior Concept Designer-Director, Walt Disney Imagineering, details what guests will experience as they cross the bridge into the restaurant..
When asked if there would be enchanted objects in the restaurant, Chris responded “Well actually there are some enchanted objects in the restaurant but I will hold that surprise for when we open.”
I asked Chris to describe the 3 dining rooms in the Be Our Guest Restaurant.
In addition to hearing from Imagineer Chris Beatty, the Food and Beverage team had a big announcement!
Maribeth Bisienere, Vice President Food & Beverage and Merchandise Operations Integration, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts told us Be Our Guest restaurant will serve wine and beer at dinner. This is a first for a the Magic Kingdom during regular operating hours.
“Food and Beverage has become an immersive part of the guest experience. When it opens you will be fully immersed in the story. We need to tie together WDI and Food and Beverage and entertainment and merchandise together so we can make sure the entire story is told.”
Jason Cha-Kim, Beverage Manager, Food & Beverage Line of Business, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts shares the wine and beer details:
The wine list is focused around the great wine growing regions in France. We will feature the leading French beer which is Kronenberg 1664. No North American beers will be offered. About 20 wines are on the list, almost all available by the glass.
There is a signature non-alcoholic beverage for Be Our Guest that is called the L’Amour Vrais which means True Love in French. Will be served in a light up castle cup, over ice, topped with a fruit foam topping. All natural fruit juice punch, made up of pomegranet, blueberry, wild berry, apple juice.
Lenny De George, Executive Chef, Food & Beverage Concept Development, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts tells the rest of the food concept story.
Menus are themed around French foods. While the items may sound fancy, they are very comfortable foods.
We will sneak some vegetables in the food. There will be a Mickey shaped meatloaf for kids (with hidden vegetables in it). Sweet potato fries instead of regular fries. Carrots in the ketchup.
Pre-opening Menus:
Be Our Guest – Lunch– Fast Casual
Be Our Guest – Kids Lunch– Fast Casual
Be Our Guest – Dinner
Be Our Guest – Kids Dinner
Be Our Guest Wine List – Dinner Only
First we were given the Charcuterie Plate – assorted cured meats and sausages served with cornichons, pickled onions, and toasted whole grain bread.
I really enjoyed the salad trio: Three Individual Bowls of Roasted Beet, Gold Raisin and Orange Salad; Green Been, Tomato and Roasted Shallot Salad; and Watermelon, radish, and mint salad.
Roland Muller, Chef de Cuisine, Food & Beverage Concept Development, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and Michael Deardorff, Chef, Be Our Guest Restaurant, described the main course of pan-seared Salmon on Leek Fondue – served with creamy saffron-crushed potatoes. This was a King Salmon from Oregon.
Totally honest here, I really enjoyed the salmon. I don’t like salmon and never have it (other than a taste) but something about this salmon was delish!!!
Chef Michael added: “When you see the dining room you will be absolutely amazed at the detail. I suggest you watch the movie before you dine.”
Of course, we all had to taste the “gray stuff” and it was delicious! I had to find out what it really was and the chefs explained it was oreo cookie panna cotta that is whipped! YUM!
Stefan Riemer, Pastry Chef, Food & Beverage Concept Development, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts was next to tell us all about the special Dessert Trolly and what we can expect!
Lots of cupcakes and cream puffs to choose from. Everyone seemed to love them. Dessert is currently planned to be included with the cost of your meal.
This is the Gluten Free – No Sugar Added: Lemon-raspberry cream puff -filled with lemon custard. I liked it. Certainly different than the regular no-sugar added bland desserts served at most places.
So there you have it. An in-depth look at Be Our Guest, officially in soft opening on November 19, 2012!
Thanks for such a thorough review.. I’d definitely love to visit this restaurant after that. Keep the great posts coming
Great review Deb!
I just can’t wait to go unfortunately I have to wait another year! Do you think they will be selling those light up castle cups? I have to have one!
I can’t WAIT to try this beautiful restaurant! Fortunately, we were one of the very lucky ones to have snagged an ADR for Nov. 24th at dinner. I wonder if you can request a particular dining room when you check in? I think that the Ballroom would be a wonderful atmosphere.
The food also looks spectacular. Although French “influenced”, “Americanized” eaters will find something they’ll like without any problem.
Thank you for the review, Deb!
I have been so excited for this restaurant ever since it was first announced and seeing this preview makes it so much more fantastic!
I can’t wait to try this restaurant. And we have no idea what Walt Disney would do in 2012.
Jack Spence’s blog about this is excellent.
http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/2012/06/what_would_walt_do_1.html
Amen to not posting the comments, Deb! We just became DVC members (yay) and this is #1 on our list when we go next year. Thanks for updating us!
Wow a couple of people are really getting their knickers in a twist about beer and wine.
I personally appreciate that Disney are treating the average adult like the average adult and not like the average deviant, yob or alcoholic.
The vast majority of guests will imbibe in moderation and I would like to think servers sensible enough to limit moderation for those who prefer not to.
Treat adults like adults and expose children to the real world. It really shouldn’t be controversial.
Coming to Magic Kingdom in March and already booked my dinner at Be Our Guest, I don’t have a problem with serving wine at dinner, in one restaurant in the Magic Kingdom. I think that in this particular case it could be okay, but I wouldn’t like to see alcohol served in all the restaurants in Magic Kingdom and all day.
As for what Walt would or wouldn’t do, and if it even matters I would like to direct everyone to Jack Spence’s blog. He did a great article on that topic.
As for me I enjoy the idea of being able to have a beer or some wine, especially if I am out on a date with my wife. Lets face it Walt Disney World is just to expensive for hordes of people to get drunk and rowdy. It is not like when Disneyland first opened and you didn’t need a ticket to get in. Not only that but the Cast Members are so well trained I doubt that they would allow a guest to go overboard.
No a little bit of alcohol after a long day of being in the park would be a great way to relax maybe before seeing the fireworks. Just like a Fantasmic!, or Illuminations!, or at the California Grill watching from the observation deck.
Thanks Deb for the review. I am really looking forward to having dinner at Be Our Guest restaurant. As far as what Walt Disney wanted or didn’t want regarding alcohol – none of us will ever know. Everything in moderation is what I say.
I also think that alcohol should stay out of MK. One thing I love about MK is the environment for families. After taking my kids to Seaworld I was appalled by the alcohol everywhere. Unfortunately Walt’s no longer here, so the powers that be no longer give a dang. Dollar signs prevail. =(
Great review! I’m very very envious. I will say one editorial comment: I would be careful about trying to review salmon if you aren’t that familiar with it. Many salmon dishes can be excellent and your review of the dish doesn’t help if you tend not to eat salmon that often.
I say this in particular as I find many fish dishes at WDW to be hit or miss. Sometimes the miss is huge. I know you aren’t a professional food reviewer but I think it’s important to consider the generally mediocre seafood dishes at WDW–what I consider to be a weak spot in WDW’s food operation. Even at my sacred place of Boma at AKL, the salmon dish there is one of the weakest items in the buffet. In my opinion, of course!
I can see where this is going. If we serve wine and beer in the French restaurant then maybe we should serve wine at Tony’s a nice Italian restaurant – they drink a lot of wine with their meals! And didn’t the Colonials drink beer and rum with their meals so lets serve some of that at the Liberty Tree Tavern! Can’t you see that once the dye is cast it is very hard to break the mold. Walt did not want alcohol in the Magic Kingdom. It should be left pure. No matter how much progress the world has made some people don’t know when to quit. Will there be a limit on how many glasses of wine are served – how many glasses of beer? I doubt it, not if the money is flowing in. I only hope there will be lots of security around. People who drink can get MEAN. I don’t want to be around mean people at the happiest place on Earth.
Thank you so much for the preview Deb! Looks great – makes me wish my March ADR were tomorrow.
It sounds wonderful!! Finally a nice sit down restaurant to relax and enjoy a nice meal, quietly (hopefully), and a nice glass of wine with friends. Can’t wait to visit next June!
So since dessert will be included in the dinner for all adults, does that mean those on the dinning plan will get to pick a starter instead? I think it’s great to include dessert for all, but it seems a loss of value if you’re on the plan.
Do you know if lunch options can be prepared special for people with allergies? My children have multiple allergies (gluten, dairy and soy) and need some special care in meal preparation.
ALL EARS: The Chefs said they will do whatever they can to work with folks with food allergies and dietary concerns. When you arrive at Be Our Guest for lunch, ask to speak to a Chef.
I showed the gluten free cream puff to my husband, hoping it would make him say, “let’s book a trip right now!”
He asked for the recipe instead. Oh, well. It does look delicious, though was that the Oreo “gray stuff” on the same plate? If so, I hope they don’t do that to a gluten free dessert in the actual restaurant. Unless the gray stuff also somehow is gluten free.
ALLEARS: At the preview the chefs were still tweaking the menu and still working on how to serve the “gray stuff”. Just let the server know about the Gluten Free diet.
Walt was trying to avoid drunken behaviour from his guests by banning alcohol from the Magic Kingdom after seeing rowdy adults in an amusment park when he took his daughters for a day out.
No one is going to get drunk and rowdy from a nice glass of wine or beer with their dinner, I don’t think Walt would dissaprove.
Here is a direct quote from WALTER ELIAS DISNEY, the man for whom the “world” is named. He is talking about the original Disneyland to which the Magic Kingdom is an extension of. This is from a 1956 article in the Saturday Evening Post.”No liquour. No beer. Nothing. Because that brings in a rowdy element. That brings people we don’t want and I feel they don’t need it. I feel when I go down to the park I don’t need a drink. I work around that place all day and I don’t have one. After I come out of a heavy day at the studio I want a drink to relax.” So now do you see that WALT HIMSELF said emphatically that he DID NOT WANT IT? Actually, according to WALT, if you ARE one of the people who are going to drink there you are “not the people we want” at Disneyworld! I agree with Walt 100%. If you wanna drink when you leave the MK obviously he is fine with that by his last sentence. But IN the MK is NOT what he wanted. How can Disney make this decision knowing full well what he said? Or do they even know he said it? Probably not because he is just a by word around that place and to most of the people that go there as well.
Ok…will I have a glass of wine at the new be our guest? Yep, probably will. Do I have a problem with others having some wine or beer? Nope sure don’t! BUT….it is the one park that didn’t serve alcohol because this is the way WALT WANTED IT!!!! I really didn’t think I would ever see the day that alcohol would be served at Magic Kingdom WDW.
…….Sorry Walt
Walt Disney said that he thought alcohol bred a “rowdy” environment. Period. That is what WALT DISNEY said. I honestly believe if he were alive today and still saying that these people would still want the stuff served. This is simply indicative of American culture. The creators intentions for things mean nothing anymore. And you can take it from the restaurant in your bloodstream.
I’m a DVC owner at Bay Lake, an Annual Pass holder, and lifelong Magic Kingdom and WALT THE MAN, lover and this sickens me to no end. Disney knew this would be controversial so they snuck it in at the last paragraph of the press release. They are cowards and hopefully when people who don’t want their kids exposed to one of the biggest killers in this country see that they are serving it at the MOST kiddy place in ALL of Disney they will stand up and be counted. It’s time for us to think about our kids and what we are exposing them to. It’s like the commercial where the kid is caught with drugs and his dad is irate only to find the kid learned to use the drugs from HIM! Please Disney reconsider this! Do we want an EPCOT environment at the MK?
Gluten free sugar free? And a glass of wine too??Oh yea…I’m in!!
It sound wonderful!!
Thank you for this in depth preview of Be Our Guest! We have an ADR here on our January trip. We are very excited about the castle, the story, and especially the menu! Thrilled and can’t wait for our dinner there! I think it is fabulous all around! I love salmon and that dish looked great. I’m sure they’ll have a wonderful wine selection to enhance it and I’ll gladly order it!
I cant wait to eat here. One of my favorite things to do while at Disney is to try all the different places to dine.
As an adult who loves Disney World, I am delighted to have the parks adding beer and wine to their already incredible menu. It’s not the 1950’s anymore.
Very excited about this restaurant, and totally disagree with those who are complaining about alcohol being served.
Walt was all about changing with the times.
And he also enjoyed his alcohol.
Scotch being his drink of choice.
At one time, perhaps the no alcohol policy made sense, not any more in my opinion.
How serving beer & wine with dinner in a fine French restaurant is a “travesty” is beyond me.
I meant to add that it’s not French cuisine without the wine, so it is extremely appropriate to serve wine at this restaurant. I for one will not speculate what Walt Disney would do or not do regarding this. If someone does not wish to try a restaurant purely for the fact they serve alcohol then that is ok, maybe it will be easier to make a reservation!
Does it seem odd to you that Mahi-Mahi is on the kids menu for lunch but not the adults?
ALLEARS: Keep in mind these are PRE-opening menus and subject to change
Since they WILL be serving wine I think we will try this during our 2013 WDW vacation!
There is nothing wrong with an adult wanting a glass of wine with their dinner after being in the park all day. I really don’t see any problem with the restaurant serving wine or beer during dinner only. Fine wine and craft type beer are becoming a very big part of the American culture and has always been a part of the cultures in Europe. The drinks are going to be contained in one building…I bet you will never know which park goer had a glass of wine with dinner and who didn’t.
I think that it’s a great step forward for Disney and actually love the idea of being able to try something that I might never be able to otherwise. I think that Walt would have wanted to takes steps forward and would embrace such a thing that is becoming a part of the culture. It’s not about profit, if it was then they would have put it in the park well before this and have it available in more places. It’s about embracing a different set of people and giving them a chance to stay in the park when they want wine or a beer with their dinner.
If you don’t like alcohol being served there, don’t eat there. Frankly, I think it’s great. We’ll definitely eat there … yes, with our kids. Nothing wrong at all with alcohol in moderation.
Wow, I’m pretty amazed, the quick service lunch menu looks like it might have at least two vegetarian lunch entrees. I’m really hopeful that is the case, since it is always a treat to have more veggie options, particularly ones that are not just the typical cheese pizza.
Thanks for the preview Deb- looks great! Can’t wait to see what surprises are in store for us!
I think it is an absolute tacky disgrace that they are serving alcohol in the Magic Kingdom! I don’t care about this restaurant anymore because it is strictly against Walt’s wishes for this this park to serve alcohol. Yet another example of Disney putting profit before people. I just hope the TRUE fans can stand up and put a stop to this travesty! Is there nothing that can be left sacred? GOOD GRIEF!
It looks and sounds fantastic. I’m so looking forward to giving this new restaurant a try — and fortunately I have a dinner reservation for November 19!