Chefs de France Review
There is something special about Chefs de France. Is it the location? Prominently displayed in the heart of the France pavilion in Epcot. Is it the food? Authentic French fare served in central Florida. Or is it the atmosphere? I can’t quite put my finger on it, but what I do know is this: there is something extraordinarily special about dining at *Chefs de France during the Christmas season (English translation of title).
Atmosphere de Noel
Dining at Chefs de France at any time of year is a special experience, but there’s a palpable, French countryside, small town charm to sitting inside and looking out through the windows when they are adorned with evergreen boughs and poinsettias and the holiday spirit is in full swing throughout Epcot.
I anxiously awaited my party’s reservation time the night I dined at Chefs de France. In my opinion, the first glimpse of a Disney restaurant begins the dining experience, and I could feel my heart beat a little faster and my mouth water when I set my sights on those decorations! Outside, boughs of evergreen trees wound their way along the windowsills and entryway, getting my party and I in the mood for a holiday meal. The wait for the table to be ready was not a long one, and we were quickly escorted inside to our table!
Stepping inside I was greeted with more boughs of evergreen and white twinkling lights. I was thrilled when we were shown to a window seat so I could look out at the pedestrians walking past. Definitely ask the host or hostess for a window seat!
The menu is the same year-round so no matter when you choose to dine, rest assured you’ll be presented with the same offerings that I was during the holidays. Maybe because it was two days before Christmas Eve when I visited, but everything on the menu screamed ‘Christmas’! From French onion soup and an artisanal cheese board straight on through to the baked macaroni and duck breast, the menu is truly reflective of traditional, hearty, French-style comfort food.
Appetizer
After being served a baguette with butter, it was time to place the appetizer order. I decided to splurge a bit and order the artisanal cheese board ahead of my meal, and it was probably the best decision I made that entire day. For a Disney cheese board, the portion was pretty sizeable. Five cheeses- Brie, Gruyere, goat cheese, bleu cheese, and gouda- are served alongside nuts, grapes, and whole grain bread with fruit and nuts. The cheeses were all delicious with the two standouts being the Gouda and the Brie! I felt that the bread served on the cheese board detracted from the potency and richness of the cheeses and opted to pair mine with the baguette. The nuts and cheese were a nice accompaniment, yet the nuts and fruit in the bread in addition to the nuts and fruit served was unnecessary.
Another member of my dining party got the classic French Onion soup. He commented that the cheese on top was perfectly broiled and when he broke the shell, it melted perfectly into the rest of the soup. He gave his appetizer double thumbs up!
Entrée
For my main course, I chose Poulet fermier à la Layonnaise, pomme puree- aka roasted chicken with tomatoes and potatoes. Now, I am a chicken gal. I love chicken. Baked, roasted, pan-fried, on a rotisserie, ground up and formed into burgers, heck you could even boil a chicken tender and I would probably prefer it to most other foods. So, my order of chicken did not surprise anyone. However! My apparent adoration of chicken also means that I’ve eaten lots of chicken, so my standards for good chicken are pretty high.
This chicken was good. Like, really good. It was served absolutely steaming hot, which automatically earned the dish a few points. When I sliced into the meat, my knife practically cut through it like butter. And when I tasted this chicken, the subtly prominent seasoning amped up the flavor of the already flavorful and moisture-packed meat. Yeah, I really liked the chicken.
Onto the accoutrements! Now, if you go online and look at the current menu offerings for the restaurant, you’ll note the sides included roasted tomatoes and mashed potatoes. When I was at the restaurant, my sides were broccoli and mashed potatoes. I’ve also spoken to friends who have dined at the restaurant and the sides have been green beans and roasted potatoes. Maybe it has to do with what’s in season, but be warned that the sides I had may not necessarily be the same as the sides you get if you order this dish.
Broccoli isn’t my favorite of vegetables, but the portion served with my meal was cooked well and still had some crunchiness, which is something most restaurants can’t ever seem to get right. It didn’t have tons and tons of flavor, but try dipping it in the drippings from the chicken. Problem solved! The mashed potatoes were a good consistency, slightly buttery for my taste. But my mother got the same dish and really loved the potatoes! So that really comes down to personal preference.
Dessert
I started with bread, then the cheese plate, and finally my main entrée. As you can imagine, I was feeling pretty full…so I of course proceeded to order a dessert when my waiter came back! I decided to share with someone in my dining party and we chose the apple tart with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.
It’s really, really tough to beat an apple dessert with vanilla ice cream. To my delight, this was served with the caramel sauce on the plate with the tart and vanilla ice cream sitting on top. I muttered a silent ‘thank you’ to the chef for not having drowned the tart and ice cream with the caramel sauce. There isn’t anything more disappointing to me when I’m served ice cream that’s a puddle of toppings and melted messes, yuck! The tart is served as a pastry shell with sliced baked apples in the center. The pastry shell was ok, but I’d be lying if I told you I ate it. No, I was more than content to eat the cinnamon-y, chewy baked apples sans shell. A bite of apple, vanilla ice cream, and some caramel sauce = classic. This dessert was really well done, with a perfectly baked tart and great accompaniments.
The Verdict?
In summary, I would recommend this restaurant in a heartbeat! From the breathtaking decorations that surround you straight through to the last drop of caramel sauce; I was very pleased with everything Chefs de France had to offer. Sitting inside on that chilly December evening close to Christmas- well, chilly for central Florida- made the experience that much more memorable.
Have you dined at Chefs de France, or are you considering it for your next vacation? Contact our friends at MickeyTravels and they’ll book it for you! What’s your favorite restaurant to dine at during the Holiday season? Let me know in the comments!
Special thanks to Maria Salerno for writing this article: Hiya pal! I am a NYC-based writer/musician thrilled to be bringing you all things Disney! I’m a WDW Annual Passholder, so you can find me in the parks regularly throughout the year. In addition to being a Disney Parks loving girl, I’m also a Disney toy and merchandise collector, a runDisney enthusiast, and Disney music and movie aficionado. You can follow me on Instagram: NYCtoAP and find me on YouTube: NYCtoAP. Thanks for reading, hope to see ya real soon!