I haven't been this excited about my birthday since I turned 21! COMPLETE

[DonaldDoleWhip]

I haven't tried the latest napoleon at Les Halles, but we definitely agree with you that Boardwalk Bakery's is the strongest of the current napoleon offerings. Now I wish I'd stopped at the Boardwalk Bakery for one, but it's too late now.

 

[jabead]

OMG the pictures from boardwalk bakery are making me so hungry right now. That lemon and blueberry cupcake looks divine, as does your Napoleon. Not sure how you could even choose from all the great choices. We are staying at boardwalk next trip and I know having the bakery that close is not gonna be good for the waistline.

Me too! I would love a Napoleon from the Boardwalk Bakery right about now.

Oh my goodness that is what I remember the Napoleon looks like. Yummy!!!! I want one NOW. I'm not sure I can wait for our November trip but I suppose I don't have any choice. Thanks for sharing this discovery. You are the best!!!!!

You are very welcome. Enjoy!

Unfortunately we leave on 10/13 so I'm definitely hoping for next time!

Your Boardwalk Bakery Napoleon definitely looks like the winner between the two. However, I'd be hard pressed to pick between the chocolate peanut butter bar cake and the lemon meringue tart. Both would be whispering sweet nothings to me.

I'm not much of a fan of lemon desserts, but I have to agree that that Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar Cake looks delicious!

Ohhh and Ahhh over the bakery case but I think you choose wisely : ) love a good napoleon and that looks wonderful! Quick question ... Have you ever tried the tiramisu from boardwalk bakery?

No I haven't, sorry. But it sure looks pretty!

I can't wait for your Shula's review. We are having our anniversary dinner there in September. So please tell me it is beyond awesome!

I should have Part 1 posted tonight. I think you will like it, Chris.

Great updates Barb! Love your 50s Prime Time review. We have it booked for the first time ever for our September trip. Looking forward to finally trying it. The problem is, everything looks good! I can't decide what to order! I might have to go with your choice and try the fried chicken. It definitely looks amazing.

I'm surprised you have never been to Prime Time. I hope you enjoy your first visit. Oh, and I highly recommend both the chicken and the PB & J milk shake.

I just read all 30 pages - Barb, I enjoyed reading your report. I liked the pictures of the Garden Suites at Boardwalk - we stayed there for a few days on the way home from our honeymoon cruise (me: We can't fly over Orlando without stopping, and that way, we'll bookmark the honeymoon with Disney - DL on the way out, WDW on the way home), and they upgraded us to one the garden suites. I liked just looking out the windows.

We haven't been back since 2008, and we loved Yachtsman Steakhouse, I hope we have a better meal than you all did.

Thanks again.

Hi and thanks so much for reading...all 30 pages! I am so jealous that you got to stay in one of the garden suites. But I guess since you were on your honeymoon that the amazing upgrade was well deserved. Congrats!

I haven't tried the latest napoleon at Les Halles, but we definitely agree with you that Boardwalk Bakery's is the strongest of the current napoleon offerings. Now I wish I'd stopped at the Boardwalk Bakery for one, but it's too late now.

Here is the photo that you sent me for the Live Thread in July 2013 of the new Les Halles Napoleon...




And here is the "supposedly" new and improved one that I had a few months ago...



This was supposed to be more like their old Napoleon, in order to appease all the customers who had complained about the changes. Well, have you ever heard that saying, "If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, it's a duck"? So I say, this is a duck...umm, I mean this is same "new" Napoleon.

 

[jabead]

For my final dinner of this trip, I met up with my friends at...



Michael (emmysdaddy), Brenda (emmysmommy), Paula (smile4stamps), and Hunter

Also joining us for dinner that night was Beth (Couchy), but she had not yet arrived when the above photo was taken.


First a little background before I begin my review. I had dined at Shula's just once before, that time with my DH and DS. While the rest of our food (appetizer, soups, sides, and dessert) was very good, we were not impressed by our steaks...especially given their price. My DH and I shared the 12 oz. filet and the steak by itself was pretty boring. It had very little seasoning and neither of us liked the Béarnaise sauce which was served with it. So since we went to Shula's expecting to be blown away by the steak, we left feeling disappointed. Though my DH has no plans to ever return, I am much more forgiving and hoped that someday the opportunity would arise for me to give Shula's another chance.

Fast forward now a couple of years. When Paula sent me their dining itinerary for this trip, I was excited to see that they were having dinner at Shula's on the last night of my trip. Yay!! I would be able to return to Shula's without having to beg, cajole, or otherwise demean myself in order to do so.



Ok, now let's take a look inside Shula's Steakhouse, shall we?


Taking up the entire back wall of the first room that we walked through is a mural which shows Coach Don Shula being hoisted on the shoulders of some his Miami Dolphins team after they won the Super Bowl.




I recall reading a review of Shula's Steakhouse which said that it was like dining in a dimly-lit football museum. I would tend to agree with this observation.


We were seated in a smaller, more secluded room but the walls were still lined with football-themed photos...







Here is table set for a party of four...





...and here is our table for our party of six.




Our table of course had Shula's signature football menu...





...which Michael quickly put to use by lofting it across the table to me sitting at the other end.




Given my athletic skills, I believe you would call this a "Hail Mary" pass.


Therefore, you are probably now expecting to see a photo of our table strewn with broken glassware but since the football was not actually thrown, my next photos are of the menu...







It was about this time that our server brought over the cart with the plastic-wrapped slabs of beef, as well as a few of the fresh vegetables that are available to purchase separately as side dishes.




And here is our main server (I know we had at least one other server and possibly even two during our meal) giving us the low-down on their various cuts of beef...




Next the basket of very good sour dough bread was brought to our table...



No complaints from us regarding the bread this time.


The first thing I ordered was something that I had dreamt about ever since I had it during my last visit to Shula's...



This French onion soup is made with a delicious beefy broth and IMO is far better than any other French onion soup offered at Disney World. For me, in order for FO soup to be at its finest it must be made with beef stock and not chicken (like at Chefs de France) or vegetables (like at Be our Guest). So if you feel the same way about your French onion soup, then I highly recommend the one at Shula's.

So far so good, but would the success continue with my entree? Stay tuned for Part 2 to find out. But unfortunately I will be out of town for the next couple of days so I won't be able to finish my Shula's review until Sunday. Sorry for the delay. ​

Next up: Dinner at Shula's - Part 2

 

[vettegirl]

Can't wait to hear if Shulas redeemed itself

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[auntfrannie]

So far so good, but would the success continue with my entree? Stay tuned for Part 2 to find out. But unfortunately I will be out of town for the next couple of days so I won't be able to finish my Shula's review until Sunday. Sorry for the delay. ​

Next up: Dinner at Shula's - Part 2

Now that's very naughty of you to tempt us with part 1 then going out of town!! Enjoy your time away!

 

[dvc4life]

Oh, you tease Barb!

But so far, everything is looking good!

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

Looking forward to seeing the beef, Barb!

 

[Linda67]

Enjoying the latest updates Barb
Oh the treats at the Boardwalk Bakery look delicious
Looking forward to part 2 of the Shula's review

 

[abbydancer]

Shula's looks tempting. Here's a little factoid on onion soup. I think the best is a matter of personal taste of course, but Chef Paul Bouse (not sure of spelling) of Chef's de France is one of Lyon's great Chefs (Lyon is the food capital of France), and his is considered the best onion soup in France. When we go in December, I will ask if that's his recipe they serve. I was lucky enough to have dinner in one of his bistros last year, and the soup was sublime.

 

[kastoney]

Football, bread, soup, but "where's the beef?"

 

[Eastern]

I read your whole report yesterday/today.

Very well-done and informative. Thanks for taking the time to post it!

Love your dog

 

[MrsB1228]

Shula's is off to a promising start, looking forward to part 2!

 

[jabead]

Shula's looks tempting. Here's a little factoid on onion soup. I think the best is a matter of personal taste of course, but Chef Paul Bouse (not sure of spelling) of Chef's de France is one of Lyon's great Chefs (Lyon is the food capital of France), and his is considered the best onion soup in France. When we go in December, I will ask if that's his recipe they serve. I was lucky enough to have dinner in one of his bistros last year, and the soup was sublime.

That's very interesting. I would like to know the answer to that question too. I hope you plan to do a dining report.

I read your whole report yesterday/today.

Very well-done and informative. Thanks for taking the time to post it!

Love your dog

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my report and for your kind comments.

Can't wait to hear if Shulas redeemed itself

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

Now that's very naughty of you to tempt us with part 1 then going out of town!! Enjoy your time away!

Oh, you tease Barb!

But so far, everything is looking good!

Looking forward to seeing the beef, Barb!

Enjoying the latest updates Barb
Oh the treats at the Boardwalk Bakery look delicious
Looking forward to part 2 of the Shula's review

Football, bread, soup, but "where's the beef?"

Shula's is off to a promising start, looking forward to part 2!

To Lori, Fran, Chris, Rachel, Kari, and Carol: Shula's - Part 2 is coming right up. Again sorry for the long delay between the two installments.

 

[jabead]

Shula's Steakhouse - Part 2


Now moving on to the "meatier" part of this meal, my entree...




8 oz. Filet Mignon served with Béarnaise sauce

I believe it was Brenda who had learned on a previous visit to Shula's that you could order this petite filet, even though it is not listed on their menu. If I remember correctly, this 8 oz. portion is served as the "Turf" part of their Surf & Turf entree. Oh, and in case you were wondering, the charge for this unlisted filet was $45.00, so similarly priced to the $48.00 8 oz. filet served at Yachtsman Steakhouse. One difference though is that the YSH filet entree comes with mashed potatoes. To have mashed potatoes at Shula's you must order and pay for them separately, as no side dishes are included with your entree. But more on that later. Getting back now to my steak, it was a very good quality piece of beef and was cooked perfectly to the medium temperature that I requested.



My only "beef" with the Shula's filet is that, just like last time, I did not care for the Béarnaise sauce that is served with it. Once this was confirmed to still be the case, I resigned myself to eating my steak plain. And frankly, once again it was little boring. Now I don't recall exactly how this came about, but somehow I ended up with Hunter's red wine demi-glace and it was the perfect complement to my filet. It turned a good steak into a great one, so thank you Hunter!

Ok, now our choices for side dishes. Between the six of us we ordered four to be shared by everyone. My choice was the Garlic Mashed Potatoes...



These were very good and a large serving. It was my favorite of our four sides.


Someone else ordered the Sauteed Spinach...





I believe Paula ordered the Twice-baked Potato...




...and our fourth side was Grilled Asparagus.





And then last but certainly not least, we have dessert...





We were told that the Chocolate Soufflé and the Molten Chocolate Lava Cake took at least 30 minutes to bake so if we wanted either of these for dessert we would need to order them early in our meal. I had had the Chocolate Soufflé during my previous visit to Shula's and loved it so I of course had to order it again.






The chocolate soufflé was served with ice cream, whipped cream, and creme anglaise, which Hunter quickly put to good use...





This was again delicious and everyone seemed to enjoy it very much. I know for sure that I did.



I also enjoyed the other dessert which we shared...



Molten Chocolate Lava Cake


And one more close-up shot...




What a delicious ending to a nearly perfect meal. My one and only gripe regarding this dinner was a very minor one. Our service was exceptional throughout our meal up until the time that we requested 4 separate checks. Our server then politely chastised us for not telling him at the beginning that we needed separate checks. I was a little surprised by this and wondered why he would automatically assume that any one of us would be picking up the tab for our entire table of six. Later I realized that many of the guests at Shula's are probably conventioneers dining on the company's dime with one person paying the check for the group. So I guess I can now understand where our server was coming from, but at the time it made me feel a bit awkward. However, since the food was so good, I can easily forgive this one little flaw.


And so with that my last dinner was complete and it was time for me to say good-bye to this great group of people...





If everything works out as planned, I will get to see Beth again during my next trip in October. However, I'm very sad to say that I have no idea when I will see the rest, but I sincerely hope that someday our paths will cross again. While I was visiting my daughter in Chicago on Friday, I came across this Irish Blessing and it made me think of them.


May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
The rain fall soft upon your fields.
And, until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
​

Next up: Breakfast snack from the Boardwalk Bakery

 

[auntfrannie]

As much as I want to try Shula's the prices are a bit off-putting. For $45 I would expect to receive a side with my entrée. Typically I dine alone and I can't picture myself ordering a large side.

It also seems odd that they don't offer you a choice of sauces. Many restaurants with seafood will offer at least 3 different choices for the final preparation.

Great review but probably not a place I will be trying any time soon!

Thanks for the review, Barb!

 

[BlackSwan]

Serving sides à la carte, rather than included with the entrée, is standard practice for high end steakhouses. Shula's, Ruth's Chris, Morton's, Peter Luger, Bern's, Keens, Sparks, etc. They all do it. Disney steakhouses like Yachtsman are the exception not the rule.

 

[Wood Nymph]

The food looks delicious at Shula's. How would they feel if a couple shared everything, appetizer, entree, sides and dessert, rather than each ordering their own portion? The serving sizes look big enough to serve two people.

 

[disney meema]

What a lovely trip Barb so amazing! You finished with my treasured Irish Blessing : ) Being Irish myself you couldn't of ended your travel report more perfectly. Thanks so much for letting me peek inside your travels!
Looking forward to your upcoming F&W experiences

Take care,
Debby

 

[kastoney]

What a great final meal, though I must say $45 for the small filet does sound a but steep. Of course unlike your other meals if appears to be cooked to perfection. And the desserts look absolutely divine.

 

[MrsB1228]

Happy to hear that Shula's delivered this time and you enjoyed your meal. The chocolate souffle and lava cake are both making my mouth water, they look completely decadent. Great ending to an awesome dining report Barb! I look forward to reading about your October adventures!