{"id":3329,"date":"2013-03-18T13:24:21","date_gmt":"2013-03-18T13:24:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/foodietales.com\/?p=3329"},"modified":"2013-03-18T13:28:03","modified_gmt":"2013-03-18T13:28:03","slug":"two-tout-french-remy-brunch-and-dinner-on-the-disney-fantasy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/foodietales.com\/?p=3329","title":{"rendered":"Two Tout French? – Remy Brunch and Dinner on the Disney Fantasy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is there such a thing as too tout French?\u00a0
\nAs in two very<\/em> French meals in the same restaurant on the same day?\u00a0
\nPerhaps so.\u00a0 But it was fun trying!\u00a0<\/p>\n

So, where is this French restaurant you ask?\u00a0 Well, that is not an easy question to answer.\u00a0 As near as we can tell its somewhere around Latitude 23.87 North, Longitude 82.02 West.\u00a0 Yes, that puts us in the middle of the ocean somewhere between Florida and Cuba.\u00a0 You see, the name of this restaurant is Remy and it is on board the Disney Fantasy cruise ship.\u00a0 You got it, Remy was the name of the lead character in the Pixar\/Disney movie Ratatouille<\/em> and this shipboard dining experience is in homage to Gusteau\u2019s restaurant in that movie.\u00a0 Minus the rats of course.<\/p>\n

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Remy is a very<\/em> high-end restaurant.\u00a0 The kind of place where you can\u2019t understand the menu without subtitles (fortunately provided) or an expert guide (also provided in the form of your server).\u00a0 Even with this assistance a meat and potato person will likely look askance at many of the items on the menu.\u00a0 Normally we would have passed on half the offerings simply because they sounded so \u201cdifferent\u201d.\u00a0 That would have been a mistake.<\/p>\n

OK, time to get on with the review.\u00a0 First will be Brunch, then Dinner and lastly a comparison that may make it helpful to decide on which experience would be best for you.<\/p>\n

Remy Brunch<\/strong><\/p>\n

Your Remy Brunch experience begins promptly at the designated time.\u00a0 Your party, along with 3-4 other parties, are first escorted to the wine room by the maitre\u2019d where each guest receives a complimentary glass of Champagne and a small plate of very thinly sliced Jamon Iberico<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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That is your first introduction to the mysteries of a French menu – most of us would call it ham.\u00a0 But this is no ordinary ham.\u00a0 It\u2019s made from a very fatty pig that has been cured for a long time.\u00a0 It is shaved using a hand-cranked machine that produces the very thin, delicate slices.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Because the slices are so thin you don\u2019t notice the fat level on your palate, only the wonderful flavor.\u00a0 While in the wine room you are greeted by the chef, the sommelier and your servers who explain how the meal will progress and some of the delicacies you will be served.\u00a0 From there each party is escorted to their table.\u00a0 We had a wonderful view out over the ocean from our table.\u00a0 The view was pretty but the meal was the real center of attention.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Service during Brunch is very carefully orchestrated.\u00a0 There were four people in our dining party and our plates were each placed on the table at the exact same time.\u00a0 Covers over the plates were lifted in unison creating the great reveal.\u00a0 Immediately followed by Ohh\u2019s and Ahh\u2019s by us.\u00a0 The food is simply beautiful in its presentation.\u00a0 Brunch is a five-course event lasting 2+ hours.\u00a0 At our brunch the fixed menu was:<\/p>\n

Sweetcorn Emulsion
\nLobster Cannelloni with Caviar
\nShrimp and Potato
\nPoached Egg
\nPraline<\/p>\n

However, the menu changes constantly based on the best available ingredients so your menu at Remy brunch will be different from ours.<\/p>\n

Champagne pairings are offered with Remy Brunch.\u00a0 Those that chose this extra-cost ($25) option get three glasses of Champagne.\u00a0 A Taittinger Prestige Curvee Rose is paired with the first two menu items; a Pommery Gold \u201906 with the next two; and the desert course was paired with a Moet & Chandon Ice.\u00a0 Again, this is based on the menu we experienced and these will change based on the current menu.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Before dining here, we weren\u2019t big on champagne based on our limited experience with it at weddings and New Years parties; but after this meal it was obvious that there is much more to Champagne than we realized.\u00a0 Note the capital \u201cC\u201d in Champagne used here.\u00a0 Remember that this is a Very French<\/em> restaurant so all the Champagne’s do come from the Champagne region of France.\u00a0 What is often passed off as champagne at weddings and the like is more properly referred to as sparkling wine.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Your Remy Brunch also includes desert \u2013 hand made profiteroles.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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At the end of the meal we were all presented with some tasty morsels to take back with us.\u00a0 This included freshly made marshmallows and lollypops.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Remy Dinner<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unlike Brunch, you are escorted directly to your table for Dinner.\u00a0 Each table has been pre-set just for your party. \u00a0This is mostly for show as the plates are swept away before the meal service begins.\u00a0 Napkins are unfolded by the wait staff and presented to each guest.\u00a0 Freshly baked bread still hot from the oven is offered to each and there is a container of unsalted French butter together with a separate container of sea salt on the table.\u00a0 The combination of the freshly baked bread, butter and salt was heavenly but merely an intro to a succession of six courses.\u00a0 Oh, and we were also given a complimentary Remy Signature Champaign Cocktail to start the experience.<\/p>\n

Did I mention the deep-fried tomato soup?\u00a0 A small cube (slightly larger than a sugar cube) of tomato soup that has been battered and deep-fried.<\/p>\n

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After allowing it to cool slightly we were advised to pop the whole thing in our mouth and, very importantly, to bite into it with our mouth closed so it doesn\u2019t leak over your nice clothes.\u00a0 It was a fantastic burst of flavor.\u00a0 Our server let us in on the secret of its preparation but I\u2019ll leave that for you to ponder.<\/p>\n

The dinner menu isn\u2019t expansive.\u00a0 This is a restaurant that prides itself in offering a limited number of items that are done really well rather than offering many choices but not maintaining quality.\u00a0 Again a disclaimer that the menu we experienced will<\/em> be different when you go.\u00a0 Like the Brunch menu, the dinner offerings are based on the best available foods at the time.\u00a0 We won\u2019t go into a lot of detail about the individual dishes since they will likely be different when you visit.<\/p>\n

While we were reviewing the menu our sommelier stopped by to discuss the wine options.\u00a0 We decided in this case not to do the wine pairings and instead ordered a bottle of wine to be shared among three of us.\u00a0 We gave the sommelier a price range and he gave us a few recommendations.\u00a0 Ultimately we went with his top suggestion, a Chateau Beauregard Pomerold 2006.\u00a0 This was not an inexpensive wine by any means but still significantly less than the $99 per person wine pairings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For dinner, unlike brunch, you will have to make choices from the evening menu.\u00a0 Since we had come to know and trust our server during brunch we took the easy way out and let her chose what she thought would be best for us with only the provision that there be a difference between what was served to each pair of us.\u00a0 We did that in order to sample more of the different items.\u00a0 This worked out well for us with each eating about half of a course and then swapping plates across the table.\u00a0 We found our server had done a really good job of matching our tastes with what the kitchen did best and her choices were spot on.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rather than give a dish-by-dish description of this meal in this review, we will focus on a few of the menu items because at this restaurant the experience will be different for everybody.\u00a0 Our server started us off with Sandwich a la Truffe <\/em>and Homard du Maine.<\/em><\/p>\n

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That\u2019s right, it\u2019s a grilled lobster and truffle sandwich, but in a suitably upscale French way.\u00a0 There are more recognizable dishes as well, like this Colorado Bison.<\/span><\/p>\n

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This Alaskan Sablefish had a wonderful buttery flavor:<\/p>\n

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Near the end of your dinner the cheese cart is wheeled over.\u00a0 Your server explains each variety and you can have a portion of as many as you would like.\u00a0 Between the four of us we tried just about all the different cheeses.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Of course there is also something sweet to end your meal:
\n\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Dinner at Remy is a carefully paced meal that will take over three hours to complete.\u00a0 If you are thinking that this indicates very slow service; that is not the case.\u00a0 Keep in mind that there are five courses plus some surprises.\u00a0 You are not rushed at any point.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The restaurant is a beautiful space with many little details.\u00a0 Hidden Remys abound as you can see in some of these pictures.<\/p>\n

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Chair back woodwork with a hidden Remy.\u00a0 Notice the adjacent stool as well; each woman gets one of these next to her chair so her purse doesn\u2019t have to rest on the floor.<\/p>\n

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Repeating pattern with hidden Remy\u2019s on banquette seats.<\/p>\n

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A typical Remy place setting.<\/p>\n

Remy has a strict dress code, which we were advised of before dining there. At dinner, jackets are a requirement for men with suitably dressy clothes for women. Brunch is a bit more relaxed but still dressy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cost
\n<\/strong>Brunch is $50 per person and the optional Champagne pairings, which brings two more glasses of Champagne, are $25 per person.\u00a0 Dinner is $75 per person and the optional wine pairings are $99 per person.\u00a0 Wine is also available by the bottle at prices ranging from around $60 to many thousands of dollars.\u00a0 The sommelier is happy to recommend a bottle in your price range.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Choosing between Brunch and Dinner
\n<\/strong>Our party of four did both meals on the same day.\u00a0 We probably shouldn\u2019t have scheduled it that way but it did allow us to compare and contrast with fresh memories.\u00a0 We also had the same serving team for both meals so there were no variations that could be attributed to them.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Overall we found the whole dining experience to be great at both meals.\u00a0 The evening meal is certainly even more elegant (and longer) than Brunch.\u00a0 Those that are unsure if they will like Remy should probably try the Brunch first since its less expensive but still provides a great experience.\u00a0 We also agreed that the Champagne pairings for Brunch were a good value.<\/p>\n

In hindsight doing both Brunch and Dinner on the same day (separated by about eight hours) was a bit too much Remy at once.\u00a0 We will schedule them on different days on future cruises.\u00a0 Keep in mind that Remy Brunch is only served on sea days while Remy dinner is available every night so book your Remy Brunch reservations first and then fit in the Remy Dinner around the rest of your schedule.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On reflecting about our meal at Remy we could not help but be reminded of this scene from the movie Ratatouille.<\/p>\n

Mustafa<\/strong> – [taking Ego’s order]: Do you know what you’d like this evening, sir?
\nEgo<\/strong>: Yes, I think I do. After reading a lot of overheated puffery about your new cook, you know what I’m craving? A little perspective. That’s it. I’d like some fresh, clear, well seasoned perspective. Can you suggest a good wine to go with that?
\nMustafa<\/strong>: With what, sir?
\nEgo<\/strong>: Perspective. Fresh out, I take it?
\nMustafa<\/strong>: I am, uh…
\nEgo<\/strong>: Very well. Since you’re all out of perspective and no one else seems to have it in this BLOODY TOWN, I’ll make you a deal. You provide the food, I’ll provide the perspective, which would go nicely with a bottle of Cheval Blanc 1947.
\nMustafa<\/strong>: I’m afraid… your dinner selection?
\nEgo<\/strong>: [stands up angrily] Tell your chef Linguini that I want whatever he dares to serve me. Tell him to hit me with his best SHOT.<\/p>\n

When we left Remy we had no doubt that the chef had hit us with his best SHOT.<\/p>\n

Additional contributions P.S. That bottle of Cheval Blanc 1947 mentioned above?\u00a0 You can get it at Remy for a mere $25,000.<\/p>\n

Menu from Remy 12\/9\/12\u00a0<\/p>\n

Saveur:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Gout:
\n<\/strong>Sandwich a la Truffe\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Masago Shrimp
\nHomard Boeuf\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Alaskan Sable Fish
\nBar Poireaux\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Poulet Rouge
\nBiche Echalotte\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Colorado Bison
\nChocolat\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Tanzanian Chocolate Timbale<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Fraicheur\/Freshness<\/h2>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Mer\/Sea<\/h2>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Terre\/Earth<\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n

Homard du MaineBoeuf Cru<\/td>\nBarPoireaux, Pomme de Terre<\/td>\nBiche& Chalotte Confite<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Poulet RougeMushroom Ragout<\/td>\nAlaskan Sable FishArugula Pudding<\/td>\nColorado BisonParsnip Puree, Thyme Jus<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Truffe NoireEn Sandwich<\/td>\nCabillaudTruffe Noire<\/td>\nCochonNavet<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Massago ShrimpPonzu Vinaigrette<\/td>\nKing Crab GratinArtichokes, Violet Mustard<\/td>\nNiman Ranch LambPistachios, Candied Red Peppers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Special thanks to my dining partners Ros Tobe and Mary Jo Wiley for the pictures and help filling in the holes in my rough draft.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Is there such a thing as too tout French?\u00a0 As in two very French meals in the same restaurant on the same day?\u00a0 Perhaps so.\u00a0 But it was fun trying!\u00a0 So, where is this French restaurant you ask?\u00a0 Well, that Continue reading Two Tout French? – Remy Brunch and Dinner on the Disney Fantasy<\/span>→<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":98,"featured_media":3370,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,206],"tags":[1110,970,1111,1109,1106,831,1094,1095,1096,1108,1097,1099,1104,1100,1102,1103,481,1107,1101,1105,1098],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/foodietales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3329"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/foodietales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/foodietales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/foodietales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/98"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/foodietales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3329"}],"version-history":[{"count":59,"href":"http:\/\/foodietales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3329\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3480,"href":"http:\/\/foodietales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3329\/revisions\/3480"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/foodietales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3370"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/foodietales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/foodietales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/foodietales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}