Since I tend to be just a biiiiiit long-winded , I decided to post this separately to spare you all, especially since I'm lacking pictures!
Saturday, March 7 Lunch- Walt’s
For some reason, I wasn’t expecting Walt’s to be particularly good. I don’t know if I had read a negative review or a bunch of mediocre ones, but I was expecting decent food and nothing more. However, I was extremely pleasantly surprised!
We arrived around 5 minutes before our 1:15 reservation and there was quite a line of people in front of us at the check in desk trying to get a table, but they were all turned away. It was a little odd to me how the check in was downstairs and we were taken upstairs to sit, but I’m up for anything at this point! The CM at check in was not terribly friendly and I suddenly felt conspicuously underdressed (we had also forgotten we had our ears on) and started to stress… At WDW the restaurants in the parks, no matter how nice they are, have a very casual dress code since they expect people to be coming from the parks. I had assumed this would be the case in DLP as well, but suddenly I was concerned we had made a faux pas! I shouldn’t have worried though. I think this CM just had a bit of an attitude or had had a rough morning.
He looked down his nose at us while he wrote “ENGLISH” on our ticket and underlined it a few times for good measure… Sorry I guess??!!!
The entry way
Stairs up to the dining area
Waiting area
We looked around at the decorations downstairs, which were quite nice, while we waited a few moments to be taken up. This CM was much nicer and took us to a 2 top right in a little nook in what seemed to be the Tomorrowland section with a few other diners. Our waiter was pleasant but again not too outstanding in the English department… I think when we had a question about something things were getting so muddled that he and I resolved it in French and I translated back to Paige because that was just easier… I’ll take whatever practice I can get in the French department, though
I struggled to choose what I wanted! My ideal choice would have been the Caesar salad (boring, I know, but I don’t find a good Caesar salad much here!) or the butternut squash soup as a starter and the sea bass as an entrée, but they were on separate fixed menus. I had been planning on going for the cheapest menu, because let’s be honest, I’m lacking in the disposable income department
, but the sea bass with (I think?) a hazelnut pumpkin cream mash and asparagus (my favorite) and a beurre blanc sauce was just calling me, so I went for the upgraded menu and had the veal carpaccio as my starter and the Walt’s lemon meringue for dessert (love lemon, love carpaccio… both some of my go-to’s!
). Paige had the butternut squash soup, the mushroom ravioli with a spinach cream sauce (if I remember correctly), and the chocolate lava cake.
I was SO thrilled that I had followed my gut and gone with the sea bass… the carpaccio was heavenly
, with gorgeous big capers and just an overall nice, clean taste and super tender as well. It also had olive oil, balsamic vinegar, beets and arugula (Side note… Paige and I argued for like 10 minutes over what Europeans call rocket and Americans call arugula are the same thing… turns out they are
) I devoured it all. Paige loved her soup, as did I when I stole a bite. The sea bass was just fantastic… not the BEST cooked piece of fish I’ve ever had, but quite acceptable, and the sauce was AMAZING, as well as the sides.
I ate literally everything, which I almost never do, and had to keep myself from licking the plate… seriously, the sauce was so good that I was tempted.
Paige loved her ravioli as well… I’m allergic to mushrooms so I couldn’t steal any of that to confirm, sadly.
Appetizers:
Veal Carpaccio
Butternut Squash soup (excuse the angle)
Entrees:
Sea Bass with beurre blanc sauce, pumpkin hazelnut puree, and asparagus
Mushroom ravioli with spinach cream sauce
And to prove just how much I enjoyed my fish
Desserts:
Walt's Lemon Meringue
Chocolate lava cake and some unknown accompaniments because I couldn't remember to take pictures of the menus...
Desserts were great as well. My lemon meringue dessert was fluffy and delicious and not too lemony or too sweet, and when is chocolate lava cake not good?! There was not a single bite of this meal that we didn’t absolutely savor, and it was well worth the price. One of the best meals I’ve had lately, which was totally unexpected but completely welcome. I would recommend Walt’s to anyone in an instant. In fact, I would insist they go. The service was forgettable (I think it took awhile to get everything) but completely overshadowed by the quality of the meal.
We were also lucky and Minnie’s Springtime Train passed under the window while we were there, so we got to peak out during the meal and see that! How fun!
We explored a bit after we paid, and I loved the restaurant itself but the atmosphere was a bit stuffy… maybe it was just the time we were there, but everyone was dead silent and staring the whole time. Seriously, though, I’m having to think super hard about that because I just loved the food so much.