Be Our Guest

This is the last installment of the Fantasyland Expansion....I promise.  Check out the other reviews here and here

We decided to try to eat lunch at the Be Our Guest Restaurant.  The rest of our group wasn't into that idea so we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.  At this point, Emmy was super tired and super cranky.  Noah wasn't the best either. The Hubs was getting very frustrated so it was a great time, let me tell you.  The nice thing about this new restaurant is that lunch is served as Quick Service (just like any other place at Disney that doesn't take reservations).  You go to the counter, order your food, and usually get it and find your seat.  Well this time around, Disney's tried to make it a better dining experience.  When you get in, you get a rose that goes everywhere you go.  You place your order, they scan your rose, and you are free to find your own seat.  Then a server delivers your food to you.  Sorta like a sit down experience but still quick service.  I wish I would have taken pics of this process because it was awesome.  Definitely check out this review page for pics and reviews of all the food.  It helped me decide what I was ordering before I got there!

This obviously was taken prior to lunch...demonstrated by the smile on Noah's face.  He was not thrilled to be at lunch when we went.  

The entrance to Be Our Guest Restaurant

{Side note...I stumbled across the Disney Food Blog while googling the Disney Dining Plan. This site is amazing for anyone interested in the food/dining experience at Disney World/Disneyland.  The reviews for the Be Our Guest Restaurant made my mouth water.  I think they did a great job making multiple posts on the decor, the experience, and the food.  It's my new go-to site when it comes to eating at the parks!}

The entrance is spectacular.  I really felt like I was being transported into the movie.  It's so cold and frightening, just like it was in the movie as Maurice and Belle walked up to the castle doors.  Disney did a great job!

We opted not to eat in the Ballroom since it was very crowded and headed to the West Wing.  If you're familiar with the movie, then you know the West Wing is the only place in the castle that is off limits to Belle.  It's where the Beast spends his time.  We went from the grandness of the ballroom to the darkness of the West Wing.  Curtains are slashed.  It's dark.  There's the portrait of the Beast as the Prince that has slashes through it.  And every so often, when it thunders, the portrait changes from the Prince to the Beast for a split second.  I tried to take a pic but missed it every time  There was also the balcony where the Beast keeps the enchanted rose.  Again, I didn't have my camera and my cell was being occupied by a very unhappy 5 year old who was refusing to eat his turkey sandwich (which was very good FYI) so I don't have too many pics.

This is the picture that changes to the Beast.  I really wish I could have caught that moment.  Next time I guess!

The Enchanted Rose....it looked so real!

We did walk through the Ballroom on our way in and way out.  It's stunning and I can picture myself dancing in it wearing a yellow ballgown.  Again, Disney Imagineers nailed it on the head!  Rumor has it, the cherubs on the ceiling are based on the children of the Imagineers who worked on it.  Who wouldn't love to have their face painted on the ceiling of a Disney restaurant?  I know I would!!!

The Ballroom.  It's so grand and beautiful!

I'm in LOVE with the ceiling and chandeliers!  

There's another room too that's open for lunch.  I can't remember the name of it but the focal point of the room is a large music box that Maurice made as a wedding present for Belle and Beast.  You'll also see something similar in Maurice's workshop at Enchanted Tales with Belle.  In this room, there's paintings hanging all around depicting different scenes from the movie. The kids were excited to see some familiar pictures from storybooks that we have.

The music box.  It's HUGE

The whole atmosphere is magical.  I feel so fortunate that we were able to eat there before it became too busy to even walk in.  But I haven't even talked about food!  Let me just tell you....the food was amazing!  We had checked out the menu before our trip (I tend to be a little OCD like that) so we had our minds made up.  I had my mouth set on the Croque Monsieur.  Basically a grilled ham and cheese on crack.  It's ham, Gruyere cheese, and bechamel on really good bread.  It had the right amount of everything.  I'll definitely be getting it again.  It came with Pommes Frites, aka french fries.  There was absolutely nothing left on my plate.  The Hubs got the Grilled Steak Sandwich with Garlic Butter and Pommes Frites.  He said it was good but not as good as he expected.  He actually wished he got mine!  AKA you better try the Croque Monsieur.  This is a steak man asking for a ham sandwich.  The kids meals didn't go over as well as we'd like.  I think mostly because they were in such bad moods.  Em actually fell asleep on my lap during lunch so we packed her's up and she ate it later.  We got Noah the carved turkey sandwich.  It came with peach applesauce which Noah didn't care for.  He's a regular applesauce guy.  The sandwich was great.  Large pieces of turkey that were moist and tasty.  He ended up eating just the turkey (no bread).  We got Em the macaroni with marinara and cheese.  This was a slight let down because Noah really wanted it but with no sauce.  You can't special order at lunch (not even sure if you can do it for dinner).  But Em will eat red sauce so it was right up her alley.  It came with green beans which the Hubs and I fought over.  They were AWESOME!  Best green beans I've had in a long time.

We have plans to have dinner there when we go on our family vacation in June (so you bet you'll be getting a dinner review then).  Yep, we've caved and are doing a 7 day Disney vacation, Disney hotels and all.  We've never stayed in a Disney hotel with the kiddos so I want them to experience it.  Plus this will be our first real vacation with the kids so we want to make it special.  Throw in the Disney Dining Plan and we're eating at great restaurants that we normally wouldn't eat at!  But for dinner, this is the only place in Magic Kingdom that will serve wine and beer.  This is a huge thing for Disney because Magic Kingdom has been the only park where no alcohol was served.  So this is a big step for them!

Again....check out Disney Food Blog's reviews of the restaurant.  You won't be disappointed....I promise!!!