sleepydog25
Been here awhile
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2004
I failed to put a picture of my steak and eggs from the CA Brunch, so here it is:
As I mentioned in my review, while it was quite tasty, the steak was unevenly cooked. However, the sauce, potatoes, and caramelized red onions were spot on. I also failed to list a grade for the meal, so here it is:
GRADE: A- Highs: Views, locale, menu choices, free mimosas Lows: Cost
SANAA
This restaurant has earned a spot on our "must-do" list. We first sampled the delights of Sanaa about six years ago when we had a lovely dinner there. We were impressed by the quality of the food and the excellence of the service. Fast forward a year and we decided that lunch was the best fit for trying Sanaa again. The bread service sounded as if had been dreamed up just for us, so we ordered it. . .and the rest, as they say, is history. Here's a picture, one I'm sure most have seen multiple times, that gives you a brief glance at the full bread service.
The one detraction from the dish this time around was the new plating. Gone is the huge platter with breads and sauces artfully arranged; instead, you get the cheaper looking sauce tray with thin, wooden spoons or sporks (think of a slight upgrade to the wooden spoons you find with ice cream cups). That slight eyesore aside, the sauces were every bit as lively, refreshing, savory, sweet, and spicy heat-hot as ever. If you've not done the bread service before, it is well worth the roughly $13 it costs--in fact, it's a relative bargain when it comes to Disney dining. You get five breads (frankly, only two of them are mildly distinctive from the traditional na'an) and more sauce than you'll actually use. In the picture, the hottest (aka spiciest) sauce is in the top right corner with the least spiciest in the top left corner (it's a cucumber raita). At some point, I'll look up what they are and post them (perhaps my loving, stunningly gorgeous wife will do it for me). There are some herbs and spices many palates won't be too familiar with, but none of them are terribly exotic--the first three sauces do give some good heat, though, so if you're not up to that sort of thing, you might proceed with caution. We've also found that combing sauces can be a real winner. One of the hotter sauces has a bit of cumin in it, and it meshes well with the tamarind-based sauce (that has a bit of sweetness to it) or the cucumber raita. One of the things we love the most about this meal is the possibilities for mixing and matching breads and sauces is almost unlimited.
You'll notice in the picture that there is a bowl of salad. The menu lists a salad sampler for $8; however, Luv asked if perhaps the kitchen could just give her one of the three, instead. They willing complied, so what you see in the picture is the chickpeas with cucumber and tomato selection. It was dotted with fresh cilantro, red onion, and I believe a bit of green pepper (I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm incorrect). It was delightfully chilled, and we loved the herbaceousness of the cukes and cilantro especially. The texture was a perfect complement to the breads and sauces, as well. Naturally, we had some adult libations with the meal--I mean, what says "Superb lunch!" better than a couple of glasses of crisp Chenin Blanc (Graham Beck)? Nothing, says I.
We arrived shortly after they opened, so were quickly escorted to a requested table next to a window as you can make out (if just barely) in this picture.
Despite the heat (above average temperatures that week), animals were in abundance: giraffes, gazelles, an ostrich or two, et. al. Service was, as always, friendly, efficient, and timely. Even with the two glasses of wine we had (I think it was just two ), the cost for our lunch came in around $40--not bad for an inviting table service meal in an exotic location with excellent food and service. We came away thinking the same thing as we always seem to: although we don't generally tend to do the same restaurants each trip, it's hard to take this one off our list.
GRADE: A Highs: Food, service, locale, cost Lows: None, except new plating
Next up: Paddlefish (this will be a doozy)
As I mentioned in my review, while it was quite tasty, the steak was unevenly cooked. However, the sauce, potatoes, and caramelized red onions were spot on. I also failed to list a grade for the meal, so here it is:
GRADE: A- Highs: Views, locale, menu choices, free mimosas Lows: Cost
SANAA
This restaurant has earned a spot on our "must-do" list. We first sampled the delights of Sanaa about six years ago when we had a lovely dinner there. We were impressed by the quality of the food and the excellence of the service. Fast forward a year and we decided that lunch was the best fit for trying Sanaa again. The bread service sounded as if had been dreamed up just for us, so we ordered it. . .and the rest, as they say, is history. Here's a picture, one I'm sure most have seen multiple times, that gives you a brief glance at the full bread service.
The one detraction from the dish this time around was the new plating. Gone is the huge platter with breads and sauces artfully arranged; instead, you get the cheaper looking sauce tray with thin, wooden spoons or sporks (think of a slight upgrade to the wooden spoons you find with ice cream cups). That slight eyesore aside, the sauces were every bit as lively, refreshing, savory, sweet, and spicy heat-hot as ever. If you've not done the bread service before, it is well worth the roughly $13 it costs--in fact, it's a relative bargain when it comes to Disney dining. You get five breads (frankly, only two of them are mildly distinctive from the traditional na'an) and more sauce than you'll actually use. In the picture, the hottest (aka spiciest) sauce is in the top right corner with the least spiciest in the top left corner (it's a cucumber raita). At some point, I'll look up what they are and post them (perhaps my loving, stunningly gorgeous wife will do it for me). There are some herbs and spices many palates won't be too familiar with, but none of them are terribly exotic--the first three sauces do give some good heat, though, so if you're not up to that sort of thing, you might proceed with caution. We've also found that combing sauces can be a real winner. One of the hotter sauces has a bit of cumin in it, and it meshes well with the tamarind-based sauce (that has a bit of sweetness to it) or the cucumber raita. One of the things we love the most about this meal is the possibilities for mixing and matching breads and sauces is almost unlimited.
You'll notice in the picture that there is a bowl of salad. The menu lists a salad sampler for $8; however, Luv asked if perhaps the kitchen could just give her one of the three, instead. They willing complied, so what you see in the picture is the chickpeas with cucumber and tomato selection. It was dotted with fresh cilantro, red onion, and I believe a bit of green pepper (I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm incorrect). It was delightfully chilled, and we loved the herbaceousness of the cukes and cilantro especially. The texture was a perfect complement to the breads and sauces, as well. Naturally, we had some adult libations with the meal--I mean, what says "Superb lunch!" better than a couple of glasses of crisp Chenin Blanc (Graham Beck)? Nothing, says I.
We arrived shortly after they opened, so were quickly escorted to a requested table next to a window as you can make out (if just barely) in this picture.
Despite the heat (above average temperatures that week), animals were in abundance: giraffes, gazelles, an ostrich or two, et. al. Service was, as always, friendly, efficient, and timely. Even with the two glasses of wine we had (I think it was just two ), the cost for our lunch came in around $40--not bad for an inviting table service meal in an exotic location with excellent food and service. We came away thinking the same thing as we always seem to: although we don't generally tend to do the same restaurants each trip, it's hard to take this one off our list.
GRADE: A Highs: Food, service, locale, cost Lows: None, except new plating
Next up: Paddlefish (this will be a doozy)