The Vegetarian and the Carnivore! Part Five – Chefs de France, Café D’Antonio

[Guest]

Chefs de France - Dinner

We usually have lunch at Chefs de France, but as they were having Extra Magic Hours at EPCOT this evening, we thought we’d watch the wonderful Reflections of Earth and then give dinner a go.

Paul went with the Vegetable Lasagne, which he thought it was slightly above average, and I had the Fillet Steak with Gratin Dauphinois and Green Beans which sadly turned out to be slightly less than average.

I don’t know what it is about the steak I’ve had at Chefs de France - it’s never been that tender or tasty. I may just have been unfortunate, but I’m not going to order steak from here again!
I’d asked for my steak to be cooked medium, but it was very rare and bloody in the centre. It wouldn’t have been worth sending it back to be re-cooked though; as it was so tasteless I’d lost interest in it by the time I got to the middle. The black peppercorn sauce on the other hand was excellent.
I have to admit that I find it hard to resist any kind of potato gratin. This one was rich, creamy, cheesy and no doubt highly calorific! I could have eaten twice as much as I had on my plate. Definitely on my list of top ten comfort foods. The beans were just right. Not overcooked, but not squeaky either.
The Vegetable Lasagne was full of smoky grilled aubergines, courgettes and tomatoes. It was very cheesy too (in a good way). He also had a side order of French Fries.

As much as we love eating at here at lunch time, I’m not sure we’d hurry back for dinner at Chefs de France. The atmosphere seemed rather too chaotic for us, and we found it to be much louder than it is earlier in the day.
The wait staff, (although still very efficient, friendly and polite) seemed very tired and a bit frazzled. I think this had a lot to do with the fact that it was an EMH evening and they were much busier than they’d expected to be at 9.30pm.
In future we’ll stick to the more relaxed, café style lunches we’ve previously enjoyed here.






Café D’Antonio at Celebration - Lunch

After years of intention, we finally made a visit to the town of Celebration.
We enjoyed browsing in the little shops and wandering along the lakeside. (Of course we made sure we spent some time in the rocking chairs too! )
We thought it had quite a Mediterranean feel, so the obvious choice for lunch was to dine on the sunny terrace of the Italian Café D’Antonio.

We were hospitably welcomed and led though the dark-wood panelled dining room, past the open kitchen and the aromatic wood burning oven and out onto the patio area.
We immediately warmed to our jovial server who was more than patient as I dithered over the menu. I just didn’t know what I was in the mood to eat today.
We eventually both decided to have one of the specials of the day.
The herby bread was fresh, warm and plentiful, and I couldn’t help but notice that the wine was a bit cheaper here. That meant two glasses of nicely chilled Pinot Grigio for me today. Any excuse eh!

Paul had ravioli stuffed with grilled aubergine, mozzarella and parmesan, which was a heartier pasta dish than he’d eaten of late. More rustic and ‘home made’ if you know what I mean. Cue clean plate from a satisfied Paul!

I had chicken breast with gorgonzola, white wine and cream sauce. Mine too was simply cooked and homey. Another of those comfort food moments!
No room for dessert, typically, but they sure looked good. I was almost tempted – especially by the tiramisu.

We enjoyed our laid back lunch here and I’m sure we’ll come back again. There’s also the added attraction that Italian food always means plenty of vegetarian choices on the menu for Paul.

[gala]

Oh yum yum Sue. The ravioli looks delicious as does the potato gratin. Thanks for sharing.

Margaret

[Bob_and_Dawn]

Thanks Sue, excelent photos and great report style.

Bob

[highlander447]

Pictures are making me hungry

[Villainlover]

Thanks for the report Sue yum yum

[Guest]

Thankyou Sue, your reports always make my mouth water. Not sure all that drooling is very good for the keyboard!

[lthewliss]

Oooh, think we'll add Cafe d'Antonio to our list for next year! Sounds lovely!

[TinkTatoo]

Another great report but I must stop reading them before breakfast

[Guest]

Lovely piccies and a fantastic report.

[Dizzy]

Thanks Sue, great reports and piccies