On a recent vacation, I decided to revisit Ale and Compass Restaurant at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort. As you may recall from a previous visit, my experience was a mixed bag of good and disappointing. Maybe it’s the optimist in me, but I had a feeling I would have a better experience this time.
A drink while we wait!
Like visiting with an old friend, the Maple Old Fashioned ($15) at Ale and Compass is still great! Dare I say, it may be a little better compared with last time. The peel added a citrus aromatic element to the drink, as I was about to taste it. Still a very solid drink, if you enjoy an old fashioned. I knew this would be a solid beginning to my dinner and I was not disappointed.
So simple and so good!
For an appetizer this visit, I gave the Roasted Garlic Shrimp ($15) a try. Five shrimp swimming in garlic and butter with a lemon, served with toasted house-made focaccia bread. The dish is served literally piping hot. (I was warned about the plate and of course didn’t listen.) This is such a simple dish and the deliciousness came from it’s simplicity. No fancy gimmicks. Zero frills. Just a simple execution and it was wonderful!
Better Than Last Time!
On the previous visit, I thoroughly enjoyed the Parker House Rolls ($14), but didn’t seem to care for the bacon jam spread (middle spread). This time, the bacon jam wowed me with it’s combination of sweet and smokey bacon flavor. I enjoyed it very much, but I could only tolerate the sweetness a few times.
The pub cheese (top spread) is also very good, albeit similar to Merck’s if you’ve ever picked that up from the grocery store. The citrus butter (bottom spread) was both lovely and confusing. On it’s own, I couldn’t really taste any citrus flavor. Once on bread, however, the citrus flavor really came out.
Near Perfection.
This is what I should have ordered last time! The Pappardelle Pasta with Shrimp ($30) was the highlight of dinner for me. Pappardelle pasta is a wide noodle, like fettucine, but even wider. It’s served with spinach, sautéed mushrooms, rebel tomatoes, roasted garlic cream, and citrus gremolata. I was in absolute heaven enjoying this! In fact, I’m not sure I’ll want to try the other main dishes because I loved this one so much. Maybe next time I’ll get it with chicken.
However. I had two issues with this dish. First, it came with mushrooms. Gross. I ordered it without mushrooms. Secondly, I’m not a fan of shrimp in a dish you eat with a fork that still have the tail and last piece of shell on. For me it adds an extra, unnecessary, step. Plus, I feel by not eating that last section of shrimp near the tail, you’re wasting food. That’s still good shrimp in there!
Not My Favorite Dessert.
To give the other desserts on the menu a chance, I tried the Mango Torte Spiced Lemon Pound Cake ($7). It looked promising, and seemed promising, but it did not come through with mango or lemon flavors. It did come through with coconut and the raspberry on the side, but I thought the cake itself, while nice and creamy, was disappointing.
I also thought the blue stuff on the plate was part of the dessert, but it was actually part of the plate. Oops. It’s a nice plate, but I couldn’t fit it into my purse. I tried the twelve-layer chocolate cake on a previous visit, and while it was very good, twelve layers is a lot after just having pasta.
Some Details about Ale and Compass Restaurant.
Along with excellent food, the service at Ale and Compass was equally excellent. The service staff (server and food runners) did an excellent job in making sure my drinks were refilled and pacing the dinner so I did not feel rushed. A manager did come around to the tables as well, and luckily my server was at my table when he did so I could give her a compliment directly to the manager.
The ambience of Ale and Compass is a subtle nautical theme. The restaurant is a mix of deep blues and rich woods with copper accents. I was seated in a half booth – half table and had an electrical outlet under the booth, which came in handy since my phone needed charging.
Ale and Compass Restaurant is located at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort. They are open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Reservations are recommended, especially during busy times. As of writing this article, prices range from $15-$34.99 for adults. Annual Passholders and Disney Visa Cardholders are eligible for a dining discount.
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