We all wanted to repeat a meal at Les Chefs, since we had loved our dinner there so much last trip! But, we only had two dinners in Epcot, so we decided to try it for lunch this time.
Hercules was feeling a little under the weather when we arrived at noon for our ADR. He had ridden Mission:Space Orange for the first time that morning, and let's say it really didn't agree with him. Good thing he took a pre-dose of Dramamine, otherwise I'm certain the day would have been ruined! After sitting in the shade for a pretty long time after the ride, he was ready to start making his way over to the restaurant. I think his disorientation and slight nausea may have come into play just a little in his enjoyment of the meal, because he wasn't in love with it as he had been before, but he still did seem to enjoy it, and he ate well (as we all did).
It was soooooo hot that day that walking from M:S to Les Chefs felt like crossing the dessert...only sweatier! This was such a welcomed site, like an oasis!
We were seated in the porch-like room all the way to the left of the restaurant as you enter. It is beautiful and airy and looks tres francais!
We were immediately served 2 loaves of the best baguettes ever, and iced water, and our server (who was OUTSTANDING, but I can't remember her name) took our drink order right away as we looked over the menu.
This bread was warm and perfect, with a light but crispy crust and very soft and not too airy, not too doughy on the inside. It had just enough salt for flavor without being too salty. Sooooo yummy.
I was really looking forward to tasting the duck, but sadly, it was not on the lunch menu, so I decided to follow the rest of my family and order from the prix fixe menu.
Aladdin, Herc and I all started with the onion soup gratinee:
This was huge and scrumptious, flavorful and not too salty, with a generous portion of ooey gooey cheesyness that was browned to perfection. The bread in the soup had the right amount of texture still to the crust. It was probably the BEST onion soup ever! A bowl of this, plus the half-baguette, would have been MORE than enough for lunch for each of us. But it was only the first course!
Belle decided to be different and try the lobster bisque:
She wasn't crazy about it, she thought it was too "fishy." I tasted it too, and I had to agree. She picked at it for a while, and Herc tasted it and thought it was GREAT, so he traded his half-eaten onion soup for her lobster bisque. It had some nice chunks of lobster in it, and was very creamy, but very fishy (I thought in a not-so-good-way).
For our main courses, Aladdin and I both chose the croque monsieur:
This was NOT your ordinary ham and cheese sandwich at all, folks! The bread was thick and wonderful, the ham was just right and the cheese was soooo gooey ad buttery with just a hint of nutty flavor. Delicious! Herc tasted mine and fell in love, wish he had ordered it!
Herc ordered the quiche lorraine:
Aladdin took the photo purposely after the first bite so you could appreciate what this looked like on the inside...only the pic isn't angled so well for that effect, sorry! This was very creamy on the inside with a nice flaky, buttery crust, but wasn't really cheesy enough for Herc's taste, and also had some ingredient in it that added a kind of sweet flavor that turned him off a bit. He said it was cinnamon, but I think it was nutmeg. He ate some, but I could see he was not happy he didn't order the croque monsieur, so I traded him half-way through mine. I took a few bites of the quiche and enjoyed it, and I think I ate all the greens on both plates, and then decided to stop and save room for dessert.
Belle ordered the baked macaroni au gratin:
Oh, my goodness!!! This was definitely the winner of the entrees! It was so creamy and cheesy with the macaroni cooked to just the right consistency. We all loved it! Herc detected a little of that same spice in it (nutmeg, I think), bringing just a little sweetness to the dish. Belle was only able to finish about half, so we all got to have a little more than a healthy taste of it!
I was planning on skipping dessert here, but from my seat I had been able to watch the pastry chef melting the chocolate for the profiteroles, and I knew I had to taste that chocolate! When nobody else in my family ordered the profiteroles, I caved.
WOW! Am I glad I ordered these! The pastry puffs were OK, the weakest part of the dish for sure. The chocolate sauce was divine! So rich and smooth and creamy! I don't know why, but I guess I was expecting something Hershey Syrup like, but I was WAY wrong. And do you see those little white chocolate flakes on the top? Well, these were...surprisingly...almost crispy! They added such a dimension of texture!!! I LOVED these!
Belle and Aladdin ordered the chocolate cake:
They both loved it! I thought it was good, but far from the best, or even second or third best, chocolate cake of the trip.
Hercules ordered the creme brulee:
He thinks this was the BEST creme brulee he has ever tasted. You can tell from the photo that they got the brulee part just right, and I can tell you that the creme part was perfect as well. It was somehow a little bit light, but very creamy at the same time. Excellent! I'd have to say it was the best VANILLA creme brulee I've ever had!
(It works if I qualify.)
We lingered for a while over dessert and coffee, and we received a surprise visit from this guy:
Well, it wasn't a surprise for me, but the kids had no idea Remy was making appearances here, so when he showed up at our table, they practically squealed with delight! He was adorable, and the guy operating him was a scream!
It was a WONDERFUL lunch, and I have to say that Les Chefs de France ranks very high amongst our favorites in WDW. How could it not? Some combo of bread, cheese and cream in every course! How bad could it be?!
I imagine we we will be back here again; either lunch or dinner suits us just fine.
This post edited to add: The service we experienced here on this day was impeccable! Our server was quick to keep our water and beverage glasses full, our table cleared, and always appeared when it was necessary and was out-of-site when we were deep in conversation. We were looking for a leisurely pace, and she picked up on it beautifully; we weren't in any way rushed, but we never had to look for her when we needed her. I wish I had written her name down, because we would include it in our letter to Disney. The gentleman who was operating Remy was fantastic here, too...a little bit of a comedian and great with kids and adults alike. We are now 2/2 with perfect service at this restaurant. If you are on the fence about whether or not to try this place, DO IT!
banana
and we're eating at one full service restaurant a day! I've lost 4 pounds on my pre-trip diet (because I'll surely gain it all back and then some). Once I get back, Special K will be my best friend for a loooong time... 
Or maybe he was so hungry he didnt know they were icky? 
