Well here's my question to all you fine dining folks..How important is presentation when sitting down to a meal at Disney.?.I must admit i love the presentation of a meal and I believe the look of the dish can draw you in and make it a night to remember..My Fillet resting next to the Mac & Cheese at Jiko looked outstanding..As did my Spicy Kazan Roll at Cali Grill..Here are a few examples of what I mean..
To me that all just looks lost on an oversized plate 
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I love beautiful presentation. It makes the food more appealing to me. The DH and I don't get to splurge on food to much at home so when we go to Disney we want the fine dining experience. Don't get me wrong slap a big bowl of pasta in front of me and I am not going to care what it looks like! We always try to have at least 3 fine dining meals well at Disney.
I love the beautiful presentations as well. We don't do much "fancy" dining at home, so when on vacation, the presentation adds to the enjoyment for me. One of my favs in WDW was our dessert in Cinderella's castle. It honestly was almost too pretty to eat....almost.....
Fine dining is out of my league but there is a general rule of thumb that if the food looks good and smells good, theoretically, it should taste good. I think in general, organization is key. I don't want to eat a plate of clutter because I need to know where everything is so that I know what exactly am I eating. If you hate finding your keys on your desk while it is cluttered, that's how you should feel eating a dish that looks like a mess. Plus, I think anytime you see so much sauce or garnish spreading to the edge of the plate, it's not presentable. Buffets are the exception where clutter does not mean too much because after all, I am the one putting clutter on the plate so I should know what I'm eating! 
Balance, I think is also important. Not too much or too little sauces, seasonings, herbs and spices, etc and have it centralized on the actual food and nothing else. But the real key is to have good quality produce to begin with so that all those things I stated above, can enhance the flavor and taste.
"All my life I wonder how it feels to pass a day, not above them but part of them.
And out there living in the sun, give me one day out there, all I ask is one to hold forever. Out there where they all live unaware, what I'd give, what I'd dare, just to live one day out there."
To me that all just looks lost on an oversized plate
OMG.. 
Mr Ferret..You need my gastronomic course of fine dining...Trust me..You and Mrs F will discover that every picture tells a story,even in cuisine.. 
You know the old adage: you eat with your eyes first. If something looks enticing, then it stimulates your appetite. 
On top of that, the assembly of a plate in fine dining often has another purpose as well. The chef pairs specific dishes to enhance each dish's flavor. A good assembly will allow you to taste each component in a single fork full. Same goes with recommended wine pairings - if a menu has wine suggestions for each dish, I almost always take the recommendation.
Don't forget, enjoying good food is an event - whether it's Victoria & Albert's or Flametree BBQ (both of which rank high on my list).
By the way King, I can't help but notice that all of the photos you posted were of desserts. Could you not wait until you took photos of the entree before you dove in? 
I always enjoy when a plate of food looks almost too delicious to eat. But I'd much rather it taste incredible than look incredible.
I do like a beautiful presentation. It adds to the experience. I loved that dessert at CRT, VelcroPooh.
You know the old adage: you eat with your eyes first. If something looks enticing, then it stimulates your appetite.On top of that, the assembly of a plate in fine dining often has another purpose as well. The chef pairs specific dishes to enhance each dish's flavor. A good assembly will allow you to taste each component in a single fork full. Same goes with recommended wine pairings - if a menu has wine suggestions for each dish, I almost always take the recommendation.
Don't forget, enjoying good food is an event - whether it's Victoria & Albert's or Flametree BBQ (both of which rank high on my list).
By the way King, I can't help but notice that all of the photos you posted were of desserts. Could you not wait until you took photos of the entree before you dove in?
Sorry..But this was just an example of what I was talking about..I thought the desserts were the prettiest...LOL
the spicy Kazan is awesome!!!!
Member of the 6 castle club and working to pay for my next Disney vacations: 1/5-10/18, September 2018 for my 50th and 2018 the year of Disney cruising.
I don't think I have ever had a meal that was 'artfully presented!' I'm hoping to change that on our next trip Does anyone know if Kouzzina or Kona do anything pretty on their desserts??
To me that all just looks lost on an oversized plate
I agree...the presentation is not as important as the taste.
Mrferret wrote:To me that all just looks lost on an oversized plateOMG..
Sorry but i don't buy into the fine dining thing.The pictures you posted just made the portions look tiny.I mean why do you need a plate that is two foot round for a slice of cake ???? The same cheesecake on a smaller plate is just as good as the posh one yet probably costs less because it hasn't got sauce bandied around the plate.
Don't get me wrong and think i just like my food lumped on a plate willynilly but there is a distinction between well presented and overhyped.The CRT desert is a great example of well presented imho ..
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King Fergus wrote:Mrferret wrote:To me that all just looks lost on an oversized plateOMG..
Sorry but i don't buy into the fine dining thing.The pictures you posted just made the portions look tiny.I mean why do you need a plate that is two foot round for a slice of cake ???? The same cheesecake on a smaller plate is just as good as the posh one yet probably costs less because it hasn't got sauce bandied around the plate.
Don't get me wrong and think i just like my food lumped on a plate willynilly but there is a distinction between well presented and overhyped.The CRT desert is a great example of well presented imho ..
Ah well Mr F...What's the old saying.." You can take a horse to the water,but you can't make it drink." Looks like I'll never see you on a Gordon Ramsay TV show..LOL..And yes...Taste is more important than presentation..However I've yet to have a well presented dish that didn't taste awesome....I remember ordering a mix grill once at a well renowned steakhouse in Edinburgh.When our little server girl arrived and put the plate down in front of me, I was tempted to ask for a dog bowl as that's what it looked like...A dogs dinner..
Mrferret wrote:King Fergus wrote:Mrferret wrote:To me that all just looks lost on an oversized plateOMG..
Sorry but i don't buy into the fine dining thing.The pictures you posted just made the portions look tiny.I mean why do you need a plate that is two foot round for a slice of cake ???? The same cheesecake on a smaller plate is just as good as the posh one yet probably costs less because it hasn't got sauce bandied around the plate.
Don't get me wrong and think i just like my food lumped on a plate willynilly but there is a distinction between well presented and overhyped.The CRT desert is a great example of well presented imho ..Ah well Mr F...What's the old saying.." You can take a horse to the water,but you can't make it drink." Looks like I'll never see you on a Gordon Ramsay TV show..LOL..And yes...Taste is more important than presentation..However I've yet to have a well presented dish that didn't taste awesome....I remember ordering a mix grill once at a well renowned steakhouse in Edinburgh.When our little server girl arrived and put the plate down in front of me, I was tempted to ask for a dog bowl as that's what it looked like...A dogs dinner..
I am not knocking the whole dining experience Sir F but rather when it (to me) looks overdone.Yes i agree a good presentation does make a huge difference in your appreciation of a meal but there is a point where it just starts to get over the top.I don't doubt the majority of the food is awesome and really nice but i feel a lot of places go overboard with the presentation and then double the price because it's "fine" dining.
Yak and Yeti has fantastic food and incredible presentation but doesn't go overboard,( see JanJ and Kens TR)
I also do appreciate more things as i have got older. When i first went to WDW in 2000 it was all burgers/fries etc.Nowadays i find myself leaving those options for something different.(example would be Morroco,when we first went i wuld not even look twice at the menu but now it is a must do at least once).
As for a well presented dish that didn't taste great .... have you been to Le Cellier 
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King Fergus wrote:Mrferret wrote:King Fergus wrote:Mrferret wrote:To me that all just looks lost on an oversized plateOMG..
Sorry but i don't buy into the fine dining thing.The pictures you posted just made the portions look tiny.I mean why do you need a plate that is two foot round for a slice of cake ???? The same cheesecake on a smaller plate is just as good as the posh one yet probably costs less because it hasn't got sauce bandied around the plate.
Don't get me wrong and think i just like my food lumped on a plate willynilly but there is a distinction between well presented and overhyped.The CRT desert is a great example of well presented imho ..Ah well Mr F...What's the old saying.." You can take a horse to the water,but you can't make it drink." Looks like I'll never see you on a Gordon Ramsay TV show..LOL..And yes...Taste is more important than presentation..However I've yet to have a well presented dish that didn't taste awesome....I remember ordering a mix grill once at a well renowned steakhouse in Edinburgh.When our little server girl arrived and put the plate down in front of me, I was tempted to ask for a dog bowl as that's what it looked like...A dogs dinner..
I am not knocking the whole dining experience Sir F but rather when it (to me) looks overdone.Yes i agree a good presentation does make a huge difference in your appreciation of a meal but there is a point where it just starts to get over the top.I don't doubt the majority of the food is awesome and really nice but i feel a lot of places go overboard with the presentation and then double the price because it's "fine" dining.
Yak and Yeti has fantastic food and incredible presentation but doesn't go overboard,( see JanJ and Kens TR)
I also do appreciate more things as i have got older. When i first went to WDW in 2000 it was all burgers/fries etc.Nowadays i find myself leaving those options for something different.(example would be Morroco,when we first went i wuld not even look twice at the menu but now it is a must do at least once).
As for a well presented dish that didn't taste great .... have you been to Le Cellier
Hmmm...Don't mention Le Cellier...That was our first signature dining experience,and it left us cold..Booked 180 days out..We were seated after 30 mins wait,right at a small table at the door..Bad start..Our starters ( Moosehead soup ) was very good,but our fillet steaks ( their signature dish ) was very bland..Could hardly get a hold of our server..All in all..Our only bad food experience at WDW..
Mrferret wrote:King Fergus wrote:Mrferret wrote:King Fergus wrote:Mrferret wrote:To me that all just looks lost on an oversized plateOMG..
Sorry but i don't buy into the fine dining thing.The pictures you posted just made the portions look tiny.I mean why do you need a plate that is two foot round for a slice of cake ???? The same cheesecake on a smaller plate is just as good as the posh one yet probably costs less because it hasn't got sauce bandied around the plate.
Don't get me wrong and think i just like my food lumped on a plate willynilly but there is a distinction between well presented and overhyped.The CRT desert is a great example of well presented imho ..Ah well Mr F...What's the old saying.." You can take a horse to the water,but you can't make it drink." Looks like I'll never see you on a Gordon Ramsay TV show..LOL..And yes...Taste is more important than presentation..However I've yet to have a well presented dish that didn't taste awesome....I remember ordering a mix grill once at a well renowned steakhouse in Edinburgh.When our little server girl arrived and put the plate down in front of me, I was tempted to ask for a dog bowl as that's what it looked like...A dogs dinner..
I am not knocking the whole dining experience Sir F but rather when it (to me) looks overdone.Yes i agree a good presentation does make a huge difference in your appreciation of a meal but there is a point where it just starts to get over the top.I don't doubt the majority of the food is awesome and really nice but i feel a lot of places go overboard with the presentation and then double the price because it's "fine" dining.
Yak and Yeti has fantastic food and incredible presentation but doesn't go overboard,( see JanJ and Kens TR)
I also do appreciate more things as i have got older. When i first went to WDW in 2000 it was all burgers/fries etc.Nowadays i find myself leaving those options for something different.(example would be Morroco,when we first went i wuld not even look twice at the menu but now it is a must do at least once).
As for a well presented dish that didn't taste great .... have you been to Le CellierHmmm...Don't mention Le Cellier...That was our first signature dining experience,and it left us cold..Booked 180 days out..We were seated after 30 mins wait,right at a small table at the door..Bad start..Our starters ( Moosehead soup ) was very good,but our fillet steaks ( their signature dish ) was very bland..Could hardly get a hold of our server..All in all..Our only bad food experience at WDW..
It has been our worst meal at the world also.Back when it was possible to walk in and get a seat.Never understood how it got a two credit rating on the DDP 
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2018 Alskan disney cruise ??
2019 Florida
I've had the pleasure of being presented some beautifully plated food, but I've yet to see anything that looked too good to eat.
Kouzzina was the one I was so excited to try and I must say I nearly cried in disappointment. I found nothing to be pleased with but I hope they have corrected the massive errors we encountered. In October.
Le cellier is not a signature establishment in my humble opinion. If they were ever good enough to earn the hype I'm affraid that chef has since left. I personally don't enjoy clutter in life or me plate. I can appreciate the intent but I personally would rather have sauces on the side to avoid a blood splatter plate. I actually pay attention to plate service to avoid the mess and order plates that aren't out of control.
