Dinner at Disney World

I did not cook last week because my family and I went to Walt Disney World, Florida for vacation during the President’s Week. A great time was had by all. While we were there, we ate out at many of the restaurants at the theme parks and resorts. All of the restaurants we went to had great food, and I would highly recommend them all; but there is one restaurant that I would like to write about. We had dinner at the France Pavilion in Epcot at a restaurant called “Les Chefs de France.” Although there were many great items on the menu, I chose red wine braised short ribs. I did this for 2 reasons. First, there is a red wine braised short rib recipe by Hebert Keller that I want to try in the future, and I would like to see and taste what it should look and taste like. Second, it came with Potatoes Dauphinios. In my previous blog I wrote about trying to “tweak” a scalloped potatoes recipe, and I figured this would be a great opportunity to see what properly cook potatoes look like and taste like. I was not disappointed. The braised short ribs were very tender, and the red wine sauce was great. The potatoes were excellent too. This is what I want my potatoes to taste like. While examining the potatoes, I told my wife and friends it appeared as if I was putting too much cheese on my potatoes. My wife explained to our friends the problems I’ve been having trying to make potatoes (to soggy at times). Our waiter over heard our conversation and threw in his two-cents. He suggested using flour as a thickening agent and this should stop my potatoes from becoming soggy. He also suggested using a roux if I did not use flour. He then recommended adding some nutmeg for flavor. It was a great night. Not only did I get to eat some great food, but I also came out with some good suggestions for my potato dishes. So, I’ll be experimenting on my family when I get back home.

Bon Appétit

P.S. Here's a gift my wife bought me at one of the Disney Resorts to help out with my cooking. It's a Refrigerator magnet with measurements broken down.