Chefs de France is a wonderful French restaurant located in Epcot. It can be very difficult to get reservations, and there may be a slight wait, but it’s worth the effort. As a non-Disney owned restaurant, or “operating partner”, we were a bit skeptical about dining with a food allergy. However, the Chef and staff were fantastic.
Chef Laurent came to our table and asked about our daughter’s allergy, and gave us our options. We were shock that there were so many for her that were dairy free.
First of all, she enjoyed her first French baguette in a restaurant. He reassured us that it was made on site without dairy. She would have been thrilled with that alone! But, she ordered a romaine hearts salad with a dressing, that I made at the table, of olive oil, pepper, salt, garlic , mustard and vinegar. They were very accommodating and brought ingredients we requested to make our own dressing.
She had the demi poulet fermier roti, pommes rissolées et tomate grillée, or a roasted chicken, herb-roasted potatoes, and a grilled tomato. This was the best chicken we’ve eaten in Epcot, hands down! There is no photo, because she dug in immediately.
Then, just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, the Chef brought out raspberry and kiwi sorbet, again made on site in their kitchen. He assured us, again, that it was safe and completely free of dairy, and gave her a scope of each. She was thrilled and I don’t know how to express the joy it gave us to see her able to enjoy a meal in a French restaurant for the first time. This is why we love Disney!
My husband and I both had the filet au Poivre, a delicious peppered steak in a peppercorn cream sauce. They were fabulously prepared and delicious, though not dairy free. Of course, we took precautions to keep everything separate on the table. We had to order our own French baguette, anyway, since our daughter had already claimed the first one as her own! She loved that so much.
What were the other dairy free options you referenced? I'm seriously considering this restaurant for our trip. I'm curious whether crepes were an option. Or anything with tofutti? Anything else for dessert besides the sorbet (which is an option at Cinderella's castle and elsewhere). My DD is milk free, egg free, peanut/treenut free. I'm curious if the profiterole could be made safely. Or maybe that is too much to dream?
Basically, he offered to prepare chicken, beef or seafood, along with several vegetables like green beans and potatoes, all dairy free. He seemed very flexible and creative, so it may be possible to get many popular French dishes free of your daughter's allergens. Most importantly, he understood food allergies, and isolation to prevent cross-contamination.
My experience with chefs at Disney has been great, that is all but the chefs at this restaurant. Sounds like your experience was much better. So glad to hear of the improvement.
I agree with Tammie- our experience there in 2011 was horrible. Hopefully things are looking up consistently!
Awesome! 🙂