Need to pick SIX signature restaurants! Which are the best?

I

indycindy

Member
Original Poster
We are going in October and are using the Deluxe Dining Plan. We are staying 7 nights and are eating at a Signature restaurant every night except for the night we go to MNSSHP.....counter service that night BABY! ;-) (or maybe Liberty Tree Tavern.....) ANYWAY......

I have to pick 6 signature restaurants. So far we have reserved:

Hoop Dee Do Revue
Cinderella's Royal Table (I have two daughters 7 & 9)
Jiko
Hollywood Brown Derby (the night we go see Fantasmic)
Narcoosee's
California Grill (I HOPE HOPE HOPE to get reservations here when they reopen)

So......here's what I am wondering.......

1. Would you pick Narcoosee's over the Artist Point or visa vera?
2. Is the Hoop REALLY worth it?
3. When do you think that California Grill will start taking reservations? They are supposed to reopen in early September....

Thanks for your thoughts!

Cindy
 
Ariel484

Ariel484

Well-Known Member
So far we (my husband and I) have eaten at 3 Signatures: Jiko, California Grill and Citricos.

Jiko is our favorite restaurant on property. We've been there 4 times and it's been consistently excellent. Really interesting food, great atmosphere and wonderful service.

We've only been to Citricos once but plan to go back in December. Again, great service and atmosphere. The food was great too, but I'd give the slight edge to Jiko (personal preference I think).

We didn't have a great experience at California Grill. It had a lot to do with the people sitting next to us (kind of rude) and the fact that our server was incredibly busy. Not her fault - the place was packed - but we felt much more "taken care of" at Jiko and Citricos. The servers talked to us more and were more personable, if that makes any sense. I remember really liking the appetizer (the cheese flatbread, yum!) and desserts we got, but not being impressed with our entrees. We both tried the ravioli and it was just "meh." Really can't beat that view though.

I've heard really great things about Narcoossee's and Flying Fish, but we're not seafood eaters so these ones are low on our list of places to try. Heard good and bad things about Yachtsman and Brown Dergy, so not rushing to those just yet either. For December we're planning on returning to Jiko and Citricos, and trying Artist Point for the first time. Yum!
 
The Incredible Schmulk

The Incredible Schmulk

Well-Known Member
Choosing from dining plan restaurants only, my picks would be in the following order:

1. Flying Fish
2. Jiko
3. Artist Point
4. Citricos
5. Yachtsman Steakhouse
6. Narcoossee's

Now, if California Grill is available for you by then, I would place that at number three and bump the rest down. I have not yet tried the redesigned Monsieur Paul's, but I really liked the previous Bistro menu. We will be trying it in November, and there's a good chance that it bumps Narcoossee's from the list completely. We have not had Wolfgang Puck's Dining Room yet, either, but I've heard good things.

(By the way, both Todd English's bluezoo and Shula's Steakhouse are better than Citricos and Yachtsman, and I think Il Mulino might be better than Narcoossee's. The Swan and Dolphin restaurants do not participate in the dining plan, though, so they would be out of pocket.)
 
WellFedDave

WellFedDave

Well-Known Member
pugmalion1 said:
Choosing from dining plan restaurants only, my picks would be in the following order:

1. Flying Fish
2. Jiko
3. Artist Point
4. Citricos
5. Yachtsman Steakhouse
6. Narcoossee's

Now, if California Grill is available for you by then, I would place that at number three and bump the rest down. I have not yet tried the redesigned Monsieur Paul's, but I really liked the previous Bistro menu. We will be trying it in November, and there's a good chance that it bumps Narcoossee's from the list completely. We have not had Wolfgang Puck's Dining Room yet, either, but I've heard good things.

(By the way, both Todd English's bluezoo and Shula's Steakhouse are better than Citricos and Yachtsman, and I think Il Mulino might be better than Narcoossee's. The Swan and Dolphin restaurants do not participate in the dining plan, though, so they would be out of pocket.)
Click to expand...
Finally, some love for the Swan and Dolphin restaurants.
 
WellFedDave

WellFedDave

Well-Known Member
pugmalion1 said:
Combining the two, as a resort, they have the best dining options of any hotel in the Disney bubble, and that includes the Waldorf and Bonnet Creek. I suppose if you include Victoria & Albert's the Grand Floridian might walk away with that honor, but only if.
Click to expand...
Completely agree with you. Yachtsman is quite a bit overrated (that will probably get me booted from the forums). But all things aside, Shula's is the better bet.
I'm intrigued by Monsieur Paul's and like yourself, liked the Bistro menu a lot.
 
PhilharMagician

PhilharMagician

Well-Known Member
Here is my suggestion:

Narcossee's
Citricos
Yachtsman Steakhouse
Wolfgang Puck Dining Room
Flying Fish
Monsieur Paul

WellFedDave said:
Completely agree with you. Yachtsman is quite a bit overrated (that will probably get me booted from the forums). But all things aside, Shula's is the better bet.
I'm intrigued by Monsieur Paul's and like yourself, liked the Bistro menu a lot.
Click to expand...

I am not quite sure I agree with you. I personally don't feel Yachtsman Steakhouse is over rated at all, but more like Shula's is more of an unknown and under rated. Shula's is definitely superior a superior steakhouse. If you want to talk about over rated then what about Le Cellier as a Signature restaurant. :rolleyes:
 
bethymouse

bethymouse

Well-Known Member
We truly enjoyed Flying Fish Cafe.
We like Le Cellier, but some people don't.
HDD is fun, and the food is BBQ.;)
Spirit of Aloha, the 2nd 1/2 of show is great! Oohh Laa Laa Fire Dancer!:) Food is again like BBQ style.
Narcoossees is great! I like Artist Point too, but both are good choices.
You really can't go wrong w/ any signature dining restaurant!:D
 
networkpro

networkpro

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
Yes
Your mileage may vary.

Personally I'd steer clear of the Yachtsman. Coming from a beef producing and consuming region its meat is average at best in spite of wonderful preparation.
Citrico's has been consistently good every year since 2004 that I can recall. Our last trip was in December and we enjoyed it very much. If you're there for a holiday the prix fixe meals are wonderful.
Narcossees has been hit or miss. The wait staff can be ambivalent and the place frankly can get dirty.
The Derby we always enjoy. Good variety of dishes well executed (personally I'd choose something other than chicken as theirs tends towards the dry side but the duck two ways is always wonderful) and a good bar service. Fonzie is a hoot as well.
 
littleroo

littleroo

Well-Known Member
Hollywood Brown Derby is def one of our favorites of all time. I really hope you get a reservation at California Grill. I can't wait to hear about it! I miss the Bistro de Paris. Not this summer but next we are trying Monseiur Paul. I would give Artist Point a shot if I were you!
 
EvilQueen-T

EvilQueen-T

Well-Known Member
My personal order of preference ...
Citricos
Yachtsman Steakhouse
Wolfgang Puck Dining Room
Flying Fish
Cali Grill
Artist's Point
Brown Derby
Narcoossee's (but i've had hit or miss service here but the food has been good)

With the narcoossee's vs artists point question i'd say check out the menu. if you do flying fish then i'd skip narcoossee's for artists point. basically, i'd spread around the love in terms of types of food. check out the menus and see what works best for your group. when we do the deluxe dining plan we book all 2 credit (usually later evening 8pm+) dinners then use the left over credits to do single credit sit down either late breakfasts or early lunches then use our snack credits when we need a bit to munch on. have a great trip!
 

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